Chapter 938: Rita Skeeter's Gift
Chapter 938: Rita Skeeter's Gift
"Thank goodness, I didn't misjudge the situation..."
Kyle and Kanna had just reached the stairs, not even having a chance to head to the kitchen, when Professor McGonagall rushed over, a look of relief on her face.
"Professor McGonagall, what's going on?" Kyle asked, quickly glancing around.
It was quiet, with no screams or cries for help, so it probably wasn't Voldemort attacking again.
"It's about the Ministry of Magic," Professor McGonagall said, approaching them. "They want you to go to the Ministry as soon as possible."
"The Ministry?" Kyle asked, puzzled. "Why can't they just come to Hogwarts to talk?"
"Bones didn't say," Professor McGonagall shook her head. "She just sent an owl with a message. It's probably not urgent, so you can take your time to consider it and go when you're free."
"Ah, here..." She pulled out a letter from her pocket and handed it to Kyle. "This was originally for you, but the owl that delivered it seemed to have gotten lost and ended up with me."
Kyle took the letter, not surprised that the owl had gotten lost. It wasn't the first time it had happened.
It was probably due to the effects of the alchemical mist. Whenever he was in the garden, the owls would fly around him, as if they were under some sort of charm.
Of course, the effects of the alchemical mist were nowhere near as strong as the Reducto Curse, and could only affect novice owls.
For experienced messenger owls, it was just a minor obstacle that they could easily overcome.
Usually, when this happened, Rarton would be the one to step in, standing guard outside the cabin and guiding the lost owls to Kyle.
But Rarton was currently away, not here to help.
Kyle opened the letter and unfolded the parchment inside.
The content was brief, with only a few lines of greeting and small talk, and the rest was almost identical to what Professor McGonagall had said - asking Kyle to go to the Ministry as soon as possible.
"Got it, Professor McGonagall," Kyle said, folding the letter and putting it in his pocket.
"If you need any help, just let us know," Professor McGonagall said with a smile. "And if you don't want to go, I can help you decline the invitation. After all, you've defeated Voldemort and foiled his plan to take over Hogwarts. He's definitely not going to let you off easily."
"Why can't I decline?" Kyle raised an eyebrow.
"Why not?" Professor McGonagall said. "You've defeated Voldemort, and he's definitely not dead. In this situation, it's safer for you to stay in Hogwarts. I'm sure Bones will understand."
"I see."
Kyle thought for a moment. "It's okay, Professor McGonagall. I'll go, but not now..." He added, "Right now, the most important thing is to have lunch. Kanna hasn't eaten all day."
"Miss Kanna?" Professor McGonagall noticed Kanna standing beside Kyle and smiled. "I've heard about your situation from Sirius. I'm glad you're safe. How are you feeling? Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey again? Although she might not have the antidote for the Drink of Despair, perhaps you should go see Slughorn instead."
"Oh, and the potions you brought, they saved a lot of people. From this morning, I've had people coming to me to express their gratitude..."
For some reason, Professor McGonagall suddenly became quite chatty, talking about all sorts of things, even complaining about the weather... which was not like her at all, especially since she seemed busy.
It was understandable, given that the Death Eaters' attack had just ended, and the school had suffered heavy losses. The castle's special magic protection had been breached by hundreds of curses.
As the Acting Headmaster, Professor McGonagall wouldn't have time to idle around.
However, she continued talking, and if Kanna hadn't interrupted her, she might have kept going.
"I'm fine, Professor McGonagall," Kanna said with a smile. "And I didn't really help much in the battle. Providing potions was just something I could do to help."
"Who told you that you didn't help?" Professor McGonagall's tone changed. "Bill told me that you saved at least two people in the Astronomy Tower and stopped over a dozen Death Eaters from climbing the tower. How can you say you didn't help?"
Professor McGonagall spoke with an urgent tone, as if she was afraid Kanna wouldn't believe her, and she even brought up Bill as an example.
But she wasn't wrong; Kanna's fainting and retreat did happen after Snape joined the battle.
Before Snape's appearance, Professor McGonagall had been fighting alongside everyone in the Astronomy Tower.
It was just that... Professor McGonagall's reaction was a bit over the top.
"Professor," Kanna started to speak but hesitated, her face filled with conflict. Professor McGonagall, with a smile, said, "Go ahead and say what's on your mind, it's fine."
"Is it that obvious?" Professor McGonagall furrowed her brows and then sighed. "Alright, I just hope you understand, Kanna. You're a good kid, and you're not like Severus Snape. What he did has nothing to do with you, and you shouldn't punish yourself for his actions. You don't need to bear the burden of his choices."
"Also, if you hear any rumors or whispers, don't let them bother you. You can leave those matters for the professors to handle."
"Of course, Professor," Kanna said with a smile.
If this conversation had taken place earlier, Professor McGonagall's words might have had a greater impact, but even now, they were still quite effective. At the very least, the feeling of being valued and cared for made Kanna feel very comfortable.
However, before this conversation, Kanna had already known that Snape hadn't betrayed everyone, so she didn't feel sad about it.
As for the opinions of others... for Kanna, these were the least important things. She didn't have much interaction with those people to begin with.
"Professor McGonagall, I..."
"Professor McGonagall, I've already said something similar to Kanna just now," Kyle stepped forward, interrupting Kanna's words.
Kanna turned to Kyle, as if she had thought of something, and unconsciously nodded along with his words, "Yes, Professor McGonagall, Kyle has been rambling on and on, and I'm getting hungry just listening to him."
"Good, good," Professor McGonagall looked at the two of them, and only relaxed when she was sure Kanna wasn't forcing a smile.
"Weren't you two going to have lunch? Why not go to the Great Hall?"
"There are too many people," Kanna said, "and most of them are wizards we don't know, it feels a bit noisy."
"Also," Kyle added, "if I show up in the Great Hall now, I might not be able to eat in peace. I really should have brought Potter with me."
"Potter?" Professor McGonagall blinked, not understanding why Harry Potter was being mentioned.
"If I could push him out there to draw fire, maybe I could have some peace and quiet for a while." Kyle spread his hands, "I have to say, the title of 'Savior' is quite useful."
"So, are you going to look for Potter now?" Professor McGonagall glanced at Kyle with some exasperation.
"No, not at all," Kyle shook his head, "we're just planning to change our lunch location. Besides letting Potter out to divert attention, I can also actively avoid them."
"Hmm... the kitchen is a good place. We were just planning to have lunch there. Not only is the space large enough, but we can also order food, which is more convenient than the Great Hall."
"The Hogwarts kitchen..." Professor McGonagall furrowed her brows, not entirely agreeing with Kyle.
Indeed, the kitchen didn't have other wizards, but there were house elves.
Given the enthusiasm of the house elves, they would stuff you with cookies, bacon, and cakes every few minutes.
Don't ask how Professor McGonagall knew this.
A few years ago, she went to the kitchen to deliver a message about Dumbledore's dinner party. In just a few minutes, she was filled with cookies, bacon, and cakes.
In a way, the house elves were even more enthusiastic than the wizards in the Great Hall.
"Kanna, come with me," Professor McGonagall said directly, "the school kitchen can deliver food directly to the professors' offices, and I also have a lot to discuss with you."
"Okay, sure," Kanna agreed without hesitation and followed Professor McGonagall.
"Wait, Professor McGonagall, what about me?" Kyle stood there, pointing to himself, "aren't you planning to invite me to the office too?"
"I'm sorry..." Professor McGonagall turned back, "but I think you should go to the Great Hall now. Those wizards have come from faraway places just to catch a glimpse of the two saviors. I don't think you should disappoint them."
Chapter 6, Section 9, Book/Bar
"The Savior... that's what I'm talking about." Kyle blinked, "I'll go find Harry."
"Remember what I said about two saviors?" Professor McGonagall repeated, "One is Potter, and the other is you, Kyle."
"They're some well-known wizards who've come from far away, just to see the person who defeated Voldemort. I think it's a reasonable request."
"You can go and see for yourself. It'll be good for you." Professor McGonagall added, then left with Kanna.
Kyle watched them leave, rubbing his forehead.
He knew exactly what Professor McGonagall meant. He had defeated Voldemort, though there was a lot of exaggeration involved, but many people didn't know that. They only saw Voldemort's defeat and his escape from Hogwarts.
And so, they attributed this achievement to Kyle.
If he spent time with these wizards now, he could quickly boost his reputation in the wizarding world.
Sometimes, reputation is useful, and it's rare to have such an opportunity. Professor McGonagall didn't want Kyle to miss out.
However, she didn't force him to go.
Ever since Voldemort's escape, Kyle's name had spread throughout the wizarding world. Going to meet these wizards would only be an added bonus.
Useful, but not much.
It was up to Kyle's personal will.
Kyle, of course, wasn't going. What could he do? Become the Minister of Magic or the Headmaster of Hogwarts? Neither was possible.
His age was an issue. Unless he could kill Voldemort in his unbeatable state right in front of everyone, there was little chance.
Since he couldn't become the Minister or Headmaster, Kyle naturally lost interest. He decided to go to the underground corridor and headed towards the kitchen.
But as he reached the Hufflepuff common room corridor...
"Breaking news! It's huge!"
An excited, trembling voice suddenly came from behind, startling Kyle.
It was a beetle flying in mid-air, rapidly expanding and growing, transforming into a witch wearing flower-framed glasses.
"Rita Skeeter?" Kyle looked at her, "I thought you'd be preparing for tomorrow's Daily Prophet."
"To be precise, today's. The delivery owls will soon appear everywhere wizards are."
Rita Skeeter corrected, "Such big news can't wait until tomorrow. We'd be criticized if we delayed."
"So, you've already returned to the newspaper office?"
"Of course. After you defeated that person whose name can't be spoken, I've already planned the front-page content."
Rita Skeeter nodded confidently, "I've got the scoop!"
Although her reports often focused on famous wizards' gossip, which everyone knew, it didn't mean she lacked skill.
No one understood the front page better than Rita Skeeter.
When Voldemort left Hogwarts, a newspaper with shocking news for the entire wizarding world was already out.
The reason for the delay in returning was to print as many newspapers as possible.
"And this." Rita Skeeter took out a camera, "I want to buy it. Name your price, and I won't haggle if I can afford it."
This camera recorded her biggest achievement in her career, and Rita Skeeter wanted to keep it as a permanent collection if possible.
She had even prepared to spend all her savings.
"It's yours."
"..."
"What?"
"Didn't catch that?" Kyle said again, "It's just a camera. I'm giving it to you as an early promotion gift... Who knows, I might need you to publish articles in the future."
As the journalist who exclusively reported on the Death Eaters' battle at Hogwarts, Rita Skeeter's fame was guaranteed.
So, an early promotion gift made sense.
However, Rita Skeeter wasn't a novice. She knew Kyle understood what this camera meant to her.
Giving it directly to herself implied that the price wasn't in Galleons, but something else. The promotion gift was just an excuse.
As for what that something was, Kyle had made it clear.
"Thank you."
Rita Skeeter hesitated for only a second before putting the camera away.
(End of Chapter)
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