Kyle didn't notice the odd expression on Dumbledore's face. He lay in the hospital wing bed, his mind still replaying the earlier battle.
The biggest disadvantage he'd faced tonight was not having a sufficiently powerful offensive spell.
The Water Release techniques he'd mastered seemed varied, but in the end, they all boiled down to hurling water at people.
Take Kisame's Great Shark Bullet Technique, for example—it could devour an opponent's chakra.
But Kyle's Great Shark Bullet… was literally just a shark-shaped water projectile. It could bite through fragile things like wooden desks and chairs, but against a werewolf's tough hide…
It was no different from smashing a water balloon against an ordinary person.
As for Earth Release, its slow casting speed and long wind-up made it a liability against highly agile enemies—like werewolves.
The werewolf he'd finished off with an Earth Spear had been staggered by Hagrid's initial attack, leaving it vulnerable for Kyle to impale it with a single thrust.
Until he could develop Earth Release into something like Ohnoki's Dust Release—where a single touch meant death—Kyle figured it wasn't worth digging deeper into that path.
Lightning Release would injure him as well.
As for Fire Release…
Aside from Madara Uchiha's Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation, the Fire Release techniques in the original series had never burned anyone to death. Better to pass.
That left only Wind Release among the five elemental techniques.
Kyle suspected that conventional Wind Release would run into the same problem as Water Release. Until he could develop something like Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, Wind Release would probably just blow a breeze at enemies or help them cool off.
In the end, his ninjutsu was all flash and no substance. Unless he could unlock Susanoo or True Several Thousand Hands: Buddha on High, the raw power of the five elemental releases alone wouldn't let him cut loose in the wizarding world.
For now, he needed to start with magic.
Kyle remembered the spell Snape had used to sever those werewolf heads.
He tugged at the hem of Dumbledore's robe where the headmaster sat beside the bed. "Professor, can I study magic with Professor Snape?"
Dumbledore's tangled thoughts were interrupted.
He was somewhat surprised. Just this morning, he'd asked Snape to take Kyle on as a student, but he hadn't had the chance to tell Kyle yet. And now Kyle was bringing it up himself.
Huh. Did this mean the two of them—mother and son, no, father and son—were in sync?
At the thought, a smile bloomed across Dumbledore's face.
Before he could agree, Kyle added, "I want to learn Sectumsempra!"
The smile on Dumbledore's face froze.
"I'm afraid that won't do, Kyle." Dumbledore firmly rejected the request.
He suddenly didn't want Snape teaching Kyle anymore.
"Why not, Professor Dumbledore?" Kyle didn't understand why the usually agreeable headmaster had suddenly turned him down.
"If I could master Sectumsempra, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state the next time something like this happens."
"Sectumsempra is dark magic," Dumbledore explained.
"Dark magic refers to evil spells designed primarily to harm others."
"Dark magic can grant great power, but it also affects the user's mind."
"The slightest misstep, and the user can become addicted to dark magic's allure, turning into an evil dark wizard."
Faced with Dumbledore's dire warnings and scare tactics, Kyle shook his head nonchalantly. "Professor, I think my willpower is strong enough."
Dumbledore shook his head resolutely.
"No. Dabbling in dark magic is premature for you."
"No room for discussion?"
"Sectumsempra is non-negotiable, but I can teach you other spells."
If he couldn't learn Sectumsempra, what was the point of other magic?
Kyle yanked the blanket over himself, burying his head completely: The user you are trying to reach has powered off. Please try again later.
At the sight, Dumbledore's cheek twitched. He'd never coaxed a child before and suddenly had no idea what to do.
He sighed, stood up. "Well then, good night."
No reply came from under the blanket.
Dumbledore smiled helplessly, turned, and left the hospital wing.
After Dumbledore was gone, Kyle's head poked out from the covers, furtively glancing around.
Once he confirmed Dumbledore was truly gone and that Madam Pomfrey, who ran the hospital wing, wasn't there either, Kyle swiftly rolled out of bed and slipped out of the room in a flash.
A few minutes later, Kyle knocked on the door to Snape's office.
The door creaked open slowly, revealing Snape in his eternal black wizard's robes.
Uh… It's past midnight. Do you sleep in that, Professor?
"What is it?"
Snape's cold black eyes stared unblinkingly at Kyle, his tone as icy as ever—even though they'd fought side by side earlier that night.
Kyle looked up at Snape, eyes sparkling, and falsely relayed the message: "Professor Dumbledore said I could study magic with you!"
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Snape's face darkened instantly: Not sleeping in the middle of the night and coming to me to study magic? Do you even know what time it is?!
For the sake of this being Dumbledore's old flame's son, Snape suppressed the urge to hang him up and beat him.
His tone grew even colder: "Come to my office tomorrow at eight in the evening. Now, you should go back to sleep."
He'd agreed? Heh heh…
But Kyle didn't leave right away. He kept staring at Snape. "Professor, I want to learn the Sectumsempra curse you used to kill the werewolves…"
Sectumsempra?
Snape studied him through narrowed eyes for a moment. "That's dark magic."
"Professor Dumbledore already approved it." Kyle invoked Dumbledore's name without batting an eye.
At Kyle's words, Snape gave him a deep, skeptical look.
Given Kyle's identity, he couldn't very well use Legilimency to verify the truth.
Legilimency was a spell that extracted emotions and memories from another's mind.
Snape was exceptionally skilled at it, but reading someone's mind without permission was ultimately rude.
So Snape wouldn't casually use Legilimency on students—let alone someone whose status was far from ordinary.
In the end, he chose to believe Kyle and nodded stiffly.
Kyle and Snape stood at the office door, staring each other down.
"Why aren't you leaving? Waiting for me to escort you?" Snape's face was grim, but it didn't scare Kyle at all.
"I want to know how to learn Sectumsempra first." Kyle gazed at Snape eagerly.
After staring for about ten seconds, Snape turned and walked into the office, pulling a thin notebook from the bookshelf and handing it to Kyle.
"You may read it, but you are not to practice on your own," Snape warned. "I'll teach you personally tomorrow night."
Kyle took the notebook from Snape with delight, bowing respectfully. "Thank you, Professor!"
The office door slammed shut in his face with a bang, but Kyle wasn't annoyed.
He tucked the notebook securely inside his robes, unable to suppress the grin spreading across his face as he happily slipped back to the hospital wing.
————
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