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Chapter 783: Voldemort's Obsession
Chapter 783: Voldemort's Obsession
It was a rare festive occasion at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, as everyone gathered to celebrate a memorable day, and some of the older folks took the opportunity to indulge in a small drink.
Usually, they dared not drink, always on guard for any emergencies that might arise, but today, with Dumbledore present, they could afford to relax a little.
When Sirius returned with a bottle of Fire Whisky that had been stored in the Black family for who knows how long, he found that the folks around the table had already started toasting.
"Hey, why couldn't you wait for me?" Sirius grumbled as he set the bottle down on the table. "You have no idea what you've missed. This vintage Fire Whisky, I doubt even I could find another bottle like this."
"It's alright, you can save it for Remus' wedding," Mr. Weasley said nonchalantly. "But for now, put that old bottle away and try this instead."
"Old bottle?" Sirius was perplexed and instinctively spun the bottle to reveal the date, 1859, etched on its surface.
"Take a good look. This is Ogden's finest Dragon Crystal Barrel Fire Whisky, a true aged brew, and you call it an old bottle?"
"Hmph, not even a century and a half old," Mr. Weasley scoffed in feigned disdain.
Sirius was even more baffled. Since when had a century-and-a-half-old Fire Whisky become so unappealing?
"Arthur is right, you should really put that old bottle away today," Lupin finally spoke up, picking up an ordinary-looking glass bottle and pouring its amber honey mead into a glass in front of Sirius. "This is the real treasure... a thousand-year-old honey mead."
"Honey mead... wait, did you say a thousand years old?" Sirius almost jumped out of his chair, his face filled with disbelief as he stared at Lupin. "You must be joking, I've never even heard of honey mead that old."
"The process is a bit complicated," Dumbledore said with a smile. "But if we're talking purely about time, it is indeed that old. Why don't you taste it and see for yourself?"
Dumbledore's assurance was far more credible than Lupin's, and Sirius took a hesitant sip... promptly setting his glass of whisky aside.
This was no surprise, as the Helga Hufflepuff brand, even disregarding its age, was bound to be exceptional in taste—a basic requirement for any true foodie.
And with a few glasses of honey mead, the festive atmosphere of the banquet became even more lively.
After Sirius arrived, it was time for the birthday gift-giving segment, mainly for Harry, who was currently residing there and couldn't receive his gifts in advance like Kyle. It was also Harry's seventeenth birthday, a significant milestone for a wizard.
The seventeenth birthday was a big deal for wizards, and it was indeed worth celebrating. If it hadn't been for the meeting Dumbledore had called earlier, more people might have stayed for the meal.
However, everyone had sent their gifts, even Mundungus, who had politely left a mailbox... an actual mailbox, who knew where he'd taken it from a Muggle household.
Mrs. Weasley had thrown it out later with Harry's consent.
In fact, Harry had wanted to regift it to Mr. Weasley, who seemed quite interested in it, but unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley disagreed, and her decision was final.
So Harry had no choice but to let it go.
At the table, the adults presented their carefully chosen gifts, including Dumbledore.
His gift for Harry was similar to Kyle's, something made of wool. The difference was that Harry received a pair of shorts... or what appeared to be shorts.
Although Kyle didn't quite understand the mental state Dumbledore had been in when he came up with these woolen creations, he had to admit that after seeing Harry's gift, his own woolen short-sleeved shirt suddenly seemed much more bearable... no, it actually looked quite good. At least when he wore it out, he'd only be stared at, and that was already an improvement.
There was also the gift from Fred and George, "Twelve Winning Ways to Charm Witches." They believed Harry needed this.
Kyle flipped through it curiously. How should he put it? It was quite average, more famous than fantastic.
And the techniques in the book were all old-fashioned and outdated; single Muggle gentlemen hadn't used those lines to flirt with ladies in decades.
But Ron absolutely adored the book and treated it like a treasure. Bill and Charlie also kept telling Harry how useful it was, indicating a certain level of deficiency in the wizarding world when it came to this aspect of knowledge.
The banquet proceeded smoothly, and an hour later, Dumbledore was the first to stand up and leave the table. He had many other matters to attend to and couldn't stay any longer.
Sirius wanted to see him out, but Dumbledore shook his head. He looked at Kyle and smiled, "If you're done eating, I'd like to have a few words with you..."
"Of course."
Dumbledore stood at the doorway, struggling slightly to don his robe with one hand, while Kyle stood by with his arms folded, watching indifferently without offering to help.
"I thought you would lend me a hand," Dumbledore said, half in jest. "I'm really not used to this yet."
"Oh, I thought this was your new pastime, after all... non-verbal spells are quite simple," Kyle shrugged, taking off his robe and tossing it aside, then moving his fingers slightly to make it fly back to him.
"Not everything needs to be solved with magic," Dumbledore said.
Kyle felt that he might be reading too much into it, as if Dumbledore had some other meaning, but he didn't elaborate further.
The elderly wizard adjusted his robe, lifting his immobile arm to slide it into the sleeve.
"I still have some matters to attend to," he said to Kyle. "I want you to promise me that before I return, you must not put any of your crazy ideas into practice."
"What crazy ideas?" Kyle blinked, not quite understanding what he meant at first.
It was only a few seconds later that he realized Dumbledore was referring to his plan to attack Voldemort with noise related to his name.
"Rest assured, Professor," Kyle said without hesitation. "I won't be foolish enough to provoke... " He paused briefly before continuing, "... the mysterious man with the old wand."
Dumbledore's eyes flickered, feeling that Kyle was hinting at something, but he had no proof, and even if he did, there was nothing he could say.
After all, it was he who had lost the old wand.
However, Dumbledore didn't dwell on it. Having gotten the answer he wanted, he nodded and disappeared into the murky night.
On the street not far away, a drunkard stood staring at them, his hand outstretched and his mouth agape as if he were about to cry out in the next second.
"Obliviate!"
Before the drunkard could utter a sound, Kyle waved his hand lightly, and the man's eyes immediately took on a blank look. He rubbed his eyes, seemingly confused about why he had stopped, then shook his head and continued staggering forward.
Back inside, the banquet had progressed to the birthday segment, which was mainly for Harry, who was currently residing there and couldn't receive his gifts in advance like Kyle. It was also Harry's seventeenth birthday, a significant milestone for a wizard.
The seventeenth birthday was a big deal for wizards, and it was indeed worth celebrating. If it hadn't been for the meeting Dumbledore had called earlier, more people might have stayed for the meal.
However, everyone had sent their gifts, even Mundungus, who had politely left a mailbox... an actual mailbox, one could only wonder where he had acquired it from a Muggle household.
Mrs. Weasley had thrown it out later with Harry's consent.
In fact, Harry had wanted to regift it to Mr. Weasley, who seemed quite intrigued by it, but unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley disagreed, and her decision was final.
So Harry had no choice but to let it go.
At the table, the adults presented their carefully chosen gifts, including Dumbledore.
His gift for Harry was similar to Kyle's, something made of wool. The difference was that Harry received a pair of shorts... or what appeared to be shorts.
Although Kyle didn't quite understand the state of mind Dumbledore had been in when he came up with these woolen creations, he had to admit that after seeing Harry's gift, his own woolen short-sleeved shirt didn't seem so bad... no, it actually looked quite good. At least when he wore it out, he'd only be stared at, which was an improvement.
There was also the gift from Fred and George, "Twelve Winning Ways to Charm Witches." They believed Harry needed this.
Kyle flipped through it curiously. How should he describe it? It was quite average, more famous than fantastic.
And the techniques in the book were all outdated; single Muggle gentlemen hadn't used those lines to flirt with ladies in ages.
But Ron absolutely adored the book and treated it like a treasure. Bill and Charlie also kept telling Harry how useful it was, indicating a certain lack of knowledge in the wizarding world when it came to this aspect.
The banquet proceeded smoothly, and an hour later, Dumbledore was the first to stand up and leave the table. He had many other matters to attend to and couldn't stay any longer.
Sirius wanted to see him out, but Dumbledore shook his head. He looked at Kyle and smiled, "If you're done eating, I'd like to have a few words with you..."
"Of course," Kyle replied.
Shaking his head, Kyle replied, "Nothing much, Dad. Have you finished discussing the wedding details?"
"More or less," Chris said as he stepped into the room. "Given the current situation, everyone wants to keep things simple and intimate. Remus and Nymphadora just want a symbolic ceremony with all of us as witnesses."
"I see," Kyle nodded. "But make sure you don't mention that in front of her. It would be a shame if the bride ended up brawling with the guests at her own wedding."
"Oh, right, I almost forgot. Tonks doesn't like being called by her name," Chris said with a chuckle. "Thanks for reminding me. I was wondering why she was giving me such strange looks, and now her hair has turned red for some reason."
Kyle smiled at the mention of Tonks' ever-changing hair color, which often reflected her mood. Her announcement to marry Lupin, for instance, had been marked by a bubblegum pink shade.
The deep red or brown hues, on the other hand, usually indicated that she was a little upset about something. It was surprising that she hadn't corrected Chris, a detail that hadn't escaped Kyle's notice.
The conversation then turned to wedding-related topics, and Kyle offered to take care of the wine and drinks for the occasion, planning to simply pour a couple of bottles from the Goblet of Fire. This would also be a way to save face for Lupin and Tonks.
However, Chris informed him that Sirius had already taken on that responsibility, along with covering the expenses for the food, drinks, and even the wedding attire.
Considering the close bond between Sirius and Lupin, Kyle decided it would be inappropriate to insist, so he let it go.
Changing the subject, Kyle asked, "Are you staying here tonight? I remember there are quite a few vacant rooms upstairs, and they've all been cleaned. They just need a bit of tidying up."
"No, I have to head back to the Ministry. There's a lot going on these days, and I might be staying there," Chris explained. "Are you that busy?" Kyle frowned.
"Yes, it's busy, and we also need to keep a close eye on certain individuals," Chris said vaguely. "Also, there's another reason I came to see you today."
"What is it?"
"It's about Minister Bones. She asked me to remind you that it's time to get back to work. You can't keep collecting a salary for doing nothing."
Kyle felt a bit embarrassed as he had been deliberately ignoring this matter.
"Don't worry about tomorrow, but starting the day after, you should report for duty. Just make sure you're not late," Chris added.
Kyle nodded in agreement.
After delivering his message, Chris stood up to leave, and Kyle walked him down to the living room on the ground floor.
As they descended, they found Mr. Weasley waiting for them. He, too, was heading to the Ministry and was happy to accompany Chris on the way. The two men opened the door and stepped out together.
Turning back, Kyle's gaze fell upon a peculiar scene—Fred and George, crouching by the dining room door, with one ear pressed against it, while a listening device in the shape of an ear amplified the sounds from within for the trio of Harry, Ron, and Ginny, who were eagerly listening in.
Noticing Harry, Kyle's thoughts once again drifted to Voldemort and his sudden change of heart regarding his obsession with the boy.
"Gosh... How did Harry suddenly become so unappealing to Voldemort? It seems he's moved on remarkably fast," Kyle thought to himself.
(End of Chapter)
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