Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 684: Battle at the Department of Mysteries - Novel Cool

Chapter 684: Battle at the Department of Mysteries

Chapter 684: Battle at the Department of Mysteries

It was difficult for Kyle to describe his current mood. He had just fallen asleep for less than ten minutes when someone shook him awake.

"Fred, George, you two had better give me a reasonable explanation," Kyle said as he sat up in bed, rubbing his face to try and wake himself up.

It was quite a surprise to see Fred and George here in the dormitory.

As for Michael and Ryan, their beds were empty, probably still in the common room playing wizard chess. Kyle remembered them mentioning something about playing through the night.

"I know you're graduating soon and want to cherish every moment at Hogwarts, but I'll be back next year..."

Kyle couldn't help but ask, "And how did you even get into the Hufflepuff dormitory?"

"Cedric let us in, of course," Fred said with a grin.

"Never mind that now," George said. "Have you been to the headmaster's office before?"

Kyle nodded. "Yes, why?"

"So, has the Order of the Phoenix been up to anything recently?" Fred asked, lowering his voice.

"Not that I've heard," Kyle replied, thinking. "Why do you ask?"

"That's strange, then," George said, puzzled. "If there aren't any activities going on, why would Harry and the others leave the school?"

"Leave the school? What do you mean?"

"They just flew off into the sky," Fred explained. "We were just discussing the opening of our joke shop when we looked up and saw Harry flying above us."

"Hermione and Ron, too," George added.

"They seemed to be riding something, but we couldn't see what it was," Fred said. "I bet it was Thestrals."

"What?!" Kyle was instantly wide awake.

He couldn't believe that Harry had actually believed that dream of his, even after Dumbledore had made his position clear.

There was no doubt that Harry was headed for the Ministry of Magic; after all, Kyle had heard him mention the place while they were outside the headmaster's office.

And this was all a trap. If Harry went, it would mean that the Death Eaters would be there too... or perhaps they were already waiting for him.

"Damn it, when did this happen?!"

"Probably about two hours ago," Fred said after a moment's thought. "We were discussing the activities for the shop opening, and then we suddenly remembered this on our way here..." Fred trailed off, looking at Kyle curiously. "Where are you going?"

Without another word, Kyle leaped out of bed and sprinted out of the common room, leaving the Weasley brothers behind, bewildered.

As he reached the eighth floor, he happened upon Dumbledore, who was standing in front of the Gryffindor common room.

"Professor..." Kyle ran up to him and quickly relayed what he had just heard.

"I already know," Dumbledore said, his face grim. "I just received word that Sirius is safe, and I was about to tell Harry, but it seems I'm too late."

"I guess they must have left while I was destroying the Horcrux..."

"What do we do now?" Kyle asked. "Are we going to the Ministry too?"

"I'll go," Dumbledore said. "You'll be safest if you stay here at the school."

"No," Kyle shook his head firmly. "My mom is at the Department of Mysteries. I have to go."

Dumbledore hesitated. He wanted to tell Kyle that there was no need to worry about Diana's safety, but the words stuck in his throat.

If he were in Kyle's position, he knew he wouldn't be reassured by a few quick words, either.

"It's fine, Professor," Kyle said quickly. "As long as we're not up against Voldemort himself, those Death Eaters are no match for me."

"The Death Eaters are not as weak as you think, Kyle," Dumbledore said gravely. "They were once some of the finest wizards, and they have experienced the cruelty of war firsthand."

Kyle said nothing, but he opened his trunk and began to rummage through it.

"Er... alright then," Dumbledore conceded after a moment.

"Grab my hand," Dumbledore instructed.

Kyle immediately grabbed his arm.

In the next instant, Fawkes swooped in and perched on Dumbledore's shoulder.

After the familiar spinning sensation, the corridor with its hanging portraits was gone, replaced by a dim, deep passageway.

"Are we at the Ministry now?" Kyle asked, forcing himself to ignore the nausea and opening his eyes.

"Yes, this is the entrance to the Department of Mysteries," Dumbledore said, his voice low as he gazed at the large black door at the end of the passage. "I think we're not too late; they should still be inside."

Kyle hurried forward a couple of steps, but when he turned around, he saw that Dumbledore was still standing in the same spot, his wand drawn, eyes coldly fixed on the other end of the passage.

"So, you're here, Tom!"

As Dumbledore's words echoed down the passage, a tall, thin figure clad in a black hood appeared at the far end.

"Ah, Dumbledore..." Voldemort's red, snake-like eyes gleamed eerily in the darkness.

Kyle felt a chill run down his spine, but there was no time to dwell on it now.

Almost simultaneously, Dumbledore and Voldemort raised their wands, and a blinding flash of red and green light exploded in the narrow passage.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Kyle pushed open the black door and slipped inside.

As the door closed, the sounds of the duel outside ceased abruptly, as if nothing had happened at all.

Kyle paused to catch his breath before continuing further into the Department of Mysteries.

Dumbledore could handle things outside; he would be of more use dealing with the Death Eaters within.

"Where is Sirius?" he demanded, brandishing his wand and clutching a crystal orb. "I know you have him, right here!"

"Hohoho, little baby woke up from his nightmare, thinking it was all real." Bellatrix cackled, her voice grating like a saw on glass.

"Oh, Bellatrix, you don't know Potter like I do." Another Death Eater stepped forward. "He has a huge weakness—his personal heroism. The Dark Lord knows this about him!"

"I know Sirius is here!" Harry insisted. "I saw you capture him!"

The Death Eaters laughed mockingly.

"You should learn to distinguish dreams from reality, Potter," Malfoy sneered. "Now, hand over the prophecy, and perhaps we'll let you see Sirius."

Harry stood his ground.

From the Death Eaters' behavior, he gradually confirmed that Sirius was indeed not here. Dumbledore had been right; it was all a ruse.

Harry felt his blood run cold. He had believed that dream, and because of something that hadn't even happened, he had brought Ron and Hermione here to their possible deaths...

"Harry..." Hermione placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head gently.

"Ah, how touching." Bellatrix's eyes gleamed with madness. "Look at their serious faces, as if they plan to fight us. It's quite moving. If you hand over the prophecy, I might consider letting you die together..."

"Shut up!" Harry couldn't help but shout.

Bellatrix let out a maniacal laugh.

"Did you hear that? He's giving me orders..."

But the next second, the crazed smile on her face vanished.

"Who do you think you are, giving me orders!"

"Crucio!"

Harry was too stunned to react, but luckily, Hermione pushed him out of the way, causing the Cruciatus Curse to miss him.

"Have you gone mad?" Malfoy yelled. "What if you had broken it..."

"No one commands me except the Dark Lord! Anyone who dares shall die!" Bellatrix's chest heaved, but she quickly composed herself, remembering the task at hand. "Grab the two beside him. I don't believe he'll remain unmoved if his companions are tortured!"

...

"Don't even think about it!" Sirius burst out from nowhere, his wand pointed at Bellatrix.

"Bombarda Maxima!"

Bellatrix was blasted backward, crashing into a shelf full of prophecy orbs.

The room rained glass and glowing orbs, each one shattering into pieces and releasing a pale, ghostly figure that muttered indiscernible words.

With so many voices overlapping, no one could make out what they were saying.

"Run!"

Two more figures rushed into the room—Moody, who blocked the Death Eaters' path, and Mr. Weasley, who ushered Harry, Hermione, and Ron toward the nearest door.

"Mr. Weasley, what are you doing here...?" Harry exclaimed in surprise.

"We received a message from Dumbledore and came as quickly as we could..." Mr. Weasley explained rapidly as they ran. "You shouldn't have come here."

"Arthur is right," Sirius panted as he caught up. "Even though you fell into this trap to save me, I have to say you were too impulsive. If I had truly been captured, the last thing I'd want is for you to come to my rescue... and you definitely shouldn't have brought Hermione and Ron along."

"I'm sorry..." Harry hung his head in shame.

"It was our decision to come," Ron quickly added. "Harry didn't agree, so we secretly followed him..."

"Idiots!" Moody growled, glancing at Sirius. "What have you been teaching them? Dumbledore should've let me teach the lower years."

Sirius remained silent.

"Alright, enough talk." Mr. Weasley tried to defuse the tension. "Let's keep moving. There are about twenty Death Eaters here, and we're severely outnumbered... Damn, where are they all coming from?

"But Dumbledore should be arriving soon. We need to buy some time."

The group dashed through doors, running aimlessly as the Death Eaters pursued them.

By the time Kyle followed the sounds to the Hall of Prophecies, the room was in disarray.

More than half of the shelves had toppled over, and countless shattered prophecy orbs lay scattered on the floor.

"Aha, I knew there were some stragglers."

A figure clad in a black hood emerged from behind a shelf, their voice sinister. "You're a student of Hogwarts, too, aren't you? If we capture you, we can use you to force Potter to hand over the prophecy."

"Interesting idea." Kyle smiled, unfazed by the threat. Instead, he seemed intrigued and asked, "I thought I heard Sirius and Moody earlier... So, are you hiding here because you're scared and don't dare face them?"

"Nonsense! I am the Dark Lord's most loyal servant. How could I be afraid of them?" The figure's voice was shrill. "I'm just more thoughtful than they are. And look, I've caught you now, haven't I?"

Perhaps because Kyle didn't have his wand out, the Death Eater grew more arrogant by the second, not noticing a pair of cerulean eyes fixated on him from behind.

"You'd better stay put and don't move..."

"Pfft!"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Death Eater flew uncontrollably through the air.

A massive spear, composed of crystal shards, appeared out of thin air, piercing straight through his body, and sending him flying backwards until he was impaled on a shelf.

Even Kyle was startled by this turn of events. He hadn't noticed the "spear" being conjured, and his wand had instinctively slid into his hand from his sleeve. Within the box, an orange-yellow eye flickered into view.

"You should be at Hogwarts right now, not here."

A familiar voice came from behind, causing Kyle to breathe a sigh of relief.

He turned around with delight and saw Diana standing not far behind him.

"I received word that Death Eaters might show up at the Department of Mysteries, and even Voldemort himself." Kyle explained, but he didn't lower his wand. "I brought Dumbledore along, he should be able to help you."

"Do you think I need help?" Diana shook her head.

Kyle subconsciously glanced at the impaled Death Eater on the shelf.

"Well...should I go back now?"

"Forget it." Diana sighed, "It's even more dangerous outside the Department of Mysteries right now."

She waved her wand again, and the crystal spear transformed back into a small crystal figurine, dragging the screaming Death Eater into the darkness, who knew where.

"Didn't your father ever tell you?" Diana walked over and asked, "Silencers are absolutely safe within the Department of Mysteries. Even if Voldemort turns this place upside down, they won't be able to find us."

"Uh...never." Kyle shook his head.

Diana narrowed her eyes, and a chilling glint flashed by.

Kyle also realized that he had probably put Chris in a difficult spot, and quickly changed the subject with an embarrassed laugh, "Mom, aren't you going to deal with the Death Eaters?"

"Why should I?" Diana countered.

"These prophecies should be important, right?" Kyle looked at the chaotic Prophecy Hall, which was almost completely torn apart, with not a single intact prophecy orb remaining.

"Oh, that?" Diana waved her wand, and all the shelves that had fallen to the ground stood upright again, filled with prophecy orbs. "It just takes a simple spell to restore them. Only those involved in the prophecy can retrieve the corresponding orb from the Department of Mysteries. Besides that, the orbs are indestructible, and even if they are shattered, they can be restored. Furthermore, others cannot hear the true prophecy within."

"I see." Kyle finally understood. No wonder the Death Eaters had started tearing the place apart, yet no one from the Department of Mysteries had shown up. It turned out they simply didn't care.

The two chatted for a while longer, but Diana noticed Kyle repeatedly glancing towards the door opposite them.

"Do you want to help out?" she asked.

"Yeah." Kyle nodded, "Since I'm here, I should at least do something."

"Are you sure about this?" Diana said, "There are quite a few Death Eaters here, and a Cat Panther won't be of much use.

"Also, for some reason, I can't help you out either."

"Ah, it's fine. I have more than just the Cat Panther." Kyle said as he opened his trunk.

A black shadow flashed out and excitedly rubbed its head against Kyle's hand.

"A Boggart..." Diana's eyes twitched.

But that wasn't all, another large black creature squeezed its way out—it was a three-headed dog.

The three-headed dog, Fluffy, had been borrowed by Kyle during the Care of Magical Creatures lesson in the Forbidden Forest.

Now, Fluffy was even bigger, with each of his legs almost as tall as Kyle.

Diana also spotted a scaly head poking out of the trunk, but it seemed to dislike the confined space and retreated after exhaling two flames from its nostrils.

A Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon...

"Where did you get all these creatures from?" Diana rubbed her temples and asked.

"I borrowed them." Kyle said, "Last time, you told me not to deal with the Death Eaters directly and to make use of my advantages, so I prepared all these.

"Oh, and I also have a Basilisk, but its eyesight can't differentiate between friend and foe, so it might accidentally hurt our side in this confined space. That's why I didn't let it out."

Diana rubbed her temples even harder.

She had meant for him to do so, but not to this extreme!

"What's wrong?" Seeing that Diana wasn't speaking, Kyle took the initiative to ask, "Aren't these enough?"

"Put the Boggart away." Diana said impatiently.

The Basilisk was dangerous, but the Boggart was safe? This creature could destroy the entire Ministry of Magic faster than the Basilisk, for goodness' sake!

"Oh." Kyle obediently hugged the struggling Boggart and forced it back into the trunk.

Diana's heart skipped a beat as she watched this.

Finally, she simply pointed to the right-hand door without another word.

"Go through that door and keep walking straight, and you'll find them."

(End of Chapter)

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