Christmas in France is not much different from that in Britain, both are lively and cheerful scenes.

If I have to say something is different, it’s probably that Britain is not very lively this year.

Because of the relationship between the Death Eaters and Voldemort, even on Christmas, most people would choose to stay at home rather than go out to the streets where there are dangers and they might encounter dark wizards at any time.

This can be seen from the number of students who stay at Hogwarts.

Almost all students chose to stay in school for Christmas, and only a very few Slytherins chose to go home for Christmas. Two boxes were full.

But there are no concerns on the French side.

Since the morning, the number of people in the shopping street has been increasing. There are adult wizards and students returning from the holidays in Beauxbatons.

These people gathered in groups of three or five, making the whole street very lively.

Kyle, who had nothing to do, went out for a walk and bought some souvenirs with French characteristics.

There is also a particularly large Christmas tree in the middle of the street. It was bare yesterday, but today it is full of gifts wrapped in golden boxes.

According to Furong, those gifts are free and anyone can take them. It is said that there are hidden items inside, which are some very valuable things.

Now that he's here, Kyle naturally has to participate.

He shamelessly took eight gift boxes and stopped reluctantly when he could not take any more.

As for Furong's contemptuous look, who cares.

Take more, just in case you can get a hidden version, it won’t be a wasted trip.

Kyle didn't even wait to go back, he opened it right there on the curb.

A pair of broom pruning shears... the simplest kind, but useful nonetheless.

Dried bat wings... can be used to make potion. I'll send them to Kanna later.

Beetle eyes, also for Kanna.

Kyle continued to unpack the box...

Rat tails, dried leeches, and three ribbons for tying up gifts...

Well, eight gift boxes are worth about ten Knuts in total, and the scissors are worth five...

"Christmas is so boring this year."

Kyle continued walking forward with a blank expression.

No wonder they just took them at random... These things are not even as good as the streamers and firecrackers at Hogwarts. I'm too lazy to pick them up if they're thrown on the roadside.

Kyle had reason to suspect that this was simply an activity used by French stores to clear out their accumulated inventory.

Furong seemed to have guessed this already.

She and Bill each took only one gift, and she got a roll of magic tape, which cost about the same as a pair of scissors.

Bill drove the most expensive item among the three.

A whole pineapple is worth up to twenty Nat.

Kyle curled his lips and looked at the top of the Christmas tree thoughtfully.

"Do you think the hidden version is out there?"

"You're overthinking it." Furong said, "Those things are fake and only serve to create a decorative effect. The real gifts are all within easy reach and can be replenished at any time."

As she spoke, she took down another box.

A gift box squeezed out of the originally empty space like a fruit.

"Why don't you take a few more?" Furong urged, "There is no limit to the gifts, you can take as many as you want, just in case you get something valuable."

"No, let's leave it to the right person." Kyle refused decisively.

The beetle eyes in Diagon Alley were five knuts a scoop, about twenty-five in total. He had just opened one, which was one-fifth of a knut, and the ribbons that were tied together were about the same.

Even if you take all this stuff apart for a whole day, you might not be able to collect ten Galleons.

He was too lazy to waste that time.

And if it really wanted to make money, this tree would have been surrounded by French wizards long ago. How could it be his turn?

Furong just wanted to see the joke.

They walked around the street for a while, and Bill and Fleur decided to go somewhere else. Kyle didn't want to be a spotlight, so he returned to the potion shop alone.

Probably because the potion used on the fire dragon was rather complicated, it was not until the evening that Kanna came out of the basement holding a bottle of red potion.

"Done!" She handed the potion to Kyle and asked, "Where's Fleur?"

"She must have eloped with Bill."

"How is that possible?" Kanna said, but she also guessed that they must have gone somewhere else.

The last time Kyle came, Fleur took them on a tour of France, not to mention Bill Weasley.

"Let's not talk about them. May I have the honor of inviting you to dinner?" Kyle casually put the potion into his pocket and stretched out his hand.

"You've been busy for so long, you must be hungry."

After being reminded by Kyle, Kanna actually felt a little hungry. She looked at the sky outside the window and was a little surprised.

It was still morning when she went to the basement, but now it was already evening, but she didn't feel anything at all. She thought only a few hours had passed.

"Okay, I accept your invitation." Kanna said with a smile and put her hand in Kyle's.

The two walked out of the store hand in hand.

Even though it was already evening, there were still more people in the shopping street. However, they were all concentrated near the Christmas tree, so it was very quiet here.

The huge Christmas tree was lit up and was even more beautiful than during the day. It could be seen from a long distance.

"How about going for French food?" Kyle said, "I remember Nico recommended a French restaurant next to his old house. I had other things to do at the time and didn't have time to go. It's a good opportunity for us to go and try it now."

"All up to you." Kanna said with a smile.

She didn't have any requirements for food, as long as she was full, but since Nicolas Flamel recommended it, she thought it must be good.

Kyle was also very happy. Furong, the light bulb, should go back to her villa tonight. Then he could stay in the potion shop...

It's nothing special, just looking for a place to stay overnight.

Kyle's mouth curled up slightly. This year's Christmas is really great.

"What are you laughing at?" Connor looked at Kyle, and her intuition told her that she seemed to be in danger.

"Nothing, just thought of something happy." Kyle said.

"Yeah?"

"Of course." Kyle said confidently.

"Oh, right." Kanna seemed to have suddenly thought of something and asked, "Do you have a box for the Traceless Extension Charm? We need to send a large batch of potions to Beauxbatons, and having a suitable box can save us a few trips."

“Then you’ve asked the right person,” Kyle said.

"It needs to be bigger," Kanna added.

"Don't worry, it's no problem." He took out his suitcase and took out another box from it.

He did a lot of these when he was practicing the Traceless Stretching Spell. This one had the largest space. He used it to store his luggage when he was in school, and it was vacated after graduation.

"Didn't Beauxbatons provide you with a container when you placed the order?" Kyle handed the box to Kanna.

"No," said Connor.

"How stingy." Kyle muttered, "Alchemy class shouldn't be short of this stuff."

"I don't know, maybe he forgot." Kanna said casually.

Kyle didn't care.

"Then let's go...Ouch!"

Before Kyle could finish his words, a large fiery red bird suddenly landed on his shoulder and pecked his ear with its hard beak.

"Fox?" Feeling the warmth on his shoulder, Kyle looked at the Phoenix in front of him with some surprise.

"Why are you here?"

Fawkes opened his mouth and a piece of parchment fell out.

Kyle subconsciously took it and took a look.

Just one glance and his face turned dark.

The content was simple: Dumbledore wanted to see him for something.

Today is Christmas!

Who would work overtime on Christmas? Aren't you afraid of being hung on a street lamp?

"Impossible!" Kyle couldn't help but said to Fox, "Go back and tell Dumbledore that I must spend Christmas in France this year. No one can stop me, not even Merlin!"

Fox tilted his head.

It was also forcibly woken up from its perch by Dumbledore to work overtime, and was in a daze and didn't even finish listening to Kyle's words.

When it heard 'go back', flames started coming out of its wings.

The Kyles were numb.

"I asked you to go back, not to take me back!"

The Apparition was interrupted, and the flames on the Phoenix began to die out.

"Puchi!" Kanna couldn't help but laugh out loud.

At this point, she would be a fool if she still didn't understand what Kyle was planning.

Is the youngest member of the Extraordinary Pharmacist Association a fool? Of course not, and she has no objection.

But... she glanced at the note Kyle had thrown away, sighed softly, then leaned forward and stood on tiptoe...

Kyle felt his lips soften and his hands subconsciously stopped moving.

It was this pause that reignited the flame that was about to go out.

Like a firework, Kyle and Fox disappeared into the street at the same time, leaving only a wisp of flame slowly falling and igniting the parchment on the ground.

Kanna stood there with a smile on her face.

Dealing with Kyle? That's easy.

She looked around and made sure that the noise had not attracted anyone else's attention before turning back to the potion shop.

…

At the same time, Kyle, who was forcibly dragged back to Hogwarts, felt the remaining soft touch at the corner of his mouth and took a deep breath.

"You'd better give me a reasonable explanation." He looked at Dumbledore in front of him with an unfriendly look.

"If it's just a trivial matter, don't blame me for being ruthless when I take action!"

Dumbledore blinked, not understanding why Kyle was so angry.

He looked towards the phoenix, but Fox had already flown back to his perch to sleep.

"Oh, Kell, I don't know what's going on," said Dumbledore, "but if beating up a centenarian is all it takes to make you feel better, I don't mind."

"Ha." Kyle sneered.

To beat Dumbledore... he would have to have the strength to do so.

"Of course I won't bully a centenarian," Kyle said, "but I will place a hundred pots of mandrakes in Nurmengard and let them work in three shifts, singing a symphony for a month.

"Oh, and I'll fill the entire Nurmengard Tower with dragon dung!"

Dumbledore's expression changed immediately, and the corners of his mouth twitched unnaturally.

Grindelwald might not be afraid of the noise made by the mandrake, but if he were to be fed dragon dung... he would definitely go crazy.

"Well, the return Hogwarts Express was attacked by Death Eaters." Dumbledore spoke at a speed he had never spoken before.

"Impossible." Kyle's first reaction was to shake his head.

"To put it bluntly, those who took that train were all second-generation Death Eaters. How could they attack their own children?"

The corners of Dumbledore's mouth began to twitch again.

Well, even he had to admit that the composition of Slytherin now was somewhat complicated. There were not only second-generation Death Eaters, but also Death Eaters-to-be who madly worshipped Voldemort.

But after all, they didn't do anything out of line and they are still students.

If the school director heard what Kyle said just now, he might not be able to continue his position as professor of ancient runes.

Wait, it seems he is also a school director.

Never mind. It doesn't matter.

Dumbledore shook his head and continued, "But this is the fact. Not only did the Death Eaters show up, but the train almost flipped over on the platform, and the Aurors showed up."

Kyle frowned.

"That's not right. Didn't the return train leave yesterday?"

"That's right," Dumbledore said. "The Aurors have been investigating all this time, and only today did they find the truth."

"The truth?" Kyle said, "What, the Death Eaters want to kill us for the sake of justice?"

"Of course not, someone rescued them," said Dumbledore.

"Who is it?" Kyle's tone was still aggressive, "...so nosy."

Dumbledore pretended he hadn't heard the second half of the sentence and said calmly, "It's Draco Malfoy."

"Who?" Kyle thought he had heard wrongly.

"Draco Malfoy," Dumbledore said again, "I'm sure you're familiar with this name, right?"

It's not just familiar, it's very familiar.

Kyle rubbed his forehead, “Okay professor, what the hell is going on.

"Draco Malfoy, who was a Death Eater himself, saved a group of young Death Eaters when they attacked the Hogwarts Express.

"Even Professor Lockhart's books aren't this outrageous?"

"You are the only one who calls Lockhart Professor, Kyle," said Dumbledore with a smile.

"After all, I learned something useful from him," Kyle said, "but professor, that's not the point."

"Indeed," said Dumbledore, also dropping his joke.

"According to the Aurors, the Death Eaters attacked the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 yesterday. However, the Aurors received the news five minutes ago and rushed over in time.

"Through investigation, it was found that the person who sent this message was Draco Malfoy."

Kyle still felt something was wrong, as if he were listening to another copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

"In addition, before the Aurors arrived, Draco also appeared on the Hogwarts Express and fought a desperate battle with the Death Eaters..."

"Wait a minute, professor, wait a minute." Kyle interrupted Dumbledore, "Let me sort it out. You mean, Draco Malfoy fought a desperate battle with the Death Eaters, right?"

"Yes, you heard it right." Dumbledore nodded.

"Okay, let's continue." Kyle said with a smile: "After we finish, I can go to Diagon Alley to buy some dragon dung... enough to fill up the Nurmengard Tower. I guess I have to reserve it in advance."

Draco Malfoy fighting a Death Eater is as ridiculous as Hagrid stewing a dragon.

Dumbledore actually dragged him back from France for something like this?

"Don't be so anxious. It's not over yet. Have a glass of lemonade first." Dumbledore advised kindly, and knocked on the table, asking the house-elf to bring a glass of fresh lemonade.

There was no way he could help but be nervous since Kyle could really do such a wicked thing.

Although Grindelwald was wrong, he has already been punished. This is not a crime that deserves this.

"Let me guess." Kyle took a sip of lemonade, "Does Draco Malfoy want to go back to Hogwarts?"

"Exactly," said Dumbledore.

"It was a coincidence that when the Aurors found out that the person who sent the message was Draco, Lucius and Narcissa sent him to the Ministry of Magic, hoping that the Aurors would protect his safety.

"At the same time, Tom also showed up. In front of everyone, he punished them with the Cruciatus Curse at the entrance of the Ministry of Magic. The screams of Lucius and Narcissa were heard throughout the Ministry of Magic."

"That's it?" Kyle asked.

"Tom also tried to rush into the Ministry of Magic to kill Draco, but I stopped him." Dumbledore said, "Then he took Lucius and Narcissa away. Draco escaped and was protected by the Aurors."

Kyle finished his lemonade before he said, "What does the Ministry of Magic think?"

"Most people think this is a good opportunity," Dumbledore said. "They want to help Draco Malfoy and persuade more Death Eaters to turn to the light."

Kyle was too lazy to listen anymore, so he stood up and said, "Professor, the Christmas dinner should be starting soon."

"Oh, it has already started." Dumbledore was stunned for a moment, then said, "Do you want to go eat?"

"I am indeed a little hungry." Kyle glanced at Dumbledore dimly, "I could have had a French meal tonight."

"I think the Christmas dinner at Hogwarts will be quite sumptuous as well." Dumbledore smiled.

"How can that be the same?" Kyle sighed.

The person who had dinner with him in France was Kanna, but here, he was just an old man.

It's quite a difference.

As the two walked to the Great Hall, Dumbledore couldn't help but ask, "Kyle, I want to hear your opinion on this matter."

"What do you think?" Kyle thought for a moment. "It's a very touching play. If it were adapted into a stage play, it would definitely make a lot of money."

"Stage play...you mean, it's all fake?"

"What else?"

Kyle spread his hands, "The Malfoys betrayed the You-Know-Who and were caught, but the You-Know-Who only punished them with the Cruciatus Curse instead of killing them directly.

"Professor, does this make sense?"

Dumbledore paused and gave Kyle a meaningful look.

As expected, he still preferred chatting with Kyle. Their ideas were always surprisingly consistent, and it was the right decision to bring him here.

"Let me tell you."

Kyle had no idea what Dumbledore was thinking, and he reached out and pushed open the side door leading to the Great Hall.

"If all this is true, there is no way Lucius and Narcissa would have made it to the Ministry alive."

…

(End of this chapter)