Chapter 869: Settling the Score
Chapter 869: Settling the Score
"Ding-a-ling..."
"Welcome!"
Accompanied by the crisp sound of a wind chime, Dobby, sent by Newt to help out at Diagon Alley, popped out from behind the counter, his eyes fixed on the incoming customer.
The visitor was a middle-aged wizard who had merely come to withdraw some money but had stumbled upon this newly opened shop along the way.
How odd, he thought. In a time when Death Eaters ran rampant and Diagon Alley was dwindling, with businesses closing down daily as owners fled the country, someone dared to go against the grain and open a new store... Wasn't he afraid of attracting the attention of Death Eaters?
Despite his instinctive urge to leave this crowded and exposed area as soon as possible, driven by curiosity, he stepped inside to see who was brave enough to take such a risk.
Upon entering, his first impression was quite favorable. The bright shop gave a comfortable feel, and a faint scent of wood wafted through the air... the distinct aroma of cherry wood, likely emanating from the pristine counter.
Using cherry wood for the counter showed taste and wealth... that kind of wood didn't come cheap.
At the same time, he detected the sweet fragrance of some kind of fruit, rich and pleasant without being overpowering, a true delight.
"This is nice," the wizard thought. "If it were a few years ago, this place would surely have been bustling with customers. But now..."
He shook his head. To be honest, with the current situation, who would be in the mood for shopping? No matter how well the store was decorated, it was a waste of Galleons.
He paid no heed to the house-elf that had popped out, instead shifting his gaze to the shelves, curious about the unfamiliar fruity aroma he had detected earlier, intending to leave as soon as he found its source.
They were grapes, but much larger, each one plump and juicy, clearly delicious, and the scent was simply irresistible.
These must taste amazing, the wizard thought, swallowing his saliva. He contemplated buying a bunch to take home. After all, he had just withdrawn some money, so buying some fruit would be well within his means...
That is, until he saw the price tag below the fruit...
Without a moment's hesitation, the wizard held his breath and turned around, almost running out of the shop. It wasn't until he had reached the street that he finally paused to catch his breath.
These people must be crazy, he thought. Ten Galleons per fruit? Are they made of gold?
No, even if they were made of gold, they wouldn't be this expensive! Just smelling these fruits should cost a Sickle at most.
He had inhaled the scent of the shop quite a bit while trying to locate the fruit, and he couldn't help but worry that the owner might come chasing after him for payment.
Unconsciously, the wizard quickened his pace.
No wonder they dared to open a shop in Diagon Alley at a time like this, he thought. Their hearts are darker than those of Death Eaters. Why don't they just rob Gringotts?
As the disgruntled customer left, the enthusiastic house-elf, Dobby, could only return to his place behind the counter.
This was already the fifth or sixth person to run out today...
The entire morning had passed without a single sale, and Dobby, with his vague concept of money, sighed, feeling that he wasn't living up to Mr. Kyle's trust.
Meanwhile, Kyle himself, the owner of the new shop, was not concerned about his freshly opened business. Instead, he remained on the second floor of his home in St. Cuthbert's Village.
The usually tranquil village was suddenly disturbed by a faint explosion, causing Kyle to subconsciously walk to the window and glance outside.
Mrs. Weasley had returned and was standing in front of their humble abode, along with Kyle himself.
Kyle remembered clearly the first time he had left Hogwarts in disguise as the headmaster, only to encounter Mrs. Weasley just as she was preparing to move out of number twelve, Grimmauld Place. That was the exact scene playing out before him now.
Tomorrow, he would likely be on his way to France to find Connor.
Kyle's eyes flickered as he pulled out the now completely damaged and unusable Time-Turner from his pocket.
He then took two steps back and vanished from the room, using the Disillusionment Charm.
Just then, outside the window, Kyle, who had been about to enter the house, suddenly stopped as if he had sensed something. He turned his head toward the window of his second-floor room.
"Is something the matter, Kyle?" Mrs. Weasley inquired.
"It's nothing," Kyle shook his head and walked inside. "Mrs. Weasley, let me help with pest control."
"That would be a great help," Mrs. Weasley said. "We can never get rid of all the knuts. I don't know how they keep getting in."
As the two of them cleaned the house, Kyle, in another part of the village, had arrived at the Hog's Head pub in Hogsmeade.
He didn't go inside but peered through the window instead.
Abelforth was as surly as ever, standing behind the counter with a grim expression, wiping a dirty glass with an even dirtier cloth.
Nothing had changed. Dumbledore and Ariana hadn't returned yet to confront him.
Kyle averted his gaze and began walking toward Hogwarts.
He recalled Dumbledore mentioning before he left that he and Ariana had some matters to attend to, in preparation for the next time travel incident.
This so-called "next time travel" was likely referring to Kyle's return to the past to save Dumbledore.
Kyle didn't know when they would be back, but to be safe, he had to take certain measures.
However, before that, he needed to make a trip to Hogwarts.
With Hogwarts quiet during class time, Kyle strolled through the front entrance, encountering Professor Sprout as she exited the greenhouse.
"Kyle?" Professor Sprout asked in surprise, quickly walking over. "Minerva mentioned that you had just left the school. Why are you back?"
"Oh, I just realized I forgot something, so I came back," Kyle replied calmly.
"I hope no one saw you," Professor Sprout asked anxiously.
"Rest assured, Professor," Kyle waved his hand and lowered his voice. "As an outstanding graduate, it's quite normal for me to come back and reminisce about my alma mater. No one will suspect that I'm Dumbledore."
"It's still better to be cautious," advised Professor Sprout. "Do you need me to inform Minerva?"
"No, no," Kyle shook his head. "I'm just here to pick up something. It won't take long."
"Alright, then follow me," Professor Sprout removed her dragon-hide gloves. "It's not yet time for the next class, so no one will notice you entering the Headmaster's office."
"Okay."
As Kyle followed Professor Sprout into the castle, they encountered Filch along the way.
It was clear that Filch, tasked with guarding the school gates, did not welcome the presence of Kyle, a graduated 'loiterer'. However, with Professor Sprout accompanying him, Filch could only glower from the corner of the shadows, unable to drive them away.
"Off you go, Argus," Professor Sprout glanced at him. "Kyle is here to discuss something with me, and I'll escort him out of the school afterward."
This was a blatant hint for Filch to leave.
Filch's face stiffened, but facing the Head of House, he could only bow slightly and turn away without a word, leaving the entrance hall.
Subsequently, the two made their way up the empty staircase to the eighth floor, arriving at the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance.
"I won't be coming in with you," Professor Sprout checked the time. "The next class will be starting soon. It's Herbology for Gryffindor seventh-years. If you want to leave the school, you can ask one of the ghosts to find Minerva.
"Oh, and just knock on the second pot-shaped silver object on the desk, and a ghost will come."
"Is that how the silver objects on the Headmaster's desk are used?" Kyle mused, intrigued by this new knowledge.
He had always suspected that those silver objects served more than just decorative purposes.
"Yes, the second one," she emphasized. "Be sure not to knock on the wrong one."
"Don't worry," Kyle assured her. "I'll be leaving the school using another method, and no one will see me."
"That's good, then."
As the bell rang, Professor Sprout hurried off, her errand to the castle being primarily to retrieve the antidote potion from her office.
The next class was for Gryffindor seventh-years, and the topic was the Prickly Cactus. With Mr. Longbottom in attendance, it was prudent to have the antidote potion ready.
Otherwise, Madam Pomfrey would likely grumble about proposing to cancel the dangerous Herbology classes again.
Honestly, those adorable and fragile herbs weren't dangerous at all. If anything, Mr. Longbottom was the risky element in the equation.
Thankfully, she wouldn't have to teach him for much longer...
With Professor Sprout gone, Kyle proceeded through the passage behind the stone gargoyle and into the Headmaster's office.
Everything was as he had left it—the former Headmasters and Headmistresses had their eyes closed, pretending to sleep. Upon hearing the intrusion, a few of them opened one eye to inspect the visitor.
Upon recognizing Kyle, they abandoned their pretense of slumber.
"You again, boy! What brings you back?" demanded Phineas Black, not one for pleasantries.
"Nothing much," Kyle smiled as he approached, pulling out a large stack of finished pigments from his pocket. "Just came to deliver some gifts."
These were professional pigments used for creating magical portraits, and Kyle had spent a small fortune on them. Yet, he didn't hesitate for a moment, knowing that Mr. Phineas deserved the best.
With practiced ease, Kyle brandished his wand and swiftly sketched a menacing bludger, its three-inch-long spikes glinting with a chilling light, even within the confines of the portrait.
"Wait... What are you doing!" Phineas exclaimed, his body turning cold with apprehension. However, Headmaster Armando Dippet and the other former Headmasters gathered around with gleaming eyes, clearly excited.
"How have I wronged you? You can't do this to me..." Phineas attempted to flee, his voice quavering.
"How could it be considered wronging you? That's a bit too distant," Kyle said without looking up from his work. "I just felt that all of you must be incredibly bored, stuck in these portraits day after day, so I wanted to find some entertainment for you."
Entertainment? This entertainment was clearly at his expense, and that rascal Dippet had already started warming up!
Phineas's legs felt like jelly, and he wanted nothing more than to run away.
However, the other Headmasters were quick to react. To prevent him from escaping into another portrait, two middle-aged wizard-like individuals rushed to his sides, holding his arms firmly.
"The boy means well, and here you are trying to flee!" One of them, a wizard with a large beard, glared at Phineas, his eyes narrowing with ill-intent.
Phineas began to struggle with all his might, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free from the grasp of his colleagues.
During this time, Kyle had also finished his work.
In addition to the highly intimidating club and double-handed axe, he thoughtfully painted single-handed swords, daggers, and thorn whips for the female Headmistresses, ensuring they had a full range of weapons.
Throughout this process, Armando Dippet kept a close eye on Kyle.
Although portraits couldn't think, his experience allowed him to sense that the Kyle before him now seemed different from the one who had just left.
Of course, the fact that he was able to enter this room indicated that he was indeed the same person, the boy named Kyle, but the feeling he gave off was distinct...
Moreover, he could also tell that this boy had come specifically for Phineas, and the unconcealed malice in his actions was evident even to a portrait like him.
But so what? Armando Dippet chuckled to himself.
He was merely a portrait and didn't care much about what was happening. What interested him was the entertainment that was about to unfold.
In fact, he ought to thank Phineas. With his selfless and broad-minded nature, he had provided them with a rich variety of leisure activities.
What a great man...
Armando rubbed his hands together in anticipation and eagerly selected a handy poleaxe from the vast arsenal... the same model as the Hogwarts statue, one he had been longing to try out.
...
Listening to the wails emanating from the portraits, Kyle felt a sense of elation.
When he had first returned to 1899, Phineas had wanted to deduct a hundred points from him, but since his house didn't have enough points, he had simply cleared Gryffindor's house points to zero. Kyle had remembered it clearly.
To repay this Headmaster, he had painted a hundred knives, swords, clubs, and axes according to the highest standards, and now they were even.
After putting down his wand, Kyle stretched his slightly sore wrists.
Although the sounds from the portraits were delightful to hear, Kyle didn't forget the main reason for his visit to this place.
He searched through the Headmaster's office and finally found a blue scarf with phoenix feathers. Carefully, he plucked out one of the feathers and placed it on the door's perch to ignite it.
He needed Fawkes, but he couldn't go looking for his future self, so he had to resort to this method.
Phoenixes were sensitive to their own feathers, and being in Dumbledore's office might increase the chances of Fawkes sensing it.
Kyle pondered, unsure if this method would work, and if it didn't, he would have to make the trip himself.
Just then, the Headmaster's office suddenly lit up.
Fawkes landed on the perch, tilting his head in confusion as he looked at Kyle, seemingly unsure why he was there.
"Fawkes, I'm glad you came," Kyle said. "Don't be surprised. The two of me are the same person; it's just that some things have happened."
Fawkes straightened his head.
"There's something I need your help with." Kyle took out an envelope. "Can you deliver this to Beauxbatons and give it to Professor Victor, who's in charge of alchemy? This also concerns Professor Dumbledore."
Fawkes grasped the envelope but didn't leave. Instead, he continued to stare at Kyle, letting out a crisp chirp.
"You don't know where it is?" Kyle hesitated, realizing that phoenixes could go anywhere they wanted but couldn't locate a specific place based on an address alone... This was an innate ability of owls, which was why they were the preferred messengers.
"Hasn't Professor Dumbledore taken you there before?" Kyle asked.
Fawkes nodded.
"Then... Beauxbatons?" Kyle rubbed his forehead. "Do you know where it is?"
Fawkes shook his head again.
"Alright, let's go there together, then." Kyle sighed and said, "Let's head to France first."
The contents of the envelope were of utmost importance, and he didn't trust an owl to deliver it safely. Fawkes would be a much safer bet.
This time, Fawkes moved, skillfully flying to Kyle's side and allowing him to grasp his tail.
Unbeknownst to Kyle, as he spoke, the Headmasters behind him had gathered together.
"Did you hear that?" Armando whispered to one of the witch portraits. "He just said, 'Both of me.' What does that mean?"
"Time-Turner," Delores Derwent blurted out.
"So, the boy before us is from the past?" Armando blinked. "Albus disappeared into the past, and now he's returned from it. Could it be that this boy has brought Albus back with him... But why hasn't he come to Hogwarts?"
"Albus must have his reasons." Without turning her head, Derwent said, "Are you sure you want to stay here? Phineas is about to make a run for it."
Armando turned instinctively and saw that Phineas had sneaked up to the edge of the frame. If he crossed the frame, he could escape into another portrait, and it would be difficult to catch him afterward.
After all, once they left Hogwarts, they could only move within their own portraits.
"Hey, you stay right there!" Armando grabbed the poleaxe next to him and rushed forward, no longer concerned about Dumbledore. "Watch my new spell, the Stunning Spell!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
