Diana was once an Auror?
To be honest, this revelation genuinely surprised Kyle. He instinctively doubted Professor Moody’s mory, but after a mont’s reflection, he realized it was plausible.
Kyle recalled his visit to Diagon Alley the year he received his Hogwarts acceptance letter. The Leaky Cauldron, usually lively and crowded, fell eerily silent the instant Diana walked through the door.
It was clear that her role as an Unspeakable in the Departnt of Mysteries couldn’t have caused such a reaction. After all, very few people even knew what that entailed—it was a closely guarded secret.
“Auror...” Kyle murmured, the word lingering on his lips as he turned back toward the classroom door. Without further thought, he walked with Kanna toward the staircase.
For the next two weeks, Kyle continued his Saturday sessions in the Headmaster's office, studying under Dumbledore. This arrangent left those in the know envious of his opportunity.
As Easter approached—the final extended break before the school year’s end—the workload for fifth years grew heavier, with the O.W.L. exams looming on the horizon. The professors’ demands escalated, and students were using more parchnt in a single day than they had in an entire week earlier in the year.
Kyle, however, was an exception. His ti studying with Dumbledore exempted him from most of his assignnts, leaving only his Potions and History of Magic howork to complete. Unsurprisingly, even Dumbledore couldn’t excuse him from Professor Snape’s assignnts. As for History of Magic, not even Dumbledore’s influence carried weight with Professor Binns.
This arrangent saved Kyle considerable ti. According to Mikel, Professor McGonagall had been assigning daily scrolls of howork, prompting him to stockpile parchnt and ink every trip to Hogsade just to keep up.
The day before the Easter holidays, which fell on a Saturday, anyone outside the castle might have noticed golden-red flashes of light emanating from the windows of the Headmaster's office.
Inside, the office was unrecognizable. It had been magically expanded to an imnse size, and Dumbledore had sohow conjured a lake as large as the Black Lake within the room. Embers burned on the lake’s surface, and the heat in the room was stifling, akin to standing inside a furnace.
The portraits of forr headmasters had crowded into a single fra depicting a winter scene, as though it might offer them relief—despite their inability to feel the heat.
Fawkes, however, was thoroughly enjoying himself. The phoenix perched contentedly, eyes half-closed, occasionally letting out a soft, satisfied trill.
“Not bad. Even I can’t find fault with it,” Dumbledore remarked, his eyes twinkling as he observed Kyle, who sat slumped in a chair, panting heavily.
With a wave of his wand, the lake vanished, and the office reverted to its usual form.
“Here, have so. You’ll like it.”
A cup of steaming hot cocoa appeared on a nearby table. Kyle reached for it eagerly, taking a deep sip.
“As I was saying, Kyle,” Dumbledore said, taking a sip of the tea in front of him, “you have fully mastered this Charm, and there is no need for you to continue practicing it. You don’t need to co see again until next Saturday, so you’re free to do as you like until then.”
“Okay.” Kyle nodded, his earlier excitent settling into a more composed deanor. He reached into his bag, pulling out the book Dumbledore had lent him at the beginning of their sessions. “Professor, can I keep this?”
“If you like it, of course,” Dumbledore replied with a warm smile. “To be honest, when it was published, hardly anyone read it... Ancient Runes just didn’t capture most people’s interest.”
“But there are still so people who enjoy it, right?” Kyle asked.
“That’s true,” Dumbledore agreed, his eyes twinkling. “Oh, by the way, I have sothing else to tell you.”
“What is it?” Kyle asked, slipping the book back into his pocket.
“It concerns the Easter holidays.” Dumbledore opened a drawer and retrieved a fragnt of red stone, holding it out to Kyle.
“This can’t be Nicolas’s Portkey...” Kyle blurted out.
The fragnt looked strikingly familiar. Kyle had one of his own, though his was blue. Nicolas Flal had given it to him years ago, explaining that it would allow him to return to the library at Flal’s Paris mansion if he ever needed to. Kyle had never used it, unsure when he might require it.
“I see you rember, so I won’t elaborate,” Dumbledore said with a nod. “Yes, this is a key to the door. Nicolas wrote to yesterday, saying you might need it... Ah, and here it is now.”
As if on cue, a brown owl appeared outside the window. Dumbledore opened it to let the bird in.
The owl flew straight to Kyle, dropped a letter into his hand, and then, in a dramatic flourish, shook itself into a pile of feathers before vanishing entirely.
“Don’t be alard,” Dumbledore said, noting Kyle’s surprised expression. “Nicolas fashioned this from a single owl feather to ensure no one could trace his address through the owls.”
Kyle nodded in understanding and unfolded the letter.
“I take back what I said before. You may need to co. A certain Madam seems to want to have a chat with you...”
The letter was brief and unsigned, but it ended with a distinctive crown-like symbol.
“Looks like you’ve got new business,” Dumbledore said with a knowing smile. “Do you need any assistance? I have so free ti.”
“Thank you, Professor, but I don’t think I need help for now,” Kyle replied after a brief pause. “This seems related to sothing I asked Nicolas to fix earlier, though it appears sothing has gone a bit wrong.”
“That’s unusual—Nicolas rarely has issues with his work. Oh... but I think I understand,” Dumbledore said, an expression of realization crossing his face. “I was wondering what you planned to do with that locket. Were you considering using a Basilisk fang to destroy it?
“I rember Nicolas studying Horcruxes extensively. No one knows more about them than he does.”
“Yes, that’s true,” Kyle admitted.
Dumbledore’s assumption wasn’t entirely wrong, but it wasn’t the full picture. Nicolas had indeed reached out because of Horcruxes, but not the locket. Nicolas had ntioned being preoccupied with the Philosopher’s Stone and the Ti-Turner, leaving him no ti for other matters. The locket should still be untouched.
The crown symbol on the letter was unmistakable. It clearly referred to Ravenclaw’s Diadem.
But of course, Dumbledore didn’t know this.
“Professor, when does this Portkey expire?” Kyle asked.
“Whenever you use it,” Dumbledore replied. “Simply hold it and say the na Nicolas Flal. However, I suggest leaving tomorrow. The train departs at 9 a.m."
“Don’t forget, you’re still a Champion. Every move you make is being watched. Leaving early might arouse your guests’ suspicions.”
“Tomorrow it is, then,” Kyle agreed.
He wasn’t eager to leave imdiately anyway. Nicolas’s letter had co abruptly, leaving him with too many unanswered questions. He needed ti to think.
A Madam wanted to speak with him. But who could that be? Kyle was certain it wasn’t Nicolas’s wife.
With the ntion of Ravenclaw’s Diadem, a thought crept into his mind. It seed improbable, even ridiculous, but no other explanation fit.
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