https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-853-Returning-to-Godric-s-Hollow/13015711/
Chapter 854: Aurel's Past
Chapter 854: Aurel's Past
As the evening sky turned golden, Kyle soared through the air on his flying broomstick.
Albus Dumbledore followed behind, but without using any magical items.
Kyle had intended to wait for him, but Dumbledore showed no intention of sharing a broomstick and instead soared into the air like a plant sprouting from the ground.
A gust of wind-like magic surrounded Dumbledore's feet, lifting him effortlessly into the air. His movements were even more graceful than Wendleziel's when they first met.
Dumbledore kept up with Kyle's pace, occasionally turning his head to glance back.
"Don't worry about me, I can keep up," Dumbledore assured him.
His voice, carried by the whistling wind, sounded faint to Kyle, but it was piercing.
What did he mean by "keeping up"? Being able to fly was impressive.
Indeed, Kyle had to admit that among all magic, flying was the rarest yet most useful. It played a crucial role in both direct confrontations and escapes.
However, this magic was so rare that there were no records of it in the school library, not even in the restricted section. Most flying magic was self-taught by naturally gifted wizards.
For example, Voldemort possessed a spell that allowed him to transform into a black mist, similar to the Silencio spell, enabling short-distance flight and even aiding in Apparition.
Trusted Death Eaters also knew this spell, and when used together, they resembled a passing dark cloud, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
Grindelwald's followers could also fly, as Kyle had witnessed in the forest and suffered a significant loss.
Hmm... It made sense; if Grindelwald could fly, it was only natural that Dumbledore, who had been locked in a decades-long rivalry with him, would also possess the ability to fly.
Kyle glanced at Dumbledore again, feeling a surge of admiration.
He wanted to learn.
Of course, now wasn't the right time. Kyle decided to wait until after this incident to ask Dumbledore about it.
Even if he couldn't get the Phoenix, learning a flying spell would be a decent consolation.
The two continued flying until they reached the outskirts of Godric's Hollow, where Kyle dismounted first. Ahead was a small forest, seemingly devoid of people, but Kyle could sense the hidden danger nearby.
The silence was eerie, not even a single insect chirp broke the stillness.
Suddenly, something flew swiftly towards them and grabbed Kyle's shoulder.
The attacker had immense strength and pulled Kyle into the depths of the forest.
As Kyle was taken away, a clear black figure appeared in the sky.
Dumbledore, who was about to rescue him, abruptly stopped and looked up with a solemn expression.
"Tom..."
"My dear professor, you're here as expected," Voldemort said, hovering in mid-air, his scarlet eyes fixed on Dumbledore below.
"Did you know I would come?" Dumbledore asked in a deep voice.
"No," Voldemort smirked, "But that doesn't stop me from taking a chance. After all, you've always favored that filthy werewolf. If I kill him today, perhaps you'll seek revenge for him."
"Lupin's pure and kind soul," Dumbledore said coldly.
"A pure soul in a werewolf... Ha, that's hilarious..." Voldemort raised his wand, and a green light descended from above, aiming at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore turned, and with a swirl of his robe, he vanished.
"Come, my dear professor, let's continue our unfinished battle," Voldemort cackled, another green light shooting towards Dumbledore, "Your greatest reliance is now in my possession. Do you still think you can stop me?"
Dumbledore appeared behind Voldemort and gently waved his arm, causing Voldemort to instinctively dodge. The spell hit the cliff behind him.
It was unclear what spell Dumbledore had used, but a wide crack over ten feet long immediately appeared on the cliff.
"Too slow, professor, too slow..." Voldemort sneered, "Without the Elder Wand, every move you make exudes a sense of decline, a far cry from before."
He waved his wand again, and an abnormal gust of wind blew, gathering and raging against everything around them.
Wherever the wind passed, trees and stones were sucked in and crushed.
Dumbledore calmly dodged the onslaught.
"It seems you're not doing so well either, Tom. Do you have to rely on such large-scale spells to put on a show?" He chuckled, "Or do you think this will scare me?"
As if intentionally provoking Voldemort, Dumbledore shouted, "I'm curious about how you managed to break my leg. Did you keep a five-legged monster and use its leg to replace yours? No wonder there's always a stench."
"Shut up!"
Voldemort's eyes turned redder, surprised by Dumbledore's newfound eloquence, which infuriated him.
During the struggle for the Elder Wand, one of Voldemort's legs had been hit by Dumbledore's spell and broken on the spot, causing him to fall into a trash-filled ditch.
This incident had been a source of shame for Voldemort.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A blinding green light exploded in mid-air.
...
Meanwhile, deep in the woods, Kyle also got a clear view of what was grabbing him.
An adult Crumple-Horned Snail.
Magical creatures... seriously?
Kyle didn't even struggle and directly unlocked the box's latch in mid-air.
"Roar!"
"Howl!"
As the deafening roars echoed, a wall suddenly appeared in front of the Crumple-Horned Snail, with three enormous heads growing on it, all biting towards the snail.
Instinctively, the snail released Kyle and flew into the sky, barely dodging the attack from the Three-Headed Dog.
Kyle, now on the ground, immediately drew his wand and looked around vigilantly.
"Come out, my dear Professor, I know you're there."
A gust of wind blew, rustling the leaves, and a light footstep was mixed in among them.
Kyle turned around, and his wand swiftly waved.
"Shield Charm!"
A tree was cut in half, but Kyle's true target stood there unharmed, wand held upright in front of his chest.
"Impressive, your growth compared to six years ago is truly remarkable."
Aurel smiled and said, "How did you guess it was me?"
"Yes, that's true." Aurel nodded, "But I think even fewer people carry Three-Headed Dogs. Where did you get it from?"
He asked very naturally, as if chatting with an old friend.
"Of course, I got it from Chocolate Frogs." Kyle said without changing his expression, "Don't you know? If you collect the cards from Chocolate Frogs, you can exchange them at the Ministry of Magic for a Three-Headed Dog, or even a Fire Dragon or Venomous Fanged Cat, your choice."
"Oh..." Aurel was surprised, "Too bad I don't like chocolate."
"It's fine, I'll get you some." Kyle smiled.
"What?"
Before Aurel could react to the meaning of these words, a faintly sweet and bloody smell wafted by.
"Venomous Fanged Cat!"
Aurel reacted quickly and immediately retreated, moving out of the range of the poisonous mist.
But at the same time, he was also scared.
Cold sweat dripped from Aurel's forehead, especially after seeing the pitch-black magical creature not far away, which resembled a panther. He could no longer remain calm.
"Venomous Fanged Cat!"
Aurel instinctively shouted.
Kyle was already surprised to have a Three-Headed Dog, and now the Venomous Fanged Cat appeared... Could wizards really keep such magical creatures?
After all, he had spent a lot of time taming the Crumple-Horned Snail, and now the Venomous Fanged Cat... This seemed a bit excessive.
"Strange?" Kyle said slowly, "I collected two sets of cards and exchanged them for two magical creatures. Is there a problem?"
Aurel naturally didn't believe such a ridiculous idea of exchanging Chocolate Frog cards for a Venomous Fanged Cat. The Ministry of Magic would have to be crazy to agree to such a trade.
But regardless of the reason, the existence of the Venomous Fanged Cat was a fact.
Aurel suddenly realized that he might have made a mistake. This wasn't six years ago, and Kyle wasn't the frail freshman he once was.
However, Aurel quickly regained his composure.
"Do you dare? The Venomous Fanged Cat's poison doesn't differentiate between friend and foe."
"It's fine." Kyle shrugged, "The Venomous Fanged Cat has more than just poison in its arsenal."
As Kyle waved his wand again, the surrounding trees began to grow, and sharp branches like spears pierced from all directions.
Just as Aurel was about to dodge, a faint gust of wind blew from behind him.
The sweet and bloody smell was back.
The Crumple-Horned Snail, disregarding its own safety, dived behind Aurel, covering his neck with its wide wings.
Crack!
That was the sound of teeth piercing scales, and blood sprayed from the snail's wings. It let out a sharp cry, its body curling up as it simultaneously spewed out a bright blue liquid, forcing the Venomous Fanged Cat behind Aurel to retreat.
The Crumple-Horned Snail also had toxic liquid, and if the Venomous Fanged Cat didn't retreat, the result would have been mutual injury.
This was fine for now.
The snail, having been bitten hard, couldn't fly anymore and wobbled down onto Aurel's shoulder.
Kyle waved his wand again, and the spreading branches and vines began to retract, forming a huge wooden cage that trapped Aurel inside.
"What remarkable growth," Aurel said loudly, "Are you planning to kill me here?"
"You once wanted to do the same, didn't you?" Kyle said calmly, "If I hadn't been lucky, I might have stayed in the Forbidden Forest forever six years ago. Now, it's just a change of roles, and you can't accept it?"
"Is that what you think?" Aurel hugged the Crumple-Horned Snail.
"Using a magical creature as a shield?" Kyle frowned and said with disgust, "It just saved your life. Don't make me look down on you, Professor Aurel."
"No, you misunderstand, I never thought that way." Aurel shook his head, "But the Venomous Fanged Cat is staring at me, and it won't hide properly. I had no choice."
"Additionally, six years ago, I never intended to actually kill you. Otherwise, I could have threatened the little witch and had you captured. Why did I let her go?"
Cody stopped. "Wasn't that because of your arrogance?"
"Haha, do you think I'm a fool like Malfoy?" Aurel sneered. "To achieve my goals, I don't mind using some unsavory methods.
"Take that Dark Lord, for example. He could have captured students during the holidays, one by one, and then gone to the entrance of the Department of Magic, threatening their lives in front of everyone to pressure Dumbledore.
"If one doesn't work, then ten, fifty, a hundred... Based on my understanding of Dumbledore, he would most likely accept death calmly."
Cody's mouth twitched.
Don't say it, don't say it. If Voldemort did this, he also thinks Dumbledore would willingly die to save people.
Moreover, this isn't difficult. There are many students at Hogwarts, and even after excluding those from pure-blood families, there are still hundreds left. They might not all be able to escape Voldemort's attack.
In a sense, Aurel is more like the Dark Lord than Voldemort.
"Unfortunately, that idiot had his head filled with thoughts of saving Harry Potter. It serves him right to hide in his lair and throw tantrums."
"You can't say that."
Cody shook his head. "This kind of extreme behavior might allow him to kill Dumbledore, but it would also provoke the anger of all wizards... No one wants this kind of madman to live. What if, after conquering Britain, he's still not satisfied and extends his reach to other countries?"
"At that time, this matter won't be limited to Britain. The entire Wizarding World won't let him off, including you, who gave him this idea."
"If that's the case, then it's great."
Aurel stared at Cody and suddenly changed his expression, "Haha, don't take it seriously. I'm just talking. I'm merely an insignificant servant of the Dark Lord. How could he possibly listen to my suggestion?"
"That's not certain." Cody raised his wand, "For safety's sake, you'd better not go back."
"That's not possible. I can't die yet." As Aurel spoke, his entire body vanished, reappearing next to a nearby tree.
Use Apparition in battle? Cody frowned.
This is troublesome. Unless Dumbledore is also there, if Aurel is determined to escape, Cody might not be able to catch up.
"Rest assured, as I said, the proud and arrogant Dark Lord won't listen to a servant's suggestion." Aurel leaned against a tree and said.
"From what you're saying, you don't seem to respect the Dark Lord as much as the other Death Eaters."
"That's into her," Aurel said slowly,
because he could escape at any time, even with the Venomous Fanged Cat staring at him, he wasn't very nervous.
"Then say something related." Cody asked, "You just said that six years ago in the Forbidden Forest, you didn't want to kill me?"
"Yes." Aurel nodded, "Your father saved me, and I must save your life to repay the debt."
"Save me?" Cody was very confused. "Are you joking? I don't think I was in danger at the time."
"The absence of danger at the time doesn't mean there won't be any in the future." Aurel said.
"What do you mean?" Cody thought for a moment, a little confused, "What do you want to do?"
"It's simple." Aurel showed a smile, "I want to use an overly powerful Memory Charm to damage your brain and make you mediocre."
Cody immediately thought of Neville, who seemed to have poor memory due to the Memory Charm.
Cody was speechless.
Is this saving him? Nonsense.
But he could also see that Aurel was sincere, with no hint of joking.
"However, it seems like I've done too much now." Aurel shook his head, "Forget it. Let me give you a piece of advice: stay away from Dumbledore, even though everyone sees him as a good person."
"Why?"
"Because of my father." Aurel said, "He also admired Dumbledore, believing he could change the Wizarding World, and resolutely joined the Phoenix Society. But what was the result...?"
"He killed a werewolf during a mission, and the werewolf sought revenge. On a rainy night, he broke into my home, and then... he died."
"I was also teased by the werewolf and escaped for an entire day. Until I met your father in a remote place, and during this time, Dumbledore never appeared."
Aurel's voice was calm, as if he was talking about someone unrelated to him.
"Dumbledore isn't a god. He can't take care of everyone." Cody said.
"That's also what I wanted to say. Staying close to Dumbledore always involves getting entangled in various troubles. He can't take care of everyone, and the safest approach is to stay away from him."
"Stay away from Dumbledore... So that's why you targeted me?"
"Only partially. It's mainly because of another matter."
"What?"
"At that time, I learned that the Dark Lord might be returning soon."
Aurel raised his head, "At that time, I thought that the overly wise you would likely participate in the second war after his resurrection... Perhaps only by becoming mediocre could you safely pass through this crisis."
(End of Chapter)
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