Chapter 907: Professor Kyle Tang
Chapter 907: Professor Kyle Tang
Regarding the restoration of Draco Malfoy's memory, Kyle Tang immediately wrote a letter to Headmistress Saxia.
The reply came swiftly, and Saxia's message was clear: as long as it wasn't a violent use of the Obliviate Charm like Mrs. Lombard's, St. Mungo's had the means to restore the person's memory, but it would take time.
"Mrs. Lombard?" Kyle looked at Dumbledore, holding the letter.
"That was over a decade ago," Dumbledore explained. "When Death Eaters tortured Alice and Frank Longbottom with the Cruciatus Curse, Neville was also present. To make him forget what happened, Mrs. Lombard used the Obliviate Charm on him."
"Due to her skill level... I mean, Mrs. Lombard didn't succeed in making Neville forget everything the first time, so she used it consecutively three times."
Kyle's eyes twitched.
He wondered if Mrs. Lombard was brave or reckless; he wouldn't dare use the Obliviate Charm three times in a row on someone.
"No one can say her decision was wrong," Dumbledore continued. "But some believe that certain matters should be left to more professional individuals, especially when it comes to high-level spells like the Obliviate Charm."
"Before this, Mrs. Lombard's spellcasting skills didn't even meet the passing grade... Of course, she has the ability, but she's not as skilled in certain spells."
Dumbledore added this to clarify.
"So, Headmistress Saxia is one of those people?" Kyle asked.
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "Her clumsy use of the Obliviate Charm seems to have damaged Neville's memory, causing him to have trouble remembering things from a young age."
It was clear that Headmistress Saxia still held a grudge against Mrs. Lombard, even after over a decade, using her as a negative example.
"So, what do you plan to do?" Dumbledore asked.
"I'll send him to St. Mungo's at night and bring him back during the day," Kyle said. "Since he lives alone now, no one will know even if he's not at school."
"That won't work now," Dumbledore said. "Just yesterday, he returned to his previous dormitory to live with Crabbe and Goyle."
"What?"
Kyle asked in confusion, "Isn't Professor Snape worried about him getting hit with a Bludger at night?"
"That's Severus' decision," Dumbledore explained. "Or rather... it's what Tom requested of him."
"To keep an eye on Malfoy?"
"Most likely... That's why I said earlier that it would be difficult to send Mr. Malfoy to St. Mungo's without alerting anyone."
"That's easy." Kyle thought for less than a second, "Just use the Confundus Charm on Crabbe and Goyle, and we can easily deceive them."
Dumbledore's blue eyes flashed behind his glasses.
For a moment, Kyle had considered suggesting the Imperius Curse...
He felt that Kyle was increasingly showing signs of becoming a Dark Wizard, and as the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts, he felt obligated to nip this tendency in the bud.
"I must remind you, Kyle," Dumbledore said seriously, "The Hogwarts school rules are not only for students but also apply to professors."
"It's just the Confundus Charm, it shouldn't be a problem."
Kyle tried to explain the difference between the Confundus Charm and the Imperius Curse, but seeing Dumbledore's increasingly stern expression, he gave up.
"Alright."
"Then let the Pensieve use Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Malfoy. That should be fine, as long as Professor Snape doesn't say anything, and those two idiots won't be able to tell the difference."
Dumbledore's expression finally relaxed.
"Do you have a suitable candidate?"
"How about Harry?" Kyle suggested, "He knows Malfoy well and would be the most suitable choice."
Dumbledore paused for a moment before shaking his head. "He's not suitable. Harry also has to be at school. Choose someone else."
"Then Cedric," Kyle recommended another person.
This time, Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully.
Cedric was indeed a good choice; he was intelligent and meticulous in his thinking. Even if Crabbe and Goyle occasionally suspected something, Cedric could find a way to cover it up.
"Okay, you write to Mr. Diggory then."
"No problem, but..." Kyle reached out, "This counts as overtime work, so I should get overtime pay."
"Cedric is also a member of the Order of the Phoenix."
"The Order of the Phoenix should also get overtime pay," Kyle glanced at him, "Besides, didn't you disband the Order of the Phoenix?"
Dumbledore was speechless.
...
Kyle acted quickly and wrote a letter on the spot.
His request for overtime pay for Cedric wasn't unreasonable; this matter required confidentiality, and they couldn't ask for someone from the Ministry of Magic through normal channels.
If Cedric wanted to help, he would have to take leave, and they should compensate for the loss, even if the person himself didn't mind.
By the afternoon, Cedric had arrived at Hogwarts.
The Ministry of Magic was busy these days, and taking leave, especially long leave, wasn't easy. However, Kyle had connections within the ministry, and Cedric's direct superior was one of them.
So, everything went smoothly, and Cedric's leave request was approved almost instantly.
That evening, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle left the common room together, heading to the Great Hall for dinner.
The arrangement was the same as before, but their moods were completely different.
Malfoy had a straight face, expressionless, while his former lackeys now resembled prison guards, following him closely.
Especially Crabbe, whose fist was clenched tightly, as if ready to deliver a hard blow to Malfoy at any moment.
But just as they reached the entrance hall, a group of Hufflepuffs also approached, and the two parties met at the top of the stairs.
"Hey, isn't that the little Death Eater and his two giant henchmen?"
Someone mocked them with a sneer, deliberately bumping Crabbe with their shoulder.
"Damn, who are you calling a henchman!" Crabbe immediately got angry and grabbed the other person by the collar.
"So, you want to fight?" Justin drew his wand without a hint of fear and challenged, "Come on, who's afraid of whom!"
The surrounding Hufflepuffs rushed forward, surrounding Crabbe and Goyle.
Coincidentally, Malfoy was unintentionally pushed to the outside of the crowd.
The bustling figures blocked Crabbe's line of sight, and he began to panic a little.
It wasn't that he was afraid of fighting; even though there were many opponents, Crabbe and Goyle looked down on the Hufflepuffs. What they feared was losing track of Malfoy.
This was Voldemort's first task for them, and they would be finished if they messed it up.
The two exchanged a glance and started pushing their way out forcefully.
But the Hufflepuffs seemed determined to block their path, refusing to budge.
Even more coincidentally, a group of Gryffindors arrived and, without hesitation, joined in upon seeing the trouble involving Slytherins. They encircled Crabbe and Goyle.
Outside the crowd, Malfoy coldly huffed and turned to leave.
He had no intention of helping.
But at that moment—
"Stupefy!"
Malfoy didn't even see who cast the spell before he flipped his eyes and fainted.
He vaguely felt someone pulling his collar and pushing him into some place, and then he knew nothing more.
At the same time, another Malfoy quickly took his place.
"Kyle, is this really okay?" Cedric, who had drunk the Polyjuice Potion, asked with concern, "I don't know Malfoy at all."
"Don't worry, you don't need to know him."
Kyle patted his shoulder and said quickly, "Just keep a straight face and stay silent. If those two little henchmen want to lay a hand on you, punch them. The current Malfoy wouldn't do anything strange."
"..." Cedric wanted to say something more.
But at that moment, Snape suddenly appeared and dispersed the crowd surrounding Crabbe and Goyle without explanation.
The two scrambled out, their first reaction being to look for Malfoy. Only when they saw "him" still standing in the same spot did they finally heave a sigh of relief.
"You're smart," Crabbe walked over, gritting his teeth, "You damn traitor, why didn't the Dark Lord kill you!"
"Don't say that, Crabbe," Goyle opened his mouth, "Draco..."
"You want to speak for him?!" Crabbe turned, his tone cold, "If he escapes, you're done for too."
"I... didn't." Goyle lowered his head and fell silent.
Crabbe had been changing a lot lately, and he was a bit scared. Naturally, he didn't dare to argue with him, and what he said was true.
They needed to watch over Malfoy for the Dark Lord; it was their task.
"You better not play any tricks, or else... I'll let you taste my fist." Crabbe glared at Malfoy and said viciously.
Cedric thought of Kyle's words and remained silent, only coldly huffing with a straight face.
He was still a bit nervous inside, but fortunately, Crabbe and Goyle didn't seem to suspect anything.
After that, as the three of them entered the Great Hall, a little girl approached them.
"Draco, you're here."
Cedric panicked again; he didn't know her and had no impression of her at all.
He had no choice but to keep a straight face and coldly huff again.
"Go away!"
The little girl actually left.
On the teacher's platform, Kyle watched this scene and almost laughed out loud.
He wasn't sure if he should say it, but Cedric's acting was quite convincing.
After confirming everything was fine, Kyle hurriedly ate a few bites of dinner and then left Hogwarts, taking Malfoy to St. Mungo's.
When he returned, he also brought Cedric a few bottles of Dreamless Sleep Potion.
After all, for him, the biggest test would be at night. If Crabbe and Goyle woke up and discovered that there was someone else lying in Malfoy's bed, it would be quite a spectacle.
Although the possibility of them waking up early was small, it wasn't impossible.
To be safe, it was better to be cautious.
As for how to make them drink this sleeping potion, that was Cedric's own business, and Kyle believed he could handle it.
...
In the following days, Cedric's performance improved more and more. Even when he occasionally showed some flaws due to special circumstances, Kyle, who had been paying attention to him, helped him cover them up.
Snape also provided a lot of help.
The frequency of his visits to the Slytherin common room had obviously increased, especially at night.
Everything was going smoothly.
Of course, this was only in Kyle's and the others' minds; for Cedric, these days had been nothing but torment.
In the beginning, he couldn't even sleep at night, and even though he knew Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night, he still drank a sip of Polyjuice Potion every now and then.
This caused Kyle's prepared stock to run out, and he had to pull out a few more of Malfoy's hairs.
It continued like this until the end of the holiday, and Kyle finally officially became a professor.
As a reward for taking over Malfoy's role, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, after discussion, also agreed to his previous request to rearrange the class schedule.
All grades of Ancient Runes classes were scheduled on the same day, and it was the first day after the start of school.
This wasn't a complicated matter; Ancient Runes classes were originally few, with only one class per week, so a simple rearrangement of the order was sufficient.
Kyle put on a slightly more formal robe and walked into the classroom.
Below him, the students were all unfamiliar faces, except for one.
Hermione.
But that was the only one, and the only one he'd seen all day.
Hermione was also surprised, even though she had known about this beforehand. But when she saw Kyle walk into the classroom, she was still amazed.
She acknowledged Kyle's capabilities, but could he really be a good professor?
This was a far cry from her own studies.
However, Hermione quickly dismissed her concerns.
Kyle's style was different from Professor Babbling's, or rather, completely different. But she could understand him, and even felt that Kyle's teachings were more thorough.
Because in their seventh year, they no longer needed to learn the meanings represented by Runes; instead, they were learning more complex applications of magic.
In other words, it had shifted from her specialized language translation to more intricate practical applications.
During the first half of the school year, she still struggled in class, but this lesson was surprisingly easy.
"Runes are the embodiment of magic," Kyle said calmly from the podium, "When you use them, imagine yourself casting a spell."
"Take the simplest spell, Lumos, for example."
With a wave of his wand, Kyle drew a simple rune on the ceiling.
"The rune for 'concentration' is a gesture," he explained.
"On this foundation, add a spell that represents the essence of magic..." Kyle waved his wand again, creating a new rune.
"Light!"
The two runes combined to emit a bright light.
"See, this is rune magic," Kyle said, "It's different from spells, yet similar. As long as you don't treat it as a new subject and combine it with spells, you'll find it's not that difficult."
"What about more complex spells!" Hermione raised her hand, but before she could finish, her voice had already reached the front podium.
"I mean, more intricate spells," she clarified.
"Then add another rune." Kyle took out his wand again, "How about the Levicorpus spell?"
"Does anyone remember the gesture for Levicorpus?"
"First, a wave, then a shake..." almost everyone said in unison.
This was first-year material, and they were already in their seventh year, so they certainly knew it.
"That's right, first a wave..." a rune appeared on the podium.
"Still concentration, this rune is like waving your wand down. Almost every spell requires this, so you don't need to think about it; just draw it."
"After all, you always wave your wand when casting a spell."
Laughter filled the classroom, something that had never happened in previous lessons.
"Then a dot... 'Transfiguration,' which represents the change in magical power."
"Chant the spell... 'Wingardium Leviosa.'"
The three runes lined up, holding a book steadily in mid-air.
Hermione's eyes lit up, and she instinctively wanted to jot down these notes, but she only wrote two lines before stopping.
There wasn't much to write.
By the time the bell rang for the end of class, she had only filled two pages in her notebook, a stark contrast to the average five pages per class before.
It was as if the meanings represented by the runes had suddenly become simpler.
All the students left the classroom, except for Hermione, who stayed behind.
She watched as Kyle stretched, and quickly ran over, boldly asking questions about some issues she had encountered earlier.
Kyle swiftly resolved her problems with just a few words.
"I didn't expect your understanding of runes to be so profound," Hermione marveled, "No wonder the Headmaster asked you to replace Professor Babbling."
Kyle tugged at the corner of his mouth, accepting Hermione's praise without hesitation.
He had Mr. Tom Riddle to thank for this. When Tom used that notebook, he asked questions, and the other party patiently answered them, even adding their own insights to make it easier for young wizards to understand.
It could be said that Tom went all out to gain Kyle's trust.
All Kyle needed to do now was to remove the personal opinions from those answers and repeat them verbatim; it required no effort.
Even Hermione's question from earlier was mostly something Tom had asked, so resolving it was naturally effortless.
Thinking about it this way, Voldemort had also indirectly fulfilled his dream... of becoming a professor at Hogwarts.
Only, it was Kyle who was getting paid.
Tom could also apply to teach Ancient Runes, right?
Given Professor Babbling's personality, if Tom applied, she would probably resign.
If he went to the Headmaster's office in the morning, he could start the job in the afternoon; how wonderful! Why insist on focusing on Defense Against the Dark Arts?
He was too straightforward.
Kyle snapped back to reality and realized Hermione was still standing there, staring at him.
"Why are you still here?" he blurted out.
Hermione's face stiffened.
After all these years of school, this was the first time she had encountered a professor who would rush her out.
"Kyle... um, Professor," she stammered, clearly still adjusting to the title, "I also have many questions about the arrangement of runes. Could you..."
"No." Kyle shook his head, cutting her off.
"It's almost dinner time, and even if you're not hungry, you can't hold me up. Ask your questions in the next class; that's it."
"But that's still a long time from now," Hermione frowned.
"Perfect, you can use this time to review what you learned today."
After saying this, Kyle stood up and left without giving Hermione another chance to speak.
There was no other way; if he let Hermione continue asking questions, she could go on all day. Kyle didn't want to become a second talking dictionary; he had other things to do.
...
(End of Chapter)
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