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Chapter 710: The Battle of Diagon Alley
Chapter 710: The Battle of Diagon Alley
"Hermione, do you think Kyle has a grudge against Harry?" Ron asked, his voice trembling as he listened to the screams coming from behind a door near the basement storage room.
Ron had always been curious about how Harry learned the Mind Closure Spell, and with this opportunity, he wasn't going to miss it. After finishing breakfast, he and Hermione rushed over.
But what they saw left Ron stunned.
This wasn't a special training session... it was a pure beating!
Harry was being kicked to the left and whipped to the right by a six-legged magical creature, looking like a human-shaped roaming ball, and it was terrible.
Beside him, Hermione nodded, her heart still pounding.
She had been hesitant about joining Harry's special training.
Recently, the Weasley Joke Shop no longer needed her help, and her parents had gradually become accustomed to living in Diagon Alley. Sometimes, when they went to visit them, they couldn't even find anyone.
With nothing else to do, she thought she could use this month to learn a new spell. After all, everyone said that the Mind Closure Spell was important. Even though she didn't have to worry about Voldemort invading her mind, learning it wouldn't be a bad thing.
But seeing Harry's plight, she suddenly hesitated.
Hermione couldn't imagine herself being whipped back and forth by the Feline Beast. Compared to this, she thought it would be better to follow a systematic approach, even if it took longer. At least it would be safer.
"Ah!"
Harry's screams echoed from the room again. After enduring it for two minutes, the Feline Beast saw through his thoughts and lashed him with its thick tail, striking his thigh.
Outside the room, Ron and Hermione simultaneously gasped, feeling the pain just by watching.
Hermione felt a pang of sympathy.
"Forget it, let's go," she said.
"Okay," Ron agreed.
Now he understood why Sirius and the others never came here.
As long as they couldn't see it, they wouldn't feel the pain, and Harry could master the Mind Closure Spell faster.
That's why adults are so smart.
The two of them silently closed the door... and it felt much better.
When they returned upstairs, Mrs. Weasley was just passing through the living room with a basket of laundry.
"So, you're here..." she said, "Arthur just delivered the letter. I guess it's your O.W.L. results."
"Are the results out already?" Hermione exclaimed, jumping up and rushing to Mrs. Weasley's side.
"Here, take it," Mrs. Weasley said, pulling out three letters from the basket.
Hermione quickly found the one with her name on it and opened it.
But as she read the parchment, her expression turned to disappointment.
"Didn't you do well?" Ron asked curiously, leaning in to take a look.
The string of 'O's on the parchment made him feel a bit dizzy.
"Nine 'Outstanding' and one 'Acceptable'... in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ron said, half amused and half annoyed as he looked at her, "And you're still disappointed?"
"But Kyle got all 'Outstanding' grades," Hermione said.
"Can't you find a normal person to compare yourself to?" Ron raised his voice, not understanding Hermione's self-inflicted troubles.
"Honestly, if I could get just one 'Outstanding', I'd be overjoyed," Hermione admitted.
Ron opened his own letter.
As expected, there were no 'Outstanding' grades, but thankfully, there were seven 'A's on the parchment.
"Not bad," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile, ruffling Ron's hair, "Passing seven O.W.L. subjects is better than I expected."
To be honest, compared to Ron's previous performance, this result was a significant improvement.
By now, Mrs. Weasley no longer expected Ron to get many 'O's. As long as he maintained this level, he would graduate with seven certificates.
"What about Harry's results?" Ron asked, holding the last letter and looking at Hermione, "Should we deliver it to him?"
"Do you want to go?" Hermione asked.
Ron shook his head, not out of sympathy for Harry, but because he was afraid the magical creature would become addicted to beating people up, and he might get beaten up too if he delivered the letter."
"Then let's wait for Harry to return and let him open it himself," Hermione suggested.
"Agreed!"
The two quickly reached an agreement, and Ron took Harry's results to his room.
"By the way, where's Kyle?" Hermione looked around, realizing she hadn't seen him all morning.
"He went to the Ministry of Magic with Arthur this morning," Mrs. Weasley replied.
"He's already at the Ministry?"
"Yes, I advised Kyle to rest for a few days, but he insisted it wasn't necessary." Mrs. Weasley said, "Do you have something to ask him?"
"I have some questions about Runes," Hermione said.
"Then you'll have to wait until tonight," Mrs. Weasley said, "He'll be back for dinner, and he'll be staying here during the holidays."
"I see," Hermione said, "In that case, I'll help with the laundry too."
"No need, a simple spell will do the trick. I just want to hang them out to dry. This house is great, but it doesn't get much sunlight."
Time quickly passed, and Mrs. Weasley prepared a big pot of stewed beef, which was served when the Ministry workers returned home.
Hermione also brought a thick book on Runes, planning to ask Kyle a few questions after dinner.
But after waiting for over an hour at the dining table, even Harry from the basement had stumbled upstairs, and Kyle still hadn't returned.
And it wasn't just Kyle; Mr. Weasley, Lupin, Sirius, and the other Weasley children hadn't returned either.
"Oh, I'm sure they must be busy with something at work." Mrs. Weasley checked the time for the seventh time, forcing a smile. "Let's eat first and not wait for them."
She waved her wand, and the cold stewed beef instantly became steaming hot.
Then, she scooped the beef into everyone's bowls with a spoon.
But it was clear that Mrs. Weasley was somewhat distracted, and she spilled the stew several times.
"It's fine." Hermione whispered, "They're probably busy with work. The Dark Lord... He wouldn't dare attack the Ministry, right?"
"You're right." Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Eat quickly and get some rest."
"Mom..." Ron wanted to say something, but Hermione shook her head slightly at him.
No one spoke for the rest of the time, and everyone hastily finished their dinner.
The children went upstairs, while Mrs. Weasley sat in the living room, occasionally glancing at the front door.
"Strange, they still haven't returned." At the corner of the stairs, Ginny and Ron poked their heads out, looking at the silent door.
"I don't know, maybe there's some operation at the Ministry..." Hermione looked at them with concern. "Don't worry, Mr. Weasley and the others will be fine. Even if it's the Dark Lord..."
Hermione's words suddenly stopped, and she said vaguely, "If something big happens, someone will definitely bring the news. Don't forget, this is the headquarters of the Phoenix Society."
"Anyway, let's go back to our rooms."
"I'm not going." Ginny stubbornly squatted in place. "I'm going to wait here."
"Me too." Ron said.
Although Hermione made sense, most of the Weasley family was currently outside, and under these circumstances, how could they possibly feel at ease going back to their rooms to sleep?
The two of them hid at the corner of the stairs, and Harry did the same, even after being tormented by the Feline Beast all day. But he still wanted to wait here for Sirius.
Hermione didn't say anything more and quietly waited with them.
Time passed slowly, and soon it was late at night.
...
Meanwhile, in Diagon Alley.
The once bustling street was now deserted, with shops on both sides closed, and explosions and roars echoing all around.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A Killing Curse flew over and shattered the sign of Ella Owl Emporium.
A middle-aged wizard, protected by two Aurors, moved from the main street into a small alley. Behind them were a group of Death Eaters in black cloaks and masks.
"Hand over the person!" the leading Death Eater rasped.
"You can forget about that!" Tonks waved her wand and sent a red light into the sky.
"There she is!" someone shouted from a distance.
"Kill her!" the Death Eaters roared.
But before they could lift their wands, more Aurors appeared, riding brooms and coming from all directions.
"Disarm!"
"Stupor!"
To avoid the spells flying from all directions, the Death Eaters had to abandon the idea of killing Tonks and instead aimed their wands at the Aurors in the sky, creating chaos on the street.
The middle-aged wizard who had just run into Knockturn Alley wasn't truly safe either. In the shadows, several pairs of eyes were staring at him, inching closer.
The man nervously drew his wand, preparing to leave, when he heard a voice from behind.
"I suggest you don't go any further, Mr. Forskoe. Knockturn Alley isn't much safer than the outside."
"Who's there!"
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The man was startled and quickly turned around, pointing his wand at the speaker.
"Don't be nervous, Mr. Forskoe." Kyle approached calmly. "It's me."
"Prove it!" Florin Forskoe remained vigilant. "Prove you're not a Polyjuice Potion disguise."
"Voldemort is a fool without a nose." Kyle said.
Hearing Voldemort's name, Florin Forskoe shuddered involuntarily, but he finally lowered his wand.
Now he could be sure that the person in front of him was real, as Death Eaters wouldn't dare speak of Voldemort like that.
"Sorry."
"It's okay, I understand." Kyle came to Forskoe's side.
Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George spread out around them, driving away those with ill intentions.
"Go home and sleep." Fred looked at those hiding in the shadows, his tone carrying a hint of threat. "Otherwise, starting tomorrow, I'll come to Knockturn Alley to check every hour, and I guarantee you won't be able to sell a single thing."
A rustling sound and low curses echoed in the surroundings, but Fred and George didn't care.
Gradually, the sounds faded, and the alley returned to silence.
"I didn't expect it to be so easy." George smiled.
"They're not afraid of you," Bill glanced at him. "They're afraid of the Aurors and Death Eaters out there."
"I know." George shrugged. "But there are no Aurors here now, only us."
"Kyle." Charlie approached, "How did you know the Death Eaters would attack Diagon Alley?"
"It wasn't me," Kyle shook his head and said softly.
In fact, credit should go to Mr. Granger for this.
As it happens, the rooms at the Leaky Cauldron have poor soundproofing, which is common knowledge among wizards. To avoid disturbances, most wizards cast soundproofing spells upon checking in. However, Mr. Granger didn't do this.
A few Death Eaters were discussing their plan of action in the corridor, and he overheard some of it.
Although the content was limited, phrases like 'wait until tonight' and 'want to live' caught his attention.
Kyle had business at Gringotts today and happened to run into Mr. Granger at the Owl Post Office, who was about to send a letter to Hermione. During their conversation, Kyle casually mentioned what he had overheard.
However, to protect Mr. Granger's safety, Kyle didn't disclose this information to anyone and only claimed to have received an anonymous tip.
"Anyway, thanks to your information," Charlie said, his voice trembling as he heard the distant explosions, "Who would've thought Death Eaters would attack Diagon Alley? What are they after?"
"You should ask Mr. Forskoe about that," Kyle turned to the middle-aged wizard.
"I don't know either," Florin Forskoe shook his head, "They didn't say anything when they arrived. They directly shattered my door. If it weren't for the Aurors arriving in time, I might have been captured by them."
"That's strange," Fred frowned, "It's unlikely the Dark Lord wants to eat ice cream, right?"
Besides this explanation, Kyle couldn't understand why the Death Eaters would target the owner of an ice cream shop.
Could the Dark Lord like ice cream? The image was too beautiful to imagine.
"I guess they might also be looking for Mr. Ollivander," Forskoe said, "When the Auror was taking me to escape, I saw several Death Eaters heading towards the wand shop."
"Mr. Ollivander isn't in the shop," Fred frowned, "In fact, his shop has been closed for a long fall."
"That's normal," Forskoe said, "Mr. Ollivander needs to find materials for wand making, which is a time-consuming task. Every time he does this, he only returns two weeks before school starts."
"But luckily he left, so he escaped this disaster."
"It's hard to say," Kyle shook his head.
Perhaps it would have been better for Mr. Ollivander to be in Diagon Alley today, as he received the information in advance, and the Aurors were confident they could save him.
But if he was found outside by the Death Eaters, they would have no way to help him.
"Boom!" Another explosion.
Several Death Eaters rushed into Knockturn Alley, and her mask fell off, revealing a hideous, frenzied face.
Antonin Dolohov, the Death Eater captured in the Department of Mysteries, had escaped.
It was estimated that the Dark Lord had rescued him during the Dementors' rebellion.
"It's you, go die, Cruciatus!"
Enemies meet, and the eyes burn with rage. Seeing Kyle, he didn't hesitate and immediately cast a Cruciatus Curse.
However, his intentions were too obvious, and Kyle easily dodged the spell.
"Don't be so agitated," Kyle hid behind a barrel, "Don't you want to know why you failed today?"
"Why!" Antonin Dolohov spoke coldly, "Speak up, and I might show mercy and let you die a little more comfortably."
"Of course, someone told us," Kyle said, "Otherwise, how would the Aurors know your plan?"
"You're lying to me!" Antonin Dolohov narrowed his eyes.
Although he was evil, he wasn't stupid. Kyle's words were dripping with conspiracy.
"I was just being kind," Kyle said with a hint of pride in his tone, "Anyway, you're not escaping today. I was just being generous, wanting you to die with some understanding... But since you don't want to listen, forget it."
"Tell me the name," Antonin Dolohov said in a deep voice, "Who dares to betray the great Dark Lord?"
"Aren't you smart? Guess it yourself," Kyle laughed, "Maybe he's right by your side, and you've been neighbors for over a decade."
"Tell me the name!"
"He's over there..." At this moment, several Aurors rushed into Diagon Alley, raising their wands and aiming at Antonin Dolohov.
"Stupefy!"
"Full Body Bind!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
...
"Damn Aurors!"
Antonin Dolohov waved his wand, blocking all incoming spells.
Although he wanted to capture Kyle and force the traitor's name from him, it was too late now.
Facing so many Aurors, Dolohov knew that if he stayed, he would surely be captured.
"Just you wait, I'll catch you one day!"
After leaving these harsh words, he ran deep into Knockturn Alley without looking back, and several Aurors immediately followed.
"Are you okay, Kyle?" Lupin also ran over from outside to ask.
One of his arms seemed injured and hung limply, but Lupin didn't seem to mind.
"We're fine," Kyle shook his head, "What's the situation outside?"
"Most Death Eaters have been subdued, and capturing them is just a matter of time," Lupin said, "What about Dolohov?"
"He escaped," Kyle glanced at his arm, "But several Aurors are already chasing him. In your current state, even if you went, you wouldn't be of much help."
"Well... okay," Lupin hesitated, but ultimately decided to stay put and not pursue Dolohov.
(End of Chapter)
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