Chapter 781: The Stolen Wand
Chapter 781: The Stolen Wand
The following morning, Kyle was roused from his slumber by a commotion of voices downstairs. He opened his eyes, listened intently, and upon confirming there was no hint of panic in the voices, heaved a sigh of relief. After changing into his clothes and yawning, he left his room.
The voices were coming from downstairs, and he instantly recognized them as Harry, Ron, and the others.
"They've already selected a new Minister in just one night," Ron remarked, glancing at the latest issue of the Daily Prophet that had arrived that morning. "This must be the fastest the Ministry has ever acted."
"How could they possibly delay something like this?" Hermione shot him an annoyed look. "Do you think the Ministry will organize another voting campaign? That would waste so much time, and what if Death Eaters attack during that period?"
"I know, I was just saying," Ron muttered. "But do any of you know who this new Minister is?"
"Amelia Bones..." Ron trailed off, looking puzzled. "I thought there was a Bones in Hufflepuff, but I can't recall her name."
"Susan Bones," Harry and Hermione said almost in unison.
"How do you know that?" Ron asked, looking at them curiously.
"Because of Professor Slughorn," Harry explained. "Last year, he invited Susan Bones to join him for lunch in the carriage."
"And I saw her at the welcoming dinner after the start of term," Hermione added. "But I've only seen her twice, and she hasn't attended since."
"I guess that was around the time Ms. Bones was attacked by Death Eaters and had to be sent to St. Mungo's," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "He loves to associate with influential families, but his attitude changes instantly when they lose their power."
"Haha!" Ron laughed. "I bet Professor Slughorn is regretting it now. Not only has Ms. Bones recovered, but she's also become the new Minister."
"Slughorn must be regretting it," Harry chuckled, as if something had just occurred to him. "I bet he'll be eager to invite Susan to his dinner parties again when term starts."
"But whether Susan will go or not is another matter," Hermione laughed. "I remember Susan wasn't fond of those dinner parties, and after what happened, Professor Slughorn might have miscalculated."
As they spoke, Kyle yawned loudly as he joined them downstairs.
"Sorry," Hermione apologized. "We were talking too loudly and disturbed you."
"It's fine," Kyle waved his hand. "It's almost noon, and I was just about to have lunch. What were you discussing?"
Ron waved the newspaper in his hand. "The new Minister has been chosen."
"Amelia Bones?" Kyle asked.
Ron was surprised. "How did you know? You didn't even read the newspaper."
"Because I met Professor Dumbledore last night," Kyle said casually. "And she's the most suitable candidate for the position at the Ministry."
"Even Professor Dumbledore thinks so?" Ron mused. "No wonder she could replace Fudge so quickly. I mean, with Dumbledore's support, no one would dare oppose her, right?"
"I think it's more about Ms. Bones herself," Harry said. "If she wasn't capable, Professor Dumbledore wouldn't support her."
Harry had inquired countless times about Sirius's retrial experience, so he was well aware of Amelia Bones's attitude and her assistance to Sirius. This naturally led to Harry's innate support for Amelia Bones, and he favored her becoming the new Minister.
"Perhaps you're right," Ron shrugged, not arguing. "So, how does this new Minister compare to Fudge?"
"I'm not familiar with the Minister's position," Kyle pondered for a moment. "But during her time as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she was known for her fairness and decisiveness. If something could be done today, she wouldn't delay it until tomorrow."
"Well, in that regard, she's definitely better than Fudge," Ron agreed, shrugging. "Everyone knows Fudge's indecisive nature, don't they?"
"Who knows..." Kyle said.
Positions can indeed change people. Take Fudge, for instance, during his time at the Department of Magical Catastrophes, he performed exceptionally well and achieved many notable accomplishments.
However, this didn't prevent him from gradually becoming the power-hungry Minister we now know.
After chatting for a while longer, Kyle glanced around at their surroundings.
"Is it just the three of you here? Where are the others?" Harry asked. "Sirius and Mr. Weasley are at the Ministry. There's a lot to handle, and they needed his help."
"And Mrs. Weasley is at St. Mungo's," Harry added.
"Is it still because of Percy?" Kyle asked, taking the cup of tea that Kreacher, the house-elf, had offered.
"Thanks."
"Please enjoy, young master Kyle. Lunch will be ready soon," Kreacher said, bowing slightly before leaving the room.
"Unbelievable," Ron couldn't help but exclaim. "That house-elf has never been this friendly to us."
"That's because you're not friendly to him," Hermione said.
"I don't think so," Ron shook his head. "You've been nice enough to him, but hasn't he been rude to you as well? I've even heard him call you 'Mudblood' behind your back. Anyway, you know what I mean."
Hermione opened her mouth but didn't speak. It was true. Kreacher didn't just call her 'Mudblood' behind her back; he often said all sorts of nasty things to her face without a care in the world, unless Sirius or Kyle was around, in which case he would hold back a little.
So even if Hermione wanted to refute Ron, she couldn't find a suitable reason. She shifted her gaze to Kyle, pretending she hadn't heard anything, and changed the subject:
"It's not just about Percy... it's mainly because of another person."
"Another person?" Kyle frowned. "Don't tell me someone in the Order of the Phoenix..."
"No, no, you misunderstood," Hermione shook her head repeatedly. "It's not the Order, it's someone else, but I don't know who it is. They didn't say before they left."
Kyle nodded, no longer concerned now that he knew it wasn't someone from the Order.
Half an hour later, Fred and George also yawned and came downstairs, having stayed up till dawn like Kyle the day before. They had just woken up.
"Damn, they've been chattering non-stop since early morning," Fred said, rubbing his eyes. "Now I kind of understand how Mum felt during the holidays."
"She must want us to go back to school soon," George said.
"It's too noisy."
"Sorry," Harry apologized.
"No, it's not you, Harry, or you, Hermione," Fred said. "We're talking about Ron, his voice is the loudest."
"If you're really that bored, why don't you do your homework?" George looked at Ron. "I bet three Galleons your homework is still blank."
"I'll add another three Galleons," Fred said.
Ron's face turned red. He really wanted to slap his homework onto Fred and George's faces and make them hand over the six Galleons, a considerable amount for him.
But he couldn't. He really hadn't done it.
After all, it was only halfway through the holidays. Who would do their homework so early?
Seeing Ron's embarrassed and slightly annoyed expression, Fred and George both smirked. They knew Ron too well, just as Ron would immediately think of them whenever he was pranked.
This was a useless, brotherly understanding unique to them.
With the adults away, lunch was provided by Kreacher, a luxurious solo meal for the six of them.
After lunch, they had some rare free time.
Fred and George returned to Diagon Alley to organize their shop, while Kyle made a trip to Stagwood Village.
Protected by the Fidelius Charm, owls couldn't find the village, so Kyle's letters and packages were usually sent there.
Today was his birthday, and he received an unusually large number of gifts and letters... but this time, he also got many things he hadn't received on previous birthdays... various job offers.
For example, the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary included a letter with their full set of dragon models, asking if he was interested in becoming a dragon keeper.
The Chudley Cannons and the Falmouth Falcons, two Quidditch teams, also invited him to try out as a Chaser.
This work is organized by 69 Book Bar.
Kyle glanced at the invitation from the Chudley Cannons and tossed it aside. He'd have to be crazy to join a team that always came last.
As for the remaining Falmouth Falcons, Kyle was surprised to see a familiar signature on the invitation.
Karen Harris, his Hufflepuff Head of House when he entered school, and an excellent Chaser.
Kyle knew she became a professional Quidditch Chaser after graduation, but couldn't remember which team. He didn't expect her to end up in the Falmouth Falcons.
To be honest, Kyle didn't know much about this team, but they were definitely better than the Chudley Cannons.
With so many things to sort through, it was already afternoon by the time Kyle finished and returned to Grimmauld Place No. 12.
As he entered the living room, he saw it was full of people.
Even though it was still early for the Ministry of Magic's closing time, Sirius, Mr. Weasley, and Tonks were all there. Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and even Mundungus and Dedalus had returned from St. Mungo's.
You could say all members of the Order of the Phoenix were present, except for a few who really couldn't make it.
"You're finally back." Fred hurried over and whispered to Kyle, "What's going on here? Is there an operation?"
"I don't know." Fred shook his head, "But Dumbledore arrived, and everyone else returned within half an hour."
"They had a meeting without us." George's voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction, "I don't understand why we're official members of the Order of the Phoenix now, yet some things are still kept from us."
"And I don't know what magic Dumbledore used, but our equipment isn't working."
George was referring to a bugging device, a small gadget they had used to eavesdrop on meetings when they were still students.
But Dumbledore had clearly anticipated this and took measures to prevent it.
As they spoke, many people had already stood up and left the room with grave expressions.
At that moment, Kyle also spotted Dumbledore, who had just emerged from the room, and their eyes met.
"I was just wondering where you went." Dumbledore spoke softly, "If you hadn't returned within an hour, I might have asked Mr. Weasley to look for you."
"I went back to sort out the package." Kyle explained.
"That's understandable." Dumbledore smiled, "It's your birthday today, so it's natural to check the gifts you received. How do you like my gift?"
"It's nice, but..." Kyle's tone was odd, "I'm not sure about others, but I rarely wear woolen short-sleeves in the summer."
Indeed, Dumbledore's gift was a woolen short-sleeve shirt. When Kyle received it, he was momentarily stunned, wondering when he would ever wear it.
First, he certainly wouldn't wear a thick woolen shirt in the summer; it would be too hot. As for winter, he usually wore long-sleeved clothes.
"You'll find a way to wear it." Dumbledore said, "If you have time now, I'd like to talk to you. We should be able to make it for dinner."
"Sure, no problem." Kyle nodded and followed Dumbledore into the room.
Fred and George had wanted to follow, but just as they reached the door, it slammed shut.
"Again..." Fred clenched his teeth, "Why can Kyle go?"
"He's a year younger than us." George complained loudly, and Harry and the others chimed in, but no one answered them.
The recently arrived crowd rose and left, and the room soon returned to its peaceful state.
Meanwhile, Kyle entered the room and had just sat down when he heard Dumbledore speak in a calm tone, "I guess you're curious about what happened yesterday."
"Yes." Kyle nodded, his gaze unconsciously shifting to Dumbledore's limp arm beside him. "Are you injured?"
"It's a minor injury, nothing to worry about." Dumbledore downplayed it, "It's a special curse spell that can separate a wizard's perception of part of their body. Tom has always been talented in these peculiar abilities."
"Can it be healed?" Kyle asked, his greatest concern.
Dumbledore was the Order of the Phoenix, or rather, the sturdiest pillar of the entire British magical community. If something happened to him, who would face Voldemort? Surely it couldn't be Harry, the savior.
No matter how Kyle looked at it, he didn't think Harry could defeat Voldemort, nor did he think it was possible. Based on Harry's usual performance, even defeating Bellatrix was uncertain.
His favorite spell was the Disarming Charm, but against the Killing Curse, it seemed like a fantasy to Kyle, even defying common sense.
Rather than placing hope in the title of "savior," Kyle might as well go to France to find Conna early, at least it would be safer there.
If that didn't work, he could still go to Nika's old mansion; Voldemort would never find it.
"It's fine. Saxia is brewing a potion for me, but it might take a while." Dumbledore suddenly laughed, "Thanks to you."
"Me?" Kyle was puzzled, "What does it have to do with me?"
"To be precise, it's the snake venom you gave."
Dumbledore explained, "In the antidote Saxia is using, snake venom is the primary ingredient. This stuff has a magical effect on dark magic injuries and, in certain specific cases, is more effective than a phoenix's tears."
"That's good." Kyle said, relieved that Dumbledore was fine.
"What happened yesterday?" Kyle asked curiously.
"Tom set a trap..." Dumbledore whispered, "My wand was taken."
(End of Chapter)
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