Chapter 905: Potions and Logistics
Chapter 905: Potions and Logistics
France, Magical Shopping Street.
Christmas had just passed, but the holiday spirit lingered as Beauxbatons students roamed the streets, pondering how to stretch their limited pocket money for maximum enjoyment.
As they hurriedly passed by an inconspicuous street corner, they occasionally mentioned in their chatter the seemingly perpetually closed shop.
It had been a few months since the signboard was hung, right before the start of the school year, and yet the shop had never opened its doors.
Not once.
Meanwhile, in the basement of the shop, hidden from their view, Florence Draconis, once a prominent figure at Beauxbatons, was counting potions on the shelves, saying, "Bill has taken all the potions back to Britain."
"That's good," Conna replied, lifting her head from the cauldron.
"He asked me to convey his gratitude; those potions were very useful," Florence said. "Bill told me that even with Galleons, it's difficult for British Aurors to purchase high-quality healing potions and antidotes."
"So, my decision was right," Conna smiled.
Although Kyle and Snape didn't want her to stay in dangerous Britain, it didn't mean she couldn't do anything.
Logistics were a crucial part of war... for wizards, potions were logistics.
Coincidentally, she had a knack for potions.
"You're right," Florence said, packing the counted potions into a crate.
"But there's something I must tell you; France has been affected as well. Starting last week, the prices of some key materials have been steadily rising, especially Ammonium Chloride, which has doubled in price.
"With the same amount of Galleons, we can purchase fewer and fewer materials."
As she spoke, Florence impatiently closed the crate, "I went to see my father, but he refused to fund us."
"That's normal," Conna wasn't surprised. "The Draconis family is a French wizarding family and, in a sense, represents France. It's natural that they wouldn't interfere too much in British affairs.
"In fact, it's surprising that he allows you to continue helping me and tolerates your relationship with Bill."
Florence raised an eyebrow, "The Draconis family has always been very open-minded about love."
"What about Kyle?" She teased with a smirk, "I thought he would have stayed here last night."
"Professor Dumbledore seemed to have something important to discuss with him," Conna said, "The Phoenix took him away last night."
"The Phoenix..." Florence recalled the most beautiful bird she had ever seen.
"Conna, do you think Professor Dumbledore would sell me one if that Phoenix lays an egg, considering my help to Britain?"
"Huh?" Conna blinked, surprised by Florence's train of thought.
"He should... I guess," she said uncertainly.
Mainly because she had never heard that Phoenixes laid eggs; they seemed to exist perpetually, and their numbers never changed.
Nevertheless, Florence was delighted.
She used her wand to push the crate into the adjacent storage room.
"I have one more question. Why didn't you tell Kyle, and why did you stop me from telling Bill? This is like a plot twist from a last-century play."
"I didn't hide anything," Conna shrugged, "You and Bill both know, and he should have told Professor Dumbledore. Only Kyle and Uncle Severus are unaware.
"It seems they've both kept their promise and haven't revealed this."
"I've been wondering why you did this," Florence asked curiously, "Wouldn't he find out eventually?"
"Initially, I wanted to keep myself busy and surprise Kyle, but when he came to France and didn't notice anything amiss with the closed shop, I realized this was an interesting situation..."
"Interesting?"
Conna thought for a moment and asked, "How did Bill react when you first gave him those potions?"
"Surprised, excited, and incredulous..." Florence blurted out, "He wasn't even this excited when we first kissed."
"What if Kyle had that expression on his face?" Conna continued.
Florence thought for a moment, and a smile slowly crept onto her face.
Kyle had always impressed her with his formidable strength and meticulous mind, easily winning the Triwizard Tournament.
In comparison, she and Viktor Krum were like background characters, mere trees and straw in the play.
Florence found it hard to believe that Kyle was actually two years younger than her.
It would be fascinating to see such a person express shock and disbelief... especially since Kyle had visited twice without suspecting anything.
"I'm intrigued," Florence said.
"Me too," Conna narrowed her eyes.
Florence shivered slightly, perhaps it was just a trick of the eye, but she thought she saw a glimpse of Kyle in Conna.
It must have been her imagination.
She sat down next to Conna.
"But I felt like Kyle wanted you to return to Britain last night. If you hadn't interrupted, he might have said it."
"If that were the case, would you agree to go back and live with him?"
"Uncle Severus would kill him," Conna said, "If he had stayed at the potion shop last night, Uncle Severus would have done the same."
"That's hard to believe," Florence struggled to understand, "Are British wizards that conservative?"
"It's different," Conna shook her head, "Or rather, Uncle Severus is different."
"He's so good to you."
"Yes," Conna said.
There was no doubt that Snape cared deeply for her, perhaps even more than he cared for himself. This concern often weighed heavily on Conna.
Especially before coming to France, during their conversation in the castle.
At that time, Snape had told her many things, and each one was meticulously detailed. He had even forcefully given her the vault key.
"Conna's hand trembled as she stirred the cauldron, her wand tracing an arc that swiftly transformed the pale blue potion into a deep purple hue.
'Oh!' Fleur exclaimed.
Conna snapped back to her senses, quickly reducing the flame and changing the stirring direction from clockwise to counterclockwise.
In no time, the potion reverted to its original pale blue shade.
'What were you thinking just now?' Fleur asked.
'Nothing, I'm just a bit tired,' Conna replied.
No, that couldn't be it. She must have been overthinking.
Severus Snape was a professor at Hogwarts, and with Professor Dumbledore around, he was safe. Conna reassured herself.
But she also knew that Snape was up to something significant, though she had no idea what it was. It was undoubtedly dangerous.
One of the reasons Conna had stayed in France was to avoid distracting Snape. After all, brewing potions was the same whether in Britain or France.
As Conna transferred the brewed potion into a bottle with her wand, Kyle, far away in Britain, poured himself a cup of Butterbeer.
The century-old Butterbeer had a mediocre taste, but the distinct flavors of beer and butter made it a unique and delightful drink.
Kyle and Dumbledore sat in the wooden hut, discussing Draco Malfoy's situation.
The previous day, the Ministry of Magic had sent an urgent letter requesting Professor McGonagall to allow Draco to re-enroll at Hogwarts.
As they had mentioned before, they wanted more Death Eaters to witness that turning away from the dark side was a wise choice.
'I suspect there are Death Eaters involved here as well,' Kyle took a sip of Butterbeer, 'voluntarily or under the Imperius Curse, there must be some within the Ministry.'
'Indeed,' Dumbledore agreed, 'a month ago, there were traces of Death Eaters near where Minister of Catastrophes Baddock resided, but they seemed to just pass by without doing anything.'
'What?' Kyle glanced at Dumbledore.
'That's the advantage of being an old wizard, having many friends,' Dumbledore smiled, 'I happen to have an old friend living near Baddock, and we've been corresponding through letters.
'Once, during a casual chat, he inadvertently mentioned that Baddock hadn't visited the corner sweet shop for a week, and before that, the Minister of Catastrophes would stop by for a hot cocoa every day before work.'
'The Imperius Curse?' Kyle asked.
'Most likely,' Dumbledore nodded, 'Baddock used to be under Bartemius Crouch and was one of the most anti-Dark Magic individuals.
'But this time, he's acting out of character, wanting to help Draco.'
'You've got a point there, Professor Dumbledore,' Kyle laughed.
'It's just a coincidence,' Dumbledore also laughed, 'sometimes having many friends has its benefits.'
'And what's your take on this?' he asked, 'I recall you mentioned wanting Mr. Malfoy to return to school as well.'
'Yes,' Kyle nodded, 'there was a deal between us, and this is part of the deal.'
'Oh, a deal?' Dumbledore was curious.
Kyle then recounted the incident in Knockturn Alley.
'I erased his memory but left a suggestion to visit my shop, and then I would use Legilimency to gather information about Death Eaters.'
'Looks like you did learn something from Lockhart,' Dumbledore said, his expression turning serious.
'But Kyle, I don't encourage frequent use of Legilimency on others. When you indulge in prying into the secrets of others' minds, it's easy to amplify certain desires within yourself, and that's not a good thing.'
'I know, that's why it's a deal,' Kyle said, 'I obtained Draco Malfoy's consent, allowing me to use this method to convey information.
'Plus, it's the safest way for him.'
Hearing that Draco himself had agreed, Dumbledore didn't say anything further.
'So, what information did you get?'
'The wandering wizard in Cornwall, that's what Malfoy told me,' Kyle said, 'and the Hebrides Islands are also somewhat related to him.'
'It seems Mr. Malfoy has been a great help,' Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully, 'then as a reward, you should fulfill your promise to him as well.'
Voldemort's mind was weak, but his strength was formidable, and he was playing with Dark Magic to the extreme.
Dumbledore took out a piece of vellum, likely preparing to write a reply to the Ministry of Magic.
"So, who do you think gave Tom this idea?"
"I don't know, it could be anyone." Kyle paused for a moment before continuing, "But whoever it was, they've done us a favor by letting us know that the Dark Wizard is definitely up to something. We just need to keep an eye on Malfoy."
...
The Ministry of Magic acted swiftly.
Not long after Dumbledore's letter was sent, Draco Malfoy appeared at the school gates, personally escorted by Scrimgeour himself.
An Auror Office Director acting as a bodyguard... Lucius never received this kind of treatment even when he was showering the Ministry with Galleons.
After arriving at Hogwarts, Scrimgeour took Dumbledore to the Headmaster's Office.
The task of receiving Malfoy naturally fell to Kyle, the person most familiar with him.
Although Malfoy's memories of Knockturn Alley were gone, he still remembered what had happened in Godric's Valley. Upon seeing Kyle, he instinctively took a step back.
"Don't worry, we're almost at the school!"
Kyle was quite enthusiastic, pulling Malfoy towards his wooden house.
"I have some good news to tell you. After the holidays, I'll be a professor at the school, and we can meet often. Aren't you happy about that?"
Malfoy turned pale, never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would not only meet Kyle at school, but also have to spend time with him.
Suddenly, he wasn't so keen on going to school anymore.
But Kyle didn't give him that chance, forcefully dragging him to the wooden house.
As they reached the entrance, Kyle accidentally used a bit too much force.
Malfoy stumbled, knocking over a barrel next to him, and its contents splashed all over him, emitting an indescribable odor that almost made him vomit.
"Oh dear, you're so careless!" Kyle exclaimed, "This is the fertilizer I prepared for Professor Sprout, what a waste!"
Professor Sprout... fertilizer? Malfoy, who had taken Herbology classes, immediately understood what was in the barrel and let out a wail, running to the side to vomit... wishing he could expel his breakfast.
"It's okay, it's fine, I'll help you clean up." Kyle said.
Before Malfoy could refuse, Kyle raised his wand.
"Fountain of Water!"
A waterfall-like stream of clear water descended from above, drenching Malfoy.
The waterfall lasted for nearly a minute, and Draco almost couldn't hold it in before it finally stopped.
By then, he was completely soaked.
It was just after Christmas, the coldest time of the year, and the wind blew. Malfoy felt as if he were being constantly scraped by tiny knives, shivering uncontrollably.
"Don't just stand there, come inside and warm up." Kyle pulled Malfoy towards the house.
But this time, Malfoy was smarter, or perhaps frozen stiff, standing still and using all his strength to resist Kyle.
"Draco!"
Fortunately, at that moment, Snape arrived, likely concerned about Malfoy being in Kyle's hands, quickly walking from the castle towards them.
Seeing his savior, Draco became even less cooperative.
"You're a killjoy." Kyle smirked, sidestepping and pointing his wand at Malfoy, taking advantage of his distraction.
"Legilimency!"
Although he didn't know what Voldemort was plotting, it didn't matter. He could see.
Dumbledore might have had concerns, but Kyle didn't. He had the person's consent, and that made him bold.
Kyle looked into Malfoy's mind, as if flipping through a book, but the content made him frown.
The content was rich, and Kyle saw Malfoy's fierce battle with Death Eaters on the Hogwarts Express, spells flying everywhere.
He also saw how Malfoy hesitated but still sent the letter of betrayal to the Ministry of Magic via owl.
But beyond that, there were only mundane details of daily life.
He couldn't find what he was most interested in because Malfoy's memories didn't contain his most recent encounter with Voldemort, which was through the magical window.
It seemed that this gap was hidden, just like how Malfoy had hidden his initial encounter with Hogwarts. Kyle could only see a mist, blank pages, and nothing more.
"Draco, are you okay!"
Snape's hand reached out, pulling Malfoy away and breaking the Legilimency connection.
Malfoy's gaze was still somewhat scattered.
"Professor Snape!" Kyle quickly said, drawing his attention.
"Professor Dumbledore has tasked me with taking care of Mr. Malfoy, and I'm fulfilling my duty."
"You're taking care of Mr. Malfoy?" Kyle asked, surprised at the situation.
"It's just a minor incident." Kyle said, "Mr. Malfoy was a bit too careless, and I was about to take him to the house to warm up."
"That's not necessary." Snape pulled Malfoy to his side. "Leave him to me, there's no need for you here."
Kyle looked at Snape.
...
Could he know something too, with such concern for Malfoy?
Perhaps.
But Snape was a master of Occlumency, and Kyle couldn't get any answers from him even if he wanted to.
However, there was no need for that.
Thinking of Snape's identity, Kyle took a step back.
"Since Professor Snape says so, then I'll leave Mr. Malfoy in your hands."
"But Professor, you should take him back to the castle quickly, or else he might need to take a leave of absence on his first day back at school."
"I don't need your reminder!"
Snape glared at Kyle and, with Malfoy in tow, turned and left.
...
(End of Chapter)
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