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 Dumbledore's confident demeanor during their initial encounter, Kyle could tell that he was still withholding information.

For instance, there was the matter of the Elder Wand.

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

Regardless, the Elder Wand in Voldemort's possession couldn't have cracked on its own; there had to be a reason Kyle was unaware of.

Even Aberforth knew that Dumbledore's possessions weren't easy to take, and there was likely a trap...or perhaps even several.

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

Someone had taken the Elder Wand from Dumbledore, but not its ownership.

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

This raised two more questions.

Firstly, how did Dumbledore know Voldemort was after him?

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

Undoubtedly, Dumbledore was the wand's owner, and it was nearly impossible for any other wizard to defeat him.

Unless Dumbledore had prior knowledge of Voldemort's plan and willingly relinquished ownership of the Elder Wand before Voldemort made his move.

This wasn't difficult, even for the most powerful wand; it was still just a wand, devoid of intelligence and thought. Dumbledore could simply 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 'defeated' Dumbledore?

Kyle turned back into the secret passage, deep in thought.

He first considered himself... During the previous battle, Voldemort's wand had been damaged, and a slightly more powerful spell had caused it to crack and eventually break into two. This scenario seemed plausible.

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

Although he had technically 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, rendering a subsequent defeat of Dumbledore meaningless.

But if they considered the time within the Time-Turner, the owner of the Elder Wand didn't seem to be Dumbledore either.

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

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

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, he didn't know what had transpired before his arrival.

In hindsight, it would have been better if Harry had faced Voldemort directly, sparing Kyle the trouble of guessing.

Kyle thought about this but didn't dwell on it.

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

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

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

Kyle didn't disturb him or ask why he wasn't using the Stupify 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, not only to retrieve the Man-Eating Kale but also to erase any evidence leading back to him.

However, Kyle was momentarily bewildered by the spotless ground. If not for the remnants of the destroyed bridge, he would have thought he was in the wrong place.

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

Only a few professors and students were present, busy repairing the already damaged 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 combined scent of Skele-Gro and Healing Potion on it.

The combination of these two potions... Her arm must have been broken and then reattached by Madam Pomfrey.

The technique was somewhat crude, and the bandage looked messy... But given the number of injured individuals in the castle, it was impressive to have it reattached at all.

"Ah, yes, I'm here to help," Kyle volunteered, waving his wand.

Wooden planks flew over, landing haphazardly on the half-completed 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 like this?" Kyle glanced at the bandage on her arm, "I think it's better to rest in the castle."

However, Sinistra disagreed, "If we need to rest for such minor injuries, we might as well stay inside the castle entirely."

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"text": "Okay." Kyle said, "This place looks so clean, did you guys clean it up so quickly?"

"Clean?" No, not at all.

Professor Sinistra shook her head, "It was like this when we arrived. Maybe Filius and the others came early, we just need to fix the bridge..."

As she spoke, Professor Sinistra suddenly became irritable.

"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 will show their strength?"

"A bunch of uncivilized, barbaric wizards, idiots who are worse than caterpillars..."

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

The bridge was destroyed by the students.

The whole process was probably led by Neville, commanded by Ginny, and executed by Seamus, with no involvement from the Death Eaters... If anything, they should be considered victims.

However, since Professor Sinistra didn't know, Kyle didn't intend to correct her on this minor mistake.

Kyle controlled the wooden board while glancing down.

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

But perhaps due to the morning chill, there was only a thick white fog between the two towering cliffs on either side, making it impossible to see the bottom of the cliff.

So Kyle wasn't sure if the Man-Eating Kale and the Death Eaters were down there.

"Kyle... Kyle..."

Professor Sinistra's voice brought Kyle back to his senses, 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 Death Eaters must have been immense. Go and rest, we can handle this."

Kyle didn't understand what she meant until he looked up and saw the row of crooked boards, completely deviating from their normal direction. He waved his wand in realization.

He must have been thinking too deeply and forgotten to watch his direction.

"I'm sorry, Professor."

The wooden board 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... Well, okay, Vol, Voldemort... I wish I could get used to this name quickly.

"You faced Voldemort, and our opponents are not on the same level. Go and rest, we can handle the rest."

With Professor Sinistra's urging, Kyle reluctantly left.

He wanted to go down the cliff to check, but after thinking about it, he felt it wasn't necessary. Going down the cliff at this time would only arouse unnecessary suspicion. 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 shattered ceiling of the Great Hall still stood, allowing two equally real rays of sunlight to shine in from outside, filling the hall with life and light.

People gathered here to mourn the fallen and celebrate the victory, with emotions of sadness and joy intertwining.

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

They all saw that he had driven 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, and could only accept their thanks and comfort the families of the fallen.

Usually, this task belonged to Dumbledore, but now it seemed to have become his.

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

The original text is in Chapter 6, Book 9.

Kyle didn't know how much time had passed, but his mouth was getting drier and drier, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

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

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked instinctively.

"I... My grandmother came." Neville suddenly became more nervous, his speech slightly stuttering.

"Mrs. Longbottom?" Kyle glanced at him, "This is the final battle between us and the Death Eaters. Besides Mrs. Longbottom, other students' parents will also 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."

"What are you joking about, Neville?" Kyle raised an eyebrow, "You didn't help at all? On the contrary, you did a lot. I dare say that everyone here can prove to Mrs. Longbottom that you are a well-deserving hero."

"Really?" Neville's eyes lit up.

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

Hearing this, Neville finally gained some confidence, but he still stayed and looked tense.

"Is there anything else?" Kyle asked again.

"Sorry, Kyle, I may have messed something up." Neville's eyes shifted, "I lost your Man-Eating Kale."

"It's okay..." Kyle paused slightly, "Wait, did you just say Man-Eating Kale?"

"Yes, yes!" Neville took a deep breath and said solemnly, "It was you who stayed behind to stop the Death Eaters' Man-Eating Kale, and I lost it... But don't worry, I will definitely compensate you for it."

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

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

"I suddenly realized that wizards are prohibited from mass cultivation of Man-Eating Kale, so I wanted to go ahead and hide them."

As he spoke, Neville's face paled, as if recalling an unpleasant scene. His throat kept rolling, looking like he might vomit at any moment.

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

"Because... I wanted to quickly gather the Man-Eating Kale." 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, all the Man-Eating Kale had fallen into the cliff."

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

He never expected the truth to be like this.

It wasn't Dumbledore helping him, nor Diana or Chris. Instead, Neville had inadvertently erased all traces.

The Sliding Charm was not unfamiliar to him; it was an oral curse, a mischievous spell passed down among students.

Its effect was to turn the stairs into a slippery slope that even Mrs. Norris would slip on when students went up and down.

But this prank was too old-fashioned, and it had been used so many times that almost no one would fall for it anymore.

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

"Don't say that, Neville." Kyle hurriedly stopped him, "You did great."

"You don't need to comfort me, Kyle." Neville was touched, "I know I can't do anything right, and I will compensate for the Man-Eating Kale..."

"No, Neville, don't say that. I swear on Dumbledore's character, I'm not just saying this to comfort you."

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

"You must know that Man-Eating Kale isn't a docile plant. It's almost impossible to gather them in a short time."

"Just as you said, the Ministry of Magic prohibits the mass cultivation of Man-Eating Kale. If discovered, it would be a big trouble. You did nothing wrong."

"Really?" Neville asked in a daze.

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

The more Kyle spoke, the more excited he became. 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 rare and beautiful, and now it was almost impossible to find.

Kyle remembered that Neville loved magical plants, and Herbology was the only class he excelled in. Giving this as a gift was most appropriate.

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

Neville had reminded him, and from now on, there would be more and more parents of Hogwarts students coming. If he continued to stay here, he would be surrounded by the crowd again sooner or later.

Once was enough for this kind of thing.

Later, Kyle found the Weasley family. They were all in a corridor on the second floor, and Fleur was arguing fiercely 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 across the corridor.

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

"Bill, what do you think I decided to marry you for? It's because you have two ears!" Fleur's voice echoed through the corridor.

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

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

"Of course. That ear was taken by a Death Eater; it's a badge of honor..." George said righteously.

Then he lowered his head, and a sense of languor emanated from him. He muttered, "It's not fair. Fred and I are the twins. The next one to lose an ear should be me. How can it be Bill? It's not fair."

George's words even carried a hint of jealousy, which was even more unbelievable. Fred stood by, looking at him with a sense of pride.

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

This... was truly beyond Merlin's realm.

But how to put it into words?

If it were anyone else, Kyle might think they had gone mad. But for Fred and George, he could only say it was normal.

(End of Chapter)

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