Chapter 992: Shell Cottage
Chapter 992: Shell Cottage
As Mr. and Mrs. Lombard left Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, Neville was still in a daze, his face full of confusion and bewilderment as he followed them out.
Kyle sat in the shop, unable to hold back his laughter until their figures completely disappeared on the street.
There was no other way, just like how planting potatoes requires digging holes first; those scars were inevitable marks left by the Horcrux creation process.
The reason they were lightning-shaped was mainly because Kyle subconsciously thought of Harry's forehead at the time.
But there was also an advantage; at least Mr. Lombard would be able to harvest a large number of surprised looks when he went to the seaside for vacation again.
After all, not everyone could have a dozen standard lightning-shaped scars on their body, and if he were a bit more fashionable and painted those scars gold, it would be even more interesting.
Maybe Kyle could even open up a new business.
However, given Frank Lombard's personality, he probably wouldn't do that... Fred might.
After returning to Hogwarts, Kyle immediately found Conna and told her about what had just happened.
"Are you going?"
"Yes, I've already promised Falkland," Kyle said, "but I still need a female companion. If you're willing, that would be perfect."
Unlike the simple dinner at Hogwarts, the Christmas banquets hosted by wizarding families could basically be called Christmas balls...
Except for those who were too young, most of the invited wizards would attend with their dance partners, just like the Triwizard Tournament ball.
"Is this your way of inviting me?" Conna asked with a smile.
"Of course," Kyle replied.
"Okay," Conna raised her eyebrows, "then I agree, but I need to buy a new robe. The previous one is a bit small."
"You can go to Fleur for that," Kyle said, "though I really don't want to admit it, but when it comes to robes, the French boutiques are more professional."
"Then I'll make time to go to Shell Cottage," Conna nodded.
After Bill and Fleur's marriage, the couple moved out and now lived in a suburb of Cornwall, near the seaside.
Kyle really didn't understand why they chose to settle in such a remote place.
It was genuinely remote; not even wizarding owls delivering newspapers would be willing to go there.
But according to Bill, both he and Fleur considered it a lonely yet beautiful place, and they loved it.
One could only say that the aesthetics of wizards varied, and Kyle, though he didn't understand, expressed respect.
As long as the Floo Network was connected, it didn't matter if the location was remote or not.
...
After finding a dance partner, Kyle no longer thought about this matter. He continued with his daily classes and then took care of the fire dragons in the garden.
It had to be said that the fire dragons grew incredibly fast.
Now, when they stood up, they were all over twenty feet tall, and the largest, Iron Belly, was even forty feet tall. Flying over the Forbidden Forest, they looked like a large cloud.
The centaurs had complained many times, but no one paid attention.
It was impossible for anyone to care.
When the Death Eaters attacked Hogwarts, those fire dragons all joined the battle, and the most temperamental Hungarian Fire Crab contributed the most. From the start to the end of the war, it never stopped spewing dragon flames and single-handedly destroyed a Death Eater squad.
It even received the 'Special Contribution to Hogwarts Award' from Professor McGonagall in her capacity as Headmaster.
There is still a dragon statue trophy in the school's award display room, the only one of its kind.
Looking at the centaurs, from the beginning of the war, they hid in the Forbidden Forest and never appeared... Well, that's not entirely accurate; they did come out near the end to shoot a round of arrows, which was considered a gesture of goodwill.
It's also possible that a centaur divined the outcome of the war and believed they should participate.
But with one present from the start and the other appearing near the end... In this situation, it's clear which side Hogwarts would favor.
Headmaster McGonagall would definitely not drive the centaurs out of the Forbidden Forest, as the forest, in a strict sense, is independent and does not belong to Hogwarts.
But she would also not refuse to have another magical creature live in the forest, and as for territory and airspace... The forest doesn't belong to Hogwarts, so it's not her concern.
So, when facing the angry centaurs, Headmaster McGonagall basically had her hands tied, directing them to the Ministry of Magic.
She even helped them come up with a reason: someone was illegally breeding dragons.
At first, the centaurs did go to the Ministry, but Kyle had a dragon breeding permit from the protected area, so the Ministry couldn't do anything.
Then, with the Ministry of Magic not intervening, the school is left to its own devices.
Kyle has now removed most of the alchemy mist, leaving only the outer part closest to the castle.
After all, the students still have classes, and it would be distracting if they suddenly saw a dragon taking off from a distance.
Hagrid is a regular here, visiting almost daily and often bringing Kyle things.
Unicorn hair, fire salamander tails, or augury feathers—all found during his patrols in the Forbidden Forest.
There were some before, but they weren't very useful. Hagrid would, at most, pick up some unicorn hair to weave a cushion or mend a bedsheet.
Now that the school has an alchemy class, these items have become more valuable. Hagrid brings an empty bag with him every time he goes to the forest and only returns when it's full.
This bountiful harvest has continued for several months.
Today, as usual, Hagrid hands over the bag to Kyle and asks, "The Quidditch match is coming up soon, right? Who do you think will win?"
"Gryffindor, of course," Kyle replies without hesitation. "This year's players, one by one, none of them are a match for Ginny.
"To put it simply, as long as Gryffindor can drag the match out for half an hour, even if their Seeker takes a nap in the middle, they'll still win."
Ginny is a Seeker on the team, and she's just like he was back then, embracing the Golden Snitch and dominating the game, unstoppable.
However, he used to have opponents; Harry and his Firebolt were quite challenging. But Ginny is different.
Neither Ravenclaw nor Hufflepuff has a player who can compete, and even the famous Slytherin Quidditch team has started playing by the rules.
But when you think about it, because of the war, Slytherin has faced a lot of ostracism. If they didn't behave at this time, they would definitely get beaten up.
With all these factors, this year's Quidditch match will undoubtedly become Ginny's solo pitching show.
"That's true," Hagrid nods, "The Weasleys are all incredibly gifted, even the mischievous Fred and George have achieved great things.
"I've been to their shop, it's really good... It would be even better if that plate didn't bite me." Hagrid subconsciously touches his beard.
"Do you need me to save you two seats?" he asks, "Of course, the seats may not be too close to the front."
"No need," Kyle shakes his head, "Conna's new robe has arrived, and this weekend, I plan to go to Shell Cottage with her."
"Robe?"
"For the Lombard family's Christmas dinner," Kyle explains.
"Oh, I remember," Hagrid slaps his arm,
"A few days ago, Neville also sent me an invitation letter, and I'm still hesitating about going... You know, many wizards don't like half-giant hybrids."
"Did Neville invite you?"
"No, it was Frank who invited me on behalf of the Lombard family," Hagrid says happily, "I'm so glad he's regained consciousness... You're really amazing, Kyle, truly."
Kyle remains silent.
He is genuinely surprised that Frank Lombard would invite Hagrid to the Christmas dinner.
Indeed, many wizards are reluctant to associate with anything related to giants, so usually, only those with particularly close relationships would invite Hagrid to formal occasions.
Frank Lombard and Hagrid were both members of the Order of the Phoenix, so it's not surprising that they have a good relationship. What surprises Kyle is that none of the other Lombards objected.
"Then let's go together," Kyle suggests, "Do you need a robe? I heard there's a shop in France that even makes robes for giants. I can ask Fleur to inquire for you."
"No need," Hagrid waves his hand, "The dragon skin coat you gave me before is great, and I've never worn it."
As he says this, Hagrid subconsciously looks up at the autumn bees in the sky.
The original text is available on [Chinese website]!"
The reason is that when he wears the dragon skin coat, the autumn bees will treat him as one of their own.
And when autumn bees face their kind, they can be a bit impolite... Hagrid has experienced it once, and the memory is still fresh.
Seeing that Hagrid has an idea, Kyle doesn't say anything more.
...
The next weekend, Kyle and Conna go for an early breakfast and then Apparate to Cornwall from Hogsmeade while the students are discussing Quidditch.
"I still can't understand..." Kyle furrowed his brows slightly as he looked at the seemingly endless beach and gravel, "How can a place like this be romantic?"
"I don't understand either." Conna replied, "Maybe it's something we don't get... I mean, Bill and Fleur are unique individuals."
She recalled the first time she met Bill.
At that time, his attire and appearance stood out from those around him. His long hair was tied in a ponytail, and he wore earrings that resembled fans. His dragon skin boots made him look like a cowboy from Muggle movies.
She couldn't help but wonder what Kyle would look like if he dressed like this...
Hmm... It wouldn't be bad, and she had never seen Kyle with long hair before.
Conna stared at Kyle's face, lost in thought, and suddenly she couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at?"
"No, nothing, really." Conna blushed and shook her head in denial.
"That's weird." Kyle didn't mind and continued, "Anyway, if it were me, I definitely wouldn't choose to live in a place where even owls don't come."
"Then where would you choose to live?" A cold, emotionless voice came from behind.
"Devon would be nice... Devon is great too, of course, but it also depends on what you like. We can discuss it and choose a place we all like..."
Kyle stopped halfway through his sentence, suddenly realizing that Conna hadn't asked this question.
When he turned around, he saw Fleur with an expression that was hard to describe—half anger and half amusement.
Her expression was strange, as if she had heard something amusing while being angry.
Oh, and beside her was Bill, winking and nudging her.
"How did you get here?" Kyle asked,
"I should say it's fortunate that I came." Fleur dragged out the words, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have known that you look down on our Shell Cottage so much.
"By the way, are you even a wizard? Or are you not allowed to use Apparition, Floo Network, and Portkeys?"
"Don't talk nonsense. I didn't look down on everything at Shell Cottage." Kyle explained, "Besides, we got here by Apparition, so how can I not be a wizard?"
"But you just said owls don't come here."
"Owls really don't come..." Kyle hesitated, "I mean, don't you get bored looking at those stones every day?"
"Then don't you get bored looking at Conna every day?" Fleur retorted.
Kyle shook his head without hesitation, "Never."
"Me neither!" She kissed Bill playfully.
"..."
Kyle felt like he had been kicked, but he couldn't say anything.
He was just complaining about how remote this place was! Fleur raised her eyebrows triumphantly and then pulled Conna, who wanted to speak for Kyle, and turned to leave.
"Ignore him, come with me. That shop's robes are really great."
Conna was pulled away by Fleur.
Bill walked up and patted Kyle's shoulder.
"Sorry, Fleur... Well, she didn't mean it."
"It's fine, I know." Kyle waved his hand, "And I was the one who mentioned this place first."
"So, have you really decided to settle down in Dorset?"
Bill asked curiously, "I heard the witches there aren't easy to get along with. Or did you and Diggory plan to go there together?"
He remembered that Kyle, Fred, George, and Cedric Diggory from the other side of the village were good friends and inseparable at school.
"No, it's just an idea." Kyle replied, "I don't know how the witches in Dorset are, but there's a great neighbor nearby. Living close to them would be interesting... Oh, and it requires some courage."
"It requires courage?" Bill frowned, wondering what this meant. What kind of neighbor would require courage... It couldn't be Death Eaters, could it?
"Anyway, did you receive an invitation from the Lombard family?" Kyle didn't want to say more and changed the subject.
"My mom received the invitation." Bill wasn't particularly curious either. Seeing Kyle's attitude, he continued, "The invitation is for our whole family. Fleur and I will go together."
...
As they talked, they walked towards the direction of Shell Cottage.
Just like its name, from a distance, their house looked like a giant shell, and it was quite beautiful.
...
(End of Chapter)```
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