Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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Five minutes into the game, the first goal finally came.
It was Angelina from Gryffindor…
The cheers from the stands were like thunder, echoing in the cold air.
Kyle clapped along with everyone else. Just as Lee Jordan had said, Angelina was indeed an excellent chaser.
During her attack, she seemed to fly, single-handedly breaking through the Slytherin defense.
But just as Kyle finished clapping and was about to continue watching the game, a large, fiery red bird suddenly flew through the crowd and landed on his shoulder.
"Fawkes?"
Kyle looked at the phoenix on his shoulder with some surprise.
What was going on? The headmaster's bird liked Quidditch too?
Never heard of that.
The surrounding young wizards were equally startled.
Cedric stared at Fawkes with his mouth agape, like a madman, almost drooling.
"This...this is...a phoenix?!"
"Yes, yes!" Suddenly, he stood up excitedly, gesturing wildly, "This is a phoenix! It's exactly like the description in the book!"
"Calm down, look at you, so pathetic." Kyle glanced at him disdainfully. "It's just a phoenix, no big deal."
Cedric curled his lip.
He made it sound so easy...this was the first time he'd ever seen a living phoenix.
At this moment, Kyle had already taken out a handful of white peony leaves and handed them to Fox.
Watching a game naturally wouldn't be complete without snacks.
But unexpectedly, Fawkes didn't eat them. It shook its head and whispered something in Kyle's ear.
"What is it?" Kyle frowned.
Fawkes wasn't there to watch the game; it was there to deliver a message.
Dumbledore needed to see him.
But the match had only just begun…
Seeing that Kyle didn't move, Fawkes looked up and pecked at his hair.
"Alright, alright, don't pull my hair, I'll go." Kyle could only stand up.
"What's wrong?" Kanna asked curiously.
Kyle whispered, "The headmaster wants to see me, I have to go back to the castle."
"The headmaster?"
"Yes, this phoenix is the headmaster's pet…"
"This… do you need any help?" Cedric asked.
"No, you guys continue watching the match."
Kyle glanced longingly at the pitch, then squeezed through the crowd and hurried towards the castle.
There was no one on the way, and Kyle learned from Fawkes why Dumbledore wanted to see him.
When he returned to the castle, Kyle went straight up the stairs to the fourth-floor restricted area.
Dumbledore was already waiting for him there, along with Hagrid.
"Hagrid," Kyle greeted him, frowning. "I heard from Fawkes that Fluffy has gone berserk?"
"I think so," Dumbledore said softly. "I'm sorry, Kyle, this might keep you from watching the game, but only you can figure out why now."
"It's alright, Fluffy is my friend too," Kyle shook his head. "Can I see it now?"
"Of course."
Dumbledore opened the door and led Kyle inside.
Inside, Fluffy was fast asleep, pressed against the trapdoor.
"Some necessary precautions," Dumbledore explained. "If it were awake, it would attack everything around it, and then this door would be very difficult to close."
"I understand," Kyle nodded.
He then stepped forward and carefully examined Fluffy's body.
There were no wounds, and his fur was intact, so it shouldn't have been caused by external injury.
Kyle frowned, seemingly understanding why Dumbledore had summoned him.
"Professor, can you wake Fluffy?" Kyle asked.
"Then you'd better be prepared, Kyle." Dumbledore's expression was somewhat serious. "Believe me, a mad Cerberus is far more terrifying than you think."
"It's alright, with you here, I'm sure I won't be harmed."
"That's the best compliment." Dumbledore smiled. "The last time I was this proud was when I became the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Now, step back..."
Dumbledore raised his hand and gently tapped the wand with its distinct joints. Fluffy, who had been lying on the ground, instantly opened his eyes.
"Roar..."
An angry roar, like muffled thunder, resounded throughout the room, even shaking the dust off the roof.
Fluffy's muscles tensed, and he leaped up from the ground, lunging at Kyle, who was closest to him, without hesitation.
It moved incredibly fast, arriving before Kyle in the blink of an eye. Its three large mouths opened simultaneously, revealing yellowed teeth.
But then, a chain suddenly appeared out of thin air, binding Fluffy's neck.
Then came a second, a third…
a total of six chains, binding Fluffy firmly in place like a spiderweb. No matter how much it struggled, it couldn't move an inch forward.
In the midst of the violent struggle, the chains even tore through its skin, embedding themselves deeply into its body.
"Oh…"
Hagrid clutched his chest, letting out a painful groan, as if the chains were on him.
"Please… Dumbledore, please!"
But Dumbledore remained unmoved, his eyes fixed on Kyle.
Fluffy continued to roar incessantly. Kyle tried to speak to it, but to no avail.
Left with no other option, Kyle focused his attention on its roars.
Because it was unconscious, Fluffy's roars were incoherent, but Kyle noticed that a few words appeared more frequently.
"Die…kill…"
"Hagrid…"
"Revenge!"
Soon, in Fluffy's reckless struggle, the chains were gradually stained red, and the entire room was filled with the smell of blood.
Hagrid covered his mouth, crying silently. He seemed to want to go forward to comfort Fluffy, but as soon as he got close, his arm was almost bitten off.
Fortunately, Dumbledore pulled him back in time.
Fluffy's injuries were getting worse and worse, and Kyle finally spoke.
"That's enough, Headmaster!"
"Depulso!"
A blinding light flashed in the room, the chains disappeared, and Fluffy slammed into the wall behind him like a cannonball. After swaying twice, he collapsed with a thud.
Hagrid rushed over and took out some white essence to apply to Fluffy's wounds.
Dumbledore looked at Kyle.
Before he could ask, Kyle said directly, "If I'm not mistaken, the reason it turned out like this is to help Hagrid get revenge."
Dumbledore's blue eyes flickered.
"Help…help me get revenge?"
Hagrid turned around in surprise, tears still streaming down his face.
"But I'm perfectly fine, and it even tried to bite me just now…"
"That's the strange thing," Kyle frowned. "It seems to think you're dead and considers us all murderers."
[End of the chapter]