Chapter 229: The Mysterious Gift from the Weasley Twins
Harry had many questions, but Dumbledore answered each one with patience.
Before long, Kyle located Madam Pomfrey and requested to be discharged. Although a bit reluctant, she agreed after another examination, confirming Kyle truly had no lingering issues.
As he left the Hospital Wing, Kyle glanced at the still-soulless Niffler, smiled, and took a handful of glittering gem shards from his Mokeskin pouch. He scattered them across the courtyard, watching as they sparkled in the sunlight. These were the Fire Crab gems he had collected. After learning Occlumency in Newt's suitcase, he'd ventured into a Fire Crab lair to gather plenty of these smaller gem shards to make his map appear more valuable. Though the shards were smaller than the gems Dumbledore had, Kyle had amassed quite a lot. When scattered, they glittered like stars on a dark night.
The moment Kyle released the gems, the Niffler, with its eyes fully restored, sprang into action, eagerly gathering every shard from the ground. Kyle sat beside him, resting his chin in his hands, and glanced up in the direction of the Hospital Wing.
Kyle wasn't surprised that he hadn't managed to steal the Philosopher's Stone. In fact, he had anticipated this outcome. After all, the Stone was the one thing that could allow Voldemort to regain a body, and Dumbledore would never let it slip from his control.
What did surprise Kyle was Dumbledore's willingness to help him expand his suitcase. Honestly, he hadn't expected much; he'd thought Dumbledore would dismiss the idea. Instead, after only a brief hesitation, Dumbledore had agreed. It was an unexpected windfall. This meant Kyle no longer needed to attempt the suitcase expansion himself, which saved him a lot of time. He had originally planned to use his vacation to enlarge the suitcase's interior a bit more—an endeavor that required releasing the Undetectable Extension Charm for two months in a row, a task he found unbearably tedious.
Soon, the Niffler finished collecting every gem and scurried back to Kyle's side. A true treasure hunter, the Niffler hadn't missed a single gem, and in the process, had even found two copper Knuts hidden in the most unlikely spots. Still, he seemed a bit dissatisfied until Kyle handed him a leaf transfigured into the likeness of the Philosopher's Stone. The little creature's face lit up immediately.
In a way, Nifflers were easy to please.
...
When Kyle returned to the castle, he happened upon Fred and George, who were about to leave and each holding a large, beautifully wrapped box.
"Kyle?" Fred looked a bit surprised. "We were just about to go see you."