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Chapter 698: Strategic Planning, A Hero's Choice
Chapter 698: Strategic Planning, A Hero's Choice
Back at the Giant Tribe, the living conditions were less than ideal, with everyone residing in tents. Every night, it was either the thunderous snoring of the giants or the sounds of fighting and roaring that kept him awake.
Now that he was back in St. Kachel Village, Kyle didn't even stop for dinner and headed straight to his room.
Kyle slept in until noon before finally getting up to eat something.
However, in the afternoon, instead of staying at home, he decided to go to the Ministry of Magic.
As he arrived in the main hall, he coincidentally ran into Chris, who was just returning from outside.
"Why are you here at this time?" Chris asked while they waited for the elevator. "Don't you want to rest a bit more?"
"There's no need. Resting for the entire morning is enough," Kyle replied, shaking his head. "How's the situation with the Dementors?"
"It's quite troublesome," Chris sighed. "Everyone in the department who can cast the Patronus Charm has been dispatched, but it's still not enough.
"But speaking of which, we really have to thank you for bringing Cedric to work at the ministry. He's been a great help these past few days."
Just then, the elevator arrived, and the two of them stepped inside.
In the distance, someone was running towards them, gesturing as if asking them to wait.
However, both of them tacitly ignored the request, and the elevator doors closed soon after.
"How's the situation with the giants?" Chris asked quietly once the elevator started moving.
"It's been taken care of," Kyle said. "The giants fought among themselves to choose a new leader, so we shouldn't have to worry about their involvement in the war for a while."
"That's good news. Having giants join the war would not bode well for us," Chris said. "Oh, by the way, remember not to mention any of this to your mom. She still doesn't know that you and Newt left to find the giants."
"I understand..." Kyle nodded.
The elevator stopped first at the floor of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
As Chris stepped out, he turned back and added, "I suggest you also avoid Arthur, including the entire floor where he works... Fred and George have been asking about when you'll be back."
"I know," Kyle rubbed his forehead.
To be honest, he had intended to lie low for a while anyway.
Soon, the elevator stopped again.
"First floor..."
Kyle stepped out and made his way forward, eventually stopping in front of the most majestic golden door in the middle of the corridor.
Minister's Office.
Kyle knocked on the door...
"Come in."
The room wasn't as large as he had imagined, but it was well-appointed. Like the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, the walls were adorned with portraits of the previous Ministers of Magic.
However, they all had their eyes closed as if asleep... though Kyle was well aware that portraits didn't need sleep.
Minister Fudge was seated behind a massive Cherrywood desk. Upon seeing Kyle, he smiled and asked,
"Oh, Kyle, are you done with your tasks?"
"Yes, it's all taken care of," Kyle replied.
"How was it? Didn't encounter any danger, I hope," Fudge stood up and said, "I have to admit, I wasn't in favor of letting you and Mr. Scamander handle the giant issue together. After all, you haven't graduated yet. But Dumbledore insisted that you'd be fine.
"You know, he can be quite stubborn about certain things, and even I can't persuade him otherwise."
"Thankfully, with Mr. Scamander's help, we didn't encounter any danger," Kyle said.
"But why is it that the information I received differs from what you're telling me now?" Fudge's expression turned serious. "If Diana were to find out that a student who hasn't even graduated yet was left alone to face a giant, she'd tear this office apart.
"And I, personally, do not condone sending you on such a dangerous mission."
"I apologize, Minister," Kyle said. "I was too impulsive. I thought I could handle it, and as you know, my academic performance at school has always been excellent."
"Giants won't be showing up in Hogwarts classrooms," Fudge said sternly, but soon, he broke into a smile.
"But you did it, didn't you? A sixteen-year-old student defeating a giant single-handedly and averting a potential catastrophe for the wizarding world—this feat alone is worthy of the First Class Order of Merlin.
"In fact, that's what I did. But those old fogies in the Order of Merlin seem to believe that Mr. Scamander did it, and you merely assisted him."
"There's no helping that," Kyle said. "And it's true that we couldn't have resolved the giant incident without Mr. Scamander's help."
"Yes, you're right..." Fudge said, though he didn't seem too concerned. "I'll continue to advocate for you in this matter. Now, can you tell me in detail what happened these past few days? I'd like to know the full story."
"Of course, Minister," Kyle replied.
Over the next hour, Kyle recounted the events of the previous days to Fudge.
There wasn't much to hide anyway. Newt had mentioned on the first day that the door key he used was completely legal, which meant the Ministry had been aware of the situation from the start.
This included the fact that he had killed the giant. There had been no one else around at the time, so it was obvious who had informed Fudge.
By recounting the events, Kyle was also providing a work report of sorts.
An hour later, Fudge muttered, "It seems Dumbledore didn't hide anything..."
"Minister, what did you just say?"
"Oh, nothing," Fudge quickly shook his head. "I was just saying that you've been working hard lately, and I should give you a few days off. But..."
He wore a troubled expression. "You probably don't know this, but the department is short-staffed at the moment. Death Eaters have been very active lately, causing unrest among the people. Including myself, many of us haven't been home in three days."
"I think we should print some pamphlets to teach people how to protect themselves during this critical period." Kyle thought for a moment before continuing, "Also, we need to boost everyone's morale quickly and show them the ministry's resolve."
Fudge's eyes lit up. He had only mentioned it in passing, but he hadn't expected Kyle to have a solution so soon.
"Don't rush. Take your time," Fudge said as he waved his wand, causing a cup of butterbeer to appear on the table.
"Thanks." Kyle picked up the butterbeer and drank it all in one go before continuing, "First, regarding the self-help pamphlets, leave that to me. I'll bring the draft here tomorrow morning, and if you approve, we can distribute it along with the Prophet to everyone."
"No problem." Fudge agreed readily, "Now, how do we boost morale?"
"How about creating a few heroes?" Kyle suggested after a moment's thought. "That's what people need the most right now."
"I was thinking along those lines as well." Fudge looked pleased. "So, who do you have in mind?"
"What about Harry Potter?" Kyle suggested. "The Savior of the Wizarding World—he's the perfect fit for the current situation."
Fudge nodded. In fact, he had been doing just that lately, with daily news about Harry Potter in the newspapers.
"And also, Deputy Minister Umbridge..." Kyle continued, "...as the vanguard against the Death Eaters, her name will inspire more morale than even Harry Potter at this point."
"Dolores..." Fudge hesitated. "But she's still at St. Mungo's, recovering from two consecutive Cruciatus Curses. Her condition isn't ideal, and what if the Death Eaters target St. Mungo's again?"
"Ah, I understand."
"But Minister," Kyle argued, "in the current situation, a tragic hero story will inspire more courage from the depths of people's hearts than a savior figure."
Fudge seemed to ponder this, then waved his hand dismissively. "I need to think about this a little more."
"Of course." Kyle said, "If there's nothing else, Minister, I'll get started on drafting the self-help pamphlet."
"Oh, off you go then." Fudge said, "Remember to make sure it's detailed enough."
"I will." Kyle nodded.
He then left the room and returned to his own office next door.
But as soon as Kyle opened the door, two arms slung over his shoulders from either side.
"Hey, look who's back..."
"...Our senior assistant to the minister..."
Fred and George narrowed their eyes, staring at Kyle with mischievous grins.
"Don't be so impulsive." Kyle quickly raised his hands in surrender. "I had my reasons."
"Explain yourself..."
"...or you're a dead man!"
"I did it for your own good." Kyle wriggled out of their grasp and defended himself, "You've graduated now, so you should consider your family. Your department was supposed to be under the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, right?
"Think about it. If you two didn't come to help at the ministry, how much more work would Mr. Weasley have to shoulder?"
Fred and George remained silent.
They had been running around frantically these past few days, so busy that they barely had time to eat. The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office had a small staff, and if all the work was dumped on them, Mr. Weasley might not even have time to go home and sleep.
"Don't try to fool us..." Fred said, "...this is clearly the work of the Law Enforcement Patrol."
"Are you sure about that?" Kyle raised an eyebrow, "And tell me, haven't you noticed that most of the counterfeit and shoddy defensive products are made with Muggle items?"
"Fine, you make a good point." Fred grumbled, "But why didn't you tell us earlier?"
"Where's the fun in that?" Kyle walked to his desk and sat down. "Besides, with Cedric and me here at the ministry, wouldn't it be unfair for you two to be out there having all the fun? Don't you feel a twinge of conscience?"
"Not at all." Fred blurted out.
George nodded, "Our consciences are perfectly clear."
"In that case, you can leave." Kyle said, "Go ahead and open your shop in Diagon Alley tomorrow. You don't need to come here, and I'll talk to the Minister on your behalf."
Fred and George froze, seemingly taken aback by Kyle's suggestion.
"Are you sure?"
"Can we really leave the ministry?"
"Of course." Kyle said, "But you'll need to find someone else to take over your current work. I can't possibly dump everything on Mr. Weasley."
Fred and George exchanged a glance.
"Now, don't take this the wrong way," Fred quickly changed his tune, "We were just joking around. You don't have to take it so seriously."
"Yeah." George chimed in with a smile, "It's a critical time for the ministry, and we'd be too selfish to just leave now. Absolutely not, we refuse!"
"And besides," George continued, "You and Cedric are our best friends. How could we possibly abandon you and go off to have fun by ourselves?
Over the past few days, they had confiscated countless counterfeit and subpar defensive products and illegal magical artifacts.
Though the items were fake, they sparked all sorts of ideas the twins had never considered before. With a little modification, these items could become the real deal—the kind that would be highly sought-after, too.
In less than two weeks, their Weasley Joke Shop had added over a dozen new products, all of which were flying off the shelves.
Take, for example, the anti-Dementor necklaces from the other day. They had sold twenty in a single day, and that was only because they hadn't had the time to make more.
More importantly, this particular department was in charge of regulating magical artifact shops. If someone else were in charge, they might have inspected the twins' shop ten times a day, making it impossible to keep the business running.
Fred and George were absolutely certain that Kyle could pull off something so shameless.
With this in mind, the twins eagerly placed butterbeer and biscuits on Kyle's desk.
"You must have been busy these past few days..."
"Try one, they're delicious. Mum baked them fresh this morning."
Kyle didn't call out their little scheme, simply reaching for a biscuit and taking a bite.
It was indeed delicious.
He then pulled out a stack of parchment.
"What are you up to?" George asked curiously.
"Work, obviously." Kyle replied, "I'm writing a pamphlet to teach people how to protect themselves."
"That's a good idea." Fred's eyes lit up, "I think everyone could use some magical artifacts to protect themselves right about now."
"Like something to defend against Dementors..." George added, "I know of an item that, when smashed, releases a cloud of Patronus Charm mist. It's not a real Patronus, but it can hold off Dementors for a while, giving you time to escape."
"More importantly, it's not expensive at all. Just ten Galleons..."
"Oh?" Kyle paused, feather quill in hand. "And where might one purchase this item?"
"37 Diagon Alley." Fred replied.
Number 37, Diagon Alley—the address of the Weasley Joke Shop.
Kyle was well aware of this, but he didn't immediately reject the idea. Instead, he thought it over for a moment before asking, "Does it really work?"
Because they weren't wrong—in situations like these, aside from one's own magical prowess, a few handy magical artifacts could prove invaluable.
After all, magical artifacts didn't require spells or wands, making them the most convenient option. The only downside was their steep price tag.
"We guarantee it." George said earnestly, "Come on, we know what we're doing. We wouldn't ruin our own reputation.
"Besides, Tonks and Moody have both seen it, and they bought two on the spot. That should tell you something."
Kyle tapped his fingers on the desk, considering. If even an Auror found it useful, then it was definitely worth considering.
Kyle suggested tentatively, "If you can lower the price to five Galleons, I can include your shop's address in the pamphlet..."
"That's impossible." Fred stated flatly, "Storing the Patronus Charm isn't easy. It requires unicorn horns and dragon blood to inscribe the enchantments, and the cost for that alone is seven Galleons and fifteen Sickles. That's not even including our production costs."
"Then how about six Galleons..."
"I'm telling you, the cost is seven Galleons and fifteen Sickles. We're not ripping you off..."
"Hold on." Kyle interrupted George, "For every one you sell, the Ministry will subsidize one Galleon. How about that?"
"But then we'd still be losing fifteen Sickles." Fred frowned, "While we do want to contribute to the wizarding community, we can't exactly sell things at a loss, can we? How about you add just one more Galleon? That's all we're asking."
"Lucius Malfoy's generous funding aside, the Ministry doesn't have much money to spare." Kyle shook his head, "And sometimes, things are about more than just Galleons. This pamphlet will reach all witches and wizards, and it will be the best form of advertisement. If it takes off, Weasley Joke Shop will become a household name."
Fred and George hesitated.
Kyle was right—this was their chance to make their shop known throughout the wizarding world. Overnight, everyone could be talking about Weasley Joke Shop, and the benefits of that would be enormous.
But at the same time, the more they sold, the more they'd lose.
Fifteen Sickles wasn't much for one item, but what about a hundred items? Or a thousand?
They'd go bankrupt, and then what good would fame do them?
Fred and George wanted to refuse, but they just couldn't bring themselves to pass up this opportunity...
"We shouldn't have come today." Fred said through gritted teeth.
If they hadn't shown up, they wouldn't be facing this difficult choice.
The twins paced back and forth in Kyle's office, unable to make a decision for a long time.
"There might be another way."
Seeing their indecision, Kyle thought for a moment before speaking up, "The Ministry might have a way to get cheaper dragon blood and unicorn horns."
"As long as we can lower the cost, we're good." Fred and George said together, "We can even just sell them at cost, no matter the price."
"Don't worry about it." George added, "Even if we just lose a few Sickles less, that's fine."
"Of course, not losing any money at all would be ideal." Fred chimed in.
(End of Chapter)
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