Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 935: Neville's Unexpected Help - Novel Cool

Chapter 935: Neville's Unexpected Help

Chapter 935: Neville's Unexpected Help

In the end, Dumbledore left Hogsmeade and headed to Nurmengard to confront Voldemort.

Despite his straightforward demeanor during their initial encounter, where he seemed willing to share everything he knew, Kyle sensed that Dumbledore had withheld certain information.

For instance, the matter of the Elder Wand.

Of course, it was also possible that Kyle had simply forgotten to ask about it.

Regardless, the Elder Wand in Voldemort's possession couldn't have cracked without a reason, and there must be some unknown factors at play.

Even Aberforth knew that taking Dumbledore's possessions wasn't easy, and there was likely a trap or, perhaps, multiple traps involved.

The most likely scenario was that the Elder Wand had changed ownership during its journey.

Someone had taken ownership of the Elder Wand from Dumbledore but hadn't physically taken the wand itself.

Even if Voldemort had managed to snatch the wand from Dumbledore, he wouldn't become its true master and thus couldn't unlock its full potential.

This raised two more questions.

Firstly, how did Dumbledore know that Voldemort was planning to target him?

According to the Tales of Beedle the Bard, only by defeating or killing the previous owner of the Elder Wand could one truly master the most powerful wand.

Undoubtedly, Dumbledore was the owner of the Elder Wand, and it was nearly impossible for any other wizard to defeat him.

Unless he had foreseen Voldemort's plan and willingly relinquished ownership of the Elder Wand before Voldemort could act.

This wasn't difficult; even the most powerful wand was still just a wand, devoid of intelligence and thought. All Dumbledore had to do was intentionally cast a Disarming Charm and throw the wand away to fulfill the 'defeat' condition.

This led to the second question—who was the person who had 'defeated' Dumbledore?

Kyle retraced his steps through the secret passage, deep in thought.

He first considered himself... During the previous battle, Voldemort's wand had sustained various damages, and a powerful spell had caused it to shatter, eventually breaking into two pieces. It seemed plausible.

However, Kyle soon recalled that the Elder Wand had also been uncooperative during Voldemort's earlier fight with Aberforth, which made him hesitate.

Although he had indeed defeated Dumbledore in 1899, Kyle wasn't sure how to account for that time.

If they followed the normal timeline, Voldemort had already taken the Elder Wand by the time Kyle used the Time-Turner. Defeating Dumbledore then wouldn't have made a difference.

But if they considered the altered timeline, Dumbledore didn't seem to be the owner of the Elder Wand either.

Kyle pondered this for a while but couldn't make sense of it, so he decided to skip over it.

If it wasn't him, the most likely candidates were Draco Malfoy or Harry.

Kyle remembered the first time Malfoy had brought Death Eaters into Hogwarts; they had confronted Dumbledore in the tower for a while.

Although Kyle had rushed over quickly, he didn't know what had transpired in the tower before his arrival.

It would have been better if Harry had confronted Voldemort directly, sparing Kyle from all this speculation.

Kyle thought to himself, but he didn't dwell on it.

It didn't matter who owned the Elder Wand as long as it wasn't Voldemort.

He exited the secret passage, and the outside was already bright.

Not far away, Harry was vigorously shaking two sleeping bags, trying to wake Ron and Hermione.

Kyle didn't disturb him and didn't ask why he wasn't using the Stupefy spell's counter-curse. Instead, he turned and walked in the opposite direction.

A few minutes later, he arrived at the destroyed wooden bridge on the south side of the school.

After Dumbledore's reminder, Kyle felt it necessary to revisit the site, hoping to salvage the Mandrakes and simultaneously erase any evidence leading back to him.

However...

Kyle stared at the spotless ground, feeling a bit lost. If not for the remnants of the destroyed bridge, he would have thought he had taken a wrong turn.

The area seemed to have been cleaned beforehand; the open space leading to the castle was immaculate, not a speck of dust in sight... Hundreds of Mandrakes and Death Eaters had vanished without a trace, and Kyle couldn't find even a single leaf in the vicinity.

Only a few professors and students were present, busy repairing the destroyed wooden bridge.

"Oh, Kyle, are you here to help as well?" Professor Sinistra poked her head out from the crowd and asked.

Kyle noticed the bandage wrapped around her arm, and as he approached, he could distinctly smell the scent of Skele-Gro and Healing Potion on the bandage.

The combination of these two potions suggested that her arm had been broken and then reattached by Madam Pomfrey.

It was a bit crude, and the bandage looked messy, but under the circumstances, it was commendable that she had been treated at all.

"Ah, yes, I'm here to help," Kyle stepped forward and waved his wand.

Wooden planks flew over and stacked themselves on the half-repaired bridge.

"Professor Sinistra, I'm glad you're safe..." Kyle asked nonchalantly, "When did you arrive?"

"Just now, about ten minutes ago," Professor Sinistra replied.

"But are you sure you're okay?" Kyle glanced at the bandage on her arm, "I think it's better for you to rest in the castle."

However, Sinistra didn't seem concerned, "If a minor injury like this requires rest, we might as well stay in the castle all the time.

"Alright." Kyle said, "This place looks spotless. Did you guys clean it up so quickly?"

"Clean up? No, we didn't." Professor Sinistra shook her head, "It was like this when we arrived. Probably Filius and the others came earlier to fix the bridge... "

As she spoke, Professor Sinistra suddenly became agitated.

"Those damn Death Eaters, I don't understand why they had to blow up the wooden bridge and the Astronomy Tower. Do they think this shows their strength? They're just a bunch of uncivilized, worm-like fools..."

Professor Sinistra ranted about the Death Eaters' crimes, while Kyle pursed his lips, remaining silent.

He wasn't sure about the Astronomy Tower, but this bridge was destroyed by the students.

The whole process was probably initiated by Neville's temptation, led by Ginny, and executed by Seamus, with no connection to the Death Eaters... If anything, they should be considered victims.

However, since Professor Sinistra didn't know, Kyle didn't bother correcting her minor mistake.

Kyle controlled the wooden board and looked down.

He now suspected that the Death Eaters might have been thrown off the cliff... After all, this was the simplest and fastest way to clean up the battlefield.

But due to the cold morning air, there was only thick white fog between the towering cliffs, and he couldn't see the bottom of the cliff.

So Kyle wasn't sure if the Mandrakes and Death Eaters were down there.

"Kyle... Kyle..."

Professor Sinistra's voice snapped Kyle back to attention, and he quickly looked up at her.

"Sorry, I just remembered that you should be resting instead of helping here."

Professor Sinistra spoke in a soft voice, "The pressure of facing the Dark Lord must have been immense. Go and rest, leave this to us."

Kyle didn't understand at first until he looked up and saw the row of crooked wooden boards, completely off their normal direction. He waved his wand in realization.

He must have been so lost in thought that he forgot to watch the direction.

"I'm sorry, Professor."

The wooden board automatically detached and returned to its original position.

"You don't have to say that at all." Professor Sinistra shook her head solemnly, "You faced the one whose name cannot be mentioned... Well, okay, V, Voldemort... I wish I could get used to this name faster.

"You faced Voldemort, and our opponents are not on the same level. Go and rest, leave the rest to us."

With Professor Sinistra's urging, Kyle half-heartedly left the area.

He actually wanted to check the bottom of the cliff, but after thinking about it, he felt it wasn't necessary. Going down there would only raise unnecessary suspicions. It was better to do nothing.

Although he didn't know who helped clean up this side, it was a good thing for him.

Kyle returned to the castle as if nothing had happened.

The sun rose over Hogwarts, and the Great Hall, with its shattered ceiling, still stood strong. Two rays of sunlight shone in from outside, filling the hall with life and light.

People gathered to mourn the fallen, celebrate the victory, and emotions of sadness and joy intertwined.

As Kyle entered, he immediately drew everyone's attention.

They had all witnessed him driving away Voldemort, and subconsciously regarded Kyle as the greatest hero, savior, and guide of this war. Everyone wanted to get close to him and express their gratitude.

Kyle was surrounded by the crowd, unable to move. He stood there, accepting their thanks and comforting the families of the fallen.

This was usually Dumbledore's role, but now it seemed to have become his.

Professor McGonagall and the other professors stood by, seemingly accepting this situation as well.

Kyle wasn't sure how much time had passed, but his lips felt increasingly dry before the crowd gradually dispersed.

Kyle sat on a stool, and Neville sat next to him, but his expression didn't look good, devoid of any post-victory joy.

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked instinctively.

"My, my grandmother is here." Neville became more nervous, stuttering as he spoke.

"Mrs. Longbottom?" Kyle glanced at him, "This is the final battle between us and the Death Eaters. Besides Mrs. Longbottom, other students' parents will definitely come after receiving the news. It's nothing unusual."

"I know..." Neville nervously clenched his fists, "But I didn't help at all this time. My grandmother will surely be disappointed."

"You're joking, Neville." Kyle raised an eyebrow, "You didn't do nothing; on the contrary, you did a lot. I dare say that everyone here can testify to Mrs. Longbottom that you are a well-deserved hero."

"Really?" Neville's eyes lit up.

"If you don't believe me, you can ask Ginny or Seamus. Their opinions are the same as mine."

Hearing Kyle's words, Neville finally gained some confidence, but he still stayed and looked tense.

.

"Is there anything else?" Kyle asked again.

"Sorry, Kyle, I might have messed up something." Neville's eyes darted, "I lost your Mandrake."

"It's okay..." Kyle paused slightly, "Wait, did you just say Mandrake?"

"Yes, yes!" Neville took a deep breath and said solemnly, "It's the Mandrake that you left behind to block the Death Eaters. I lost it... But don't worry, I will definitely compensate you for it."

"There's no rush." Kyle waved his hand and said, "First, tell me what happened. Did you clear the area behind the castle?"

"I... I guess so." Neville nodded, recalling the events, "At that time, Voldemort had just escaped, and I saw the Minister of Magic checking for stragglers and heading towards the bridge."

"I suddenly realized that wizards are prohibited from large-scale cultivation of Mandrakes, so I wanted to go ahead and hide them."

As Neville spoke, his face turned pale, as if he had recalled an unpleasant scene. He swallowed repeatedly, looking like he might vomit at any moment.

However, he had already emptied his stomach the night before, so there was nothing left to throw up.

"Because... I was in a hurry, I wanted to quickly gather those Mandrakes together." Neville took a few breaths and continued, "But I messed up. I got the direction of the Sliding Charm wrong... By the time I realized it, all the Mandrakes had fallen into the cliff."

Unconsciously, Kyle had straightened up, and as he looked at Neville, he felt a sense of disbelief.

He never expected the truth to be like this.

It wasn't Dumbledore helping him, nor was it Diana or Chris; it was Neville who had inadvertently erased all traces.

The Sliding Charm was not unfamiliar to him; it was an infamous prank spell passed down among students.

Its effect was to turn the stairs into a slippery slope that even Madame Pince would slip on when students were going up and down.

But this prank was too cliche, and it had been used so many times that almost no one fell for it anymore.

"I should have thought of it." Neville couldn't help but hit his head, "I always mess things up, even with the simplest spells."

"Don't say that, Neville." Kyle quickly stopped him, "You did a great job."

"You don't need to comfort me, Kyle." Neville was touched, "I know I can't do anything right, but I will definitely compensate for the Mandrakes..."

"No, Neville, don't say that. I swear on Dumbledore's honor, I'm not just comforting you."

Kyle patted Neville's shoulder and said seriously, "I mean it. You really did a great job."

"You must know that Mandrakes aren't docile plants, and it's almost impossible to gather them in a short time.

"As you said, the Ministry of Magic prohibits the large-scale cultivation of Mandrakes. If they were discovered, it would be a big problem. Your actions were perfectly fine."

"Really?" Neville asked in a daze.

"Of course," Kyle said, "You didn't do anything wrong. On the contrary, you helped me a lot."

Kyle became more and more excited as he spoke, and finally, he took out a flowerpot from the box and forcefully gave it to Neville.

Inside was a plant he had bought back in 1899; it wasn't very useful, but it was beautiful and rare, and now it was almost impossible to find.

Kyle remembered that Neville loved magical plants, and Herbology was the only subject he excelled in. This gift was perfect.

Neville was completely stunned. By the time he came to his senses and wanted to return the flowerpot, Kyle had already left the Great Hall.

Neville had reminded him that more and more Hogwarts students' parents would be coming, and if he stayed here, he would eventually be surrounded by the crowd again.

Once was enough for this kind of situation.

Afterward, Kyle found the Weasley family; they were all in a corridor on the second floor, and Fleur was arguing intensely with Bill.

"You don't want to marry me... just because you lost an ear?" Fleur's voice was loud, and it could be heard clearly from the other side of the corridor.

"Bill, do you think I decided to marry you because you have two ears?"

"Pfft..." Fred, who was drinking water nearby, sprayed it out and quickly turned his head to cover his mouth, only to see Kyle approaching.

"Oh, our hero has arrived. Did they finally let you go?"

"No, I sneaked out." Kyle said, "What's happening here?"

"As you can see." George turned and said, "Bill lost an ear, and now he's rejecting Fleur, who has two ears..."

"Huh?" Kyle looked at George, feeling that something was amiss.

"Are you sure it's Bill rejecting Fleur?"

"Of course. It's an ear that the Death Eaters knocked off. It's an honor..." George said righteously.

Then he lowered his head, exuding a listless aura from within. He muttered, "It's not fair. Fred and I are twins, so I should be the next one to lose an ear, not Bill... It's not fair."

George's words even carried a hint of unconcealed jealousy, and even more astonishingly, Fred stood by, looking smug.

It was as if losing an ear was truly a joyous occasion.

This... was truly beyond belief.

But how to put it...

If it were anyone else, Kyle might think they had gone mad, but if it were Fred and George... one could only say it was normal.

(End of Chapter)

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