Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 674: Anti-Death Eater Front - Novel Cool

Chapter 674: Anti-Death Eater Front

Chapter 674: Anti-Death Eater Front

To be honest, this room wasn't exactly spacious. It consisted of a single set of table and chairs and a towering bookshelf that reached the ceiling.

Compared to most offices in the Ministry of Magic, which were as cramped as broom closets with two or three people squeezed inside, this one could be considered top-notch.

For instance, Mr. Weasley's Office for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, which Kyle had visited once, was broom closet-sized, yet it crammed two desks into the space. The shelves were overflowing, and excess documents had to be placed wherever there was room, making it difficult to find a spot to stand.

Kyle had always wondered why the Ministry employees didn't use the Extendable Charm to make their offices more spacious.

He had asked Mr. Weasley about it, but he didn't receive a clear answer. Mr. Weasley simply said that it was fine as it was and that he had gotten used to it, so there was no need to do anything extra.

When they arrived at the office, Fudge removed his hat and asked, "What do you think of this place?"

"It's great," Kyle replied. "I guess this means I'm officially on the job. Does the Minister have any tasks for me?"

"It's not exactly a task," Fudge said, fiddling with his hat. "You're only in your sixth year, so your studies should still be your priority."

Kyle didn't buy this explanation. There was no way Fudge would have let Umbridge go without a reason, and it was clear that he had something to say.

Moreover, Kyle was earning one hundred and fifty Galleons per month, and he knew that Fudge wouldn't let him take the salary without giving him something to do.

This was evident from Cedric's meager salary of just seven Galleons.

So, Kyle remained silent, waiting for Fudge to continue.

Sure enough, after a moment, Fudge casually asked, "I heard from Albus that you rescued Harry Potter in the final task of the Triwizard Tournament?"

"That's right," Kyle replied without hesitation. "A Death Eater used Polyjuice Potion to infiltrate the castle and took Harry captive."

"How did you find out about it?" Fudge asked. "I remember you were still in the third task at that time."

"Because of the Triwizard Cup..." Kyle explained, "It had been replaced with a Portkey, and when I grabbed it, I was automatically transported to where Harry was."

"Oh, I remember now," Fudge said, as if suddenly realizing something. "I recall that after you got the Cup, you disappeared. To be honest, I thought it was part of the task."

"No, I was transported to the top of a mountain..."

"So, you witnessed the Dark Lord's resurrection as well?" Fudge's eyes flickered, and he stared intently at Kyle without blinking.

"I didn't see the resurrection process," Kyle said calmly, his expression unchanged. "But there were Death Eaters planning something there, and Dumbledore arrived soon after and sent both Harry and me back to Hogwarts.

"As for what happened afterward, only Dumbledore knows."

Fudge remained silent, his eyes fixed on Kyle as he continued to fiddle with his hat.

He didn't think Kyle was lying; after all, the pieces fit together... Kyle had disappeared right after getting the Cup, and then Dumbledore had vanished as well.

Moreover, there was one crucial point: if Kyle had also seen the Dark Lord, then when Dumbledore had been promoting the resurrection, he wouldn't have had any reason to side with the Ministry.

Fudge's expression was complex, tinged with a hint of disappointment.

A month ago, the last thing he wanted to hear was news of the Dark Lord's resurrection, but now, he wished it were true.

However, Fudge himself wasn't sure if the Dark Lord had truly returned. The reason he published that article was because Dumbledore had pushed him into a corner.

With ten Death Eaters escaping at once, Dumbledore could easily have him removed from the Minister's position without breaking a sweat.

Even now, with his position secured, it wasn't easy. Ever since the escape incident, a large number of letters demanding his resignation had been delivered to the Minister's Office daily.

And these letters had previously been addressed to Dumbledore.

It seemed that people believed this was a trick he had devised... to remain in the position of Minister of Magic.

As time passed, these voices grew louder, even within the Ministry itself.

There were ways to resolve this issue, and the simplest one was for the Dark Lord to make a public appearance. As long as he showed up, everything would be clear without the need for further explanation.

But this wasn't something Fudge could control, and subconsciously, he didn't want to witness that scene.

So, the only thing he could do now was to find more people, especially those with influence, to testify to it.

He had mentioned this to Dumbledore when he went to Hogwarts, but after all this time, there had been no progress.

Apparently, Dumbledore didn't want to help with this matter.

"Kyle..." Fudge suddenly asked, "Do you believe that the Dark Lord has truly returned?"

"Of course," Kyle replied. "After all, the newspaper reported that he rescued ten Death Eaters. If it wasn't the Dark Lord, who else would bother to save those people?"

"But there are still many who don't believe it.

"Minister Fudge spoke in a grave tone, 'This mindset is dangerous. I'm taking the risk of being ousted to announce this to everyone because I want everyone to be well-prepared for the upcoming war.'

'But now, many insist that I'm acting out of self-interest. If this continues, our efforts will be in vain.'

'That's right,' Kyle nodded in agreement. 'So, the Minister means...'

'I recall you have a good relationship with Mr. Scamander, right?' Fudge said, 'As a renowned Magizoologist, if he's willing to help, perhaps he can change many people's minds.'

'I understand. I'll try to convince Newt,' Kyle replied.

'That's perfect,' Fudge smiled. 'Alright, take some time to familiarize yourself with the place. I have some other matters to attend to.'

He put on his hat, ready to leave.

'Wait a moment, Minister,' Kyle called out. 'I have an immature idea that might be of some use.'

'Oh? What is it?' Fudge stopped to ask.

Kyle glanced at the closed door and lowered his voice.

'I think some people don't believe us because it's too peaceful out there.'

'Peaceful?'

'Yes,' Kyle continued. 'Since the Death Eaters' escape, there's been no news of them, as if they're all in hiding. This doesn't match their behavior from a decade ago, so it's normal for people to be skeptical.'

'After all, in most people's minds, Death Eaters with the Dark Lord's backing are extremely arrogant.'

'But they are in hiding,' Fudge sighed. 'Neither the Hit Squad nor the Aurors have found any trace of the Death Eaters.'

'But what if we do...' Kyle's tone rose slightly, 'The Ministry deals with so many emergencies daily. Isn't it possible that one of these incidents is caused by Antonin Dolohov?'

Fudge raised his head, instantly understanding Kyle's implication.

Whether the Death Eaters emerged or not wasn't the point; the Ministry dealt with so many violations and wizards daily that they could easily pick any severe case and blame it on the Death Eaters.

As for what constituted severe... Fudge remembered that morning when he overheard Weasley and Perkins discussing someone using Transfiguration Charms to prank Muggles.

Wasn't this a clear attack on Muggle streets? Fudge was tempted, but he had two concerns. He paused, 'But what if we can't catch them?'

'That's normal, isn't it? Death Eaters are hard to catch,' Kyle said. 'If it's confirmed to be their doing, it's enough to make many people vigilant.'

Fudge's eyes lit up. He removed his hat again and paced, asking, 'So, you think for investigating the Death Eaters, is the Hit Squad suitable, or the Aurors...'

'Neither.'

'To deal with cunning Death Eaters, we need someone meticulous, fearless, and absolutely loyal to the Ministry. This person must hold a high position, like a Head of Department or Deputy Minister, for the investigation results to be more convincing.'

Fudge repeated Kyle's words, mentally searching for a suitable candidate.

Meticulousness didn't matter; only loyalty did...

This ruled out the Heads of Departments; Fudge knew they wouldn't help him with such deception.

Even if they agreed, Fudge wouldn't trust them.

But who else? Kyle, who proposed this suggestion, was the most suitable candidate, but he still had classes and no time.

Suddenly, Fudge thought of someone who perfectly met all the criteria.

'What do you think of Dolores?'

'Professor Umbridge?' Kyle pondered seriously for a moment. 'I feel she's somewhat underutilized at Hogwarts. The Anti-Death Eater Front is the real stage for her talents to shine.'

'The Anti-Death Eater Front?' Fudge pondered Kyle's words, feeling excited. 'Ah, I knew letting you into the Ministry was the best decision I made this year.' He smiled, 'I didn't expect that on your first day, you'd come up with a way to expose the Death Eaters' plot.'

'I'm just offering a humble suggestion, Minister,' Kyle shook his head. 'The person doing this work, she's the real hero against the Death Eaters.'

'You're right,' Fudge's worried expression vanished, and he left the office with a smile.

...

To be honest, the students from Hogwarts were here at the Ministry just for a formality, to get familiar with the environment, not for any real work.

Even so, by the end of the day, everyone had a look of reluctance to leave.

Unlike at school, everything in the Ministry was fresh and exciting to them. Even without doing anything, they could boast about it when they returned.

Only Cedric, whom Mr. Diggle trusted deeply, was truly busy trying to prove himself to others.

"I wrote five reports and used almost an entire roll of parchment."

In the afternoon, as he rubbed his slightly sore wrists, he muttered, "I never knew the Magical Creature Management and Control Division had so many boring tasks, like adding wings to snakes and disguising Cornish pixies as leprechauns for sale... Are those people that bored?"

"This is their actual job," Kael said, "You don't expect dangerous creatures to roam the streets every day, do you?"

"Of course I know," Cedric said, tugging at his hair.

"What about Mr. Diggle?" Kael asked, "Didn't he help you?"

Cedric's face changed slightly, and he said softly, "My dad wasn't in the office all day."

"Okay, I understand," Kael said, realizing.

Without a doubt, Mr. Diggle must have passed all the work to Cedric to free up time to boast about his son.

However, Cedric was indeed excellent. Few people could smoothly take on all the work on their first day, and although these tasks were simple, they were quite tedious to handle.

The two stopped by the elevator, ready to go to the Great Hall to gather. Later, they would return to Hogwarts via the fireplace.

Soon, the elevator clattered and clattered as it appeared, and they stepped inside.

There was one more person in the elevator, and he was a familiar face.

"Long time no see, Percy," Kael greeted.

To be honest, it seemed like he hadn't seen Percy in a long time. Fred said that after the Weasleys moved to Grimmauld Place, they lost contact with him.

This Christmas, he even returned the sweater Mrs. Weasley sent him.

Because of this, Fred and George were quite upset and vowed to teach Percy a lesson the next time they saw him.

Kael also disliked Percy's actions, but since it was a Weasley family matter, he didn't want to interfere too much. His greeting was merely out of politeness, and after that, Kael didn't plan to talk to Percy again.

Cedric was the same; he didn't even need to greet Percy.

The elevator fell into an eerie silence.

Percy stood at the back, hesitating to speak, his face contorted.

It wasn't until the elevator reached the entrance hall that Kael and Cedric walked out one after the other, and Percy suddenly spoke up, "Please wait..."

The two stopped and turned to look at him.

"Congratulations, Kael," Percy forced a smile, with a hint of envy in his eyes, "I heard that you're now a Senior Assistant to the Minister. That's amazing, isn't it... I mean, I'm also a Deputy Minister, and I'm glad to be working with you."

"Thanks," Kael said casually, "But I can only come to the Ministry once a week, so I might not be able to work with you."

Percy was a bit embarrassed; he didn't expect Kael to give him absolutely no face, as if he were talking to a stranger.

Of course, he had anticipated this... when he returned Mrs. Weasley's Christmas sweater.

But he didn't expect Kael to become a Senior Assistant to the Minister in one go, practically making him Kael's superior.

Percy turned to look at Cedric.

"Sorry, I'm from the Magical Creature Management and Control Division," Cedric politely cut him off.

"If there's nothing else..." Kael said, glancing at Professor McGonagall across from them, "We're about to return to Hogwarts."

"Wait..." Percy hurriedly said, "I know, I may have done some things wrong before. Mrs. Weasley was right; I should have believed in Dumbledore. Can you help me talk to them..."

"Sorry, we can't help with that," Kael interrupted him, "If you really want their forgiveness, why not go and talk to them yourself?

"Mr. Weasley works on the second floor; there's only one floor between you. You can find time to talk to him whenever you want."

"I, I don't know what to say," Percy's face turned red, "I did so many excessive things before; they must be very angry."

"That's for sure," Kael said, "Fred and George even swore to beat you up. And Charlie, I heard that if it weren't for Ginny and Mrs. Weasley stopping him, he would have come to the Ministry to teach you a lesson during Christmas."

"That's as it should be," Percy said, "I wish they would do that."

At that moment, other elevators arrived, and a large group of people came out, making the area suddenly crowded.

At the same time, Professor McGonagall across from them waved her hand, seemingly signaling for them to hurry over.

"Well, Percy, we can't help you with this; you'll have to do it yourself."

Kael said, "If you really want to apologize, go find Mr. Weasley. No matter what, he definitely won't turn you away."

Kael didn't say anything else to Percy and went with Cedric to where everyone was gathering.

Once everyone was present, Professor McGonagall led them back to Hogwarts.

(End of Chapter)

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