Bang!
Kyle stood outside the shop, watching as the door of Potter's Potion Store was slammed shut in his face.
A moment later, it creaked open again just long enough for Corder to toss out a large parcel before slamming it shut once more.
Dumbledore stood beside him, clearly puzzled by what he had just witnessed.
"It's nothing. I just bought a few things," Kyle explained.
He picked up the package. Inside were a dozen or so bottles of various potions. A few had shattered from Corder's rough handling, but most remained intact.
Kyle sorted through them and stored the usable ones in his case. They were all fairly common potions, but since he'd paid for them, he wasn't about to let them go to waste.
"You came all this way just to buy potions?" Dumbledore asked, even more confused.
From what he recalled, Corder wasn't exactly a renowned potioneer. The potions sold here could be found in any shop, and even a competent fifth-year could brew them with ease.
Was it really necessary for Kyle to make a special trip right now?
"The potions weren't the point—I came for this." Kyle held up the box for him to see.
Dumbledore had still been wondering why Kyle had made the detour, but the moment he saw the old, worn box, something clicked.
"The Cloak of Invisibility?"
"More precisely, the Cloak of Invisibility that's one of the Deathly Hallows," Kyle said. "Maybe this is the only thing that can give Ariana even a sliver of hope."
Dumbledore trembled slightly.
Of course. How could he have forgotten? He'd known all along that the Cloak had been passed down through the Potter family for generations. Why hadn't he thought of it sooner?
"He just lent it to you?" Dumbledore suddenly realized. "Corder probably understands better than anyone how valuable that cloak really is."
"It wasn't easy. I had to get creative..." Kyle gave a brief account of what had happened inside the shop.
"Twenty Galleons... and three bottles of wine?" Dumbledore murmured in disbelief. "I didn't think it would be that simple."
"It wasn't simple at all," Kyle said, glancing back toward the shop. "His wife was there too."
"If he hadn't realized how far apart our strengths are, even if I gave him a hundred bottles of wine, he never would've handed over the cloak."
"Wait." Dumbledore looked at Kyle with concern. "You didn't..."
"Don't worry. I didn't do anything. Just showed him a bit of magic." Kyle shook his head. "I wanted him to understand that I wasn't trying to steal the cloak. But Corder didn't dare gamble—he made the best choice he could in the moment."
"What happened afterward—asking for payment and the wine—that was just him trying to get something out of the situation while he still could. But he really did like the wine... Can't blame him. It came from Hufflepuff herself. Most people never get the chance to even see it."
"Hufflepuff?" Dumbledore asked blankly. With his memory fractured, he no longer remembered anything about the Cup.
"It's not important," Kyle replied.
With the cloak now in hand, the two of them headed toward the Dumbledore house.
As they walked, Dumbledore couldn't help glancing repeatedly at the box in Kyle's hand.
"You're planning to use it to hide Ariana?" he asked.
"That's the idea." Kyle opened the box and took out the Cloak of Invisibility, its fabric flowing like liquid silver in his hands.
The so-called Hallows—better known as the Deathly Hallows—came from The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a well-known collection of wizarding fairy tales, somewhat like the Andersen's Fairy Tales of the Muggle world.
The story itself was long. Legend had it that three brothers once encountered Death and passed his test, so Death agreed to grant each of them a wish.
Though if you asked Kyle, the more likely explanation was that Death had simply been bored and decided to amuse himself with a game.
The eldest brother was the most combative. He asked for the most powerful wand ever made. With it, he defeated all his enemies—but in the end, he was murdered in his sleep, his wand stolen.
His soul, naturally, went to Death.
Next was the arrogant second brother, Cadmus. Wanting to cheat Death, he wished for the power to bring the dead back to life. Death granted his wish and gave him a stone—one that, when turned three times in the hand, could summon the dead.
Cadmus returned home and used it to resurrect the woman he once loved.
But Death had never told him that the Resurrection Stone could only bring back souls—souls that didn't belong to the land of the living and suffered constantly in this world.
Tormented by the result, Cadmus chose to end his own life, hoping to join her in death and surrendering, in the end, to Death as well.
Lastly, there was the youngest brother, Ignotus. The cleverest of the three, and the only one who didn't trust Death. Cautious by nature, he asked for a way to go somewhere beyond Death's reach—and was given the Cloak of Invisibility.
According to legend, the cloak had once belonged to Death itself.
And it worked. Death searched for him for many years, but could never find him. Only when Ignotus grew old and weary did he finally remove the cloak, pass it on to his son, and greet Death like an old friend, going with it gladly.
This is the story of the three brothers—a tale nearly every child born into a wizarding family has heard. Most wizards believe the story is meant to teach vigilance.
But what's interesting is that the legendary Deathly Hallows—the Cloak of Invisibility, the Elder Wand, and the Resurrection Stone—are all real. And Kyle has seen each one.
What he held now was one of them: the Cloak of Invisibility.
The reason Kyle intended to use it to save Ariana wasn't just because of its legend, but also because the cloak had always been central to this entire incident.
It was the search for the Cloak of Invisibility that caused young Grindelwald and Dumbledore to leave for the southern highlands without a word—something that infuriated Aberforth.
Then, when Grindelwald failed to find what he wanted, frustration overcame him. He lost his usual calm and ended up fighting Aberforth.
Ariana was killed while trying to stop them.
In a way, even if the cloak wasn't the direct cause of Ariana's death, it was the spark that set everything in motion.
Kyle had a feeling—if this tragedy had started with the Cloak of Invisibility, then perhaps it could also end with it.
The thought quickened his pace.
Before long, the familiar, elegant house came into view.
As they approached, Dumbledore suddenly hesitated, unconsciously slowing down.
"We can't see Ariana. We mustn't..." he muttered.
But Kyle didn't stop. He drew his wand, and a small sapling nearby shot up rapidly. A branch extended outward, and Kyle stepped onto it, letting it carry him to the attic window.
"Muffliato." With another flick of his wand, Kyle pushed the window open.
Ariana was sitting on a small bed inside. At the sound of the commotion, she turned instinctively—first looking at Kyle, who had just jumped inside, then glancing at the bright sunlight outside.
"You... why are you here now?" Ariana was startled. "No, if Aberforth sees you, he'll get mad. You have to leave—quickly!"
She stood up and pressed her ear against the door, clearly checking for any sound outside.
"It's alright. He can't hear us," Kyle said with a smile, shaking his head. "I'm here because I need your help—with something very important."
"Something important?" Ariana blinked, unable to hide her excitement. "Only I can help?"
"Of course. You're the only one who can." Kyle smiled. "Do you want to save your brother?"
Ariana's expression instantly turned anxious. "Did something happen to Aberforth?"
She hurriedly grabbed the doorknob, trying to leave and check.
"Not Aberforth…" Kyle quickly corrected. "The other one."
He gently led the now-quiet Ariana to the window.
When Kyle had burst into the attic, Dumbledore had tried to hide—but for some reason, it was as if his feet were rooted to the ground. He couldn't move at all. He just stood there.
So when Kyle brought Ariana to the window, she immediately spotted him.
"Albus… brother?" she whispered.
Whether it was the bond of blood or the Obscurial's heightened perception, Ariana recognized him at a glance—despite his silver hair.
Dumbledore, meanwhile, was already weeping uncontrollably, his face streaked with tears.
"Still planning to hide, Professor?" Kyle said softly.
This time, Dumbledore didn't run. He simply rose into the air and floated into the attic.
Ariana's eyes widened, and then, with a wail, she burst into tears.
To be honest, even Kyle was caught off guard. He could understand why Dumbledore was crying—but Ariana too?
He tried to ask what was wrong.
"Albus… is dead… he turned into a ghost… a flying ghost…" Ariana sobbed, then cried even louder.
In her understanding, ghosts were white. And Albus had turned white.
Ghosts could fly. And Albus could fly.
So… Albus must be a ghost.
Fair logic.
Kyle's mouth twitched. For a moment, he had no idea what to say.
But Dumbledore was already panicking. Seeing Ariana crying so hard she could barely breathe, her entire body shrouded in a layer of swirling black mist, he scrambled up into the attic, pushed Kyle aside, and gently said,
"I'm fine, Ariana…"
"Feel my hand—I'm still warm." He clasped her hand, trying his best to calm her.
But perhaps because he had no experience with this sort of thing, he could only repeat the same two lines over and over, fumbling awkwardly like Neville in Potions class.
Thankfully, once Ariana felt the warmth in his palm, she did start to settle down.
"Albus… you're really not a ghost?"
"Of course not." Dumbledore shook his head, his tear-filled eyes fixed on the young girl in front of him.
"I'm sorry… Ariana… I'm so sorry."
She reached out with her small hand, trying to wipe the tears from his face.
"You might want to use something else. Like a handkerchief," Kyle muttered off to the side. "He probably has snot on there too."
The little girl froze, a flicker of alarm in her eyes.
Dumbledore shot Kyle a sharp glare.
"Don't look at me like that, Professor," Kyle shrugged. "You two were getting a little too emotional. This isn't the time for a tearful reunion."
He walked over and unfurled the Cloak of Invisibility, draping it over Ariana without warning.
"Wow! It's that magical cloak!" Ariana immediately forgot her tears, delighted as she examined her vanishing limbs with awe.
"Ariana…" Kyle crouched down, looking seriously at the happy little girl in front of him.
"What is it?"
"Your brother Albus is in danger. He could really become a ghost… any minute now."
In an instant, Ariana—who had just been beaming—burst into tears again.
"Don't say that…" Dumbledore's voice quivered as he tried to stop Kyle, but Kyle ignored him and calmly asked:
"Do you want to help him?"
"I do!" Ariana said firmly.
"But what if the price is that you can never come back?" Kyle continued. "You'll have to leave this place—leave this home, and leave your brother Aberforth."
"I..." Ariana hesitated. "But I want to be with them. Are you saying I can't come back?"
"No." Kyle tightened the cloak around her shoulders. "You won't be able to return. No matter how much you miss them. If you do, your brother Albus really will become a ghost… maybe something even worse."
"Stop it," Dumbledore said again, his voice strained with anguish. He tried to intervene, but Kyle still paid him no mind.
The words might hurt Ariana deeply—but if they were going to save her life, they had to be said.
"After this, you'll be alone. Living in a place you've never seen before."
"Then I'll never see Aberforth again?" Ariana clutched her head, her expression twisted in pain. Black mist—the mark of her Obscurus—began to swirl violently around her.
But strangely, the Cloak of Invisibility wrapped around her held the mist in check. It clung to her, containing the dark fog, preventing it from fully forming.
"Not necessarily," Kyle said after a moment's thought. "Maybe… a hundred years from now, you'll get to see him again. But until then, you'll have to make yourself forget everything here."
The black mist around Ariana thickened. Some of it began to seep through the seams of the cloak, writhing and twisting in midair.
Kyle frowned. Her reaction was stronger than he'd expected. If not for the cloak, his words alone might have triggered a full Obscurus eruption.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver-white jellyfish burst from the tip of Kyle's wand, its long, glowing tendrils wrapping around the swirling black mist, trying to drive it back.
A Patronus is the embodiment of hope—the natural enemy of all dark forces. Even an Obscurus is not immune.
But the Obscurus was too powerful. Just suppressing the wisps of darkness leaking from Ariana already put more strain on Kyle than facing hundreds of Dementors ever had.
All he could do was hold on, pouring everything he had into keeping the Patronus stable, silently praying that Ariana would wake up soon.
At that moment, a second Patronus appeared—a silver phoenix.
It soared above Ariana's head, radiating warmth like a fire in the dead of winter, encircling her in a protective aura.
Gradually, the black mist began to dissipate. Ariana opened her eyes once more.
"So, Ariana… have you made your decision?" Kyle braced himself and pressed on.
"I said that's enough! Shut up!" Dumbledore roared.
Raw magical energy erupted from his body, cracking the walls and ceiling with spiderweb-like fractures.
"Professor, this isn't the time for hesitation! It's the only way to save her life!" Kyle didn't back down. "She has to leave—there's no other option!"
"I know… I know…"
Dumbledore's voice suddenly softened, tinged with pleading.
"You've done enough. Let me handle the rest… please."
"Are you sure?" Kyle warned. "This means asking Ariana to give up everything—her family, her home. She might hate you forever. I don't care about that. But you…"
"I can handle it," Dumbledore said quietly. "As long as she lives."
"In that case… remember to watch the time. Under no circumstances let it go past ten o'clock."
Kyle took a long breath, stood up, and decided to give the brother and sister this time alone.
But instead of leaving through the window, he walked straight to the door and opened it.
"What happened… Ariana, are you alright?!"
A flurry of hurried footsteps echoed up the stairs. Aberforth.
When Dumbledore had lost control just moments ago, the magical shockwave had nearly brought the house down. At that level, not even a Muffliato Charm could block the noise.
Hearing the commotion, Aberforth had rushed over to check on Ariana—just in time to run straight into Kyle walking out the door.
"Who are you?!"
Seeing a stranger emerging from the attic—his sister's attic—Aberforth's confusion instantly turned into alarm, then fury.
Without hesitation, he yanked out his wand.
"What did you do to my sister—?!"
"Obliviate."
A flash of white light struck Aberforth square in the forehead. Though it was a Memory Charm, the effect looked more like a full-force Knockback Jinx.
He didn't make a sound. Just flew backward and collapsed onto the floor, unmoving.
"Sorry," Kyle muttered. "Can't let you interrupt them right now."
He exhaled deeply, feeling the pressure finally start to lift.
Between the direct exposure to the Obscurus, playing the villain to terrify Ariana, and managing Dumbledore's emotional spiral, Kyle's stress had been off the charts—his head still pounding from it all.
Now, with a conveniently timed punching bag sent his way, he wasn't about to let it go to waste.
Stretching with a satisfied groan, Kyle walked over, grabbed Aberforth by the collar, and dragged him downstairs. On the way, he casually repaired the cracked walls left behind by Dumbledore's earlier outburst.
Technically, Aberforth bore some of the blame for this entire mess. If he hadn't been so hot-headed, maybe that fight with Grindelwald would never have happened.
Still, considering how much he'd helped later on, Kyle softened a little—and resisted the urge to let him bump down the stairs.