Chapter 538: Dumbledore’s Request
Kyle did, in fact, have a small bottle of phoenix ashes that Fawkes had gifted him during his third year. Since it was an exceptionally rare and high-end material, he had refrained from using it until he felt confident in his skills. For now, the bottle had remained safely stowed at the very back of his suitcase.
"May I ask why?" Kyle inquired, his curiosity piqued. Then he added, "Of course, if it's a secret, I'll understand."
"Oh, it's nothing secretive. After all, they belong to you," Nicolas replied with a glance at Dumbledore, who gave him a subtle nod of approval.
"Do you remember the Time-Turner from the Chamber of Secrets?" Nicolas continued.
"Of course," Kyle replied with a firm nod. How could he forget? That Time-Turner had led him to an encounter with the Founders of Hogwarts.
"It's like this: I've fixed it," Nicolas said calmly, though his words landed like a thunderclap.
"The Time-Turner... fixed?" Kyle echoed, glancing instinctively at Dumbledore.
To his surprise, Dumbledore, usually composed and full of wisdom, now had an expression filled with a mix of anticipation and unease. It was a side of the headmaster Kyle had never seen before.
"It wasn't supposed to be this quick," Nicolas admitted, "but I received some crucial help... and I have you to thank for that, Kyle."
Kyle raised an eyebrow as Nicolas gave him a knowing look.
"But," Nicolas continued, "there's still one final—and most critical—component missing: the core that powers the Time-Turner. It requires an enormous amount of magic to travel back a hundred years. That level of power is simply beyond estimation, and no existing runes can resolve the problem."