Chapter 338: The Galleon Award
Chapter 338: The Galleon Award
"Oh... Is Mr. Scamander planning to take you to the Romanian Fire Dragon Sanctuary?"
Chris stroked his chin thoughtfully as he looked at the owl that had just delivered a letter, and at Kyle, who was sitting across from him, eagerly awaiting his response.
"Will you give me permission to go?" Kyle asked.
"If that's what you wish, we have no reason to stop you," Chris smiled. "In fact, I've received an invitation as well."
He retrieved a letter from a cabinet in the living room.
"I knew it..." Kyle said subconsciously.
On his way back, he had wondered if Chris might have also been invited.
As Scamander's student and the Deputy Chief of the Magical Creatures Control Department at the Ministry of Magic, Chris was somewhat famous in the magical creature community.
Especially after the incident two years ago, when he and Newt had returned the smuggled magical creatures to their rightful places, their reputations had soared.
It was no surprise that they had been invited this time as well.
"So, will I be going with you?" Kyle inquired.
"No, you'll be going with Mr. Scamander. I might be a little late," Chris shook his head. "Fudge seems to be taking this matter very seriously. He wants me to represent the Ministry of Magic in Romania. So, I'll have to depart from the Ministry and go through a series of tedious handover procedures with the Romanian Ministry of Magic before I can head to the sanctuary."
"That does sound like something Fudge would do," Diana remarked as she sat down next to Chris. "He probably thinks it will boost his prestige."
"Perhaps," Chris took the hot chocolate that Diana handed to him and said nonchalantly, "Although he might not be too happy to hear this, but when it comes to foreign ministries of magic, Mr. Bartemius Crouch's name usually carries more weight."
Diana poured another cup of hot chocolate for Kyle.
"I don't object to you going to Romania to broaden your horizons," she said. "But some necessary preparations must be made... Your ring still has a few uses left."
"Two," Kyle raised his hand.
During last year's holiday, he had used the Disillusionment Charm once to avoid the overly enthusiastic Nob.
"Give it to me," Diana said. "It's better to be safe than sorry."
"Okay," Kyle nodded and handed the ring to Diana.
"Can we use Disillusionment Charms in the sanctuary?"
"Yes," Chris explained, "The Romanian Fire Dragon Sanctuary is quite vast, and it's almost impossible to completely ban the use of Disillusionment Charms there."
Moreover, there was no need to do so. Dragon keepers had special methods to monitor magical reactions within a certain range, and they only needed to focus on the dragon eggs and young dragons...
As for adult fire dragons, it was rare for anyone to dare to target them, let alone steal them away without a trace."
Kyle thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case.
In all this time, the Romanian Fire Dragon Sanctuary had never lost a dragon. Even the Australian Blast-Ended Skrewt from two years ago had been smuggled in by Oren and his gang from elsewhere.
Moreover, he had heard that the selection process for dragon keepers was extremely rigorous. Aside from not requiring a certificate, the rest of the selection process was similar to that of an Auror.
He didn't know if that was true, though.
After finishing the hot chocolate, Kyle returned to his room upstairs.
This time, he didn't know how long he would be staying in Romania, but he had to finish his homework and the academic paper for Today's Transfiguration within a month.
The homework was manageable, and Kyle completed it within a few days. However, the professional paper was a different story.
There was a reason Professor McGonagall had given him two months to complete it.
Academic papers required meticulous logic. Each viewpoint he presented had to be supported by a vast amount of theoretical foundation and authenticated from multiple perspectives.
Afterward, he would have to conduct numerous experiments, meticulously record the entire process, and then research and analyze the results.
By the time Kyle ventured outdoors again, July was drawing to a close.
Meanwhile, something big was happening next door at the Weasley residence.
"Kyle, come and have a look at this!"
"Ha! I bet you'll never guess!"
Fred and George rushed over, thrusting a copy of the Prophet in front of Kyle.
"Congratulations to Arthur Weasley, winner of the annual Prophet Galleon Award..."
There was also a photo below, showing Mr. Weasley and Barnabas Cuffe, the editor of the Prophet, both looking very happy.
"How many Galleons...?" Kyle asked.
"Seven hundred!" Fred exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. "It used to be five hundred, but they increased the prize money because they thought there weren't enough participants."
"We've entered before, too," George said. "But we've only ever won the Guess prize."
"Twelve Sickles in total..."
"And we lost it all again last time when we guessed the new Minister for Magic..."
It was clear that Fred and George were truly happy, and this was the first time they had been so cheerful since Dobby, the house-elf, had been taken away by Kyle.
In fact, everyone in the Weasley family seemed to be in high spirits.
Even Percy was there, chatting with Ginny, which was unusual for him at this time of day—he would usually be in his room.
"Oh, I almost forgot the main thing..." Fred said, smacking his head as they entered the burrow.
"Kyle, Mum is planning to use the money to visit Bill, and you're coming with us."
"Yes, dear," Mrs. Weasley said as she approached. "With seven hundred Galleons, this trip will be fantastic."
"I can't wait..." Ginny said, cupping her chin. "Do you think Bill will take us inside the pyramids to have a look?"
"Of course, he will..."
Everyone chatted excitedly.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Kyle sighed. "I'm supposed to be going to Romania with Mr. Scamander in August, so I probably won't be able to join you on your trip."
"Romania?" Ginny asked in surprise. "Are you going to visit Charlie?"
Their brother, Charlie Weasley, had gone to Romania to study dragons after graduating.
"You could say that," Kyle laughed. "I'm planning to ask him to be my guide."
"Mum, why don't we go to Romania, too?" George suddenly suggested. "I've never seen a dragon before."
His idea was met with agreement from the others.
It didn't matter where they went, as both dragons and pyramids piqued their curiosity.
"If you want to see dragons, we can go next year," Mr. Weasley said as he came downstairs. "But this year, let's stick to the original plan and visit Bill. Romania is about to host a big event, and the dragon sanctuary is closed to visitors. We won't be able to see Charlie even if we go."
"But why can Kyle...?"
"Oh?" Mr. Weasley asked, not at all surprised. "Are you going with your dad or Mr. Scamander?"
"Mr. Scamander," Kyle replied with a smile.
"I thought so... They must have invited him."
Fred grew even more curious, staring at both Kyle and Mr. Weasley with dissatisfaction.
"Please, can someone explain to us? Why can Kyle see Charlie, but we can't..."
"Also, what's this big event in Romania? Do we really have to stick to our original travel plans?"
(End of Chapter)
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