Chapter 238: The Department of Mysteries
Chapter 238: The Department of Mysteries
Early in the morning, Kyle made his way downstairs for breakfast as he usually did.
Only Chris was in the living room.
In fact, Diana hadn't returned since the last awards ceremony.
Kyle had asked Chris about it, but he didn't know what was going on either. All he knew was that the mission of the Department of Mysteries seemed particularly important this time.
Just two days ago, the ninth floor of the Ministry of Magic, where the Department of Mysteries was located, had been completely sealed off. Even the elevators couldn't reach it, and paper airplanes carrying messages were turned away.
Not even Minister Cornelius Fudge could get through.
He had thrown quite a temper tantrum over it, to no avail. Even if he had tried to bash down the door with his head, the ninth floor wouldn't have budged.
Unlike other departments in the Ministry, the Department of Mysteries enjoyed a great deal of independence and was not under the direct jurisdiction of the Minister of Magic.
After all, the department had existed long before the establishment of the Ministry, and their relationship was more of a cooperation than a hierarchy.
Usually, the Obliviators would give Fudge some face, but not when it came to matters of importance.
In certain situations, this so-called Minister was deemed less significant than a prophetic crystal ball.
It was unclear whether this particular mission of the Department of Mysteries had anything to do with Voldemort.
Kyle was curious, but Diana never spoke to him about anything related to the department.
...
"Today is the second week of your vacation, isn't it?"
Chris handed Kyle a plate of smoked meat at the table and asked anxiously, "Are you sure that letter was really from Mr. Nicolas Flamel?"
"Dad, I've told you a million times," Kyle said helplessly, putting down his bread. "Mr. Maferville gave me the letter, and Headmaster Dumbledore acknowledged it. They wouldn't joke about something like this."
"I know... but it's Flamel we're talking about!" Chris still found it hard to believe.
As a legendary wizard who had lived across six centuries, Flamel was too famous. Where there were witches and wizards, there were tales of him.
Countless people dreamed of meeting him, yet Kyle had been invited as a guest.
Ever since he'd received the news, Chris had felt like he was in a dream.
Kyle took a bite of his bread, feeling a bit helpless. Chris had been like this for the past few days, and he'd gotten used to it.
It wasn't like he was going to be a guest at just anyone's house; of course, they would be surprised. He was, after all, the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin. They were making too big a deal out of it.
...
"Bang... Bang bang!"
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Is it the person who's supposed to pick you up?" Chris asked.
"I don't think so," Kyle shook his head calmly.
Today was the appointed day, but it was too early. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet... and he knew that knock too well. He'd heard it almost every day at this time last year.
Kyle got up and opened the door.
The next second, two identical faces appeared before him.
"Kyle, thank Merlin you're still home," George said thankfully. "We remembered that you're supposed to leave today."
It was Fred and George, of course.
Kyle's face showed no surprise as he calmly stepped aside and said, "Come in."
Fred glanced past Kyle and shook his head earnestly. "No, you must be busy today. We won't take up your time."
Besides, the Weasley family owl was quite old, but it had remained robust these past few years under Chris' care. It should still be capable of delivering a letter or two.
"Yes," Fred replied with a laugh. "The Skiving Snackboxes have been very popular, and we've been getting lots of orders even during the holidays..."
"We need to send the goods to them," George added, pulling out a piece of parchment filled with names.
"So many..." Kyle was surprised. "What do they need Skiving Snackboxes for when there are no classes?"
"Don't you notice that most of the names on this list are first-year witches and wizards? And they've almost all bought the Tongue Tying Toftee?" Fred said with a grin. "During the holidays, they aren't allowed to use magic..."
"But these amazing sweets let them showcase the wonders of magic at home," George explained.
"This was an idea we came up with before the break," Fred boasted. "We even reduced the amount of Swelling Solution so that the tongue swelling isn't too extreme."
"And it was a huge success..." Fred continued, but then his expression turned annoyed. "But that big-headed Percy has been monopolizing Errol and won't let us use him."
"Alright," Kyle nodded and stepped out, extending his arm. "Ratton!"
In no time, a massive owl flew over from the nearby forest. Its belly was round and full, clearly having just returned from an all-you-can-eat buffet.
"He's so impressive," Fred said, his eyes widening slightly in surprise despite having seen Ratton many times before.
Among owls, Ratton stood out for its size, even dwarfing the Weasley's owl Errol.
Fred felt that Ratton looked even bigger than the last time he saw it. He wondered how Kyle managed to keep it so well-fed.
Looking at Ratton, Fred suddenly seemed to recall something. He asked in a lowered voice, "Does it track other owls on deliveries?"
"What are you up to?" Kyle asked, his guard up.
Were they planning to track owls? That was taking things too far! Were they thinking of expanding their business to Azkaban?
"Not others, just Percy," George whispered back. "He always claims he's sending letters to exchange homework with other prefects..."
"But we don't think that's it at all," Fred continued.
"The way he acts when he sends letters is just too strange, like a goblin sneaking potatoes to eat," George added.
"So, we want to see who he's really writing to," Fred finished.
Kyle shook his head. "I advise you to drop that idea. Ratton won't agree to it, nor will any other owl. Some might even go on strike."
"Relax, we know owls won't agree to that, so we're just joking. We wouldn't actually do it," Fred reassured him, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
Kyle noticed the twins' sly expressions and realized they had been teasing him.
George shrugged. "We need to hurry and deliver the products our customers are eagerly awaiting."
"That's far more important than that big-headed Percy," Fred agreed.
...
(End of Chapter)
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