Chapter 965: Kyle's Initiative
Chapter 965: Kyle's Initiative
As Kyle expected, Amelia Bones was indeed hesitant to entrust the Horcruxes to others.
Moreover, they acted swiftly, and even before the holiday ended, the letter had already reached Hogwarts.
Back in the Headmaster's Office, Kyle read the letter and then handed it back to Professor McGonagall.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"It's quite polite," Kyle replied.
The letter was addressed to Professor McGonagall, and its content resembled a casual conversation between old friends. Although it mentioned the Horcruxes, there were only a few brief sentences about them, and that too at the end of the letter, casually inquiring if Professor McGonagall needed the Ministry's help in safeguarding those items.
Of course, both Professor McGonagall and Kyle understood that this was the main purpose of the letter, and the rest of the greetings and inquiries could be ignored.
"Well, knowing their intentions, I will decline their request on behalf of Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said.
She had to decline, of course.
Kyle already knew that the Pendant Box, the Crown, and the Golden Cup were in his possession, and these items were intact. There was no way Kyle would hand them over to the Ministry.
The Resurrection Stone Ring had disappeared after Dumbledore's death.
The Runesnake had also vanished completely after the war, most likely turning to ashes.
The only item they could have given away was the Diary, which had already been presented during the last hearing. Now that they had nothing to offer, declining was the only option.
Professor McGonagall took out a piece of parchment to reply.
"Why should we refuse? As just wizards, we should cooperate with the Ministry and hand over the Horcruxes to them," she said.
Professor McGonagall paused, almost poking a hole in the parchment.
"No!" she blurted out.
"What?" Kyle was a bit surprised, not expecting Professor McGonagall to oppose the idea.
"I mean, the Golden Cup, the Crown, and the Pendant Box are all legacies left by the Four Founders. Even though they were once Horcruxes, they should remain at Hogwarts, especially the Ravenclaw Crown," he explained.
Professor McGonagall looked at Kyle and said seriously, "If these items fall into the wrong hands, the consequences could be terrifying. And the Ministry... to be honest, they've let us down numerous times."
Professor McGonagall's intention was simple; she didn't trust the Ministry.
There was nothing strange about this. Let's take a look at what they've done.
Firstly, Cornelius Fudge stubbornly refused to believe in Voldemort's return, even willing to sever ties with Dumbledore to cover up the truth to maintain his position.
Then there was Umbridge, a cruel, vain, arrogant, and unprofessional individual, who somehow managed to become the Deputy Minister.
This was something Professor McGonagall couldn't imagine, let alone fathom what would happen if such a person got their hands on the Ravenclaw Crown.
Although Amelia Bones had improved things significantly after taking office, removing many incompetent individuals, there was also the rebellion incident that shook the entire UK.
In short, the Ministry wasn't trustworthy. If they handed over the Crown, a theft might occur at the Ministry the very next day.
Or perhaps, it wouldn't even take until the next day.
Patiently, Professor McGonagall tried to persuade Kyle, "Moreover, we can't find the Resurrection Stone Ring, but they won't believe us if we say that. It will only create more conflict, so it's better to decline the request from the start."
"Who says we don't have it? We do," Kyle said, taking out a rhombus-shaped stone and placing it on the table.
Professor McGonagall's eyes widened in surprise.
"Resurrection Stone?" she asked.
"You could say that," Kyle nodded, "I have as many as you need."
He tossed a second and third stone onto the table.
Professor McGonagall immediately understood.
"Are these fake?" she asked.
"Who said they're fake? They're real!" Kyle gathered the extra stones, "Now they're real."
"But the Resurrection Stone isn't an ordinary stone," Professor McGonagall shook her head, finding Kyle's approach too flawed.
"Oh, I almost forgot," he said, taking out a five-inch-long tooth and forcefully piercing it into the stone.
The rhombus-shaped stone split into two from the middle, emitting puffs of white smoke.
"Now it's perfect," he declared.
Professor McGonagall stood with her mouth agape, momentarily speechless.
Meanwhile, Phineas on the wall, however, made a series of indecipherable smacking sounds.
Kyle ignored him and continued rummaging through his belongings.
The Golden Cup,
The Crown,
The Pendant Box,
The Gryffindor Sword... No, this one was a replica Kyle had made for fun.
He tossed the sword aside.
Professor McGonagall also picked up the nearest crown and held it up to her eyes, examining it closely.
Without a doubt, these were also fakes, but they looked so real that she couldn't spot any flaws after observing them for a long time.
"Well?" Kyle asked.
Professor McGonagall nodded. "It's very similar, incredibly so."
To put it simply, these items were almost identical to the real ones in every aspect except for the lack of the unique qualities of the genuine articles. Even she couldn't find any issues with them.
"That's to be expected. I made these based on the real ones, ensuring every detail was perfectly replicated," Kyle explained.
Now came the most crucial step. Kyle picked up the pendant box in front of him.
Since they were in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, Kyle couldn't be too flashy. He didn't dare use Fiery Flame directly in front of Professor McGonagall and the portraits of past headmasters.
So, he took out the Goblin Fire he had obtained from Sirius.
This was also a magical flame, and the traces it left behind were similar to those of Fiery Flame. Combined with Kyle's additional preparations, it looked even more convincing.
Under the scorching heat of the flame, the pendant box soon underwent noticeable changes, and even cracks emitting black eerie light appeared on its surface.
Even from within those cracks, faint screams, as if coming from a distant place, could be heard.
Professor McGonagall watched, her expression filled with curiosity.
She hadn't witnessed the destruction of a genuine Horcrux, but she felt it should be like this. When a Horcrux was damaged, the soul fragment within would emit a desperate howl.
But this was a fake, so why could she hear the howls, and what about those cracks?
Seeming to guess Professor McGonagall's thoughts, Kyle placed a bottle on the table.
"I discovered this by accident while making these."
Professor McGonagall looked at the bottle.
Inside the bottle was a type of gray powder, and its temperature was extremely low. Even through the bottle, frost quickly formed on the table.
"What is this?" Professor McGonagall asked curiously.
She considered herself a well-traveled and knowledgeable witch, but she had never seen or heard of such a substance before.
"This is what's left after killing a Dementor."
"Killing what?"
"A Dementor," Kyle explained. "When Azkaban experienced a rebellion, Cedric and I helped clear out the Dementors for a period. After they're killed, they leave behind this substance, along with a cloak."
Professor McGonagall suddenly understood. No wonder she didn't know; probably not many people were aware of this.
"What's the use of this?"
"I'm not sure yet," Kyle said. "But I found it suitable for making Dark Magic items, so I made three Dark Magic items."
"The screams I heard earlier were..."
"The Wailing Charm," Kyle explained. "If someone opens this pendant box, they'll hear screams similar to Mandrake, also a soul-targeting spell."
Professor McGonagall looked at Kyle, then at the crown in her hand, and subconsciously threw it back onto the table.
"That crown causes delirium, just don't put it on your head."
Kyle put down the pendant box, now distorted by the flames, and picked up the crown, placing it above the Goblin Fire.
Soon, the brilliant crown was covered in a thick layer of rust, and the large sapphire in its center lost its luster.
This was Kyle's custom-made creation, identical to its appearance when it was first discovered.
What stood out was its meticulousness.
Professor McGonagall watched from the side until Kyle personally destroyed those three items.
"Give these to the Ministry of Magic," Kyle pushed all the items toward Professor McGonagall.
"But...what if they find out these are fakes?" Professor McGonagall still had some concerns.
"I'm quite confident in my alchemy skills," Kyle smiled. "If this were the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France, I'd definitely think of another way.
"Because alchemy is prevalent in France, and there's Professor Victor with his alchemy skills.
"But this is Britain, and most people can't even make a simple Waterproof Badge."
"You're being unfair!" Phineas interrupted their conversation.
"How so?" Kyle turned to look at him. "Is what I said wrong?"
"It's unfair because what you said is true," Phineas muttered, then closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
Professor McGonagall didn't hesitate for long and collected the items in front of her.
At least this was one solution. No matter what, the artifacts left by the Four Founders couldn't be entrusted to the Ministry of Magic.
"That's it, the Runesnake, what do you plan to do?" Professor McGonagall casually placed the item on the shelf behind her, "I suggest doing nothing, what do you think?"
"I was thinking the same." Kyle said.
Among these Horcruxes, the Runesnake was the least important one, and Kyle didn't even glance at it before leaving.
If the Ministry of Magic insisted, perhaps some traces could still be found in Sirius's Wailing Cold Drink Shop.
"Well, then leave the rest to me." After making a decision, Professor McGonagall picked up her quill and quickly wrote a reply. She then went to the window.
An owl flew over, grabbed the envelope, and left.
...
It has to be said that the Ministry of Magic was really attentive to the matter of Horcruxes.
Half a day after the letter was sent out, Amelia Bones, the Minister, appeared at Hogwarts with the new Head of the Auror Office, Kingsley.
When the Hogwarts students were having dinner, they just walked in from outside and kept walking towards the front of the teacher's table.
"Amelia..." Professor McGonagall stood up in surprise.
She was genuinely surprised.
Time-wise, the Ministry of Magic should have received the reply from the owl just before coming here.
Isn't this efficiency a bit too high? Wasn't the Ministry of Magic supposed to be busy recently?
However, Professor McGonagall didn't show it, and she warmly introduced Amelia Bones and Kingsley to the students who were eating.
"Don't be like that, Minerva." Bones pushed up her glasses on the bridge of her nose, "I happened to come to the Three Broomsticks to relax, and I received the reply you wrote to me."
"Is that so? It's really a coincidence." Professor McGonagall said with a smile, her voice a bit stiff.
It was obvious that she was still a bit uncomfortable with this way of speaking.
At this point, Dumbledore was very experienced. Every time he met Fudge, he was very sincere, and those who didn't know would think they were old friends of many years.
Bones came to the Three Broomsticks, and Kingsley? Did he also want to have a drink and come along? This reason is a bit too weak.
Moreover, from the time they entered the Great Hall until now, Kingsley had never looked into Professor McGonagall's eyes, and his embarrassment could be felt from afar.
However, Kyle didn't think there was anything wrong with this.
Although he was once a member of the Order of the Phoenix, the Order of the Phoenix had been disbanded by Dumbledore.
Moreover, it was normal for the Aurors to want to keep Voldemort's Horcruxes. If Kyle were the Head of the Auror Office, he would have come too.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the Head of the Auror Office, and he couldn't give the items to the Ministry of Magic for safekeeping.
"Minerva..."
"Amelia, how about having dinner together?" Professor McGonagall warmly invited the two to the teacher's table, while also interrupting what Bones wanted to say.
"Of course, no problem." Bones nodded, "Speaking of it, I do miss Hogwarts dinners. I remember the last time I had school-baked bread was thirty years ago."
"It was thirty-five years ago. That's when I first came to Hogwarts too, and it's still fresh in my memory."
"Yes, you're right." Professor McGonagall turned her head intentionally or unintentionally, giving Kyle a glance.
Kyle also suddenly realized something, and he quickly finished the roasted bread on his plate, slowly stood up, and naturally left the Great Hall with a few students.
When he reached the entrance hall, he quickened his pace and headed to the Headmaster's Office on the eighth floor.
Kyle's first glance was towards the shelf behind the work desk.
As he had guessed, the item he had given to Professor McGonagall earlier was still there.
Such an important Horcrux was left outside like trash... If Bones saw this, she would definitely suspect it.
It was probably that Professor McGonagall didn't expect her to come so quickly, so she didn't have time to put it away.
Fortunately, she reacted.
Kyle looked around the Headmaster's Office, and his gaze stopped on the shabby Sorting Hat.
He suddenly thought that since the Sorting Hat could hide the Gryffindor Sword, it should be able to hold a few more things.
After all, they were all left by the Four Founders.
As for whether it was real or fake, that didn't matter.
As long as it could show the importance of the Horcruxes, that was enough.
(End of Chapter)
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