Chapter 686: Voldemort's Suspicion
Chapter 686: Voldemort's Suspicion
No one expected the crystal orb to be so fragile, shattering into pieces after falling just one level down the stairs.
Even Harry was surprised, as he had always assumed it to be sturdy, which was why he casually kept it in his pocket.
He sat on the ground, staring blankly at the shattered remains of the orb.
A milky-white figure with noticeably enlarged eyes rose into the air.
Harry felt a sense of familiarity, those distinctive bulging eyes resembling those of Professor Trelawney from Divination class... If she had worn a pair of glasses, they would have looked almost identical.
The figure spoke, its voice soft and murmuring, "At the moment of decision, there will be a new..."
Harry could barely hear the figure's voice, as the surrounding sounds of crashes, shouts, and screams drowned out the rest of the words.
At the same time, someone grabbed Harry and pulled him away to another spot.
"Get away from there..." Harry heard Sirius's anxious voice.
He soon understood why.
Two spells of different colors struck the spot where he had been sitting moments ago. If Sirius hadn't pulled him away in time, Harry might have been done for.
"Thanks," Harry quickly stood up.
"Don't just stand there," Sirius said sternly, his eyes fixed on Bellatrix in the distance, without turning back to look at Harry.
Bellatrix had also witnessed the shattering of the crystal ball.
"No!" she screamed, going into a frenzy and casting spells at Harry.
Voldemort had instructed that the crystal ball be brought back intact, but now that it was shattered, Bellatrix couldn't accept the failure. She wanted to kill Harry... perhaps as a way to make amends.
Bellatrix, who was frantically casting spells, didn't notice that a dragon flame had appeared above her head.
A nearby Death Eater quickly grabbed her and dragged her towards the nearest door, escaping the room without a word.
Just before the door closed, everyone could still hear Bellatrix's heart-wrenching shrieks, "I'll kill him, I'll kill him... Master, I tried my best, don't punish me!"
Their escape triggered a chain reaction.
The Death Eaters instantly lost their courage to continue fighting, and they scattered in a panic. Those with strength or luck quickly fled the room, while the less fortunate ones were blocked by Sirius, Lupin, and their allies.
...
"Haha, what luck, we've caught a big one," Sirius said, dragging a Death Eater with him.
It was Antonin Dolohov, the very Death Eater who had been torturing Moody. Quite a catch indeed.
Sirius seemed to have used the Full Body Bind Curse, as his body was stiff, and his eyes glared menacingly at everyone.
However, no one present seemed to care.
"I think we should keep him here until Alastor wakes up and hand him over to him," Lupin said.
He, too, was holding a tall Death Eater.
"It's Macnair," Kingsley said, "a member of the Magical Creature Control Department. I should have known he would join the Death Eaters."
By this time, the battle had almost concluded.
The remaining Death Eaters, realizing they had no chance of escape, vied with each other to discard their wands and surrender.
Two minutes later, Cerberus staggered back to Kyle, collapsing with a thud and kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.
While Cerberus could ignore most spells, it couldn't withstand multiple spells cast simultaneously by several wizards.
There had been over a dozen Death Eaters in the room, and neither Lupin nor Mr. Weasley could keep an eye on so many of them.
Cerberus was covered in scorch marks, and the leftmost head had a long, narrow wound from which blood dripped onto the ground.
"Good job, Cerberus," Kyle said, patting its chin. The other two heads immediately joined in, and the three heads nearly started a fight among themselves.
Niffler also returned to the ground, perhaps because it could fly and had long-range attack capabilities, its condition was better than Cerberus'. It seemed to be enjoying itself, showing no signs of fatigue.
"Incredible..." Lupin looked up, unable to contain his amazement. "I never imagined I'd see a three-headed dog and a fire dragon in the Ministry of Magic.
"And what's even more baffling is how docile they are."
Unconsciously, Lupin reached out to smooth the scorched fur of the three-headed dog, but as soon as his hand extended, one of the massive heads turned and roared at him.
Lupin quickly retracted his hand, deciding to take back his previous statement. This beast was not docile at all... at least not to anyone other than Kyle.
Others gathered around as well.
Harry found the Cat Leopard in the crowd and approached it, bowing sincerely. "Thank you..."
The first time Bellatrix tried to kill him with the Killing Curse, it was the Cat Leopard's kick that saved him... Harry was all too familiar with that sensation.
The Cat Leopard nodded lightly in response.
Harry then turned to look at the three-headed dog and the fire dragon, feeling that they seemed familiar somehow.
"This... could it be Hagrid's Cerberus?" Harry asked tentatively.
A three-headed dog was not a common magical creature, and up until now, he had only seen one during his first year.
It had been Hagrid's, later used by the Headmaster to guard the Philosopher's Stone... But in his memory, that three-headed dog had been larger than the one before him.
"Yes, it's Cerberus," Kyle confirmed. "Just in case, I borrowed it from the Forbidden Forest recently.
"Kyle patted Lufu's chin again and then opened the box.
'Alright, let's go back. I'll prepare a feast for you guys tomorrow,' he said.
Lufu immediately started drooling, and Nobert, standing beside him, gave him a disdainful glance before being the first to crawl back into the box.
The space here was too narrow, and it was uncomfortable for Nobert. The box was much more spacious.
Kingsley stared intently at Kyle's box without blinking. After the two large creatures entered the box, he asked, 'What's your relationship with Mr. Scamander?'
'He's my mentor in magical creatures,' Kyle replied.
'A good relationship?' Kingsley asked.
'Yeah, not bad,' Kyle nodded.
Kingsley clicked his tongue. No wonder he always felt a strange familiarity with this box. It seemed that there would be one more person on the Aurors' watch list in the future.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Kyle; even Dumbledore trusted him unconditionally, so he was no exception.
But the problem was that this had nothing to do with trust... To put it bluntly, even if it were Dumbledore himself, the Aurors wouldn't feel at ease letting him run around with a fire dragon.
Not to mention that Kyle's box contained more than just a fire dragon. Whether it was the Cat Leopard or the Three-Headed Dog, they were all extremely dangerous 5X-level magical creatures, and the panic that would ensue if even one of them got out was unimaginable.
By helping to conceal this, he was already gambling with his future career.
'Oh, don't get me wrong,' Kyle cleared his throat, 'These are all borrowed. The Three-Headed Dog is from the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, and the Cat Leopard belongs to Newt. I'll return them all later.'
'Oh...' Kingsley responded expressionlessly.
'Alright, let's leave this place too,' Mr. Weasley said, glancing around, 'What about the injured people?'
'They're here too,' Kyle patted the box, 'Don't worry, they're safe.'
Everyone turned their heads simultaneously, wearing complex expressions.
Mr. Weasley moved his lips, indicating that he believed Kyle's words.
In a sense, it was indeed safe inside that box... if one could accept living next to a fire dragon and a three-headed dog.
'What should we do with these Death Eaters?' Kyle asked, 'Should we also put them in the box? It would be more convenient that way.'
'No need, I'll handle it,' Kingsley quickly said.
Apparently concerned that these Death Eaters might end up as snacks, he swiftly transfigured a long rope and tied up the disarmed Death Eaters together.
Then, with a wave of his wand, he effortlessly dragged the Death Eaters along as he walked.
Seeing this, Kyle didn't say anything further.
The group arrived at the nearest door, with Sirius and Lupin leading the way with their wands. They carefully pushed the door open.
Fortunately, the escaped Death Eaters weren't waiting outside.
However, the group remained cautious, with Sirius and Lupin still at the forefront, and Kyle sent the Cat Leopard with them.
After walking for a while, Mr. Weasley couldn't help but ask, 'Kyle, shouldn't you still be at Hogwarts? How did you end up here?'
'We were discovered?' Harry asked, turning around in surprise.
Harry lowered his head, feeling a bit ashamed.
Sirius, who was at the forefront, seemed to want to say something, but before he could open his mouth, Lupin stopped him. He shook his head, signaling Sirius not to say anything.
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Indeed, Harry had been too impulsive this time.
He rushed into the Ministry of Magic without any preparation, putting everyone in a passive position and falling into the Death Eaters' trap.
Fortunately, Kyle arrived in time, ensuring everyone's safety.
But what if Kyle hadn't made it... With over twenty Death Eaters, it was only a matter of time before they would have been completely overwhelmed.
Lupin shuddered at the thought.
Such a situation must never happen again.
'I'm sorry,' Harry said sincerely, keeping his head down, 'I promise I won't do this again.'
'You'd better remember what you said today,' Lupin replied without turning his head.
'Alright, Remus,' Mr. Weasley interjected, sensing the tension and trying to smooth things over, 'After all, Sirius is Harry's only relative, and he's been longing for family for over a decade... This was a trap carefully set by the cunning Mystery Man.'
Lupin sighed.
While it was true, some things still needed to be said.
'Oh, by the way,' Mr. Weasley changed the subject, 'Kyle, you mentioned that Dumbledore brought you here?'
'Yes, the Phoenix took us from Hogwarts directly to the Ministry of Magic using Apparition,' Kyle explained.
'Merlin, what was Dumbledore thinking, bringing students to such a dangerous place...' Mr. Weasley trailed off, unconsciously glancing at the box in Kyle's hand.
Alright, to be precise, Kyle was more dangerous than the Death Eaters.
He didn't dwell on this issue and instead asked, 'Then why didn't Dumbledore come with you just now?'
"Yes..." Sirius, who was walking at the front, couldn't help but echo the sentiment, "If he had been here just now, Bellatrix would never have gotten away. That crazy woman is too dangerous."
Mr. Weasley nodded in agreement.
If Dumbledore were here, he could have personally exposed Malfoy's true identity... After all, he had seen the platinum blonde hair that couldn't be hidden by the mask and hood. It was clear that the person was Malfoy.
"Well," Kyle said calmly, "Professor Dumbledore should still be outside the Department of Mysteries, fighting Voldemort."
Unconsciously, everyone stopped in their tracks.
"What did you say?" Sirius almost screamed, "The Dark Lord is also at the Ministry?"
"Yes, I ran into him when I arrived," Kyle explained, "Professor Dumbledore and Voldemort, us and the Death Eaters, it's quite fair, isn't it?"
Harry felt even more guilty, but at this moment, no one seemed to care about him. Everyone fell silent, and after a moment, they continued walking forward.
This time, however, everyone's expression became more serious.
The return journey was smooth, and they didn't encounter any Death Eaters blocking their path. It seemed they had fled and chosen not to remain in the Department of Mysteries.
Lupin had a good memory, and soon he led the group back to the outermost black circular hall. Once they left this room, they would be in the corridor leading to the elevator.
But Lupin and Sirius stopped simultaneously.
If what Kyle said was true, the battlefield between Professor Dumbledore and Voldemort was just outside this room. Would it really be okay for them to go out now? Would they distract Professor Dumbledore...
Before they could think further, a door on the right suddenly opened, revealing the corridor leading to the elevator.
Everyone was startled, but soon they realized that the corridor was empty; neither Professor Dumbledore nor Voldemort was in sight.
Sirius, Lupin, and Kingsley cautiously stepped out, and they couldn't help but gasp.
The corridor looked as if it had been bombarded countless times by Bombarda spells. The walls on both sides were almost shattered, the floor was covered with fallen stones, and there was a large hole in the ceiling.
At this sight, they fully believed Kyle's words.
Fortunately, the elevator was still functional. Mr. Weasley stepped forward to test it.
"It's still working," he said, turning back and entering first.
Following him, Harry, Kyle, Sirius, and Lupin also entered the elevator.
Kingsley decided to stay behind. It was safer to keep watch over the captured Death Eaters.
The adults unanimously decided to send Kyle and Harry out of the Ministry as soon as possible. Sirius pounded on the lobby buttons, "Come on, damn it, can't this thing go any faster!"
The elevator creaked as it ascended and stopped at the lobby level due to Sirius's urging.
But when they stepped out, the first thing they saw was Dumbledore and Voldemort facing off against each other.
"Oh no!" Sirius exclaimed in frustration, "Why are they here? We should have left them with Kingsley in the Department of Mysteries."
Kyle peered out from behind Lupin.
The battle seemed to have reached a mid-game intermission.
Dumbledore and Voldemort stood on opposite sides, and the once magnificent lobby had also suffered damage. Even the statue on the central magical fountain had been shattered.
Part of a centaur statue lay nearby, and a bit further, there was a pointed ear and the head of a male wizard.
The Death Eater who had escaped earlier was now kneeling before Voldemort.
"Bellatrix, you've messed up again, haven't you?" Voldemort's cold, red eyes fixed on Dumbledore, "Months of preparation... My Death Eaters have disappointed me once more..."
"Master, I didn't know..." Bellatrix cried, crawling slowly to Voldemort's feet, "Please, don't punish me..."
"Don't speak, Bellatrix," Voldemort said, his eyes still fixed on Dumbledore, "You've disappointed me three times now. And do you know? Someone returned even earlier than you.
"Though he's a coward, he brought me some interesting news.
"And that Kyle, he addresses you quite familiarly... Even that three-headed beast deliberately didn't harm you."
"No, it's not like that!" Bellatrix exclaimed in terror, her face filled with fear, "Master, you know I'm your most loyal servant, I was in the past, and I am now."
"I once believed that too, but now, your actions make me doubt..." Voldemort's voice was chilling. Bellatrix was so scared that she lay prostrate on the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"No, Master, I didn't..."
As they spoke, Dumbledore quietly observed from the side, showing no intention of interrupting.
Almost everyone in the magical world knew that Bellatrix was the most fanatical Death Eater, and now she was being suspected by Voldemort himself. This was indeed intriguing.
Moreover, Dumbledore couldn't shake the feeling that this scene seemed oddly familiar... until he heard Kyle's name, and it all made sense.
Ah, Kyle, so he's fine.
But Dumbledore couldn't understand why this strategy of sowing discord was so obvious, even if Voldemort was inherently suspicious, he shouldn't have believed it so quickly.
Or were they putting on a show for him?
(End of Chapter)
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