Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 952: Two Foolish Boys - Novel Cool

Chapter 952: Two Foolish Boys

Chapter 952: Two Foolish Boys

"What was that sound just now... Tell me what that sound was..."

Severus Snape, who had finally regained his composure with great difficulty, struggled to stand up, leaning against a nearby tree with his left hand, and stared at Kyle without blinking... To be precise, he was staring at something behind him.

"There was no sound, you must have misheard," Kyle said calmly.

"I couldn't have misheard," Snape replied, equally confident in his judgment.

Although he had been unable to stand up earlier, when the sound rang out, his body's instinctive reaction made him turn around subconsciously.

That momentary glance allowed him to see Kyle hiding something he was holding in his hand behind his back.

"It might have been an owl passing by," Kyle said, his expression unchanged. "You know, there are usually many owls delivering letters to Hogwarts, and now, during this special period, people inside and outside the castle want to know about each other's situation, so there are even more owls."

"Then show me your hand..." Snape had originally wanted to grab it directly, but he still hadn't fully recovered, and just as he moved his arm away from the tree, his body uncontrollably started to lean to the side.

Even so, Snape still stared at Kyle intently.

He thought back to when they were in the box, and how Kyle had given Grindelwald several photos.

Although Snape hadn't seen the contents of the photos, he remembered the series, and the sound he had just heard was remarkably similar to a camera shutter.

"Why don't you believe me?" Kyle said helplessly, bringing his hand out from behind his back and waving it in front of Snape.

"See, there's nothing here."

Snape looked at Kyle suspiciously, then stumbled around to his back and stood there, frowning.

Indeed, there was nothing there, nothing thrown on the ground or hidden in his robe...

Moreover, he had clearly seen that Kyle's hand hadn't touched the shapeshifting lizard skin bag, which meant he hadn't had the chance to put anything away.

Perhaps he had just experienced a hallucination, or maybe he had heard the sound of an owl? Snape wasn't entirely sure either.

Mainly, the phoenix's Side-Along Apparition was a bit too stimulating, and his head was still buzzing. It seemed quite normal to hear non-existent sounds.

"What were you hiding just now?" Snape suddenly asked, seemingly trying to catch Kyle off guard.

"Huh?" Kyle blinked, feigning confusion. "What did you say?"

Snape stared at Kyle again, "Never mind, we should head back to the castle."

"Oh, that's strange," Kyle said, turning towards the castle.

Snape watched him for a while, confirming that he had no intention of turning back or hesitating, before staggering after him.

"I probably did mishear it," Snape thought to himself.

But if he had moved faster, he would have seen the relief on Kyle's face.

Fortunately, he hadn't completely locked the box, allowing Snuffles to take the camera away in time.

After all, he was the ace spy who had been hiding by Voldemort's side for so many years, and his quick reactions were impressive. Even when he was vomiting like that, he still noticed the movements around him.

If Snape had discovered his actions... Well, it seemed like it wouldn't have mattered.

Suddenly, Kyle realized that with Snape's current state, even if he had noticed his actions, he probably wouldn't have been able to take the camera away.

The only trouble was that he might ask Conna for help.

To be honest, if Conna helped Snape retrieve that photo, Kyle wouldn't want to give it up.

The photo was too fascinating and rare, capturing the usually stoic Snape writhing on the ground, crawling, and vomiting towards the Black Lake...

Once they returned and developed the photo, the dynamic image would undoubtedly be among the top three in his personal collection, second only to the irreplaceable 'Barn Marriage Certificate'.

Thankfully, Snape hadn't discovered it...

Unconsciously, Kyle quickened his pace and stopped at the entrance of Hogwarts Castle.

When Snape finally caught up, stumbling along the way, he hadn't even had a chance to speak before Kyle interrupted him.

"I'll take care of things here from now on."

Kyle said, "Conna should be at the school hospital helping Madam Pomfrey right now. You should be able to find her there."

Snape gave Kyle a deep look, said nothing, and turned to leave.

"Remember to change your appearance," Kyle reminded him kindly, despite Snape's rudeness. "If you go to the school hospital like that, there's a high chance Madam Pomfrey will kick you out, and you'll trigger the school's defense alarm."

"You don't want to get beaten up by Professor McGonagall in front of Conna, do you...?"

"Shut up, I don't need you to tell me what to do," Snape said without turning back.

Watching Snape walk away, Kyle simply shrugged.

He wasn't trying to remind Snape; he just didn't want to make an extra trip to the Ministry of Magic's temporary prison to bail someone out. It was said that the conditions there were even worse than Azkaban.

At least where there were Dementors, one never had to worry about temperature issues or food spoilage.

The food in Azkaban had never gone bad or expired... in every sense of the word.

It was unclear how the Azkaban reboot was progressing.

Kyle stood in place for a while longer, until Snape completely disappeared into the courtyard at the castle's corner, before he started climbing the stairs.

The castle seemed even emptier than when he had been taken away; in the Great Hall, only a few former Gryffindor Quidditch team members remained, catching up with each other.

Oliver Wood was talking to Harry, while Fred was laughing and chatting with Angelina Johnson.

As for how Kyle knew it was Fred and not George... it was obvious. George had never asked Angelina to dance.

"Harry, look, it's Kyle!"

Hermione, with her sharp eyes, was the first to spot Kyle at the entrance of the Great Hall, and she quickly ran over.

"Thank goodness... when you suddenly disappeared, the professors were all worried sick."

"We've been looking for you, but we couldn't find you anywhere, not in the school or Hogsmeade."

"Oh, and your father seemed to have come too, but after hearing that you were taken away by the Phoenix, he left."

Hermione spoke rapidly, like a bean-spilling waterfall, not waiting for a response.

Although many parts of her story were unclear, Kyle managed to piece together what had happened during his absence.

"It's fine, you don't need to worry so much," Kyle said. "It's just that the Phoenix had a little tantrum, and I was about to go explain to Professor McGonagall. You guys carry on."

"Oh, Kyle, I'm so glad you're okay."

Oliver Wood, excited, ran over and squeezed past Hermione.

Looking at Kyle, he rubbed his hands together and asked, "Are you interested in joining the Puddlemere United? We're in need of an excellent Chaser like you right now."

"Puddlemere United?"

"I'm the team's Keeper now... officially," Oliver Wood said.

"Congratulations," Kyle said with a smile.

Oliver Wood was just in his early twenties, and it was already an impressive achievement to be an official player at this age.

After all, not everyone could be Viktor Krum, competing in international tournaments right after coming of age.

"But joining Puddlemere United is out of the question. I don't want to play professional Quidditch for the time being."

"That's a shame," Oliver Wood sighed. They were truly in need of a good Chaser.

"Why don't you ask Angelina?"

"I did. She wants to join the Holyhead Harpies."

"Then there's nothing we can do," Kyle said, spreading his hands.

After chatting for a while longer, Kyle prepared to head to the Headmaster's office. But just as he took a few steps, he suddenly felt someone grabbing his robe.

"Hermione?"

Kyle turned to look behind him. "Do you have something else to say?"

"No, nothing," Hermione said, biting her lip, looking a bit nervous.

"It's just... I have a question..."

"We've always been curious... no, it's not that we're curious, but everyone is talking about it..."

"That's right, we also heard about it..."

Harry and Ron, standing nearby, seemed even more nervous than Hermione. The three of them suddenly became shy, stuttering for a long time without forming a complete sentence.

"What do you want to ask?" Kyle grew impatient and urged them, "If you haven't figured it out yet, you can ask later."

As Kyle turned around again, Hermione suddenly clenched her teeth.

"We just wanted to ask if Professor Dumbledore is still alive..."

Kyle's steps faltered.

To be honest, he felt a bit tense.

Hermione's sudden question made him wonder if someone had opened Dumbledore's grave.

But soon, Kyle calmed down.

"Why do you think Professor Dumbledore is still alive?" he asked calmly. "You should have been there the day he was killed."

"I know it sounds absurd, but it's not impossible."

"Why?"

"Because of the Phoenix," Hermione said, taking out a thick book. "I've read 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,' and it says that the Phoenix only listens to Dumbledore's commands."

"So, you suspect that Professor Dumbledore asked the Phoenix to take me away?" Kyle raised an eyebrow, feeling relieved.

Interestingly, Hermione had guessed the truth. In a sense, her observational skills were truly sharp, and her ideas were bold.

After all, not everyone would think that Dumbledore was still alive after seeing the Phoenix. Just look at Harry and Ron standing next to her.

Hermione must have shared her speculation with them, but they didn't believe it, which was why they were stuttering and reluctant to speak.

Perhaps, in their eyes, it was like asking Snape why his cauldron couldn't fry an egg—a strange question.

Hermione might have felt the same way at first, but she still asked.

Trusting her own judgment? Or just being stubborn...

"No," Kyle said after a moment of silence.

"But the Phoenix..."

"I think you misunderstood something," Kyle waved his finger.

The 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' that Hermione was holding automatically opened to the page with the Phoenix illustration.

"I suggest you read the content on this page carefully," Kyle waved his hand again, drawing a line under two lines of text.

"It says here that the Phoenix will appear when Dumbledore is in need... Note that it's Dumbledore, not Albus Dumbledore. There's an essential difference between the two."

Hermione's expression turned blank as she read the contents.

"The owner of Hog's Head Bar," Kyle continued, "His name is Aberforth Dumbledore..."

"Dumbledore..."

"Yes, the one you're thinking of. He's Professor Dumbledore's brother."

"Oh, I see," Ron realized, "He must have been the one who sent the Phoenix to take you away."

He turned to Hermione, a smug look on his face, "I told you, how could Professor Dumbledore be alive? We've already seen his ghost in Hogsmeade."

Harry, standing beside him, remained silent, but his expression clearly echoed the same sentiment.

"Sorry," Hermione's face reddened slightly, "I misunderstood."

"It's fine. Not many people know that the owner of Hog's Head Bar is also a Dumbledore, so it's understandable that you'd think that."

"And you're not entirely wrong," Kyle added softly, "As long as you remember Professor Dumbledore, he won't die."

"Yeah," Hermione forced a smile, feeling embarrassed, especially in front of Ron and Harry.

She couldn't help but feel awkward about how she had immediately associated the Phoenix with Dumbledore being alive.

Kyle didn't offer any further explanation, merely casting a disapproving glance at Harry and Ron, who seemed completely unbothered, as if nothing had happened.

Well, alright then, that's good...

...

This time, no one stopped him, and Kyle left the Great Hall, climbing the stairs to the eighth floor and reaching the entrance of the Headmaster's Office.

The gargoyle statue, upon seeing Kyle approach from a distance, immediately stood up and hopped to the side.

"Is Professor McGonagall inside?" Kyle asked.

"Yes, she is."

"Don't need a password?"

"Too many people coming to see the Headmaster, so it's been temporarily removed."

"Alright..." Kyle muttered.

For a moment, he thought he was the only one who didn't need a password, but it turned out that no one needed one.

It made sense, considering the recent events; many people would be coming to Hogwarts, and even the gargoyle statue seemed to find it a hassle, so removing the password for the Headmaster's Office was indeed more convenient.

Kyle wondered if there were other visitors inside at this moment... He climbed the spiral staircase at the back.

Fortunately, as Kyle pushed open the oak door, the previous visitor was just about to leave.

It was a middle-aged wizard Kyle didn't recognize—chubby, with a receding hairline, bearing a striking resemblance to Professor Slughorn.

"Kyle, I heard from the painting that you're back," he said.

At that moment, Professor McGonagall walked over from behind her desk. "I don't know how to explain your disappearance to Chris... But he seems to think you're not in danger and has returned to work after a quick check."

There was concern, and a hint of reproach, in Professor McGonagall's voice.

Of course, this wasn't directed at Kyle, but at Chris.

When Kyle had disappeared, she had been caught off guard, unsure how to face Chris and Diana. But Chris's attitude was casual, showing no concern about Kyle's potential danger.

"This is probably because Chris knows Dumbledore isn't dead," Kyle thought to himself.

"Where did the Phoenix take you?" Professor McGonagall asked with concern.

"To a forest... Maybe a place Dumbledore often visits," Kyle replied. He had initially wanted to tell Professor McGonagall about Grindelwald leaving Nurmengard, but decided against it.

He'd wait for news about Dumbledore first; perhaps Grindelwald would suddenly return to the tower later.

There was no need to cause unnecessary tension by revealing this information now.

Professor McGonagall found Kyle's explanation odd, but didn't think too much of it.

The fact that Kyle had returned safely significantly increased his credibility.

Additionally, she didn't know much about the Phoenix, only that it was closely associated with Dumbledore... Perhaps this was a unique trait of the Phoenix.

"I'm glad you're safe," Professor McGonagall said, "By the way, if you plan to stay at Hogwarts, it's best to write a letter to Chris."

"I will," Kyle assured her, "But Professor McGonagall, I have another matter to discuss."

"What is it?"

"It's about Snape."

At the mention of that name, Professor McGonagall lifted her head, her lips pressed tightly together.

It was clear that Professor McGonagall was quite angry, which led Kyle to abandon his initial plan of explaining everything from the start.

He walked straight to a cabinet where the Pensieve was kept... Well, it used to be.

Kyle found a small, tower-shaped stand next to it and took a glass vial the size of a finger from the top. He then reluctantly retrieved the Pensieve from the box, pouring the memories inside.

"Kyle, what are you doing?" Professor McGonagall asked, "That's... Albus's memories, isn't it?"

"Yes," Kyle nodded, "These are the memories between Professor Dumbledore and Snape.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I think you should take a look."

...

(End of Chapter)

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