CHAPTER 818: CHAPTER 818: SOLUTIONS AND RENT

In the alchemy classroom, Kyle stared blankly at the Time-Turner on the table.

The whole situation was unbelievable. The Time-Turner that should have been taken by Dumbledore had somehow found its way back—and not just anywhere, but directly into the hands of Professor Viktor at Beauxbatons.

To be honest, Kyle’s decision to come to Beauxbatons had been entirely spur-of-the-moment, made only after he arrived in France.

He could just as easily have gone somewhere else—like Bordeaux, home to the magical opera house Cedric had strongly recommended. Nicolas was also a regular visitor there, though he personally preferred Muggle opera... He believed Muggles had a stronger sense of ambition and creativity—something he felt wizards often lacked.

Beyond the opera house, there was also the Red Cap Magical Circus, or the enchanted wine bars favored by minstrels and traveling wizards. Any of those could have ended up as Kyle’s destination.

But in the end, he chose Beauxbatons—largely due to a few things he saw in the shops, and Fleur’s influence.

In other words, it had only been a few short hours between the moment he made the decision and when he actually set out.

If he’d chosen differently—or never come to France at all—would he ever have seen this Time-Turner again?

After all, as Viktor had just said, the envelope had been mixed in with a pile of failed alchemical products. If Kyle hadn’t come clean at the last second, Viktor might never have remembered it...

Kyle had no idea how Beauxbatons typically handled failed alchemical creations, but he was sure they weren’t carefully archived somewhere. Most likely, a quick cleaning spell would have taken care of the whole lot.

"Who sent this thing?" Kyle asked again.

"If I knew, I would’ve told you immediately," Viktor said, flattening the envelope on the table.

Aside from Viktor’s name and address, the envelope had nothing else written on it.

"In any case, this thing solves the biggest problem we’ve been facing."

Viktor didn’t seem too concerned about where it had come from. He held the watch in his palm, examining it carefully.

"Completely broken. Like a grape that’s been squeezed bone dry..."

"Can it still be used?" Kyle asked nervously.

"It can be fixed," Viktor said. "The only issue is that it’s going to be a bit of a pain. You’ll need to be patient."

"How long will it take?"

"Well, I’ve done this once before. If things go smoothly... a month?" Viktor said as he strapped on a brass monocle-like scope over his head.

"I’ve still got some extra materials lying around. With those, I can help restore it to its original state... I handled the last repair too. That part will take about three days."

Then he slid on a pair of oddly shaped mechanical gloves. Each one was fitted with five small, bracket-like holders—each holding a miniature wand about two inches long. Twenty wands in total.

"While I’m doing that, I need you to deliver this letter to Nicolas—if you can reach him."

"I can," Kyle said quickly.

"Good. Let him know in advance. The key to repairing the Time-Turner lies in its runes and the Philosopher’s Stone, which serves as its core."

"The Philosopher’s Stone?" Kyle tensed again.

There had only ever been a few in history. Could Nicolas really make another one?

"Don’t worry, the Philosopher’s Stone is still intact," Viktor said—offering what could only loosely be considered good news.

"It’s just... completely drained. There’s no magical response from it at all. That’s why I overlooked it earlier."

"I’m not sure if it can be restored—that’s not my area of expertise. Nicolas will have to figure that out."

"Alright. If there’s nothing else, you can go for now. Oh—remember to tell Olympe that alchemy lessons should be postponed for the next few days."

Viktor pulled the scope down over his face. In that instant, his entire demeanor shifted. He looked like a statue—expressionless, unmoving, devoid of any emotion.

Kyle lowered his voice and quietly stepped toward the door.

As he approached, a small gap opened in the rune pattern etched into the surface, and the lock clicked open on its own. Once he stepped through, the door swung shut behind him with a soft thunk and locked itself again.

Kyle stood there for a moment, listening. There wasn’t a sound from inside.

Then he turned and headed down the hall toward Madam Maxime’s office.

Along the way, he used an automatic quill to draft a letter. By the time he reached the office door, he had just finished two full sheets of parchment.

"Fawkes..." Kyle said softly.

The phoenix appeared on his shoulder, gazing at him with bright, intelligent black eyes.

"Take this to Nicolas." Kyle folded the parchment carefully. "It concerns Professor Dumbledore. You have to make sure it gets to him."

Fawkes gave a small nod, took the parchment gently in his beak, and with a soft pop, vanished from sight.

After Fawkes left, Kyle made his way to the Beauxbatons Headmistress’s office to pass on Professor Viktor’s request.

"So, you’re saying Professor Viktor needs to temporarily suspend alchemy classes for some reason?"

Madam Maxime looked at Kyle, a note of suspicion in her voice.

She knew Viktor well. He was a man wholly dedicated to alchemy and teaching—and the reason he taught was to spread understanding of the subject to as many students as possible.

Which meant, if he was asking to suspend his classes, it had to be something extremely important.

"What exactly did the two of you talk about?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. Coupled with her nearly thirteen-foot height, the effect was intimidating.

"It’s due to some special circumstances," Kyle said after a pause, abandoning the excuse he had prepared earlier. "But I can’t tell you the specifics."

"You can’t tell me?" Madam Maxime said, her voice low and stern. "This is Beauxbatons, not Hogwarts. You and one of our professors discussed something privately—something that will affect student lessons—and under those circumstances, you don’t think the Headmistress has a right to know?"

"I’m very sorry, Madam Maxime, but that’s just how it is," Kyle said, bracing himself. "It’s a serious matter, and I’m not in a position to decide how to handle it... but if you’re willing to wait, Professor Dumbledore will come in person to explain everything, and to express our sincere gratitude."

"Professor Viktor has really helped us a great deal. That much is undeniable."

Madam Maxime fell silent, studying Kyle closely. Kyle met her gaze steadily.

He could have made up a plausible-sounding excuse to appease her temporarily—it wouldn’t have been difficult.

But she was right about one thing: this was Beauxbatons. This was her school, her domain.

Out of respect, he couldn’t lie. Because if the truth eventually came out, and she realized she’d been deceived, it wouldn’t end well. She might not react immediately, but there would be lasting damage.

And right now, every ally mattered. Kyle didn’t want this to sour Beauxbatons’ relationship with Hogwarts.

At the same time, he couldn’t tell her the truth either. So this was the only way.

As for what came next, that would be up to Dumbledore. If he could satisfy Madam Maxime, everything would be fine.

And if he couldn’t come back in the end... then alliances wouldn’t matter anymore.

...

A few minutes passed.

"Alright," Madam Maxime finally said. "Given your current situation, I’ll let it go and authorize the postponement of alchemy lessons."

Her commanding presence faded as quickly as it had appeared, as though none of it had happened at all.

"But I expect an explanation from you as soon as possible."

"Of course, Madam Maxime," Kyle said, giving her a firm nod. "As soon as this matter is resolved, Professor Dumbledore will come to speak with you directly."

"I’ll take you at your word—for now," she said. "You may go and get some rest."

"There’s just one more thing," Kyle added, a little sheepishly. "I may need to stay here for a few more days. Would it be possible to...?"

"That’s no problem at all," Madam Maxime said, smiling. "You’re welcome to stay at Beauxbatons as long as you need. If you get bored, feel free to explore. The training hall is the liveliest place on campus, and you won’t disturb any classes there."

"Thank you. I appreciate it," Kyle said.

"Then off you go. He’ll take you there." She waved her hand, and a House-elf suddenly appeared in the room.

The House-elf bowed slightly and stretched out a hand, motioning for Kyle to follow him.

...

"That’s right. I have to wait for Professor Viktor’s results, so I’ll be staying here for a while."

The next morning at breakfast, Kyle explained the situation to Kanna.

"I could ask Fleur to take you back first, if you want."

"No need," Kanna said, shaking her head.

"But what about your shop?"

"I’ll just keep it closed. It’s not like I opened it to make money," Kanna replied nonchalantly. "Besides, I’m really interested in Beauxbatons. It’s rare for them to be this welcoming, so I might as well enjoy the experience."

"If you’re enjoying yourself, then let’s stay together," Kyle said with a smile. Having someone familiar around in a completely unfamiliar place made things far less awkward.

"By the way," Kanna said, reaching for a second plate of caramel crêpes, "is Hogwarts planning to add an alchemy course?"

"No," Kyle said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I thought you were acting a bit odd yesterday afternoon," Kanna said. "You were asking way too many detailed questions, and most of them had little to do with alchemy itself... or at least not with the theory. It was more about how the class was run."

"Was it that obvious?" Kyle raised an eyebrow.

"It was that obvious," Kanna confirmed. "In fact, it wasn’t just me—by the third time you asked what books beginner alchemy students should be reading, Gabrielle had already guessed what you were up to."

"But what I don’t understand is, if Hogwarts isn’t planning to start a new course, why were you asking all those questions?"

"I just think it’s necessary," Kyle said, taking a sip of onion soup. "It might come in handy one day. When I first got here, I realized alchemy really could bring a lot of practical convenience to wizards—it’s part of a bigger trend."

"Take the British Ministry of Magic, for example. They’re still using enchanted paper airplanes for interdepartmental messages—something that should’ve been replaced ages ago. They’ve been using the same method for years without ever considering an upgrade. That can’t go on forever. We’re not living in the last century anymore. Wizards need to keep evolving."

"Imagine a British wizard visiting another country and suddenly realizing he has no idea how to use half the magical tools around him—wouldn’t that be awkward?"

"It would," Kanna said, nodding firmly.

She knew firsthand. When she first arrived in France, she’d nearly embarrassed herself a few times just because she didn’t understand how certain alchemical items worked. If Fleur hadn’t been with her, things could’ve been much worse.

"That’s why I think it’s time for us to change too," Kyle said. "Maybe it won’t be easy to push that change everywhere, but we can at least start at school—introduce a brand-new alchemy course and test the waters."

"Once students get used to it, they’ll influence the adult wizards around them. Those wizards will influence others in turn."

"I believe that if it’s a good change, people will be open to it."

"But is it really possible to add a new course to the school?" Kanna asked, clearly doubtful. "Alchemy isn’t something you can just teach in a regular classroom. I’ve seen the setup they have here—even replicating just a tenth of it would cost a fortune. Would the board of governors even agree to spend that much?"

"And that alchemical converter you mentioned doesn’t sound like something you can just buy off the shelf, either."

"You’re absolutely right," Kyle nodded. "That’s why I’m only doing some early preparation. Whether Hogwarts can actually offer this new course depends on what happens when Dumbledore comes back. After all, he’s the real Headmaster."

"I support you," Kanna said suddenly.

"What?"

"I mean, I support your idea." Kanna gave him a small smile. "I think you’re absolutely right. Hogwarts may be the oldest wizarding school in existence, but it’s about time we made a few changes."

"Then we really are on the same page," Kyle said, smiling back.

They finished breakfast quickly, and Kyle got to his feet.

"Where are you off to now?" Kanna asked. "Are you going to visit another class? I heard the Ancient Runes class here is really popular."

"I might drop by later," Kyle said. "But not right now. I need to go check out the training hall at Beauxbatons."

"The training hall?"

"It’s where the students go to practice magic," Kyle explained. "Beauxbatons has a dedicated space for it, equipped with alchemical dummies. A lot of students head there between classes to practice the spells they’ve just learned."

"I already asked one of the House-elves about the exact location yesterday. Honestly, I really like the sound of the place... I wonder if Hogwarts has a classroom that big. If not, we should really consider building one."

"But what are you going there for?" Kanna asked, puzzled. "Do you need to practice something?"

"No," Kyle said. "I’m going to help guide the students a bit."

Which only left Kanna even more confused.

"You traveled all the way from England to Beauxbatons just to give magic guidance to their students?"

"Never mind how ridiculous that sounds—don’t you think the professors here might have an issue with it? You’re just a guest, after all. Teaching students is their responsibility. What you’re doing is completely out of line."

"I don’t think they’ll mind," Kyle said with a smile. "If I’m not mistaken, someone’s already cleared it."

"Who?"

"Madam Maxime, of course. Who else but the Headmistress would have the authority?" Kyle flexed his wrist. "Since we’re going to be staying here for a few days, it’s only fair we pay some rent."

Kanna nodded, starting to understand.

Madam Maxime had been hoping to bring Kyle to Beauxbatons for some time. Given the circumstances, this was probably a way to ease him into it ahead of schedule.

"In that case, I won’t go with you," Kanna said cheerfully. "Last night, Fleur said she’d take me to see the Crystal Tower. The way she described it was just beautiful—I really want to check it out."

As she spoke, Kyle noticed Fleur appear by the side door of the Great Hall.

She still wore her signature wide-brimmed hat and was waving to them.

Kanna waved back in return.

"It’s fine, go ahead. I’ll be fine on my own," Kyle said.

The two of them walked toward the door and parted ways at the entrance.

Kanna headed off with Fleur toward the towers, while Kyle followed the route the House-elf had described the day before.

The training hall was also on the first floor—but not in the main building. To get there, he had to pass through several courtyards and head east, toward the outskirts of the school grounds.

There were no classrooms in that part of the castle, but the area was spacious—so no matter how loud things got, it wouldn’t disturb students in their lessons.

Sometimes Kyle genuinely envied the students at Beauxbatons. In the school’s early years, they’d received a generous donation from Nicolas Flamel.

No one knew exactly how much it was, but it must have been considerable. After all, this was Nicolas Flamel—legendary alchemist and several centuries old. Anything less would’ve been beneath his reputation.

That donation had allowed Beauxbatons to fully modernize and complete all its instructional facilities from the very beginning.

Compared to that, the Hogwarts Board of Governors seemed downright miserly. They’d been clinging to the same set of broomsticks for decades, too stingy to fund even basic replacements.