Chapter 904: Kyle's Frustration
Chapter 904: Kyle's Frustration
Christmas in France was not much different from that in Britain, both places bustling with festive cheer. The only noticeable difference was perhaps the lack of enthusiasm in Britain this year.
Due to the presence of Death Eaters and Voldemort, even during Christmas, most people chose to stay at home rather than venture into the potentially dangerous streets where Dark Wizards might lurk.
This was evident from the number of students who opted to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays. Almost all students decided to spend Christmas at school, with only a handful of Slytherins choosing to return home, and two compartments on the Hogwarts Express were enough to accommodate them.
But in France, there were no such concerns.
From early morning, the number of people on the shopping street steadily increased, including adult witches and wizards, as well as students returning from their holidays at Beauxbatons Academy. These people gathered in small groups, making the entire street lively and vibrant.
Kyle, with nothing better to do, joined the crowd and strolled around, purchasing some souvenirs unique to France.
In the center of the street stood a particularly large Christmas tree, bare yesterday, now adorned with gifts wrapped in golden boxes.
According to Fleur, these gifts were free for anyone to take, and there were even hidden editions containing valuable items.
Kyle, being there, decided to participate. He shamelessly grabbed eight gifts until he could hold no more, then reluctantly stopped.
Fleur's disdainful gaze didn't bother him.
He wanted more, just in case he could get the hidden edition. It wouldn't be a wasted trip then.
Kyle didn't even wait to return home; he opened the boxes right there on the street.
A pair of scissors for trimming broomstick twigs... It was the simplest design, but at least it was usable.
Dried bat wings... These could be used to brew potions, which he would later give to Conna.
Beetle eyes, also for Conna.
Kyle continued opening the boxes...
Rat tails, dried leeches, and three colorful ribbons for tying gifts...
Alright, eight gift boxes, worth about ten Knuts in total, with the scissors alone worth five Knuts...
"This Christmas is so boring."
Kyle continued walking forward, expressionless.
No wonder they let anyone take these things... They were even less interesting than the Quidditch-themed crackers from Hogwarts, which he wouldn't bother picking up if they were thrown on the street.
Kyle had reason to suspect that this was just a ploy by the French shops to clear their inventory.
Fleur seemed to have guessed this scenario already.
She and Bill each took only one gift. Fleur got a roll of magical tape, priced similarly to the scissors.
Bill got the most expensive item among the three of them.
A whole pineapple, worth a whopping twenty Knuts.
Kyle rolled his eyes at the idea. "What if the hidden edition is up there?" he asked, gesturing towards the top of the Christmas tree.
"You're overthinking it," Fleur said. "Those are just for decoration, and the real gifts are placed within easy reach, constantly replenished."
As she spoke, she grabbed another gift box from the tree.
A new gift box emerged from the spot where the previous one had been, like a fruit growing from a branch.
"Why don't you take a few more?" Fleur urged. "There's no limit to the gifts, take as many as you want. Who knows, you might get something valuable."
"No, I'll leave them for those who are meant to have them," Kyle refused firmly.
The beetle eyes from Diagon Alley were five Knuts each, and he had just gotten one, worth a fifth of a Knut. Even the ribbons for tying gifts were of similar value.
These items would take a whole day to accumulate enough for ten Galleons.
He wasn't going to waste his time on that.
And if they were truly valuable, this tree would have been swarmed by French witches and wizards, leaving no chance for him.
Fleur just wanted to watch the spectacle, that's all.
After a while, Bill and Fleur decided to go elsewhere, but Kyle, not wanting to be a third wheel, headed back to the potion shop alone.
Conna, working on a potion for the dragon, finally emerged from the basement around dusk, carrying a bottle of red potion.
"It's done!" She handed the potion to Kyle and asked, "Where's Fleur?"
"She's probably eloped with Bill," Kyle replied.
"Impossible," Conna said, though she suspected they had gone elsewhere.
The last time Kyle was here, Fleur had taken them around France, and Bill was a Weasley.
"Never mind them, would you like to join me for dinner?" Kyle put the potion into his pocket and extended his hand. "You've been working so hard, you must be hungry."
Reminded by Kyle, Conna realized she was indeed hungry. She glanced at the evening sky outside the window, surprised by the passing of time.
It was morning when she went into the basement, and now it was dusk, yet she hadn't felt the time passing at all. She thought only a few hours had passed.
"Alright, I accept your invitation," Conna said with a mischievous smile, placing her hand in Kyle's.
The two of them, hand in hand, walked out of the shop.
Even though it was already dusk, the shopping street was still bustling with people, though they were mostly concentrated around the Christmas tree, leaving this area relatively quiet.
The massive Christmas tree was now lit up, even more beautiful than during the day, visible from a distance.
"How about French cuisine?" Kyle suggested. "I remember Nico recommending a French restaurant next to his old manor. I didn't have the chance to go then, so let's try it now."
"Sounds good to me," Conna agreed with a smile.
She wasn't picky about food; as long as it filled her stomach, she was content. And if Nico recommended it, it must be good.
Kyle was pleased as well. Fleur, the third wheel, should be returning to her villa for the night...
He didn't mean anything by it; he just needed a place to stay for the night.
Kyle's lips curled upwards, and he thought to himself, "This Christmas is going to be great."
"What are you smiling about?" Conna looked at Kyle, her intuition telling her that something was amiss.
"Nothing, just thinking about something pleasant," Kyle replied.
"Oh?"
"Of course," Kyle assured her.
"Right," Conna said, as if suddenly remembering something. "Do you have a Seamless Expansion Charm box? We need to deliver a large batch of potions to Busbyton, and a suitable box would save us some trips."
"Then you've come to the right person," Kyle said.
"Make it a big one," Conna added.
"Don't worry, it's no problem," he said, taking out his leather case and producing another box from within.
This was the largest one he had practiced the Seamless Expansion Charm on. Back in school, he had used it to pack his luggage, and it had been empty since graduation.
"Didn't Busbyton provide a container when they placed the order?" Kyle asked as he handed the box to Conna.
"No," Conna replied.
"How stingy," Kyle muttered. "The Alchemy class probably doesn't lack this stuff."
"I don't know, maybe they forgot," Conna said casually.
Kyle didn't seem to mind.
"Then let's get going...Ouch!"
Before Kyle could finish his sentence, a scarlet bird suddenly landed on his shoulder and pecked his ear with its hard beak.
"Fawkes?" Kyle was surprised, feeling the warmth on his shoulder as he looked at the phoenix before him.
"How did you get here?"
Fawkes opened his beak, and a piece of vellum fell out.
Kyle instinctively caught it and took a glance.
In just a moment, his face darkened.
The content was simple: Dumbledore wanted to see him.
It was Christmas today!
Who in their right mind would work on Christmas and not fear being hanged from a lamppost?!
"Impossible!" Kyle couldn't help but exclaim to Fawkes, "Tell Dumbledore that I must spend Christmas in France this year, and no one can stop me, not even Merlin!"
Fawkes tilted his head.
He had been forcibly awakened from his branch by Dumbledore to work overtime, and in his daze, he hadn't heard all of Kyle's words.
When he heard the word 'return,' his wings began to emit flames.
Kyle was stunned.
"I'm telling you to return, not to bring me back!"
He frantically tried to remove Fawkes, who was eager to go back to sleep, from his shoulder.
The Disapparition was interrupted, and the flames on the phoenix slowly began to extinguish.
"Pfft!" Conna couldn't help but laugh.
At this point, if she still didn't understand Kyle's intentions, she would be a fool.
Is the youngest member of the Extraordinary Potioneers Association a fool? Of course not, and she didn't object either.
But...she glanced at the piece of vellum that Kyle had thrown away, sighed softly, then stepped forward and tiptoed...
Kyle felt his lips go soft, and his hand's movements paused instinctively.
It was this pause that caused the flames, which had almost extinguished, to reignite.
It was as if a firework had gone off, and Kyle and Fawkes simultaneously disappeared from the street, leaving behind a trail of fire that slowly descended, igniting the vellum on the ground.
Conna stood in place, a faint smile still on her lips.
Dealing with Kyle? It was too easy.
Read the original text on Book Bar 69!
She looked around to ensure that the commotion hadn't attracted attention, then turned and walked back into the potion shop.
...
Meanwhile, Kyle, who had been forcibly pulled back to Hogwarts, felt the lingering softness on his lips and took a deep breath.
"You better have a good explanation for this," he said, looking at Dumbledore before him with an unfriendly gaze.
"If it's a trivial matter, don't blame me for not holding back when I take action!"
Dumbledore blinked, not understanding why Kyle was so angry.
He looked at the phoenix, but Fawkes had already flown back to his branch to sleep.
"Oh, Kyle, I don't know what happened," Dumbledore said, "but if beating me, a hundred-year-old man, will make you feel better, I don't mind."
"Hmph," Kyle scoffed.
Beating Dumbledore...he would need the strength to do that.
"I wouldn't bully a hundred-year-old man," Kyle said, "but I will plant a hundred Mandrakes in Nurmengard and make them work in shifts, singing a symphony for a month.
"Oh, and I'll fill the entire Nurmengard Tower with dragon droppings!"
Dumbledore's face changed, and his lips twitched unnaturally.
Grindelwald might not be afraid of the noise from Mandrakes, but filling the tower with dragon droppings...he would go crazy.
"Well, the Hogwarts Express returning from the Quidditch World Cup was attacked by Death Eaters," Dumbledore said, speaking at an unprecedented speed.
"Impossible," Kyle's first reaction was to shake his head.
"To put it bluntly, the passengers on that train were second-generation Death Eaters. How could they possibly attack their own children?"
Dumbledore's lips twitched again.
Even he had to admit that Slytherin's composition was a bit complicated nowadays, consisting not only of second-generation Death Eaters but also of fanatical followers of Voldemort who were potential Death Eaters.
But they hadn't done anything outrageous, and their identities were still that of students.
If the Board of Directors heard what Kyle had just said, his Ancient Runes professor position might be in jeopardy.
Wait, wasn't he also on the Board?
Never mind, that wasn't important.
Dumbledore shook his head and continued, "But that's the truth. Not only did Death Eaters appear, but the train nearly overturned on the platform, and the Aurors were called in."
Kyle furrowed his brows.
"That's not right. Didn't the return train already depart yesterday?"
"That's correct," Dumbledore said, "But the Aurors have been investigating during this time and only found the truth today."
"The truth?" Kyle asked, "Did the Death Eaters want to turn against their own kind?"
"Of course not," Dumbledore said, "Someone saved them."
"Who?" Kyle's tone remained sharp, "Someone who loves to meddle in other people's business."
Dumbledore pretended not to hear the latter part and calmly said, "It was Draco Malfoy."
"Who?" Kyle thought he had misheard.
"Draco Malfoy," Dumbledore repeated, "You must be familiar with this name, right?"
It was more than just familiarity; it was too familiar.
Kyle rubbed his forehead, "Alright, Professor, what's going on here?"
"Draco Malfoy, who is a Death Eater himself, saved a group of young Death Eaters during the Death Eaters' attack on the Hogwarts Express."
"Is this even more absurd than Lockhart's books?"
"Only you would still call him Professor Lockhart, Kyle," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"After all, I did learn useful things from him," Kyle said, "But Professor, that's not the point, is it?"
"Indeed," Dumbledore said, dropping the joke.
"According to the Aurors' information, the Death Eaters attacked the Hogwarts Express as it was about to arrive at Platform 9 yesterday. However, the Aurors received the message five minutes earlier and rushed over in time.
"Through their investigation, the person who sent this message was Draco Malfoy."
Kyle still felt something was amiss, as if he were listening to another volume of the Tales of Beedle the Bard.
"Additionally, before the Aurors arrived, Draco also appeared on the Hogwarts Express and fought fiercely with the Death Eaters..."
"Hold on, Professor, hold on," Kyle interrupted Dumbledore, "Let me get this straight. You're saying Draco Malfoy fought fiercely with the Death Eaters, right?"
"Yes, you heard correctly," Dumbledore nodded.
"Alright, continue," Kyle said with a smile, "Once you're done, I can go to Diagon Alley to buy dragon droppings... enough to fill the Nurmengard Tower, so I might need to make a reservation in advance."
Draco Malfoy fighting fiercely with the Death Eaters—this was as absurd as Hagrid cooking dragon stew.
Could it be that Dumbledore brought him back from France because of this?
"Don't be so anxious; the story isn't over yet. Have a glass of lemonade first." Dumbledore advised, knocking on the table to have a house-elf bring a fresh glass of lemonade.
Kyle was capable of such mischievous deeds, so it was no wonder he was nervous.
Although Grindelwald was at fault, he had already been punished, and the punishment didn't warrant this.
"Let me guess," Kyle took a sip of lemonade, "Draco Malfoy wants to return to Hogwarts, right?"
"Absolutely correct," Dumbledore said.
"What a coincidence. Just as the Aurors discovered that Draco was the messenger, Lucius and Narcissa brought him to the Ministry of Magic, hoping the Aurors would protect him."
"Meanwhile, Tom appeared and, in front of everyone at the entrance of the Ministry, used the Cruciatus Curse to punish them. Lucius and Narcissa's screams echoed throughout the Ministry."
"Is that all?" Kyle asked.
"Tom also tried to break into the Ministry to kill Draco, but I stopped him," Dumbledore said, "After that, he took Lucius and Narcissa away, and Draco, having narrowly escaped, is now under the protection of the Aurors."
Kyle waited until he finished his lemonade before saying, "What's the Ministry's take on this?"
"Most people think this is a great opportunity," Dumbledore said, "They want to help Draco Malfoy and use this to convince more Death Eaters to switch sides."
Kyle was too lazy to listen further and stood up, saying, "Professor, the Christmas feast should be starting soon, right?"
"Oh, it's already begun," Dumbledore paused, then said, "Do you want to go and eat?"
"I am a bit hungry," Kyle glanced at Dumbledore.
"I believe the Hogwarts Christmas feast is also very sumptuous," Dumbledore smiled.
"Can it compare?" Kyle sighed.
The person who accompanied him for dinner in France was Conna, but here, it was just an old man.
It was quite a difference.
As the two walked towards the Great Hall, Dumbledore couldn't help but ask, "Kyle, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this matter."
"My thoughts?" Kyle pondered, "It's a touching story. If adapted into a stage play, it would surely make a fortune."
"A stage play... Do you mean it's all fake?"
"What else could it be?"
Kyle spread his hands, "The Malfoy family betrayed the Dark Lord and was caught, but the Dark Lord only punished them with the Cruciatus Curse instead of killing them directly.
"Professor, does this make sense?"
Dumbledore paused in his steps, giving Kyle a meaningful glance.
He indeed preferred chatting with Kyle, as their thoughts often aligned surprisingly well, making his decision to bring Kyle here even more justified.
"Let me explain."
Kyle didn't know what Dumbledore was thinking, but he pushed open the side door to the Great Hall.
"If all this is true, Lucius and Narcissa would never have made it alive to the Ministry."
...
(End of Chapter)
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