Chapter 778: Support for Diagon Alley
Chapter 778: Support for Diagon Alley
This evening, the fifth floor of St. Mungo's, the Curse Damage Ward, was packed with injured witches and wizards, even spilling out into the corridors.
Percy, having arrived early, was lucky to secure a bed in the second room to the left of the corridor.
When Kyle and Cedric rushed over, Mrs. Weasley was anxiously standing by, her eyes glued to the closed door as if she could will it open with her gaze alone.
Mr. Weasley stood beside her, offering what comfort he could.
"Don't worry, Molly. He'll be alright," he said, his arm around her shoulders, his other hand clenched tightly.
However, the worry in his eyes as he glanced at the door betrayed his own inner turmoil.
Bill and Charlie were also present, while the younger Weasley children, Ginny and Ron, were notably absent, most likely left behind in the safety of their hideout.
As for Fred and George, who had just arrived... they stood a short distance away, their hands covering their ears, hopping from foot to foot in a peculiar dance of their own—or perhaps it wasn't a dance at all.
"Mrs. Weasley, how is Percy doing?" Kyle asked as he approached.
"I don't know," Mrs. Weasley choked out, her face still streaked with tears.
"The healer has been in there for a long time, but they haven't come out yet..."
Just then, the door creaked open, and a weary-looking middle-aged witch emerged.
"He's doing fairly well," she said, her tone rushed as if she had more pressing matters to attend to. "The Obliviate charm prevented the Imperius Curse from taking a deep hold, and thankfully, he wasn't subjected to the Cruciatus Curse for long, so his soul is unharmed. He just needs to wake up now."
"But when will he—" Mrs. Weasley began, wanting more details, but the healer had already pushed past them, heading in the opposite direction.
"Excuse me, there are many more patients to attend to... If you're not needed here, please leave. We have too many people as it is," the healer said over her shoulder.
Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside to let the healer pass.
"Thank you..." The healer moved on to the next patient lying in the corridor, examining them with her wand. "Another Cruciatus victim. It's been a tough day. I hope they get those potions here soon; our stocks are running low..."
"We should go, there are too many of us," Mr. Weasley murmured.
"I want to stay with Percy," Mrs. Weasley said, her voice thick with emotion.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Mr. Weasley said. "As you heard, Percy's injuries aren't severe. We only need to leave one person here... Bill."
Without waiting for his wife's response, he called out, "Why don't you stay, son? If there are any changes, be sure to let us know right away through the Two-Way Mirror."
"No problem, Dad. Leave it to me!" Bill assured him.
As they spoke, two more injured witches were brought in.
As they made way for the newcomers, Mrs. Weasley found herself gently pushed along with the crowd, away from the corridor and toward the stairs.
Caught in the middle of the group, she had no choice but to be ushered downstairs with the others.
On their way down to the second floor, they passed another injured wizard being brought in. Kyle's gaze flicked involuntarily toward the stretcher.
Even though it was just a brief glance, he recognized the person—it was an employee of Flourish and Blotts, the bookstore he had visited several times.
Could it be that the Death Eaters had attacked Diagon Alley after leaving the Ministry?
Although they hadn't received any news yet, the situation certainly seemed to suggest that, which would also explain the influx of patients at St. Mungo's.
Kyle's eyes followed the stretcher as it was carried toward the fifth floor.
"Unknown Dark Magic damage, similar to a Separating Spell. Which ward should we take him to?" one of the stretcher-bearers called out as they navigated the crowded corridor.
"The room at the far end on the left," a healer on the fifth floor called back without turning around. "Put him next to Ollivander, near the Head Healer!"
The stretcher-bearers immediately quickened their pace, while Bill stayed close to the wall, making way for them.
Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley and the others who had left earlier had reached the street outside St. Mungo's.
Due to the late hour, the street was deserted, illuminated only by the flickering yellowish glow of the streetlamps.
Amidst the silence, they stood with the fake mannequin and a sobbing Mrs. Weasley, no one speaking a word.
After a heart-wrenching silence, Mr. Weasley stepped forward and embraced his wife, his voice thick with emotion as he said, "Happy birthday, Kyle."
"Me too." He smiled and said, "But it's quite a unique feeling to have a friend share your birthday."
"What's so unique about it?" Fred scoffed. "George and I have always had the same birthday, and we don't find it fascinating at all."
"Yeah." George nodded. "Sometimes I wish our birthdays were a few days apart so we could enjoy birthday feasts more often!"
Everyone around them chuckled, unable to hold back their amusement, and even Mrs. Weasley stopped her sniffling and reached out to tweak their ears.
The twins immediately pleaded for mercy, their comical antics lightening the mood once more.
"Alright, let's head back." Mr. Weasley seized the opportunity to suggest, "The Death Eaters are still wreaking havoc out there, and Sirius alone isn't enough to handle them."
"I know..." Mrs. Weasley said with a somber expression. "I just... I feel terrible... I wonder if I was too hard on Percy before..."
"I think you should've been even harsher!" Fred, whose ears had just been released, couldn't help but interject his opinion. However, when Mrs. Weasley shot him a look, he quickly scurried away.
"Don't worry, Molly," Mr. Weasley consoled her as he stepped closer. "Didn't the healer just say that Percy will be fine?"
"Yes, Mom." George added, "And we have Mr. Fudge to thank for that. His timely arrival drew most of the Death Eaters' attention."
Another silence fell, but this time, everyone's expressions were a little odd.
"You two, stop it right now, no more of that..." Mr. Weasley struggled to maintain a stern expression. "Regardless of what kind of person Fudge was, he died fighting against the mystery cult, and we should respect that."
"Okay..."
"We understand..."
The twins responded lazily.
However, their interruption effectively lightened the somber atmosphere considerably.
Everyone also noticed Cedric, who had been standing quietly behind Kyle without saying a word.
"Oh, Cedric..." Mrs. Weasley took quick steps toward him and gave him a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, dear. We were so flustered earlier that we forgot to thank you for bringing Percy to St. Mungo's in time."
"It's quite alright, Mrs. Weasley. I was just doing what I should," Cedric said.
"You're such a good boy," Mrs. Weasley said as she hugged him again. "But regardless, we must thank you."
However, she soon looked a bit troubled.
Of course, they would all be returning to Grimmauld Place, but as for Cedric...
Seeming to sense her thoughts, Kyle spoke up in a timely manner. "It's alright. Just before we came here, Professor Dumbledore invited him to join the Order of the Phoenix and gave him the address of Grimmauld Place."
"Really?" Mrs. Weasley's eyes lit up, and she asked eagerly.
"If it's the address..." Cedric began, but Kyle interrupted.
"That's enough, kid. Don't say it out loud," Mrs. Weasley grabbed Cedric's arm, cutting him off. "Come with me. I assume you can perform the Disapparating spell?"
"Of course, I've already obtained my Apparition license," Cedric assured her.
"Good, good..." Mrs. Weasley said, leading him away.
The others followed suit.
However, just as Kyle was about to Apparate, a large hand grabbed him from behind.
Kyle turned and couldn't help but laugh.
Charlie was looking at him with an awkward expression.
"You really should learn this spell when you have the time," Kyle said with a smile.
"I want to, but it's really difficult for me," Charlie sighed.
His sturdy build was a huge advantage when it came to dragon-taming, but it also made learning the Disapparating spell extremely challenging.
He could manage short distances, but longer ones always resulted in splinching.
Charlie couldn't help but feel frustrated about it.
"Alright, hold on tight then."
After that, Kyle took Charlie back to Grimmauld Place.
When they arrived, Cedric had just finished providing the exact address and pointed out the location of Number Twelve.
Now, there was no room for doubt.
Mr. Weasley led him into the house, and as they opened the door, they saw Hermione holding her wand.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny, upon hearing the commotion, rushed over from other parts of the house.
"Don't worry, Hermione, it's us," Mr. Weasley said softly. "You can relax a little. As long as Dumbledore is fine, the Death Eaters won't be able to find this place."
"Where have you all been?" Ron asked anxiously.
"It's nothing, just some matters to attend to," Mr. Weasley said awkwardly. Like Ron, he didn't want to mention Percy's injury, lest it lead to any impulsive decisions.
"It's about the Ministry, of course." Fred pushed him aside as he walked up from behind. "Move aside, you're blocking the way."
George followed closely behind, "These are things we ought to do. You youngsters who haven't graduated yet should scurry back and do your homework."
Ron clenched his teeth in frustration, but he dared not say anything more. Fred and George wouldn't tell him if they didn't want to, and that was that.
If they got annoyed by his incessant questioning, they might even take it upon themselves to toss a couple of Stink Pellets into his room while he slept—an experience Ron was all too familiar with.
"Let me introduce you to a new friend... well, perhaps you already know each other." Mr. Weasley stepped aside to make way for the somewhat awkward Cedric, gently nudging him forward.
"Cedric Diggory, a recent graduate of Hogwarts. I believe you're all familiar with him."
The group nodded in unison.
Cedric, the Quidditch captain and Head Boy, who had also participated in DA activities with them—of course, they knew him.
More importantly, Harry had once considered him his greatest romantic rival, though Cedric himself remained oblivious to this fact.
"So, have you joined the Order of the Phoenix as well?" Harry inquired.
"Order of the Phoenix?" Cedric glanced at Kyle, unsure.
To be honest, he had only heard the name quite recently and knew next to nothing about it beyond that.
"It's like this..." Mrs. Weasley stepped forward and took hold of Cedric's hand, explaining to him the ins and outs of the Order of the Phoenix while Hermione and the others eagerly pitched in with their own explanations.
On the other hand, Kyle, Mr. Weasley, Fred, and George had once again left the room and made their way out to the square.
"Looks like we're all thinking the same thing." Mr. Weasley remarked, "You must have recognized him too—the employee from Flourish and Blotts who was taken to St. Mungo's."
"Of course, he's a frequent customer of ours." Fred added, "Those damn Death Eaters, we've lost a big client because of them."
Without further ado, the group disapparated and reappeared outside the Leaky Cauldron.
As they appeared, they immediately noticed the massive Dark Mark floating in the air above them.
The bar was in disarray, with broken bottles and overturned tables scattered everywhere.
"What about Tom?" Fred scanned the area, his brow furrowed in concern, "Do you think he...?"
"I doubt it." Mr. Weasley quickly shook his head, "Tom's a shrewd man. My guess is that he sensed something was amiss and hid himself away."
"Maybe..." George trailed off.
The group made their way through the mess of the bar and into the backyard.
As they had suspected, the entrance to Diagon Alley was wide open, with flames soaring into the sky and explosions echoing all around. They could hear the piercing laughter of Death Eaters amid the chaos.
Shop owners had banded together, putting up a valiant fight against the onslaught.
Kyle even spotted someone from Quality Quidditch Supplies wielding a precious Firebolt broom, using it like a baseball bat to deflect incoming curses.
The next second, the curse was deflected away harmlessly.
This wasn't surprising, as the Firebolt, being a top-tier broom, had a handle enchanted with strong protective charms to ensure that players wouldn't be disturbed during flight. Naturally, it could also be used to deflect most malicious spells.
It was just that very few people would ever consider doing so, and even Kyle was witnessing it for the first time.
"Damn it, where's the support from the Ministry?" someone shouted amid casting protective charms, their voice laced with desperation.
But the only response they got was cruel laughter from the Death Eaters.
"Don't waste your breath."
"The Ministry's got its hands full; they won't have time for you."
"That's right, they'll be too busy getting their own asses kicked..."
The speaker didn't get to finish his sentence before he was struck by a sudden spell, sending him flying and knocking him out cold.
The Death Eaters turned as one, only to be met by a barrage of spells from behind.
"Stunning Spell!"
"Stunning Spell!"
Kyle refrained from using his box and its large-scale magic, opting instead for basic spells and transfiguration to handle the situation effectively. Almost every person he targeted was reliably struck by his spells, rendering them unconscious.
Fred and George, whose abilities fell just shy of Kyle's, made up for it with their assortment of magical gadgets. As they cast their spells, they would toss small, round objects toward their foes.
Some would explode into clouds of green smoke, while others would spray a sticky, glue-like substance that seemed to have an oddly fascinating effect on the Death Eaters.
Even Mr. Weasley displayed skill comparable to that of an Auror.
Furthermore, the sudden nature of the incident worked in their favor—despite their small number, they fought with the ferocity of twenty or more, and for a brief moment, they even gained the upper hand.
...
(End of Chapter)
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