Chapter 844: Persuading Ariana
Chapter 844: Persuading Ariana
"Bang!"
Kyle stood outside as the door of Potter's Potion Shop slammed shut without mercy.
Soon after, the door reopened, and Bode threw out a large package before forcefully shutting the door again.
Dumbledore stood outside, watching the events unfold with a puzzled expression.
"It's nothing, I just bought some things," Kyle explained.
He picked up the package, which contained around a dozen bottles of various potions. Some had shattered due to Bode's rough handling, but most remained intact.
Kyle sorted through them and placed the unbroken ones into his box... despite their common varieties, he didn't want to waste anything he had paid for.
"You rushed over here just to buy potions?" Dumbledore's confusion deepened.
In his impression, Bode wasn't a renowned Potion Master. The items sold here could be easily found in any other potion shop, and even a fifth-year student with decent potion-making skills could brew them.
Was it really necessary for Kyle to make a special trip at this time?
"Buying potions wasn't the main purpose. I came here for this," Kyle said as he took out the box and showed it to Dumbledore.
Upon seeing the old box, Dumbledore, who had been wondering why Kyle had come here, suddenly realized something.
"Invisibility Cloak?"
"To be precise, it's the Invisibility Cloak, one of the Deathly Hallows," Kyle said. "Perhaps only this can give Ariana a glimmer of hope at this point in time."
Dumbledore's body trembled.
Yes, how could he have forgotten? He had known for a long time that the Invisibility Cloak had been passed down through the Potter family for generations. Why hadn't he thought of it before?
"He just lent it to you like that?" Dumbledore suddenly realized something. "I suppose no one understands the value of this artifact better than Bode."
"It wasn't easy, so I used a special method..." Kyle briefly recounted what had happened inside the shop.
"Twenty galleons... and three bottles of wine?" Dumbledore marveled. "I never thought it would be that simple."
"It's not that simple at all," Kyle said, glancing back. "His wife was there, too."
"If I hadn't shown my strength, even if I had offered him a hundred bottles of wine, he wouldn't have taken out the Invisibility Cloak."
"Wait." Dumbledore looked at Kyle anxiously. "You didn't..."
"Don't misunderstand. I didn't do anything. I just demonstrated a bit of magic," Kyle shook his head. "My intention was to make him believe that I wasn't trying to steal the Invisibility Cloak. But Bode didn't want to take the risk. He simply made the best choice he could at the moment.
"What followed was me trying to get the best deal for myself on top of that, but it's true that he genuinely likes that wine... after all, it's from Hufflepuff, something that ordinary people wouldn't be able to get their hands on."
"Hufflepuff?" Dumbledore was even more confused, as he had no memory of the golden cup due to his lost memories.
"That's not important," Kyle said.
After obtaining what he wanted, the two of them began to walk towards the Dumbledore family residence.
Along the way, Dumbledore couldn't help but keep glancing at the box in Kyle's hand. "Do you plan to use it to hide Ariana?"
"I do have that idea," Kyle said as he opened the box and took out the Invisibility Cloak, which looked as if it were woven from water.
The so-called "Hallows," also known as the "Deathly Hallows," were items that appeared in the story collection "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," a well-known fairy tale in the wizarding world, similar to "Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales" in the Muggle world.
The story was a bit long. It was said that three brothers once met the legendary Death and passed his test. Death decided to grant each of them a wish.
However, Kyle was more inclined to believe that Death was just extremely bored and played a little game with them.
The eldest brother, who was the most warlike, asked for the most powerful wand. With this wand, he conquered and defeated all his enemies, but in the end, he was ambushed and killed in his sleep.
Then, his soul was taken by Death, and he failed.
Next was the arrogant second brother, Cadmus, who wanted to mock Death. He wished for the resurrection of the deceased, and Death granted his wish by giving him a stone. As long as he held the stone and turned it thrice in his hand, the person he thought of would be resurrected.
Cadmus returned home and used the Resurrection Stone to revive the girl he had once loved.
But Death didn't tell him that the stone could only summon souls, and the resurrected souls did not truly belong in the world of the living. Here, she endured pain at all times.
Cadmus became even more anguished, and to truly be with the girl, he chose to end his life, conceding defeat to Death.
Finally, there was the youngest and smartest brother, Ignotus, the only one who didn't believe in Death. Out of caution, he wished to go to a place beyond Death's reach and was thus given the Invisibility Cloak.
Legend has it that this Invisibility Cloak was Death's own cloak.
And so, he succeeded. Death searched for many years but never found him. Only when Ignotus grew old did he take off the Invisibility Cloak, passing it on to his son. He bid farewell to Death as he would to an old friend and happily departed with him.
This was the story of the three brothers, known to almost every child born into a wizarding family. Most wizards believed that the story taught them to always stay vigilant.
Interestingly, the three Deathly Hallows mentioned in the legend—the Invisibility Cloak, the Elder Wand, and the Resurrection Stone—were all real, and Kyle had seen them all.
The item he now held in his hands was one of them—the Invisibility Cloak.
Then, Grindelwald, frustrated by not finding what he sought, lost his usual calm and ended up brawling with Aberforth.
Ariana was accidentally killed as she tried to stop them.
In a sense, even if the Invisibility Cloak wasn't the main cause, it was the catalyst for the tragedy.
Kyle had a hunch that the accident started with the Invisibility Cloak, and perhaps, it could also be the key to ending it.
With this in mind, Kyle couldn't help but quicken his pace.
Soon, the exquisite house came into view.
As they approached, Dumbledore hesitated and unconsciously slowed down.
"We can't go see Ariana... we can't," he mumbled to himself.
But Kyle didn't stop. He took out his wand, and a nearby sapling began to grow rapidly. Kyle stepped onto one of the extending branches, which carried him to the attic window.
"Ear-Shutting Spell!" Kyle waved his wand again and pushed open the attic window.
Ariana was sitting on a small bed inside. Hearing the noise, she turned to look first at Kyle, who had just jumped in, and then at the bright sun outside.
"Why... why are you here at this time?" Ariana was startled. "No, if Aberforth sees you, he'll be angry. You'd better run."
As she spoke, she stood up and anxiously pressed her ear against the door, seemingly checking if there was any movement outside.
"It's alright, he can't hear us talking." Kyle shook his head with a smile. "I came to see you because there's something very important I need your help with."
"Important... matter?" Ariana blinked, unable to conceal her delight. "Can Ariana help?"
"Of course, only you can accomplish this." Kyle said, "Do you want to save your brother?"
Ariana immediately became tense. "What happened to Aberforth?"
As she spoke, she hurriedly grasped the doorknob, intending to go out and check.
"It's not Aberforth..." Kyle quickly said, "It's the other one."
He led the now-quiet Ariana to the window.
When Kyle had barged in earlier, Dumbledore had intended to hide, but for some unknown reason, his feet seemed welded to the ground, unable to take a single step. So, he just stood there.
Thus, when Kyle brought Ariana to the window, she immediately spotted Dumbledore outside.
"Ab... Aberforth...?" Ariana whispered.
Whether it was due to their familial bond or the Silent One's exceptionally keen perception, despite Dumbledore's head now being full of white hair, she recognized him at a glance.
On the other hand, Dumbledore had already been crying uncontrollably, his face wet with tears.
"Are you going to keep hiding, Professor?" Kyle asked.
This time, Dumbledore didn't choose to evade. He floated into the air and flew into the attic.
Ariana's eyes widened, and she burst into tears.
To be honest, even Kyle was startled by this reaction. He could understand Dumbledore's tears, but why was Ariana crying as well...
He tried to ask why,
"Aberforth... he... he's dead... he's become a flying ghost..." Ariana sobbed, and continued to wail.
In her understanding, ghosts were white, and Aberforth had also turned white... Ghosts could fly, and Aberforth could fly now... So, Aberforth was a ghost.
Flawless logic.
Kyle twitched his mouth, unsure how to respond.
However, Dumbledore panicked. Seeing Ariana crying, her breath becoming rapid, and her body enveloped in a layer of dark mist, he hurried into the attic, pushing Kyle aside, and said softly:
"I'm fine, Ariana..."
"Feel my hand, I'm still warm." He held Ariana's hand, trying to comfort her.
But perhaps due to a lack of experience in this area, he kept repeating the same two sentences, as awkward as Neville during a Potions class.
Fortunately, after feeling the warmth from his palm, Ariana gradually calmed down.
"Aberforth... he's really not a ghost?"
"Of course not." Dumbledore shook his head, his tear-filled eyes gazing at the young girl from years ago.
"I'm sorry... Ariana... I'm sorry."
The girl extended her tiny hand, trying to wipe away the tears on his face.
"You'd better use something else, like a handkerchief." Kyle muttered beside them, "He might have snot on his face."
The little girl's hand froze, and a trace of terror flashed in her eyes.
Dumbledore glared at Kyle.
"Don't look at me like that, Professor." Kyle shrugged, "You two were too engrossed just now; now isn't the time for a reunion."
Kyle walked over, unfolded the Invisibility Cloak he was holding, and draped it over Ariana without another word.
"Wow, it's the magical Invisibility Cloak." The little girl immediately forgot about what had just happened and began to excitedly examine her now-invisible body.
"Ariana..." Kyle knelt down, looking at the happy little girl in front of him.
"What is it?"
"Your brother Aberforth is in great danger right now. He could become a real dead ghost at any moment.
"Are you willing to help him?"
"I am." Ariana said firmly.
"But what if the price is that you can never come back?" Kyle continued, "You have to leave here, leave this home, and leave your brother, Aberforth."
"I..." Ariana hesitated, "Can I come back if I want to see them?"
"No." Kyle tightened the Invisibility Cloak around Ariana as he went on, "You can't come back, not even if you miss them terribly. Otherwise, your brother Aberforth will truly become a ghost... or perhaps something even worse."
"Stop!" Dumbledore said painfully, trying to stop Kyle again, but to no avail.
Although what Kyle was about to say next might make Ariana very sad, it was necessary if they wanted to save her life.
"From then on, you can only live alone in a strange place."
"So I'll never be able to see Aberforth again?" Ariana asked painfully, hugging her head as the black mist that signified the Silent One began to surge within her.
But strangely, the Invisibility Cloak on Ariana blocked this black mist, trapping it and not allowing it to take form.
"Not necessarily." Kyle thought for a moment, "Maybe after a hundred years, you can see him again, but before that, you need to force yourself to forget everything here."
The black mist on Ariana became even denser, and some of it even seeped out from the gaps in the cloak, swirling violently in the air.
Kyle frowned; Ariana's reaction was even stronger than he had imagined. If not for the Invisibility Cloak, the words he had just spoken would have caused a complete uproar.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver-white jellyfish emerged from Kyle's wand, its long tentacles wrapping around the black mist in an attempt to disperse it.
Patronuses were the embodiment of hope and the bane of all dark substances, and Silent Guardian was no exception.
However, Mo Mengran was too strong. Even countering the bits of black mist that had escaped was more pressure for Kyle than facing hundreds of Dementors.
He could only do his best to maintain his Patronus while hoping that Ariana would wake up soon.
Just then, a silver phoenix joined the fray.
The phoenix flew above Ariana's head, and a warm force enveloped her, like a bonfire in the cold winter.
The black mist gradually disappeared, and Ariana opened her eyes again.
"So, Ariana, have you made your decision?" Kyle took a deep breath and continued to ask.
"I've said enough, shut up!" Dumbledore roared.
A torrent of magic power burst out from his body, causing large spider web-like cracks to appear on the walls and ceiling.
"Professor, now is not the time to be soft-hearted. This is the only way to save her life." Kyle didn't back down, "She must leave here, this is the only solution!"
"I know... I know..."
Dumbledore's voice suddenly softened, even carrying a hint of pleading.
"You've done more than enough, can you leave the rest to me... please."
"Are you sure?" Kyle reminded him, "This decision will make Ariana give up all her reliance, and she may hate you for life. I don't care, but you..."
"I'm fine with it." Dumbledore said calmly, "As long as it saves her."
"In that case... remember to keep an eye on the time and make sure it doesn't go past ten o'clock."
Kyle took a deep breath and stood up, deciding to leave this time for the siblings.
However, instead of leaving through the window, he simply opened the door and walked out.
"What happened... Ariana, are you alright?"
There were hurried footsteps outside, and it was Aberforth.
Dumbledore had just lost control and made quite a ruckus earlier, and in such a situation, even the Muffliato spell would be useless.
Hearing the noise, Aberforth immediately rushed over to check on Ariana's condition and happened to bump into Kyle, who had just walked out of the door.
"Who are you!"
Seeing a stranger suddenly appearing from his sister's attic, Aberforth became tense and then furious.
Without any explanation, he drew his wand.
"What did you do to my sister..."
"Obliviate!"
A beam of white light hit Aberforth squarely on the forehead. Although it was the Obliviate spell, it seemed to have the effect of a Stunning Spell.
Aberforth didn't even utter a sound as he flew backwards and landed on the ground, motionless.
"Sorry, but I can't let you disturb them now."
Kyle breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much better.
He had just been in close contact with Mo Mengran again, played the bad guy to scare Ariana, and had to deal with Dumbledore's emotions. All of this had increased his stress, and his head was pounding.
Now, a sandbag had willingly presented itself, and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.
Kyle stretched lazily, walked over, grabbed Aberforth by the collar, and dragged him downstairs, taking the opportunity to fix the walls that had been cracked by Dumbledore's magic along the way.
Strictly speaking, Aberforth also had some responsibility for this matter. If his temper hadn't been so violent, he wouldn't have fought with Grindelwald.
However, considering that he would help him many times in the future, Kyle softened and didn't drag his feet.
...
(End of Chapter)
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