https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-878-Battle-The-Unhinged-Voldemort/12587502/
Chapter 879: A Special Key
Chapter 879: A Special Key
France.
Nicolas Flamel had an old mansion in Paris, where he and his wife, Perenelle, had lived for about three hundred years. It was also where most of the books he had collected over the centuries were kept, housed in a tower-like library. Looking up from the bottom now, one couldn't even see the ceiling.
Tens of thousands of books and manuscripts were quietly placed here, only occasionally being taken off the shelves by the house-elf, Tata, when a guest who loved reading came to visit.
However, today, this peace was shattered.
"Bang!"
Accompanied by a dull collision, a person appeared out of thin air in the middle of the library, then crashed into a bookshelf.
Kyle didn't even have the strength to stand up anymore. He lay powerlessly on the library floor, looking like he might pass out at any moment.
To be honest, he hadn't expected the power of the Fire-Making Spell he had just cast. It felt like it had drilled a hole in his body, and to control those fierce flames, he had almost drained all his energy.
Fortunately, he had run away. If he had stayed there, he would probably only be able to wait for death in his current state. Of course, if he hadn't had a backup plan, he wouldn't have dared to channel all his magic into a single curse like that.
Voldemort must be so angry that he was stomping his feet. Kyle had seen half of his face turn black earlier, though he wasn't sure if it was from anger or from being burned.
Either way, it was delightful.
As he was thinking about this, Kyle felt a soft, furry sensation in his palm.
He turned his head and saw that the little creature, Sniffle, whom he had grabbed and stuffed into his pocket earlier, was now sitting on his hand, staring at him with bright, sparkling eyes.
"Don't worry..." Kyle's voice sounded like it was being squeezed out of his throat; it was hoarse and raspy.
"I'm fine... you... you..."
"Hmm?"
To Kyle's surprise, Sniffle was rummaging through his pile of gold coins.
Only then did he realize that he had misunderstood—Sniffle's gaze earlier wasn't one of concern for him but rather an assessment of his current state to see if he could still move. If not, it would have to take action.
And that was exactly what it did.
After getting the answer it wanted, Sniffle scurried over to Kyle's chameleon-skin pouch and skillfully opened it, scooping several gleaming Galleons into its inner pouch.
As it scooped, it glanced up at Kyle from time to time, then sped up its movements. Only after it had emptied the pouch of Galleons, Sickles, and even Knuts was it satisfied, patting its pocket contentedly.
"Just you wait..." Kyle said angrily.
He couldn't believe Sniffle had taken advantage of the situation to rob him.
"One day... I'll stuff you into a horned camel's nostril," Kyle muttered, the only threat he could muster at the moment.
About half an hour later, Kyle, having regained some of his strength, staggered out of the library, leaning against the wall. He slumped into a soft sofa and stared blankly at a dull, gray stone in his palm.
It was a special kind of key that Nicolas Flamel had given him a few years ago when he first visited—a fragment of the Philosopher's Stone. Unlike conventional keys that had time limits and couldn't be kept long-term, the unique stability of the Philosopher's Stone allowed it to persist indefinitely.
As long as one provided a bit of magic, like when using a wand, it would immediately activate and bring the user back to this place.
As for why it was blue, Kyle wasn't sure... perhaps it was a defective, discarded product.
Kyle remembered that when they first met, he had been studying alchemy in the library and searching for a way to create a Horcrux.
Speaking of Horcruxes, Kyle subconsciously thought of the Lomantons at St. Mungo's.
His initial intention for creating a Horcrux was to see if he could separate the Lomantons' shattered souls.
However, in recent years, due to Voldemort's antics, he had hardly had any time to settle down and work on this matter.
Even Rowena Ravenclaw had said that while the idea was feasible, it wouldn't be easy to achieve.
While shattered souls could skip the step of murdering to tear the soul, the Lomantons were in such a state that they couldn't even speak clearly. Teaching them to create a Horcrux and expecting them to flawlessly execute every step was almost impossible.
And this process couldn't be done by an outsider. After realizing he had hit a dead end, Kyle had temporarily shelved the matter.
Kyle shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it further. If even Ravenclaw said it was difficult, it clearly wasn't a problem that could be solved quickly.
He still remembered Nicolas telling him that he might one day return to this place.
Well, he had been right.
It was just that the time span had been a bit long—Kyle had already graduated.
Before this, he had never had the opportunity to use this key. Even when he needed Nicolas' help, he would just go directly to his estate and look for him; using the key would have been an unnecessary step.
Plus, with the increasing number of items in his chameleon-skin pouch, he had honestly almost forgotten about this special key if it hadn't rolled into his hand on its own.
Kyle casually tossed the now-useless key aside and lay back on the sofa.
This place was not only in France, but also Nicolas Flamel's old mansion, safe enough that Voldemort would never find him even if he turned his head into a drill.
He wondered how Heshidi Islands were doing...
But Voldemort was also badly injured and would probably not want to entangle with those black dragons anymore... and the Ministry of Magic, judging by the time, should have received the news by now.
Even if he hadn't reported the message himself, the towering flames that shot into the sky earlier could not have been concealed. Had the Aurors arrived yet...
Lying on the soft sofa, Kyle felt his eyelids growing heavy.
He was too tired. Facing Voldemort in his rage, any slight negligence could have led to his capture. And that final, all-out Fire-Making Spell...
It was indeed impressive, as the endless sea of flames instantly destroyed all obstacles in its path, but it had also taken a toll on him...
He hoped the Aurors would be able to extinguish that thing. For now, he couldn't return...
But if they couldn't, it was fine too. The Fire-Making Spell had the property of restraining flames, even fierce ones. As long as one didn't get too close and court death, it would be fine...
With these thoughts, Kyle unknowingly fell asleep.
...
Meanwhile, at the Heshidi Islands.
A chaotic burst of noise filled the air.
The grim-faced Auror Office Director Scrimgeour appeared out of thin air, followed by nearly twenty Aurors and an even larger number of Hit Wizards.
Scrimgeour was in a foul mood. As soon as he received the news of Voldemort's appearance at the Heshidi Islands, he immediately gathered all the experienced Aurors and made a stop at Hogwarts along the way.
But Minerva McGonagall told him that Dumbledore was not there, and no one knew where he had gone.
This was the umpteenth time that Dumbledore was missing at such a crucial moment.
Although he felt displeased, Scrimgeour didn't say anything. Even though he knew he stood no chance against Voldemort, he still came here with his team without hesitation.
Apart from him, the faces of the other Aurors and Hit Wizards were also etched with tension.
Led by Scrimgeour, everyone walked heavily into the depths of the Heshidi Islands.
"Is... is the Dark Lord really here?" Finally, someone couldn't help but ask.
"Uncertain, but highly likely." Kingsley frowned.
Back on the beach, he had sensed that dense wave of Dark Magic.
And earlier, the fire that engulfed half the island—intense and violent—could only be the work of the Blasting Curse.
Apart from the Dark Lord, no one else should be able to cast such a large-scale Blasting Curse.
The Dark Lord... this time, they would probably have to fight a tough battle.
"Bill, Charlie, Cedric..." Kingsley turned back and instructed, "Don't wander off, stay close to me."
"Don't worry, we know what to do." The robust Charlie stepped forward, curiously examining their surroundings.
He had long wanted to visit this so-called Black Dragon Island, but never had the chance until now.
"Fortunately, Fred and George didn't come." Bill muttered under his breath.
His two younger brothers were supposed to join them, but considering there were already two Weasley members in the team, Scrimgeour didn't agree.
This wasn't a leisure trip; they might even face Voldemort directly, and he couldn't bring along the entire Weasley clan.
Moreover, those two were difficult to manage. As owners of a joke shop, no one knew what kind of mischief they might stir up.
"Hmm... sorry, are you sure they didn't follow us?" Cedric looked at a certain spot in the distance and said softly.
Bill subconsciously turned his head and caught a glimpse of two identical figures flashing through the woods.
Although it was brief, he recognized them by their distinctive red hair.
"Fred... George..." Bill felt a headache coming on.
They had followed them after all.
"I should've expected it." Cedric sighed. "After all, it was Kyle who delivered that letter."
"Nonsense, now is not the time for friendship." Kingsley also rubbed his temples.
Arthur and Molly would be arriving soon as well, which meant that apart from the two young ones at school, all the Weasleys were here.
If they were to encounter Voldemort...
Thinking of a certain possibility, Kingsley's expression turned grim. "Charlie, go find them and send them away, no matter what."
"Okay." Charlie nodded and ran towards the direction they had disappeared.
"I'll come too." Cedric said, "Maybe I can persuade them."
"Go." Kingsley agreed without hesitation. "If you encounter the Dark Lord, run away immediately, no hesitation."
If possible, he didn't want Cedric to follow them either.
These people were too young and lacked experience in fighting the Dark Lord. But Cedric was insistent, and both Minister Bones and Scrimgeour thought it beneficial to have him along since he had brought the news.
"Let's hope for the best." Kingsley sighed and followed the main group into the depths of the Heshidi Islands.
Then, they witnessed a scene that would be forever etched in their memories.
Along the way, they saw countless dead witches and wizards, some killed by curses, others bitten by fire dragons. Limbs and body parts were scattered nearby, a stark and shocking sight.
Even the experienced Aurors who had arrived wore grim expressions.
"Are all these people from the MacFausty family?" someone asked.
"No," Scrimgeour, who was walking at the front, shook his head as he looked at a dead Death Eater lying beside him.
"From their clothing, these appear to be Death Eaters."
"All of them?"
"Yes, all of them."
Scrimgeour was perplexed. Wasn't the mysterious person also supposed to be here? Then why were only Death Eaters lying dead? This didn't make sense.
The group continued forward, and soon they came across a peculiar path.
It was a trail of raging infernal fire, stretching endlessly into the distance as if it had no end.
The savage flames crackled and snapped, seemingly ready to burn any approaching creature to ashes, yet strangely, they did not spread.
"Get your brooms out!" Scrimgeour ordered in a low voice.
Immediately, everyone pulled out their flying brooms and soared over the path.
Someone flew to a higher altitude to try and see where the path led, but all they could see was that striking golden-red color extending endlessly.
"Get down now!" Scrimgeour shouted angrily. "Do you want to give away our position?"
"Yes, sorry." The Beater hurriedly descended to the ground, but his legs trembled involuntarily as he recalled the scene he had just witnessed.
The infernal fire stretched across almost the entire island, and the areas covered by the flames had already formed a gully filled with lava. It seemed that it wouldn't be long before the island was completely burned through.
To split an entire island in two with just one spell... Was this the work of the mysterious person? If he were to face such a spell, would he be able to survive? The Beater didn't know, nor did he dare to think about it. He could only grit his teeth and press on.
...
Not long after, a group of Order of the Phoenix members, including Mr. Weasley, arrived. Mundungus Fletcher was trembling and refused to move forward, but a thin old wizard kicked him forward, causing him to whimper in fear.
"Everyone, be careful," Mr. Weasley warned.
Following the marks left by Charlie, the group quickly walked and soon joined up with the Aurors.
However, after that, despite being on high alert and ready for battle, the group searched the island for an hour but found nothing except the dead Death Eaters.
There was no sign of the mysterious person or the MacFaustys, as if they had arrived on an uninhabited island.
What puzzled Charlie even more was that he couldn't hear any fire dragons.
This was very unusual. The Heshidi Islands were the home of black dragons, a species of fire dragon that hated magic the most. Faced with such a large-scale inferno, the fire dragons should not have been this quiet.
Could it be that they had been taken away by the mysterious person? Charlie's heart skipped a beat as he considered this possibility.
But soon, he shook his head.
No, if so many fire dragons had disappeared, there would be some sign of a struggle. It was more likely that they had all been killed rather than taken away.
But that wasn't good news either... What had happened here? Charlie's confusion was shared by the others, and the only thing Scrimgeour could be certain of was that the mysterious person was no longer on the island.
"Hey, why are you guys so slow!"
A shout startled the already tense group, and a few Beaters instinctively brandished their wands.
"Oh, damn it!"
"What are you doing!"
There was a mix of shock and anger in the voice.
Scrimgeour turned his head.
"Weasley?"
"It's us," Fred said, climbing to his feet with a nervous laugh. "Why are you attacking us?"
"I need to confirm your identities!" Scrimgeour said gravely.
"It's alright, I can confirm that they're real," Cedric's voice suddenly rang out, and Scrimgeour looked up to see Cedric subtly pointing to a button on his robe.
Only then did Scrimgeour relax.
It was a new communication device recently issued by the Ministry of Magic to the Aurors, and only a handful of people knew about the buttons.
One of those people was Cedric, which was why Scrimgeour could be sure he was the real Cedric.
"Fred, George!"
Mrs. Weasley stormed out from the crowd, her face furious. "You two promised me you'd stay at the Ministry. Why are you here!"
"Oh, Mom!" Fred shrunk his neck.
"Of course, we're here to help with the investigation," George added, sounding a little less confident.
"Investigation...?" Mrs. Weasley grew even angrier. "What help could you two possibly be?"
"Now that's not fair, Mom." Fred raised an eyebrow. "In fact, we've already found some clues."
"Very important ones," George added.
"While you were wandering around..."
...
"Mr. Scrimgeour, everyone, come and take a look over here," Cedric interrupted the twins' bragging and led the way.
Didn't he see that Mrs. Weasley's face had turned completely black?
He was worried that if he didn't step in to change the subject, these two clueless friends of his would end up staying here forever with the dead Death Eaters for company.
(End of Chapter)
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