Fleur slunk away dejectedly, not even having the nerve to ask Kyle for his contact information.
It was true—she had initially approached him with the intent of flirting. After all, Kyle was the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin, Second Class, in the history of magic. He was young, successful, wealthy, and exceptionally handsome.
Using that to test the hearts of adolescent girls? What girl could possibly resist?
But due to her misguided approach, the encounter could only end in a rather unpleasant fashion.
After several hours, the banquet finally drew to a close.
Standing outside the venue, Kyle let out a weary sigh. Spending two hours in a place so choked with red tape and etiquette was more exhausting than spending two months straight—day and night—tinkering with Dark Arts in a magic laboratory.
Kyle had originally intended to report the matter regarding Sirius Black to Dumbledore, but the Ministry of Magic was full of prying eyes and ears; it wasn't the right setting.
As long as someone kept an eye on Ron to ensure he kept Scabbers with him, it wouldn't be too late to discuss the matter with Dumbledore once they returned to Hogwarts for the start of the term.
If Scabbers dared to leave Ron's side, it would be even easier to handle.
Kyle had only refrained from letting the Saints under his command take direct action because he was concerned for the safety of the Weasley family. If Peter Pettigrew separated from them, the Saints would no longer have any reason to hold back.
Ten days later, the vintage Victorian-style locomotive began to chuff, belching thick white steam. With the rhythmic clack-clack of the tracks, the Hogwarts Express slowly began to move.
In a compartment near the rear of the train, the space appeared empty, save for an open suitcase sitting on one of the seats.
Inside the world within the suitcase, a black dog lay silently on a stretch of open grassland. It stared listlessly at the twin brothers, who were incessantly pulling various large-scale components out of their luggage.
The Father-Troublers were now all highly proficient in the Undetectable Extension Charm.
George and Fred in particular—for the sake of their giant mech project—had begun following Kyle's example, using the Extension Charm to build a miniature world inside their suitcase.
However, permanently fixing the effects of an Undetectable Extension Charm required the assistance of rare alchemical materials. Since the brothers had poured all their resources into the "Hunter Project," and were too lazy to re-apply the charm every so often, they opted for the permanent solution. Restricted by their budget, they could only expand the suitcase to the size of an assembly workshop.
Even during their trip to Egypt, the brothers hadn't halted their mech project. Instead, they seized every available scrap of time to forge components.
Currently, they were hauling out the mech's outer shell. The casing was the least technical part of the entire Hunter Project; essentially, anyone with hands could do it.
Unable to resist the persistent requests from Kyle and Cedric, the brothers finally brought out the finished shell components to assemble them, allowing the two curiosity-stricken boys a sneak peek at the mech's appearance.
Soon, a fixed support structure resembling a rocket launch pad was erected on the plains.
Under the influence of magic, the heavy armor plates on the ground floated up, clicking together in their designated positions to form the rough silhouette of a giant machine.
Under the brilliant sunlight, the mech's black paint job seemed like a black hole, swallowing the collective gaze of the four Father-Troublers.
"Does it have a name?" Kyle asked, looking up at the twenty-meter-tall hollow shell.
He mused that while the mech looked cool, would the twins really be able to build it to a level where it was combat-ready? With such a massive frame, if its movements were sluggish, wouldn't it just be a giant target?
However, he didn't voice these concerns.
Hearing Kyle's question, George shrugged. "Nope. It's just a shell; we haven't had time to name it yet."
"We'll talk about that when it's actually finished," Fred added dismissively.
They didn't stay in the suitcase for long. After observing the mech for a short while, the group returned to the compartment outside.
George and Fred left the compartment soon after. They had to go collect "protection fees" from the younger students...
Actually, no. They were going to collect the Gold Galleons they had previously asked the students to help them exchange.
Only Kyle and Cedric remained in the compartment—oh, and a Basilisk named Garaga.
At that moment, the snake surreptitiously poked its head out from Cedric's sleeve, eyeing Kyle's "third leg" with ill intent, preparing to give "Little Kyle" a vicious strike.
Kyle instantly seized Garaga by the neck of fate, hoisting the snake into his hand and beginning to knead its head like a stress ball.
"How is your research going on those Orochimaru-style spells?"
After Cedric had consumed the Hydra Bloodline Integration Potion, Kyle had shared a series of Orochimaru's ninjutsu with him—techniques like Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, Myriad Snake Net Formation, and Wicked Shadow Snake Blast.
Beyond those, Kyle had also unreservedly explained the principles behind the White Rage Technique to him.
It wasn't just Cedric, either. After mastering the fusion of different magical properties to create new "Release" styles, Kyle had shared that knowledge with the twins as well. Aside from tinkering with the giant mech, George was currently using that knowledge to create new alchemical golems.
Kyle was never stingy about sharing knowledge; on the contrary, he delighted in seeing his comrades grow stronger.
After all, for every bit the Father-Troublers' strength increased, Voldemort's eventual demise would become that much more gruesome.
Cedric was a naturally gifted wizard to begin with. With the "creative inspiration" provided by Kyle, he faced no real difficulty in mastering these spells.
Cedric grinned. "You'll find out once you experience it for yourself."
"Forget it, there's no room to move here," Kyle paused, then added, "By the way, Big-eyed Ced, have you been getting a bit cocky lately?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Using the spells I told you about to deal with me—if that isn't a bloated ego, I don't know what is."
The twins relied on technology; Cedric relied on mutation.
Since "taking the meds," Cedric's strength had been skyrocketing. Given the eerie nature of the Orochimaru-style spells, even Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody—the former elite Auror who struck terror into the hearts of Dark Wizards—might not necessarily be a match for him.
But Kyle hadn't been standing still either.
Over the summer, he had completely mastered Wizard-Body Arts: Lightning Release Chakra Mode. At the same time, he had developed the third stage of Susanoo.
The Storm Release, generated by the fusion of Water and Lightning properties, was something he already knew by heart.
Furthermore, Scorch Release, Boil Release, Lava Release, Magnet Release, and Ice Release were gradually being developed by Kyle one after another. He just wasn't as proficient with them as he was with Storm Release yet.
More importantly, the Orochimaru-style spells that Cedric relied so heavily upon were almost entirely provided by Kyle.
If the two were to engage in a wizard's duel and Cedric tried to use Kyle's own familiar moves against him...
Even a Flobberworm could think its way to the conclusion of who would win. The only thing left in question was just how badly Kyle would thrash Cedric.
Given the "Black-Hearted" nature of the Little Dark Lord when he played dirty, it was likely that even Mr. and Mrs. Diggory wouldn't recognize their own son afterward.
Having this pointed out by Kyle, Cedric's expression became a bit strained.
He gave a sheepish laugh and rescued the manhandled Garaga from the Dark Lord's clutches.
"Uh, I just remembered, as a Prefect I need to go patrol the carriages. I'll head out first."
Watching the large compartment suddenly become empty, Kyle grumbled a bit about the new Prefect's lack of responsibility before deciding to leave and go find Hermione.
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