Chapter 591: Dumbledore's Invitation
Chapter 591: Dumbledore's Invitation
It had been a week since the Weasley family left St. Kachibor Village.
To be honest, after getting used to the constant ruckus caused by Fred and George, Kyle was still adjusting to the newfound quiet.
Percy would occasionally come back, but ever since Fudge had spoken to him, he seemed like a changed person, openly displaying hostility towards anyone associated with Dumbledore.
As a result, Kyle didn't have much to talk about with him either. He might as well spend his time thinking about how to deal with the Ministry of Magic in the future.
...
Before long, it was August 11th.
That afternoon, as Kyle was in his room flipping through the "Restriction of Underage Witchcraft" and the "International Wizarding Confidentiality Agreement," he suddenly heard a knock on the door downstairs.
Kyle looked up, a bit dazed.
Ever since Fred and George had left for Grimmauld Place, he hadn't heard a knock on the door in a long time.
"Cedric?" Kyle wondered aloud as he stood up and looked out the window.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Kyle called out involuntarily as he saw Dumbledore standing outside.
"Oh, I was wondering if you had gone to Grimmauld Place," Dumbledore said with a smile. "May I come in for a cup of tea?"
"Of course, Professor. Please wait a moment."
A few minutes later, Kyle placed a cup of tea in front of Dumbledore and took a jar of sugar cubes and a plate of butter biscuits from the cabinet behind him.
"Thank you."
As Dumbledore added sugar to his tea, he said, "First of all, I want to apologize to you, Kyle. When I explained to others what happened on the mountaintop that day, I forgot to ask them to keep it confidential.
"Somehow, the news reached Fudge's ears, and the Ministry of Magic seems to have labeled you as an enemy."
"It's alright, Professor," Kyle shook his head.
It wouldn't have stayed a secret for long anyway, and he hadn't intended to hide it from the Ministry. They would have found out eventually.
Moreover, the Death Eaters were also aware of what happened, and Kyle recalled that many of them had connections within the Ministry, so causing trouble for him would be child's play.
"There's another matter," Dumbledore continued. "I need to attend Harry's hearing tomorrow, and I may not have time to accompany you to the inquiry... What do you think about going with Professor McGonagall? I believe she and Madam Hopkirk are old friends."
"No need," Kyle shook his head. "It's just a simple inquiry, no need to make a fuss. I can go by myself, and my dad will accompany me tomorrow."
"It was Professor McGonagall's request," Dumbledore said. "You're still a student, even during the holidays. The professors have a responsibility to ensure you aren't treated unfairly. Tomorrow morning, she'll be waiting for you in the Ministry of Magic's lobby, so do pay attention."
"Alright then," Kyle said. It wouldn't hurt to have Professor McGonagall around, just as Dumbledore said—the professors wouldn't stand by and let their students be wronged.
"Is that what brought you here, Professor?"
"That's the most important reason," Dumbledore took a sip of his tea. "There's also a minor matter... I believe you've heard from Doge that I plan to convene a meeting in my personal capacity to tell the truth to those who are willing to believe us, so they won't be misled by false information."
Kyle nodded. "Mr. MacFoyl mentioned it in his letter."
"The meeting will be held on August 20th in Hogsmeade," Dumbledore said. "If you don't have other plans, would you like to join us?"
"Can I really come too?" Kyle asked curiously.
Those invited by Dumbledore were sure to be famous witches and wizards in the magical world. Would it be appropriate for him, a fifth-year... no, a sixth-year student now, to join them?
"In that case, I'll come for you at that time." Dumbledore stood up, "But now I might have to go to the Little Golden District to prepare for tomorrow's hearing."
"Do you need any help?"
"Thank you, but I'm just going to ask around to see if anyone saw anything. It's not that troublesome, and I can manage it alone."
Dumbledore put down his tea cup and said, "Thank you for the tea and treats. See you tomorrow."
With that, he disapparated, leaving Kyle alone in the living room.
There were a few other things he wanted to mention, such as matters concerning the Ministry and Fudge, but Dumbledore had been too quick, leaving before Kyle could bring them up.
During their conversation, Kyle had sensed that Dumbledore seemed particularly busy, as if he was in a hurry.
Although his speech was not rushed, he drank his tea very quickly, finishing it in almost two sips.
He wasn't like this at school. For those teas that were so sweet that Kyle would want to eat black pepper to offset the sweetness, Dumbledore preferred to sip them slowly, rather than drink them down in one go as he did today.
This also suggested that he hadn't intended to stay long from the start.
But that was understandable, given the matter concerning Voldemort. He probably hadn't had much free time this month.
However, there was no rush, and it would be just as well to discuss it in a few days when they went to Hogsmeade.
Kyle returned upstairs to his room. He hadn't expected Dumbledore to actually invite him to the meeting, and he had thought that Dumbledore's visit was to ask him to join the Order of the Phoenix.
But Dumbledore hadn't brought up the topic of the Order at all.
It seemed that, like Mrs. Weasley, Dumbledore didn't want underage witches and wizards to be involved.
Later that evening, Chris didn't return home until it was completely dark, but he seemed to be in a good mood, his footsteps lighter than before as he entered the house.
"Don't worry," Chris said with a smile, "I just went to the Leaky Cauldron, and Old Tom told me that someone had already talked to him, and he agreed to go to the Ministry tomorrow to explain the situation to Mafalda."
"That's good to hear." Old Tom clearly didn't understand the situation either. "He told me that before this incident, he had never heard of anyone being warned by the Ministry for using a spell in the Leaky Cauldron."
"That's a relief." Kyle said, "How should I get there tomorrow? Should I go with you, or should I just meet you there at the appointed time?"
"You can come with me. I'll take you there." Chris said, "But we'll have to leave a little earlier. Your mom has something to discuss with you, so we need to make a stop at the Department of Mysteries first, before heading to the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."
"What's it about? Why are we going to the Department of Mysteries?"
"To be honest, I don't know." Chris shook his head, "Just before I left work, I received a note from your mom, asking me to bring you there as soon as possible. That's all it said."
"But what about the mission at the Department of Mysteries? Will we be able to get in?" Kyle asked.
"Not us," Chris clarified, "Just you. She'll only take you to the Department of Mysteries. After that's done, I'll take you to the inquiry."
...
(End of Chapter)
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