Chapter 789: Chaos
Chapter 789: Chaos
To be honest, from the afternoon onwards, Kyle's mood had already changed drastically from what it was before when he was dancing with them.
The sense of ease was gone, replaced by tension. Even when Fred and George pulled him onto the stage, he only hurriedly made an excuse and slipped away.
The main reason was that the situation had suddenly changed. Previously, he wasn't worried about what to do if Voldemort came here because they had Dumbledore. Even if he wasn't present, Kyle believed that Dumbledore could arrive in time.
But now, things were different. Ever since he was at Bathilda's house, as the mottled sunlight gradually faded, Kyle's heart reached a new level of tension that he had never experienced before.
The sun slowly set, and night fell...
Fred and George took the lead in lighting a bonfire, and the invited band played enthusiastically, with the crackling flames illuminating everyone's faces and the atmosphere reaching a new high.
Kyle sat in an empty space not far away, looking a bit tired. For the first time, he felt that Fred and George's actions were really inappropriate.
It would be better if the party ended, and everyone returned to their homes. It would be safer, so why continue with the bonfire? Isn't this increasing the risk unnecessarily?
Kyle sighed softly.
At this moment, his left shoulder suddenly felt heavy, and a warm sensation followed. Kyle turned his head and saw that Phoenix was gently pecking at his ear.
"Fox?" Kyle was taken aback. "Why are you still here?"
But soon, he realized that when Phoenix was unwilling to enter Bathilda's house, which was dirty, chaotic, and filled with various strange smells, Dumbledore had left Phoenix outside to keep watch.
As soon as Kyle obtained the Time Turner, he eagerly turned the dial, not even waiting to find a safer location.
In other words, when he went back in time, Phoenix was still outside and didn't come with him.
In an instant, all the concerns that arose from Dumbledore's departure vanished from Kyle's heart.
With Phoenix, who cared about Dumbledore?
He reached out and stroked Phoenix's warm, soft feathers, speaking in a calm and gentle tone:
"Dumbledore... doesn't need you anymore."
"Oh!" Phoenix pecked Kyle's finger, causing him to gasp in pain.
"I'm not lying to you, it's true." Kyle rubbed his finger as he spoke. "If you don't believe me, you can sense it yourself. Can you find Dumbledore's location?"
Phoenix continued to peck, but this time, Kyle was prepared and easily dodged the pecks.
However, this was also related to Phoenix's lack of seriousness. It gently called out and perched on Kyle's shoulder, appearing ready to sleep.
Kyle wasn't discouraged. He sat there, chattering away, constantly disparaging Dumbledore behind his back.
Anyway, Dumbledore couldn't hear him now, and it was impossible for him to refute. Kyle could say whatever he wanted, as long as he could trick... erm, convince Phoenix.
As for what to do when Dumbledore returned, compared to Phoenix, these were insignificant matters not worth mentioning. Who cared?
"Kyle, why did you come here again? Hermione was looking for you just now."
At this moment, Cedric, Hermione, and Harry ran over from a distance.
"Strange, how did your owl find this place..." Hermione looked at Phoenix perched on Kyle's leg and suddenly froze. "Wait, this isn't an owl, it's a phoenix!"
"It's Dumbledore's phoenix." Harry spoke up, having seen Phoenix many times and knowing that this phoenix had a good relationship with Kyle. One could even say that apart from Dumbledore, it was only willing to get close to Kyle.
However, Hermione and Ron didn't know. Although they had seen Phoenix before, it was only from a distance. This was the first time they were this close.
"So cool..." Ron said enviously.
He could imagine that if he had a phoenix on his shoulder, he would become the most eye-catching presence in the crowd.
Hermione was also excited. She looked at the sleeping Phoenix and carefully reached out to touch the beautiful golden-red feathers on the phoenix's body.
Seemingly sensing something, the next second, Phoenix suddenly opened its eyes, flapped its wings, and jumped onto Kyle's shoulder, then continued to sleep.
This silent rejection made Hermione a bit disappointed.
"When Phoenix dozes off, it doesn't like to be disturbed, just like you don't like others to suddenly uncover your blanket when you're sleeping." Kyle explained.
"Oh, Cedric mentioned you were looking for me?"
"Yes," Hermione quickly regained her composure. "Cedric told me that you'll be starting work at the Ministry of Magic tomorrow, and I have some suggestions."
"What suggestions?"
"Regarding the reconstruction of the Ministry of Magic," Hermione said seriously. "I think this recent attack on the Ministry provides a good opportunity for you to make some changes and free it from its past cumbersome and lengthy procedures."
"Tell me more," Kyle said, looking at her with interest.
He was indeed starting work at the Ministry the next day, and it would be good to have something to do. Everyone else was busy, and he felt a bit idle.
"First of all, the communication method," Hermione cleared her throat. "Harry told me that communication within the Ministry relies on paper airplanes and elevators."
"That's correct," Kyle nodded. "They used owls initially, but later switched to this cleaner method."
"But waiting for the paper airplane to fly out and then taking the elevator to the destination takes at least a minute, and it's even longer for higher floors. It's too time-consuming," Hermione said. "Using Muggle telephones would be a good solution."
"Oh, here she goes again," Ron muttered, turning his head slightly. "I've told her it's impossible to install Muggle phones in the Ministry of Magic."
No one responded to him.
Kyle nodded. "Anything else?"
"The House Elf Reassignment Office and the Muggle Problem Mediation Committee," Hermione continued. "In my opinion, these two departments are useless and don't serve their intended purpose. The Ministry of Magic should pay more attention to them."
"There are also many unreasonable aspects regarding the Education Decree... The teaching methods at Hogwarts are outdated, and some changes should be made."
Hermione spoke non-stop about her thoughts, while Harry and Ron stood behind her, unable to interject. Aside from making a noise when they heard about the teaching methods at Hogwarts, they mostly remained silent, like two immobile mascots.
It wasn't until half an hour later that Hermione finally paused and casually took out a bottle of pre-prepared pumpkin juice to drink.
Kyle reflected on what Hermione had just said... Her suggestions were numerous, but not many were practical.
For instance, her reasons regarding the House Elf Reassignment Office and the Muggle Problem Mediation Committee were indeed valid, but they were based on her imagination.
In reality, Hermione had never actually visited these two departments and was unaware that the staff in these offices were overwhelmed with work... especially the Muggle Problem Mediation Committee.
In their daily lives, witches and wizards inevitably interacted with Muggles, even in Stagwood Village, where witches and Muggles lived together.
Over time, these interactions could lead to conflicts and misunderstandings between the two groups.
While these issues could be resolved using magic, such as the Forgetfulness Charm or Confundus Charm, not everyone would choose to do so.
According to the latest Wizarding Law, it was prohibited for witches and wizards to harm Muggles. If a spell was cast poorly and caused harm to a Muggle, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would swiftly take action and impose penalties on the witch or wizard responsible.
Typically, the punishment did not involve imprisonment in Azkaban, but fines were common, ranging from thirty to one hundred Galleons, depending on the circumstances.
Since the Forgetfulness Charm and Confundus Charm were advanced spells, witches and wizards who lacked confidence in their abilities or had poor academic performance often chose to report these conflicts to the Ministry of Magic, where professionals would handle the issues.
This was the task of the Muggle Problem Mediation Committee, and the staff in this department were highly professional. There were only two employees, one with thirty years of experience and the other with fifty years, both seasoned veterans.
The main reason was that no one wanted to work in this department, even though they had lowered the requirements to the minimum. No one was interested.
Aside from the low pay, the more significant issue was the heavy workload. The two employees were constantly traveling between villages and towns, resolving trivial matters between witches, wizards, and Muggles.
If one were to choose the most exhausting department in the Ministry of Magic, this department would undoubtedly be among the top three.
So, Hermione's comments about the department being useless and ineffective were simply because she hadn't witnessed their work firsthand.
Given the current situation, even if these departments had some unreasonable aspects, the Ministry of Magic would not waste time addressing them.
Their top priority was undoubtedly dealing with the Death Eaters. All other issues would have to wait until the situation calmed down.
However, Hermione did have some excellent suggestions, such as improving the communication methods within the Ministry. The paper airplane system was indeed outdated and inefficient.
Kyle thought about it. Installing Muggle telephones might not be feasible, but using magical communication devices like enchanted coins or modifying telephones with alchemy and runes instead of wires could be possible solutions.
As Ron suggested, they could consult Fred and George to see if they could make it happen.
Just as they were thinking about it, a commotion filled with screams and abruptly halted music echoed from a distance.
"What, is the ball over?" Harry instinctively turned to look.
However, when he saw the situation in the dance area, he froze in place.
Tonks and her husband, whom they had just left, were lying on the ground, barely conscious. Behind them were a group of cloaked figures wearing masks.
Death Eaters! Harry would never forget this distinctive attire.
"Damn, how did they find this place!" Ron exclaimed in fear.
"The Fidelius Charm has a range limit. We probably exceeded it without realizing," Cedric calmly explained.
"And they could have found us if the Death Eaters were tracking Tonks and her husband," Cedric added.
"What should we do then?" Ron turned to Harry. "They're definitely after you. Let's run!"
He grabbed Harry's arm, intending to take him away, but unexpectedly, Harry stood still as if bound by a Binding Charm.
Just then, a light whizzed past overhead—a spell from the Death Eaters.
"What are you waiting for, Harry!" Ron shouted anxiously. "Hurry, or it'll be too late."
"Don't panic," Cedric said. "They can't find us yet."
"No, they will soon," Kyle said as he stood up, his fox on his shoulder also opening its eyes.
"Can they break through the protection of the Fidelius Charm?"
"It's unrelated," Kyle frowned.
"My dear niece, we're here for your wedding. Why don't you come out and greet us?" A sharp voice came from the Death Eaters. "Come out, don't keep us waiting."
She removed her mask, revealing a familiar, manic face, similar to Mrs. Tonks on the ground but also distinct.
Seeing no movement around, she suddenly laughed, slightly twisting her wrist to aim her wand at Tonks and her husband.
"Since you won't come out to greet us, then Legilimens..."
"Stop!"
With a stern shout, Tonks stepped out of the range of the Fidelius Charm and approached the Death Eaters, with Lupin closely by her side.
"Ho ho, Nymphadora Tonks, my dear niece," Bellatrix said coldly, scanning them with her eyes. "I thought it was shameful enough that my sister married a Mudblood, but her daughter is even more shameless, choosing a werewolf..."
"This has nothing to do with you, Bellatrix," Tonks said sternly. "You're not welcome here. Leave now!"
"You're telling me to leave?" Bellatrix laughed hysterically. "Did you hear that... She's telling me to leave... Ha ha ha... Legilimens!"
A beam of light shot from her wand, hitting Mr. Tonks, who immediately curled up and trembled uncontrollably.
"Stop!"
"Stun!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Tonks and Lupin immediately retaliated, forcing Bellatrix to divert her wand, but this provoked the accompanying Death Eaters, who drew their wands and engaged in combat.
The invited bands, never expecting such an occurrence, dropped their instruments and scattered in all directions, disappearing through Apparition once they were out of the protected area.
Others rushed towards the Death Eaters.
Sirius was the first to charge out, using an Ironskin Charm to help Lupin and Tonks block the initial wave of spell attacks.
After pushing Ginny into the house, Mrs. Weasley also joined the fight.
"We'll help too," Hermione said, running off without looking back.
"Wait!" Hermione stopped him. "They must be looking for you. We must leave here first."
"I can't do that!" Harry's eyes turned red. "I can't convince myself to leave like this, especially here."
Hermione glanced instinctively at the house not far away, understanding Harry's sentiment, but her rational mind told her not to indulge Harry's whims.
"No, you must come with me," she said, pulling Harry's arm and dragging him in another direction.
Apparition was not possible within the range of the Fidelius Charm.
Ron hesitated for a moment, then decisively stood by Hermione's side.
"Let go of me!" Harry struggled. "Dumbledore is here too. Why should we run? Let me go."
It must be said that Harry's voice was timely, and as soon as he spoke, the force on his arm immediately lessened significantly.
"Yes, Dumbledore is here," Ron said, looking around. "But where is he? Why hasn't he come out yet? I just saw him."
...
(End of Chapter)
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