The way Hermione's eyes silently bored into him was truly terrifying.
After filling his stomach with the fastest eating speed of his life, Kyle fled to the living room.
"Dad, are you heading out?"
Dumbledore nodded. "A prisoner has escaped from Azkaban. Cornelius intends to discuss the matter with me…"
"Azkaban?" Kyle asked, somewhat confused. "Isn't that the prison renowned for being impossible to escape from?"
"No prison is truly inescapable." Grindelwald's voice drifted over from the other side of the living room.
The old Dark Lord, himself an escapee from Nurmengard, curled his lip in disdain. "Only those useless wastes would be kept in a place like Azkaban."
It only then occurred to Kyle that his other father was also something of an expert when it came to prison breaks.
"Who is the prisoner?" Kyle asked, his tone tinged with excitement as a bold idea began to form in his mind.
Given the average combat level of the wizarding world, if the four of them—the "Dad-Dreaders"—were to set out together, catching an escaped convict who had been half-sucked dry by Dementors in Azkaban would be a walk in the park, wouldn't it?
It would make for a perfect team-building activity.
However, the Weasley twins had just sent him a letter via owl yesterday, saying they had won the Daily Prophet Grand Prize Draw—a whopping 700 Galleons. Consequently, the whole family had headed off to Egypt for a holiday.
The letter had even included a photograph of the entire family in Egypt.
So, if they were going to have a team-building event, it would have to wait until those two returned from their trip.
Knowing his son's temperament all too well, Dumbledore immediately guessed what Kyle was thinking.
"Don't even think about it." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a tone that brooked no argument.
"The escaped prisoner is Sirius Black. He was the one who betrayed the Potters, revealing the location of Harry and his parents to Voldemort, which led to their deaths."
"Even if he has been weakened significantly after ten years of imprisonment, he is not someone you few can handle."
Kyle shrugged noncommittally. "Is he really going to be able to block a bullet from three kilometers away?"
As George and Fred delved deeper into their study of Muggle physics, the weapons they were crafting were becoming increasingly absurd.
The Barrett sniper rifle he had once cherished had been transformed by the two weapon masters into an electromagnetic sniper rifle.
If it weren't for the limitations of scope size and the curvature of the Earth, the range of this rifle could easily rival the main guns of a battleship.
Even so, its effective range had reached eight kilometers.
Within a three-kilometer radius, without having to account for variables like wind speed or air resistance, it was essentially a point-and-shoot affair.
Dumbledore's face darkened instantly.
He recalled the terrifying destructive power that the "Troublemaking Quartet" had displayed when Hogwarts Castle was attacked last term.
He also remembered the fascination and love the Hogwarts students had shown for Muggle firearms after half a term of "Muggle Art Appreciation" classes.
"No!" Dumbledore said firmly.
Kyle spread his hands. "Fine."
Anyway, whatever Dumbledore forbid, he would just do it in secret. As long as he didn't get caught, it would be fine.
How could Dumbledore not guess Kyle's thoughts? His gaze flew toward Grindelwald like a knife: Look at the "fine" son you've raised!
Grindelwald rolled his eyes: Nothing to do with me; he's self-taught.
Grindelwald and Dumbledore were old rivals.
Anyone with the surname Grindelwald had a specific knack for dealing with anyone named Dumbledore.
Especially someone like Kyle—an internal mole who had embedded himself within the Dumbledore family. When it came to backstabbing his own, he was exceptional, possessing quite the flair of that Uchiha double-agent, Itachi.
Dumbledore sighed helplessly, turned, and left the living room.
He still had to get to the British Ministry of Magic; he didn't have time to dither here with this father and son duo.
On the other side, after finishing her breakfast, Hermione did not dive headlong into the castle library as she usually did.
Instead, she went to the castle gardens, moodily kicking pebbles on the ground.
Quite some time ago, Hermione had realized that she actually liked Kyle.
She wasn't sure when these feelings had started.
Perhaps it began during their first encounter at King's Cross Station, or maybe during the countless hours they spent together in the library…
It could have been the moment he rushed to save her from the troll despite the danger, or when he appeared before her like a god from the heavens during Hagrid's incident in the Forbidden Forest.
Whether intentional or not, everything Kyle had done for her had accumulated in her heart, drop by drop.
After several years, it had finally fermented into this deep, intense affection.
This crush had originally been buried deep within her heart.
Because Hermione knew that Hannah liked Kyle very much, too.
She and Hannah were best friends.
No matter who Kyle eventually chose, it would be unfair to the other.
Therefore, she and Hannah had a silent understanding not to speak of the love they held for Kyle.
But Konan's appearance by Kyle's side had given Hermione a profound sense of crisis.
If she didn't take action now, Kyle might belong to someone else by the time school started next term.
However, confessing required a great deal of courage for a thirteen-year-old girl. Unable to say the words, she had to resort to other methods.
That was why, for the first time ever, she had dressed herself up so meticulously today. Yet, to her frustration, that "thick-headed blockhead" Kyle still had his eyes fixed on Konan.
How could the usually proud Hermione endure such a slight?
While Hermione was taking her anger out on the pebbles, two sneaky figures appeared at the other end of the garden.
"Your little girlfriend seems angry. Aren't you going to go comfort her?"
Kyle shot Konan a look. "Don't you have any clue why she's angry? Besides, she's not my girlfriend."
"Heh." Konan gave a light chuckle.
"When you saw her this morning, you couldn't take your eyes off her. I know exactly what you were thinking. You men are all total pigs."
Kyle rubbed the back of his head, feeling a bit guilty.
He really had been stunned by the transformed Hermione that morning. There was no way to talk his way out of that one, so he didn't bother arguing.
Konan reached out and pinched Kyle's ear, but after a moment's thought, she couldn't bring herself to use much force.
"I know that given your status, it's impossible for me to be the only woman by your side. So, I'll give you special permission to find a few more little girlfriends. Hermione Granger would be a good choice."
What Konan didn't say out loud was that she also thought Hermione was quite pretty. If she could cuddle her while sleeping at night…
Ehehe…
That's right—it wasn't just "pigs" who liked beautiful girls; girls liked beautiful girls too.
Having his "scumbag" nature exposed, Kyle grinned sheepishly. "You really wouldn't mind?"
"How could I not mind!" The force of Konan's hand on Kyle's ear suddenly increased. "No one wants to share their love with others!"
Kyle caught the fair, delicate hand that was about to rip his ear off. Having had zero romantic experience across two lifetimes, he found himself at a loss for words.
"Well…"
Before Kyle could speak, Konan gave him a sharp shove, pushing him right into Hermione's line of sight.
"Go on then—go comfort your little girlfriend!"
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