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Chapter 793: Dumbledore's New Nickname
Chapter 793: Dumbledore's New Nickname
Soon, Kyle returned upstairs carrying twenty bottles of liquor.
"What's this?" Fred asked curiously, eyeing the large package in Kyle's hands.
"Good stuff," Kyle replied. "It should help make you feel a bit better once you've had some."
At these words, Fred's stomach began to churn again.
"If we're going back now, can I be last in line?" he requested.
"I really don't feel like Apparating again any time soon," he added.
"Don't worry, we'll use the door key this time," Kyle said, pulling out the dirty glass cup.
He arranged everyone in a circle, making sure that each person had at least one finger touching the cup.
As for the unconscious Tonks couple, they would remain behind, with Nymphadora Tonks responsible for taking them to the Hogwarts hospital wing for treatment.
Having just been attacked by Death Eaters, they dared not bring the injured to St. Mungo's openly. Hence, the closer Hogwarts hospital wing was the best option.
This had been the procedure followed in the past when members of the Order of the Phoenix were injured, and Madam Pomfrey was accustomed to putting in the occasional shift during the holidays.
"Dear, it's enough to leave me here alone. You must go back with them," Tonks said to Lupin, kissing him on the cheek before turning to the others.
"Hurry up, George," she urged, as a dazzling blue light emanated from the cup, prompting George to quickly press his index finger against it.
It felt as if an invisible hook had pulled their feet forward, and everyone's feet lifted off the dirty floor, disappearing from the second floor of the Hog's Head pub.
Kyle felt dizzy, his fingers clinging tightly to the door key. However, compared to the Phoenix's magical transportation, this sensation was akin to a carousel ride at an amusement park.
A few seconds later, everyone's feet landed firmly on the ground, and not a single person stumbled. Their landing was surprisingly steady.
They had arrived at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.
Mrs. Weasley rushed over and hugged Fred and George tightly.
Chris was also present, his expression tense until he saw Kyle, at which point he relaxed a little.
Standing next to him were Mr. Weasley, Alastor, Kingsley, and a person wearing a hood and cloak—likely individuals who had received the message.
There were quite a few wizards living in Godric's Hollow, and with such a significant incident occurring there, someone was bound to inform the Ministry of Magic.
However, Kyle's attention wasn't on them; instead, he focused on the person whose features were obscured.
To be honest, this person's attire resembled that of a Death Eater, with the only difference being the additional symbols embroidered with golden threads on the black cloak.
Kyle had seen this style of clothing before when he went to the Ministry of Magic for his interrogation. It was the uniform of the Department of Mysteries, the same robe his mother, Diana, had worn.
However, Kyle could be certain that the person before him was not Diana, as their height and build didn't match, even though their face was hidden.
"That's a Silencer," Chris volunteered, seeming to understand Kyle's confusion. "Your mother is very worried about you, but due to certain reasons, she can't leave the Department of Mysteries. So, her colleague, the only Silencer currently able to communicate with the outside world, came to check on the situation."
"In that case..." Kyle nodded, about to say something when he turned around and found that the Silencer had disappeared without a sound. No one knew how or when they had left; it was as if they had only seen an illusion.
"No need to be alarmed," Chris said. "They're always like that—shrouded in mystery."
"What is the Department of Mysteries busy with?" Kyle asked curiously. "Can't they even spare someone to come out?"
"I don't know," Chris shook his head and lowered his voice. "But I heard, or rather, I heard that there are several doors within the Department of Mysteries, and whenever a major event occurs outside, such as a war, those doors become particularly unstable."
"So, what's behind those doors?"
"I don't know," Chris replied immediately. "Aside from the Silencers, no one knows."
"And your mother never discusses these matters with me," he added. "Even what I just told you, I heard from someone else."
"Who?"
"Xenophilius."
"Who?" Kyle was stunned, thinking he had misheard.
"Xenophilius Lovegood," Chris repeated. "You know, Luna's father. He lives in the same village, Saint Ketchibor, and you've met him before."
"Of course, I remember," Kyle said, rubbing his forehead as the thoughts that had just formed in his mind instantly scattered.
"But didn't he say before that the Department of Mysteries was responsible for creating poisons for Fudge to get rid of his opponents?"
"But Fudge is no longer the Minister," Chris said, glancing around before continuing in a hushed tone. "And I think what he said makes sense. Remember, there really are some mysterious doors in the Department of Mysteries."
"Yeah," Kyle dryly laughed.
Compared to the notion of helping Fudge poison his opponents, this explanation seemed much more plausible—so much so that it didn't seem like something that should be in the "Singing Spells" at all.
To be honest, Kyle wasn't sure if Xenophilius had said this to Chris or if it was new content that he intended to include in the "Singing Spells."
If it were the latter, then Kyle could only say that Xenophilius had fallen. He had abandoned his longstanding principles and lofty ideals, falling from the intangible clouds back to solid ground.
How could such logical content appear in the "Singing Spells"? Its loyal readers would be heartbroken if they saw this. Wasn't this causing trouble for St. Mungo's?
By the way, the place with the highest sales of "Singing Spells" was St. Mungo's, or more precisely, the Department of Magical Mental Disorders of St. Mungo's.
Rumor had it that there were wards plastered with articles cut out verbatim from "Singing Spells."
As for the effectiveness, Kyle wasn't sure, but there had to be a reason for them to keep up this tradition.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley had led the others inside.
She looked delighted that everyone was accounted for, the same number as when they set off in the morning.
"Today is worth celebrating." She said with a smile: "I'll prepare a midnight snack."
Mrs. Weasley went to the kitchen, and although others offered to help, she shooed them out.
Knowing Mrs. Weasley as he did, Kyle suspected she wanted some time alone.
Today's events had been too stimulating for her. Except for Percy, who was at St Mungo's, and Arthur, who had returned to the Ministry of Magic early, the rest of the Weasley family had been at the wedding venue.
When she saw Bellatrix and the subsequent swarm of Death Eaters, outnumbering them almost three to one, Mrs. Weasley felt her world crashing down.
If it weren't for the timely arrival of the phoenixes, who whisked them to safety, she dared not imagine what would have happened next.
Even now, she hadn't fully recovered, and Kyle had noticed her hands trembling slightly earlier.
Mr. Weasley was in a similar state. When Kyle distributed the liquor he had bought from the Hog's Head, it took him three attempts to pull out the cork.
For a while, no one spoke.
Even the usually boisterous Fred and George sat quietly, each holding a bottle and drinking deeply as if it were a potion to stabilize their minds and suppress the lingering dizziness from Apparition.
As for the younger Ginny and Hermione, who disliked alcohol, Kyle prepared a special drink—half a cup of water mixed with half a cup of vinegar and the juice of three freshly squeezed lemons, peel and all.
Not having witnessed the preparation, they happily accepted the concoction when Kyle served it to them.
"What is this?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Special lemonade," Kyle replied, turning his head slightly. "Based on my experience, the most effective way to alleviate the dizziness from Apparition is to drink something with a strong sour flavor, followed by liquor."
"Thank you," Hermione said.
"Um... you're welcome," Kyle said. "Go ahead and try it."
"Can I have one of those too?" Ron suddenly piped up.
Although he was of legal drinking age, he really didn't like the taste of whiskey or brandy, and he found lemonade much more palatable.
"Of course, no problem." Kyle found some smaller cups and poured some for Ron. "Harry, would you like some?"
"Ah, no, thanks," Harry shook his head.
He disliked liquor, but he also wasn't a fan of sour things.
"Okay then." Kyle returned the lemonade to Ginny, who, without hesitation, took a sip due to her discomfort.
The next second, a sour and bitter flavor surged along her tongue and up to her brain.
Ginny's face scrunched up.
"What? Don't you like it?" Ron, about to take a sip, paused with the cup near his mouth and asked suspiciously.
"No, it's not bad at all. It's sweet." Ginny's previously scrunched-up face relaxed, and she tried to act nonchalant. To prove to Ron that she wasn't lying, she even took another sip.
"Then why do you look so weird?" Ron was convinced and brought the cup to his lips, taking a big gulp.
And then...
"Oh... it's so sour!" Ron's face scrunched up, his features contorting like a cabbage trampled by a unicorn.
"Oh... and it's so bitter!"
"That's from the lemon peel." Kyle stifled a laugh. "Drink it; it's good for you."
"Absolutely not." Ron shook his head firmly. "Ginny, you lied to me."
"When did I lie to you?" Ginny shot him a glance.
"You told me it tasted good."
"It does taste good."
"Then take another sip." Ron said angrily: "Take another sip, and I'll believe you."
"Why should I care if you believe me or not?" Ginny said indifferently. "I feel much better now, and I don't want to drink anymore. Is that okay?"
"You..." Ron became even angrier, his face reddening.
What he didn't know was that Ginny was telling the truth. After taking that second sip of lemonade, she genuinely felt much better, and the pervasive dizziness was gradually fading.
Although she hadn't fully recovered, she felt much more comfortable than before.
Ron, however, had spit out the mouthful, so he didn't experience the same effect.
The two of them glared at each other across the table, with Harry in the middle.
However, their bickering lightened the atmosphere at the table, and everyone felt less tense than before.
"Today was quite a scare." Kingsley spoke up first: "If we had known this would happen, we shouldn't have gone back to the Ministry of Magic."
"It's because we never expected it." Sirius had already finished a whole bottle of whiskey and was opening a second one. "I still can't figure out how they knew about Remus and Nymphadora's wedding. We only told a handful of people, and they were all our own."
"No, I'm also at fault," Sirius cut in. "After learning that Dumbledore had arrived, I subconsciously relaxed my guard. If I had been more vigilant, perhaps I could have detected the Death Eaters' traces in advance."
"No, it's ultimately our fault for leaving early..."
The group apportioned blame among themselves.
However, in Kyle's opinion, the root of the problem lay with Dumbledore. Who could blame them for feeling a false sense of security after he made an appearance, only to slink away without a word?
Such irresponsible behavior—he deserved every bit of criticism.
"And Kyle!" Sirius suddenly turned his head, and Kyle instinctively met his gaze.
"Why did you let the phoenix take me away first?" Sirius asked, his eyes slightly red-rimmed. "You told Fred that it was Dumbledore who ordered the phoenix to rescue everyone, but I don't believe that."
"I..."
"No need to explain, I can tell," Sirius continued. "It was you who was directing the phoenix's actions, and it was because of your request that it turned back to get me."
"No, that's not it, I..."
"Did you ever consider how guilty I would feel if you hadn't returned this time? To have a child buy time for me... How could I ever face Chris again?"
Having been interrupted twice, Kyle remained silent until Sirius finished speaking. Then, he cleared his throat lightly.
"Are you done?"
"What I wanted to say was, I didn't need the phoenix's help. I could have Apparated myself... Remember when I took you out of the encirclement?"
As he spoke, Kyle extended his hand, drawing attention to the ring on his finger.
However, after using Apparition three times, the ring's color had faded significantly, and with it pressed tightly against his finger, it was hard to notice unless one looked closely.
"That still doesn't change anything." Sirius stubbornly shook his head. "I must stay behind to protect all of you."
"Alright, fine." Kyle didn't argue further. "Next time, I promise."
"Let's not have a next time." Chris interjected to smooth things over. He, too, turned to Kyle, his expression grave. "So, after sending Sirius away, what did you do?"
"Nothing much." Kyle replied casually. "I gave them a little surprise and then left as well."
His tone was light, and he deliberately omitted mentioning Voldemort.
"A surprise?" Chris raised an eyebrow. "You don't mean you killed all seventy Death Eaters, do you?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire dining room fell silent. Everyone stared at Kyle in disbelief, and even Mrs. Weasley rushed out from the kitchen, her pupils contracting as if she had heard something truly terrifying.
To be honest, killing Death Eaters was something they had all experienced several times over a decade ago.
But to raise that number to seventy... Aside from Alastor Moody, not a single person at the table could claim the same.
Even Alastor's tally had accumulated over his decades-long career as an Auror.
But Kyle, killing seventy Death Eaters in one go... If this were true...
Unbeknownst to himself, Ron's legs began to shake as he regarded Kyle. It was a physiological reaction, unrelated to how familiar he was with Kyle.
"There must be some mistake, Chris." Mrs. Weasley, having recovered her wits, spoke up. "Kyle is a good boy. How could he possibly..."
"No, Molly..." Mr. Weasley shook his head. "The news we received is that seventy Death Eaters were killed in Godric's Hollow. If I'm not mistaken, Scrimgeour and the Aurors have already arrived at the scene."
"No, it has nothing to do with me." Kyle looked innocent as he quickly denied it. "I didn't do it."
"But you were the last one to leave." Kingsley said.
He had wanted to ask this ever since Chris arrived, but he didn't know how to bring it up with him present.
Now that Chris had mentioned it, he seized the opportunity to ask, "You were the last one, and no one knows what you did."
"But I really didn't do it, I swear." Kyle calmly raised his wand, "If you don't believe me, we can use a magical contract to verify if I killed seventy Death Eaters."
"Ah, no need." Kingsley hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Believe me, I'm not questioning you..."
"You shouldn't be questioning him at all." Mrs. Weasley interjected, having regained her composure. She quickly stepped forward and said, "Let me put it this way. From the time I was sent to the Hog's Head pub to when Kyle returned here, there was at most only a twenty-minute gap.
"Do you think Kyle could have killed seventy Death Eaters in twenty minutes?"
"No, it should be fifteen minutes." Sirius added. "That's how long it took me to get back, and the Death Eaters were still chasing us at the time."
"You heard that?"
Mrs. Weasley continued, "If Kyle could truly kill all the Death Eaters in fifteen minutes, would we have needed the phoenix's help at all?"
"Come on, admit it, Kyle. You're going to be a legend." Fred couldn't help but laugh.
"Even Dumbledore will have to call you Little Kyle from now on." George joined in the laughter.
"No, it should be Old Kyle."
Finishing their sentences, the two brothers burst into hearty laughter.
...
(End of Chapter)
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