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Chapter 854: Oren's Past
Chapter 854: Oren's Past
As the evening sky turned a dusky hue, Kyle sped ahead on his Nimbus 2000 broom, cutting through the air with purpose.
Following close behind was Dumbledore, but unlike Kyle, he didn't require any magical aid for his flight.
Kyle had intended to wait for him, but Dumbledore had other plans. With a swift and graceful movement, he launched himself into the air without the aid of a broom, a whirlwind of magic lifting him effortlessly.
His movements were fluid and silky smooth, even surpassing that of Voldemort's snake, Nagini. And he kept pace with Kyle, occasionally turning to glance back at him.
"Don't worry about me, I can keep up." Dumbledore's voice carried through the rushing wind, softened but still audible to Kyle, who found it grating.
What do you mean, "keep up"? Being able to fly is nothing special.
Well, actually, it is pretty impressive.
Kyle had to admit that among all the magic in the world, flight magic was the rarest and yet the most useful. Whether in direct confrontations or making a quick escape, it played a crucial role.
However, this type of magic was so uncommon that there were no records of it in the school library, not even in the restricted section. Most flight magic was created by exceptionally gifted witches and wizards.
For example, Voldemort possessed the ability to transform himself into a black mist, similar to the Disillusionment Charm, allowing him to fly short distances and even combine it with the Disapparating Charm.
His trusted Death Eaters also shared this ability, and when they used it together, they resembled a passing storm cloud, exuding an oppressive aura.
Grindelwald's followers had demonstrated this ability as well, which Kyle had witnessed firsthand in the forest, to his detriment.
Hmm... Come to think of it, it made sense that if Grindelwald could fly, then Dumbledore, his rival for decades, would surely have the same capability. It was only natural that he would be able to fly as well.
Kyle glanced at Dumbledore again, feeling a surge of admiration.
He wanted to learn.
Of course, now was not the time. Kyle decided to wait until after this incident to ask Dumbledore about it.
Even if he couldn't get his hands on a phoenix, learning a flight spell would be the next best thing.
The two continued flying forward until they reached the outskirts of Godric's Hollow, where Kyle dismounted from his broom. Before them lay a small patch of woods, devoid of any people, yet Kyle could sense the lurking danger nearby.
It was too quiet, unnaturally so, without even the sound of insects. Something was amiss.
Suddenly, something sped towards them and grabbed Kyle by the shoulder, its grip strong.
Kyle was pulled towards the depths of the woods by this unseen force.
As Kyle was taken away, a distinct black silhouette appeared in the sky above.
Dumbledore, who had been prepared to rescue Kyle, came to an abrupt halt, his expression turning serious as he looked up.
"Tom..."
"My dear professor, I knew I'd find you here." Voldemort hovered in mid-air, his scarlet eyes fixed on Dumbledore below.
"Did you know I would come?" Dumbledore asked in a low voice.
"No," Voldemort replied with a curl of his lips. "But that doesn't stop me from taking a chance. After all, you've always favored that filthy werewolf. I thought that if I killed him today, you might seek revenge."
"Remus possesses a pure and kind soul," Dumbledore said coldly.
"A pure soul in a werewolf... Ha, how laughable..."
Voldemort raised his wand, and a flash of green light descended from the sky, aimed at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore turned, his robe swirling, and in an instant, he vanished from sight.
"Come now, my dear professor, let us continue the battle we started before." Voldemort cackled wildly, sending another jet of green light toward Dumbledore. "You no longer have your greatest reliance, and I wonder if you can stand against me now."
"The wand is never the true source of power." Dumbledore reappeared behind Voldemort, waving his arm casually. Voldemort instinctively dodged, and the curse struck the cliff face behind him.
Dumbledore had cast a spell that immediately created a wide crack in the cliff, several feet long.
"Too slow, professor, too slow..."
Voldemort sneered, "Ever since you lost your old wand, each of your movements betrays your aging body. You're not what you used to be."
He waved his wand again, and an abnormal gale-force wind sprang up, gathering strength and wreaking havoc on everything in its path.
Trees and stones were pulled into the vortex, crushed and pulverized.
Dumbledore remained calm and evaded the attack with ease.
"It seems you're not doing so well yourself, Tom," he remarked. "Must you rely on these large-scale curses to make a show of force? Or do you think this will intimidate me?"
As if intentionally goading Voldemort, Dumbledore added loudly, "I'm curious, how did you mend the leg I shattered? Did you keep a five-legged beast as a pet and use its leg for yourself? No wonder you always smell foul."
"Shut up!"
Voldemort's eyes burned with rage. He hadn't expected Dumbledore to be so...eloquent and quick-witted. It threw him off-balance.
During their previous encounter when they fought for the elder wand, one of Voldemort's legs had been hit by Dumbledore's curse and snapped, sending him tumbling into a trash-filled ditch.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A blinding green light exploded in mid-air.
...
Meanwhile, deep in the woods, Kyle also saw what had grabbed him.
An adult Chimeraba.
A Fantastic Beast... Are you serious?
Kyle didn't even struggle and immediately unlocked the box in mid-air.
"Roar!"
"Growl!"
With a deafening roar, a wall suddenly appeared in front of the Chimeraba, adorned with three massive heads that simultaneously bit towards it.
Instinctively, the Chimeraba released Kyle and flew towards the sky, barely dodging the attack from the three-headed dog.
As he landed on the ground, Kyle quickly drew his wand, keeping a vigilant eye on his surroundings.
"Come out now, my dear professor, I know you're here."
A gust of wind blew by, rustling the leaves, and amidst it was a light, graceful footstep.
Kyle immediately spun around, his wand at the ready.
"Protego Totalum!"
A tree was sliced in half, but Kyle's true target remained unharmed, his wand held steady in front of his chest.
"Impressive, you've changed so much compared to six years ago."
Oren smiled as he said, "How did you know it was me?"
"Not many witches and wizards can keep a Chimeraba as a companion, and you just happen to be one of them." Kyle replied nonchalantly.
"Yes, that's true." Oren nodded, "But I believe even fewer people can keep a three-headed dog as a companion. Where did you get it from?"
He asked casually, as if chatting with an old friend.
"Of course, I got it from eating Chocolate Frogs." Kyle said without batting an eye, "Didn't you know? If you collect all the cards in Chocolate Frogs, you can exchange them for a three-headed dog, or even a Hungarian Horntail or a Venomous Viper at the Ministry of Magic. It's your choice."
"Oh?..." Oren was astonished, "Too bad I don't like eating chocolate."
"No problem, I can give you some." Kyle smiled.
"What?"
Before Oren could react to the meaning of those words, a faint sweet and putrid scent wafted from the side.
"Venomous Viper!"
Oren reacted swiftly, immediately backing away to get out of the range of the venomous mist.
But at the same time, he was also startled.
Cold sweat trickled down Oren's forehead, especially after he caught sight of the pitch-black creature that resembled a panther not far away. He could no longer maintain his composure.
"Venomous Viper!"
Oren exclaimed involuntarily.
Kyle already surprised him with the three-headed dog, and now the Venomous Viper... Could witches and wizards really tame such fantastic beasts?
Taming the Chimeraba alone had taken him several years, and the Venomous Viper... That was a bit too much.
"That's strange, isn't it?" Kyle said calmly, "I collected two sets of cards and exchanged them for two fantastic beasts. Is there a problem with that?"
Oren, of course, didn't believe such a ridiculous statement. The idea of exchanging Chocolate Frog cards for a Venomous Viper, the Ministry of Magic would have to be insane to agree to that.
But regardless of the reason, the presence of the Venomous Viper was a fact.
Oren suddenly realized that he might have made a mistake. This wasn't six years ago, and Kyle wasn't the frail new student he once was.
However, Oren quickly regained his composure.
"Would you dare? The venom of the Viper knows no friend or foe."
"It doesn't matter." Kyle shrugged, "The Viper has more than just its venom as a means of attack."
As he spoke, Kyle waved his wand again.
The surrounding trees began to grow wildly, sharp branches reaching out like spears from all directions.
Just as Oren was about to dodge, a faint rustling sound came from behind him.
That sweet and putrid scent again.
At that moment, the Chimeraba dove towards Oren, shielding his neck with its broad wings.
Crack!
That was the sound of teeth piercing through scales, blood spraying from the Chimeraba's wings as it let out a piercing cry, its body curling up as it spat out a bright blue liquid, forcing the Viper behind Oren to retreat.
The Chimeraba also had venomous fluids, and if the Viper didn't retreat, the outcome would've been both of them getting hurt.
This outcome was fine as it was.
Having been bitten hard, the Chimeraba could no longer fly and wobbled as it landed on Oren's shoulder.
Kyle waved his wand again, and the encroaching branches and vines began to retract, forming a massive wooden cage that trapped Oren within.
"What remarkable growth." Oren exclaimed, "Do you intend to kill me here?"
"You had the same intention towards me back then, didn't you?" Kyle replied calmly, "If it weren't for my luck, I might have stayed in the Forbidden Forest forever six years ago. Now, the roles of attacker and defender have merely switched, and you can't accept that?"
"Is that what you think?" Oren held the Chimeraba in his arms.
"Using a Fantastic Beast as a shield?" Kyle frowned, speaking with disgust, "It just saved your life, don't make me look down on you, Professor Oren."
"No, you misunderstand, I've never thought of doing that." Oren shook his head, "It's just that the Viper is lurking behind me, and it refuses to hide completely. I had no choice but to do this."
"One might not be enough, but what about ten, fifty, or a hundred... Knowing Dumbledore as I do, he would most likely walk to his death willingly."
Kyle's lips twitched at the thought.
Indeed, if Voldemort had done that, he believed Dumbledore would have willingly sacrificed himself to save others.
And it wouldn't have been difficult. Hogwarts had a large student body, and even if you excluded those from pure-blood families, there were still several hundred left. They wouldn't necessarily be able to evade Voldemort's attacks.
In a sense, Oren was more like the Dark Lord than Voldemort himself.
"It's a pity that fool had his mind set on the savior, Harry Potter. Serves him right to be holed up in his lair, fuming."
"That's not necessarily true," Kyle disagreed, shaking his head.
"This kind of behavior, where he uses every means at his disposal, might have allowed him to kill Dumbledore, but it would also incite the wrath of all witches and wizards... No one wants a madman like that to live, and what if he's not content with just ruling Britain and decides to extend his reach to other countries?
"If that happens, it won't just be a matter for Britain anymore. The entire wizarding world would come after him, including you, the one who gave him this idea."
"If that were the case, that would be great."
Oren fixed his gaze on Kyle, his expression suddenly changing, "Ha, don't take it seriously. I'm just speaking hypothetically. I'm merely a dispensable servant of the Dark Lord; he wouldn't listen to my suggestions anyway."
"That's not necessarily true." Kyle raised his wand, "For safety's sake, it's better if you don't go back."
"That won't do. I can't die yet." Oren said, and in an instant, he disappeared, only to reappear next to a nearby tree.
Using the Disapparating Charm in battle? Kyle frowned.
This was troublesome. Unless Dumbledore was here too, if Oren really wanted to flee, he might not be able to catch him.
"Rest assured, just as I said, the arrogant Dark Lord wouldn't listen to a mere servant like me." Oren leaned against a tree and said casually.
"Hearing you talk like that, it seems you don't hold the Dark Lord in as high regard as the other Death Eaters do." Kyle commented.
"That's none of your business." Oren replied nonchalantly, "Since I can Disapparate at any time, even with that Venomous Viper lurking nearby, I'm not too worried."
"Then let's talk about something that is my business." Kyle asked, "Earlier, you mentioned that six years ago, in the Forbidden Forest, you didn't intend to kill me?"
"Yes." Oren nodded, "Your father saved me once, so I owed him a life debt. Saving you would repay that debt."
"Save me?" Kyle was puzzled, "Are you joking? I didn't feel like I was in any danger back then."
"Just because there was no danger at the time doesn't mean there wouldn't be in the future." Oren explained.
"What do you mean?" Kyle pondered for a moment, not fully understanding, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
"It's simple." Oren revealed a faint smile, "I wanted to use an overly powerful Obliviate spell to mess with your brain and make you mediocre."
Kyle immediately thought of Neville Longbottom, whose poor memory seemed to be the result of a similar spell.
Kyle was speechless.
Was that supposed to be saving him? What nonsense!
However, he could tell that Oren was sincere and didn't seem to be joking.
"But now it seems that was unnecessary." Oren shook his head, "Forget it, let me give you a piece of advice: stay away from Dumbledore, even if everyone else thinks he's a good man."
"Why?" Kyle asked.
"Because of my father." Oren replied, "He admired Dumbledore too. He firmly believed that Dumbledore could change the wizarding world, so he eagerly joined the Order of the Phoenix. But what happened in the end...?"
"He killed a werewolf during a mission, and the werewolf sought revenge. One rainy night, the werewolf broke into our home, and... my father died."
"I was also toyed with by that werewolf for an entire day until I encountered your father in a remote place. Dumbledore never showed up throughout all of this."
Oren's voice was calm, as if he were talking about someone else and not himself.
"Dumbledore isn't a god; he can't take care of everyone." Kyle said.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. Getting too close to Dumbledore always leads to trouble. He can't take care of everyone, so the safest thing to do is to stay away from him."
"You want me to stay away from Dumbledore... So that's why you targeted me?"
"That's only part of it. The main reason is something else."
"What?"
"At that time, I learned that the Dark Lord might be returning soon."
Oren looked up, "So I thought, with your exceptional intelligence, you would likely get involved in the Second Wizarding War after his resurrection... Perhaps the only way to safely get through this crisis would be to become mediocre."
(End of Chapter)
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