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Chapter 686: Voldemort's Suspicions
Chapter 686: Voldemort's Suspicions
No one expected the prophecy orb to be so fragile; it shattered into pieces after falling down just one step.
Harry, too, had thought it was sturdier, or else he wouldn't have casually tucked it into his pocket.
He sat on the ground, staring blankly at the shattered remains of the orb.
A milky-white figure with eyes that seemed magnified many times over rose into the air.
Harry felt that it looked vaguely familiar—those distinctive bulging eyes, they resembled Professor Trelawney from Divination class... with the addition of a pair of glasses, the resemblance would be uncanny.
The figure began to speak in a murmuring voice,
"At the moment of decision, a new... "
The figure's voice was too soft, and Harry could only make out these few words before the surrounding crashes, shouts, and screams drowned out the rest.
At the same time, someone grabbed him and pulled him to another spot.
"Get down!" Harry heard Sirius' anxious voice.
Soon, he understood why.
Two differently colored curses shot towards where he had been sitting. If it weren't for Sirius pulling him away in time, he would have been done for.
"Thanks," Harry said as he quickly got to his feet.
"Don't space out," Sirius reminded him sternly without turning his eyes away from Bellatrix, who was standing at a distance.
Bellatrix had also seen the crystal ball being smashed to pieces.
"No!" she screamed, unleashing curses at Harry like a madwoman.
Voldemort had ordered her to bring back the orb intact, but now everything had been ruined, and she couldn't accept that. All she wanted to do now was to kill Harry... perhaps that would make up for her failure.
Bellatrix, in her frenzy of casting curses, didn't notice that a dragon flame had appeared above her head.
A Death Eater next to her reacted quickly, pulling her away without a word and dragging her towards the nearest door to escape the room.
Before the door closed, everyone could still hear Bellatrix's heart-wrenching screams, "I'll kill him, I'll kill him... Master, I tried my best, please don't punish me!"
Their act of fleeing also triggered a chain reaction.
The Death Eaters instantly lost their courage to continue fighting and scattered in all directions. Those with strength or good luck fled the room immediately, while the rest were blocked by Sirius, Lupin, and the others who had regained their senses.
...
"Haha, what luck! We've caught a big one."
Sirius walked over, holding a Death Eater.
It was Antonin Dolohov, the one who had been torturing Moody earlier. This was indeed a valuable catch.
Sirius seemed to have used the Full Body-Bind Curse on him, as his body was completely stiff, and he glared at everyone with intense hatred in his eyes.
But no one present cared about that.
"I think we should keep him alive and hand him over to Alastor when he wakes up," Lupin said.
He, too, was holding a tall and burly Death Eater.
"It's Macnair," Kingsley said, "a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I should have guessed he would be a Death Eater."
By this time, the battle had more or less come to an end.
The remaining Death Eaters, realizing they had no chance of escape, hastily threw down their wands and surrendered.
Two minutes later, Fluffy staggered back to Kyle, collapsing to the ground with a loud thud, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.
Although the three-headed dog could ignore most curses, it couldn't withstand the onslaught if multiple wizards cast spells at once.
There had been over a dozen Death Eaters here earlier, and Mr. Weasley and Lupin alone couldn't handle so many.
Fluffy's body was covered in charred marks, and the leftmost head had a long, narrow wound from which blood dripped to the ground.
"Good job, Fluffy," Kyle said as he patted its chin. The other two heads immediately pushed forward, jostling for attention, and almost started fighting among themselves.
Norbert also landed back on the ground. Perhaps due to his ability to fly and his long-range attack capabilities, he looked to be in better shape than Fluffy, and he seemed to be eager for more action.
"This is incredible..." Lupin looked up in awe. "I never imagined that I would see a three-headed dog and a dragon here in the Ministry of Magic.
"And what's even more incomprehensible is how obedient they are."
Unconsciously, Lupin reached out to smooth the charred fur of the three-headed dog, but before his hand had even gotten close, one of the massive heads turned and growled at him.
Lupin quickly retracted his hand and decided to take back his earlier words. This beast was certainly not obedient... at least not to anyone other than Kyle.
The others gathered around as well.
Harry spotted Catpanther in the crowd and walked over to bow sincerely. "Thank you..."
It was Catpanther's kick that had helped him dodge Bellatrix's Killing Curse the first time... Harry was all too familiar with that feeling.
Catpanther nodded slightly in response.
Harry then turned to look at the three-headed dog and the dragon, feeling that the combination seemed somehow familiar.
"This... could it be Hagrid's Fluffy?" 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 at Hogwarts.
That one had been Hagrid's, later used by the headmaster to guard the Philosopher's Stone... though, in his memory, that three-headed dog had been much smaller than this one.
"Yes, it's Fluffy.
"Alright, let's head back. I'll prepare a feast for you tomorrow."
Norbert immediately started drooling, and Fluffy shot a disdainful glance at him before being the first to climb back into the box.
The space here was too narrow and uncomfortable for him; the box was much more spacious.
Kingsley stared fixedly at Kyle's box, and when the two large beasts had climbed in, he suddenly asked, "What's your relationship with Mr. Newt Scamander?"
"He's my mentor when it comes to magical creatures." Kyle replied.
"A good relationship?" Kingsley inquired.
"Yeah, not bad." Kyle nodded.
Kingsley smacked his lips. No wonder he felt that the box seemed strangely familiar. It seemed like the Aurors would have to add one more person to their list of key figures to monitor.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Kyle; if Dumbledore trusted him unconditionally, then he certainly had no reason not to.
But the problem was that this matter 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 wander around with a dragon in tow.
Not to mention that Kyle's box contained more than just a dragon. Whether it was Catpanther or Fluffy, they were both extremely dangerous 5X-rated magical creatures, and if any one of them escaped, it could cause widespread panic.
By helping to conceal this, he was already risking his future career.
"Oh, don't get me wrong." Kyle cleared his throat, "I borrowed all of these. Fluffy here is from the Forbidden Forest in Hogwarts, and Catpanther belongs to Newt. I'll be returning them later."
"Oh..." Kingsley responded expressionlessly.
"Alright, we should leave as well." Mr. Weasley said, glancing around, "What about the injured?"
"They're in here too." Kyle patted the box, "Don't worry, they're safe."
Everyone turned their heads simultaneously, wearing complicated expressions.
Mr. Weasley twitched the corners of his mouth, indicating that he believed Kyle's words.
In a sense, the box was indeed quite safe... as long as one could accept being neighbors with a 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."
"Er, no need. Leave them to me." Kingsley quickly interjected.
Apparently worried that these Death Eaters might end up as snacks, he swiftly conjured a long rope and bound all the disarmed Death Eaters together.
Then, with a wave of his wand, he effortlessly dragged them forward.
Kyle said nothing more on the matter.
The group reached the nearest door, with Sirius and Lupin leading the way and cautiously pushing it open.
Fortunately, the fleeing Death Eaters hadn't been waiting outside.
However, everyone remained vigilant. Sirius and Lupin continued to take the lead, with Catpanther by their side.
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?"
"Oh, Fred and George noticed that Harry had run away from school riding a Night Mare. They told me, and I went to find Professor Dumbledore... He brought me here."
"We were discovered?" Harry turned back, surprised.
"What's the problem? Most people just can't see the Night Mare, not the person riding it."
Kyle explained, "And if you had waited a little longer, Dumbledore would have gone to tell you that Sirius was safe and sound."
Harry lowered his head shamefully.
Sirius, who was walking in front, seemed to want to say something, but before he could open his mouth, Lupin stopped him. He shook his head, signaling for Sirius to say nothing.
Harry had indeed been too impulsive this time.
Without any preparation, he had rushed into the Ministry of Magic, putting everyone in a passive position and forcing them into the Death Eaters' trap.
Fortunately, Kyle had arrived in time, ensuring everyone's safety.
But what if Kyle hadn't come... With over twenty Death Eaters, they wouldn't have stood a chance. Their complete annihilation would have only been a matter of time.
Even now, Lupin felt a chill thinking about it.
So, this must never happen again.
"I'm sorry." Harry lowered his head and sincerely said, "I'll never do something like this again."
"You'd better remember what you said today." Lupin replied without turning his head.
"Alright, Remus." Sensing the stiff atmosphere, Mr. Weasley stepped in to smooth things over, "Sirius is Harry's only relative after all, and he's the family Harry has longed for over a decade... This was a trap carefully laid by the cunning mysterious person.
"The schemes of the mysterious person are hard to guard against, and sometimes even we fall for them, let alone Harry, who has no experience."
Lupin sighed.
While the logic made sense, there were still some things that had to be said.
"Oh, by the way." Mr. Weasley changed the subject, "Kyle, you said Dumbledore brought you here?"
"Yeah, the phoenix took us directly from Hogwarts to the Ministry of Magic via Disapparition." Kyle replied.
"Merlin, bringing students to such a dangerous place, what was Dumbledore thinking..." Mr. Weasley trailed off, glancing unconsciously at the box in Kyle's hand.
To be honest, Kyle was probably far more dangerous than the Death Eaters at the moment.
He didn't dwell on that issue any longer and instead asked, "So, where's Dumbledore? Why didn't he come with you?"
"Well," Kyle calmly replied, "Professor Dumbledore should still be outside the Ministry of Magic, fighting Voldemort."
Unconsciously, everyone came to a halt.
"What did you say?" Sirius almost shouted, "You mean the Dark Lord is also at the Ministry?"
"Yeah, I ran into him when I arrived," Kyle said, "Professor Dumbledore and Voldemort, us and the Death Eaters, it's quite a fair fight, isn't it?"
Harry felt even more guilty, but at this point, no one paid attention to him. No one said a word, and after a moment, they continued on their way.
However, this time, everyone's faces were much more solemn.
The return journey was smooth, and they didn't encounter any Death Eaters blocking their path. It seemed they had already fled, choosing not to remain in the Ministry of Magic any longer.
Lupin had a good memory, and soon he led the group back to the outermost, black, circular foyer. All they had to do now was leave this room and they would be in the corridor leading to the elevators.
But Lupin and Sirius stopped simultaneously.
If it was truly as Kyle had said, then just outside this room was the battlefield where Dumbledore and Voldemort were fighting. Was it really safe for them to go out now? Wouldn't they distract Dumbledore...?
Before they could think further, a door on the right suddenly opened, revealing the corridor leading to the elevators.
Everyone was startled, but soon they realized that the corridor was empty. Neither Dumbledore nor Voldemort was in sight.
Sirius, Lupin, and Kingsley cautiously stepped out and couldn't help but gasp in shock.
The corridor looked as if it had been blasted countless times by Blasting Curses. The walls on both sides were almost completely destroyed, the floor was littered with fallen stones, and there was a gaping hole in the ceiling.
Now, they truly believed Kyle's words.
Fortunately, the elevator was still functional. Mr. Weasley tested it and confirmed that it was working.
"It's fine," he said, stepping inside first.
Then, Harry, Kyle, Sirius, and Lupin entered the elevator.
Kingsley decided to stay behind. Someone needed to guard these captured Death Eaters, and it would be safer here.
The adults unanimously decided to send Kyle and Harry out of the Ministry of Magic as soon as possible. Sirius impatiently pounded the button for the Atrium, "Come on, damn it, can't this thing go any faster?"
The elevator creaked and groaned as it ascended, finally stopping at the Atrium level after much prodding from Sirius.
But when they stepped out, the first thing they saw was Dumbledore and Voldemort facing off against each other.
"Oh, no!" Sirius exclaimed in dismay, "Why are they here? We should have left them with Kingsley back in the Department of Mysteries."
Kyle poked his head out from behind Lupin.
At this moment, the battle seemed to be in a temporary lull.
Dumbledore and Voldemort stood on opposite sides, and the once magnificent Atrium was now in ruins, with debris scattered everywhere. Even the statue on the magical fountain in the center had been smashed.
Not far from them lay half of the centaur statue, and further away was the pointed-eared wizard's head.
The Death Eater who had escaped earlier was now kneeling before Voldemort.
"Bella, you've messed things up again, haven't you?" Voldemort said, fixing his cold, red eyes on Dumbledore, "Months of preparation... Once again, my Death Eaters have disappointed me..."
"Master, I'm sorry, I didn't know..." Bellatrix sobbed as she slowly crawled to Voldemort's feet, "Please, don't punish me..."
"Don't speak, Bella," Voldemort said, his eyes still fixed on Dumbledore, "You've disappointed me for the third time, and do you know? Someone returned earlier than you.
"He may be cowardly, but he brought me some interesting news... It seems you deliberately targeted Harry Potter, the one carrying the prophecy orb.
"And that Kyle, you seemed quite close to him... Even that three-headed beast didn't attack you as fiercely."
"No, it's not like that!" Bellatrix screamed, her face filled with terror, "Master, you know I'm your most loyal servant, I was and still am."
"I used to believe that, but now your actions have made me doubt..." Voldemort's voice was chilling, and Bellatrix cowered on the floor, her body shaking uncontrollably.
"No, Master, I didn't..."
As they spoke, Dumbledore stood quietly by, not interrupting them.
Almost everyone in the magical world knew that Bellatrix was the most fanatical Death Eater, and now she was being suspected by Voldemort. This was quite interesting.
And perhaps it was just a feeling, but Dumbledore felt that this scene was somehow familiar... until he heard Kyle's name, and then he understood.
Ah, so it was Kyle. Well, that was a relief.
But he couldn't understand why Voldemort, who was naturally suspicious, would so readily believe such an obvious attempt at sowing discord.
Or were they putting on a show for his benefit?
(End of Chapter)
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