Chapter 601: Change, and a New Prefect
Chapter 601: Change, and a New Prefect
Over the next few days, Kyle stayed at the Burrow. Aside from the library, the delicious meals prepared by Mrs. Weasley were also a significant draw; they were far superior to the bread and smoked sausage he usually had at home.
During this time, he also got to know several people, including Aurors working for the Ministry of Magic like Kingsley Shacklebolt, who seemed clumsy and scatterbrained, Dedalus Diggle, who didn't seem to have much sense, and the widely disliked Mundungus Fletcher.
Of course, these people were also very interested in Kyle and expressed surprise at his presence there.
However, Kyle didn't offer many explanations and only occasionally mentioned during mealtimes that he was a friend of Harry's.
As for the rest of the time, he stayed in the underground library, where hardly anyone else ventured, including Hermione.
With Kreacher always keeping a watchful eye on her, she found it hard to concentrate on her reading, so she usually had Sirius bring the books out for her to read in her room.
Ron expressed his confusion about their behavior, failing to understand why they were studying during the holidays when they were supposed to be relaxing.
Harry, on the other hand, felt that it would definitely be beneficial to read up now, and he tried to join the two of them.
But his enthusiasm only lasted a day before the book he had chosen was tossed into the corner of the table.
There was no helping it; any little disturbance outside would distract Harry, and he just couldn't focus on his reading.
Especially now that the letters from Hogwarts had arrived, he felt even less inclined to study.
Today, the owl had brought the new textbook list, along with a surprise.
Hermione had been appointed a prefect, and her badge was enclosed in the envelope containing the booklist.
Harry didn't find this strange at all. After all, among the fifth-year students, no one was more suitable than Hermione, and he knew she would become a prefect.
But what Harry and everyone else didn't expect was that Ron would be the boy prefect.
"Wow, a whole house full of prefects!" Fred exclaimed dramatically, his voice carrying throughout the house. "Isn't that just wonderful?"
"If you don't count the two of us," George added.
"And don't forget Ginny."
"Hey, I'm only in my fourth year," Ginny said discontentedly. "Maybe they'll send me a badge next year."
"Only a fool would think that," Fred said, though his tone was a bit sour.
If Mrs. Weasley had heard him say this at any other time, she would have surely scolded him, but not today.
Seeing the prefect badge in Ron's hand, she was overjoyed and promised to buy him a new broomstick.
Although broomsticks were expensive, if they saved up and didn't go for the very best, they could just about afford a new one.
"We can buy broomsticks too," George muttered under his breath. "And we'll buy them ourselves."
"You bet," Fred agreed.
After a brief moment of surprise, Hermione also congratulated Ron and then looked towards the other end of the table.
It seemed that everyone had forgotten that there was another person in the house who wasn't a prefect.
"Harry?" Hermione ventured, her voice hesitant as she walked towards him. "How are you doing?"
"That's fantastic, Hermione," Harry replied, his enthusiasm a bit exaggerated. "Congratulations on becoming a prefect, and of course, to Ron as well."
After speaking, he pretended to tidy up his things so Hermione couldn't see his face.
Harry found it hard to describe his current emotions.
He didn't want to admit that he was jealous of Ron for becoming a prefect, but when he received the news, he did feel a bit upset.
Harry felt that he wasn't any worse than Ron, or perhaps even a bit better in some aspects.
For example, in Quidditch, he was an excellent flyer and the youngest member of the school team.
"But I haven't led the team to win the Quidditch Cup yet," Harry thought to himself.
And whether it was the adventures they faced or the things they did at school, most of the time, the three of them did it together.
Harry didn't want to be jealous and disparage Ron just because he had surpassed him in something for the first time.
So he tried to convince himself that perhaps he wasn't as outstanding as Ron, and that Ron deserved to be a prefect.
Additionally, during the holidays, Ron had arrived at the Order of the Phoenix first, and he had come later... Maybe Dumbledore had already made his choice back then.
Far from feeling better, Harry now felt even worse, forcing a smile throughout the day.
However, Kyle knew nothing of this as he was still in the library.
Within the 'Advanced Dark Magic Unveiled' volume, there was a comprehensive introduction to Horcruxes and some of the methods used to create them.
To be honest, this magic wasn't as difficult as Kyle had imagined, and he was confident that if he wanted to, he could turn the book in front of him into his Horcrux on the spot, given any Death Eater that came by.
But that wasn't Kyle's intention. His initial motivation for researching Horcruxes stemmed from an idea that popped into his head after witnessing the Longbottoms' state.
While the Longbottoms may have been one reason he persisted until now, his primary drive was a desire to bring about change.
This change wasn't merely about saving one or a few individuals... After all, he had already achieved that when the holiday train departed from Hogwarts with Cedric Diggory alive and well, ready to return for his seventh year.
Kyle wanted to bring about more significant changes, even those that could impact the perceptions of the wizarding world. For instance, he wanted to reduce the number of Unforgivable Curses from three to two.
The Cruciatus Curse was considered an Unforgivable Curse because it caused irreversible damage to the soul. But if Kyle's idea succeeded and was further refined, could it be considered a counter-curse to the Cruciatus Curse?
The inability to actively pull the soul back was the biggest issue.
So Kyle asked Kreacher to help find some other books about the soul, which he had been studying recently.
...
It wasn't until six o'clock in the evening that Kyle finally emerged from the library.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, he noticed a bright red banner hanging above the dining table.
On it was written... 'Congratulations to Ron and Hermione for being appointed Prefects'.
Oh right, they're in their fifth year too, Kyle thought to himself.
Mrs. Weasley was beaming as she set the table, and it was the first time in the entire holiday that Kyle had seen her so happy, not even Mundungus' presence could spoil her good mood.
Quite a few people had returned, including Mr. Weasley, Moody, Kingsley, and Tonks.
Bill was also there, looking as eccentric as ever, and he greeted Kyle enthusiastically.
Kyle didn't ask why he was there... there was no need.
Lastly, there was Dumbledore, but he arrived a bit late, appearing in the entryway halfway through dinner.
"Dumbledore..." Mundungus was the first to stand up from the table, simultaneously placing the silver knife he had been fiddling with back onto the table.
"It seems I've arrived just in time," Dumbledore said as he sat down and picked up a roasted potato from the table.
"How's that matter going, Dumbledore?" Moody asked, turning his head slightly.
"Very smoothly," Dumbledore nodded, and then he looked up at the banner hanging over the table.
"Oh, I almost forgot today is the day Prefects are announced." He raised his cup and said, "Congratulations to you both."
"Th-thank you..."
In the presence of Dumbledore, Ron and Hermione felt a bit awkward.
Harry's emotions were even more complicated. Although he wanted to know why Dumbledore didn't choose him as a Prefect, he didn't have the courage to ask.
It wasn't until he heard from Sirius that his father wasn't a Prefect either that his mood improved somewhat.
Fred and George had also finally found like-minded individuals, as they discovered that many of those present, including Tonks, whom they considered exceptional, were not Prefects.
The dinner concluded amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, a rare atmosphere in recent times.
After dinner, Dumbledore stopped Kyle, who was about to return to his room.
"Do you remember what we talked about before?" he asked.
"Of course, Professor," Kyle replied. "Is the meeting about to start?"
He had been in the library for quite some time, and he had momentarily forgotten what day it was.
"It's tomorrow," Dumbledore said. "I was thinking about whether to make a trip to St. Kachibor Village, but it turns out you're here as well.
"If you don't have any other plans, how about tomorrow at six? I think we should leave early."
"No problem, I'm available anytime," Kyle said.
"That's wonderful."
As the two spoke, they didn't notice several heads huddled together on the stairs outside.
"What are they talking about?" Ron asked curiously.
"Seems like they're going to attend some kind of meeting," Fred said, holding an ear-shaped object. "Tomorrow morning, according to this."
Now everyone was intrigued.
Although they had been holding meetings almost daily, it was the first time Dumbledore would be joining them.
However, just as they wanted to hear more, the kitchen door suddenly opened, scaring the group into shrinking their necks and trying to hide on the stairs.
Dumbledore walked out, his footsteps pausing slightly before continuing on as if nothing had happened.
"That was close," Ron said with a sense of relief.
"I don't think so," a voice chimed in.
"Definitely not," Ron said confidently. "We hid really qui..."
He suddenly realized something was amiss.
That voice was too familiar. It was the same one they heard at the start of every school year during the welcome feast—Dumbledore's.
Ron broke out in a cold sweat from the surprise.
Unconsciously, he looked towards the direction of the voice, which was coming from the ear-shaped object Fred was holding.
At that moment, Dumbledore's voice sounded from within it again.
"This is indeed a wonderful invention, very practical. But I think it's time for you all to head back to your rooms.
"Molly mentioned earlier that she doesn't want you staying up too late, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to see her angry, would you?"
"You're absolutely right, Professor," George said, having regained his composure. "We were just testing out our new invention... We're heading back now."
"By the way, Professor, thank you for your recognition," Fred added. "This is our latest invention, and it's only two Galleons at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."
"Of course, there's also a nice discount for members of the Order of the Phoenix."
As expected of Fred and George, they certainly knew how to seize an opportunity. Instead of being flustered like Ron, they took the chance to advertise their new product.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
