Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Aurors searched the pile of leaves for a long time, but only found half a shoe sole with teeth marks.
He had been kicking and the biting the cabbage took a chomp, so the shoe was probably chewed up during that time, and then it just happened to fall down nearby when he ran away.
Of course, it's also possible that he left it there on purpose.
Auror Harder stood there, his face so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water. He already anticipated what he was about to face.
Failing to catch anyone was already a dereliction of duty, and coupled with Oren's earlier words, he was practically the scapegoat.
The Ministry of Magic would definitely pin the blame for failing to catch anyone on him, especially that pink toad…
To appease some people's anger, demotion was probably the lightest punishment.
Harder roared, ordering the strikers to search for Oren's whereabouts nearby. The centaurs tried to stop him, but he forced them back with his wand.
"That's a high-ranking prisoner for the Ministry of Magic. Anyone who dares to obstruct the search will be considered an accomplice!"
Under his threat, the centaurs dared not speak out.
But all of this was irrelevant to Kyle.
Professor McGonagall arrived.
Her face was extremely pale; Kyle had never seen her so angry. Her lips were deathly white, pressed tightly into a line.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor actually wanted to kill a student?
Professor McGonagall had never imagined such a heinous thing would happen at Hogwarts.
Had Dumbledore forgotten about Fawkes' perch when he hired Oren?
Professor McGonagall quickly glanced around at the situation, then strode over to Kyle and asked, "Are you alright, Kyle? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Professor," Kyle said. "Thanks to the centaurs and the Strikers, Oren didn't even have a chance to do anything before they drove him away."
The surrounding Aurors were initially stunned, then erupted in undisguised elation.
Kyle's casual remark had transformed the situation from one of incompetence—letting the prisoner escape—into a successful rescue of a student from a dangerous dark wizard.
This meant they were not only blameless, but… well, they were credited, as long as they weren't at fault.
The Aurors flocked over, inquiring about Kyle's health like concerned elders in the neighborhood.
Harder was the most enthusiastic; after confirming Kyle was alright, he added that the Ministry of Magic would take full responsibility for the impact and losses caused by the incident and provide appropriate compensation.
As he said this, he casually winked at Kyle.
Kyle understood instantly, but remained outwardly calm.
It seemed his flowerbed could be expanded a little next year.
Unlike the Aurors, Professor McGonagall clearly didn't believe Kyle's words. The Forbidden Forest was practically a ruin, with traces of magic everywhere, and fallen trees scattered about. This chaotic scene didn't seem like nothing had happened.
Professor McGonagall didn't say anything, only concerned about Kyle's safety.
At that moment, Professors Flitwick and Sprout arrived.
Looking at the surrounding scene, Professor Flitwick clutched his chest tightly, while Professor Sprout's eyes reddened, almost bursting into tears.
Afterwards, Professor McGonagall chased away the eager Aurors and prepared to take Kyle back to the castle.
"By the way, Professor McGonagall,"
Kyle said, pointing in a direction before leaving, "there's a witch trapped under that tree. She's an illegal Animagus, posing as Kanna's pet and lurking around her."
Professor McGonagall suddenly froze. "Animagus?"
"Yes," Kyle continued, "and after her identity was exposed, she attacked me too. Most of the spells around here were cast by her."
"Merlin..."
The amount of information was overwhelming, and Professor McGonagall was momentarily stunned.
She hadn't even figured out Oren's situation, and now an illegal Animagus had appeared! Why were there so many strange things happening at Hogwarts this year?
But now that she knew, Professor McGonagall naturally wouldn't ignore it. She took Kyle and two other professors to the tree.
The witch had already fainted, and the two Aurors had just dragged her out of the pit.
Seeing her pitiful state, Professor Flitwick gasped.
"Child, did you do this?"
"I didn't want to," Kyle said, head bowed. "I just didn't expect her to be so weak."
Then, Kyle briefly recounted what had happened.
However, he deliberately omitted the very beginning, skipping directly to the moment the first softening charm was cast. After that, there was no need to hide anything; he simply told the truth.
Professor Flitwick's eyes grew brighter as he listened. He looked at Kyle as if he were looking at a rising dueling star.
However, due to the occasion, he couldn't appear too excited, so he simply patted Kyle's arm.
He was already considering whether to restart the Dueling Club.
Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, wasn't thinking that far ahead. She just wanted to get Kyle back to the castle as quickly as possible, along with the witch.
An Animagus hiding among the students—this matter had to be investigated thoroughly; she didn't trust the Ministry of Magic with it.
Professor McGonagall found Harder and said, "This witch is connected to our student; I need to take her away."
Harder frowned. He didn't really want to let her go; after all, the witch was their only gain, and if Professor McGonagall took her, he'd only have half a shoe sole to show for it.
But the problem was that all three Professor of Hogwarts were there; he couldn't refuse, especially considering what had just happened.
Harder hesitated for a moment, then agreed to Professor McGonagall's request.
"Only half a day, Professor McGonagall," Hurd reminded her. "We'll come to Hogwarts first thing tomorrow morning to take her back to the Ministry of Magic."
Professor McGonagall nodded, took out her wand, and led the witch away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A large crowd had gathered outside the Forbidden Forest, craning their necks and staring intently in its direction.
"Look, Professor McGonagall is coming out!" someone suddenly shouted.
Two figures, one tall and one short, emerged from the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
Kanna rushed out of the crowd and ran quickly to Kyle's side.
"Are you... alright?"
Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying.
"Ah, I'm fine," Kyle said blankly. "Although I'm a ghost now, I feel pretty good."
"Ah!?"
Kanna pouted, tears streaming down her face.
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Professor McGonagall tapped Kyle, then wiped the girl's tears, saying irritably, "Look closely, does he look like a ghost?"
[End of the chapter]