https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-665-Harry-s-Painful-yet-Joyful-Experience/12539136/
Chapter 664: I'm Just Doing the Right Thing
Chapter 664: I'm Just Doing the Right Thing
"Please believe me, Professor Umbridge, I didn't intend to hide anything. In fact, my owl departed for the Ministry three hours ago."
In the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, Kyle looked calmly at the furious Umbridge and said, "There's a very detailed investigation report up there, all the information I recently obtained from Hagrid."
"I hope you're not lying to me," Umbridge said sharply, her voice devoid of its usual sickly sweet tone.
"Of course not," Kyle shook his head, "If I had known that you would be returning early, Professor, I wouldn't have sent the owl with the letter to the Ministry."
Umbridge had returned early. On the very afternoon that Kyle had confined Harry to the Room of Requirement, she had stormed into the castle, her anger unconcealed.
"I shouldn't have left the school," Umbridge ground out through clenched teeth, "Tell me what you've discovered."
"Someone has been writing to Dumbledore," Kyle said calmly, "And it's not just one person, but many."
Umbridge fixed him with an appraising gaze, and only after hearing his words did she slowly nod, "It seems you haven't lied to me."
"Of course not," Kyle asked, "Professor, how did you find out about this?"
"There's more to this school than just you," Umbridge said meaningfully, "The Minister wants to see you."
"Wonderful," Kyle said happily, "Are we going to the Ministry now?"
"Of course, the sooner the better," Umbridge grabbed a handful of Floo powder and threw it into the fireplace.
"Hurry up, we shouldn't keep the Minister waiting."
Kyle was slightly taken aback.
After all, in Hogwarts, with the exception of the Headmaster's office, the fireplaces in other parts of the school, including the staff rooms, were not connected to the Floo Network.
However, Kyle soon realized that it probably wouldn't be difficult for Umbridge to have her office fireplace connected to the network if she wanted to.
He calmly stepped into the fireplace and shouted, "Ministry of Magic!"
The next second, Kyle found himself in the main hall of the Ministry of Magic, where an entire corridor of fireplaces stretched out, with witches and wizards constantly entering and exiting them.
Soon, Umbridge arrived as well.
"Follow me," she said, then led Kyle through the crowded hallway, striding purposefully toward the elevators without any attempt at concealment.
Even within the Ministry, Umbridge was well-known, and everyone they passed made way, greeting Umbridge warmly.
But when Umbridge wasn't looking, their expressions turned to disgust.
However, Umbridge seemed oblivious to this, striding ahead like a puffed-up toad with her chin held high.
Soon, they reached the elevators.
Umbridge chose one that had just descended.
Despite the people waiting outside, no one else entered the elevator once the golden gate closed, so only Umbridge and Kyle were inside.
Umbridge seemed accustomed to this, showing no sign that she found it unusual.
"Professor, what does the Minister want to see me about?" Kyle couldn't help but ask.
"You'll find out when we get there," Umbridge glanced at Kyle but didn't answer.
Kyle nodded and didn't press the issue further.
With no one else in the elevator, it quickly reached its destination.
"First floor," said the emotionless female voice, "Minister's office, including the Senior Undersecretary's office, the Minister's assistant's office, and the Logistics Department."
They stepped out of the elevator and walked down the corridor.
Kyle noticed a grand golden door with a sign that read 'Minister's Office'. But strangely, Umbridge didn't stop there. Instead, she continued to the end of the corridor and knocked on a door that said 'Tea Room'.
Umbridge's previous arrogance had vanished, and she now wore a fawning expression as she knocked.
"Come in," Fudge's voice called from within.
Upon receiving permission, Umbridge pushed open the door.
The room was about the size of a classroom at Hogwarts, and there was only one person inside.
"Minister," Umbridge said respectfully.
"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Dolores," Fudge nodded, then turned to Kyle and managed a strained smile, "Apologies for calling you here during the holidays, young man."
"It's quite alright, Mr. Minister," Kyle said sincerely, "I'd much rather do something meaningful than spend a boring holiday."
"It's rare to hear someone your age say that," Fudge laughed again, more naturally this time.
"Hypocrite," Umbridge muttered under her breath, but her face remained plastered with a smile.
"Have a seat," Fudge pointed to the chair across from him, "What would you like to drink? Butterbeer? Or perhaps tea? I'd recommend the redcurrant rum, but you're not of age yet, are you?"
"Then butterbeer will be fine."
As soon as Kyle spoke, a bottle of butterbeer appeared on the table in front of him, clearly a product of the Leaky Cauldron.
"I just received your letter," Fudge said casually, "To be honest, I've never seen an owl that big before, and Delacour insists it's an entirely new species of magical creature."
"Ratton has a tendency to overeat, so he's a bit larger than most," Kyle laughed.
"So, everything you wrote in your letter is true?" Fudge asked suddenly, "People have been contacting Dumbledore recently?"
"Indeed," Kyle replied, unaware of Umbridge's internal turmoil. He set down his butterbeer and continued, "As far as I know, Dumbledore has been in contact with wizards of great influence in the wizarding world, such as Dugmacfil, Nicole Mei, and Madame Maxime of Beauxbatons."
"Of course, there must be others as well. They haven't communicated directly, but through Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts, as a go-between."
Kyle paused, feigning uncertainty. "However, Hagrid... well, he has a strong sense of secrecy, so I didn't get to see the content of the letters, nor do I know what they are up to."
"Of course, it's to plot against the Ministry!" Fudge's expression twisted with anger, and he slammed his hand on the table.
"It might not be that serious," Kyle said softly. "It could be about something else..."
"No, you underestimate them." Fudge turned to Umbridge. "Show him."
"But..." Umbridge hesitated.
"It's fine," Fudge assured her. "Kyle is one of us; we can trust him completely."
Reluctantly, Umbridge took out a letter that had been opened and placed it on the table.
Kyle recognized the content immediately.
['It's about time, Albus. See you on the 20th.']
Kyle had to bite back a smile. This letter was all too familiar to him; it was originally meant for Hagrid but now found itself in Umbridge's possession.
Undoubtedly, someone had intercepted and stolen the letter from the owl delivering it.
Although Kyle was well aware of what had transpired, he feigned confusion and asked, "Professor, what is this?"
"It's a letter exchanged between Dumbledore and those people, and it's evidence of their attempt to resist the Ministry."
Umbridge's voice took on a dramatic tone as she continued, "I can hardly believe that something so appalling could happen right under our noses at Hogwarts."
Then, her voice took on a self-satisfied edge. "They even added anti-peeking magic to the envelope, so that if anyone tried to open it, the letter inside would self-destruct. But, of course, I managed to break the enchantment."
Kyle blinked, wondering, "Didn't they use Muggle-repelling magic? How did it turn into anti-peeking magic that self-destructs letters? Do they offer this service at the owl post office?"
It was obvious to him that Umbridge was trying to take credit for something she hadn't really accomplished, and if he hadn't known the truth, he might have been fooled.
As he watched Umbridge preen herself, clearly expecting Fudge to praise her, Kyle had to suppress a laugh... thankfully, he managed to hold it in.
"I think we should bring that Rubeus Hagrid back. Once we hand him over to the Aurors for interrogation, we might be able to find out what Dumbledore is really up to."
Umbridge rambled on, oblivious to the darkening expression on Fudge's face.
Fudge had been feeling agitated in recent days. He felt that his position as the Minister of Magic was under serious threat, more so than ever before.
It had started two days ago when someone had spotted a phoenix delivering a letter to Healer Smethwyck at St. Mungo's.
And in the wizarding world, only Dumbledore had a phoenix as a companion.
Now, the appearance of the phoenix at St. Mungo's suggested that Dumbledore might be trying to win over the esteemed Healer Smethwyck.
Fudge couldn't be sure, but that didn't stop him from jumping to conclusions.
Healer Smethwyck held a significant position in the wizarding world, and her potions had saved countless lives. If she were to side with Dumbledore, it would undoubtedly influence a large number of people, and even those who had previously supported Fudge might switch sides.
Fortunately, up to this point, no news had emerged, indicating that Healer Smethwyck had not immediately agreed to Dumbledore's proposal.
Fudge was not one to sit idly and wait for disaster to strike. He had intended to hint to Malfoy that he should donate a sum of money to St. Mungo's on behalf of the Ministry.
In the past, whenever he needed to boost his reputation, this had been his go-to strategy, and Malfoy had always been more than willing to spend a fortune to gain the Ministry's favor.
But to Fudge's surprise, several days had passed since he sent the letter, and he had yet to receive a reply.
This was unprecedented.
The combination of two illogical events occurring simultaneously made Fudge uneasy, and he feared that even Malfoy might have turned to Dumbledore's side.
He was well aware of the Malfoy family's method of buying people's loyalty—they simply threw around large sums of gold galleons, and no one could resist.
On top of that, the letters that Umbridge and Kyle had brought earlier that day only added to his frustration. Fudge was starting to feel like he was losing his grip on the situation.
Especially when Kyle had mentioned the name Nicolas Flamel earlier... a legendary alchemist over six hundred years old, who possessed the Sorcerer's Stone. It was no exaggeration to say that wizards lined up from London to Paris seeking his favor.
If this were true, then Fudge knew he had no chance of winning.
He didn't want to lose his position as Minister of Magic, and so he had to fight back.
But so far, not a single piece of information had worked in his favor... or so he thought. Perhaps there was one more option, a risky move that could potentially turn the tables in his favor.
Fudge's expression turned uncertain.
However, at that moment, Umbridge was still prattling on about her plans, her shrill voice grating on Fudge's already frayed nerves.
"Get out, now!" Fudge suddenly grabbed the wine glass in front of him and threw it at Umbridge's head.
"Dumbledore will soon replace me... If we bring him to the Ministry, are you trying to make me step down even sooner?"
"No, Minister, I didn't mean to..." Umbridge was stunned and stammered, "I just wanted to, help you share the burden..."
But Fudge didn't let her finish and pointed towards the door again. "Get out! If you want to work for the Pest Advisory Department, then by all means, stay here and continue blabbering!"
This time, Umbridge didn't dare linger and practically crawled out of the tea room.
Kyle also stood up. "Then, Minister, I should also..."
"No, Kyle, this doesn't concern you." Fudge managed a smile, "I just didn't want that idiot to interrupt our conversation. Where were we?"
"Dumbledore's communication with others," Kyle said.
"Ah, yes." Fudge rubbed his forehead, "You and that Rubeus... what's his name again?"
"Hagrid," Kyle supplied.
"Right, how is your relationship with him?"
"It's good." Kyle said, "He believes that I support Dumbledore as well, so he's friendly towards me."
"Can you help me find out the content of the other letters?"
"You're indeed smarter than that idiot." Fudge looked at Kyle, "I need to know if they have any plans for the 20th, and if it's related to the Ministry... This is important."
"No problem, Minister, leave it to me." Kyle assured him, patting his chest, "Also, my relationship with Madame Maxime and Mr. Dugmacfil is quite good. Perhaps I can try to convince them to support the Ministry as well."
"This is the best news I've heard all day." Fudge's furrowed brows relaxed a little, "You have my gratitude. If there's anything you need, just say the word, and the Ministry will support you fully."
"I'm just doing the right thing, how can it be hard?" Kyle said sincerely.
"You're right, we're doing the right thing."
Even the usually anxious Fudge couldn't help but laugh at the moment.
"I really wish you could graduate sooner and join the Ministry. I've even prepared an office for you, right next door."
He pointed to the wall behind Kyle.
"Senior Undersecretary, to be honest, no one has ever taken on such an important position right after joining the Ministry. But I believe you deserve this honor."
"It's my honor, Mister Minister." Kyle said with a smile.
The tea room was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
...
By the time Kyle returned to Hogwarts, it was already evening.
He had just stepped out of the fireplace and hadn't even steadied himself when Umbridge stormed towards him, her scolding reaching him before she did.
"How dare you!"
Kyle raised an eyebrow, "I don't understand what you mean, Professor."
"How dare you write directly to the Minister!" Umbridge's face was dark, "Do you know how much time you've wasted of his?"
"Sorry." Kyle said casually, "Maybe I was negligent and wrote the name wrong. Anyway, you were going to show the letter to the Minister anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem."
Wrote the name wrong?
Umbridge was so angry that she almost laughed. She didn't believe such a lame excuse for a second.
But now wasn't the time to pursue this. Umbridge just wanted to know why Fudge had suddenly lost his temper with her.
"Tell me what was in that letter, and maybe I'll forgive you."
"Sorry, Professor, it's confidential, I can't say..." Kyle said indifferently, "Excuse me, you're blocking my way."
"What tone is that!" Umbridge shrieked, "I don't believe you wrote the name wrong. You did it on purpose, and as punishment, I'll give you a month of detention!"
"If you insist, then I have no problem with that."
Kyle said nonchalantly, "But Professor Umbridge, Minister Fudge has given me a new task. If your detention interferes with that, then I'm afraid you'll really end up working at the Pest Advisory Department. Is that what you want?"
Umbridge's head felt like it was about to explode, and she stood there, breathing heavily.
Was this a threat? Most definitely! Before today, she had never imagined that Kyle would dare to speak to her in such a tone. Umbridge found it hard to accept.
But Kyle didn't care and casually walked around Umbridge towards the door.
"Oh, right..." Just as Kyle was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned back, "According to Minister Fudge's request, you need to follow my command for the next course of action."
"That's impossible!" Umbridge shouted, "I'm the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Senior Investigator of Hogwarts. You're just a student who hasn't even graduated yet."
"I know, but that's how the Minister arranged it. If you don't believe me, you can confirm it with him." Kyle smiled, "Good luck, Professor."
Then, Kyle walked out of the office and closed the door behind him.
The next second, the sound of something shattering, like a vase, could be heard from inside.
(End of Chapter)
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