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Chapter 901: The Headmistress and the Free Runes
Chapter 901: The Headmistress and the Free Runes
Kyle had actually known that Saxia would come because he had sent a letter to Saint Mungo's through Lardon the night before.
However, he had scheduled the meeting for noon in the letter, and he didn't expect Saxia to arrive so quickly.
Outside the door stood a witch who looked similar to Dumbledore, with a furrowed brow.
"Mrs. Saxia, it's a pleasure to see you here..." Professor McGonagall walked over.
"No need for such formality, Minerva," Saxia embraced her, "Please forgive me for not attending your inauguration ceremony. I've been so busy, but I hope it's not too late to offer my congratulations."
"Of course..." Professor McGonagall replied.
To be honest, she had been in a daze during the inauguration and hadn't paid attention to who was sitting below.
The two tall and slender witches, both with serious expressions, looked like two older sisters standing side by side.
"Welcome, Pegasus..." Dumbledore also approached, "It's a surprise to see you outside of Saint Mungo's."
"It's been a while, Albus," Saxia nodded.
After a brief greeting, she turned her attention to the door, where Hagrid was spinning in place. She frowned again.
"Albus, is he also a professor at your school?" Saxia asked in confusion. "I thought his brain was affected by some kind of magic, but upon closer inspection, I found no evidence of it.
"Is this some sort of ceremony at Hogwarts, or a custom of the half-giants?"
Saxia could clearly sense that something was off with Hagrid. Out of professional instinct, she wanted to examine him closely.
"Oh, it's just a little trick," Dumbledore smiled and waved his hand, and the runes on the door instantly dimmed.
Hagrid finally stopped and noticed the group standing beside him.
He wanted to greet them, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he felt something trying to surge up from his stomach.
Hagrid abandoned all pretense of politeness, covered his mouth, and stumbled into the Forbidden Forest behind them.
"Ugh!"
The atmosphere became a bit awkward.
"My apologies for the embarrassment," Professor McGonagall glared at Kyle with a stiff face.
Kyle twitched the corner of his mouth and turned his face away.
He had actually thought of Hagrid, who was still outside in the garden, but he hadn't paid much attention to it.
Kyle believed that with the half-giant's physique, the alchemical mist shouldn't have much effect on him. However, it seemed that the effects of alchemy were different from magic.
Saxia observed the reactions of those present... Although she still didn't know what had happened, she guessed that it was related to Kyle.
She looked around and then drew her wand.
On the edge of the Forbidden Forest, seven or eight nameless wildflowers floated into the air, quickly withering, and a few drops of juice merged into a pool of clear water.
Then, Saxia plucked a few leaves from a mountain ash tree and ground them into the clear water as well.
Dumbledore was the first to react, turning a stone into a bottle to catch the now-colored water.
"Let the half-giant gentleman drink this, it will be good for him," Saxia said.
"I have no doubt about that," Dumbledore smiled.
As the most renowned Potion Master in the magical world, even if Saxia said that the items Sprout took were useful, Dumbledore would not hesitate to give Hagrid a spoonful.
"Please excuse me for a moment," Dumbledore said as he walked towards Hagrid with the bottle, "Oh, Minerva, I just remembered that Horace has something to discuss with you, probably about purchasing potion ingredients."
He could clearly see who Saxia was here to see.
Professor McGonagall's reaction was a bit slower, as she wasn't fully aware of the relationship between Saxia and Kyle.
However, she understood Dumbledore's hint and returned to the castle with Professor Flitwick.
After everyone had left, Saxia smiled and said, "Albus is still so considerate."
"Who can deny that?" Kyle shrugged, "Headmistress, when did you arrive?"
"An hour ago," Saxia replied, "Didn't you send me a letter last night? I had to keep brewing a potion this morning, so I took the opportunity to come."
"Then about the matter I mentioned in the letter regarding the school hospital..."
"I've already spoken with Poppy," Saxia said, "Although I can't represent Saint Mungo's cooperation with Hogwarts, I can personally share some potion formulas with the Hogwarts School Hospital."
"It's unrelated to Saint Mungo's, they are my personal potion formulas," Saxia emphasized again.
Kyle understood that Saint Mungo's had to maintain neutrality, especially in the current situation, and the Death Eaters would not want to see Saint Mungo's and Hogwarts getting too close.
But this was enough; at least he had kept his promise to Nurse Pomfrey.
The night before, during Dumbledore's suggested break for a midnight snack, Kyle didn't stay in the Headmaster's Office the entire time. Instead, he used an excuse to leave for a while.
He had gone to the school hospital and offered Nurse Pomfrey a condition she couldn't refuse... a collaboration with Saxia.
It was Saxia, not the Headmistress of Saint Mungo's.
After all, Kyle was well aware of Saint Mungo's situation and didn't want to put her in a difficult position, including the details of the collaboration, which he left for them to discuss.
Nurse Pomfrey agreed, and Kyle wrote a letter in her presence, which an owl delivered to Saint Mungo's.
If not for this, last night's meeting might not have reached a conclusion by now.
"Thank you," Kyle said sincerely.
Saxia raised an eyebrow and said nothing, just looking at him.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Kyle patted his forehead and reached into his bag, pulling out two bottles, one large and one small. "Rest assured, I won't let you come all this way for nothing."
"As a token of my gratitude..." He handed the larger bottle to Saxia, "This is basilisk blood, about a pint."
"And this," Kyle pointed to the smaller bottle, which was about the size of a thumb, "is basilisk venom."
"It might have been mixed with some dragon blood, so it's not as pure."
"It's fine. It's a bit of a hassle, but I have a way to separate them." Saxia's expression grew more peculiar as she looked at the small bottle of dark red liquid.
"But I'm curious, why is there dragon blood mixed in with the basilisk venom..."
"No, it's more accurate to say that the dragon blood was mixed with the venom. At least two-thirds of this is dragon blood."
She had seen proper basilisk venom before; it was a pale yellow color. But the liquid in her hand had the color and consistency of dragon blood, and it looked like it had gone bad.
Two-thirds was a generous estimate.
"It's all the same," Kyle said with an awkward smile, "Dragon blood is also precious, isn't it? Consider it an extra gift from me."
The venom had been collected by Kyle from the wounds on the Hungarian Horntail's body, making use of the waste.
The reason the Horntail was so quiet and couldn't be roused was that it had been poisoned by the basilisk and had fallen into a coma.
It could be said that the Horntail was both inexperienced and playful. If it weren't for Kyle's prior instructions not to allow the basilisk to kill the Horntail, it would have likely become its midnight snack.
The basilisk blood was also obtained in a similar manner. Although the Horntail was no match for the basilisk, it still managed to inflict numerous wounds on the larger creature. All Kyle had to do was place a few containers under the wounds to collect the blood.
Saxia tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Dragon blood could be considered valuable, but Saxia had access to anything that could be bought. What she really needed were materials related to basilisks.
Fortunately, there was plenty of basilisk blood, so the trip wasn't entirely in vain.
Saxia put away the two bottles and, at Kyle's invitation, entered the wooden cottage.
"I heard that you're going to be a professor at Hogwarts?" She surveyed the interior of the cottage, shaking her head. "There are too many windows, and the light is too bright. It's not suitable for brewing potions. If only the roof and the windows on the left side could be removed."
However, this was Kyle's home, and she didn't feel it was her place to comment.
"Yes," Kyle nodded, "I've been offending the Dark Lord a bit too often recently. I'm coming to Hogwarts to lay low. The school was looking for a replacement for Professor Babbling, and since I have some knowledge of Runes, the timing worked out."
Saxia felt her throat go dry.
Offending the Dark Lord a bit too often?
This was truly an unusual reason, and it was the first time she had heard something so peculiar.
There were wizards in the magical world who had offended Voldemort, but they usually met the same fate... being killed by the Killing Curse.
The only wizard who had managed to anger Voldemort and survive was Dumbledore, the one person Voldemort feared the most, as everyone knew.
And then there was Harry Potter, the so-called savior... but he only counted as half a wizard.
As an experienced witch, Saxia was well aware that it wasn't Harry Potter who had killed Voldemort, but rather the magic of Lily Evans that had been transferred to him.
The title of 'savior' was more of a way for the Ministry of Magic to quickly calm the panic caused by the Death Eaters, and they conveniently attributed it to the child.
So, Voldemort's true target was Lily, but since she was already dead, Harry Potter was the only one left alive.
However, there was now one more person, even if only temporarily, which was still surprising.
And that phrase... a bit too often.
It seemed that Kyle had done something she didn't know about, something significant enough to make Voldemort want to kill him at all costs.
Could it have been the incident at Gringotts? No, that couldn't be it, as Voldemort hadn't appeared then, only a Death Eater.
But Saxia wasn't a particularly curious witch, and she didn't ask Kyle for details, even actively skipping over the topic.
"Being a professor at Hogwarts is a good thing," she said softly. "Perhaps in a few years, you'll naturally become the Headmaster."
"Impossible," Kyle waved his hand.
"What, you don't believe me?" Saxia glanced at him. "Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence? Why would Minerva and Albus suddenly agree to give Bathsheba a vacation?"
"As far as I know, there's a strict requirement for the Headmaster of Hogwarts: they must have been a professor at the school."
"Perhaps it's true," Kyle said, his expression calm and unexcited, "but it's still impossible."
Perhaps Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall did have such an idea, but it was just an idea.
Dumbledore, the greatest white wizard and recipient of the Order of Merlin for defeating Grindelwald.
Professor McGonagall, the most renowned Transfiguration master and dedicated Deputy Headmistress.
But they both became Headmasters around the age of eighty.
Kyle had seen the portraits in the Headmaster's Office, and almost all those who became Headmasters through normal means were around that age.
He was not even twenty yet, so it was too early to tell.
Additionally, Kyle knew himself well, and he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't run away halfway through a sixty-year professorship... just like Professor Babbling.
The Ancient Runes professor, like the ever-changing Runes, was never bound by conventions. The castle couldn't contain the free-spirited Runes... Professor Babbling was certainly free-spirited and independent, and no one could find her during non-class hours.
Kyle felt it necessary to learn from this excellent tradition.
The two continued their conversation, and Kyle showed Saxia around his garden.
The Headmaster's obsession with his work reared its head again as he stared intently at the golden horns on either side of the Longhorn Dragon's head. His intense gaze made the little creature too scared to land.
What a treasure, Kyle thought. The main ingredient for the Flying Potion, and it could also be used to brew the Fireproof Potion and Fortifying Potion... Any Potion Master would consider it priceless.
Unfortunately, it was a bit small.
The Longhorn Dragon hadn't reached maturity yet, and the effects of its horns would be halved.
Saxia eventually gave up on her immature idea and averted her gaze.
But this genuinely scared Kyle, fearing that Saxia might not be able to resist the temptation and use her wand to give the Romanian Longhorn Dragon a haircut.
Fortunately, Saxia was mindful of the potions in her cauldron and soon prepared to leave. Kyle escorted her out of the school.
Before leaving, Saxia handed Kyle a piece of parchment.
"African Tree Snake Skin, Unicorn Blood, Mandrake Juice, Leech Juice, Crane Fly, Ginger Root, Sulfur Powder..."
Kyle looked at the various names on the parchment and asked in confusion, "What kind of potion is this? I've never seen this combination before."
"It's a potion formula from the Middle Ages, invented by a Dark Wizard," Saxia explained.
"A Dark Wizard?"
"Yes, Singdo, the dragon tamer. Have you heard of him?"
Kyle now understood.
Singdo was a well-known figure, not particularly powerful himself, but gifted in controlling dragons and with immense ambition. He was the Voldemort of his time.
The dragons under his command had caused quite a bit of trouble for the Ministry of Magic.
However, his reign of terror didn't last long. Like Antioch with his Elder Wand, Singdo's strength wasn't enough, and he was quickly taken down by the Aurors.
With his death, the dragon threat was eliminated.
He became a cautionary tale, reminding every Magical Creature expert to stay on the right path.
"Did he invent this potion?" Kyle asked.
"Yes," Saxia replied. "It enhances the power and temperature of dragon flames for a certain period. I think you could make good use of it."
"Your dragons are too small. Aside from the Hungarian Horntail, any five or six Death Eaters working together could kill them."
"..."
"Thank you," Kyle said, putting away the parchment.
"I just happened to know about it," Saxia said. "But brewing this potion isn't easy, and the ingredients are quite expensive. You'll have to figure out how to get them yourself."
"I understand."
"Good." Saxia left the school gates, half-jokingly saying, "Maybe I'll consider becoming a Potions Professor at Hogwarts once you're the Headmaster."
"That'll be a while," Kyle shrugged, clearly not very interested in the topic.
It was all too long ago; he didn't feel like talking about it.
...
When Kyle returned to his cabin, Dumbledore was already chatting with Hagrid in the garden.
"I never thought you'd be able to call Saxia here," Dumbledore said, blinking at him. "That's probably why Poppy changed her mind."
"Yes, the Headmaster agreed to provide some personal potion formulas," Kyle replied.
"No wonder," Dumbledore said. "I didn't realize your influence was so great... Well, greater than mine, at least. Saxia wouldn't have come to Hogwarts just for me."
"It's not me; it's the Basilisk's influence," Kyle laughed. "After all, I'm the only one who can provide Basilisk blood and venom, and she seems to value that highly."
"Fortifying Potion," Dumbledore suddenly said.
"What?"
"A potion that can defend against spells, recently developed," Dumbledore explained. "It's similar to the Shield Charm but lasts much longer, especially against Dark Magic."
"Invented by Headmistress Saxia?" Kyle asked in surprise. This was like another form of defensive potion. If he drank a bottle during a battle, he might be able to withstand a few more Sleeping Spells.
"I wish I had given more Basilisk blood," Kyle regretted.
With the Basilisk's large size, he could have taken another five pints of blood.
"It's fine," Dumbledore shook his head. "The main ingredients for the Fortifying Potion, aside from Basilisk blood, are Quintaped claws, which are also rare."
"..."
To be honest, Kyle suddenly felt that his Shield Charm was good enough, and there was no need to drink any potion.
"By the way, there's one more thing," Dumbledore continued. "Bathsheba has left the school, and the announcement will be posted tomorrow. After the holidays, you can officially take over her position."
Unconsciously, Kyle thought of what Saxia had said earlier, but he shook his head and said, "I understand."
"I suggest you put the garden matter aside for now," Dumbledore said. "Being a good professor and mastering the knowledge are two different things. It's best to prepare in advance."
"I will," Kyle said. "But Headmaster Dumbledore, I have an idea..."
Headmaster?
Dumbledore felt a sudden tension at Kyle's formal address... Kyle's politeness could only mean trouble.
"Go on," he said cautiously. "But as you know, I'm just one of the twelve Headmasters, and my influence is limited."
"You saw it yourself; even Minerva's words carry more weight than mine."
"Don't worry, it's just a small matter," Kyle said. "As a new professor, I want to rearrange the class schedule. That shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"
...
(End of Chapter)
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