Chapter 778: Supporting Diagon Alley
Chapter 778: Supporting Diagon Alley
That evening, the fifth floor of St. Mungo's was packed with witches and wizards suffering from various curses. Even the corridors were crowded with patients being brought in.
Percy was fortunate to get a bed as he arrived early, in the second room on the left of the corridor.
As Kyle and Cedric arrived, Mrs. Weasley stood anxiously, her eyes fixed on the closed door as if she could see through the sturdy wooden door with enough stares.
Mr. Weasley was comforting her by her side.
"Don't worry, Molly. He'll be fine," he said, his arm around Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, the other hand clenched tightly.
However, his occasional glances at the door revealed his own inner turmoil.
Bill and Charlie were also present, and among the Weasley family, only the younger Ginny and Ron were absent. Mrs. Weasley likely didn't want them to leave the safe house and had not brought them along.
As for Fred and George, who had just arrived... They were nearby, jumping in place like monkeys on a hot plate, their hands over their ears, performing an incomprehensible dance... or perhaps not dancing at all.
"How is Percy doing, Mrs. Weasley?" Kyle asked as he approached.
"I don't know," Mrs. Weasley choked out, tears still streaking her face, indicating she had been crying recently.
"The healer has been inside for a long time but hasn't come out yet..."
As she spoke, the door suddenly clicked and opened from the inside, and a middle-aged witch with a tired expression emerged.
"His condition is not too bad," she said, seemingly in a hurry. Without waiting for Mrs. Weasley's response, she continued, "The Obliviation Charm prevented the Dementor's Kiss from causing too much damage. Fortunately, he didn't endure the Cruciatus Curse for long, and his soul was not harmed. We just need to wait for him to wake up."
"When will he wake up...?" Mrs. Weasley wanted to ask more, but before she could finish, the healer had already pushed past them and walked off in another direction.
"Please move aside, there are many more patients waiting... If you're fine, please leave quickly. There are already too many people here."
Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped aside, making way for the healer.
"Thank you..." The healer said, walking up to a wizard lying in the corridor and examining his condition with a bowed head. "Another Cruciatus Curse today, it's been a tough one. I hope they can get the potions here soon; our stock has run out..."
"There are too many of us here. Let's leave quickly," Mr. Weasley said softly.
"I want to stay with Percy," Mrs. Weasley choked out.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Mr. Weasley said. "As you heard, Percy's injuries are not severe, so we only need to leave one person behind... Bill."
Without waiting for Mrs. Weasley to respond, Mr. Weasley called out to Bill, "Why don't you stay here? If anything happens, remember to inform us immediately via the Two-Way Mirror."
"No problem, Dad. I'll take care of it!" Bill assured him.
Just then, two more people were brought in.
As they made way for the newcomers, Mrs. Weasley, along with others, was pushed out of the corridor and towards the stairs.
Being in the middle of the crowd, even if she wanted to do something, she was carried along with the group downstairs.
On their way down, they passed another patient being brought in, and Kyle instinctively turned to look.
Although it was just a quick glance, he recognized the person lying there. It wasn't a Ministry employee but an employee of Flourish and Blotts, someone he had seen several times when buying books.
It seemed that after leaving the Ministry, the Death Eaters had attacked Diagon Alley as well. Although there was no official news yet, the current situation seemed to confirm this, explaining why St. Mungo's was so crowded.
Kyle continued to watch intently.
The Flourish and Blotts employee was also taken to the fifth floor.
"Unknown Dark Magic injury, similar to a Severing Charm, which room should we put them in?" the person carrying the stretcher shouted as they navigated the crowded corridor.
"Go to the room at the end of the corridor on the left," a healer on the fifth floor called out without turning around. "Put them next to Ollivander; he's right there!"
The stretcher carriers rushed forward, and Bill, who was left behind, tried to stay as close to the wall as possible to make room for them.
Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley and the others who had left earlier had already reached the street outside St. Mungo's.
Due to the time, the street was empty, except for the flickering yellow light from the nearby street lamps.
Looking at the mannequin behind them and Mrs. Weasley's sobs, no one spoke.
After a heart-wrenching silence, Mr. Weasley stepped forward, hugging Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, and said to Kyle as if changing the subject, "Happy birthday, Kyle.
"And Harry too, although I've known for a long time that you share the same birthday, I still find it magical every year."
"Huh?" Kyle was initially taken aback, but then he realized that it was already past midnight, marking the 30th.
"Me too," he said with a smile. "But it's quite fascinating to have a friend with the same birthday as you."
"What's so special about that? George and I also share the same birthday," Fred said with a shrug. "It's been like this for so many years, 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 celebrate more often."
Everyone around them couldn't help but laugh at his remark, and even Mrs. Weasley, who had been somber, couldn't resist joining in, pinching their ears playfully.
The two brothers immediately pleaded for mercy, and their comical expressions made everyone laugh even harder.
"Alright, let's get going," Mr. Weasley took the opportunity to say. "The Death Eaters are still out there, and Sirius and his team alone won't be enough."
"I know..." Mrs. Weasley said with a heavy heart. "I just... feel a bit upset... I wonder if I was too harsh on Percy..."
"I think you could have been even harsher!" Fred, who had just been released from the ear-pinching, couldn't help but voice his opinion. But when Mrs. Weasley turned to look at him, he quickly ran away.
"Don't worry, Molly. Didn't the healer just say that Percy is fine?" Mr. Weasley stepped forward to comfort her.
"Yes, Mom," George added. "We should thank Mr. Fudge for his timely appearance, which drew most of the fire."
Another moment of silence followed, but this time, everyone's expressions were a bit peculiar.
"You shouldn't say such things again..." Mr. Weasley struggled to maintain a serious tone. "Regardless of what we think of Mr. Fudge, he was killed while fighting against the Dark Lord. We should respect him for that."
"Okay..."
"We understand..."
They responded lazily.
However, their interruption had effectively lightened the initially somber atmosphere.
Everyone also noticed Cedric, who had been standing quietly behind Kyle.
"Oh, Cedric..." Mrs. Weasley quickly walked over and gave him a tight hug. "I'm sorry, dear. We were just so flustered earlier, and we didn't get a chance to thank you for bringing Percy to St. Mungo's in time."
"It's nothing, Mrs. Weasley. I was just doing what I should," Cedric replied.
"You're a good boy, but nonetheless, we must thank you," Mrs. Weasley hugged him again.
However, she was a bit hesitant about what to do next.
They were supposed to return to Grimmauld Place, but Cedric...
"It's alright," Kyle stepped forward at the right moment. "Before we came here, Professor Dumbledore had already invited him to join the Order of the Phoenix and provided him with the address of Grimmauld Place."
"Oh, that's great!" Mrs. Weasley's eyes lit up, and she immediately asked for more details.
"The address... it disappeared, but I remember it was..."
"That's enough, don't say it here," Mrs. Weasley grabbed Cedric's arm, interrupting his next words. "Come with me, and I think you should be able to Apparate."
"Of course, I've already obtained my Apparition license," Cedric assured her.
"Good, good..."
Mrs. Weasley said, and they left together.
As Kyle prepared to Apparate, a large hand suddenly grabbed him from behind.
Kyle couldn't help but turn around, and he burst into laughter.
Charlie was standing there, looking a bit embarrassed.
"You really should take some time to learn this," Kyle said with a smile.
"I'd like to, but it's not easy for me," Charlie sighed.
His muscular build was an advantage in dragon handling, but it made learning Apparition extremely challenging.
Short distances were manageable, but longer distances always resulted in Splinching.
This was a constant struggle for Charlie.
"Alright, hold on tight."
After that, Kyle took Charlie back to Grimmauld Place.
By the time they arrived, Cedric had just finished providing the exact address and pointing out the location of Number 12.
Mr. Weasley led Charlie inside, and upon opening the door, they saw Hermione standing there with her wand drawn.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny rushed over from different locations upon hearing the commotion.
"It's okay, Hermione. It's us," Mr. Weasley said softly. "You can relax a little. As long as Professor Dumbledore is safe, the Death Eaters won't be able to find this place."
"Where have you been?" Ron asked anxiously.
"It's nothing serious, just a minor issue," Mr. Weasley replied, not wanting to disclose Percy's injury to avoid any impulsive decisions.
"Your concerns are valid, given past experiences."
Ron persisted, "What's going on that requires all of you to leave together?"
Fred appeared from behind him, pushing Ron aside, "Move aside, don't block the way."
George followed, "These are our responsibilities. You young'uns should go back and finish your homework."
Ron clenched his teeth in anger but didn't dare say anything. Fred and George wouldn't tell him if they didn't want to.
If they were pestered, they might even throw a couple of Stink Pellets into his room while he slept, something Ron was all too familiar with.
"Let me introduce you to a new friend... well, you might already know him." Mr. Weasley sidestepped, nudging a slightly awkward Cedric forward.
"Cedric Diggory, a recent Hogwarts graduate, I believe you're all familiar with him," Mr. Weasley said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Cedric, the Quidditch captain, head boy, and a fellow participant in Dumbledore's Army activities, was indeed known to them.
More importantly, Harry had once considered him his biggest rival in love... though Cedric himself was unaware of this.
"So, you've joined the Order of the Phoenix too?" Harry inquired.
"The Order of the Phoenix?" Cedric instinctively looked towards Kyle.
To be honest, he had only heard the name recently, and that too, just the name, with no knowledge of its specifics.
"It's like this..." Mrs. Weasley stepped forward, pulling Cedric closer to explain the situation, while Hermione and the others chimed in with additional details.
Meanwhile, Kyle, Mr. Weasley, Fred, and George had already left the room and arrived at the square outside.
"Looks like we're going together," Mr. Weasley said, "You should have recognized him by now. The one sent to St. Mungo's is the clerk from Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley."
"Of course, he's a frequent customer at our shop," Fred added, "Those damn Death Eaters, we've lost a big client because of them."
Without further discussion, they Apparated to the entrance of The Leaky Cauldron.
As soon as they arrived, they saw the massive Dark Mark floating in mid-air.
Inside, the pub was in disarray with broken bottles and overturned tables everywhere.
Fred scanned the area, frowning, "Tom wouldn't have been..."
"Unlikely," Mr. Weasley quickly shook his head, "Tom is a smart man, I reckon he sensed something amiss and hid beforehand."
"Perhaps..." George said.
They made their way through the shattered bar to the back courtyard.
Their guess was correct. The entrance to Diagon Alley was open, with flames soaring and explosions echoing from within, along with the piercing laughter of Death Eaters.
Shop owners had united, struggling to defend against the Death Eaters' attack.
Kyle even saw someone from the Quidditch Supplies Shop wielding a valuable Firebolt, using it like a club to deflect the curses cast by the Death Eaters.
The next moment, the curse was deflected to the side.
This was understandable. After all, the Firebolt, being the top-tier broomstick, had its handle enchanted with powerful protective charms to ensure players' safety during flight, naturally making it effective against most hexes.
It's just that few people would do this, and even Kyle was seeing it for the first time.
"Damn it, hasn't the Ministry's support arrived yet?" someone shouted while maintaining protective spells, "You won't get away with this!"
In response, the Death Eaters only laughed mercilessly.
"Don't waste your energy."
"The Ministry is busy with its own troubles, they won't bother with you."
"Just surrender to us..."
Before he could finish, a sudden curse flew by, knocking him out cold.
The Death Eaters turned around, only to see more curses flying towards them.
"Stupefy!"
"Stupefy!"
Kyle, with others present, refrained from using wide-area spells or his trunk. Instead, he relied on basic curses and Transfiguration, which proved highly effective.
Almost every target he aimed for was hit without fail, rendering them unconscious.
Fred and George, slightly less skilled than Kyle, made up for it with their array of magical gadgets. They would cast spells while tossing round objects around, some of which exploded into green mist, while others spewed sticky, glue-like substances that were remarkably effective against the Death Eaters.
Even Mr. Weasley, with skills comparable to an Auror, was holding his own.
Given the suddenness of the situation, the four of them, despite their small number, fought with the strength of twenty, surprisingly gaining the upper hand initially.
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
