Chapter 836: The Golden Bird
Chapter 836: The Golden Bird
As a magical means of transportation exclusively for witches and wizards, the Knight Bus was undoubtedly efficient and affordable, but the ride experience left much to be desired.
Kyle had to grip the handrail next to his seat tightly to prevent himself from being flung out by the sudden and immense inertia.
The double-decker bus weaved through the streets like an exuberant Husky, veering into alleys barely wide enough for a person, untouched cobblestone paths, and even leaping over rooftops.
Efficiency was its forte, taking shortcuts and forging paths where none existed.
Finally, just as Kyle was about to lose his breakfast, the bus came to a halt.
"Godric's Hollow!" the cheerful voice of the conductor rang out, clearly relishing her work.
Kyle alighted quickly, vowing never to subject himself to that experience again if he could help it.
As the bus door shut, he heard the conductor's voice once more.
"Next stop, Diagon Alley. We have another passenger."
The double-decker bus flickered a few times and then vanished.
Kyle stood still, calming his roiling stomach.
The Polyjuice Potion's effect gradually wore off, and his sparse scalp sprouted black hair once more, restoring his original appearance.
The timing was impeccable; had it been any later, he would have had to take another sip of the potion. However, given the turbulent ride, Kyle wasn't sure if he could have kept it down.
A few minutes later, he turned and ventured into Godric's Hollow.
Unlike his memories, the hollow seemed to be exclusively inhabited by witches and wizards at this time, with an assortment of quirky dwellings, none of which resembled ordinary houses.
Kyle passed by a structure that was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, resembling a giant umbrella, and then circled around a massive watermill before venturing further into the hollow.
His first order of business was to locate Dumbledore's home, which he had inquired about before his arrival. It was located on the southern side of the valley, close to where the Bashida Bashate family resided—former neighbors of Dumbledore.
Although Kyle had visited the Bashidas in the future, a century later, the surroundings had changed drastically, and it took him quite a while to find the two-story building after circling the valley several times.
The Bashida residence looked much as he remembered it, albeit newer and devoid of the unsightly vines that had once covered the walls. It was painted blue, and the red roof added a striking contrast.
While the garden was modest in size, it was meticulously maintained, filled with flowering rue plants that exuded a subtle, pleasant fragrance. A small bird bath in the center attracted various birds that chirped merrily, creating a lively atmosphere.
It was evident that the owner took great pride in their home, keeping it immaculate and orderly.
In fact, Kyle had spotted this place right from the start, but his initial impression was that he had remembered the location wrong... It bore no resemblance to the dark and secluded Bashate mansion that he knew from his time, which became the setting for a horror film as soon as night fell.
It was only after he had circled the area, exploring every possible location, that he returned to this spot, having run out of options.
When he arrived, a witch in her twenties was shooing away garden gnomes while grumbling at a window on the second floor.
"I knew they would expel you eventually. Look at the mess you've made! Who performs such dangerous magical experiments at school... Hey, Gellert, I'm talking to you. Even if you disagree, you could at least acknowledge me, especially since I'm your aunt-grandmother."
"I heard you, and you don't need to keep reminding me of that."
A resigned voice drifted from the upper floor, followed by the appearance of a golden head at the window.
"You don't look much older than me anyway. I prefer 'aunt'—it makes me sound younger, don't you think?"
The boy at the window looked to be around fifteen or sixteen, slightly younger than Dumbledore at this time, but despite his youth, he was remarkably handsome.
Based on the earlier address, this must be Gellert Grindelwald.
His hair was long and golden, cascading over his shoulders, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight, giving him the appearance of a majestic bird perched on the windowsill.
"Don't think your sweet talk will work on me, Gellert. I'm telling you, it's useless, completely useless."
Despite her words, the young Bashida Bashate's voice had softened considerably.
"Don't change the subject. Why did you have to perform those dangerous Dark magic experiments at school? You could have waited a few more days until the school holidays.
"Now look what's happened. You've been expelled, and you won't even get your graduation certificate."
"Certificate? Ha! I don't need a piece of paper to prove my worth."
Gellert Grindelwald replied nonchalantly, "And brilliant ideas strike in a moment's notice. I don't have the patience to wait."
"A guest?" Bashida Bashate turned and also spotted Kyle.
Out of politeness, she washed her muddy hands in the birdbath before walking over and asking, "Who are you, and why are you standing in front of my house?"
"Oh, sorry." Kyle said awkwardly. He had been so engrossed in listening to their conversation that he had stopped unconsciously, not expecting to be discovered so quickly.
"Actually, I'm here on a trip." Kyle quickly came up with a reason. "I wanted to ask if there's any accommodation available nearby."
"Travel?" Bashida frowned. "What's there to see here?"
"There is," Kyle replied. "After all, this is the birthplace of Godric Gryffindor. As a member of Hogwarts, I've always wanted to visit."
"You know this is where Gryffindor was born?"
For some reason, Bashida's eyes lit up, and she became excited.
"Is there something strange about that?" Kyle took a small step back. "Isn't this common knowledge? This place is called Godric's Hollow, and Gryffindor is also called Godric."
"No, no, not many people know that." Bashida shook her finger. "Most people nowadays believe that this is where Gryffindor met Ravenclaw, and few know that it's his birthplace.
"You must have read a lot of magical history books to find that out. I bet you've read 'Across the Muddy Valley' and 'A Wizarding Record of the Tenth Century'."
"Well... um..." Kyle forced a laugh.
In fact, he had never even heard of those two books. The only one he had read was 'A History of Magic'.
This included the origin of the name Godric's Hollow, which was covered in the first year's first lesson, so to him, this knowledge wasn't much different from common sense.
However, Kyle suddenly realized that 'A History of Magic' was Bashida Bashate's work, and at this point in time, the book hadn't been written yet.
"Oh, yes, I've read them," Kyle could only say, gritting his teeth.
"So, you're also a student who likes magical history?" Bashida looked even more enthusiastic.
"I like magical history too. I find it fascinating to uncover stories hidden in time, and that's also why I moved here," Kyle explained.
"I'm sorry, but I find it hard to understand your preference, Aunt." Grindelwald's voice came from upstairs again. "Magic is the most captivating, and history is best left in the past."
"Shut up, Gellert, or I'll send you back," Bashida said angrily, like an enraged fire dragon.
Under the fire dragon's threat, the golden bird immediately closed his beak.
"Sorry, child." Bashida turned and smiled again. "Don't mind him. He's Gellert Grindelwald, my nephew-grandson, a student at Durmstrang.
"I assume you know that the people from that school are a bunch of idiots who prefer to let their muscles do the thinking. They simply can't understand the allure of history."
"I'm not. I was expelled!" Grindelwald corrected her.
"Do you think that's something to be proud of?" Bashida shouted.
"At least I'm not an idiot," Grindelwald laughed, jumping down from the windowsill and landing gracefully on the ground.
"Are you really a student who studies history?" He sized Kyle up and down.
To be honest, Kyle's back was already starting to sweat.
According to his original plan, he wasn't supposed to interact with anyone in Godric's Hollow. He just needed to wait quietly for Dumbledore.
Diagon Alley was a different matter; it was far enough away that it had little to do with his plans. As long as he didn't do anything too outrageous, like releasing a Snake Horror to slaughter the entire street, anything else would eventually be diluted by the passage of time.
This was his advantage; a hundred years ago, there was no other Kyle. In a sense, he was a man of this era.
But Godric's Hollow was different. The people here were all monsters, and the most troublesome ones were Grindelwald and Dumbledore. Kyle found it hard to guarantee that his excuses would fool them.
Moreover, they were the protagonists of the following decades, with immense influence. Interacting with them was too risky.
However, at this point, it was definitely impossible for him to just walk away, so Kyle could only grit his teeth and say, "Yes, I do like magical history."
"Then do you know where Durmstrang is?" Grindelwald narrowed his eyes.
"Gellert," Bashida frowned. "You..."
"It's fine, Aunt," Grindelwald shook his head. "He looks about the same age as me, probably a student too. Since he's a student, he must be interested in other magic schools as well, right?"
"Compared to magic schools, I'm actually more interested in fairies," Kyle continued. "I've been studying the history of the fairy rebellion at school."
Bashida Bashate's eyes lit up even more at this.
"Fairies... rebellion? I'm interested in that too. Tell me more," Grindelwald asked.
"I found out about Hogsmeade," Kyle said. "There's a place there that used to be their headquarters, but it's been abandoned for a long time. I tried to go in and look for any remaining traces, but I was chased out."
Grindelwald looked at Bashida, as if seeking confirmation, but found her unusually excited.
"If you're interested in the fairy rebellion, I recommend you go to the Bacor Ruins," she said. "It's the place where Fairy Bacor first decided to start the rebellion, and there are a lot of useful traces left behind, as well as their weapon foundry."
"Looks like I have a destination for my next trip," Kyle said.
Grindelwald suddenly smiled and looked at Bashida, a hint of teasing in his eyes. "I always thought you were the only one who liked that boring stuff. I didn't expect there to be someone else with the same interest."
"Mind your manners," Bashida said, her tone stern.
"Oh, sorry," Grindelwald said sincerely. "Although I don't understand, I respect your interests, and I sincerely wish you success in your endeavors."
He bowed slightly, then turned and went back into the house, leaving Kyle alone.
Initially, Grindelwald had come over because he was concerned that Bashida was being deceived. From the moment he laid eyes on Kyle, he had felt that there was something suspicious and unreadable about him.
However, it now seemed that he had been overthinking things. Bashida's enthusiasm toward Kyle told him that this person truly knew a lot about magic history.
Perhaps it was a peculiar interest among British wizards.
And someone with an interest in magic history, in his opinion, was not worth paying too much attention to.
After Grindelwald left, Kyle breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, at this point in time, Grindelwald's world revolved around magic research, and in his eyes, Kyle was probably no different from the garden gnomes.
On the other hand, Bashida was very enthusiastic, delighted to have met someone who shared her passion for magic history. She chatted with Kyle about a range of topics, from the fairy rebellion to the giant wars.
Drawing on the knowledge he had gained from 'A History of Magic', Kyle was able to contribute to the conversation, and for the parts he didn't know, he simply brushed it off as something he hadn't come across yet.
After all, his persona was that of a sixth-year Hogwarts student, and it would be normal for him to have limited life experiences.
In fact, it would be more suspicious if he knew everything.
Before they knew it, it was already noon, and the enthusiastic Bashida invited Kyle to join her for lunch, but he declined.
There was no way he was going to have lunch with Grindelwald, especially after their brief interaction.
Seeing Kyle's determination, Bashida was disappointed but didn't push the matter further.
"Well then, I must say that Gellert is indeed an expelled student, but he is fundamentally a very kind person, and he's sunny and cheerful, not at all like what you might think of him."
Bashida assumed that Kyle didn't want to associate with someone who had been expelled, so she tried to explain Grindelwald's situation. She liked him a lot and didn't want others to judge him negatively.
"No, you misunderstood," Kyle quickly shook his head. "I have an elder who was also expelled from school, but that didn't stop him from becoming an excellent Magizoologist later in life."
"Is he from Hogwarts as well? Do I know him?" Bashida asked, intrigued.
"I don't think so," Kyle shook his head, then added vaguely, "He's not in Britain at the moment, but perhaps you'll meet him in the future.
"As Mr. Grindelwald said earlier, some people don't need a graduation certificate to prove their worth."
"It's wonderful that you think that way," Bashida said happily. "So, where are you headed now? Do you need any help?"
"I'm going to look for a place to stay for the night," Kyle said. "I might stay here for a few more days to search for any possible traces of Godric Gryffindor."
Kyle had originally planned to say that he would be leaving immediately, as it would make it easier to shake off Grindelwald.
However, he soon realized that he probably wouldn't stay in one place, and if he was discovered later, it would only cause more trouble.
"For accommodation... you can try the Valley Inn," Bashida suggested, pointing in a certain direction. "It's at the lowest point of the valley, and they provide lodging. The prices are fair, and the environment is nice.
"You can mention my name when you get there. If that old geezer Johnson doesn't give you a good discount, I'll dump his oak barrel into the lake."
(End of Chapter)
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