Chapter 903: Snape's Petty Thoughts
Chapter 903: Snape's Petty Thoughts
Playing a role-playing game with a loved one isn't awkward, as long as no one else finds out.
But if a familiar person sees it, especially if that person takes a photo, it's a different story.
Bill had a deep understanding of this.
Was it wrong to dress up as a Christmas gift and travel far to see his fiancee? No, it was a romantic gesture that could deepen their relationship.
Was it wrong to kiss his fiancee on the street? No, this was France, where couples kissing on the street was as normal as seeing a balding middle-aged man in Britain.
But why did he so desperately want to go to Azkaban? Bill sat in the potion shop, half-asleep.
Beside him, Kyle and Conna were scrutinizing a photo.
"Look at those red and gold colors, a Christmas gift from Gryffindor, oh, how thoughtful."
"The ribbon is also quite cute, very playful." Conna covered her mouth, trying hard not to laugh.
She couldn't laugh, not in front of the person involved; it would be too impolite.
But it was really funny.
Conna's shoulders shook as she struggled to hold back her laughter.
"Thank goodness I had the foresight to carry a camera with me, capturing such a wonderful moment. Mrs. Weasley will surely like it."
Bill's head lowered even further.
He looked at the wand in his hand, hesitating whether to cast a Killing Curse on himself or Kyle.
Perhaps he should curse Kyle first, destroy the photo, and then curse himself, claiming it was a Voldemort attack in France.
At least this way, he could preserve his dignity.
Even if Bill was avant-garde, he didn't want Mrs. Weasley to see him dressed as a Christmas gift.
He would become a laughingstock... for the next fifty years, or even longer.
He could already imagine Fred and George sticking the photo on their shop windows, posters, and every product, sending them around the world.
He might as well grit his teeth and bury everything here now.
Enough, he was tired.
Bill tightened his grip on his wand.
"Enough!" Fleur stood up, quickly snatching the photo away, tearing it into pieces, and throwing it into the fireplace.
As the photo turned to ashes, Bill's eyes regained their light.
Kyle didn't stop her; he only waited until it was thoroughly burned before slowly taking out a thick stack of the same photos and asked:
"Want more?"
Just kidding, he had mastered the Copying Charm in his first year, so of course, he had backups.
Fleur rolled her eyes.
"Did you mistake me for Bill yesterday?" Kyle asked.
"Yes." Fleur admitted, seeing no harm in it.
Bill had written that he would come for Christmas, so when Kyle knocked, she subconsciously thought he had come early and happily opened the door.
But it turned out Kyle was there for Conna.
She had just finished a bitter meal and hadn't even digested it when this happened, especially on Christmas?
This made Fleur very uncomfortable, especially knowing Bill was coming but hadn't arrived yet.
"Tsk... Petty, you kept me up all night." Kyle pouted, waving the photos, "Apologize now, and I might consider letting you off."
"Huh?" Fleur curled her lips.
Would she apologize?
Of course not, she even stood up, hugged Bill's head, and kissed him again.
Fleur didn't care if he sent the photo to the Weasleys, or even better, sent it so that the socially dead Bill could stay in France.
"..." Kyle muttered, casually throwing the photos into the fireplace.
"Fine, you win."
Of course, he wouldn't hand these to Mrs. Weasley, nor let Fred and George see them. Bill had only come to meet his fiancee, and while he had gone a bit overboard, it didn't warrant such harsh treatment.
However...
Kyle glanced at Conna, his mind calculating something.
Unfortunately, Conna wasn't looking at him; she was staring intently at a piece of parchment on the table.
It was the parchment Kyle had accidentally brought out when he took out the photos, one of the reasons he was here.
"This potion formula, I've never seen it before, and... African Tree Snake Skin, Unicorn Blood... mixing these two ingredients, a wizard can't withstand it, are you just writing nonsense?"
"This was given to me by Headmistress Saxia from St. Mungo's," Kyle said.
Conna was taken aback, blinking, "Then I must not know enough."
"No, do you trust her so much?" Kyle was incredulous.
She had been so serious before, but hearing Saxia's name immediately made her deny her own opinion, which was too quick.
"Of course, Headmistress Saxia is a living legend in potion-making. To me, she is greater than Headmaster Dumbledore."
"Alright." Kyle said.
He had to admit, fans were always weak when it came to their idols, and wizards were no exception.
"You're right, this potion is for a Dragon."
"Dragon?"
"Yep." Kyle nodded, "I have five Dragons in the Forbidden Forest. Headmistress Saxia came by yesterday and gave me this."
"Hold on, what did you just say?"
Before Kyle could finish, Conna hadn't even said anything, but Bill couldn't sit still anymore.
He forgot about the social death, lifting his head and staring at Kyle, "What did you say you did in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Raised Dragons, what's the big deal?"
"Listen to yourself!" Bill exclaimed, "I understand a little exaggeration when chasing girls, but five dragons... Charlie doesn't even take care of that many dragons at the reserve!"
"It's hard to explain in a few words," Kyle said, "You'll understand when you visit Hogwarts."
"Oh, and by the way..." He turned to Conna again, "The new Headmaster of Hogwarts is Professor McGonagall now, not Dumbledore. And after Christmas, I'll be the new Ancient Runes professor."
"What?"
"What did you say?" The two witches, except for Bill, looked at him almost simultaneously.
"How come you don't know?" Kyle asked, emphasizing his words as he looked at Furong, "Madame Maxime also attended the new Headmaster's inauguration ceremony. Didn't she tell you?"
"No," Furong shook her head, "Actually, we haven't been in touch much lately."
Then she remembered something and turned to glare at Bill, "Why didn't you mention such a big thing in your letters?"
"Well..." Bill looked a bit aggrieved.
Why would Furong, a French witch, care about the change of Headmaster at Hogwarts?
And why would they mention Dumbledore in their letters?
But seeing the look in Furong's eyes, Bill held back from saying these thoughts aloud.
Additionally, he was a bit confused himself. He knew about the change in Headmaster, but how did Kyle become the Ancient Runes professor?
No one had told him about this.
And what about the five dragons?
Kyle wasn't one to boast, and with his relationship with Conna, he didn't need to use such clumsy lies to impress her.
This must be true.
But the fact that it seemed real made it even more unbelievable.
How could a wizard possibly raise dragons? Even Gringotts dared to do it secretly.
I hope he's not doing it secretly too. If he's discovered, it's straight to Azkaban.
Bill nervously stood up and drew the shop's curtains.
"Relax," Kyle waved his hand and briefly explained what had happened.
The focus was on Professor McGonagall's appointment as Headmaster.
Due to the many implications of a Time-Turner, it was impossible to explain in a few words, and it wasn't suitable for Furong to know, so Kyle simply attributed it to Newt and Dumbledore's help in obtaining the Legal Dragon Ownership Certificate.
It wasn't a matter of trust with Furong; given her relationship with Bill, she was practically family.
But this involved some of Dumbledore's secrets, which made it a bit inconvenient.
Even so, it was still shocking enough.
Conna's mouth hung open as she listened, her expression as adorable as if hearing a fairy tale.
And Furong... Kyle couldn't shake the feeling that she was showing signs of atavism.
Was raising dragons such a big deal?
She was making a fuss over nothing.
"I can't believe I missed out on so much," Conna said with a hint of melancholy.
"You..." Kyle glanced at her, as if wanting to say something.
"Never mind," Conna suddenly spoke up, changing the subject, "It's great that Professor McGonagall is the new Headmaster. I haven't congratulated you yet, but after Christmas, you'll be the youngest professor at Hogwarts, right?"
"Um... I guess so," Kyle nodded.
"Tsk." Furong rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. Instead, she turned to Bill and gave him another peck, as if venting her frustration.
"Hey," Bill said with displeasure, "I didn't feel any affection in your kiss; it felt like I was just an apple."
"But it's a sweet apple," Furong laughed, her mood visibly improving.
Kyle smacked his lips, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed... Was this how Furong had felt earlier?
Indeed, she had a good reason to be angry.
But strangely, even with Conna by his side, he was still getting an earful of their lovey-dovey talk.
He wanted to be an apple too.
"Conna..." Kyle turned his head.
"Do you have unicorn blood?"
"What?"
"Unicorn blood," Conna repeated. "Of the two rarest materials here, I have African Tree Snake Skin, but I rarely use unicorn blood. You should have some, right?"
"Yes, I do." Kyle took out a bottle containing blood that shimmered with a silvery glow, like melted silver Sickle.
As for how Kyle came to possess this... It was from Hagrid.
He had simply asked Hagrid to keep an eye out and collect some blood if a unicorn was injured.
Kyle had casually mentioned it, knowing that unicorns, as magical creatures, didn't arouse hostility in any creature, not even the most irritable of horned snakes.
Additionally, unicorns themselves weren't fragile creatures and usually wouldn't suffer any harm.
So, Kyle had originally planned to buy some in Diagon Alley.
Although unicorn blood contains an immortal curse, once it flows from a wound, the curse dissipates within seconds, so it's not prohibited for trade, and many potions require it.
The most famous example is Felix Felicis, which requires unicorn blood as one of its essential ingredients.
Of course, this stuff is genuinely expensive, about ten times the price of dragon blood, and it's not easy to come by.
But Kyle was surprised that Hagrid had gotten him a bottle that very night, and it wasn't a small amount either.
According to Hagrid, unicorns rarely attack each other, but the exception is around Christmas when they're looking for mates.
Unicorns will also chase away their competitors to show their strength.
Just yesterday, he had encountered an injured unicorn with its front leg pierced, bleeding profusely.
Furthermore, he mentioned that there might be more soon, and he could help obtain some if needed.
"How do you know I have unicorn blood?" Kyle asked curiously.
"Here." Conna pointed to an inconspicuous mark on the parchment.
"Not only do I know you have unicorn blood, but I also know you've brewed this potion before." She picked up the parchment and sniffed it, "The cauldron exploded, right?"
"How do you know all this?" Kyle was a bit incredulous.
His cauldron had indeed exploded, mainly because when he added the unicorn blood, the entire potion started to boil, causing it to spill everywhere. This had happened twice in a row.
"African tree snake skin and unicorn blood are incompatible, just like the Clear Water Charm and the Blasting Charm. Putting them together directly will cause the cauldron to explode."
Conna explained, "You should mix the unicorn blood with ginger root powder to create a buffer."
"But... Headmistress Saxia didn't mention that."
"Isn't this common knowledge?" Conna said matter-of-factly.
Kyle opened his mouth but remained silent.
He felt that his potion-making skills were quite good when he was in school, but now, not long after graduation, the gap between him and Conna seemed to have widened significantly.
"Leave it to me." Conna naturally took the parchment.
"Give me that too." She pointed to the unicorn blood in Kyle's hand, "You're wasting it by holding it."
"Sure." Kyle obediently handed over the bottle in his hand.
"Ha!" The Veela by his side smirked with schadenfreude, as this was the first time she had seen Kyle in a tight spot.
So what if he was the Triwizard Tournament champion? His potion had also exploded during brewing.
Her potions had never exploded.
Kyle naturally heard the Veela's mockery but didn't pay it any mind.
The potion class at Beauxbatons was just like the Care of Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts, with only a handful of students across several grades.
She didn't know a thing about potions.
"By the way, I have something for you too." At this moment, Conna suddenly spoke up.
She walked to a nearby shelf, took out a bag, and placed it on the table.
Kyle opened it and saw it was filled with Galleons, probably over a hundred of them.
"I don't need the money." Kyle returned the bag to Conna, "I also have a shop in Diagon Alley. Although there aren't many customers, the income is still quite decent."
"No customers, yet you say the income is decent." The Veela dragged out the word, "Your 'decent' income, is it referring to earning one Galleon?"
Kyle ignored her and pushed the bag forward, "You keep it, I really don't need it."
"But this was meant for you." Conna said, "This was sent by Uncle Severus recently, and he said it was some form of compensation."
"I don't know why the compensation for you was sent to me, and he even asked me not to tell you. But since you're here, you might as well take it."
Kyle looked at Conna and then at the bag of Galleons.
Finally, he realized what had happened.
The last time Snape visited his shop regarding the Malfoy incident, he had damaged an ebony wood shelf.
They had agreed on a compensation of one hundred and fifty Galleons.
Later, Snape insisted that he had already paid, but neither Kyle nor Dobby had received the money.
This became a mystery.
Apparently, he had sent the Galleons to Conna.
Kyle remembered that he had once said, "My money is your money," intending to provoke Snape. He didn't expect Snape to use it right away and give the compensation to Conna.
Thinking of this, Kyle took the bag.
"In that case, I'll take it!"
"Is this bag yours, or did Professor Snape send it together with the money?"
"It's from my uncle." Conna said, giving Kyle a suspicious look, "You're not up to something, are you?"
"No, of course not. How could I?" Kyle immediately denied it, "I'm Professor Snape's colleague now. How could I have ill intentions towards him? You're overthinking it."
"Good." Conna sighed.
She hadn't mentioned Snape at all, but Kyle had confessed without any prompting.
She regretted giving the bag to Kyle.
After all, she was in France, and whatever happened between those two men was none of her business.
The group chatted for a while longer, and the Veela was curious about how Kyle had become a professor at Hogwarts at such a young age.
In Beauxbatons, there were never any professors as young as him.
Kyle didn't know how to respond, so he could only attribute it to the decision of Dumbledore and the current headmaster.
During their conversation, Conna kept glancing at the parchment on the table.
Since it was a potion recipe from Headmistress Saxia, she couldn't wait to try it out after obtaining the key ingredients.
This urge became more pressing, and even with Kyle, whom she had been longing for, by her side, she couldn't completely calm down.
"Sorry, you guys continue chatting."
A few minutes later, Conna couldn't hold back any longer. She stood up, took the parchment and unicorn blood, and headed towards the basement.
"Wait, I'll come too."
Kyle had intended to follow and observe, but Conna seemed not to have heard him. She closed the door after entering the basement, almost hitting Kyle in the face with the solid door.
"Hey..." The half-Veela's mocking laughter sounded from behind him again.
"Do you have nothing better to do?" Kyle said irritably, "Go eat your apple."
"Mind your own business!" The Veela glared at him provocatively.
...
(End of Chapter)
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