Chapter 809 The First Test

"I think you can be bolder."

In the headmaster's office of Hogwarts, the portrait of Headmaster Armando Dippet squatted next to a portrait of a knight with an excited look on his face, as if he was expecting something.

"Anyway, we are just portraits, why are we so reserved? It would be better to draw those thorns twice as long."

"But if it is longer, the mace will become a meteor hammer." Kyle picked up the palette again and said, "Will it be a bit too heavy?"

"It doesn't matter, as long as it is fun." Another big-nosed wizard squeezed over, "I have always wanted to try this kind of weapon, just draw it."

Kyle nodded and traced the spikes again with his wand.

Magic portrait technology, this is what Kyle found on the bookshelf in Headmaster Dumbledore's office. He just flipped through it with a try-and-see attitude, but he didn't expect it to be here.

In simple terms, it is to grind special herbs and minerals into pigments, use the wand as a brush, and use magic words to embed the pigments into the canvas.

If it is a portrait of a person, it will require another process, which is also the most difficult part, but decorations do not need to be so troublesome. As long as you have a basic understanding of alchemy, you can get started in a few days.

And the required ores and herbs can be found here, in the utility room in the corner.

The only difficulty is the painting level.

Kyle's level is very average. What he draws is like graffiti, which is out of place in the whole painting.

Fortunately, he also knows this. He did not create directly on the portrait of the principal, but went outside to find a portrait of a knight and moved it in.

Although the knight himself was not happy that someone added some messy things to his portrait, he finally compromised after several principals' earnest "persuasion".

So there was this scene just now.

Kyle took the wand and modified the portrait, and soon completed the creation.

When he put down the wand, Principal Dippet immediately couldn't wait to pick up that... mace... or maybe a hammer?

Well, Kyle didn't know what he had drawn. If he had to describe it, it was probably a big eggplant with iron spikes stuck in it.

Although the style was a bit strange, the principals seemed quite satisfied. Principal Dippet held him like a treasure and walked straight to another portrait not far away.

"Woo... woo..."

Phineas was tied up and his mouth was blocked. He couldn't say anything. He could only struggle and whimper.

It was obvious that he knew what would happen next.

"Do you need my help to cover the painting?" Kyle asked considerately.

He was soft-hearted and couldn't bear to see this.

"There's no need for this..." Dippet said, but he thought about it and changed his mind, "Forget it, cover it up. I need to maintain my image."

"No problem." Kyle said, he found a velvet tablecloth and put it on the portrait where Phineas was.

Now there is no problem.

"Someone, let him go. We're going to have a fair one-on-one duel... Don't help any of you!"

The thick velvet tablecloth not only covered the portrait, but also blocked some of the sound. Kyle could only hear some intermittent shouting. It was hard for him to guess what was going on inside.

But it can be seen from here that the headmasters should be quite bored on weekdays, so Kyle didn't mind doing good things and finding some fun for them.

But just as he was about to draw the second picture, Fox, who was still sleeping just now, suddenly woke up, and then spread his wings and flapped twice.

This was to remind Kyle that someone was coming.

Kyle immediately stuffed everything in his hands and on the table into the drawer.

It must be impossible for Professor McGonagall to remind Fox specifically. Who could come to Dumbledore at this time...

Thinking so, Kyle quickly took out a silver-white hair, threw it into the Polyjuice Potion he got from Slughorn, and drank it with his head tilted back.

It's really hard to drink...

But at this time, Kyle didn't have time to care about the taste.

Soon, accompanied by two perfunctory bangs, the door of the principal's office was pushed open from the outside, and a man walked in quickly.

The black cloak was thrown behind him, looking like a bat walking upright.

"I heard you're back."

Snape walked to the middle of the principal's office by himself. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly frowned and sniffed around.

"What's the smell?"

Kyle panicked. Snape should have smelled the smell of Polyjuice Potion. After all, he came too fast, and this little time was not enough for the smell to dissipate.

"Potions, Horace wants me to agree to him buying 35 sets of automatic stirring crucibles and insists on giving them to me." Kyle maintained his calmness on the surface and pointed to several bottles on the shelf next to him.

"Automatic stirring crucible..." Fortunately, Snape did not doubt this statement. He sneered and didn't care.

"When he meets a student like Longbottom, he will know how durable those high-end products are."

"Don't say that, Severus, Neville is still very good in some aspects."

"Yes, his mind is well preserved and always new." Snape said with a long tone: "Okay, you know I'm not here to discuss Longbottom with you."

"Then why did you come this time?"

"Potter," Snape said, "I need to remind you that it's best to keep an eye on him. The Death Eaters have recently been planning to lure him out of the school."

"Harry is not the impulsive type. He knows where he is safest."

"Are you sure?" Snape smiled, although it wasn't very pretty.

"I've told you many times before. Like his father, he has a bad personality, is stupid, and more importantly... is self-righteous."

Snape listed Harry's shortcomings in detail, "Do you think he will listen to you and stay in school? I dare say that others only need to use a little trick to make him run out of school on his own.

"Remember the crystal ball from the Department of Mysteries? When Potter left school and went to the Ministry of Magic to be a hero, he probably didn't discuss it with you at all."

"But we all found out later, didn't we?"

"Yes, because he naively thought that riding on the Yeqi could hide everyone, but he forgot that not everyone could not see the Yeqi. At the same time, he also saved his own life." Snee "But that just goes to show his stupidity," Pugh said.

"Severus, perhaps we should pay more attention to his good qualities."

"So you're telling me that theory again? He has a good heart?"

Snape looked a little impatient, "But being kind-hearted can't help him resist the death curse. If that guy Kyle hadn't happened to be there, he might not have been able to hold on for you to rush over."

"To be honest, I really don't understand where he got so many... fantastic ideas. I just saw some insignificant fragments from the Dark Lord's memory, and I foolishly thought that I could solve all problems on my own. .

"He's not even as good as Kyle at this point. At least Kyle knows how to use magical animals to deal with Death Eaters instead of stupidly taking the wand and doing it himself."

"Um...Severus." Kyle couldn't help but make a little noise, interrupting Snape who was talking incessantly.

What do you mean, not even as good as Kyle? This sounds so awkward. He usually arranges himself with Dumbledore like this?

"What do you want to say?" Snape glanced at him, "Don't tell me your theory again. I have my own judgment."

"No, you misunderstood. What I actually want to say is, are you a little biased against Kyle? As far as I know, other professors think he is pretty good, and even Minerva thinks he has the potential to become the new principal. ”

Snape said nothing, but looked at him with a strange look, "I don't deny this, but so what."

"I mean... you can try to accept him. At least I personally think that there are few young wizards of his age who are... well, better than him."

Although he was using Dumbledore's appearance now, Kyle was still a little embarrassed to praise himself. In order to ease the atmosphere, he could only pick up the cup on the table and pretend to drink tea.

"Excellent?" Snape raised his eyebrows, "Are you referring to the act of coaxing an eleven-year-old witch before the sorting and telling her that the Sorting is about facing the Death Curse, that is excellent?"

Kyle's hand holding the cup shook so that he could spit out the tea he just drank.

He never expected that that was all seven years ago and that Snape would still remember it. Not only did he remember it, he would also tell it.

"Of course not, but Severus, I think... Kyle's intention is actually not bad." He explained with some guilt: "We all know that using the Sorting House to scare the freshmen is a small tradition among British wizards. , Anyone who comes from a wizarding family has experienced it, right?"

"Sorry, I don't have one," Snape said flatly.

"it's a pity."

"What's a pity?"

"You're missing out on a very interesting memory."

"I don't think so." Snape shook his head.

Kyle wanted to say something more.

He suddenly found that this was a good opportunity to use Dumbledore's identity to persuade Snape to let go of his prejudices from another angle.

But Snape didn't seem to want to hear this.

"Okay, I'm not here to talk to you about Kyle today, we're talking about Potter." He continued, "The Dark Lord has never given up on killing him."

"As long as he is in school, he is safe. Tom dare not declare war on Hogwarts at this time."

"You can't keep looking at him," Snape said.

"But there's no reason for him to leave school."

"How can you be so sure if it concerns Black?" Snape said.

Kyle paused, "What do you mean?"

"Wouldn't you have thought?" Snape said in a disgusted tone, "If anyone could make Potter escape from the school at all costs, who else could it be but that big, dirty dog?"

"Tom wants to take advantage of Sirius?"

"Stop pretending, you must know, otherwise you wouldn't let him come to Hogsmeade." Snape said, "That's right, that's the closest place to Hogwarts, even if Potter ran over. It won't be out of sight either.

"But I must remind you, no matter how close it is, it does not belong to the school. Watch Potter, don't let him get carried away by the nickname 'Savior Star' again, he can't kill the Dark Lord.

"You don't even need the Dark Lord. Barty Jr., Antonin, Oren, and Potter can't deal with any of them."

"They already know that Sirius is in Hogsmeade?"

"Not yet, it's just that someone has proposed this idea." Snape shook his head, "But even if it's not discovered, it can only be concealed for a while. Although the method you used is very clever, the sudden addition of a new store in Hogsmeade will inevitably arouse other people's suspicion.

"Also, if you don't personally deliver the Polyjuice Potion to him, maybe he can hide it for a little longer."

Kyle knew that Snape must have mistakenly thought that the smell of the Polyjuice Potion he smelled just now was prepared for Sirius, but he didn't explain, so it was good.

"I'll pay attention." Kyle said.

"It's better this way."

After that, Snape didn't say anything else.

But he didn't mean to leave, just stood there, looking at himself without blinking.

"Uh... do you have anything else to say?" Kyle asked.

"Are you playing dumb with me?" Snape frowned, and his voice became cold, "Regarding the matter I mentioned to you before, we agreed two months ago that you would give me an answer when school starts this time. Now you pretend not to know with me?

"Do you need me to provide you with a bottle of potion to help you remember it well?" As he said that, he took out a red bottle from his robe pocket and threw it on the table. The bottle was spinning on the table, and Kyle's heart was lifted up. Two months ago... It should be when the school was just on vacation, but he was just a fake, not the real one. What they said at that time, what Dumbledore promised... He had no idea! What Dumbledore was thinking, he didn't mention it at all in the letter. "Ah, Severus, you really should be considerate of an old man's poor memory." Kyle said, but he was already panicking. If it was another professor, Kyle would not be so nervous, but Snape was different. Snape's reaction and judgment ability were too sharp after being around Voldemort for many years. Once he said something wrong, he might immediately realize that the Dumbledore in front of him was a fake. At this time, Kyle only hoped that Professor McGonagall could come and help him solve this trouble. As long as he could find a way to get rid of him, there would be no problem.

But Kyle forgot that it was class time now. Snape didn't have class, which didn't mean that Professor McGonagall didn't have class either.

As time went by, Snape's eyes became more and more unfriendly, and the air pressure around him became lower and lower, but Professor McGonagall never showed up.

"Severus..."

There was no way, Kyle just said with a stiff upper lip: "I'm sorry, I may disappoint you, I still give the same answer as before."

"But you didn't tell me the answer before." Snape squinted and said, "That's why I came to you today... Why do I feel that you are a little strange today?"

"In fact, I said it that day." Kyle deliberately ignored his last sentence and rubbed his hands behind his back on his robe. "It's just that you didn't notice it."

Inexplicably, Snape was stunned for a moment, as if he was recalling something.

"It's far from over... Hey, is this your answer?" Snape suddenly sneered, "Then I really didn't realize what you meant, so you decided at that time, but you didn't tell me?"

Kyle was relieved. Although it was a bit risky to say this, he won the bet.

Dumbledore is like this. He always says some strange things. If you look for it with the answer, you will probably find the one that can be forced into it.

However, facing Snape's questioning, Kyle did not answer, because he didn't know what he should say at all.

And the more you say at this time, the more mistakes you will make. The best solution is to let Snape guess it himself.

But his attitude undoubtedly made Snape even angrier.

"You are always like this, thinking that everything is under control, but you are unwilling to tell others your plan." He almost roared.

"I'm sorry, Severus."

"You don't need to apologize to me. Everything I do is not for you." Snape did not stay here any longer and turned away.

"I really shouldn't have wasted my time looking for you."

The door was shut hard, almost shaking Fawkes who was sleeping on the branch next to it down. It flapped its wings and kept calling in the direction Snape left.

"Don't get excited, Fawkes." Kyle comforted the phoenix, sat on the chair and breathed a sigh of relief.