Chapter 870: Never Mind, I Understand
Chapter 870: Never Mind, I Understand
France.
The Pyrenees were shrouded in thick clouds during the evening, and due to the mist magic set up by Nicolas Flamel himself at the entrance, not many people were watching.
However, today, Beauxbatons welcomed a guest from afar.
Kyle cautiously made his way through the mist and appeared near the magical fountain.
He looked up at the hilltop manor before him, which was connected as one, and tried to discern his surroundings.
"They all look the same. Which one is Professor Victor's office again?"
Unlike Hogwarts, Beauxbatons had more rooms, and due to the prevalence of alchemy, the structures of the classrooms had undergone various degrees of alteration.
For example, the windows of the underground classrooms in Hogwarts were truly pitch-black, and one could only rely on lamps for illumination. However, Beauxbatons was different. The windows of the underground classrooms might have another opening on the second floor, allowing for a switch between dim and bright lighting.
Moreover, they weren't the type of magical windows used in the Ministry of Magic. These windows were truly opened on the second floor, and the process was simple. One just needed to use alchemy to slightly alter the walls, creating a magical passage between the two windows to transport sunlight.
Of course, it only looked simple. Kyle couldn't do it... But for Nicolas or Victor, it shouldn't be difficult.
So what he was seeing now might not be the actual location of the classrooms.
"I should have taken note of the location the last time I was here." Kyle searched for a while longer before shaking his head. "Forget it, no need to look further. Thankfully, I prepared a backup plan."
Kyle waited a while longer, and an owl flew in from outside, flapping its wings. The mist magic around it seemed to have no effect.
The owl landed on the magical fountain nearby, its large eyes looking at him questioningly.
This was an owl that Kyle had encountered along the way, hired for the price of two bags of owl nuts.
Although it was against the usual procedure, Kyle had offered too much—two large bags, enough to feed an owl for a month. All it had to do was deliver two letters, and no owl could refuse such an offer, nor did this one.
Hmm... The nuts were something Kyle had brought from Britain, so they should be considered imported goods for French owls.
"This is the second letter." Kyle took the empty envelope with 'Beauxbatons, by the Magical Fountain' written on it from the owl's claw and took out another full envelope, tying it to its leg. "Deliver this to Professor Victor, the alchemist."
The reason for using two letters was that Kyle was worried about something unexpected happening along the way... Although the possibility was small, it was better to be cautious.
It was just a matter of giving out another bag of nuts, and it wasn't troublesome anyway.
But now, there was no need for that. Surely the owl wouldn't lose the letter at Beauxbatons.
Kyle took out a cloth bag and placed it next to the fountain.
The owl immediately flew towards a window not far away... That should be where Professor Victor was.
As expected, it was best to leave deliveries to professionals.
Kyle nodded in satisfaction and took out the second-generation nuts, placing them in the cloth bag as the final payment.
However, just as he lifted his head, he witnessed a jaw-dropping scene.
Phoenix, Fawkes, had somehow flown out as well, following the owl. When the owl reached Professor Victor's window, Fawkes snatched the envelope from its claw without a word, and casually flapped its wing, sending the owl crashing into a nearby tree.
Could an owl fight a phoenix? Of course not.
But the owl dared not take the letter back, and could only return to Kyle's side indignantly, its eyes filled with a mixture of confusion, shock, and nine-tenths dirty curses.
Don't think it didn't know that the red-feathered bird and the wizard were in cahoots. It had seen them together.
... Were wizards these days this ruthless? To scam and deliberately cheat a weak and innocent owl? If they didn't want to give the nuts, they could have just said so. It didn't have to take the job for those two bags of nuts.
Kyle smiled awkwardly.
To be honest, he never expected Fawkes to do something like this... Could it be because of what was said in the headmaster's office?
In this situation, it seemed that Fawkes had delivered the letter... sort of.
But a phoenix... Was it necessary to pick a fight with an owl? The owl was just doing its job.
Kyle looked at the red figure returning and silently took out a third bag of nuts, putting them into the cloth bag.
What was done was done. There was no use complaining now. He could only compensate the owl for being unfairly winged.
Only then did the owl stop glaring at Kyle. It grabbed the bag and flew off with a struggling flutter.
It was clear that the heavy nuts were a burden for the owl, but it didn't hesitate or linger. It turned and flew away as if escaping from something terrifying.
Seeing the returning Fawkes, Kyle could only helplessly give a thumbs up.
Well done.
Fawkes was the epitome of calmness, holding its head high as if nothing had happened.
Alright then.
Kyle sighed. Anyway, the item had been delivered, and the process wasn't that important. At least, for now, all three parties seemed satisfied.
"Who's there!" A loud shout startled them, and several people in the same robes ran over. They must have heard the noise and come to investigate.
All of them were young and robust wizards, and they drew their wands from a distance.
Beauxbatons was equally well-guarded. Unlike Hogwarts, where Filch, the Squib, handled the entire school's security on his own.
Not only that, he also had to juggle cleaning and checking for prohibited items, performing multiple jobs but only earning one salary... Thinking about it, the headmasters of Hogwarts throughout the ages had been shameless.
"...
"Alright, we should head back too." Kyle glanced at the darkening sky and said to Fawkes.
A flash of flame later, the pair vanished from their spot, only to reappear in a different country within seconds, all without leaving a trace for the Ministry of Magic to find. It had to be said that having a phoenix by your side was incredibly convenient, even if the journey wasn't the most comfortable.
"It's fine, Fawkes, you can go back now." Kyle rubbed his forehead, taking a while to recover from the journey.
Fawkes tilted his head, eyeing Kyle curiously, and let out a crisp chirp.
"Ah, don't worry about me, I..."
Before he could finish, Kyle frowned and pulled out a special Galleon. The pattern on it suddenly sported a noticeable scratch, indicating the other coin in Dobby's possession had undergone a change, meaning Dobby was looking for him.
Without hesitation, Kyle immediately apparated to the Leaky Cauldron and quickly made his way to his shop.
"I never expected there to be such a store here. It's finally added a bit of class to Diagon Alley."
Even before stepping through the door, Kyle heard a familiar voice... that obnoxious tone could belong to none other than Malfoy.
No wonder Dobby had sent him a message; he had arrived much faster than expected.
Kyle paused at the entrance, waved his wand discreetly, and then walked in.
As expected, it was Malfoy, and Narcissa was with him.
Dobby stood awkwardly to the side, his entire body seeming to freeze up. Obviously, even though Kyle had told him beforehand, seeing his former master caused him to feel afraid instinctually.
Strictly speaking, Dobby had betrayed the Malfoy family, and in a house-elf's understanding, betrayal was a grave sin.
If not for Dobby's insistence, Kyle wouldn't have let him stay here and would have switched him out for Kreacher. But now, it seemed that Dobby had overestimated his ability to control his instinctual reactions.
However, the funny thing was that even at such close range, neither Malfoy nor Narcissa seemed to recognize that the house-elf acting as a shop assistant was the very same Dobby who had once served them.
But thinking about it, it made sense. The Dobby they knew was always dirty, and he only wore a tea towel that was dirtier than the rags at the Hog's Head. Compared to that, the current Dobby was clean and well-groomed, dressed properly, and almost unrecognizable. It was normal that they wouldn't make the connection.
After Kyle entered, he intentionally let his wand show, and Dobby glanced at it subconsciously before happily exclaiming, "Sir, you're back!"
"Mhm." Kyle nodded. "We have esteemed guests, so I'll entertain them. You can go outside for now."
Dobby scurried out as if he'd been pardoned.
"What an ill-mannered creature." Narcissa frowned slightly. "If it were our house-elf, I would definitely give it some proper clothing."
Even though she had shown a tearful and vulnerable side before, in front of others, Narcissa still maintained the Malfoy family's usual arrogance and looked down her nose at people.
"You're the owner here." She sized Kyle up and down, a frown on her face. "You don't look British."
"I graduated from Beauxbatons," Kyle replied with a smile.
He now looked like one of the guards at Beauxbatons, as he had just seen one and the image was fresh in his mind.
And Malfoy wouldn't have gone to Beauxbatons, so there was no risk of being recognized.
"Beauxbatons..." Narcissa seemed completely uninterested in his identity and asked again, "You really are the owner here?"
"Of course." Kyle nodded.
"Impossible." Narcissa stared at him. "If you're not British, how could you have a deed to a shop in Diagon Alley?"
"Madame..." Kyle smiled. "Even though I'm not British, Galleons are the same everywhere."
"Hmph, so you bought it?" Narcissa coldly huffed. "Who sold it to you!"
"That's a business secret, Madame." Kyle maintained his smile.
Narcissa wanted to say something more, but Malfoy cut her off.
"Never mind, Mother. What does it have to do with us if the Blacks are selling their properties?" He turned to Kyle and asked, "Are the things here real?"
"What are you saying?" Kyle feigned offense. "I'm running a business in Diagon Alley. Do you think I'd sell you fakes? I can guarantee the authenticity of everything here in the name of Madam Maxim."
"In that case, I'll take this." Malfoy pointed at a shiny bead.
"You have good taste..." Kyle's smile widened. "That's a Rockbeetle Pearl, a rare alchemical material and a popular choice for symbolic jewelry. Each one is only eighty Galleons."
The bead was the size of a coin, and one would cost Mr. Weasley a month's salary.
"One? Not a set?" Malfoy frowned and put the bead down, seemingly put off by the price.
He put it down...
Kyle was taken aback. Was Malfoy actually balking at the price? And he was offering the market rate without any markup.
Was this really the same Draco Malfoy, known for his wealth and foolish spending?
"Since you like it, we'll take it." Narcissa quickly grabbed the bead and handed it to Malfoy. "Your eye for quality is impressive. This kind of item is indeed rare, and the price is fair."
"But Mother, we..."
"It's fine. We can still afford this much." Narcissa interrupted her son and looked around at the other shelves. "Perhaps we can pick out a gift for your godfather..."
"Don't mention him!" Malfoy snapped, as if he'd been stung.
“He even said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t come to Diagon Alley…’ I guess he did it on purpose, wanting to lure you here so you’d buy him an expensive gift.
“They’re all the same; they’re all after our family’s wealth.”
“Shut up, Draco!” Narcissa glared at Malfoy and quickly glanced at Kyle.
Kyle turned his face away discreetly, pretending he hadn't heard a thing.
"I hope you never say anything like that again, ever!" Narcissa whispered sternly.
Malfoy's face paled, and he was grateful that the shop owner wasn't British and most likely not a Death Eater.
Otherwise, if Voldemort heard what he had just said, he would be doomed.
"Severus isn't that kind of person." Narcissa quickly changed the subject. "And his position doesn't require him to do that."
"Then why did he suddenly say those incomprehensible things?" Malfoy pouted. "And what's with all the talk about danger in Diagon Alley? I think he's up to no good."
As Kyle listened to their conversation, he could guess what had happened.
Snape, unable to get the information he wanted, had turned to Malfoy, wanting to remind him to stay away.
This was understandable. As a godfather, regardless of the reason, Snape had some level of affection for Malfoy.
However, he never expected that due to their previous conflict, Malfoy didn't reciprocate those feelings. On top of that, Malfoy seemed to have a rebellious streak... He came here just to spite Snape's warning.
And so, here they were.
It was quite an amusing situation, and Kyle was curious to see Snape's expression when he found out about this.
Kyle struggled to hold back his laughter and did his best to play the part of a competent shop assistant, introducing various products to Malfoy and Narcissa.
However, they didn't indulge in a shopping spree as Kyle had expected. Instead, they started asking about prices.
This was so unlike the Malfoys.
Normally, they would casually point at a few items and say, "Don't want this, wrap up the rest," while leaving a pile of Galleons on the counter.
How disappointing.
Kyle sighed. Taking advantage of Narcissa's focus on a coral ornament and Malfoy browsing the other side of the counter, he quietly took out his wand and hid it behind his body, blocking it from the pair's view.
"I think you'll be very interested in this." Kyle suddenly said.
Malfoy turned his head instinctively and saw a wand waving in front of his eyes.
"Legilimens."
Although Malfoy's appearance here was a coincidence, now that he was here, it would be a waste not to do something.
Malfoy's pupils immediately became unfocused, and Kyle quickly stepped forward to steady him while peering into his eyes, flipping through his memories like one would flip through the pages of a book.
Of course, he didn't read all of them. Kyle was only interested in memories related to the Death Eaters.
It turned out that Malfoy hadn't been lying earlier. His position among the Death Eaters was indeed awkward. He was slightly better off than the disposable lackeys but was still excluded from the inner circle, often becoming the target of ridicule.
Kyle also saw Barty Crouch Jr., who treated both Draco Malfoy and Lucius with contempt. He arrogantly ordered Lucius to prepare a bag of Galleons for their use in Cornwall.
The way he spoke to them was as if he were commanding house-elves. Malfoy was understandably upset, and with Snape's recent lecturing still fresh in his mind, he had stormed off to Diagon Alley, intending to go on a spending spree as a form of rebellion...
Hmm?
Wait, what did Barty Crouch Jr. say just now?
Kyle paused for a moment.
But at that moment, Malfoy's eyelids began to twitch.
Kyle quickly took out his wand again and pointed it at Malfoy's head.
"Obliviate."
He then took two steps back, placing himself at a more reasonable distance.
"Draco, why aren't you saying anything?" Narcissa walked over at that moment.
"Huh?" Malfoy was still dazed and responded with a confused murmur.
"Get out of the way." Narcissa rudely pushed Kyle aside and walked up to Malfoy, asking, "What are you looking at? Why are you just standing there silently?"
"I guess your son would be very interested in this." Kyle stepped forward and said, "Thunderbird Feather Quill, a true status symbol. He's of school age, right? He should be attending Hogwarts. If he takes this to class, he'll definitely become the center of attention.
"However, this item might be investigated by the Ministry of Magic, and I personally don't recommend it to ordinary people... But then again, a lady of your stature wouldn't mind such a minor inconvenience, would you?"
Thunderbird feathers were prohibited for trade, but would Malfoy care about that? Of course not.
However, Narcissa seemed to have misunderstood something, and seeing Malfoy staring at the feather quill with a dazed expression, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
"Draco, you must really want to go to school, right..."
"What?" Malfoy finally snapped out of his daze and, hearing Narcissa's words, immediately replied with disdain, "No, I don't want to go to that awful place."
"Don't say that, I understand. Don't worry, I'll find a way." Narcissa's voice quavered, but when she saw Kyle standing nearby, she quickly put on a stern expression and scolded him.
"What are you looking at? Are all students from Beauxbatons this rude?"
"I apologize, Madame." Kyle smiled and returned to his position behind the counter.
...
(End of Chapter)
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