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Chapter 857: Let's Open a Shop
Chapter 857: Let's Open a Shop
"Thank you for your generosity. If you come across more Erlum horns of this quality in the future, please give us, Wheel of Light Company, first consideration."
In a Quidditch equipment shop on Diagon Alley, a foreign wizard in a crisp suit saw Kyle out with a broad smile on his face.
"Of course," Kyle replied with a smile. "After all, I'm very satisfied with this transaction."
An hour earlier, he had left Grimmauld Place and ventured into Diagon Alley to procure some activity funds.
The most valuable and easily sellable item he had was the Erlum horns—a rare commodity that wasn't prohibited from trade and was essential for making brooms. There was no question of not being able to sell them.
Kyle strolled into the Quidditch shop and straightforwardly presented several Erlum horns, indicating his intention to sell them. Soon after, a wizard who introduced himself as the representative of the Wheel of Light Company rushed over.
He was not British. Due to Voldemort and the Death Eaters, the previous manager of the Diagon Alley shop had resigned after the first attack. This wizard was assigned to come over from Paris upon receiving the message through the two-way mirror.
After all, there was more than just the British Diagon Alley shop placing orders for brooms.
Initially, he had been quite displeased with this decision.
The situation in Britain was like a massive vortex; one wrong step could lead to dire consequences. Naturally, he hadn't wanted to come.
However, upon seeing the Erlum horns Kyle presented, that thought vanished instantly.
The quality was exceptional. To be honest, he hadn't seen Erlum horns of such high quality in a long time, especially in the past few decades. With the rapid development of brooms, the demand for materials had increased, and prices had risen accordingly.
But the quality of the horns had become increasingly inconsistent. It wasn't easy to find good ones, and he had no choice but to make do with horns of average quality.
Yet the Erlum horns Kyle presented were not only large in size but also boasted the most authentic reddish-brown color. He had only seen horns of this caliber once before—on an exhibition stand at the Wheel of Light Company headquarters seventy years ago.
He had a premonition that if he could take this batch of materials back, he would surely receive a substantial bonus. If he could secure the supply channel, he might even replace his spineless, incompetent superior.
Of course, he dared not be forceful. He had already learned some information about Kyle from the shop assistant.
A brave champion of the Triwizard Tournament. Dumbledore's favored student. And someone with intricate connections to the Ministry of Magic.
Moreover, this was Britain—their territory. He would have to be insane to provoke such a person.
Thus, he wisely chose to be amicable, refraining from haggling and offering the highest market price. He also provided a series of discounts and perks within his authority.
Kyle was equally satisfied.
He had thought this transaction might take some effort, but the other party was surprisingly straightforward. After verifying the authenticity of the items, they swiftly concluded a large order worth one thousand galleons for five Erlum horns in less than half an hour.
Kyle had more horns, but he knew that offering too many at once could drive down the price.
Since he had the goods in hand, he could afford to take his time and not rush things.
After shaking off the overly enthusiastic wizard, Kyle strolled along the relatively quiet streets of Diagon Alley. With an additional thousand galleons in his pocket, he no longer felt the urgency to sell everything at once.
Kyle pondered the array of items in his trunk and realized that selling them one by one would take considerable time. Moreover, frequent transactions might lead to haggling, resulting in time-consuming negotiations.
Opening his own shop to display and sell these items seemed like a better idea.
Kyle suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He remembered that several years ago, during Christmas, Sirius had given him a shop. At the time, he felt the gift was too valuable and hadn't intended to accept it. However, due to certain events, he had to leave Diagon Alley before he could politely refuse.
What was the reason again? Kyle tried to recall, but as it had been several years ago, the details eluded him.
It didn't matter, though.
What was important was that he still had the magical contract, and with subsequent events occupying his mind, he had forgotten about it. Even Sirius hadn't brought it up again.
Additionally, Kyle recalled that Sirius had also prepared a shop for Harry next door, intending for them to run a small business together after Harry's graduation.
"Where was that shop?" Kyle looked around, searching for closed-down shops.
With the recent attacks, there were quite a few shuttered stores, so this search wouldn't be easy.
Kyle vaguely remembered sitting with Sirius and eating ice cream...
Ice cream! Kyle immediately changed direction and soon located Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor on the main street. Not far away were two shuttered shops without any signs.
"This is it!" Kyle's eyes lit up.
If he opened this shop, he wouldn't need to spend time running around selling his goods. Moreover, the location was excellent—on the main road, with Gringotts Wizarding Bank a short distance away and Flourish and Blotts diagonally opposite. These were places young witches and wizards frequented at the start of the school year.
It was no surprise that the Blacks had chosen such prime locations for their gifts.
Kyle peered through the door, noticing the dusty windows and the layer of grime inside. It didn't seem like it would be easy to clean up.
As for staffing, the first thing that came to Kyle's mind was the house-elves in the school kitchen.
House-elves would be perfect for the job; they had already proven their capabilities at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
Kyle stroked his chin, contemplating the feasibility of this idea, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
By displaying items in the shop with clear price tags, he could not only save time but also ensure stable prices and even raise them slightly.
Moreover, there was his connection with the Ministry of Magic...
Kyle was aware that in a while, he would be in communication with Minister Bones using the Auror's special magical device, and he would be at a slight disadvantage in their initial cooperation.
With this connection, he could seek assistance to navigate the ambiguous boundaries of prohibited trade items. Perhaps he could even display items like Mobic squid ink for sale.
This could work.
Kyle's eyes lit up with excitement. He had some free time lately, and he had been hiding from Death Eaters at 12 Grimmauld Place. As long as he didn't let the Weasley brothers or Cedric, who had access to this place, see him, there would be no problem with him appearing in Diagon Alley.
While opening the shop within a short time might not be feasible, cleaning up the place was doable. He could open for business whenever he had time, and he could even temporarily stay there to save some money on room expenses at the Leaky Cauldron.
However, first, he had to find that magical contract, which he had no idea where he had tossed.
It should be in the Charmed Lizard Skin Pouch for convenience, along with his other small trinkets.
Indeed, just as he had thought, the magical contract was in the corner of the pouch, kept with a few packets of owl treats.
Kyle took it out, ready to get to work, when his trunk started shaking again.
There was only one reason for this—something was banging on the door of the room where the trunk was located, and from the frequency of the shaking, it seemed that whoever it was, was in a hurry.
Reluctantly, Kyle put his plans for the shop aside for the moment and quickly returned to his room at the Leaky Cauldron, stepping back into the trunk.
As soon as he opened the door, a giant scaly head loomed large before his eyes. Luckily, Kyle reacted quickly, jumping to the side and dodging Norbert's headbutt.
"What's wrong with you?" Kyle asked, still shaken.
Norbert looked flustered, squeaking urgently twice, his tail gently sweeping two round eggs closer to him.
Dragon eggs?
Kyle seemed to realize something and looked more closely, noticing several cracks on the eggs that hadn't been there before.
Norbert whimpered anxiously.
"It's alright, it's alright, you didn't crush them," Kyle reassured Norbert. "If I'm not mistaken, the little ones are about to hatch."
Kyle's heart raced with excitement, forgetting all about opening a shop and making money.
These were fire dragon eggs... Was the hatching process this fast? And both at the same time?
Kyle felt uncertain, but after some thought, he decided to leave the trunk and take Norbert to Dorset.
Relying on his memory, Kyle quickly found Newt's cabin in the endless forest and knocked on the door.
The door creaked open, and a nervous-looking head poked out.
"Dobby, who is it? Is it Tina?" Newt's voice called out. "That's odd. I thought she was visiting Rolf in Ilvermorny."
Rolf Scamander, Newt's grandson, was a professor in Ilvermorny in the United States, researching Magizoology after his graduation.
"No, Mr. Scamander, it's Mr. Kyle who has come," the house-elf, Dobby, said in a sharp voice, clearly excited.
"Kyle?"
At that moment, Newt also approached, looking surprised. "What a surprise. I thought you'd be busy with the Order of the Phoenix."
"It's a long story," Kyle said as he walked in naturally.
"Has something happened?" Newt asked with concern. "Is it about the Valley of Godric? I heard that seventy Death Eaters died yesterday. I hope you weren't involved."
"I did participate," Kyle nodded and then shook his head. "But that's not why I'm here."
"That's a relief," Newt breathed, picking up his cup. "Have a seat, and tell me what brings you here. Would you like something to eat? There are still some lime cookies that Tina left behind."
"I'll pass on the cookies," Kyle said. "I came here because I have two dragon eggs about to hatch, but I have no experience..."
Newt spluttered, spraying the water he had just drunk?
"What did you say? Dragon eggs?"
"Yes."
"Where did you get dragon eggs?" Newt asked, his expression turning serious.
"I bought them," Kyle said. "Of course, not recently, but back in 1899."
Newt blinked, unsure if Kyle had been hit with an Impostor Charm, as that was a century ago.
"It's a long story, but let's take a look first, and I'll explain later," Kyle said as he opened his trunk and jumped inside.
Newt thought for a moment and followed him into the trunk.
As soon as he entered, he spotted two round eggs resting on a velvet cushion.
Indeed, they were dragon eggs—one a Ukrainian Ironbelly and the other...
"Oh, a Romanian Longhorn?"
"Yes."
"They are indeed about to hatch, but... there's something odd about them," he said.
"What do you mean?" Kyle asked.
"From the outside, these eggs don't seem to meet the requirements for hatching. Listen to the sound they make when I tap on them," Newt said as he gently tapped on the eggs, producing a dull thudding sound.
"See, the shells are still quite hard. They would need to be exposed to flames for at least another month to meet the conditions for hatching, but..."
Newt paused, then leaned in close to the seam between the eggs and took a deep sniff. "This faint sulfur smell indicates that the fire dragons are actively breaking through the shells. Now that is peculiar..."
Newt was perplexed. In all his decades of studying fire dragons, he had never encountered such an unusual situation.
"Hmm... could the Time-Turner have had an impact on the dragon eggs if they had been subjected to time travel?" Kyle asked.
"To a certain extent, but not to this extent," Newt shook his head.
"What if it was a century?"
"A century?" Newt was taken aback for a moment, then exclaimed, "Has Albus' Time-Turner been repaired?"
"It's not just repaired, it's been used," Kyle nodded.
"That's what I'm getting at. Due to certain circumstances, I just returned from the year 1899 yesterday," Kyle explained.
Kyle then proceeded to briefly recount the events of his recent experiences, including the revelation that Ariana was still alive.
Upon hearing this news, Newt was so overjoyed that he almost shed tears. He was happy for Albus, as they had shared many experiences together, and Newt knew better than anyone what Albus' greatest regret was—the death of Ariana, which had become a tormenting specter in his mind, haunting him constantly.
"You've done well... very well..." Newt said, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes as his voice cracked with emotion.
"So, these two fire dragons..." Kyle prompted.
"Yes, the ones I bought back then," Kyle confirmed. "I have two more, and I'll be able to get them from the Dragon Sanctuary in a few days."
As he spoke, Kyle naturally handed over the two pieces of parchment with the magical contracts to Newt.
Newt's eyes widened even further, realizing that in addition to the news about Ariana, Kyle had another surprise for him.
"These two contracts... I see, so you're the mysterious donor," Newt said, his eyes shining with a mixture of surprise and understanding.
"What?" Kyle asked, feigning innocence.
"A friend of mine mentioned this," Newt explained. "They said that the Dragon Sanctuary was established thanks to a mysterious wizard's donation. The galleons he provided enabled the sanctuary to take the first and most crucial step.
"They tried to find him afterward—a young wizard accompanied by an elderly servant—but to no avail. It was as if he had disappeared from the wizarding world without a trace."
"That's because I returned to the present, so they couldn't possibly find me," Kyle said with a smile. "By the way, that so-called elderly servant was actually Professor Dumbledore."
"..."
Newt's expression turned peculiar, and after a moment of silence, he murmured, "Well, I suppose I should have guessed. I just hope Albus hasn't heard these rumors."
In a sense, Dumbledore had become Kyle's servant in the records of the Dragon Sanctuary for nearly a hundred years, and there was probably no other example of this in the wizarding world.
He hoped Dumbledore could handle the revelation.
But given Dumbledore's personality, Newt doubted he would mind, especially now that he knew his sister was still alive.
Newt shook his head and turned his attention back to the second piece of parchment.
"This... is a legal dragon-keeping permit?" Newt asked, his eyes widening further.
"Indeed," Kyle confirmed. "Burdman was so grateful that he insisted on giving me this as a token of his appreciation. I couldn't refuse, so I accepted it.
"However, it's a pity that there's still some time before the contract takes effect, so for now, it's just a decoration."
Newt was highly skeptical of Kyle's explanation, as he was well aware of Burdman's strong opposition to the private ownership of dragons. He couldn't imagine Burdman willingly giving out such permits.
However, the permit was genuine, complete with a signature and contract magic that couldn't be falsified, so the truth of the matter seemed less important.
"You've certainly gained a lot from this trip," Newt commented, a hint of envy creeping into his voice.
"It was quite fruitful," Kyle admitted with a lopsided grin. "But let's get back to the matter at hand. Are these two dragons alright?"
"Absolutely. They're very healthy," Newt assured him. "As for why they're hatching early, it may be related to the Time-Turner, but since I've never used one myself, I can't be certain.
"However, the impact of a Time-Turner on dragon eggs... that's a direction I've never even considered before. Is the Time-Turner still functional?"
"Unfortunately, it's no longer usable," Kyle shook his head. "When we returned, the magical stone providing the power for the Time-Turner was damaged, and the high-load operation also resulted in multiple cracks on the outer shell."
"Magical stone?" Newt's eyes twitched at the mention of it.
While the prospect of a new research direction was enticing, the cost of a magical stone was simply too high.
As for other, less extravagant Time-Turners, the duration of their effect was too short to be of much use.
Newt had never felt such frustration before. He felt like a hungry dog standing at the edge of a cliff, staring at a pile of galleons on the other side, separated by an insurmountable chasm. It was a torturous predicament.
"Can I take custody of them?" Newt asked, pointing at the two dragon eggs.
Since he couldn't experiment with the Time-Turner himself, observing these two dragon eggs that Kyle had brought back from ninety-eight years in the past would have to suffice.
"Of course, that's why I'm here," Kyle said with a smile.
...
(End of Chapter)
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