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 transaction hadn't been completed, leaving Roach looking slightly disappointed, Kyle knew that Grindelwald would never be careless with his promises.
All Kyle needed to do now was wait patiently.
Upon returning to Hogwarts, the afternoon exams had just begun, and Kyle didn't even need to go back to the castle to see the students waiting outside the Forbidden Forest for the Care of Magical Creatures exam.
There were only a dozen or so students participating, and each of them had a joyful smile on their faces.
Their task was to locate the Thestrals within the designated area within the given time frame and guide them to a specific location without making contact.
Under normal circumstances, this would be a challenging task, as most Hogwarts students couldn't see Thestrals and could only rely on their knowledge to determine where they might appear.
The N.E.W.T. exam enclosure was approximately the size of three Quidditch pitches, and most students needed a wealth of knowledge and experience to find Thestrals in such a vast space.
Even leading them to the designated area required a test of patience.
However, the situation seemed to have changed.
Kyle witnessed Simphoniagan strolling casually towards the Thestrals and using a fresh cow leg to lure one to the specified location within just a few minutes.
There was also Justin Finley and McMillan.
To put it simply, the exam was so easy that anyone could walk in and effortlessly earn a certificate.
"Damn, why did we give up on Care of Magical Creatures?"
Further away, Ron and Harry stared at them with reddened eyes.
They had come to find Hagrid but unexpectedly witnessed the Care of Magical Creatures exam.
What's the difference between this and giving away certificates... and even perfect scores at that.
Unfortunately, they had previously abandoned the class due to their heavy course load and, naturally, weren't participating in this exam.
"This was one of my few chances to get an Outstanding certificate..." Ron's heart was practically bleeding.
"Remember what Hagrid said to us? When we went to explain ourselves to him, he mentioned the N.E.W.T. exam," Ron added.
"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," Hermione said impatiently. "You think the exam is easy because everyone can see Thestrals after the war, but we spoke to Hagrid a long time ago. He couldn't have predicted that a war would happen before the exam."
Despite her words, Hermione's tone wasn't particularly cheerful.
If she had taken Care of Magical Creatures, she could have earned eleven certificates, and the exam for this subject didn't seem to require much time for revision.
The three of them waited nearby until the exam ended, and then they approached Hagrid.
Kyle followed Tebulus from the Examination Department back to the castle, and his task remained the same: safeguarding the students' safety.
Although Thestrals are relatively docile magical creatures, they are carnivores.
In the following days, the exams continued without a hitch.
On Wednesday, the graduation exams for the young witches and wizards commenced, and Hogwarts entered its busiest phase for both students and professors.
That morning, an owl flew into the castle with a group of other owls delivering letters. It dropped an unsigned letter in front of Kyle in the Great Hall.
Kyle glanced at the letter and then went to speak quietly to Professor McGonagall before hurrying out of Hogwarts.
...
Meanwhile, as the professors and students of Hogwarts focused on preparing for the exams, the British magical community had become increasingly lively in recent days.
This was all due to a Death Eater who had narrowly escaped.
Voldemort was dead, but he was said to have left a treasure in his headquarters.
Later, during his attack on Hogwarts, a Death Eater inadvertently discovered this treasure.
He wanted to leave Britain with Voldemort's treasure but was caught by a wandering wizard at a dock in Cornwall.
The wandering wizard found a magical diary capable of speech and an ancient, rustic map on the Death Eater.
According to the Death Eater's confession after drinking Veritaserum, the diary recorded all of Voldemort's powerful magic, and the location depicted on the map was even more mysterious.
It was rumored that Voldemort became the Dark Lord because he had found a legendary place and learned incredibly powerful magic there, including the secrets of Horcruxes.
This is a story about a place called Nurmengard. With the spread of this news, Grindelwald, the dark wizard who once wreaked havoc across Europe seventy years ago, is once again in the public eye.
Possessing the most powerful wand and being Dumbledore's arch-nemesis, he sought to establish a world ruled by wizards and plotted against the International Confederation of Wizards.
It is no surprise that such a legendary figure knows how to create Horcruxes; it is quite reasonable.
However, with the outbreak of a major internal conflict among wandering wizards, the map also disappeared without a trace, and now many are searching for it.
"Kyle, is it really okay to do this?" Alastor Moody, enjoying his retirement in a dense forest, frowned slightly, "Now, it's not just wizards who want to create Horcruxes looking for the map; there are also many who want to make a fortune. What if it affects them..."
"Don't worry, I have my limits, and this won't happen," Kyle said, putting away his wand and carefully examining the map in front of him.
His first pot of gold was earned by selling maps, and traditional craftsmanship must not be neglected. The quality remains as good as ever.
"Don't forget, as long as we have the map, we can decide who gets it. As for those who want to take advantage, let them play a treasure hunt game."
"Then who do you want to give it to? It's not worth making such a big fuss..." One-Eyed Man couldn't help but speak up, "Now the whole of Britain is in an uproar because of this, and I'm retired, but you still want me to help."
"And I must say, Britain really can't afford to lose more wizards right now. If it's not a serious crime, let them go."
"Who are you!" Kyle took a half-step back, looking at Moody in shock.
"One-Eyed Man would never say... let them go."
"It's because of the last war." Moody rubbed his forehead, not paying attention to Kyle's exaggerated reaction.
"There aren't many British wizards to begin with, and one night, several hundred were gone. Do you know how much pressure the Ministry of Magic is under?"
"Just some Death Eaters."
"But their families are also wizards." Moody said softly, "You should be able to guess that even as cannon fodder, Voldemort wouldn't choose a Muggle-born."
"And with fewer wizards, there will be more outside attention. Cornwall has been busier than before lately."
Kyle, of course, knew what Moody meant by 'busy' - it was definitely those wizards who wanted to enter Britain through irregular means.
"Of course, I'm just suggesting. After all, I'm already 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 highlight the map's authenticity.
"If there's no movement on our side, others won't believe it."
After the last war, the British wizarding world became much cleaner, as if it had been washed with water... This is good. If we push too hard, it might tear and become troublesome.
To be honest, if it weren't for someone with a big mouth spreading this news outside, he wouldn't have collaborated with Roach.
"Others... who are you planning to give the map to?"
"I don't know," Kyle said.
"You don't know?" Moody was taken aback.
"The person in charge of implementing this plan is my other partner."
Kyle picked up the parchment in his hand and shook it, saying, "I'm only responsible for creating this map. The rest, including how it will reasonably end up in the hands of someone who needs it, and the selection of people vying for the map, is up to her to arrange.
"Not interfering and not giving orders is what we agreed upon before."
"Will it work?" Moody was a bit worried, "Those people aren't fools. Can your partner really deceive them? What if someone suspects..."
"There's no possibility of that," Kyle shook his head, his tone certain.
"Although I don't like that partner, I have to admit that her strength is formidable, and her abilities are top-notch. Almost everything she guarantees gets done.
"The few times it didn't were because Dumbledore was involved."
"Albus?" Moody looked at Kyle in surprise, exclaiming, "Who is your partner!"
"Please allow me to keep it confidential, Alastor," Kyle said.
Moody fell silent for a moment, not asking further.
The original text can be found in the book/bar!
Just as he said, he's already retired and doesn't need to maintain such a strong curiosity.
Another thing, he also believed Kyle.
"So what brings you here this time?"
"Let's advertise some more." Kyle said, "Think of a few reasonable or unreasonable stories, and let's make the streets of Diagon Alley or Cornwall Wharf a little more lively these days."
Moody's mouth moved, and he really wanted to tell Kyle that he was no longer the leader of the wandering wizards, with limited abilities and identities, and it was already very difficult to do what he was doing now.
But as the words reached his lips, he thought of the "partner" in Kyle's words and Kyle's high evaluation of her.
Moody's competitive spirit rose, and he nodded forcefully.
"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.
It wasn't until then that Moody gradually realized that he seemed to have taken on a big task for himself.
Spreading a message out of thin air wasn't difficult, but at the same time, hiding himself wasn't so easy.
His current identity was just an ordinary wandering wizard, and there was truly no one available around him, and it was impossible to seek assistance from the Ministry of Magic.
So everything he did required his personal involvement, and what he had done before had already kept him busy enough, running to several places in a day, and it would be even more so after that.
Moody stood in place, not sure if it was an illusion, but he felt like he had been played by Kyle.
It shouldn't be... he shook his head.
As an experienced old Auror, he still had some caution, and it was probably because he had spent too much time with the wandering wizards lately, unconsciously becoming as impulsive as them.
He was truly impulsive...
Moody sighed.
On the other hand, Kyle reappeared and was already at the Three Broomsticks.
Almost at the same time, Roach also arrived.
"He's very satisfied."
"What?"
"The item you brought, he's very satisfied with it." Roach repeated.
"Of course, that's something I carefully selected, 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 either, directly extending her hand, "Give it to me, as a reward, you don't need to get involved in the rest, I'll take full responsibility on behalf of my group."
"Is this Grindelwald's idea?"
"It's my idea." Roach casually said, "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."
"Hmm..." Roach sneered, "I feel like you're insulting me..."
"I'm not, I'm not, these are all sincere compliments."
"Then you're too humble." Roach glanced at the map, "Being able to make something like this, you're more professional than me."
Roach lightly curled her lips, "Seriously, if you were born seven 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 smiled as well, and at the same time, threw a piece of parchment to 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 promised to take over, you don't need to worry about them, I found these separately."
"Things haven't been calm in Britain these days, these people have contributed the most, if they disappear, your Ministry of Magic will have a much easier time."
"If it's inconvenient for you, I can also do it without compensation."
"I won't trouble you with this, we can handle it ourselves." Kyle put away the parchment.
"Oh, thanks."
"You're welcome."
After saying this, Roach disappeared in the middle of Hogsmeade's streets.
Originally, Kyle was planning to go to the forest where Nurmengard was located, to hide the Horcrux creation diagram under the bottom of that tall tower.
But now, Roach had taken over everything, and it seemed like he didn't need to do it anymore.
Moreover, for Roach, creating a fake Horcrux creation diagram was completely effortless.
In this regard, she was truly professional.
Indeed, sincerity between wizards was the best policy.
He didn't treat it lightly, and sincerely made an album for Grindelwald, saving him a lot of trouble.
(End of Chapter)
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