Did Nicolas Run Away?

The next day, Fred and George waited at the entrance of the Great Hall early in the morning, and they finally got their wish and entered Kyle's trunk again.

Cedric and Cho came along too.

Compared to yesterday's quiet time when only Kanna was there, this time the box was much more lively.

After seeing the vast space inside the box, Fred immediately decided to explore it.

Kyle didn't refuse, watching him and George run happily into the forest until they disappeared completely.

"Are you sure everything's alright?" Cedric asked with some concern. "They won't be in any danger, will they?"

"No!" Kyle waved his hand. "You've already seen the dangerous place; it's that open area."

Upon hearing Kyle's words, Qiu, who was standing to the side, thought of the large patch of Biting Cabbage she had just seen and couldn't help but shudder.

Like Kanna, she also blacklisted that vacant lot and secretly vowed never to go near it no matter what.

Cedric, however, seemed quite interested. Perhaps it was because the Headmaster of Hufflepuff was Herbology Class professor, and he was very interested in magical plants, even planning to grow a Devil's Snare himself to practice.

By noon, the Weasley brothers had returned, but judging from their dejected appearance, the adventure was clearly not what they had expected.

They did not find the Dragon they longed for.

In fact, Norbert did appear once when they entered the box, but after discovering that Kyle was with other people, it turned around and flew away.

Fred and George decided to go on the adventure after seeing it disappear deep into the forest.

They wandered around for hours, but didn't even see a trace of a Dragon.

Even as they left the box, the two kept talking about it... After all, this was probably the only Dragon they could come into contact with without worrying about any danger.

Unfortunately, Norbert didn't like them, and Kyle couldn't do anything about it.

However, they quickly stopped dwelling on such a trivial matter.

Because Snape returned on Wednesday.

That day, while having breakfast, he simply pushed open the door and strode into the Great Hall.

Looking at that familiar black cloak and those cold eyes, many students couldn't help but sigh.

They had thought they would finally be free from Snape this school year, and some hadn't even done their Potions Class homework during the holidays... including Fred and George.

The Slytherin, however, seemed delighted, standing up and welcoming their Headmaster with loud applause.

Kyle watched as Snape walked up to Dumbledore.

The fact that he was at school meant that Regulus's problem must have been resolved, which was probably even more gratifying for Sirius than regaining his freedom.

However, some people are not happy.

For the entire morning, Mikel and Ryan were making the most of every moment to catch up on their Potions Class homework. The first period History of Magic, was fine; as long as they didn't make too much noise in class, no one bothered them.

But the second Transfiguration Class was different. Professor McGonagall caught them red-handed, and not only was their Potions Class, which they had just finished, confiscated, but their Transfiguration homework was also increased from five feet to eight feet... The two almost burst into tears on the spot.

"Oh, right..." After arranging their punishments, Professor McGonagall looked at Kyle again, "The headmaster seems to need to speak with you. The password is 'Pepper Imps '."

"I understand, Professor."

Kyle nodded, not surprised at all. After leaving the classroom, he parted ways with Kanna and went to the Seventh Floor alone.

The Headmaster's Office was quiet. The portraits on the walls were covered with thick velvet. Dumbledore was still sitting behind the desk, seemingly waiting for him.

"I think you already know, about Regulus. He's no longer the monster we first saw."

"I know," Kyle said. "I saw Professor Snape return this morning."

"Yes..." Dumbledore said softly, "It took more than two months, much more trouble than I imagined, but it's finally resolved."

"And what will happen to him... Regulus?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know either." Dumbledore shook his head. "Sirius means he'll take care of everything, and at least until that person is completely wiped out, we don't need to do anything."

"Is that so?" Kyle said.

He knew Dumbledore was referring to Voldemort, and although he didn't understand why Sirius would make such a decision, he didn't ask any further questions.

"You saved two innocent souls, Kyle." Dumbledore stood up and said with a smile, "Helping Sirius regain his freedom and discovering the truth about Regulus are both commendable achievements."

As an old wizard who fought alongside everyone against Voldemort, I am very grateful for everything you have done for them. But as the headmaster, I cannot give you extra points for things outside of school."

"It's alright, Professor," Kyle said, shaking his head.

After all, these things happened during the holidays and had no direct connection to Hogwarts, so they're not really suitable for adding points.

"However..." Kyle thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "I hope you can grant me a request."

"Go ahead and say it," Dumbledore chuckled. "But I must warn you, if you want to learn the spell I used before, you'd better choose another one. Don't forget I already promised to teach you, and I have no intention of going back on my word."

"It's another request," Kyle said. "I want you to let me handle the thing that Regulus traded for."

Kyle knew that Dumbledore had summoned him not just because of what they had just discussed, but most likely because of the Slytherin's Locket.

Dumbledore couldn't possibly be unaware of what it was; the fact that he'd held back until now was already quite unexpected.

Sure enough, Dumbledore's expression became much more serious when Kyle brought up the Slytherin's Locket.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Do you know what that is?"

"Of course I know, just like with the diary," Kyle said. "But I have a solution."

At this point, Kyle subconsciously thought of Nicolas Flamel, who had promised to return the Ravenclaw's Diadem to him in six months, but now it's been almost a year and there's still no word.

Kyle even suspected that he had run away with the Ravenclaw's Diadem.

But the problem is, he can't ask.

Nicolas Flamel's estate clearly had more than just the protection of the Fidelius Charm; even though he had been there once, he still didn't remember the exact address.

So now he can only wait for Nicolas Flamel to contact him first.