Chapter 982: Chapter 982: Assistant Kanna
The day before the Hogwarts term began, the Burrow had undergone a complete transformation.
Over the past few days, Mrs. Weasley and several of the children had scrubbed the walls top to bottom and painted them in a variety of colors.
At first glance, it looked a little chaotic, but there was something faintly reminiscent of a magical castle from a Muggle picture book... a miniature version of one, at least.
Even the gnomes in the garden had been thoroughly cleared out and tossed far away—far enough that it would take them several days just to make it back.
The ghoul in the attic had even been temporarily relocated to Kyle’s house.
Everyone had been run off their feet, and even Kyle had been roped into helping with more than a few tasks.
...
The wedding was held in an orchard near the Burrow, and many guests arrived that day.
Kyle, who lived closest, was the first to arrive. Not long after came Harry, Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and other former members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Ron, Fred, and George had been stationed in front of a massive tent to greet guests arriving for the ceremony.
They shamelessly tried to drag Kyle and Cedric into it with them—but had no luck.
Kyle didn’t even acknowledge them. Without so much as a glance, he ducked into the tent.
The moment they stepped inside, Cedric froze, stunned into silence by the scene before him.
From the outside, it looked like an ordinary tent, but inside, it resembled a vast park. A lush, well-kept lawn stretched out before them, and a long strip of purple velvet carpet ran from the entrance down the center. On either side were rows of elegant, delicately crafted golden chairs.
"What are you doing..." Kyle nudged Cedric. "Could you not look like you’ve never seen anything this fancy? It’s embarrassing."
"But I haven’t seen anything like this before," Cedric mumbled.
"Haven’t you ever been inside my trunk?" Kyle gave him a sidelong glance.
His own trunk was much larger than this tent—and far livelier.
"That’s different... it’s not the same..." Cedric’s eyes darted as he spoke, clearly distracted by his thoughts.
"Are you thinking about having your wedding with Cho here, too...?"
Cedric’s face went scarlet, and he instinctively turned his head away. "How did you—no, I wasn’t thinking that!"
"You weren’t? It’s practically written all over your face," Kyle snorted.
"But this tent is designed specifically for weddings. Pretty rare, really—Bill was lucky to get his hands on it."
The two of them walked further inside.
Compared to Lupin and Tonks’ wedding, this one had drawn a much bigger crowd.
The Weasleys had no shortage of relatives, and the Delacours were a well-known and prestigious family in France. As Kyle stepped inside, it felt more like entering the atrium of the Ministry of Magic.
Because there were so many guests, the arrival of Kyle and Cedric didn’t draw much attention. They found an empty corner and sat down, helping themselves to some of the refreshments.
Not long after, Cho arrived.
"Where’s Kanna?" she asked, looking toward Kyle. "Didn’t you go to pick her up?"
"I did. No one was there." Kyle shrugged.
He’d gone to Kanna’s house early that morning—but she hadn’t been home.
The door had been opened by Snape, who seemed to be waiting for him. Kyle had barely regained his footing after Apparating when Snape opened the door and immediately launched into one of his trademark sarcastic tirades.
Kyle didn’t remember everything he’d said, but the gist was that Kanna had something more important to deal with. She’d left home two weeks ago and was currently out of the country.
Kyle wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but ever since Snape had been freed from his dual roles as Death Eater and spy, he’d become even more insufferable. Every sentence he spoke now came with an exaggerated drawl.
So before heading back, Kyle had accidentally dropped a crate of Dungbombs down Snape’s chimney.
Of course, they were just sitting there for now—but what would happen once he lit the fireplace... well, that was a mystery for another day.
"She’s not in the UK?"
"Seems like it," Kyle said. "I tried reaching her with the two-way mirror. From what I could see on her side, there was a snow-covered mountain. But before I could say anything, the mirror connection cut out because the distance was too far."
"So she’s at least three thousand miles away from here."
"Pretty much."
"Oh." Cho looked a little disappointed. It had been a long time since she’d seen Kanna.
Not just Cho—Kyle hadn’t seen her in a while either. Ever since Hogwarts went on break, he’d been buried in Horcrux research, and Kanna had been busy with her own work.
He’d thought she might come back for Bill’s wedding, but apparently...
Well, he’d just have to wait a little longer.
After a short while, Cho and Cedric went off to mingle, leaving Kyle alone at the refreshment table.
Thankfully, Fred and George finally finished their work and returned—he could hear them complaining before they were even visible.
"When I get married, you can wear whatever you want..."
"Just don’t forget to cast a Full Body-Bind Curse on Mum."
Kyle raised an eyebrow at them. "If I’m not mistaken, you said the exact same thing at Lupin and Tonks’ wedding."
"That’s because all this fancy stuff is so annoying!" Fred muttered, tugging at the collar of his robes.
But before he could finish, a group entering the tent caught everyone’s attention.
For a brief moment, the entire tent was awash with vibrant colors. Sunlight seemed to split into rainbows, casting shimmering hues across the space—and illuminating a swarm of dazzling butterflies.
"Merlin..." George rubbed his eyes. "I’ve never seen so many Veela girls."
"They’ve got to be Fleur’s cousins." Fred quickly straightened the collar he’d just rumpled. "As the host, I think it’s only polite I show them a little of our British hospitality."
Before he could make a move, George had already dashed past two middle-aged witches at the front of the line and stepped in front of two beautiful French girls. "Hey... may I be of service?"
The girls giggled and happily let him escort them inside.
"When did he learn French?" Kyle blinked in disbelief. "And with such perfect pronunciation..."
No one answered. When he turned his head, Fred had disappeared too.
"Well, all right then..." Kyle reached over and popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth.
Apparently, Fred and George really were itching to use that Full Body-Bind Curse on Mrs. Weasley.
"You’re not going?" came Hermione’s voice from behind. "They’re Veela, you know. Ron’s eyes practically turned red when he realized he was too slow."
Hermione had dressed with care today—light lavender dress, matching heels, her hair smooth and neatly styled.
"It’s exactly because they’re Veela that I should keep my distance." Kyle slid a plate of chocolates toward her.
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Hermione looked puzzled.
Kyle smiled but didn’t answer.
There was no way to explain that he instinctively thought of them as Magical Creatures. That would’ve been more than a little rude.
...
More and more guests arrived—Kingsley, Hagrid, Luna... and Viktor Krum.
As one of the champions in the Triwizard Tournament, Krum had also been invited by Fleur. The moment the famous international Quidditch star stepped in, he caused quite a stir.
The younger guests were visibly thrilled. A few rushed up to ask for autographs and warmly invited him to sit with them.
Krum declined and instead took a seat on Kyle’s other side. The moment he sat down, he turned to Hermione and began chatting with her enthusiastically.
Whether Hermione was enjoying herself, Kyle couldn’t tell—but Krum clearly was.
It didn’t take long for Hermione to find an excuse and slip away.
Just then, Ginny and Cho came strolling over, laughing and talking.
Krum stared at them for a long moment.
"They’re very pretty..." he muttered. "Do you know them?"
He was speaking to Kyle.
"Sure do. Very well, in fact," Kyle said flatly, glancing at him. "But they both have boyfriends—and short tempers. When they get angry, they prefer iron rods as thick as your arm over wands."
Whatever Krum had been imagining, the color quickly drained from his face.
"I heard... you graduated," he said, clearly trying to change the subject.
Kyle gave him another look. "I graduated a year ago. You’re just hearing about it now?"
"I... I’m not too familiar with things over here in Britain." Krum’s voice drifted slightly.
"Thinking of going pro in Quidditch? With your skills, you’d be a starter in no time."
"Quidditch is just a hobby for me." Watching Krum awkwardly fumble for conversation, Kyle answered patiently, "I think I’m better suited to teaching at Hogwarts."
The conversation stalled. The atmosphere grew awkward.
Mainly for Krum, who’d always thought Kyle was supposed to be impressive—only now he wasn’t so sure.
"Uh... what about that Dark wizard of yours?" he asked, grasping at another topic.
"Oh, he’s off keeping your headmaster company," Kyle said offhandedly.
And just like that, the conversation came to a screeching halt.
Krum shot to his feet and walked off without another word.
Did Kyle care?
Not even a little.
Whether Krum liked it or not, Voldemort really had gone to keep Karkaroff company.
Once Krum was gone, things quieted down considerably. Kyle reached out and grabbed a floating glass of champagne, taking a sip.
To his right was a gathering of Weasleys.
The Weasley family truly had a lot of relatives, and Kyle couldn’t keep track of all their names. The only one who made a lasting impression was a talkative old witch named Muriel—Ron and Charlie called her Great-Aunt Muriel.
She hadn’t stopped talking since she’d arrived—critiquing Ron’s hairstyle, discussing how headpieces should be worn, and making the occasional jab at the French... Kyle had no idea how she came up with so many topics.
Thankfully, she only seemed interested in talking to other Weasleys. By keeping his distance, Kyle managed to stay out of the line of fire.
The flow of the wedding was much the same as Lupin’s: greeting guests, holding the ceremony, and then the dancing...
Even the officiant was the same familiar short wizard from last time.
But unlike before, everything went smoothly this time—no Death Eaters crashing the party, no unwelcome drama. The dance floor was lively, and the celebration carried on well into the night.
Bill and Fleur had planned an all-night dance party, which most guests greeted with enthusiasm.
Fred and George were particularly thrilled.
Mrs. Weasley didn’t think it was the best idea, but seeing how happy everyone was, she decided to hold her tongue.
Kyle, however, didn’t stay for it. He slipped away partway through.
...
The next day, Mr. Weasley had originally planned to drive Ginny to King’s Cross Station, but when Kyle noticed he seemed a bit worn out, he volunteered to take over.
He was headed there anyway, so giving Ginny a lift would be no trouble at all.
"You’re going to King’s Cross too?" Mr. Weasley looked a bit surprised. "I thought you’d just Apparate to Hogsmeade and head to the school from there."
"That was my original plan," Kyle said, "but Professor Sykes wants to ride the Hogwarts Express one more time, and Professor McGonagall asked me to accompany her. You know—she’s getting on in years."
"Ah, yes," Mr. Weasley nodded.
He didn’t know Sykes’ exact age—only that she’d already been quite well-known when he was a boy.
"Then I’ll leave it to you," Mr. Weasley said, stifling a yawn. "Here, take the car keys—"
"No need," Kyle replied with a smile. "I’m Apparating."
"Apparating?" Mr. Weasley held the keys in his hand, frowning. "You’d better not. If you show up inside King’s Cross, Muggles will definitely see you—that’d be a nightmare to clean up."
"I’m not appearing in King’s Cross," Kyle said with a grin.
He reached out and took hold of Ginny—who was also yawning—and asked, "Do you know how to Apparate side-along?"
"Of course," Ginny murmured, rubbing her eyes. "I already passed my Apparition test. I don’t even need you to take me."
"Let’s not test that, shall we?" Kyle replied.
He took hold of her arm, gave Mr. Weasley a quick wave, and disappeared on the spot.
...
The next moment, the two of them reappeared on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The deep crimson Hogwarts Express loomed before them, like a massive beast waiting to be unleashed.
"Ginny! Kyle..." Just then, Luna stepped through the barrier from the other side.
"How was the ball last night?"
"It was amazing," Ginny beamed. "When I get married, I’m definitely throwing an all-night party!"
"With Harry?" Kyle asked casually.
He was promptly rewarded with a hard stomp on his foot by a blushing Ginny.
She grabbed Luna and dashed onto the train, leaving Kyle behind on the platform to wait.
As the train was just about ready to depart, Sykes finally arrived. Like Kyle, she had Apparated directly—bypassing King’s Cross entirely.
"Welcome, Professor Sykes," Kyle said, stepping forward quickly—only to stop in his tracks.
"Wait... Kanna?"
Only now did he notice there was someone else beside Sykes.
Kanna let go of Sykes’ arm and gave Kyle a bright smile. "Actually, I’d prefer if you called me Assistant Professor Kanna."
"Assistant professor?" Kyle blinked. "Wait, you applied to teach at Hogwarts too?"
"Not exactly," Kanna said, thinking for a moment. "About a month ago, Professor Sykes invited me to go traveling with her, and I agreed."
"I finally retired," Sykes added with a smile. "It’s time I relaxed a little. Besides, a good potioneer shouldn’t be stuck in just one place."
"Later on, when Professor Sykes decided to go back to Hogwarts," Kanna continued, "she asked me to be her assistant. I’ll be teaching Potions to first- and second-years."
"Well... all right then." Kyle hadn’t expected to see Kanna again under these circumstances.
But it wasn’t a bad surprise.
"That’s right!" Kanna suddenly brightened. "This past month, Professor Sykes showed me so much... I never knew magma could be used as a crucible! And did you know there are potions that don’t even require fire to brew?"