CHAPTER 820: CHAPTER 820: THE EFFECT OF THE PHOENIX POTION

Convincing the Matagot was incredibly easy. Kyle had only asked once, promising a daily supply of meat jerky, and Shackle leapt onto his shoulder without a second thought. The whole thing happened so smoothly it was almost surreal.

Behind him, Lochneal watched, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Even though he’d already agreed, the scene still made him feel a bit stifled—couldn’t Shackle have at least hesitated for a moment? To anyone else, it would look like Kyle had raised the creature himself.

With that, Lochneal simply shut the door—out of sight, out of mind.

...

On the other side, Kyle, thrilled with his new companion, returned to the magical fountain, where he found Kanna sitting on a bench, writing something non-stop.

"What are you working on?" he asked as he walked over.

"Just a few potentially useful potion formulas," Kanna said, putting away her parchment. "All done talking?"

"Yeah." Kyle smiled without thinking. "I have to say, it was a really productive visit."

He gave her a brief rundown of everything that had happened that afternoon, leaving Kanna genuinely surprised.

"That’s a Matagot we’re talking about—a rare magical creature native to France—and he just gave it to you?"

"He lent it to me," Kyle corrected. "I’ll have to return him later."

"Even so, that’s impressive." Kanna nodded. "I haven’t been in France long, but even I’ve heard how highly Matagots are regarded here... That bar next to Gringotts is even named after them—Matagot Bar."

"These creatures only show up in the Ministry. Regular wizards aren’t allowed to keep them. That Lochneal must be quite the professor."

"He is," Kyle agreed. "If he weren’t, the Romanian Dragon Reserve would’ve never invited him."

"Dragon Reserve?"

"Oh, that was a few years ago," Kyle explained. "Right before fourth year started. That’s when I first met Professor Lochneal."

Kanna nodded, and the two walked together toward the dining hall.

Dinner that night wasn’t quite as lavish or formal as the first day, but it was still very generous.

"France really lives up to its reputation." Kanna took a bite of beef wrapped in bread. "Even the steak tastes better than what we get at Hogwarts. I’ve probably gained weight already."

Kyle stared at his plate and said nothing. He didn’t respond at all—it was like he hadn’t heard her.

He was too preoccupied to linger. After scarfing down a few slices of ham sandwich, he jogged all the way to the alchemy classroom.

Since classes had been postponed for the past two days, and today was Saturday, the corridor outside the alchemy classroom was completely deserted.

When Kyle arrived, the door was still locked, and the red indicator light above it was blinking—just like it had been when he left three days ago.

Not knowing the exact completion time, Kyle didn’t bother going back. He leaned against the railing and pulled out a book.

Time ticked by. The sounds of laughter and chatter gradually faded until they vanished completely, and even the alchemy lift stopped operating.

The corridor fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the whistling wind and the faint ticking sound from the pulsing red light on the wall.

Kyle closed his book and checked the time.

Unknowingly, it had already turned eleven o’clock.

No wonder it was so quiet. Even at Beauxbatons, students wouldn’t be wandering around the school at this hour.

He stretched his stiff arms and looked again at the classroom door... still shut.

Maybe when Professor Viktor said "three days," he didn’t mean it would be finished on the third day,

Kyle thought to himself.

Just as he was about to head back and return tomorrow morning, the door suddenly opened from the inside.

Professor Viktor stepped out.

"There you are. I was just about to go get you," he said, his voice slightly weary.

After working nonstop for three days, even with magical support, he was clearly worn out—but from the look of him, he was used to this kind of workload.

"Would you like to eat something first?" Kyle asked.

"No need. It’s just three days. The invigoration potion I had earlier was enough," Viktor said, waving it off. "Come in. You’ve still got a lot to do."

Kyle followed him into the classroom. As soon as they stepped inside, Viktor picked up the golden pocket watch from the table and placed it into Kyle’s hand.

All the cracks were gone, and the dull color had returned to a gleaming gold.

"I’ve drawn the rune framework to help speed things up," Viktor said as he removed his peculiar gloves and carefully placed them into a metal case. He then set his long brass eyepiece on the desk.

"When you give this to Nicolas, it should save some time."

"Thank you," Kyle said sincerely.

"No need." Viktor waved it off. "If it ended up here, someone clearly wanted my help. I couldn’t just ignore it."

"And besides, Albus is one of the last few true alchemy masters. Letting him stay lost in time would be a real waste."

Kyle opened his mouth to say something, but Viktor shook his head.

"All right, I discovered a few interesting things while repairing the Time-Turner, and I’d like to look into them further. You should head back. Go see Nicolas tomorrow."

"I want to go now," Kyle said.

Fawkes had returned from Devon two days ago with a reply from Nicolas. He was ready to leave at any time.

"No need to rush," Viktor said. "Nicolas still needs time to prepare—probably five days or so. If you go now, you’ll just be waiting around. Since you’re waiting anyway, it doesn’t really matter where you do it."

"Okay," Kyle nodded.

Viktor shut the door again, already eager to test his new ideas. But this time, the red light on the wall didn’t come on.

...

Although Viktor thought he could stay a while longer, Kyle insisted on leaving Beauxbatons the next day.

Madam Maxime tried a few times to persuade him to stay, but when that didn’t work, she let it go.

Just like when they’d arrived, Fleur was the one to see them off.

As they stepped through the school gates, she spread out a flying carpet over a large rock.

"Hop on. So, where do you want to go next?" Fleur asked. "How about seeing the Pixie Dance Troupe? They’re performing in Bagnères-de-Bigorre—not far from here."

"No, you two go ahead," Kyle said, shaking his head. "I’ve got something urgent. I need to head back to England."

"Right now?" Fleur frowned. "Is it that serious?"

Kanna looked over at him too.

"I’d like to stay longer, but I heard something from Professor Viktor... and it really can’t wait," Kyle said.

"It’s fine," Kanna said with a soft smile. "I actually have a new potion formula I need to test. I wasn’t planning on going anywhere else anyway."

She stepped forward and gave him a hug. "Be careful when you get back."

"You too. If anything goes wrong, go straight to Madam Maxime," Kyle said. "Don’t worry about owing a favor—Professor Dumbledore can help repay it later."

Kanna laughed at that, shaking her head. "Does Professor Dumbledore know you’re offering him up like that?"

"Nope. But he won’t mind," Kyle said.

"Hey, aren’t you two underestimating me a bit?" Fleur said, putting on a stern face. "This is France. Even if something does happen, I can handle it."

"Then I’ll count on you. When you and Bill get married, I’ll send you a big wedding gift."

"You said it," Fleur smirked. "What if I’m not satisfied?"

"Then I’ll keep sending gifts until you are."

Kyle chuckled and held out his hand.

Before Fleur could react, a large golden-red bird swooped down from the sky. Kyle caught hold of its tail feathers and vanished with a loud pop.

"Oh!" Fleur jumped, startled, and instinctively looked up. "Kanna, did you see that?"

"I did," Kanna replied softly, her gaze still fixed on the spot where Kyle had disappeared.

"What was that? That was a phoenix, wasn’t it?"

"It was—a phoenix named Fawkes," Kanna said. "Remember? That’s how Kyle got to France in the first place."

"So convenient." Fleur sounded a little envious—not because of the phoenix’s Apparition-like abilities that let it bypass Ministry detection, but simply because the creature was breathtakingly beautiful.

Its gold and crimson feathers shimmered like fire-forged gold in the sunlight, and even its short cry was more enchanting than the grandest performance at the Magic Opera House.

"Do you think I could find a phoenix too?" Fleur asked hopefully, turning to Kanna.

"Um... maybe," Kanna said hesitantly, not wanting to crush her friend’s dream. "The magical world is huge—there’s always a chance."

"I hope so." Fleur looked up at the sky for a while, hoping for another glimpse, but after a few minutes, she gave up and climbed onto the flying carpet with Kanna. Together, they headed back toward the shopping street.

"What are you planning to do next?" Fleur asked.

Kanna thought for a moment. "Same as before."

"But didn’t you say you were going to test that new potion formula?"

"That can wait. There’s no rush."

"But you’ve already brewed so many potions these past few days," Fleur said, glancing back at her. "Don’t you think it’s time to take a break and do something else?"

"It’s not enough," Kanna said, gently shaking her head. "I think it’s best to be even more prepared."

...

At the same time...

After leaving Beauxbatons, Kyle was carried by Fawkes to Nicolas’s manor in Devon.

The moment he landed, the House-elf Tata came rushing over.

"Master told me to wait here for you, sir."

"Thanks." Kyle rubbed his slightly dizzy forehead. "Where’s Nicolas?"

"Master is in the alchemy room," Tata replied. "I’ll take you there right away."

The two made their way into the manor. Kyle wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but the once-spacious courtyard felt like it passed by in no time.

Not that he was paying it much attention at the moment.

Tata led him into a room on the right side of the entrance hall—the same one where the golden cup and the locket had been kept.

Nicolas was inside, staring into a red crucible filled with a golden potion bubbling with blue froth.

"I thought you wouldn’t be here for another couple of days," Nicolas said, glancing up. "Didn’t Viktor tell you I needed some time to prepare?"

"He did," Kyle nodded. "But I figured it’d be better to come early—and maybe I could lend a hand."

"I don’t mean to discourage you, Kyle, but this is the kind of work I can handle on my own. You really wouldn’t be of any help."

"Did you bring it?" Nicolas extended his hand.

"Yes." Kyle quickly pulled out the Time-Turner, its outer shell now fully repaired.

"Ah, Viktor’s craftsmanship." Nicolas examined it with approval. "Only he could do something this precise. Looks brand new."

"Not even you?" Kyle asked.

"Three hundred years ago, maybe. But these days, he’s better than I am." Nicolas lifted a hand, gnarled like a branch, and tapped the Time-Turner.

The golden casing opened on its own. The five hands detached in order from longest to shortest and landed neatly on the velvet cushion beside it.

The next moment, Kyle’s vision blurred—and suddenly he found himself back in the sitting room.

"Sir, this is what Master prepared for you." Tata stood nearby, holding a bottle of red potion as if he’d known exactly when Kyle would appear.

"What is it?" Kyle asked.

"Tata doesn’t know," the elf said. "Master only said it would help you."

"Uh... alright." Kyle hesitated only briefly before picking up the potion and drinking it in one go.

It wasn’t bad—raspberry flavor, like fruit juice.

But it definitely wasn’t juice. What it actually was, he’d have to ask Nicolas later.

He handed the empty bottle back to Tata, who took it with a bow. "Then I’ll go prepare lunch, sir."

"Wait." Kyle stopped him. "Is Madam Perenelle not here?"

"The lady has gone to France to watch the Pixie Dance Troupe perform. She won’t be back for about two weeks," Tata said.

Pixie Dance Troupe?

That name sounded familiar to Kyle. A moment later, it hit him—that was the very place Fleur had recommended. She’d even mentioned they were performing today.

If he’d agreed to go with her, he might have run into Perenelle there.

After leaving Beauxbatons, Kyle had taken up residence at Nicolas’s manor once again.

But unlike the lively school atmosphere, here it was just him.

He had originally planned to bond with the Matagot, Shackle, but the moment he let it out, it bristled. Its large blue eyes darted anxiously around the room, on edge to the extreme.

It was as if something nearby—something frightening—was setting its nerves on fire.

Kyle guessed it must be the manor’s protective enchantments. The alchemical dragon guarding the front gate alone was enough to put any sensitive magical creature on edge. In that sense, the place was indeed full of hidden dangers.

To help Shackle relax, Kyle had no choice but to put him back into his suitcase—specifically, the secure inner room where he stored items and occasionally took short rests.

There really wasn’t another option. His suitcase also contained a Dragon, a Basilisk, a Nundu... any of which would terrify a creature as perceptive as a Matagot. Only that special room could offer it some peace.

Kyle didn’t need the space at the moment anyway, so he let Shackle have it.

...

A few more days passed.

While reading a book one day, Kyle suddenly noticed the light dim around him. When he looked up, he was back in the alchemy room.

"Is it done?" he asked, quickly closing his book.

"Yes—but this was only the preliminary work, not the actual repair," Nicolas replied.

Kyle noticed that the potion in the crucible had changed from gold to a deep blue.

Nicolas pulled out a small bottle and held it up.

"Do you remember what this is?"

"The potion Kanna brought—the one that can bring people back to life?" Kyle ventured.

The potion’s effect had been so extraordinary that he couldn’t help staring at it at the time. He remembered it clearly.

"That’s right—the Phoenix Potion." Nicolas uncorked the vial and poured its contents into the crucible. The deep blue liquid immediately turned golden again, swirling into a small vortex.

"The flaw in the Time-Turner was originally irreversible. But the appearance of this changed everything," Nicolas said with some awe.

"After all, it was Mr. Salazar Slytherin who wrote his runes using Phoenix Potion."

Nicolas gave his wand a gentle wave, and the potion in the crucible turned into a golden ribbon that floated over to the opened Time-Turner, forming glowing runes one by one.

"This part will take some time," Nicolas said, looking at Kyle again. "The reason I had you come now is because we’re still missing one more ingredient—something we need to repair the Philosopher’s Stone, which has completely lost its magic."

"What is it?" Kyle asked.

"The ashes left behind after a phoenix is reborn."