Chapter 591: Dumbledore's Invitation
Chapter 591: Dumbledore's Invitation
A week had passed since the Weasley family left Ottery St. Catchpole.
To be honest, Kyle was still adjusting to the sudden quietness after being accustomed to Fred and George's constant ruckus.
Percy occasionally returned, but Kyle didn't know what Fudge had said to him. Lately, Percy seemed like a changed person, openly displaying hostility towards anyone associated with Dumbledore.
As a result, Kyle had little to talk about with Percy, and he might as well spend his time thinking about how to deal with the Ministry in the future.
...
Time flew, and soon it was August 11th.
That afternoon, Kyle was in his room, flipping through the Reasonable Constraints Act on Underage Wizards and the International Confederation of Wizards' Secrecy Act, when he suddenly heard a knock on the door downstairs.
Kyle looked up in a daze.
After Fred and George left for Grimmauld Place, he hadn't heard a knock on the door in a long time.
Cedric? Kyle wondered as he stood up and glanced out the window.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Kyle exclaimed as he saw Dumbledore standing outside.
"Oh, I was wondering if you had gone to Grimmauld Place," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Could I trouble you for a cup of tea?"
"Of course, please wait a moment."
A few minutes later, Kyle placed a cup of tea in front of Dumbledore and brought a jar of sugar cubes and a plate of buttered 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 was explaining to others what happened on the mountain that day, I forgot to ask them to keep it confidential.
"As a result, the news somehow reached Fudge's ears, and the Ministry seems to have also considered you an enemy."
"It's okay, Professor," Kyle shook his head.
It wouldn't have been possible to keep this a secret for long anyway, and he hadn't intended to hide it. The Ministry would have found out sooner or later.
Moreover, the Death Eaters were also aware of this matter, and Kyle remembered that many of them had connections within the Ministry. It would be easy for them to cause trouble for him.
"There's another thing," Dumbledore continued. "Tomorrow, I need to attend Harry's hearing, and I may not have time to accompany you to the questioning... How about having Professor McGonagall go with you? I recall that she and Professor Hope Cooke are old friends."
"That's not necessary," Kyle shook his head. "It's just a simple questioning, no need to make such a fuss. I can go by myself, and my father will accompany me tomorrow."
"This is what Professor McGonagall insisted on," said Dumbledore. "You're still a student, even during the holidays. The professors have a responsibility to ensure you don't face any unfair judgment. Tomorrow morning, she'll be waiting for you in the Ministry's main hall, so be sure to look out for her."
"Alright then," said Kyle. It would be good to have Professor McGonagall there, just as Dumbledore said, the professors wouldn't let students be at a disadvantage.
"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?"
"This is the most important matter," Dumbledore took a sip of tea. "There's also a minor issue... I believe you've heard from Doug that I plan to hold 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. McPhail mentioned it in his letter."
"The meeting will be on August 20th in Hogsmeade," said Dumbledore. "If you don't have other plans, would you like to join me?"
"Can I attend as well?" Kyle asked curiously.
Those invited by Dumbledore were undoubtedly well-known wizards in the magical community. Could he, a fifth-year... no, a sixth-year student, fit in among them?
"There's no one more suitable than you." Dumbledore seemed to read Kyle's thoughts and smiled, "I was going to invite you directly, but I was worried that you might have other plans, so it's better to ask in advance."
"I'm happy to attend the meeting," Kyle said.
"Well, I'll come and pick you up at that time," Dumbledore stood up, "but now I might have to go to Little Hangleton to prepare for tomorrow's hearing."
"Do you need any help?"
"Thank you, but I'm just going to ask around if anyone saw anything. It's not that troublesome, and one person is enough."
Dumbledore put down his teacup and said, "Thank you for the tea and snacks. We'll see each other tomorrow."
With that, he Apparated away.
Kyle was left alone in the living room.
He had originally wanted to mention other things, such as matters concerning the Ministry of Magic and Fudge, but Dumbledore acted too quickly, leaving before Kyle could speak.
Moreover, Kyle had felt during their conversation that Dumbledore seemed particularly busy, as if he was in a rush.
Although his speech wasn't hurried, he drank his tea quickly, finishing it in almost two sips.
He wasn't like this at school. For the teas that were so sweet that Kyle wanted to eat some black pepper to neutralize the taste, Dumbledore preferred to savor them slowly, rather than drinking them directly like he did today.
This also indicated that he didn't intend to stay long from the beginning.
However, thinking about it, it was normal. After all, it involved Voldemort, and he probably didn't have much free time this month.
But there was no need to rush. It would be the same if he waited a few more days and went to Hogsmeade.
Kyle stood up and returned to his room upstairs. He hadn't expected Dumbledore to actually invite him to the meeting. He had thought that Dumbledore had come to ask him to join the Phoenix Order.
But he didn't even bring up the topic of the Phoenix Order.
Now it seems that Dumbledore, like Mrs. Weasley, doesn't want underage wizards to join.
By the time evening came, Chris didn't return home until the sky was completely dark, but he seemed to be in a very good mood, his steps much lighter than before.
"Don't worry," Chris said with a smile, "I just went to the Cauldron Pub, but Tom told me that someone had already approached him, and he agreed to go to the Ministry of Magic tomorrow to explain the situation to Madam Malkin."
"It's clear that Tom doesn't understand this 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 Cauldron Pub."
"That's good," said Kyle, "How should I get there tomorrow? Should I go with you or wait until the appointed time?"
"Come with me, I'll take you there," Chris said, "but we need to leave a little earlier. Your mom has something to tell you, so we need to go to the Department of Mysteries first, and then to the Office of Magical Law Enforcement."
"What's the matter? Why do we need to go to the Department of Mysteries?"
"To be honest, I don't know either," Chris said, shaking his head. "Before I left work, I received a note from your mom, saying that I should bring you as soon as possible, and nothing else."
"But isn't there a mission at the Department of Mysteries?" Kyle asked. "Can we get in?"
"Not us, just you," Chris said. "She'll only take you to the Department of Mysteries. After the matter is resolved, I'll take you to the interrogation."
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
