Kanna looked genuinely happy and chatted at length with Kyle on the train, mostly about what she'd seen during her travels.

She and Sykes had gone to snow-covered mountain peaks just to collect plants hidden beneath the snow. Besides that, they’d traveled through over a dozen countries, to places ranging from deserts and forests to the bottoms of lakes.

It must have been tough for Sykes—she was over a hundred, yet still climbing up and down, rushing from place to place.

But scouring the globe for rare and unusual herbs was practically part of a potion maker’s daily life—much like Newt in his younger days.

The difference was, they didn’t have Newt’s terrifying level of destructiveness, nor were they turned away by every country's Ministry of Magic.

The “more important matter” Snape had previously referred to was actually Sykes inviting Kanna to travel with her.

No potion maker could turn down the chance to journey with Director Sykes. Even someone as established as Snape had to feel a twinge of envy.

As Kanna chatted with Kyle, Sykes sat nearby, smiling as she listened to the two of them talk, occasionally sipping from the Butterbeer Kyle had brought her.

She’d had this popular drink many times before, but the one Kyle gave her this time was different. It had a familiar taste… slightly tart, with a lingering bitterness from the beer—just like the kind she drank in her youth.

Strange. Butterbeer had gone through many rounds of refinement, and yet Kyle somehow managed to find this awful-tasting… well, "limited classic edition."

That shop must not be doing very well.

Sykes took another sip.

Next to her, Kanna was excitedly telling Kyle about what she'd seen on the snowy mountains—the part that had been cut off when the two-way mirror connection broke.

In return, Kyle told her about Bill’s wedding—how big the Weasley family was, how lively the all-night dancing had been, and how eager Fred and George were, especially around their beautiful Veela cousins.

“You didn’t do anything… right?” At that, the smile vanished from Kanna’s face, replaced by a look of anxious concern.

Sykes put down her Butterbeer and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

She had always thought Kyle was fairly clever—but apparently…

Even the dullest Healer she’d met wouldn’t start talking about how pretty Veela girls were in front of someone he liked.

“Kyle, you—”

Sykes tried to steer the conversation away, but just as she opened her mouth, Kyle said casually,

“Relax. I kept my distance from them the whole time.”

“Besides, it’s not like I lose control every time I see a Magical Creature. And they’re only quarter-Veela—mostly wizard, really. I’m not about to go messing with Wizarding Law.”

“That’s good.” Kanna let out a breath of relief.

She had genuinely been worried that Kyle might have stirred up trouble at the wedding.

Neither of them noticed Sykes' gaze shifting back and forth between them, her expression growing increasingly puzzled.

Magical Creatures?

She seemed to be catching on to something… but it was hard to believe.

Did someone seriously consider part-Veela to be Magical Creatures?

And more importantly, Kanna seemed to think so too… Did neither of them find anything odd about that conversation?

“By the way, Professor Sykes, what were you going to say just now?” Kyle finally noticed her reaction and turned to ask.

“Nothing,” Sykes said, shaking her head.

She gave Kyle a strange look, her eyes drifting to the suitcase in his hand. Then, out of the blue, she asked,

“I remember someone saying you were close with that Scamander boy. Is that true?”

“If you mean Newt Scamander, then yes,” Kyle replied.

He wasn’t exactly sure how old Sykes was, but judging by how respectfully Dumbledore treated her, she had to be older than him—and by quite a bit.

So it didn’t seem strange for her to call Newt a “boy.”

“Newt Scamander is actually one of my teachers. He taught me a lot about Magical Creatures.”

“I see,” Sykes nodded, her expression clearing.

Well, if he knew Scamander, then that explained a lot.

...

The train rolled steadily along, its slow pace making people drowsy.

Kyle couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken the Hogwarts Express—probably the time he’d disguised himself as Dumbledore.

But back then, he’d been so preoccupied that the journey seemed to pass in a blur.

This time, it really felt like he was a student again. The roar of the engine and the rhythmic clatter of the wheels grated on his ears.

For someone like Kyle, who was used to Apparating, it was sheer torture.

Fortunately, with Kanna beside him, the dull ride had at least gained a bit of color.

Otherwise, he’d have preferred being carried to Hogwarts by a Phoenix rather than setting foot on this train again.

Speaking of Phoenixes—he wondered where Fawkes had gone.

And then there was Dumbledore.

Since they parted ways at Nurmengard, Kyle hadn’t seen him again, and he still didn’t know whether Dumbledore was truly dead.

Not that Kyle was worried—he didn’t care whether Dumbledore was alive or not.

Aberforth, Ariana, Grindelwald... with so many others to think about, Dumbledore was hardly a priority.

What he was concerned about was Fawkes. After Grindelwald had left Hogwarts last time, Fawkes—who’d been quietly living in Kyle’s suitcase—vanished as well. He hadn’t appeared since.

Kyle suspected that the phoenix had been summoned by Dumbledore. But then again, there hadn’t been any major incidents reported lately.

Could it be that Dumbledore's current state prevents him from Apparating, so he needs Fawkes to ferry him around? Kyle wondered.

...

By noon, the snack trolley arrived punctually at the compartment door.

Kyle bought a few Cauldron Cakes for lunch, and also picked up two bottles of Pumpkin Fizz—one for himself and one for Kanna.

He was already feeling a bit parched just from listening, let alone Kanna, who’d been doing all the talking since they boarded the train.

The lunch was pretty basic, but Sykes enjoyed it. According to her, if they were going to experience what it was like to travel as students, then they had to eat lunch on the train.

Kyle, however, couldn’t really see the appeal. That might’ve had something to do with how recently he’d graduated.

Maybe a hundred years from now he’d feel nostalgic about the Hogwarts Express—but for now, he really didn’t miss it at all.

...

By the afternoon, the person chatting with Kyle had shifted from Kanna to Sykes, and their conversation moved from travels and weddings to Horcruxes.

“So, you’ve succeeded?” Sykes raised an eyebrow as she looked at the stone, veiled in a faint, gauzy shimmer.

“Sort of,” Kyle replied after thinking for a moment. “But I wouldn’t call it a complete success. I feel like something went wrong in one of the steps—that’s why the soul fragment won’t fully and properly merge with the stone.”

“I’ve gone through the process countless times, but I still can’t pinpoint what’s off.”

“So you’re planning to take a risk and try it anyway?” Sykes looked at him and spoke more to herself than to him. “If I were still the Director of St. Mungo’s, I absolutely wouldn’t let you use a spell this unrefined.”

“But I’m retired now, and they haven’t officially appointed the next director. So as long as you can convince Madam Longbottom, that’s all it takes.”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Kyle said. “I want to ask someone else—maybe she knows…”

“Minerva?” Sykes thought for a moment, then shook her head. “If it’s related to Dark Magic, I doubt Minerva would be of much help.”

“Maybe you should ask this year’s Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. You might be surprised,” she added with a joking tone. The source of thɪs content is novęlfire.net

Everyone knew that the professors who taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts had a bit of a habit of bending Wizarding Law.

When it came to Dark Magic, they were the real experts.

Kanna picked up on her meaning and couldn’t help but let out a laugh—though she quickly stifled it.

“That might not work,” she said quietly. “This year’s Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is still Uncle Snape.”

“He hasn’t been fired yet?” Kyle blurted out.

A light fist dropped from above and landed on his shoulder.

“Sorry…” Kyle caught Kanna’s hand and gave a sheepish grin. “I meant, Snape was already the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor back in our sixth year. He’s the first one to actually last this long.”

“It must be because Voldemort is dead,” Kanna said thoughtfully. “Wasn’t it said that he cursed the position?

“Now that he’s gone, the curse is gone too, of course.”

“That makes sense,” Kyle nodded. “But that also means asking him is probably out of the question.”

Snape knows nothing about Horcruxes. What does he know? Absolutely nothing. Kyle still had some sense of self-preservation—he kept that thought strictly to himself.

“Then who are you planning to ask?” Sykes followed up after the teasing had passed.

She ran through a long list of names in her mind, but there seemed to be only one person who actually met all the requirements.

“Bathsheda Babbling?” she asked uncertainly.

She was the only one who fit the criteria—but even that seemed unlikely.

The Babbling she knew didn’t seem to be at Hogwarts anymore. Kyle currently held her old position… Professor of Ancient Runes.

“No, it's Ravenclaw,” Kyle said.

Sykes just looked at him in silence. Neither of them spoke.

After a long pause, Sykes finally couldn’t help herself and asked, “Who exactly?”

“Ravenclaw,” Kyle repeated.

“I know that. I'm asking which Ravenclaw. Each House graduates dozens of students every year—I can’t possibly guess them all.”

“Huh?”

Kyle froze for a second, then quickly clarified, “Maybe I wasn’t clear. I meant Rowena Ravenclaw.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sykes burst out laughing.

“I’ve already agreed to take the Potions professor job at Hogwarts. Why are you still trying to pull this trick?”

“What?” Kyle blinked, confused by her response.

“Albus…” Sykes said, “He said the exact same thing once, thinking it would convince me to take a teaching post at Hogwarts.”

Kyle opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Is it possible this is actually true…? No—not possible. It is true.

Then again, Sykes didn’t know about the Diadem or the memories of Ravenclaw. No wonder she didn’t believe him.

And this sort of thing couldn’t really be explained. Even if he tried, no one would believe him. You had to see it with your own eyes.

So Kyle wisely let the subject drop and turned to chat with Kanna instead.

“Why’d you suddenly want to be a teaching assistant? It’s not exactly a high-paying job.”

“Because you’re at Hogwarts,” Kanna said with a tilt of her head and a smile. “The opportunity came up, so I took it.”

“So you came to Hogwarts because of me?”

“Of course. I don’t trust you alone with Uncle Snape. What if you two start fighting?” Kanna said matter-of-factly.

“Hogwarts has strict rules about professors fighting in front of students. I don’t want to get a letter from the Ministry one day telling me to come pick you two up from Azkaban.”

“You make it sound like a problem,” Kyle chuckled. “I’ve got friends at the Ministry and in Azkaban—nothing to worry about.”

“That’s exactly why I’m worried.”

Nearby, Sykes couldn’t help the twitch at the corner of her mouth. Once again, she was witnessing the pair’s ridiculous and unnecessary mutual understanding.

But in a way, they did seem well matched. A perfect pair, really—anyone else probably wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation with either of them.

The problem was, they weren’t very considerate of those around them. Her century of life experience had somehow vanished in the span of half a day.

She also noticed that Kyle had said he had friends in both the Ministry and Azkaban—which meant he hadn’t actually denied that he might end up fighting Snape.

Honestly, she thought, I’m starting to regret writing that letter to Minerva. I really should’ve done more research.

“By the way,” Kyle continued, “do you have to teach classes as a TA?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe,” Kanna said. “Tonks had to teach when she was the TA for Defense Against the Dark Arts, so I imagine I will too.”

“What about Professor Slughorn?” Kyle asked. “If he’s still around, that makes three professors for Potions.”

“I don’t know,” Kanna replied. “Professor McGonagall didn’t mention that in her letter. All I know is that Professor Sykes will be responsible for the fifth and seventh years.”

“I hope that’s the case,” Sykes corrected from the side. “But I think Minerva will agree. The Hogwarts Board can’t seriously expect a nearly two-hundred-year-old witch to teach all seven years.”

“Even Gringotts wouldn’t be so demanding of an elderly goblin.”

“You never know,” Kyle muttered. “They don’t even spare dead professors.”

“What dead professors?”

“Ah—nothing.” Kyle quickly waved his hands and moved on.

Apparently, Sykes had only heard about the infamous curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position and had no idea there was a dutiful ghost professor teaching History of Magic.

Which suited Kyle just fine—he wasn’t about to bring it up.

In any case, step one was to trick—bring—Sykes to Hogwarts. Everything else could wait.

If she got spooked and ran off halfway through, Professor McGonagall would definitely turn him into a white weasel. Or maybe a caterpillar.