Chapter 674: The Anti-Death Eater Frontlines
Chapter 674: The Anti-Death Eater Frontlines
To be honest, the room wasn't very spacious, containing only a set of table and chairs, and a bookshelf that reached the ceiling.
However, compared to the majority of offices in the Ministry of Magic, which were as cramped as broom closets with two or three people squeezed inside, this place was quite luxurious.
For example, Mr. Weasley's office at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, which Kyle had visited once, was the size of a broom closet but packed with two desks. The items in the cabinet had spilled out, and excess documents were placed wherever there was space, leaving barely enough room to stand.
Kyle had always wondered why the employees of the Ministry didn't use the Undetectable Extension Charm to make their offices more spacious.
He had asked Mr. Weasley about it, but he didn't receive an answer. Mr. Weasley had simply said that it was fine as it was and that he had gotten used to it, seeing no need to make any changes.
Upon entering the office, Fudge removed his hat and asked, "So, what do you think of the place?"
"It's great," Kyle replied. "I guess this means I've officially started working here. Is there a task you'd like me to undertake, Minister?"
"It's not really a task," Fudge said as he fiddled with his hat. "You're still in your sixth year, so your studies should take priority."
Kyle, of course, didn't believe this for a second. Fudge wouldn't have removed Umbridge without a good reason, and it was clear that he had something to discuss.
Moreover, Kyle received a salary of one hundred and fifty Galleons per month, which certainly wasn't meant to be free money. Fudge wasn't that generous.
This was evident from the meager seven Galleons Cedric received.
So, Kyle remained silent, quietly waiting for Fudge to continue.
Sure enough, after a moment, Fudge casually asked, "I heard from Albus that you saved Harry Potter during the final task of the Triwizard Tournament?"
"Yes," Kyle replied without hesitation. "A Death Eater infiltrated the castle using Polyjuice Potion and took the opportunity to abduct Harry."
"How did you find out about it?" Fudge asked. "I recall you were still participating in the third task at the time."
"Because of the Triwizard Cup..." Kyle explained, "It had been replaced with a Portkey, and when I touched it, I was automatically transported to where Harry was being held."
"Oh, now I remember," Fudge exclaimed. "I recall you vanishing right after you took the Cup. To be honest, I thought it was part of the task."
"No, I was transported to the top of a mountain..."
"So, you also witnessed the resurrection of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Fudge's gaze sharpened as he fixed his eyes on Kyle.
"I didn't witness the resurrection process itself," Kyle said calmly, his expression unchanged. "However, there were Death Eaters plotting something there, and Dumbledore arrived soon after, sending Harry and me back to Hogwarts.
"As for what happened afterward, only Dumbledore knows."
Fudge remained silent, his eyes on Kyle as he continued to fiddle with his hat.
He didn't think Kyle was lying. After all, the story seemed to match up... Kyle had vanished after taking the Cup, and then Dumbledore had disappeared as well.
And most importantly, if Kyle had also seen He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he wouldn't have had any reason to side with the Ministry during Dumbledore's campaign about the Dark Lord's return.
Fudge's expression was complicated, tinged with a hint of disappointment.
A month ago, the last thing he wanted to hear was news of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's resurrection. But now, he wished it were true.
However, Fudge himself wasn't entirely convinced. He wasn't sure if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had truly returned, and the reason he had published that article was because Dumbledore had left him with no other choice.
With ten Death Eaters escaping Azkaban at once, Dumbledore could easily oust him from his position as Minister without lifting a finger.
But even with his position secured for now, Fudge was still in a difficult spot. Ever since the mass breakout, his office had been inundated with letters demanding his resignation.
And those letters had previously been addressed to Dumbledore.
It seemed that the public believed this was some scheme concocted by Fudge... a ploy to maintain his position as the Minister of Magic.
As time passed, these voices of dissent only grew louder, even within the Ministry itself.
There were ways to resolve this issue, and the simplest one was for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to make a public appearance.
If the Dark Lord showed himself, no further explanations would be necessary.
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 of high standing, to provide testimony.
He had mentioned this to Dumbledore during his visit to Hogwarts, but even after all this time, there had been no progress.
Evidently, Dumbledore wasn't interested in lending a hand with this matter.
"Kyle..." Fudge suddenly asked, "Do you believe that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned?"
"Of course," Kyle replied. "After all, it was in the newspapers. He rescued ten Death Eaters. If it wasn't him, who else would bother to save those people?"
"But many people don't believe it..."
"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 said.
"That would be excellent." Fudge smiled. "Now, take some time to familiarize yourself with the place. I have some other matters to attend to."
As he donned his hat, he prepared to leave.
"Wait, Minister," Kyle called out, stopping him. "I have an immature idea that might also help."
"Oh? What idea?" Fudge asked, pausing.
Kyle glanced at the closed door and lowered his voice. "I think the reason some people don't believe us is because it's too peaceful outside."
"Peaceful?"
"Yes," Kyle continued. "Ever since the Death Eaters broke out of Azkaban, there's been no news of them, as if they're all hiding. This doesn't match their behavior from over a decade ago, so it's normal for people not to believe us. After all, in most people's impressions, Death Eaters with a mysterious backer were extremely arrogant."
"But they really are hiding," Fudge sighed. "Neither the Hit Wizards nor the Aurors have detected any traces of the Death Eaters."
"But what if we did discover them..." Kyle's tone rose slightly, "The Ministry deals with so many sudden incidents every day. Is it possible that one of these incidents was caused by Antonin Dolohov?"
Fudge lifted his head, instantly understanding Kyle's meaning.
It didn't matter if the Death Eaters stayed hidden or not. The Ministry dealt with so many law-breaking witches and wizards daily that they could easily pick one with a detrimental impact and pin it on them.
As for what would qualify as detrimental... Fudge recalled that morning, when he had overheard Weasley and Perkins discussing someone who had played a prank on Muggles by casting a Transfiguration Spell on their garden.
Wasn't that akin to attacking a Muggle street? Fudge was tempted, but now there were two problems... He frowned. "But what if we can't catch them?"
"That's normal, isn't it? Death Eaters are difficult to capture," Kyle said. "As long as we determine it's their doing, it will be enough to make many people vigilant."
Fudge's eyes lit up. He removed his hat again and paced in the room, asking, "So, in your opinion, who would be better suited to investigate the Death Eaters, the Hit Wizards or the Aurors..."
"Neither," Kyle said. "To deal with cunning Death Eaters, we need someone meticulous, fearless, and absolutely loyal to the Ministry, and this person must hold a high enough position, like a department head or a deputy minister... Such an investigation would be more convincing."
Fudge repeated Kyle's words, searching for a suitable candidate in his mind.
Meticulousness didn't matter, only loyalty...
With that, all department heads were ruled out. Fudge was certain they wouldn't help him with such a deceptive scheme.
And even if they were willing, Fudge wouldn't feel assured.
Who else was there? Kyle, who had proposed this suggestion, would have been the most suitable candidate, but he still had classes and no time.
Suddenly, Fudge thought of a perfect person who met all the criteria.
"What do you think of Dolores?"
"Professor Umbridge?" Kyle thought seriously for a moment. "I feel that she's a bit underutilized at Hogwarts. The anti-Death Eater frontlines are where she can truly showcase her talents."
"Anti-Death Eater frontlines?" Fudge pondered Kyle's words, feeling excited.
"Ah, I knew it. Bringing you into the Ministry is the best decision I've made this year." Fudge smiled. "I never expected that on your first day, you'd come up with a way to expose the Death Eaters' conspiracy."
"I merely provided a minor suggestion, Minister," Kyle shook his head. "The person who does this work will be the true hero against the Death Eaters."
"You're right," Fudge said, his face brightening, and he left the office with a smile.
...
To be honest, the students from Hogwarts were only here at the Ministry to go through the motions and get familiar with the environment. They weren't expected to accomplish any real work.
However, even so, by the end of the day, each of them wore an expression of excitement, as if they had only scratched the surface.
Unlike at school, everything at the Ministry felt fresh and new. Even if they didn't do anything, they would have plenty to boast about when they returned.
Only Cedric, Mr. Diggory's son, was truly trusted by his father. To prove his capability to others, Cedric had been busy all day.
"This is their actual work." Kyle said, "You don't expect dangerous creatures to be running rampant on the streets every day, do you?"
"Of course not." Cedric said, tugging at his hair.
"What about Mr. Diggory?" Kyle asked, "Didn't he help you?"
Cedric's face changed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "My dad wasn't in the office at all today."
"Oh, I see." Kyle said, understanding.
Needless to say, Mr. Diggory must have pushed all the work onto Cedric to free up time to brag about his son.
However, Cedric was indeed excellent. It was rare for someone to be able to smoothly take over all the work on their first day of work, even though the tasks were simple, they were quite tedious.
The two of them stopped by the elevator and were about to go to the Great Hall, from where they would return to Hogwarts via the fireplaces.
Soon, the clanking sound of the elevator signaled its arrival, and they stepped inside.
There was one other person in the elevator, and it was a familiar face.
"Long time no see, Percy." Kyle greeted him.
To be honest, he hadn't seen Percy in a long time. According to Fred, Percy had cut off contact with the Weasley family after they moved to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.
During Christmas this year, he even returned Mrs. Weasley's knitted sweater.
Because of this, Fred and George were quite upset and vowed to teach Percy a lesson the next time they saw him.
Kyle also disliked Percy's actions, but since it was a Weasley family matter, he didn't want to get too involved. His greeting was merely out of politeness, and he didn't plan on talking to Percy further.
Cedric felt the same, and he didn't even bother to greet Percy.
An awkward silence filled the elevator.
Percy stood at the back, looking conflicted and about to say something.
Just as the elevator reached the entrance hall, Kyle and Cedric turned to leave, and Percy suddenly spoke up, "Wait a moment..."
The two of them stopped and turned to look at him.
"Congratulations, Kyle." Percy forced a smile, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes, "I heard that you're now a Senior Ministerial Assistant, that's fantastic. I mean, I'm also a Ministerial Assistant, and it would be great to work with you."
"Thanks." Kyle said casually, "But I can only come to the Ministry once a week, so we might not get to work together."
Percy looked embarrassed. He hadn't expected Kyle to give him absolutely no face, treating him like a stranger.
Of course, he had anticipated this situation... when he returned Mrs. Weasley's Christmas sweater.
But he hadn't expected Kyle to become a Senior Ministerial Assistant at the Ministry, practically his superior now.
Percy then turned to Cedric.
"Sorry, I'm with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." Cedric politely cut him off.
"If there's nothing else..." Kyle glanced at Professor McGonagall across the hall, "We're about to head back to Hogwarts."
"Wait..." Percy quickly said, "I know, I might have done some wrong things before, and Mum was right, I should have trusted Dumbledore. Can you help me talk to them...?"
"Sorry, we can't help you with that." Kyle interrupted him, "If you really want their forgiveness, why don't you talk to them yourself?
"Mr. Weasley works on the second floor, just one floor above you. You can go see him whenever you have time."
"I... I don't know what to say." Percy's face turned red, "I did so many excessive things, they must be very angry with me."
"That's for sure." Kyle said, "Fred and George even swore to beat you up, and Charlie, if it weren't for Ginny and Mrs. Weasley holding him back, 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."
At that moment, another elevator arrived, and a large group of people stepped out, making the area suddenly crowded.
At the same time, Professor McGonagall across the hall waved at them, signaling for them to hurry over.
"Well, Percy, we can't help you with this, you'll have to do it yourself."
Kyle said, "If you really want to apologize, go find Mr. Weasley. No matter what, he definitely won't turn you away."
Kyle didn't say anything further to Percy and left with Cedric to join the others.
Once everyone was gathered, Professor McGonagall led them back to Hogwarts.
(End of Chapter)
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