https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-796-Heading-to-the-Ministry-of-Magic/13013170/
Chapter 797: Burns' Intentions
Chapter 797: Burns' Intentions
After leaving the Muggle Liaison Committee, Kyle decided to make a trip to his office, as it would be awkward not to show his face after so many people had seen him.
However, as he stepped into the elevator, he spotted a familiar figure inside.
"Didn't I tell you to stay at Grimmauld Place No. 12?"
Chris was taken aback when he saw Kyle entering. He hadn't considered Kyle to be an impulsive person, but he couldn't understand why Kyle would take such a risk at this time, leaving the safe house and coming to the Ministry of Magic, a place bustling with people.
Didn't he know there were hidden Death Eaters here?
At this thought, Chris was already getting angry.
But the next moment, a golden-red phoenix suddenly appeared on Kyle's shoulder.
"It's fine. I've prepared for this," Kyle said with a smile. "The Dark Lord won't find it easy to capture me, and I was brought here directly from home by Fox, so it's absolutely safe."
Hearing Kyle's words, the anger that had just risen in Chris instantly dissipated, but he still maintained a stern expression. "What if the Dark Lord directly attacks the Ministry? You'll bring trouble to everyone."
"I don't have that much influence to make the Dark Lord disregard everything and attack with Death Eaters," Kyle shrugged. "And he wouldn't dare."
"Wouldn't dare?"
"Yes," Kyle nodded, explaining, "The last time Death Eaters dared to attack the Ministry was because they were certain Dumbledore wouldn't be there, and the Order of the Phoenix and some Aurors had their attention on Privet Drive. It was a premeditated ambush.
"But now it's different. No one knows where Dumbledore is. He might be in some corner of the Ministry, and as long as his movements are uncertain, the Dark Lord won't dare to come rashly.
"As long as he doesn't come, the Death Eaters won't either."
"Then how can you be sure Dumbledore is in the Ministry... or rather, how can you make the Dark Lord think he's in the Ministry?" Chris continued to ask.
"That's easy," Kyle said.
At this moment, the elevator door opened, and Fox quickly flew out, turning into a ball of fire amidst exclamations of surprise before disappearing from sight.
As the elevator door closed again, Kyle shrugged, "Well, now Dumbledore is in the Ministry."
Chris felt his temples throbbing.
However, he had to admit that Kyle's move was indeed effective.
The second floor was the most crowded, and it was estimated that the news of Fox's appearance in the Ministry would soon spread.
Currently, the only known phoenix in the Wizarding World was Fox, who was with Dumbledore, so whenever Fox appeared, it meant that Dumbledore was also nearby.
"I really can't understand why Dumbledore would entrust the phoenix to you," Chris rubbed his forehead.
"Maybe it's because I'm a kind person," Kyle smiled, "and I get along well with Fox."
Chris opened his mouth, "Okay, then why did you suddenly come to the Ministry?"
"Because of Hermione. She wanted to help, so I recommended her."
The elevator stopped at the first floor, and Kyle quickly stepped out.
"Can you already arrange for people to work in the Ministry?" Chris, who had intended to follow, paused, feeling a sense of disbelief. Even he couldn't directly bring a student who hadn't graduated yet to work at the Ministry.
Even the Minister would need to issue an official document, rather than casually bringing someone along like going home for dinner.
"Of course not. She's just a volunteer helper," Kyle explained. "All departments are short-staffed, and they're more than happy to have free labor."
Chris nodded. If that was the case, it made more sense.
"Where's Hermione?"
He turned to look back at the person who had entered the elevator earlier, and it seemed it was just Kyle.
"She's already started working," Kyle said casually. "She didn't even enter the Muggle Liaison Committee office and went straight to work with Mr. Perlod."
"Wait, what did you say?" Chris was even more confused. "You sent Hermione, such a smart witch, to the Muggle Liaison Committee?"
"Isn't it suitable?"
"That's not the point," Chris took a deep breath. "I want to know why you didn't bring her to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?"
"Huh?" Kyle blinked, "Are you short-staffed?"
"What do you think?" Chris said irritably. "Why do you think I came to see Burns? I came to request personnel."
"So, which wizards do you think are most likely to illegally raise magical creatures?" Chris asked.
"The ones selling at Diagon Alley?" Kyle replied tentatively.
"To be precise, it's wizards who walk the line between light and darkness," Chris said. "Like Mundungus, they aren't truly Dark Wizards, but they operate in the gray area, engaging in illegal businesses.
"The hottest industries, whether it's smuggling, creating Dark Magic items, or conducting dangerous magical experiments, are almost all related to magical creatures.
"At the same time, they are also the best candidates to become Death Eaters. Most of the new recruits are from these types of people."
"So, what do you think happened to all those illegally bred magical creatures and the animals that were magically altered after they became Death Eaters?"
A realization gradually dawned on Kyle, and he began to feel uneasy.
Chris quickly provided the answer.
"Most of them were discarded, especially those with low value and less portable magical creatures. They were casually thrown to the side of the road when they went to pledge allegiance to the Dark Lord."
"You know, our workload is more than three times what it used to be."
"Yesterday, Cornwall was filled with dogs with three tails or geese with two heads. Cedric had to work through the entire night to deal with these troubles, and he still hasn't returned!"
Chris became increasingly agitated as he spoke. They were so busy at the Ministry that they couldn't even go home, and just when they were about to get some help, his son sent the new assistant to another department.
For a moment, he even considered going to see Burns and asking her to transfer Kyle to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
"I, I don't know either," Kyle said, turning away slightly guiltily. "If I must, I'll get you a couple more helpers. Fred and George seem pretty idle, so giving them something to do wouldn't be bad."
"If I return empty-handed this time, you better." Chris said irritably.
Just then, they arrived at the Minister's office.
Chris didn't pay any more attention to Kyle. He straightened his clothes, knocked on the door, and went in.
Knowing they had serious business to discuss, Kyle didn't follow but continued walking ahead, eventually reaching his own office.
This office was the one originally assigned to him by Fudge, and although not particularly large, it was much better than the partitioned offices in other departments. Moreover, it was a single room, providing a quiet environment.
Even though he hadn't been here for over a year, the office remained his after Burns took office.
Upon careful reflection, Kyle even felt a little embarrassed.
Despite his long absence, the office was still spotless, likely maintained by someone... or perhaps a house-elf.
The Ministry of Magic also had house-elves, though not as many as Hogwarts. Similar to the house-elves in the school's kitchen, they usually kept themselves hidden, unseen by others.
After all, in their perception, a good house-elf was one whose existence you were unaware of.
Kyle sat behind the desk, pondering for a moment before pulling out a piece of parchment and starting to write something on it.
Half an hour later, the office door was pushed open, and Amelia Burns walked in from outside.
She looked much the same as when they last met, with the only change being a new pair of glasses.
It seemed that the job of the Minister of Magic was not an easy one.
"I heard from Chris that you've finally returned to work," Burns said as she approached.
"I might disappoint the Minister," Kyle said. "I'm here today to help a friend and also to resign."
"Resign?" Burns frowned, her expression turning serious. "Why? Are you afraid?
"I don't think you're that kind of person. From our first official meeting, I could tell you weren't afraid of Death Eaters."
The first official meeting?
It must have been when he was interrogated at the Ministry, and the interrogators were those three Death Eaters: Lucius Malfoy, Carcaroff, and McNair.
Indeed, he hadn't shown any fear during the interrogation and had even managed to turn the tables on them later, making them suffer a little.
"I guess you could say I'm afraid, but not in the way you think."
Kyle explained, "Yesterday at Godric's Valley, I saved some people and disrupted the Dark Lord's plans. You know, he's a petty man, so I might have to lay low for a while."
"Godric's Valley," Burns said softly. "Wasn't it Dumbledore who saved people that day?"
"I helped a little," Kyle said. "Since the Dark Lord wouldn't dare go after Dumbledore, he had to target me instead."
"That does make sense."
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"Yeah," Kyle said. "So I'll have to lay low for a while to avoid being targeted. But doing so means I won't be able to come to work at the Ministry."
"If that's the case," Burns said, "then there's no need to resign. I can keep this position and this office reserved for you until the heat dies down."
Kyle looked up at Burns.
Something was off.
Kyle could understand Fudge's favoritism, as he had essentially been Fudge's right-hand man, successfully helping him avoid being ousted.
But why Burns? It couldn't be because she appreciated his talent. When Kyle was at the Ministry last year, Burns was still healing at St. Mungo's. Their paths rarely crossed.
Though Kyle felt suspicious, he didn't show it.
"That's wonderful," he said. "But I'll decline the salary. It would be awkward to take money without working."
This time, Burns didn't speak, only smiling and nodding in agreement.
The Ministry of Magic's finances were indeed tight, and their biggest financial backer had defected to the enemy side. Therefore, every Galleon had to be carefully calculated, and the salary of a senior ministerial assistant was not low. In this special period, every effort had to be made to save money.
"So, are you leaving now?" she asked.
"No rush," Kyle said, handing the parchment on the desk to Burns. "I'm here for work today, and I should make some contributions."
"What's this?"
"Communication parchment," Kyle replied.
"Communication?" Burns pushed up his glasses and studied the content on it seriously.
At the same time, Kyle explained, "Each piece of parchment has a different number. As long as you write the number on it, the content will appear on the corresponding parchment. It's much faster than the paper airplane communication currently used by the Ministry."
"That's a good idea," Burns raised his head. "But what about security? If an Auror loses the parchment while on a mission, won't the enemy be able to learn our plans through this?"
"A password restriction can be set up, it's not difficult," Kyle said. "However, I didn't think that much. This is for internal use to improve work efficiency."
"Is that so?" Burns said. "But I feel like I've seen this before."
"Because we used it last year," Kyle explained. "It was used to convey information when dealing with the Dementor problem."
"Was that your idea?"
"Not exactly," Kyle shook his head. "I just made it. The idea came from someone else."
"Who?"
"Hermione Granger and Cedric Diggory," Kyle said. "When they were in school, they organized a self-study room for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and they used this to inform everyone of the class times. But back then, it was called the Communication Coin."
"Diggory?" Burns thought for a moment. "The Cedric Diggory from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?"
"Yes," Kyle nodded. "Also, Hermione is at the Ministry of Magic. She'll be helping out at the Muggle Liaison Committee for a month."
"Alright, I'll seriously consider this proposal," Burns put away the parchment. "If the proposal is approved... your salary will remain the same."
"Also, I'd like you to think of another communication tool for the Aurors and Hit Wizards. That's the most important."
"Of course," Kyle said. "You don't need to be here. Chris will send it over later."
"I'll consider it," Kyle replied.
"There's one more thing," Burns suddenly said. "I heard that Dumbledore also came to the Ministry today."
"Really?" Kyle blinked. "Where is he? I also have something to ask him."
"You don't know?"
"No, I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon."
Burns looked into Kyle's eyes.
"What's wrong?" Kyle asked.
"Oh, nothing," she said.
After that, Burns left. She had a lot to do and couldn't stay there all the time.
Kyle, on the other hand, was called by Chris to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where he spent the whole day working in the office.
It wasn't until 8 pm that Kyle finally lifted his head from the mountain of documents, and Chris also returned from outside.
When they were the only two in the office, Kyle told him about what happened during the day.
"It's simple," Chris said. "She's not thinking about you, but Dumbledore."
"What do you mean?"
"Because Dumbledore values you greatly, almost everyone knows this," Chris said, glancing at the tightly closed door. "Some even say he's planning to groom you as the next Headmaster of Hogwarts."
"That's impossible," Kyle immediately replied. "How old am I? Even if Dumbledore retires, the only candidate for Headmaster would be Professor McGonagall."
"It's not about what's possible, but about what most people think," Chris said.
"She seems to have realized that Dumbledore won't stay at the Ministry forever, so they need to strengthen their relationship with him in other ways.
"For example, you or Harry. As long as either of you is at the Ministry, people will firmly believe that Dumbledore also stands with the Ministry."
"So I'm just a mascot?" Kyle spread his hands. "Tsk, I didn't expect Burns to learn from Fudge."
"She just wants to strengthen people's trust in the Ministry," Chris said. "It's not wrong to do this. If it were me, I might do the same."
"Alright, go back soon," Chris patted Kyle's shoulder. "Remember to stay put tomorrow and don't come again. The Order of the Phoenix can't always be at the Ministry."
"Okay," Kyle nodded. "Should I wait for Hermione? She just went out with Mr. Perlod and hasn't returned yet."
"No need," Chris said. "Arthur will send her back. She might not even be back before ten o'clock. If you're willing to wait two more hours, I don't mind..."
"Then I'll trouble Mr. Weasley!"
...
(End of Chapter)
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