The next day, Fred and George blocked the entrance of the auditorium early in the morning. They finally managed to return to Kael's box once more.
Cedric and Cho also came along.
Compared to the quietness of just Conna yesterday, the box was much more lively this time.
Upon seeing the vast space inside the box, Fred immediately decided to go on an adventure here.
Kael didn't refuse, watching as he and George happily ran into the forest until they completely disappeared.
"Are you sure it's okay?" Cedric said worriedly, "They won't run into any danger, will they?"
"No way!" Kael waved his hand, "The dangerous place you've already seen, it's that clearing."
Hearing Kael's words, Cho shivered as she recalled the large patch of Chomping Cabbage they had just seen.
Like Conna, she also put that clearing on her blacklist and secretly vowed never to go near it.
However, Cedric was quite interested, perhaps because the head of Hufflepuff was the Herbology Professor, he was very interested in those magic plants and even planned to personally grow a Devil's Snare to practice.
By noon, the Weasley brothers had returned, but judging by their discouraged looks, it was clear that this adventure was nothing like what they had expected.
They hadn't found the Fire Dragon they so longed for.
In fact, when they entered the box, Norbert did appear once, but upon discovering others with Kael, it turned around and flew away.
Fred and George saw it disappear into the depths of the forest, which is why they wanted to go on an adventure.
As a result, they huffed and puffed for several hours, without even catching a glimpse of the Fire Dragon.
Even when they left the box, they kept murmuring about it… After all, it was probably the only chance they had to encounter a Fire Dragon without worrying about danger.
Unfortunately, Norbert didn't seem interested in them, and there was nothing Kael could do about it.
...
But soon, they were no longer caught up in such trivial matters.
Because on Wednesday, Snape returned.
While eating breakfast that day, he pushed the door open and strode into the auditorium.
Seeing the familiar black cloak and cold eyes, many students couldn't help but sigh.
They had thought they would finally be rid of Snape this school year; some even hadn't done their Potion Class homework over the holiday… including Fred and George.
However, the Slytherins were quite happy, standing up and applauding loudly to welcome their head of house.
Kael watched Snape walk next to Dumbledore.
His presence at the school proved that the issue with Regulus had likely been resolved, which was probably even more exhilarating for Sirius than gaining his own freedom.
But not everyone was happy.
For the entire morning, Mikel and Ryan seized every possible moment to catch up on their Potion Class homework. During the first Magic History class, it didn't matter much, as long as they were quiet, nobody intervened.
But the second Transfiguration Class was different. They were caught red-handed by Professor McGonagall, not only was their Potion Class homework confiscated, but their Transfiguration homework was increased from five feet to eight feet… The two almost cried on the spot.
"By the way…" After arranging their punishment, Professor McGonagall looked at Kael, "The headmaster seems to be looking for you, the password is Pepper Imps."
"I understand, Professor."
Kael nodded, not surprised, and after leaving the classroom, he parted ways with Conna and headed alone to the eighth floor.
The Headmaster's Office was very quiet, the paintings on the walls were covered with thick velvet, and Dumbledore, sitting behind the desk, seemed to be waiting for him.
"I suppose you already know, about Regulus's situation. He's no longer the monster we saw before."
"I know," Kael said, "I saw Professor Snape return this morning."
"Yes indeed…" Dumbledore said softly, "More than two months, far more troublesome than I imagined, but fortunately, it's resolved."
"And what… what will happen to Regulus after this?" Kael asked.
"I don't know either," Dumbledore shook his head, "Sirius thinks he will arrange everything, at least until that person is completely defeated, we needn't do anything."
"Is that so?" Kael said.
He knew Dumbledore was referring to Voldemort, though he wasn't sure why Sirius would decide that way, but he didn't press any further.
"You've saved two innocent souls, Kael." Dumbledore stood up, smiling, "Helping Sirius regain his freedom, discovering the truth about Regulus, each of these is commendable.
As an old wizard who once stood against Voldemort with everyone, I thank you for all you've done for them. But as the headmaster, I'm unable to grant you points for matters outside of school."
"That's okay, Professor," Kael shook his head.
After all, these were matters that took place during the holidays and had no direct relation to Hogwarts, so indeed it wasn't suitable for point awarding.
"However…" Kael thought for a moment and suddenly said, "I hope you will agree to one request of mine."
"Go ahead," Dumbledore smiled, "But I must remind you if you're looking to learn the charm I used before, you might want to consider another option. Don't forget I already promised to teach you, and I have no intention of going back on that."
"It's another request," Kael said, "I want you to allow me to handle the item Regulus switched out."
Kael knew this meeting with Dumbledore was not just for what was previously discussed; it probably had more to do with the Pendant Box.
Dumbledore likely couldn't have guessed what it was, so the fact that he waited until now was quite surprising.
Sure enough, when Kael proactively mentioned the Pendant Box, Dumbledore's expression became significantly more serious.
After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Do you know what that is?"
"Of course, I know, it's like the Diary," Kael said, "But I have a solution."
At this point, Kael instinctively thought of Nicolas Flamel. They had agreed to return the Diadem within half a year, yet it was almost a year now without any news.
Kael even suspected that he had made off with the Diadem.
But the problem was he couldn't ask.
Nicolas Flamel's manor clearly had more protections than just the Fidelius Charm, even though he had been there once, he still couldn't remember the exact address.
So now, he could only wait for Nicolas Flamel to contact him.
...