Chapter 982: Assistant Professor Conna
Chapter 982: Assistant Professor Conna
The day before the start of term at Hogwarts, the shabby cottage underwent a complete transformation.
Over the past few days, Mrs. Weasley and the children had thoroughly cleaned the walls, painting them in various colors.
At first glance, it looked a bit chaotic, but it also resembled the magical castles depicted in Muggle books, like a miniature version of a magical castle.
Even the gnomes in the garden had been thoroughly cleared out and thrown far away. Considering the distance, it would take them several days at the very least to return.
The Banshee in the attic of the cottage had also been temporarily relocated to Kyle's house.
Everyone was busy, and Kyle was roped into helping with various tasks.
...
The wedding venue was set in an orchard near the cottage, and many guests had arrived.
First to arrive was Kyle, followed soon after by Harry, Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks, all former members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Ron, Fred, and George were assigned to greet the wedding guests in front of a large tent.
Shamelessly, they tried to drag Kyle and Cedric along, but to no avail.
Kyle ignored them and walked into the tent without a backward glance.
As soon as Cedric entered, he was stunned by the sight inside the tent and stood speechless.
From the outside, it appeared to be a regular tent, but the interior resembled a vast park. It featured a large expanse of clean grass, with a long purple velvet carpet leading from the entrance, flanked by delicate golden chairs.
"What are you doing...?" Kyle nudged Cedric, "Can't you stop acting so inexperienced? It's embarrassing."
"But I've never seen anything like this before," Cedric muttered.
"Didn't you go to my trunk?" Kyle glanced at him.
His trunk was much larger than this tent, and it was even more lively.
"It's different, it's different..." Cedric's eyes wandered, his thoughts unknown.
"Are you thinking that you and Autumn will also get married here...?"
Cedric's face turned red in an instant, and he subconsciously turned away, "How did you know... No, I mean, I wasn't thinking that."
"You weren't thinking it, but it's written all over your face." Kyle chuckled.
"But this is indeed a rare tent specifically designed for weddings. It's not easy for Bill to have obtained it."
The two walked further inside together.
Compared to Lupin and Tonks' wedding, this time, there were many more guests.
The Weasley family had numerous relatives, and the Delacours were also a prominent French family. When Kyle entered, he felt as if he had stepped into the grand hall of the Ministry of Magic.
Due to the large number of people, Kyle and Cedric's arrival didn't attract much attention. They found a spot in a corner and started helping themselves to the buffet.
Before long, Autumn also arrived.
"Where's Conna?" Autumn looked at the empty space beside Kyle, "Didn't you go to pick her up?"
"I did, but there was no one there," Kyle shrugged.
Early that morning, he had gone to Conna's house but found no one.
The neighbor, Snape, had opened the door as if he had been waiting specifically for Kyle. Before Kyle could even steady himself after Apparating, Snape opened the door and began a peculiar tirade.
Kyle couldn't recall the exact words, but the gist was that Conna had more important matters to attend to and had left home two weeks prior. She was currently not in Britain.
It might have been an illusion, but after shedding his Death Eater and spy identities, Snape seemed even more irritating. Every word he spoke was drawn out.
Consequently, before Kyle returned, a box of dungbombs had accidentally fallen down Snape's chimney.
Of course, they had only fallen at the moment, but what would happen once Snape lit the fireplace was uncertain.
"You said she's not in Britain?"
"That's what it seems," Kyle replied, "I tried using the Two-Faced Mirror to contact her, and I noticed a snowy mountain in her background. But before I could say anything, the mirror disconnected due to the long distance.
"From the looks of it, she's at least three thousand miles away from me."
"I see." Autumn looked a bit disappointed, as it had been a long time since she had last seen Conna.
Not just Autumn, but Kyle himself hadn't seen Conna in a while. After the Hogwarts break, he had been busy attempting the Horcrux Curse, and Conna had been occupied with her own affairs.
They had assumed she would return for Bill's wedding, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
Oh well, they would wait a little longer.
Soon after, Autumn and Cedric left for another area, leaving Kyle alone to enjoy the refreshments.
Fortunately, Fred and George finally finished their tasks and returned, their complaints audible from a distance.
"When it's my turn to get married, you can wear whatever you want..."
"Don't forget to put a Full Body-Bind Curse on Mom."
Kyle raised an eyebrow at them, "If I'm not mistaken, you said the same thing at Lupin and Tonks' wedding."
"That's because these things are really annoying!" Fred tugged at his robe collar.
Just as he finished speaking, a group of people entering from the entrance caught his attention.
For a moment, the entire tent was filled with vibrant colors, the sunlight transformed into a rainbow, refracting into a kaleidoscope of light, illuminating a group of beautiful butterflies.
"Wow..." George rubbed his eyes forcefully, "I've never seen so many Veela girls."
"They must be Fleur's cousins." Fred carefully straightened his collar, which he had just rumpled, "As the host, I think I should introduce them to British customs."
As he spoke, George had already rushed past two middle-aged witches at the front of the group and greeted the two beautiful French girls, "Hey... Allow me to be of service!"
The French girls giggled and allowed him to accompany them inside.
"When did he learn French?" Kyle blinked in disbelief, "And so fluently..."
No one answered him, and when he turned around again, Fred was nowhere to be seen.
"Alright..." Kyle reached for a piece of chocolate and popped it into his mouth.
It seemed that Fred and George were eager to cast the Full Body-Bind Curse on Mrs. Weasley.
"Aren't you going?" Hermione's voice came from behind, "They're Veela, Ron's eyes turned red when he realized he was late."
Hermione was also well-dressed today, wearing a light purple dress and matching high heels, her hair smooth and silky.
"Precisely because they're Veela, I should keep my distance." Kyle pushed a plate of chocolates towards her.
"What do you mean?" Hermione was a little confused.
Kyle smiled but didn't explain.
It was impossible to explain; he couldn't very well tell her that he subconsciously saw them as magical creatures, which would be somewhat impolite.
...
More and more people arrived: Kingsley, Hagrid, Luna, and Viktor Krum.
As a fellow Triwizard Tournament champion, he had also been invited by Fleur to the wedding. The famous international Quidditch player caused quite a stir as soon as he appeared.
The younger guests were excited to see him, and a few even approached him for autographs and enthusiastically invited him to sit with them.
Krum declined all invitations and chose to sit next to Kyle. As soon as he sat down, he looked at Hermione and happily struck up a conversation with her.
Whether Hermione was happy or not, Kyle didn't know, but Krum seemed to be enjoying himself.
Hermione soon found an excuse to leave.
At this moment, Ginny and Autumn walked over from outside, chatting and laughing.
Krum stared at them intently.
"These girls are so beautiful..." Krum muttered under his breath, "Do you know them?"
He was addressing Kyle,
"Yes, we're quite close." Kyle gave him a nonchalant look, "But they all have boyfriends, and they have fiery tempers. They prefer using iron rods as thick as their wrists for beating people up, rather than wands."
Krum's face turned slightly pale, as if he had thought of something.
"I heard... that you've graduated." He seemed to want to change the subject.
Kyle glanced at him, "I graduated a year ago, and you're just hearing about it now?"
"I... don't know much about the situation on your side in Britain." Krum's voice sounded a bit distant.
"Do you want to join a professional Quidditch team? With your skills, you'll surely become an official player soon."
"Quidditch is just my hobby." Kyle patiently said to Krum, who was struggling to find something to say, "I think I'm more suited to being a professor at Hogwarts."
The atmosphere became a bit awkward for a moment.
Krum was the one feeling awkward; he had always thought Kyle would be quite good, but now it seemed otherwise...
"Hmm... What about the Dark Wizard on your side?" He racked his brains for another topic.
"Oh, he's keeping your headmaster company." Kyle replied casually.
Now, the conversation really couldn't continue.
Krum stood up abruptly and left without a word.
Did Kyle care?
Of course not.
Whether he wanted to hear it or not, Voldemort was keeping company with Karkaroff.
After Krum left, the surroundings became noticeably quieter, and Kyle reached for a floating glass of champagne and took a sip.
To his right was a group of Weasleys.
The Weasley family indeed had many relatives, and Kyle struggled to remember them all. The only one who left a deep impression was an old witch named Muriel, whom Ron and Charlie called Auntie.
This woman's mouth was a never-ending fountain of words, chattering non-stop from the moment they met. She talked about Ron's hairstyle, how to wear head accessories, and casually complained about the French... Kyle couldn't fathom where she found so many topics to discuss.
Fortunately, this talkative witch only engaged Weasley in conversation, and Kyle, keeping his distance, remained unaffected.
The wedding proceeded similarly to Lupin's, with guests arriving, the ceremony, and the start of the ball...
Even the wizard officiating the ceremony was the same familiar short wizard from before.
Compared to the previous wedding, this one went much smoother. There were no Death Eaters causing trouble, nor any party poopers. The ball was lively and continued well into the night without any signs of ending.
Bill and Fleur's plan for an all-night ball was met with enthusiasm by most attendees.
Fred and George, lovers of excitement, were especially supportive.
Mrs. Weasley, though not convinced it was a good idea, kept quiet seeing everyone's enjoyment.
However, Kyle didn't participate and left midway.
...
The next day, Mr. Weasley was supposed to drive Ginny to King's Cross Station, but seeing his fatigue, Kyle volunteered to take over.
Since he was going there anyway, he could conveniently give Ginny a ride.
"You're going to King's Cross Station too?" Mr. Weasley looked puzzled, "I thought you'd Apparate to Hogsmeade and then go to school."
"That was my initial plan," Kyle said, "but Professor Saxia wants to ride the Hogwarts Express one more time, and Professor McGonagall asked me to accompany her. You know, she's quite old."
"Ah, yes," Mr. Weasley nodded.
He didn't know Saxia's exact age; he only knew that she was already famous when he was a child.
"Then I'll leave it to you." Mr. Weasley yawned, "Here's the car key..."
"No need," Kyle smiled, "I'll Apparate there."
"Apparate?" Mr. Weasley shook his head, keys in hand, "Better not. If you appear at King's Cross Station, Muggles will definitely see you, and it'll be troublesome."
"Just don't appear at King's Cross Station," Kyle smiled.
He reached out, grabbing Ginny, who was also yawning, and asked, "Do you know Side-Along Apparition?"
"Of course," Ginny rubbed her eyes and whispered, "I've passed the Apparition Test. I don't even need you to take me."
"Then forget it!" Kyle said.
He grabbed Ginny's arm, waved goodbye to Mr. Weasley, and they vanished from their original spot.
The next second, the two appeared on Platform 9, where the deep red Hogwarts Express stood like a giant beast.
"Ginny, Kyle..." At that moment, Luna happened to walk out from the opposite side.
"How was the ball last night?"
"It was amazing," Ginny said, "When I get married, I want an all-night ball too!"
"With Harry?" Kyle asked abruptly.
He was immediately stomped on by a blushing Ginny.
Ginny pulled Luna onto the train, while Kyle stayed behind, waiting.
Just as the train was about to depart, Professor Saxia finally arrived, also choosing to Apparate directly without going through King's Cross Station.
"Welcome, Professor Saxia," Kyle walked over quickly but soon stopped.
"Um... Conna?"
He then noticed that someone else was with Professor Saxia.
Conna released Professor Saxia's arm and smiled at Kyle, "Actually, I'd prefer you call me Assistant Professor Conna."
"Assistant Professor?" Kyle was taken aback, "Wait, you applied to become a Hogwarts Professor too?"
"Not exactly," Conna thought for a moment and explained, "A month ago, Professor Saxia found me and asked if I'd like to travel with her. I agreed."
"After retiring, it's good to relax," Professor Saxia also smiled and said, "Besides, an excellent Potions master shouldn't stay in one place."
"Later, Professor Saxia decided to go to Hogwarts," Conna continued, "She invited me to be her assistant professor, teaching Potions to first and second years."
"Well... okay," Kyle never expected to meet Conna again in this manner.
Not bad at all.
"That's how it is," Conna suddenly became excited, "This month, Professor Saxia showed me so much... I learned that lava can be used in a cauldron, and you probably don't know this, but there are potions that don't require fire to brew."
(End of Chapter)
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