Chapter 973: Sincerity Among Wizards
Chapter 973: Sincerity Among Wizards
By the time Kyle left the Three Broomsticks, it was already afternoon, and Roach had departed from Hogsmeade much earlier.
Although the additional deal hadn't been finalized, leaving Roach slightly disappointed, she knew that Grindelwald would keep his word.
All Kyle needed to do now was wait patiently.
Upon returning to Hogwarts, the afternoon exams were just beginning. Kyle didn't even need to go back to the castle; from a distance, he spotted the students waiting outside the Forbidden Forest.
For the Care of Magical Creatures exam, there were only a dozen or so participants, but almost every face was beaming with joy.
Their task was to locate the Thestrals within the designated area within a specified time frame and guide them to a specific location without making physical contact.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been a challenging task, as most Hogwarts students couldn't see Thestrals and could only rely on their knowledge to deduce their possible locations.
The N.E.W.T. exam enclosure was nearly the size of three Quidditch pitches, and most students needed a wealth of knowledge and ample experience to find traces of Thestrals in such a vast space.
Even guiding them to the designated area afterward was a test of patience.
However, the situation seemed to have changed.
Kyle witnessed Simphanygan casually strolling up to the Thestrals and enticing one with a fresh beef leg, leading it to the specified location within just a few minutes.
Then there were Justin Finley and his friend McMilan.
To put it simply, the exam was so easy that one could stroll through and effortlessly earn a certificate.
"Damn, why did we ever drop Care of Magical Creatures?"
Further away, Ron and Harry stared intently, their eyes red with envy.
They had come to find Hagrid but unexpectedly witnessed the Care of Magical Creatures exam.
It was as good as being handed a certificate... and a perfect one at that.
Unfortunately, due to their heavy course load, they had previously abandoned this subject and, naturally, didn't need to take this exam.
"This was one of my few chances to get an Outstanding certificate..." Ron's heart was practically bleeding.
"Don't you remember Hagrid's hint?" Hermione interjected, slightly annoyed: "When we went to explain to Hagrid, he mentioned the N.E.W.T. exam."
"Don't be silly, Ron," Hermione added, her tone exasperated: "You think the exam is easy because everyone can see Thestrals after the war, but we came to Hagrid a long time ago. He couldn't have foreseen the war before the exam."
Despite her words, Hermione's tone didn't sound particularly cheerful.
If she had continued with Care of Magical Creatures, she would have earned eleven certificates, and the exam for this subject didn't seem to require much preparation.
The trio waited on the sidelines until the exam concluded and then approached Hagrid.
Kyle, on the other hand, returned to the castle with Tibulus from the Wizard Examinations Authority, tasked once again with ensuring student safety.
Although Thestrals were relatively docile magical creatures, they were still carnivorous.
Over the next few days, the exams proceeded smoothly and efficiently.
By Wednesday, the graduation exams for the young witches and wizards began, and Hogwarts entered its busiest phase, equally challenging for both professors and students.
That morning, an owl flew into the castle with a group delivering letters, dropping an unsigned letter in front of Kyle in the Great Hall.
Kyle glanced at it and then whispered something to Professor McGonagall before hastily leaving Hogwarts.
...
Meanwhile, as the professors and students of Hogwarts focused on exam preparations, the magical community in Britain had become increasingly lively in recent days.
All this commotion was due to a Death Eater who had narrowly escaped.
Voldemort was dead, but he was said to have left a treasure at his headquarters.
Later, when he was defeated while attacking Hogwarts, a Death Eater inadvertently discovered this treasure.
He wanted to leave Britain with Voldemort's treasure but was caught by wandering wizards at a pier in Cornwall.
The wandering wizards found a magical diary that could speak and an ancient, rustic map on him.
According to the Death Eater, who had been given Veritaserum, the diary recorded all of Voldemort's powerful magic, and the map's recorded location was even more mysterious.
It is said that Voldemort became the Dark Lord because he found a legendary place and learned incredibly powerful magic there, including the creation of Horcruxes.
That place was called Nurmengard.
As this news spread, Grindelwald, the Dark Wizard who had once wreaked havoc across Europe seventy years ago, once again returned to the public eye.
Possessing the most powerful wand and being Dumbledore's arch-nemesis, Grindelwald plotted to establish a world ruled by wizards, aiming to overthrow the International Confederation of Wizards.
It was no surprise that such a legendary figure knew how to create Horcruxes; it was entirely reasonable.
However, with the outbreak of an internal conflict among the Wandering Wizards, the map also disappeared, and now many were searching for it.
"Kyle, are you sure this is a good idea?" Alastor Moody, enjoying his retirement in a dense forest, furrowed his brows slightly.
"It's not just the wizards seeking to create Horcruxes who are after the map; there are also many who want to make a fortune. What if they get involved...?"
"Don't worry, I know my limits, and this won't happen," Kyle replied, putting away his wand and carefully examining the map in front of him.
His first fortune was made by selling maps, and he couldn't let his traditional craft slip; it was still as good as ever.
"Remember, as long as we have the map, we can decide who gets it. As for those who want to take shortcuts... well, let's just say they're playing a treasure hunt game."
"Then who do you plan to give it to? Why go to such lengths for them..." Mad-Eye couldn't help but ask, "The whole of Britain is in an uproar over this, and even in my retirement, you're dragging me into it."
"And I must say, Britain really can't afford to lose any more wizards right now. Unless it's a serious crime, let them go."
"Who are you!" Kyle took a half-step back, looking at Moody in shock.
"Mad-Eye wouldn't say something like 'let them go'..."
"It's because of the last war," Moody rubbed his forehead, unconcerned about Kyle's exaggerated reaction.
"There weren't many British wizards to begin with, and one night, several hundred disappeared. Can you imagine the pressure on the Ministry of Magic?"
"Just some Death Eaters."
"But their families are also wizards," Moody said softly. "You should be able to guess that even if they're just cannon fodder, Voldemort wouldn't choose a Muggle-born."
"And with fewer wizards, the outside world will pay more attention. Cornwall has been much busier lately than before."
Kyle, of course, knew what Moody meant by 'busy'—it was undoubtedly those wizards who wanted to enter Britain through irregular means.
"Of course, I'm just making a suggestion, after all, I'm retired," Moody continued.
"It's fine," Kyle waved his hand. "I didn't plan to target our side anyway; those people were just there to enhance the map's authenticity."
"If there's no movement on our side, others won't believe it."
After the last war, the magical community in Britain was like a clean slate, instantly becoming much cleaner... and that was good enough. If they pushed too hard, there was a risk of tearing everything apart.
To be honest, if it weren't for that big-mouthed person who spread this matter outside, he wouldn't have cooperated with Roach.
"Others... who do you plan to give the map to?"
"I don't know," Kyle replied.
"You don't know?" Moody was taken aback.
"The person in charge of the specifics is my other partner."
Kyle picked up the parchment in his hand and waved it, saying, "I'm only responsible for creating this map. The rest, including how to make it appear reasonably in the hands of someone who needs it and the selection of those vying for the map, is up to her to arrange."
"No interference, no meddling, that's what we agreed on before."
"Will it work?" Moody asked with some concern. "Those people aren't fools. Your partner might be able to deceive them, but what if someone suspects..."
"There's no chance of that," Kyle shook his head firmly.
"Although I don't like that partner, I have to admit that her strength is formidable, and her abilities are top-notch. Almost nothing goes wrong with what she guarantees."
"The few times it did were because the opponent was Dumbledore."
"Albus?" Moody looked at Kyle in surprise and blurted out, "Who is your partner?"
"Please allow me to keep it confidential, Alastor," Kyle said.
Moody fell silent for a moment and didn't ask further.
As he had said earlier, he was already retired, and there was no need to maintain such a strong curiosity.
Additionally, he also trusted Kyle.
"So, what brings you to me this time?"
"Let's promote some more." Kyle said, "Think of some reasonable or unreasonable stories to liven up Diagon Alley or the Cornwall docks for the next few days."
Moody's mouth moved. He really wanted to tell Kyle that he was no longer the leader of the wandering wizards, and with limited abilities and identity, it was already a struggle to do what he was doing now.
But as the words reached his lips, he thought of the "partner" Kyle had mentioned and the high praise Kyle had for her.
Moody's competitive spirit rose, and he nodded vigorously.
"No problem, leave it to me!"
"I knew I could count on you." Kyle smiled.
He glanced at the time,
"I have something else to do, let's talk next time."
With a crisp sound, Kyle Disapparated.
Only then did Moody gradually realize that he seemed to have taken on a big task.
Spreading a message out of thin air wasn't difficult, but hiding himself at the same time wouldn't be easy either.
His current identity was just an ordinary wandering wizard, and there really weren't many people he could rely on. He couldn't possibly ask for assistance from the Ministry of Magic.
So everything he did required his personal involvement. What he had done before had already kept him busy, running around to several places in a day, and it would only get more hectic later.
Moody stood in place, wondering if it was just his imagination, but he felt like he had been tricked by Kyle.
It couldn't be... He shook his head.
As an experienced Auror, he still had some caution. It must have been because he had spent too much time with the wandering wizards lately, and unknowingly, he had become as impulsive as them.
He had indeed been impulsive...
Moody sighed.
On the other side, Kyle reappeared at the entrance of the Three Broomsticks.
Almost at the same time, Roach arrived as well.
"He's very satisfied."
"What?"
"He's very satisfied with what you brought." Roach repeated.
"Of course, I carefully selected those, if he's not satisfied, then he's just nitpicking."
Roach looked at Kyle with a complex expression, but soon returned to normal.
She didn't waste words and directly extended her hand, "Give it to me. As a reward, you don't need to get involved in the rest. I'll take full responsibility."
"Is this Grindelwald's idea?"
"It's my idea." Roach said casually, "What, don't you trust me?"
"I trust you." Kyle decisively took out the newly made map and handed it to Roach.
"Professional matters should be left to professionals, I won't get in the way."
"Hmph..." Roach gave a cold laugh, "I feel like you're insulting me."
"I'm not, I'm not. I'm sincerely complimenting you."
"Then you're being too modest." Roach glanced at the map, "Being able to make something like this, you're much more professional than me.
Roach slightly curled her lips, "To be honest, if you were born seventy years earlier, I would've found a way to get rid of you... to prevent you from threatening my position."
"Then I'm truly lucky." Kyle smiled.
Roach also smiled and threw a piece of parchment at Kyle.
"What's this?"
"A list." Roach said, "Consider it a little gift from me."
"Those foreign wizards?"
"No." Roach shook her head, "Since I've agreed to take over, you don't need to know about them. I found these separately."
"Things haven't been calm in Britain these days, and these people have contributed the most. Once they disappear, your Ministry of Magic should have an easier time."
"If it's inconvenient for you, I can do it myself without asking for any reward."
"I won't trouble you with this. We can handle it ourselves." Kyle put away the parchment.
"Oh, thank you."
"You're welcome."
After saying this, Roach disappeared in the middle of Hogsmeade's streets.
Kyle had originally planned to go to the forest where Nurmengard was located to hide the Horcrux diagram under the tower.
But now that Roach had taken over everything, it seemed like he didn't need to go anymore.
Moreover, Roach knew the entire plan, and for her, creating a fake Horcrux diagram was completely effortless.
In this regard, she was truly professional.
Indeed, it was better for wizards to be sincere with each other.
He didn't go through the motions and sincerely made a photo album for Grindelwald, which saved him a lot of trouble.
(End of Chapter)
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