https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-846-Department-of-Mystical-Creatures/13015699/
Chapter 845: The Plan Commences
Chapter 845: The Plan Commences
The Obliviate Charm was not the same as the Stupor Spell, and soon after Kyle brought Aberforth downstairs, he regained consciousness.
However, Aberforth, who had woken up, seemed to have forgotten what had just happened. He rubbed his forehead, perplexed as to why he was on the living room floor and why his legs were so sore, as if he had been dragged down the stairs.
But how was that possible? Aside from him, the only other person in the house was Ariana, who was no different from an ordinary girl. It couldn't have been Ariana who dragged him down, could it?
Aberforth shook his head, assuming he had fallen asleep on the sofa and accidentally tumbled down, bumping into the injury he had sustained in the woods earlier.
Due to the commotion at night, he hadn't slept well these past few days, feeling groggy throughout the day. It wasn't unusual for him to fall asleep on the sofa.
Aberforth stood up and staggered towards the room upstairs, muttering under his breath about his irresponsible brother. If Dumbledore were here, he wouldn't have to endure such hardship... At least he wouldn't have to care for Ariana day and night by himself, as he was doing now.
Aberforth's muttering grew louder as he thought about this.
Throughout this, his voice was recorded by a small object in the corner that resembled an ear.
Kyle sat in a hidden spot outside, holding the other half of the Extendable Ear, and he heard every word of his cursing towards Dumbledore.
The resentment was indeed palpable. If not for the shared surname limiting Aberforth's vocabulary, he might have cursed even more crudely.
Kyle put away the Extendable Ear only after seeing through the window that Aberforth had entered his room and started writing with a quill.
Fortunately, he didn't plan to go to the attic again; otherwise, Kyle would have had to make another trip.
Afterward, Kyle released the Billywig Bug, sending it to the south entrance of the valley, while he went to the granary and patiently waited inside.
After an unknown amount of time, the Billywig Bug returned first. It flew to Kyle's side, gesturing up and down while emitting a faint buzzing sound.
"You saw two wizards, didn't you?" Kyle asked.
The Billywig Bug started flying up and down again, appearing to nod.
In fact, it was nodding, but its wings on top of its head made the gesture slightly more exaggerated.
There was no need to guess; the two wizards coming from the south were most likely Grindelwald and Dumbledore.
Kyle stood up, intending to remind Dumbledore, but as he left the granary, he saw Dumbledore standing outside.
"Professor, I was just coming to find you." Kyle said, "They're almost here. Did you get a result?"
As he spoke, Kyle subconsciously looked in the direction of Dumbledore's left hand.
Although it appeared that only Dumbledore was outside, he could sense Ariana's presence, and she was right beside him.
Sure enough, the next second, the air beside Dumbledore rippled, and Ariana's face emerged from beneath the Invisibility Cloak.
Her eyes were red, as if she had just been crying.
"Since you've made your decision, that's good." Kyle took out a small vial filled with potion, gently plucked a strand of Ariana's hair, and placed it inside.
"Then, according to the plan, it's time for the fake Ariana to make her appearance."
The potion in the vial began to churn, gradually turning from a brownish color to a clean sky blue.
"Hmm... the taste shouldn't be too bad." Kyle muttered to himself.
But just as he was about to drink it, the potion in his hand was suddenly snatched away.
"Professor?" Kyle looked at Dumbledore in confusion. "Did you change your mind?"
"No." Dumbledore shook his head. "The plan must continue, but the roles need to be switched. I'll have to stay here, and you'll take care of Ariana."
"I disagree." Kyle frowned.
Deceiving young you and Grindelwald was no easy task. A simple ruse wouldn't suffice, nor would something unrealistic work.
In other words, the person pretending to be Ariana had to genuinely take a hit from a spell, and it had to be a spell powerful enough to be lethal to an ordinary person.
With the special Iron Armor Charm, Kyle was confident he could pull it off without exposing any flaws, but Dumbledore... in his current state, it would be challenging for him to withstand a direct hit from a spell.
"I understand what you mean." Dumbledore explained softly. "Ariana is my sister, and it was my decision. Therefore, regardless of the risks, I should be the one to bear them, not you taking the risk in my place."
"But..."
"Also," Dumbledore interrupted Kyle, "the person who will appear next is someone you're not familiar with, but I know them, especially Aberforth. Any slight mistake might arouse his suspicion, and you won't be able to pull it off perfectly.
"But the scene that unfolded afterward is etched in my memory like a knife carving, and every detail has been repeated for decades. Only I, pretending to be Ariana, can avoid exposing any flaws.
"This..."
Kyle fell silent.
Dumbledore was right; the most crucial step after this wasn't simply letting Ariana die, but rather deceiving everyone present. In this regard, Dumbledore was indeed more suitable for the task than him.
But there was one thing...
"Professor, are you sure you're going to pretend to be Ariana, not take her place in death?"
"Don't worry, I understand your concerns," Dumbledore said with a smile. "At this point, Gellert and I were just teenagers ourselves. It might be a bit troublesome, but it's just that—nothing more. I'd like to see Ariana again, too."
As he spoke, he turned to look at his sister once more.
"Alright," Kyle said.
Checking the time, Kyle knew that Grindelwald and Dumbledore should be arriving soon, so he didn't say anything further.
He approached Ariana and led her away from the granary.
Dumbledore watched from behind as he drank the potion from the bottle.
Meanwhile, the young Grindelwald and Dumbledore also returned to the valley.
Grindelwald's face was grim, and he didn't seem to be in a good mood.
"It's fine, Gellert," Dumbledore said from the side. "The Holy Artifact has been missing for centuries; it's normal for it not to be easily found."
"But I've also been preparing for a long time," Grindelwald said, crushing a flower under his foot. "I've been preparing for half a year, even risking expulsion from school, just to get here as soon as possible. And this is the answer I get... that the family moved away?!"
"We can keep looking."
"Don't bother comforting me, it's useless," Grindelwald said angrily. "You saw it yourself—there are only a few old wizards left who are barely better than Squibs. They don't even remember where the others moved to, and Legilimency won't work on them either."
"You used Legilimency on them?" Dumbledore frowned.
He remembered that those people were already quite old, and their fragile bodies made it difficult for them to withstand the effects of magic, especially Legilimency, a memory-based spell, which could make their already dim minds even more confused.
Moreover, based on the clues they had found, the family had suddenly moved away decades ago, leaving many things behind. It was unlikely that they had the time to inform their neighbors of their whereabouts.
Using Legilimency wouldn't be very effective.
More importantly, Grindelwald had clearly promised not to use violence to interrogate them.
"I must find the Holy Artifact's whereabouts, and even the smallest clue cannot be overlooked," Grindelwald said, lost in his own thoughts, not noticing Dumbledore's change at that moment.
The two of them walked all the way to the front door.
"I need to go back and rest," Dumbledore said directly, not staying as he usually did to spend the evening with Grindelwald.
"Oh, okay," Grindelwald said absentmindedly. "I also need to go back and ask my aunt about the Holy Artifact. Then, we'll continue searching tomorrow."
"Albus, how dare you come back!"
At this moment, a furious shout suddenly rang out.
Aberforth pushed open the door, his anger evident. "You left without a word, and Ariana needs someone to take care of her right now! Or do you wish she'd die sooner so that no one can hold you back from traveling the world with this bastard!"
"No, Aberforth, it's not like that," Dumbledore said. "I can explain."
"Explain?" Aberforth scoffed. "Isn't it a fact that you ran away? Luckily, it's the holidays now. If Hogwarts was in session, would you, you bastard, leave Ariana alone to fend for herself?"
"Never!" Dumbledore said firmly. "I would never!"
"You say that now," Aberforth panted, glaring at the two in front of him. "Ever since you met this bastard, you've changed. I can see it—you don't want to stay here. You think you're a trapped owl, and Ariana is that cage."
Dumbledore stood silently.
In a sense, Aberforth was right; he had indeed thought that way.
"Banshee... What's that?" Ariana asked, her voice muffled by the Invisibility Cloak as the sound had vanished almost instantly.
She instinctively turned around, but the dense forest behind her blocked her vision, and she couldn't see anything.
"It's a magical creature," Kyle explained, "Its piercing cry can induce hallucinations in those who hear it, making them see their greatest fears. If it were you, you'd probably see Aberforth being hanged and beaten."
Kyle's words were grave, and Ariana immediately covered her ears in fright.
Kyle smiled and turned to look back as well.
He was well aware that the conflict had begun, and it was time for the fake Ariana to make her entrance.
He wasn't sure if Dumbledore could pull off this act or if he might take it too far and get himself into trouble, but there was no point in thinking about it now.
Based on the sound they had just heard, the conflict had already erupted, and even if he had a change of heart, he couldn't make it back in time. All he could do was keep moving forward, ensure Ariana was safely taken care of, and complete the plan.
Kyle quickened his pace, leading Ariana to a small path outside. Once they reached this point, whatever was happening in Godric's Hollow was no longer their concern.
"I'll take you outside to see the world," he suddenly said. "Haven't you always wanted to explore beyond the attic? Now's your chance."
"Really?"
Ariana, being a child at heart, immediately forgot about what had just happened.
She had always wished to leave the dark and damp basement and venture outdoors.
Although her brother Aberforth had brought her to the attic, it was still within the confines of their home. She wanted to go further, like others who left their homes and ventured into the sunlight.
However, she didn't want to burden her brothers, so she never mentioned it.
"Of course it's true," Kyle said with a smile. He thought for a moment, "Let's go to... Hogwarts, where your two brothers study. You were supposed to go there as well."
Kyle's voice grew softer.
"I'd love to see it," Ariana replied at the right moment.
"Okay, then let's go to Hogwarts." Kyle opened his trunk, "But before that, you need to go inside and play for a while. I'll meet you once we arrive."
Due to Ariana's unique situation, Kyle dared not use Apparition with her, and the Knight Bus was too unpredictable. What if a wizard suddenly cast a spell on the road? If Ariana saw that, it would be a big problem.
Even though she was wearing the legendary Invisibility Cloak, Kyle didn't want to take any risks. He was on the verge of success, and he couldn't afford to fail now.
For safety reasons, it was better to let her hide for a while.
However, Ariana didn't seem to mind Kyle's decision, or perhaps she really liked his trunk.
Ariana had never seen such a magical place; the trunk was enormous, much larger than the basement and attic combined.
There was sunlight, grass, and forests inside, almost like another Godric's Hollow... Did they live in a place that someone else had put in a trunk as well? The outside world was truly amazing!
Ariana thought in awe.
She also spotted a group of creatures she had never seen before, with long necks and big eyes, adorable and graceful.
They were so beautiful... Pure white all over.
"Come here, and help me take care of her."
While Ariana's attention was focused on the Moonstruck Beast, Kyle, not far away, solemnly instructed Sniffles, the coin manager inside the trunk: "Keep her away from the Basilisk and those dangerous plants. If she gets even a little scared, I'll replace all the coins in your pocket with rocks!"
Sniffles, terrified, quickly covered the pocket on his chest with his tiny hands.
Take his 'shiny treasures'?
Sniffles knew that Kyle was capable of such evil deeds, and it wasn't the first time. But previously, Kyle would always leave some for him, and he'd make up for it later, which Sniffles could reluctantly accept.
However, taking them all... That was too much for Sniffles.
He then turned to Ariana and nodded solemnly.
"I'll leave her in your care, then." Kyle's kind smile returned, "I knew you could do it, and as a reward, there'll be more if everything goes well."
Kyle took out five gold coins, and Sniffles' eyes lit up, nodding even more vigorously.
"I'll leave her in your care."
After that, Kyle found Ariana again and told her about a few places she must never go near. Only then did he leave the trunk.
Ariana was very understanding, and she wouldn't dare go to places Kyle had forbidden out of curiosity.
In this regard, she was much easier to deal with than that stubborn one with the scar on his forehead.
As for having Sniffles help watch over her, it was just a precaution. After all, Sniffles had nothing better to do, and it would keep him from obsessing over the coins in the Niffler's nest.
(End of Chapter)
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