Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 228: A Reward for the Niffler

Kyle sensed things were slipping out of his control.

“Professor...” he said with a nervous laugh, “I don’t remember The Mirror of Erised having a replay function… Isn’t it like any other mirror?”

“That’s true for most versions of the Mirror of Erised,” Dumbledore replied, “but I’ve made a small adjustment. Are you familiar with the Pensieve?”

Kyle nodded. “It’s an alchemical device that lets you view memories.”

“Indeed,” Dumbledore said, sounding pleased. “I attempted to connect the Mirror of Erised to a Pensieve, so that whatever appears in the mirror could be preserved as a memory in the Pensieve. To be honest, it was far more complicated than I anticipated… but I succeeded in the end.”

“So you can see everything that happened in the mirror?” Kyle asked, his throat feeling suddenly dry.

“Perfectly!” Dumbledore replied, a glint of mischief in his eyes as he seemed to savor Kyle’s reaction. “It’s unusual for a Niffler to be in the castle… and even more unusual that it managed to solve a supposedly foolproof barrier.”

Dumbledore then stood up, preparing to leave. “Well, I won’t disturb you while you rest. The Niffler can’t have gone far, so I should pay Newt a visit to see if he recognizes it.”

“Wait, Professor…” Kyle blurted, stopping him.

“Yes? Is there something else?”

“Well, if it’s a Niffler… it just so happens that I have one,” Kyle said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a palm-sized Niffler.

Dumbledore turned back, looking a little surprised. “So the Niffler was yours all along…”

Kyle forced a polite smile, choosing to ignore Dumbledore’s teasing tone. If the headmaster really hadn’t known, he would have gone straight to Hagrid or Professor Kettleburn rather than seeking out Newt. This wasn’t about identification; it was clearly a playful, if pointed, hint.

“Actually, I just remembered, Professor,” Kyle explained. “I let him out to play with me for a while earlier, and he must have wandered over to the mirror during that time.”

The Niffler looked up at Kyle with wide, blank eyes, and seemed to catch on. It quickly moved its little paws protectively over its pouch, but it was too late. Under Kyle’s deft hands, a large pile of shiny objects soon spilled out: Christmas ornaments with sequins, metal clasps, a handful of Galleons, Sickles, and, finally, a bright red gemstone…

“So it was here all along,” Kyle said, feigning surprise. “Sorry, Professor, I had no idea…”

“That’s quite all right, as long as it’s been found,” Dumbledore replied, retrieving the Philosopher’s Stone. At that moment, the Niffler let out a mournful wail, wriggling and clawing at the air in protest.

“I see I’ve taken something it values…” Dumbledore murmured thoughtfully. With a subtle twist of his fingers, he conjured several glittering gems in various colors, each roughly the size of the Philosopher’s Stone, and held them out in his palm.

“How about I trade you these?” Dumbledore held out his hand to the Niffler with a smile. “As a reward for passing my test, you may have them.”

As soon as he opened his hand, the Niffler stopped his fussing. The Niffler’s eyes widened at the gems, though tears of frustration still glistened at the corners. With a sorrowful cry, he reached for them, but Kyle lifted him up just in time.

“Professor, he says he doesn’t want those,” Kyle said solemnly.

Dumbledore paused. “He doesn’t?”

“Mhm.” Kyle nodded seriously. “You see, I can understand what the Niffler is saying… He’s asking for a real reward.”

The Niffler stared at him in disbelief, then began squirming even harder, letting out increasingly desperate cries. But Kyle ignored him, even covering its eyes.

Dumbledore’s expression grew curious. “And what reward does he have in mind?”

“Well, he feels his home is a bit cramped and would like you to expand it a little,” Kyle explained, holding up the leather suitcase next to him. “He was thinking… maybe as large as the Forbidden Forest during your summer break.”

Dumbledore, who likely already knew that Kyle owned a suitcase like Newt’s, seemed to piece things together. His expression turned even more amused as he looked between Kyle, who was keeping a straight face, and the Niffler, who had gone limp in resignation.

“Kyle… did he really say that?” Dumbledore asked, clearly holding back a laugh.

“Yes!” Kyle said firmly. “I’ll vouch for Potter’s grades as proof.”

By now, the magical creature had completely given up, hanging limp in Kyle’s grasp, defeated.

“Well, all right, since I promised him,” Dumbledore mused. “But the size of the Forbidden Forest… that might be a bit ambitious. After all, I still need to find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor during the break, so I won’t have that much time. How about half the size of the Forbidden Forest? That should be enough for it, don’t you think?”

“No problem at all, Professor,” Kyle replied, smiling. “I thank you on behalf of the Niffler… Oh, Potter! When did you wake up?”

Harry, who had been lying on the bed across from them, was now sitting up, staring at Kyle and Dumbledore in bewilderment.

“I thought I heard someone talking about grades, and it woke me up,” Harry said, rubbing his face in confusion. “How long have I been asleep? I can’t believe the exam results are out already!”

“Don’t worry, you’ve only slept for one day, and the exam results aren’t out yet,” Dumbledore reassured him, coming over to his bed. “If you recover quickly enough, you might even be able to make it to the Quidditch match tomorrow.”

“Oh, thank goodness…” Harry breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly remembered. “Sir! The Philosopher’s Stone—it fell into the flames! We have to—”

“No need to worry, my boy. What you’re saying is already outdated,” Dumbledore said calmly, pulling out the bright red stone and holding it in front of Harry. “The Philosopher’s Stone is perfectly safe, you see?”

“Whew,” Harry exhaled, visibly relieved. “I’m so glad I didn’t destroy the Philosopher’s Stone.”

“There’s no need to be so nervous. Even if you had destroyed it, it wouldn’t have mattered much, as we never intended to keep it here permanently.”

“Pardon?” Harry asked, baffled. “But… your friend Nicolas…”

“Oh, so you know Nicolas?” Dumbledore’s eyes sparkled with genuine delight.

In truth, he was quite pleased. Unlike Kyle, Harry’s responses were far more straightforward and didn’t tend to involve unexpected surprises. This was precisely the kind of conversation Dumbledore enjoyed.