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Chapter 802: The Magical Contract
Chapter 802: The Magical Contract
An air of quietness enveloped the Head's office as Bones sat silently, lost in thought. Across from her, Kyle idly fiddled with a golden Galleon on the table.
During this time, someone came to report to Bones, but she sent them away and resumed her silent contemplation.
Kyle didn't rush her.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Bones finally snapped back to attention and looked up at Kyle.
"100,000 Galleons—I cannot agree to that, nor would any other Minister," she stated. "Such an amount is substantial enough to impact the Ministry's regular operations."
"So, that's a no?" Kyle shrugged.
"Not necessarily," Bones replied as she stood up. "I have thought of a compromise."
"What is it?" Kyle asked.
"The Ministry is willing to pay 2,000 Galleons for the temporary usage rights of your device, starting from now until we defeat You-Know-Who," Bones proposed.
Intrigued, Kyle inquired, "What does that mean?"
"The same conditions as before," Bones explained. "This communication device can only be used by the Ministry and must not appear anywhere else, but the duration is not permanent. Once we defeat You-Know-Who, this restriction ends, and you are free to do as you wish with it. The Ministry will not interfere."
"2,000 Galleons... I'm still taking a bit of a loss here," Kyle mused.
"I'm not skilled in haggling, and this is the best price I can offer," Bones said. "The Ministry must retain sufficient funds for contingencies. Beyond this, I can only apologize."
"Alright then," Kyle said. "What if You-Know-Who falls tomorrow?"
"The Ministry will still pay you the agreed-upon 2,000 Galleons," Bones assured him.
"That doesn't sound too bad," Kyle continued. "But what if it takes ten or twenty years to defeat him?"
Shaking her head, Bones calmly replied, "If such a situation were to arise, it would only be because the Ministry no longer exists. And if the Ministry is gone, there would be no need for you to uphold the agreement, wouldn't you agree?"
Kyle paused for a moment. "Then let's proceed as you suggested."
"Very well."
Bones then took out a piece of parchment and a quill, quickly drafting a magical contract. It was concise, taking up less than half a page—even less than the homework assignments given to first-year Hogwarts students.
After writing the content, she held her wand to the blank space on the parchment and softly chanted a spell. The wand tip emitted a golden light, and a special symbol appeared on the blank area of the parchment.
It was the Ministry's emblem: a bold, capitalized 'M' with a wand standing upright in the center. This emblem was unique to the Minister and was featured on all important Ministry documents, signifying the use of a special contractual magic.
Bones turned the parchment toward Kyle.
Kyle glanced at it and, with a slight wave of his wand, changed the number "2000" to "1800."
"What's the meaning of this?" Bones asked.
"I mentioned before that Susan is a regular customer and a classmate from my Hogwarts house," Kyle explained. "I think a little discount is in order as a gesture of goodwill."
"Only a 10% discount?"
"That's not a small amount," Kyle said as he took the quill and signed his name next to the emblem. He then tapped the signature with his wand.
The signature magic ensured that only the signer could perform this crucial step in a magical contract. The emblem represented the Ministry, and the signature represented Kyle. Once this magic took effect, the contract was formed, and the contents could not be altered.
"Then, I wish you a pleasant cooperation," Bones said with a smile as she extended her hand. "To be honest, graduates like you are a rare find. If it were possible, I believe you would make an excellent Deputy Minister."
"Didn't you say that requires time?" Kyle asked as he shook her hand gently.
"Indeed, that is the regulation set by Wizengamot, intended to prevent the Minister from having too much power," Bones explained. "But I believe that with a little patience, there's a strong possibility that you could occupy that position and perhaps even... become the youngest Minister."
"Hmm... let's leave that for another day," Kyle chuckled.
"What a shame," Bones sighed, changing the subject. "As you can see, I have many pressing matters to attend to, including these newly arrived documents." She gestured to the pile of files. "I'll leave the rest to you, including the necessary use of the communication device and these signal badges."
"Of course," Kyle nodded. "How many do you need?"
"Given the current number of Aurors and Hit Wizards, along with spares... let's start with 350," Bones suggested after a moment's thought. "There are some tools in the logistics department that might be useful to you. Would you like to work from here, or do you prefer to go home to craft them?"
"Neither," Kyle replied. "I'll do it right here. Is my previous office still vacant?"
"Of course, I promised to keep it for you," Bones assured him. "Do you need anything else?"
"If possible, please send me the raw materials," Kyle requested.
"That's wonderful," Kyle said with a smile.
All the rest was useless talk; this was the crucial part.
...
Soon after, Kyle moved to the adjacent office.
Before long, the materials he requested arrived, and the delivery person was none other than Cedric.
"Kyle?"
He placed a large lump of silver on the table. "I was wondering who would need something like this. It's unrefined and full of impurities."
The silver he brought was indeed of low value, and the real Sickle used by the Fae wasn't much different, except for a unique process they employed.
"These are the raw materials," Kyle explained. "Did Minister Bones just send you to deliver things?"
"She also said that if you need it, I can stay and help," Cedric offered.
"Do you have time now?"
"Yes, now that the Weasley brothers are here, we finally have some breathing room," Cedric said with a smile. "You've been a great help. With your recommendation, we now have three additional helpers, and the other departments are jealous when they heard about it."
"It's no big deal. It's really nothing," Kyle waved his hand dismissively. "Since you're here, you might as well stay and help. I have quite a lot to make, and I'm not sure I can finish it all today by myself."
"What are you making?"
"Didn't Minister Bones tell you?"
"No, she just asked me to deliver the materials and help if needed," Cedric said. "In fact, before coming here, I didn't even know you were at the Ministry."
"Well... to put it simply, it's my old line of work."
As he spoke, Kyle waved his wand, cutting off a small piece from the silver lump and transforming it into a round silver coin. The details were simple: the patterns and lines on both sides took less than half a minute to complete.
Observing Kyle's actions, Cedric quickly understood what he was doing.
"I see, you're making Sickles," he said, glancing nervously at the door and lowering his voice. "But these coins won't work. Others will be able to tell they're fake, and if word gets out, the Fae won't let you off the hook."
"Did you leave your brain in your office drawer?" Kyle shot him an annoyed glance. "This is the Ministry of Magic. Do you think I'd make that kind of counterfeit money?"
"Then what..."
"These are fakes to begin with," Kyle said, pointing to the silver coins on the table. "The raised shape, size, and direction of the patterns—let's just say there are a total of five differences from the real Sickles. They just look similar at first glance."
"So, what are you making?"
"Communication coins."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Cedric gave Kyle a sideways glance. "If you had, I would've understood immediately."
"I think you really left your brain in your drawer," Kyle shook his head. "Anyway, get to work. Just follow the standard I showed you earlier."
Cedric didn't say another word and immediately got to work.
Thanks to his experience at school, he worked swiftly, averaging one coin template per minute, and his craftsmanship was impeccable, matching the sample Kyle had demonstrated.
As Cedric worked, Kyle sat beside him, inscribing magical text and symbols on the coin templates.
This was the most challenging step. If he were just making silver coins, he could do it alone without Cedric's help.
Fortunately, these were much simpler than the golden ones. All they needed was a single magical text formula with a symbol in the center. After making a few, he could finish one in about five minutes.
By noon, after Cedric had observed and learned for half an hour, he was able to grasp the basics and start helping.
Of course, his proficiency couldn't compare to Kyle's, and he occasionally made mistakes, but it wasn't a problem. They could simply use a spell to wash away the incomplete symbols and start over.
If the symbols were completed incorrectly, they would be discarded, as they couldn't be modified. However, Minister Bones had provided plenty of raw materials, so a few discarded coins here and there were of no consequence.
The two worked from morning to evening and finally completed... half of the task.
It was an enormous amount, and after drawing magical text and symbols all day, Kyle's wrist was sore. He was truly reluctant to continue.
"Let's call it a day and get some dinner!"
Kyle put away his wand and stood up.
He had been sitting for so long that when he suddenly stood, he stumbled and almost sat back down.
"Are you alright?" Cedric asked, rubbing his own wrist.
"I'm fine," Kyle said. "I'm just regretting my decision."
"Regretting?"
"I didn't expect the workload to be this massive. I shouldn't have given a discount," Kyle lamented.
He had initially thought that making a hundred coins would be sufficient, and he could finish them in a day. But now, the quantity had tripled, and the workload had increased exponentially.
"Sure," Cedric agreed after a moment's thought.
"You don't need to inform your dad?"
"No, I can let him know through this." Cedric pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket.
Soon after, the two of them tidied up and left the Ministry.
However, they did not return together.
Cedric could use the Disillusionment Charm and went directly to a phone booth two streets away from Grimmauld Place, which was one of Moody's fixed Disillusionment locations, surrounded by Muggle-Repelling Charms to ensure no one else would occupy it.
As for Kyle, he first wandered around the entrance hall, showing his face, and after confirming that no one was following him, he used the Disillusionment Charm as well.
Even after exiting the phone booth, Kyle did not rush back but loitered outside for a while.
As evening approached, the streets were bustling with people, but they all hurried home with urgent looks, and no one spared Kyle a second glance.
It was only after twenty minutes that Kyle finally confirmed that no one was tailing him.
It seemed like Voldemort had truly let him go.
He was undoubtedly glad about that, but at the same time, Kyle felt perplexed.
Seventy Death Eaters had died, largely due to him, and this included the fanatical Bellatrix Lestrange.
Was he just going to let it go? That didn't seem like his style.
As for Bellatrix, Kyle hadn't even considered the possibility of her surviving... Being bitten directly by a basilisk, even Voldemort himself would need to be boiled again to recover.
Kyle stood there for a while before deciding to stop overthinking it.
Regardless, it was a good thing not to be watched, and this realization put Kyle in a great mood, so much so that he ate half a bowl more for dinner.
He wasn't the only one, though.
Recently, the amount of food consumed at dinnertime was significantly more than usual, mainly because the Weasley children had voracious appetites, especially Ron, who always wolfed down his food as if trying to make up for three meals in one sitting.
At the same time, the way he looked at Kyle had become increasingly fierce, as if he might pounce and bite him at any moment.
Fortunately, Cedric was there to share the burden today, as he had sorted through the most documents, all delivered by Cedric himself.
Ron racked his brains but couldn't figure out how Cedric managed to accomplish so many tasks each day, from retrieving magical experimental products to capturing magical creatures wandering on Muggle streets, and even helping other departments with Obliviating Muggles.
It seemed like Cedric was everywhere.
However, all these tasks eventually culminated in reports... which Ron had to write.
After all, everyone else was busy running around, leaving him, the only one stuck in the office, to do the paperwork.
Ron felt that he had written more in the past half a month than in his entire six years at school.
This was also why he resented Cedric, but with Mrs. Weasley around, he dared not do anything out of line.
Cedric's room was on the third floor, not far from Kyle's. The next day, before anyone else was awake, the two of them had already finished breakfast and were on their way to the Ministry.
Kyle wanted to get this matter settled as soon as possible and receive the payment.
The amount of 1,800 Galleons was substantial, and he couldn't help but worry that Bones might go back on her word, so it would be more reassuring to get the money sooner rather than later.
...
From sunrise to sunset, before they knew it, the two of them had spent another busy day, but thankfully, they managed to complete all the communication coins.
"I feel more exhausted helping you here than doing my regular work," Cedric slumped back in his chair, massaging his forehead.
After focusing intently on drawing magical text and symbols for two consecutive days, his hands were sore, and his head was throbbing. He felt dizzy and just wanted to get some good sleep.
Ever since graduating, he hadn't experienced this level of fatigue... No, he rarely felt this way even during his time at Hogwarts.
Nevertheless, Cedric's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "So, what's the use of this?" He gestured to the metal lump, "Are you going to turn it into Nate's shape?"
"No," Kyle shook his head. "It has a different purpose. You should head back and rest. I can handle this on my own."
"Don't you need my help?"
"No, it's simple." Kyle took a gulp from a bottle of blue potion and handed another bottle to Cedric.
This metal lump, of course, was what he needed to create the special badges.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Cedric, but Bones had explicitly stated in the contract that only she and Kyle could know about the special badges, and he couldn't involve a third party.
However, Kyle wasn't lying when he said it was simple. All he needed were three magical texts, which he could easily inscribe while shaping the badges.
So, Kyle took a deep breath and spent another three hours or so, finally finishing the badges that matched the number of communication coins just before nightfall.
But these were only the special badges.
Kyle had no intention of taking on the task of creating badges for the entire Ministry... That would be a separate negotiation and price.
(End of Chapter)
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