Voldemort, that scoundrel, really hadn't told the truth.
On the final day of the Easter holiday, Kyle stepped out of his room, silently cursing the deceptive influence of a certain Dark Lord.
When Voldemort had first "taught" him about Horcruxes, he had made it sound like a revelation, promising to teach Kyle the forbidden knowledge Dumbledore would never share. But it had all been lies—another of Voldemort's traps.
While the general process of creating a Horcrux was accurate, the devil was in the details. Voldemort had conveniently omitted a crucial step, ensuring that if anyone followed his guidance, the split soul fragments would evaporate immediately—like snowflakes melting in flames.
It reminded Kyle of Tom Riddle's diary, another example of Voldemort's penchant for misleading others to flaunt his supposed superiority.
Fortunately, Kyle had prepared for this. He had taken precautions, leaving himself a way out and avoiding Voldemort's snare entirely.
Originally, Kyle had planned to wait until the school year ended and then borrow some books from Sirius. The Black family's ancestral home, 12 Grimmauld Place, housed a vast collection of rare and forbidden texts, including Secrets of the Darkest Art, which Dumbledore had long since removed from the Hogwarts library. Sirius, however, had a copy at home.
But now, there was no need for such trouble.
Kyle removed the Diadem from his head and carefully placed it back on Helena's.
"My mother said the Diadem would remain with you," Helena murmured softly, "but she asked that you wait until we're back at Hogwarts. She left a portrait at the school to carry her memory instead of the Diadem itself."
"That's fine," Kyle said, shaking his head. "You can spend time catching up with her."
This wasn't just politeness—he meant it sincerely. The Diadem's effects were undeniably powerful, and Kyle's current level of Occlumency wasn't strong enough to shield himself from its full influence. He had no intention of wearing it again unless absolutely necessary.
"Oh, by the way," Helena added, "my mother said she can only figure out how to use the locket to store magic once you've retrieved it."
"That might take some time..." Kyle admitted.
At that moment, Nicolas Flamel appeared, stepping out from another room. He had been away for two weeks, and judging by his brisk stride, this version of Nicolas was also an illusionary construct.
"It seems you've had a productive conversation," Nicolas said with a knowing smile.
"Nicolas," Kyle asked, "may I take the Diadem with me?"
"Is there any need to ask?" Nicolas chuckled. "The Diadem belongs to you now. Of course you can take it, but remember what I told you earlier—don't rely on it too much."
"I won't," Kyle replied earnestly. "And what about the Philosopher's Stone?"
"The process is progressing well," Nicolas said, his tone bright. "Madam Ravenclaw gave me some valuable advice. Based on my estimates, the ingredients should fully coalesce in about six more months."
"Six months?" Kyle muttered, taken aback.
"You didn't think refining the Philosopher's Stone was a simple task, did you?" Nicolas said, arching an eyebrow. "It's not like baking bread—you can't just pop it out of the oven after half an hour. My first Philosopher's Stone took nearly three years to complete."
"No, that's not what I meant," Kyle quickly clarified, explaining the idea of using the locket to store magic.
"Storing magic?" Nicolas asked, his interest piqued. "That's fascinating. Can the locket really be used for something like that? Perhaps that's its true function."
"Alright, if it's useful to you, I'll look into it. I believe I still have some ancient potion recipes that might help. Perhaps Albus could assist as well—if you don't mind him knowing about the locket."
"That's fine," Kyle agreed.
Unlike the Diadem, the locket was no secret to Dumbledore. There was no issue with involving him in its study.
When Kyle returned to Hogwarts, the sun had already set, and in the distance, he spotted the Hogwarts Express pulling into Hogsmeade Station.
As soon as Kyle opened his suitcase, Helena floated out impatiently. He opened his mouth to warn her not to go near Dumbledore, but before he could get a word out, she had already disappeared.
Never mind, Kyle thought. Madam Ravenclaw had mentioned leaving the Diadem to him anyway. Even if Dumbledore found out, he'd likely just be curious and might borrow it briefly.
Kyle lingered for a while longer, waiting until the students arriving from the train began to trickle through the school gates in small groups. Then, he made his way into the castle.
The Great Hall was brightly lit, bustling with preparations for the Start-of-Term Feast. Kyle's attention was immediately drawn to the massive Easter eggs stationed beside each House table. They were as large as dragons and filled with an assortment of sweets: Exploding Butterfingers, Chocolate Frogs, Ice Rats, and even the less appealing Cockroach Clusters. It looked as though they had emptied out Honeydukes.
"Kyle, over here!" Kanna called, waving him over. "How did it go?"
"It's all taken care of," Kyle replied as he joined her. "How was your Easter holiday?"
"I wish I didn't have it, honestly," Kanna sighed. "The homework was overwhelming. I had to go back to Hogsmeade and buy ten more rolls of parchment just to finish it all."
If Kanna was complaining, Kyle thought, it was a sure sign the homework load had been brutal.
As dinner began, Kyle noticed a peculiar quietness around their group. Looking around, he asked, "Where are Mikel and Ryan? I don't see them."
"They're probably still in the library," Cedric chimed in. "I saw them there every day during the holidays."
"That's unusual," Kyle said, raising an eyebrow. "What are they doing in there? Reading?"
"No, homework," Cedric said with a shrug. "Fifth year's like that. The amount of work over Easter is ridiculous. When I left the library this afternoon, they were flipping through Moste Potente Potions. I think they were working on their Potions assignments."
"Still doing their Potions homework now?" Kyle shook his head in disbelief. "If it were me, I'd have finished my Potions homework first thing. No way would I risk Snape catching me doing it last minute—"
Kyle froze mid-sentence. The Yorkshire pudding he'd been holding hovered in midair as realization dawned on him.
"What's wrong with you?" Kanna asked, confused.
"I think..." Kyle said, his voice distant. "I think I haven't done my homework either."
His mind raced. Between the opera at Flamel's manor, his studies in runes, and learning about Horcruxes with Ravenclaw, his assignments had been completely forgotten.
"Does it even matter?" Kanna said nonchalantly. "Didn't you say Dumbledore excused you from most of your homework?"
"Most, yes. But not for Potions," Kyle said, casting a wary glance toward the staff table. "So, uh... do we have a lot of Potions homework?"
"I wouldn't know," Kanna replied with a shrug. "I haven't had to do any Potions homework in ages."