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Chapter 630: The Informant
Chapter 630: The Informant
The gathering at the Hog's Head pub lasted longer than Kyle had anticipated.
It was only after about two hours that people started to leave, one after another.
Leading the way were Fred and George, along with their friend, Lee Jordan. They hurried out as if pressed for time, rushing straight towards Zonko's Joke Shop.
They were followed by Gryffindor's Colin and Angelina, Hufflepuff's Ryan, Michael, and Justin, as well as three Ravenclaw boys whose names Kyle couldn't recall...
The onlookers were stunned. They probably never imagined that the Hog's Head, the least popular pub, would attract so many customers.
It wasn't until everyone else had left that Cedric and his friends finally exited the pub.
Through the window of the Three Broomsticks, Kyle could clearly see Cedric standing on the main road, looking around angrily, as if searching for someone.
"Do you think he's looking for you?" Connor asked in a low voice. "Did you tell him you wouldn't be coming to the Hog's Head today?"
"Oh... I forgot," Kyle admitted.
It was only when he had run into the Greengrass sisters at Twilfit and Tatting's that he realized he should be supporting Fudge and refraining from getting too involved in activities that went against the Ministry.
"Are you going to wait here for him?" Connor asked.
Kyle shook his head after a moment's thought. "Never mind, he's probably angry right now. I'll talk to him back at the castle."
Without further ado, he got up and, taking advantage of Cedric's momentary distraction, made his way with Connor through the tables to the other side of the bar. They slipped out of the Three Broomsticks unnoticed.
The pair then made a quick stop at the clothing shop to pick up their newly tailored thick robes before leaving Hogsmeade.
It wasn't until evening that Cedric returned to the castle, his hair disheveled and his expression more anxious than usual.
Kyle took the opportunity to explain why he hadn't shown up at the Hog's Head earlier that day.
Although Cedric believed Kyle's explanation, he still seemed a bit displeased.
"Do you know how many people showed up that day?" he asked irritably in the common room. "Fifty-three! The regular customers thought it was Dumbledore's doing to mess with the Hog's Head, and they all ran off!"
"Isn't that a good thing?" Kyle said. "Now you don't have to worry about anyone eavesdropping."
"The problem is, I can't possibly teach that many people," Cedric said. "Fifty-three is almost as many as a regular class. But I'm not a real professor, what if I mess up?"
As he spoke, his voice rose slightly, and he shot a reproachful glance at Kyle. "I was hoping you could help me with a portion of it, but you didn't show up that day."
"You can always ask someone else for help," Kyle suggested.
"I guess that's my only option," Cedric sighed. "What do you think about Hermione? I recall she's always been top of the year, and she's a prefect too."
"If you want to improve exam scores, Hermione is indeed a good choice," Kyle agreed. "But the reason you guys are learning Dark Magic Defense on your own is to improve your self-protection abilities, and in that regard, Hermione might not be the best fit.
"To be honest, while she gets high scores in Dark Magic Defense on paper, her spellcasting isn't particularly remarkable.
"I think you should consider Harry Potter."
"Potter?" Cedric was taken aback.
He didn't know Harry that well aside from the fact that the boy was gifted at Quidditch.
"Yes," Kyle continued, "Sirius and even Moody have mentioned that he's talented in Dark Magic Defense. He's proficient in both the Disarming Charm and the Shield Charm."
As such, if they wanted to self-study Dark Magic Defense, these two spells were essential.
"Then I'll go find him tomorrow." Cedric still felt somewhat anxious. "Fifty-three people... I hope I don't mess this up..."
...
For the rest of the weekend, an anticipatory atmosphere permeated the castle, reminiscent of when Sirius had first arrived at Hogwarts, and everyone had been eager to witness his class.
Early the next morning, Cedric left the Hufflepuff common room and headed to the Great Hall to wait for Harry.
Kyle had also intended to go and watch, but before he could even reach the Great Hall, someone suddenly appeared, blocking his path.
Kyle recognized this person—it was Dennis Creevey from Gryffindor, a member of the Harry Potter Admiration Club.
"Kyle..." Dennis seemed to have run all the way there, and he was breathless as he said, "Umbridge wants to see you in her office."
"When?"
"Now."
"Alright, I understand." Kyle nodded.
After Dennis left, Kyle looked at the Great Hall, which was just a stone's throw away, and sighed, "If only I had come earlier, I might have been able to catch breakfast."
"Why is Umbridge looking for you at this time?" Connor asked worriedly. "Do you want me to go inform Professor Sprout?"
"No need." Kyle said, "I guess she must have found out about what happened in Hogsmeade yesterday."
"How did Umbridge find out so quickly?" Connor immediately thought of something. "There must be an informant!
"Last night, Lettie mentioned that Zacharias Smith has been constantly questioning the news about the Dark Lord's resurrection, saying that Cedric is too naive and has been deceived by him."
"Zacharias?" Kyle knew this person. Like him, Zacharias was a sixth-year student in Hufflepuff, and in their second year, they had both competed for the position of Beater.
However, Kyle's performance had been flawless, leaving no chance for anyone else, and all competitors for the Beater position had been eliminated during the selection stage.
To be fair, Zacharias' personality was indeed not the best. He was arrogant and conceited, always trying to attract attention by refuting others.
Many people believed that Zacharias should not have been sorted into Hufflepuff; Ravenclaw or Slytherin would have been a better fit.
So, it was no surprise that he would raise doubts, and Kyle did not find it strange at all. In fact, even before this, Zacharias had repeatedly stated that he wanted Harry and Dumbledore to provide evidence of Voldemort's resurrection.
"There's also Terry Boot from Ravenclaw."
Connor brought up another name. "'Lettie said he was laughing the whole time, as if he thought the gathering was a comical play.
"One of them is most likely the informant."
"That's not surprising," Kyle said. "After all, we can't guarantee that we won't misjudge someone or attract unwanted attention."
"With fifty-plus people all heading to a usually deserted pub at the same time, it's hard to avoid attracting attention from others."
"I hope she won't give you a hard time." Connor still worried.
"Don't worry, I can handle it." Kyle said, "There's no need to involve the other professors. Their involvement might only make things more complicated."
After that, he asked Connor to head to the Great Hall first while he turned and walked towards the stairs.
(End of Chapter)
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