Chapter 853: Return to the Valley of Godric
Chapter 853: Return to the Valley of Godric
Kyle finally understood why Nico had been so calm after Dumbledore's disappearance, and how he had managed to gather everything necessary in such a short time when he decided to use the Time-Turner.
It wasn't just a month, but almost three. Nico had been preparing to fix the Time-Turner since then.
And his insistence that Kyle use the Time-Turner, without considering Professor McGonagall, made sense now too.
Nico had known all along that it was Kyle who would go back to save Dumbledore, and that he would succeed. That was why he had ignored Professor McGonagall's suggestion and even gone to Hogwarts himself to ensure Kyle got the Time-Turner.
"The ink... Thunderbird quills... these are restricted trade items, so I won't take them out just yet."
"I can sell half of the Erumpent horn to the Quidditch specialty store. They'll be eager to pay a high price for these rare materials."
Kyle sat at the table, leisurely sorting through his spoils. There wasn't much else to do at the moment.
Although Dumbledore had drunk the potion Nico prepared and regained his lost memories, his previous physical condition had been poor. For safety's sake, Nico had taken him for further examination.
Now, the vast house was empty except for Kyle and the mountain of materials beside him.
He had bought all these a century ago. Once he returned to Diagon Alley, he could resell them for at least ten times what he paid.
And that was only because many of them were prohibited trade items that were hard to offload, like Thunderbird quills. The sale of such products had been banned decades ago, so it would be challenging to sell them through official channels.
Of course, that only applied to official channels.
It took Kyle half an hour to organize everything.
If not for the hefty price of using the Time-Turner, which was almost a Sorcerer's Stone per trip, he could have made a decent living just ferrying these materials back and forth.
Oh, and there were these...
Kyle looked at the novelty items 'given' to him by Willy Widdershins.
Most were useless joke props, simplistic compared to modern ones, and not worth much.
But as products from the previous century, they could be considered antiques with some collectible value. Perhaps Fred and George would pay a premium for them.
After a while, Nico and Dumbledore finally emerged.
Kyle turned to see that Dumbledore's face had regained some color.
"Thank you for bringing me back," he said as he walked over. "I must apologize for my rashness."
"No need, Professor," Kyle waved his hand to interrupt him.
"We know that your actions weren't rash, but inevitable. You couldn't just do nothing."
"Yes, you're right," Dumbledore nodded helplessly.
He couldn't bear to watch Ariana die again.
Even if faced with the same situation, he would do it all over again, though he felt a bit guilty about dragging Kyle into it.
"Fortunately, everything turned out well," Kyle stood up and pointed to the valuable items beside him. "And I received a decent reward. Now we just need to wait two more months to put a perfect end to this."
Kyle was referring to the moment he used the Time-Turner himself.
Dumbledore was fine now, but there were still two Kyles in this world, which meant he was still under the influence of the Time-Turner.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Nico suddenly said. "I'll prepare another potion for you during this time to ensure your thoughts aren't affected afterward."
"Another potion...?" Kyle asked. "The raspberry juice?"
"To be precise, it's called the Awakening Potion," Nico said with a smile. "Two and a half months is no short time. Without the help of the Awakening Potion, your thoughts will gradually be influenced by time. It won't be too severe, but it won't feel comfortable."
Kyle shrugged indifferently.
Nico was right. He remembered feeling a bit off back then. Specifically, he kept making mistakes he shouldn't have, as if his IQ had taken a hit.
That was the effect of time, unconsciously rejecting everything that shouldn't exist, like him, someone from two months in the future.
But since he and the current Kyle were the same person, this rejection also affected the other Kyle, leading to confused thoughts.
The longer the time, the more apparent this rejection became.
As for the Awakening Potion, according to Nico, it acted like a variant of the Ironclad Charm, warding off this rejection.
"Do you need my help?" Kyle asked.
"No, and you probably don't have the time anyway," Nico laughed. "But if you can, please bring me some Fluxweed. I don't have much stock left."
"Ah... no problem," Kyle nodded.
If it were other herbs like Sage, White Fresh, or Mandrake, he could provide them now, but he didn't have any Fluxweed in his box.
"There's no rush for these," Nico said. "Would you like to stay for some afternoon tea?"
"Ah, no problem." Kyle glanced at the time and agreed.
It was more of a late lunch than afternoon tea, and he hadn't eaten much all day, so he was quite hungry.
Soon, the house-elf Tata brought in a large plate of sandwiches and golden, crispy fried pork chops.
It wasn't a lavish spread, but Kyle enjoyed it immensely, devouring three pork chops before setting down his utensils.
"It's great to finally have something other than the tooth-aching potatoes from the Valley Tavern," Kyle leaned back in his chair, a satisfied look on his face. "I even suspect that the potatoes they serve there might be from a year ago. In over a month, I haven't had a single one that's been the slightest bit soft."
"The food at their place isn't very good," Dumbledore agreed.
"But, Professor," Kyle suddenly remembered something and asked, "did you know that I would go back in time a long time ago?"
"Why do you ask that?" Dumbledore looked at him.
"Because you saw me," Kyle said, "during your graduation exam. I had just returned to the past and happened to come across your exam. I was curious and followed along. At that time, you even used a Confundus Charm on Professor Machaban to get her to agree to let me, a stranger, into the exam room."
"I used a Confundus Charm on the exam supervisor... Did I really do such a foolish thing in my youth?" Dumbledore paused, as if he had no recollection of it at all.
"Of course," Kyle glanced at him, "You even confidently told me that the true graduation exam was successfully using a Confundus Charm on Professor Machaban."
Dumbledore's face reddened.
To be honest, he had truly forgotten about it.
But thinking about his behavior back then... he was a genius wizard who grew up surrounded by praise, so it wasn't surprising that he would have done something like that.
"And when I went to Knockturn Alley, we met there as well," Kyle continued.
"I'm sorry, I really don't remember..." Dumbledore shook his head. "I've experienced a lot in my life. If everything were recorded, it might fill an entire new bookshelf in the library. It's impossible for me to remember every person I've met."
"Is that so?" Kyle nodded but didn't press the issue further.
He didn't doubt Dumbledore's words.
After all, even if he were asked to recall everyone he had met in his first year, he wouldn't be able to remember them all.
Moreover, it had been ninety-eight years since Dumbledore's graduation, and those years had been extremely eventful. Kyle estimated that Grindelwald alone would occupy two-thirds of his memories.
The remaining third would have to be shared between Voldemort and others, leaving very little room for less significant encounters.
Perhaps that was why he needed a Pensieve in his office.
When Tata took away the empty plates, Kyle glanced outside at the sky and stood up.
"Are you going out?" Nico asked.
"Yes," Kyle nodded. "I'm going to Diagon Alley to see if they have any Fluxweed. If not, I'll go to Hogwarts. I remember there should be some near the Forbidden Forest."
"Oh, there's no rush. I have some here."
"It's fine, I don't have anything else to do anyway," Kyle said as he walked out.
But just as he was about to Disapparate, a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.
"Professor?" Kyle turned to see Dumbledore catching up to him. "It's just shopping. I can go alone."
"I'm afraid you're not just going shopping," Dumbledore said. "I noticed that you've been looking outside, seemingly concerned about the time. Did something happen after I left?"
Kyle hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"In two hours, Bellatrix will lead a group of Death Eaters to attack Lupin's wedding, and the mysterious person will be there as well."
"What did you say?" Dumbledore's hand trembled slightly.
"But it's fine," Kyle quickly added. "Thanks to Fox's help, no one was killed in this incident. And the mysterious person only showed up after everyone had been rescued."
"How do you know that?" Dumbledore asked in a low voice.
"Because I was the only one there," Kyle shrugged. "That was also the first time I faced the mysterious person."
"...... I'm sorry, it's all because of me." Dumbledore lowered his eyes, feeling guilty. "If I hadn't left so soon, perhaps none of this would have happened."
"Yes," Kyle said. "The Cruciatus Curse is not a pleasant experience."
Hearing his words, Dumbledore felt even more remorseful.
"Professor, are you thinking about how to make it up to me?" Kyle asked quietly.
"I can grant you any request," Dumbledore said.
"Then give Fox to me," Kyle blurted out.
For some reason, when Kyle made that request, Dumbledore's guilt seemed to lessen a little.
"So, you're planning to go to Godric's Valley?" Dumbledore changed the subject.
"Well, maybe it's just the right time. I'm still quite concerned about it." Kyle said, "After all, it's the mysterious man."
"I'll accompany you."
"Is that alright?" Kyle glanced at him, "What about your body...?"
"It's fine." Dumbledore said softly, "The potion that Nico prepared is very effective. I just feel a bit weak now, but using magic is not a problem."
"Alright then." Kyle thought for a moment and agreed.
Indeed, having Dumbledore with him was a form of assurance.
After that, the two used Disapparating, and appeared near Godric's Valley.
Having lived here for a month, Kyle was already familiar with the surrounding terrain and appeared on a hidden hillside.
From here, they could see Code's house... or rather, what was now the old Potter mansion, as his shabby potion shop had transformed into a quaint two-story building.
The next second, Dumbledore appeared beside him.
By the time they arrived, the wedding was in full swing, with many guests dancing in the middle of the ballroom to the band's lively music.
Fred and George were there too, and due to the small number of guests, they chose to liven up the atmosphere with a lively Irish step dance.
Harry was also present, acting as a waiter, serving drinks to everyone who left the dance floor.
Seeing Harry, Kyle couldn't help but smile.
"What's so funny?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"Nothing, just thinking of something delightful." Kyle said, "Code once told me that he wanted me to be the godfather of his child."
"Code Potter?" Dumbledore was taken aback for a moment before he too smiled.
Considering the timeline, Code was Harry's great-great-grandfather, and his child, Henry Potter, was Harry's great-grandfather.
Dumbledore couldn't imagine what Harry's reaction would be if he found out that his classmate had suddenly become his great-great-grandfather's godfather.
But it certainly wouldn't be a pleasant one.
The two waited a while longer, and the sky gradually began to darken.
"When will Bellatrix arrive, as you mentioned?" Dumbledore asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.
As he spoke, a black cloud appeared in the distance... it was the Death Eaters' black cloaks.
"They're here." Kyle said.
Bellatrix led the way, a manic grin on her face, and two half-dead individuals were thrown to the ground by the Death Eaters following her.
"It's the Tonks couple!" Dumbledore recognized their identities and also guessed that Bellatrix must have found the Potter ancestral home, which was protected by the Fidelius Charm.
What happened next unfolded exactly as Kyle remembered.
Bellatrix forcibly broke the protective charm, and chaos erupted at the wedding venue.
Dumbledore instinctively wanted to help, but Kyle stopped him.
"It's alright." Dumbledore said, "The other me has already left, and I won't cause any problems if I go out now."
"I know, but in my memory, you weren't there." Kyle said, narrowing his eyes as he quickly pieced together the past and present.
In other words, Dumbledore and he had actually been here at the time, but why hadn't Dumbledore gone to help?
Given Dumbledore's character, to make up for his mistake, he definitely wouldn't have stood idly by, just as he had tried to do earlier.
But in his memory, Dumbledore had indeed been absent and had never shown up.
There was only one possible explanation for this—he had been detained by something more important and didn't have the time to help.
Was there anything more important than saving the members of the Order of the Phoenix? Of course, like intercepting the Death Eaters' reinforcements and buying time for the others.
With this realization, Kyle immediately understood the situation and asked:
"Professor, if you were to face the mysterious man now, could you defeat him, or at least hold him off?"
"Tom..." Dumbledore paused for a moment, understanding why Kyle had asked such a question, "If it's just holding him off, it won't be a problem."
"Then, I think we might have something to do."
Kyle scanned the area, took out his broomstick, and flew straight south, toward the spot where Voldemort had first appeared.
The only person who could have detained Dumbledore and prevented him from helping was Voldemort, who could hold off Dumbledore and buy time for the Death Eaters.
If Kyle wasn't mistaken, Voldemort hadn't rushed to the scene after the incident, but had arrived early and been delayed along the way.
And they were that unexpected delay.
...
(End of Chapter)
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