https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-847-Rumors-Spread-A-Divide-Between-Brothers/13015700/
Chapter 846: Department of Mystical Creatures
Chapter 846: Department of Mystical Creatures
Ariana loved Kyle's box, as it offered her a freedom she had never experienced before, even allowing her to run carefree with her eyes closed for as long as she wanted.
The soft grass beneath her feet was a new sensation, and lying down, she felt all her worries melt away, making her feel relaxed and carefree.
The adorable creatures that occasionally appeared were a sight Ariana had never seen before.
The only disappointment she had was that the creatures she liked the most, with their long necks and big eyes, seemed timid. Whenever she tried to get close, they would quickly flee to a distance.
But this minor setback didn't dampen Ariana's good mood, and she even thought to herself that living here permanently might be a good choice.
However, this idea didn't come to fruition.
In the blink of an eye, Kyle reappeared before her.
Although she was reluctant to leave, Ariana reluctantly followed him, glancing back at the box several times as they walked away.
But this feeling of reluctance didn't last long. As soon as they exited the box, Ariana's attention was immediately drawn to the majestic building in front of her.
"Allow me to introduce you to..." Kyle pointed ahead and smiled, "...the famous Hogwarts, where your two brothers attend school."
Due to their identities, the two didn't go into the school, so Kyle found a higher spot near the Quidditch Stadium, from where they could get a full view of Hogwarts.
"What a huge house!" Ariana exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder.
She had never seen such a large house; one of its attics might be bigger than her entire home.
Every time her brothers left home, was it to come here? Ariana stared, as if trying to imprint the image of Hogwarts firmly in her mind, but the school was too vast for her to take it all in.
"What's that?" Ariana pointed to several rings floating in mid-air and asked.
"Those are the goalposts," Kyle explained patiently, "prepared for Quidditch."
"Quidditch?" Ariana blinked in surprise.
"It's a popular sport among students, and during the annual matches, the stadium is filled with spectators," Kyle said.
But...
He glanced at the dim goalposts.
These seemed to have not been used for a long time, and the stadium stands also appeared somewhat dilapidated, with thick layers of dust covering many areas.
According to rumors, Phineas Black had canceled Quidditch activities during his tenure as headmaster, and now it seemed that these rumors were not just hearsay.
Based on the current situation, this stadium hadn't been used for at least five years.
"Let's go, I'll show you other places," Kyle said.
"How do we get down?" Ariana looked around.
"Of course, we'll use the fastest way—flying down," Kyle said, taking out his Firebolt broom and lifting Ariana onto it.
"Remember to wear your Invisibility Cloak properly, and no matter what, don't let it fall off," Kyle reminded her.
Confused, Ariana nodded and held onto the edge of the cloak.
Then, Kyle mounted his broom and, under his command, the Firebolt swiftly rose into the sky.
"Ah!"
Ariana screamed in surprise at the sudden change, but soon her screams turned into excited shouts.
She felt like she had become the bird she had always yearned to be, flying freely in the vast sky.
Kyle took her through the tall goalposts and then turned back from the side. During this process, the broom even flipped over.
For a moment, Ariana thought she was going to fall, and she closed her eyes in fear, but this didn't happen. She remained securely seated on the broom, and the occasional black mist that emerged from her body was tightly suppressed by the cloak.
Kyle flew her through the stadium, past the tallest towers of the castle, and finally stopped above the lush Forbidden Forest.
At this time, Hogwarts didn't have the position of Gamekeeper, and the Forbidden Forest was separated from the school castle by a long fence, dividing it into two parts.
"Who's there!"
A roar came from below, and a person ran quickly from a distance, shouting at the two flying above:
"This is Hogwarts! Who are you, and how dare you intrude during the holiday? I'll take you to the Ministry of Magic!"
"Oh, it seems we've been discovered," Kyle said leisurely, his tone unperturbed.
It would be strange if they weren't discovered flying so boldly above Hogwarts.
"Will we be caught?" Ariana asked worriedly.
Since she was young, people had constantly told her that if she went outside, she would be caught and sent to a terrifying place where no one could find her.
Thinking of this, Ariana became even more afraid.
"As long as we're not caught, right?" Kyle smiled and said, "Hold on tight."
He turned the broom, and the Firebolt nimbly made a turn in mid-air, flying further away in the shocked gaze of the person below.
"Merlin's beard..." The person rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Can brooms fly this fast now?"
Ever since the headmaster canceled Quidditch matches six years ago, he hadn't seen a flying broom at school, and he never imagined that the outside world had changed so much...
He stopped in his tracks.
There was no way he could catch the audacious person, as he couldn't possibly catch up with the flying broom on foot. In the blink of an eye, the other party was already far away.
Meanwhile, Kyle had already taken Ariana through a small part of the Forbidden Forest and arrived at the opposite Hogsmeade village.
To soothe Ariana's anxious emotions, Kyle took her to Honeydukes, where he emptied half the store's stock.
Of course, Ariana remained hidden in her Invisibility Cloak, unseen by the shopkeeper.
As they left Honeydukes, Ariana's mind was still in a daze... She had never seen so many sweets in her life, and she didn't even notice how much Kyle had bought.
By the time she came to her senses, Kyle had already paid and led her out.
"Too... too much," Ariana stammered.
"It's fine," Kyle waved his hand, "You can take it all; someone will reimburse you tenfold."
Ariana didn't understand, but Kyle didn't explain further. He took her to The Three Broomsticks.
Here, Ariana once again tasted the sweet Butterbeer, which she could only have once a year, and this time, it was unlimited.
Additionally, she sampled the unique Cherry Sparkling Soda, the Mint Iced Tea that made her shiver with just a sip, and the Honey Cream Hot Chocolate, which she found to be the best-tasting of all.
Whether it was a family tradition or not, the Dumbledore family seemed to have an extraordinary love for sweets.
Noticing Ariana's gaze, Kyle playfully offered her a sip of his Whisky, which caused her face to turn red from the strong flavor, and she began to gasp for breath. It took three cups of beverages to calm her down.
Even her Invisibility Cloak seemed to puff up slightly, but it quickly returned to normal.
By the time they left The Three Broomsticks, Ariana was so full she could barely walk. Their original plan to visit a few more shops and have lunch had to be put on hold.
After that, Kyle took Ariana to many places. They listened to an opera in a French theater, washed their faces in the magical fountain at Beauxbatons, and when they were discovered, they fled quickly, just as they used to do at Hogwarts.
The second time around, Ariana wasn't as scared and even found it interesting.
"You blighter!" a guard-like person yelled angrily, "I'll have you expelled if I find out who you are!"
Washing in the sacred magical fountain was too much!
As for whether it was someone from outside the school, the guard didn't think anyone could break through Beauxbatons' protective magic... So, it must be someone from within taking advantage of the holiday to cause trouble.
"Just playing in the fountain, it's not worth an expulsion; this punishment is too severe," a hoarse voice said from the side, startling the guard.
He instinctively thought this person was an accomplice and turned angrily.
"Whether you expel them or not, who do you think you are... Oh, Mr. Nicolas Lame, sorry, I didn't see you here. If we knew you were coming, we would have picked you up."
"It's fine," Nicolas Lame chuckled, "I just felt like coming here on a whim today; don't mind me."
"But you just said you'd expel those two students?"
"Two, not one?" The guard muttered in confusion, then quickly shook his head and laughed awkwardly, "This... it's up to the headmaster to decide."
"I think it's just a holiday, so let's pretend we didn't see anything and not bother Colm for such a small matter."
"As you say." The guard nodded repeatedly.
The person before him was the biggest sponsor of Beauxbatons, so whatever he said went.
Nicolas Lame didn't pay attention to the guard anymore. Instead, he turned to look in the direction where Kyle and Ariana had fled, mumbling with interest, "What an interesting person; today is indeed a good day to go out."
Kyle was unaware of what happened at Beauxbatons.
After leaving Godric's Hollow, he took Ariana to a famous music street in Austria for dinner, then to Norway's seaside, where they witnessed a sunrise from a towering peak.
After all, this was a hundred years ago, and the Box Lord hadn't started his actions yet. The Ministry of Magic's regulation of Apparition and Portkeys was virtually non-existent.
As long as Ariana returned to the box, Kyle could go wherever he wanted with just a thought.
He took Ariana through numerous countries, finally returning to Britain the next morning.
Although it was enjoyable, Ariana was exhausted. Her experiences in the past few years combined didn't compare to this single day.
The original text can be found in Chapter 6, Section 9, on the book website!
"Where are we going next?" She rubbed her eyes.
"The Ministry of Magic," Kyle said calmly, "Then I'll be on my way back."
Ariana's body trembled, and her cheerful mood instantly vanished.
The pleasant trip made her almost forget yesterday's events, but when Kyle mentioned it, she realized she couldn't go home again, or else Albus would be in danger.
Kyle noticed her change in mood.
This matter should have been taken care of yesterday; it was already a stretch to delay it until today. He had to hurry back to check on Dumbledore's condition.
"You'll be fine, Ariana," Kyle said softly, "One day, you will see your brother again. By then, they may have changed, but the bond between you will not fade with time; I promise."
Ariana nodded without saying a word.
"Then, follow me," Kyle led Ariana into a record shop on the streets of London. Under the shopkeeper's puzzled gaze, he skillfully pointed his wand at a pillar.
The shelves in the shop automatically parted, revealing a passage behind them.
"Is he a Ministry employee?" the boss wondered, perplexed.
He had never seen this person before, and logically, the man shouldn't be a Ministry staff member. Yet, he looked so familiar with the Ministry's employee passageway.
Perhaps he was a new hire.
The boss didn't think much of it; after all, it was just an entrance to the Ministry passageway, and compared to the Floo Network three streets away, its only advantage was that it was slightly more convenient.
Besides, it wasn't his job to verify the identity of visitors.
And so, Kyle entered the Ministry without any hassle, much easier than he had anticipated. He had even considered using the Confundus Charm to get past, but now that wasn't necessary.
"Close your eyes, and don't look or listen to anything," he instructed.
Trusting him, Ariana complied.
There was no choice; the Ministry was unlike any other place, filled with magic everywhere. It was better to be cautious.
The Ministry looked no different from a century later; a grand golden statue still stood in the middle of the main hall.
Kyle headed straight for the elevator, and whether it was because they used the staff passageway or their positions were not verified, they didn't encounter any staff checking visitor identities and easily entered the elevator.
Three owls flew out, each holding a piece of paper in their claws, and then Kyle stepped inside.
During the elevator ride, Ariana remained quiet. If it weren't for the sense of her presence, Kyle would have thought she had sneaked away.
"Department of Mystical Creatures."
After an unknown amount of time, a cold female voice broke the silence.
"We've arrived... Oh, you can open your eyes now," Kyle said.
"Where are we?" Ariana asked, speaking for the first time since entering the Ministry.
It was too dark, with no windows along the corridor, which made Ariana a bit scared.
"A very mysterious department," Kyle said, "Perhaps the only place that would accept you is here."
Additionally, Kyle had something else he wanted to confirm—a hunch he wanted to verify. If he was wrong, he could always look elsewhere later.
He led Ariana to the end of the corridor, where a black door stood.
"Stop right there."
A person appeared out of thin air behind them, hooded, with an unrecognizable face. But Kyle recognized the golden pattern on the robe—it was the symbol of the Silent Ones.
"Who are you? This isn't a Ministry workplace, so please leave."
"No, I'm looking for the Department of Mystical Creatures," Kyle said.
He gently moved his hand, revealing Ariana's Invisibility Cloak.
In an instant, the Silent One jerked his head up, revealing a very ordinary face, so ordinary that no one would notice if he were thrown into a crowd.
"A Silentan!" he immediately recognized Ariana's identity.
... Perhaps it wasn't that difficult, or maybe it was due to Ariana's fear of a strange environment; the Silentan within her had been very active. After the Invisibility Cloak was lifted, Kyle felt a stinging sensation in his left arm.
"That's right," Kyle said, glancing at the Silentan from a year ago, "Forgive my boldness, but I can't help but feel you aren't too surprised."
Even in the magical world, Silentans were a rare existence, let alone those who lived past the age of ten. In the past few centuries, they could almost be counted on one hand.
"No, I am surprised," the Silentan shook his head, removing his hood falling back as he spoke, "But interestingly, just a month ago, a crystal ball appeared in the Divination Hall, and its contents were related to Silentans."
"Oh? What was the content?" Kyle asked curiously.
"I'm afraid I can't disclose that," the Silentan said, looking at Kyle, "You seem quite familiar with the Department of Mystical Creatures."
"I'm afraid I can't disclose that either," Kyle said.
The Silentan was taken aback, but just as he was about to say something, the door behind them opened.
Over a dozen similarly dressed Silentans emerged, led by a blonde witch.
"Alright, Merk, you should welcome our new colleague."
"A new colleague... This ill-tempered kid?"
"No, it's her." The witch approached Ariana and slowly crouched down, her blue eyes gazing softly at Ariana.
"You've been through a lot, child."
Perhaps it was because the witch had the same blue eyes as her brother, but the Silentan within Ariana quickly calmed down.
"Excuse me," Kyle spoke up, "Did you know I would bring Ariana here?"
"The prophecy told me we would welcome a new colleague, so I came to fetch you," the witch replied.
"Does the Department of Mystical Creatures also have a Divination Hall?"
"No, not exactly," the witch shook her head, "Silentans are chosen by prophecy; their names appear in a special crystal ball in the Divination Hall. I just happened to see it...
"Although there are many prophecies, it's clear that you aren't Ariana."
"Alright," Kyle shrugged, "It seems no explanation is needed. So, can you take care of her?"
"We'll do our best to help her control her Silentan," the witch said calmly.
"That's good," Kyle said.
He hesitated for a moment, preparing to bid farewell to Ariana, but when he looked up, he found only a black door remaining, and everyone, including Ariana, had disappeared, presumably taken away by the other Silentans.
Kyle, however, felt a sense of relief.
The Silentans were indeed efficient, and that was good; at least he didn't have to worry about what to say.
...
(End of Chapter)
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