Chapter 319: Visitors from the Ministry, Hagrid Taken Away
The stack of parchment was nearly an inch thick. After Cedric sat down, he handed it to Kyle.
"What are these...?" Kyle asked, intrigued.
"Photos of magical items," Cedric explained. "I got them from the library at the start of term. I'm not sure if they'll help, but I thought you might want to take a look."
Kyle opened the stack and began flipping through the pages. Each sheet held photographs and lengthy descriptions, which looked like they had been carefully copied from a book. The first picture showed a Sneakoscope, shaped like a spinning top. Farther down were Magical Glasses, which could see through Invisibility Cloaks; a pocket-sized Cauldron that could be worn around the neck; a Time-Turner; a Winged Slingshot; an Exploding Pocket Watch...
Though each magical object was different, they all had one thing in common: they were attached to chains. Some chains were purely decorative, while others were designed for convenience, allowing the items to be carried easily.
"Do you remember that Christmas gift you gave me?" Cedric asked. "I've always thought it seemed... distinctive. It's like those maps we ordered with the house crests for Slytherin."
He pointed to the chain on the Exploding Pocket Watch in the photo. "With enough Galleons, I could get one of these watches and have it customized with a little snake, badger, or lion."
Kyle nodded thoughtfully. Listening to Cedric, he realized he had been slightly fixated on the chain's appearance before. But perhaps that detail wasn't as crucial as he'd thought. The chain itself was just a functional addition, used to carry items conveniently. Its appearance didn't change the object's essence.
But if that were the case, this clue didn't seem particularly valuable. There were countless magical objects attached to chains, and even these photos, just a fraction of them, formed a stack almost an inch thick.