Hogwarts: I Am an Exemplary Wizard

“Saving Arianna isn’t hard. You can knock her out ahead of time with a Stunning Spell, or just find some random excuse to take her away.” Kael said. “What’s hard is how we’re going to fool Dumbledore… and I mean the young Dumbledore.”

“I know.”

“So I’ve decided to use this.” Kael took out a small vial of Magic Potion, and a long strand of reddish-brown hair.

“Polyjuice Potion.”

“Exactly.” Kael nodded. “Before they come back, you take Arianna away first, I’ll drink the Polyjuice Potion and take her place…”

“No.”

Kael had barely finished when Dumbledore shot the idea down.

“Why?” Kael asked. “This is the simplest way.”

“I have a feeling it won’t work.” Dumbledore fell silent for a moment, then said, “You should know, I’ve already come back more than once.”

Kael nodded.

“Unlike the previous times, your appearance brought back fragments of memories that had already vanished. I vaguely recall that I once tried this method.” Dumbledore said. “Taking Arianna away ahead of time, then disguising myself as her and showing up here.”

“How did it turn out?” Kael asked.

“I don’t remember.” Dumbledore said painfully. “But I can guess—once Arianna woke up and found herself in some unfamiliar place, her emotions would definitely collapse. And then the outcome wouldn’t change at all.”

“You mean her Obscurus?”

“Yes.” Dumbledore’s hand clenched tight around his pumpkin juice glass. “It’s emotion that triggers the Obscurus inside her. Arianna has to stay here.”

Kael frowned and said nothing.

He really had overlooked the Obscurus issue. Arianna had been shut in at home all this time; her whole world was just her family—or to be more precise… Abeforth.

Besides, even a normal person would panic if they suddenly found themselves in a strange place, let alone an Obscurus whose emotions are already unstable.

“There’s another way. It’s just riskier.” Kael narrowed his eyes slightly.

“What?”

“We tell Arianna the truth…”

“Absolutely not!”

Dumbledore shot to his feet, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

He sat back down again and lowered his voice. “You should know—the first rule of using a Time Turner is that you absolutely cannot tell anyone about the future.”

“Then we find a way around that rule.”

“It can’t be changed.”

“No, there is a way.” Kael glanced at the empty seat to his left.

If it were evening, Kode would normally be sitting there, but it was morning now; he was probably still brewing Magic Potions.

“Professor, do you still remember Kode?”

“Kode Potter?” Dumbledore asked, puzzled. “Why bring him up all of a sudden?”

“I thought of something.” Kael suddenly jumped to his feet. “Come with me.”

Kael left two Knuts on the bar, then bolted out of the pub without looking back.

Dumbledore hurried after him, stumbling as he went.

Kael ran straight along the little lane on the south side of Godric’s Hollow, and soon saw a small red two?storey house.

The ground floor had been converted into a shop, with a hand?written sign hanging above.

[Potter’s Magic Pharmacy]

Kode had just finished with a customer; when he looked up, he saw Kael running toward him.

“Well, if it isn’t a rare visitor.” He said, a little surprised. “Need any Magic Potions? Anti?Doxy Potion, Joyful Potion, Stimulant Potion—I’ve got them all. Since you’ve treated me to drinks, I can give you a great discount.”

Kael glanced around. All the Magic Potions here were the common types; the priciest one was the Joyful Potion.

“I’ll take everything.” Kael pulled out a handful of Galleons and put them on the counter. “Everything on the shelves, everything in stock—I’m buying it all.”

Kode looked at the small fortune in Galleons on the counter, then at Kael, and laughed.

“I know you’re loaded, but you don’t have to come and mess with me first thing in the morning… No way, you’re buying me the best brandy tonight or I’m cutting you off.”

“I really am buying.” Kael said.

“All right, enough kidding.” Kode waved him off, ready to shoo him out.

Then he saw the utterly serious look on Kael’s face, and the hand he’d stretched out froze in mid?air.

“Give me a reason.” He said. “Don’t take me for an idiot—you’re not someone who needs these everyday Magic Potions.”

“Fine, can’t hide anything from you.” Kael stopped circling around and said bluntly, “I want to borrow something from you.”

“Man, you should’ve led with that.” Kode let out a long breath. “All this drama just to borrow something? You’ve been buying me drinks for over half a month; it’s rare you ask me for a favor—how could I say no?

“Honestly, put those Gold Coins away… So, what do you want to borrow?”

“The Invisibility Cloak.” Kael said.

Kode froze, but recovered quickly and gave an awkward chuckle:

“Come on, don’t mess with me. Invisibility Cloaks are rare stuff. Even the richest Dumbledore family in Godric’s Hollow might not have one—how could I possibly…”

“Ignatius Peverell.” Kael spoke a name, and Kode’s voice cut off abruptly.

He stared blankly at Kael, then shut the shop door with a grim face. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Who’s that supposed to be?”

“The youngest of the three brothers in The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The surname Potter is descended from him.”