Chapter 776: The Death Eaters' True Target
Chapter 776: The Death Eaters' True Target
Kyle had always hoped that he was overthinking things.
After all, news soon arrived that, from the start, there had only been two Death Eaters at both Godric's Hollow and Spinner's End—the two that Tonks had lured away... or rather, individuals who didn't even deserve to be called Death Eaters.
After the group had left, Tonks had returned to Spinner's End with several Aurors and apprehended them without any interference from other Death Eaters.
Interrogation revealed that they had still been in Cornwall just a few days prior. Their admiration for Voldemort had driven them to seek out the Death Eaters and offer their allegiance.
Surveilling Harry Potter had been their first assignment—in other words, these two were nothing more than expendable pawns who knew nothing. They didn't even know who to report to if something unexpected happened.
After arriving at Spinner's End, they had received no further contact from anyone.
No wonder everyone had made it out safely—the Death Eaters hadn't even shown up... Whether it was planning the route or using the Portkey to return, they had been outwitted by thin air.
Now, not just Kyle, but everyone else present also realized that something was amiss. The lively atmosphere instantly turned somber after Tonks' revelation, and everyone fell into deep thought.
"Isn't this a good thing?" Ron asked nonchalantly, a cheerful tone in his voice. "It shows that our fake message worked. The Death Eaters must have believed we would only come for Harry on the 30th."
Mundungus nodded in agreement beside him, sharing the same sentiment. In his opinion, the absence of danger was a blessing, and there was no need to worry about anything else.
However, aside from Mundungus, no one else responded to Ron.
Nearly everyone present had encountered Death Eaters before, so they were well aware that if Voldemort truly intended to make a move on Harry, there would have been some sign of activity by now.
Even if they had been deceived by the early departure, the Death Eaters would have quickly realized their mistake and reacted within a short time.
After all, Death Eaters were evil, but not foolish.
Half an hour had passed since the operation ended, and if their response capabilities were truly this slow, they would have been captured by the Ministry and fed to the Dementors long ago.
"Regardless, the important thing is that Harry is safe and sound." Mrs. Weasley spoke up, noticing the stiff atmosphere.
She glanced at the time. "My, it's getting late. I bet you're all starving."
She then led the group to the dining room, intending to distract them with dinner.
However, she herself hadn't been in the mood to prepare dinner earlier, and there wasn't enough time to cook a proper meal now, so she could only offer them some simple sandwiches.
But no one was in the mood to eat. Mr. Weasley, Kingsley, and Mad-Eye Moody sat there, drinking glass after glass of alcohol, their eyes reflecting the same worry.
Although they didn't say anything, Kyle knew what they were thinking.
...Dumbledore.
The Death Eaters must have abandoned this operation for a more critical reason, such as ambushing the isolated Dumbledore.
Currently, Dumbledore was abroad with hardly any companions, making it the perfect opportunity to take him out.
If they succeeded in killing Dumbledore, Voldemort would be rid of his greatest adversary. With his return to power, he could dominate the wizarding world without any opposition, whether it was taking control of the Ministry or attacking Hogwarts.
From this perspective, Harry's safety seemed almost irrelevant.
...
To be honest, Kyle really wanted to help, but he had no idea where Dumbledore had gone. Even Professor McGonagall and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix were unaware of his whereabouts.
The only consolation was that Dumbledore had Fawkes by his side.
The phoenix could help Dumbledore deflect a Killing Curse, and in a dire situation, it could instantly teleport him away from danger. Even if they were truly outmatched, escape should not be a problem... hopefully.
For some reason, Kyle suddenly thought of Nurmengard...
He shook his head, taking a sandwich and biting into it, trying to calm himself down.
If Voldemort had indeed gone to Nurmengard, there was even less cause for worry. Together, Grindelwald and Dumbledore could probably hang all the Death Eaters, including Voldemort, as decorations on the tower.
With this thought, Kyle took a deep breath and began to eat his dinner.
However, the others still couldn't bring themselves to eat. A bottle of Firewhisky was quickly emptied, and when Sirius went to open a second bottle, Mr. Weasley stopped him. He shook his head and said, "Never mind, we need to stay sober."
Sirius had no choice but to put the bottle down.
He made a lot of sense. Regardless of the Death Eaters' plan, they needed to stay alert and sober to deal with any potential developments.
Without alcohol, they turned to other beverages—hot cocoa, pumpkin juice, and milk were brought out.
Everyone sat at the dining table, but no one knew exactly what they were waiting for. It could be news about Dumbledore, or something else, but no one took the initiative to inquire.
Time ticked by slowly, and an ominous guess hung over them like a frost, a chilling worry that grew harder to bear.
Until a frivolous voice reached them from behind.
"Come on, any news?" Sirius asked urgently.
For a long time, Phineas' portrait had been acting as an informant, relaying messages from Dumbledore to the members of the Order of the Phoenix.
"Is that any way to address your great-great-grandfather?" Phineas was displeased with Sirius' attitude and refused to speak, his face stony.
"Come on, out with it!" Sirius said impatiently, "Or else I'll take your portrait down, even if you've used a Permanent Sticking Charm, I can rip the whole wall down. You know I'll do it."
"You good-for-nothing! How did the Black family end up with an oddball like you!" Phineas' expression darkened, but to remain in the ancestral home, he begrudgingly continued with a sour face, "That Fudge, he's dead!"
The room fell silent once more, but somehow, Kyle felt that a few people had revealed a look of relief, as if they were glad it wasn't the news they had imagined.
Only Hermione wore a look of disbelief.
"You mean the Minister of Magic?" she asked, almost screaming.
"What, wasn't I clear enough?" Phineas raised an eyebrow, "Let me say it again, Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was killed by Death Eaters inside the Ministry of Magic."
"Alright, shut up, we understand." Sirius interrupted him again,
Phineas glared at him with disgust and then said mockingly, "Just an hour ago, the Ministry of Magic was attacked by a large number of Death Eaters. With the help of an inside man, they went straight to Fudge, who was hiding in his office, and killed him."
"I thought you already knew."
No one paid attention to his tone.
An hour ago was when they had rescued Harry, wasn't it?
Now everything made sense.
The Death Eaters had planned this from the start. They sent two disposable pawns to Godric's Hollow to make the Order of the Phoenix think they were after Harry.
But in reality, their target was the Minister of Magic.
While the Order's attention was focused on Harry, they stormed the poorly guarded Ministry, killing Fudge. What a cunning plan!
Although Fudge wasn't a great man, his position as Minister represented the Ministry of Magic, and his death was undoubtedly a significant blow to the wizarding world.
Not to mention, there were many other important personnel within the Ministry... the Magical Transportation Department, which oversaw Floo networks, Apparition, and Portkeys, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which created and enforced the rules, one could say that if the Ministry fell into chaos, the entire wizarding world would follow.
More importantly, the Ministry served as a vital channel for international communication. If the news of Fudge's death got out, they would lose all face.
"Damn Death Eaters!"
Kingsley was the first to react. As an Auror, he felt a stinging pain on his face, as if he had been slapped, and he immediately rushed out the door.
Tonks, Moody, and Mr. Weasley soon followed.
Previously, they had all assumed the Death Eaters' disappearance was to target Dumbledore, so no one wanted to be the first to learn of Dumbledore's demise, choosing to wait here instead. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
"It's alright." Mrs. Weasley forced a smile, addressing those who remained, "At least we know the Death Eaters didn't go after Dumbledore, right?"
Yes, although the Death Eaters had dealt them a loud and clear slap in the face, fortunately, it wasn't the worst-case scenario they had imagined, which was why some of them had subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll go and see." Kyle said.
He remembered that he was still the nominal assistant to the Minister, and Cedric, who also worked at the Ministry, came to mind. He had to go and check on him.
"Me too."
"Count me in!"
Fred and George, who had also thought of Cedric, immediately followed.
"I want to go too." Harry said.
"No!" Mrs. Weasley grabbed him, "You'd better stay here, it's the only place that's safe enough."
Harry felt his stomach churn, his mood at its worst. It was because of his safety that the Order had neglected the Ministry, leading to the Death Eaters' attack.
He didn't know what had happened or how many people had died, but he couldn't do anything about it.
Harry rubbed his forehead; his scar was throbbing, something that hadn't happened in a long time.
"And what if the Death Eaters are still there? I could help..."
"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry tightly, as if comforting him and herself at the same time, "It'll be alright, your safety is just as important, they'll be fine."
Soon, the only ones left in the room were him, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and the other students who hadn't graduated yet. Mrs. Weasley stood guard at the door to prevent them from sneaking out.
"I don't understand, why can Kyle leave, but we can't?" Harry said angrily.
"I think it's because Kyle has already graduated." Hermione whispered.
"How about we use the Invisibility Cloak?"
"Yeah." Hermione agreed, "At least we've successfully rescued Harry for now."
It's always about his safety...
Hearing their words, Harry's stomach twisted uncomfortably, as if the pumpkin juice he had just drunk had turned into countless fists, pounding his stomach again and again.
...
Meanwhile, Kyle and the Weasley brothers, who had left Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, quickly ran to another street to avoid exposing their location. They then used Disillusionment Charms to apparate to the area where the Ministry of Magic was located.
The telephone booth at the entrance had been toppled over and shattered.
Fortunately, they were heading for another entrance—an old record shop.
This was the staff entrance to the Ministry, and there was also a wizarding owner named Rod, though he wasn't in the shop at the moment.
The group didn't pay much attention to his absence and headed straight for a cabinet.
Kyle stepped forward and said, "I'm a senior assistant to the minister. We need to get to the Ministry of Magic immediately."
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic." A cold female voice emanated from the nearby record player.
The cabinet then clicked open, revealing a passage behind it.
The three of them quickly stepped inside.
The atrium of the Ministry was in chaos, with moans and cries for help echoing everywhere. Several healers were rushing around, tending to the injured and providing emergency treatment.
The recently repaired golden statue had been shattered once more, its golden fragments scattered across the floor.
"How's it looking? No sign of Cedric, right?" Fred asked anxiously.
"No." Kyle scanned the area and replied.
"It's fine." George said softly, "Maybe he's not here. After all, an hour ago was the end of the work shift. Perhaps he's already gone home."
"Yeah." Fred nodded.
Though he said that, Fred was well aware that due to the recent troubles caused by Death Eaters, the Ministry had essentially done away with work shifts.
The three fell silent for a moment.
"The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is on the fourth level." Fred suddenly spoke up.
"Okay."
Without any further words, Kyle and George immediately understood his intention and turned toward the elevators.
Fortunately, the elevators were still functioning.
However, due to the large number of people, the area was crowded, with healers and those who had received news of the attack rushing to help.
"This won't do. We need to take another route."
"Let's take the stairs." Kyle suggested.
But when they reached the staircase, they found it blocked by a huge boulder that had fallen from above.
Several people were attempting to clear the path using Blasting Charms, but to little avail.
"Move aside! You're blocking the way!"
Kyle drew his wand, not opting to use a Blasting Charm like the others. Instead, he used a Transfiguration Spell, transforming the boulder into a sleek greyhound.
The greyhound scampered happily to the side, instantly clearing the staircase.
"Whoa, Transfiguration Spells can be used like that?" Fred blinked in surprise.
"Of course." Kyle replied, "It's definitely better than using a Blasting Charm, right?"
"Wow, impressive."
Just as the three of them were rushing up the stairs, a voice suddenly called out from behind, "But being able to transfigure such a large rock, that's certainly not something anyone can do."
Kyle didn't turn back, as his focus was primarily on Cedric, and he didn't pay much attention to the person behind them.
However, the man continued to chatter on.
"You know, for someone your age to be able to do that is truly remarkable. You seem vaguely familiar, do you also work at the Ministry?"
"Though, I must say, my son could probably do it too. He's busy transporting the injured right now, but he insisted I come here to help out as well."
"Oh, by the way, are you two the Weasley children? How's Arthur doing?"
Hearing Mr. Weasley's name caused Kyle to pause and turn back. He suddenly realized that the man's voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Kyle stopped in his tracks and turned to see a tall man with brown stubble following closely behind them.
"Mr. Diggory?" Kyle asked incredulously, "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, Kyle." Amos Diggory was equally surprised, "It's you! No wonder you looked so familiar."
He then recognized Fred and George, "I knew it! When I saw your hair, I knew you must be the Weasley children. How are Arthur and Charlie doing? Are they alright?"
"They're fine." Fred replied, swallowing his saliva, "Mr. Diggory, where's Cedric...?"
"Cedric, he's escorting some severely injured people to St. Mungo's." Amos Diggory said, "As you can see, we can only provide basic treatment here."
"Is he alright?" George asked.
"Oh, he's fine." Mr. Diggory waved his hand dismissively and lowered his voice, "Though it may be inappropriate to say this, we were actually quite lucky to be at the Borgin's at the time, dealing with those magical creatures of his that had been altered by Dark Magic."
...
(End of Chapter)
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