Chapter 841: Farewell, Dumbledore
Chapter 841: Farewell, Dumbledore
News traveled fast in the small community of Godric's Hollow. Not long ago, Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald's mysterious disappearance became common knowledge within a matter of days.
This time, it was even faster. Aberforth had emerged from the woods in the evening, and just an hour later, the tale of his beating at the hands of the Kneazles became the talk of the town's pubs.
Many found the story hilarious, downing extra drinks as they laughed, including Cod.
"Hahaha... That boy has guts! Even we dare not mess with those Kneazles, and he went in there alone."
"Oh?" Kyle inquired curiously, "Are the Kneazles in Godric's Hollow particularly fierce?"
He had ventured into those woods himself and hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary.
"Not so much fierce as clever," Cod explained, "The Kneazles in Godric's Hollow are the smartest magical creatures I've ever seen. They even set traps to prank wizards who wander into the woods."
"Traps?" Kyle's eyebrows shot up.
He could believe their intelligence, but trap-making seemed a bit far-fetched.
"You'd best believe it," Cod said earnestly, "I don't know how they learned it, maybe by observing wizards, but I'm not exaggerating.
"When we first moved here, I wanted to pick some wildflowers from the woods to decorate our garden. But not long into my walk, I stepped into a pit..."
At this, Cod furrowed his brows and took a hefty swig of brandy, "I won't go into the details, as you probably don't want to hear it, but I'm certain that pit was dug by Kneazles. They had even covered it with dry leaves for camouflage."
Kyle's eyebrows arched.
Kneazles... Pits...
Judging by Cod's bitter expression, the experience had clearly left a mark on him.
Kyle wisely refrained from prying further and instead steered the conversation in another direction. "When you say you moved here... didn't you live here before?"
"Of course not," Cod shook his head, "We used to live in the Gordton Highlands... just south of the valley, not too far from here."
"Why did you move, then?"
"Because that place was too close to Muggles," Cod sighed, "On several occasions, I nearly got caught by neighbors while using magic. And our family is in the potion business; many potions emit peculiar smells during preparation. It's more convenient to live in Godric's Hollow."
Kyle stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Highlands... and they were south of Godric's Hollow... Wasn't that the place Grindelwald and Dumbledore had gone to?
Kyle recalled Grindelwald mentioning that he had received information from Bathilda that one of the Hallows might be in the highlands south of the valley.
And Cod's last name was Potter—in the story of the three brothers, Ignotus, the youngest, who had received the Invisibility Cloak, was an ancestor of the Potters.
In other words, what Grindelwald sought was the Invisibility Cloak, one of the Deathly Hallows. But since the Potter family had moved from the highlands to the valley, Grindelwald's journey would prove fruitless this time.
Everything fell into place.
Kyle shook his head with a hint of amusement. He wondered if Grindelwald would ever realize how close he had been to his goal.
"But it's a good thing we moved," Cod raised his glass and finished the brandy, "It's more comfortable living among wizards. When we're not busy, we can gather for a drink, and both Patina and I enjoy this lifestyle."
"Indeed," Kyle nodded, also finishing the drink in his glass.
...
Before long, it was the wee hours of the morning.
Although Aberforth had returned from the woods empty-handed, he slept soundly that night, undisturbed by any noises.
This was because Kyle had other plans for the evening and did not go to meet Ariana as promised.
... Dumbledore had arrived, but not the young Dumbledore—it was the aged Headmaster of Hogwarts, returned from a century in the future.
After parting ways with Cod at the pub, Kyle and Cod had intended to visit Ariana, but halfway there, Kyle suddenly heard a dull thudding sound through his Extendable Ears.
He had left half of his Extendable Ears hidden in a corner of the barn to keep an eye on the situation inside.
However, at that time, only the young Dumbledore and Grindelwald would occasionally visit the barn, seemingly using it as a secret hideout where they could discuss life and share their ideals without fear of interruption.
But now, they had gone elsewhere, away from Godric's Hollow, and with Kyle himself out and about... What was the source of that thudding sound?
Kyle's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned and ran towards the barn.
When he pushed open the door, he found Dumbledore sitting weakly on the ground.
His face was deathly pale, and he wore a robe that looked like it had been scavenged. His usually well-groomed beard was now disheveled and untidy.
Kyle had never seen Dumbledore looking so disheveled.
"Professor..." he hurried over and helped Dumbledore to his feet.
Kyle was stunned. "You don't remember me?"
It was clear from Dumbledore's gaze that he was indeed looking at Kyle as if he were a stranger.
Dumbledore's eyes flickered, "Or perhaps it's my mistake."
"Then do you remember who you are?" Kyle asked.
"Of course, I am Albus Dumbledore, Professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts," he replied, sizing Kyle up and down with a smile. "Though it may sound immodest, if you are a student at Hogwarts, you must have heard of me."
"Yes, I have," Kyle said. "But our Transfiguration professor is Minerva McGonagall."
"Minerva... the Gryffindor in her first year?" Dumbledore sat down on a chair that Kyle had conjured, letting out a mirthful laugh. "You certainly have a sense of humor, but she does have a remarkable talent for Transfiguration and could very well become a renowned master in the future."
"Then why are you here?" Kyle continued his interrogation.
"I stumbled upon this place by accident," Dumbledore said calmly.
"No," Kyle shook his head confidently. "You used a Time-Turner to come back and save your sister."
In an instant, the atmosphere in the barn became tense.
Kyle clearly saw that Dumbledore now had his wand in hand, his eyes piercing as he looked at Kyle.
"With this strong smell of alcohol... young man, you may have had too much to drink tonight. It would be best to get some rest; it's impossible for a person to travel back in time."
"Is that so?" Kyle gently moved his right hand, confirming that Dumbledore truly didn't recognize him.
Based on their conversation, it seemed that Dumbledore's memory had stopped at the time when Professor McGonagall was a first-year student, and he couldn't recall anything that happened after that.
Was this the consequence of being rejected by time? Kyle felt agitated. While he had anticipated that things wouldn't go smoothly, he hadn't expected it to be this complicated, and the current Dumbledore was also highly suspicious of him.
Any attempt at explanation would likely be futile; he wouldn't believe him.
"Then I shall take my leave."
With that, Kyle turned and walked towards the door.
One step, two steps, three steps...
He placed his hand on the door and gently pushed it open.
...
The next second, Kyle abruptly spun around.
"Protego!"
A silvery shield appeared out of thin air, deflecting a spell that had been cast from behind him.
"A sneak attack from behind... Professor, that's not your style."
"I can only apologize, young man," Dumbledore stood up as well, his body still weak but his eyes unwavering.
"I don't know how you know me, but what you know may interfere with my plans, so I must make you forget.
"But rest assured, I won't harm you."
"Professor, we can talk about this," Kyle said. "I truly mean no harm..."
Before Kyle could finish his sentence, another spell came flying at him.
It was evident that Dumbledore had no intention of listening to any explanations.
Left with no choice, Kyle raised his arm.
The Obliviate spell was once again deflected by the silvery shield, and Kyle waved his wand, sending an orange spell rushing towards Dumbledore.
"Incarcerous!"
The spell transformed into three thick ropes in midair, shooting towards Dumbledore's neck, chest, and legs.
However, Dumbledore merely waved his hand, causing Kyle's spell to vanish.
Then, Dumbledore disappeared and reappeared behind Kyle, pointing his wand at his head.
He had thought he would be able to control the unfamiliar wizard in front of him, but he hadn't expected Kyle to also disappear from sight.
Using the Disapparition technique in the middle of a duel?
Dumbledore's heart skipped a beat, but at that moment, a gust of wind came from his left, forcing him to temporarily suppress his surprise and raise his wand defensively.
A silvery barrier blocked the rushing wind blade.
The wind blade was deflected onto the roof of the barn, neatly slicing through a thick log.
"Dark magic!" Dumbledore's face darkened.
"No, no, no," Kyle countered. "This is something Professor Snape taught me; it's not dark magic at all."
"Horace wouldn't teach such magic," Dumbledore said in a low voice, his wand twitching upwards.
"It was another Head of House, and he's someone you trust deeply," Kyle said, casually deflecting Dumbledore's spell.
But Kyle soon realized that this spell was merely a distraction, as Dumbledore's true target was behind him.
Several wooden arms sprouted from the barn wall, and one of them had already wrapped itself around his shoulder, feeling like it was coated with glue as it stuck firmly to his body.
"Sectumsempra!"
Kyle decisively cut through the wood and took a step forward to distance himself, but before he could act, the ground beneath his feet began to shake, and a stone wall rose up, reaching the ceiling and blocking all of Kyle's escape routes.
After all, trapping a wizard capable of using Disapparition in combat was essentially impossible.
But just as he raised his wand, scorching red flames burned through the wood enclosing Kyle, bursting forth.
Then a second wave, and a third... In just an instant, his prepared cage turned to ashes, and Kyle walked out unscathed, surrounded by a bright, silver-white shield.
The flames did not dissipate but instead condensed into a massive three-headed Runic Snake, roaring as it charged towards Dumbledore.
Blasts of fire spewed from the serpent's mouths, immediately igniting the wooden barn.
"Incinero!"
"So, you are a Dark Wizard!"
Dumbledore's expression turned grim, but his first reaction was not to protect himself or counter Kyle's attack, but to swiftly extinguish the flames around the barn and magically shield it from harm. Only after ensuring the barn's safety did he turn his wand towards the fiery serpent.
However, Dumbledore did not notice that Kyle had once again used Disapparition, reappearing behind him.
Dumbledore's attention was solely on the raging fire before him, and by the time he realized what was happening, his wand was knocked from his grasp, spinning through the air to land in his opponent's hand.
"Disarm," Kyle said, standing behind him with a smile. "Professor, I think we really should have a good chat."
Despite losing his wand, Dumbledore did not panic. He raised his right hand high, immobilizing the raging fire in place, then turned to face Kyle.
"If you had just cast the Killing Curse, you might have been able to kill me."
"Not likely," Kyle shook his head. "You wanted to protect this barn, so you haven't been using your full strength. But if I had used the Killing Curse, you probably wouldn't have held back as much."
Dumbledore remained silent, tacitly acknowledging the truth of his words.
"If I'm not mistaken, you don't want anyone else to notice the commotion here, or more specifically, you don't want Ariana to hear the noise, right?"
Kyle extended his hand, offering the wand back to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore was caught off guard by Kyle's action and hesitated for a moment before cautiously accepting his wand.
"What do you mean by this?"
"I told you, I mean no harm." Kyle waved his hand, dispelling the flames, and the severed log on the roof reassembled itself.
Calmly restoring the damaged parts of the barn, Kyle continued, "I know your purpose because I, like you, have traveled back in time using a Time-Turner. In fact, the Time-Turner you used was given to you by me."
"Impossible."
"Nothing is impossible." Kyle paused in his actions and said, "Or, Professor, you can carefully think about how you obtained that Time-Turner. Do you have any impression of it? I guess not."
Dumbledore fell silent.
Kyle was right; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall any memories related to the Time-Turner.
Now, Dumbledore also realized something was amiss...
Indeed, how had he obtained the Time-Turner? It certainly couldn't have appeared out of thin air, and even if it had, he should have memories of it.
Furthermore, why hadn't he noticed this discrepancy until now?
As he thought carefully, he realized that many things didn't add up. For instance, his initial attitude towards Kyle when they first met.
When he had first seen this person, he had instinctively trusted him. When Kyle had come to support him, he had been completely unguarded and naturally accepted his help, revealing his most vulnerable side.
This unconditional trust was as if they had known each other for many years.
It was only when Kyle exposed his biggest secret that this sense of trust vanished.
"Are you telling the truth?" Dumbledore asked in a low voice. "I need evidence, proof that you know me."
"It's simple."
Kyle took out his wand and tapped it on his arm.
As the wand passed over his wrist, a thin golden thread appeared... Then, an identical golden thread manifested on Dumbledore's wrist, and the two threads seamlessly connected in the air.
"A Contract Spell?!" Dumbledore exclaimed in surprise.
"That's right," Kyle said. "We once used a Contract Spell. As for the reason, it doesn't matter, and it's not that relevant to the current situation, but now you should believe me, right? We truly know each other."
Dumbledore lowered his wand.
He could feel that the Contract Spell on his wrist was something he had willingly cast, and when the golden thread appeared, his mind had also flashed with many scenes that didn't actually exist.
"I'm sorry," Dumbledore said. "But I really don't remember you."
(End of Chapter)
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