Chapter 812: The Journey to France}
Chapter 812: The Journey to France}
"What? You're going to France?" Kyle said, and everyone at the table turned to look at him.
"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "Is there a problem?"
"No, not at all," Chris shook his head, about to say something when a loud sound, like an explosion, suddenly interrupted him.
"Mom, we're back!"
Bill and Charlie walked in from the garden.
"Kyle is here too. It's been a while," Charlie waved.
"It has been a while," Kyle said, waving his wand and turning the nearby stones into two chairs.
"Thanks," they said after sitting down. "What were you guys talking about?"
"Our plans for later," Kyle explained. "I'm thinking of making a trip to France."
"To see Connor?"
Bill, who had earned twelve O.W.L.s, immediately guessed Kyle's intention.
Upon hearing this, the others quickly realized the same... Of course, Connor was currently in France, so it made sense for Kyle to want to go there.
"Yeah."
Kyle didn't deny it, nodding. "I have some free time now, and there's not much going on."
Since the incident at Godric's Hollow, the Death Eaters hadn't made any significant moves. Although they didn't know what the Death Eaters were plotting, there was no point in rushing. It was better to take care of personal matters while things were calm.
As for Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall had made her intentions clear. If Dumbledore hadn't returned by Halloween, Kyle would have to make another appearance.
But it was only early September, and Halloween was still a long way off.
With no activity from the Death Eaters and no urgency in Dumbledore's task, Kyle decided to make a trip to France.
"Going to France is not a problem, but have you decided on a method?" Charlie took a sip of pumpkin juice. "It's best not to let others know, or the Death Eaters will likely cause trouble for you."
"Yeah," Chris agreed, a little worried. "France is not like here. Even if we want to support you, we won't be able to get there in time, and the messages we receive are often delayed."
For a wizard to travel to another country, it wasn't as simple as using a single Apparition. There was a complex process to follow.
Every country's Ministry of Magic had a well-established system for monitoring Apparition. If one were to force their way through, they would undoubtedly be detected by the local Ministry upon arrival, and Aurors would be dispatched to capture them.
This situation was somewhat related to Newt's fame.
Before Newt became famous, although the Ministry of Magic strictly investigated such cases, they would turn a blind eye if there were special circumstances, especially if the wizard had connections in the local area. A simple word from them would usually suffice.
Everything changed after that man appeared with his case.
The severity of the charge of illegal entry began to skyrocket, and no one dared to take it lightly anymore.
However, there was one exception.
If the offender was powerful enough, like the recent battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore in Austria, the Ministries of Magic along the way chose to turn a blind eye to the illegal entry and misuse of magic.
This incident caused quite a stir at the time, but no Ministry of Magic from any country came forward to accuse them.
They all silently ignored it until the incident was over, and then they quietly cleaned up the mess.
But this was a special case, not something anyone could imitate. Even when Connor went to France, she had to go through the proper procedures with the help of Furong.
Furong had described this process in detail in her letter to Bill, seemingly intentionally teaching them what to do if they ever went to France.
"The most important thing is that we're still unsure if the Department of Magical Transportation has Death Eaters within their ranks," Mr. Weasley sighed. "If they reveal your whereabouts..."
"You can rest assured about that," Kyle said with a smile. "Wherever I go now, the Ministry of Magic won't be able to track me."
Kyle spoke with confidence.
The Ministry of Magic's monitoring methods were limited to conventional means like Apparition, Portkeys, and the Floo Network.
But with the help of the Phoenix, Kyle wasn't worried about these methods. The Phoenix's innate magic was beyond the reach of wizarding means, just like how the restrictions of Hogwarts couldn't bind the Phoenix.
Moreover, Kyle's trip to France was never intended to go through official channels.
Not only would the British Ministry of Magic be unaware, but the French Ministry would also be in the dark.
Despite the distance to France and the difficulty for the Death Eaters to reach there, Kyle still felt it was better to be cautious.
After all, he had directly or indirectly killed seventy Death Eaters and a key member of Voldemort's forces, Bellatrix Lestrange. It was always better to be safe.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Kyle said, changing the subject.
"Where were you two just now? Why are you back so late?" Kyle asked, turning to Bill and Charlie.
"I was checking for Death Eaters around Grimmauld Place. After all, it's the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and we need to ensure it's safe," Bill explained.
"As for me... I contacted a few former colleagues."
"Your colleagues..." Kyle paused for a moment, "Goblins from Gringotts?"
Bill used to work as a curse-breaker at Gringotts, but after Voldemort's return, he resigned and joined the Order of the Phoenix, and didn't seek other employment in between.
So, his colleague could only be a goblin.
"I was just about to ask, is there any news from Gringotts?" Mr. Weasley looked at Bill anxiously.
"It's hard to tell for now." Bill shook his head, "Although someone told me that Death Eaters are indeed approaching goblins, but Gringotts publicly refuses to cooperate with them."
"That's for sure." Charlie bit into a fried meat patty, "If goblins collaborate with Death Eaters, half of their underground vaults will probably be emptied the next day. Goblins are cunning, even if they do this, they won't let others know."
"That's what I'm saying... But Mom, should we withdraw our money from Gringotts?" Fred turned to Mrs. Weasley. "I always feel it's not safe to keep it in the goblin vaults."
"You just manage your Galleons... " Mrs. Weasley said with some embarrassment, "Don't worry about family matters, I'll handle it."
Back when they lived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place for a couple of years, they didn't have to worry about food expenses, and with most of the children graduated, they managed to save some money.
Then, this money was used to buy Harry's coming-of-age gift.
Thinking carefully, Gringotts was like a vault for the Weasley family, and there might only be a few Sickles left. If Death Eaters liked it, it wouldn't matter if they took it.
Of course, Mrs. Weasley definitely wouldn't say such things in front of the children, and after a few vague words, she brushed it off.
However, Kyle and Chris didn't seem to care much about this matter.
Kyle didn't put his money in Gringotts; he had a vault there, which he opened before going to Hogwarts, mainly for the novelty of it.
At that time, he remembered putting three Sickles and nine Knuts into his vault.
This money has been kept there ever since... um... maybe it has been moved, it's been too long, and Kyle can't quite remember, but the total amount definitely wouldn't exceed one Galleon.
As for Chris... he truly didn't care, mainly because he understood goblins.
If goblins truly collaborated with Death Eaters, it would be equivalent to Gringotts siding with Voldemort.
First of all, the Ministry of Magic would certainly not allow such a thing to happen. Even if there's only a hint of this, Aurors might forcefully take over Gringotts.
Besides, no one would want to, and no one would dare to put their Galleons in Death Eaters' pockets. It's easy to put it in, but when the time comes to withdraw it, it might become difficult.
Once such a situation arises, taking the money out in advance is the best way to solve this problem. Gringotts goblins wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.
They can only, and must, remain neutral, just like St. Mungo's.
With the goblins' strength and means, if there's no special situation, wizards wouldn't want to go to war with them.
There's no need for that.
...
The group chatted like this for over an hour before finally finishing their dinner.
Mrs. Weasley and the children brought the empty plates into the living room. During this time, Fred and Charlie used their wands to command the plates, making them clash and see whose plate was sturdier. When Mrs. Weasley discovered them, they quickly used their wands to repair the broken plates.
Kyle and Chris also wanted to help, but after being refused, they returned to their own homes.
At this moment, Kyle realized he hadn't been home for a long time.
As soon as he opened the door, the old Kneazle came over and tilted its head to look at him for a while.
"Dad, I feel like Tom has gotten fatter." Kyle frowned.
Tom now looked like a walking carpet, sprawling lazily on the floor.
But Kyle forgot that Kneazles were very intelligent magical creatures, and their intuitive expression was that they could understand wizards' words.
So Kyle felt like something was stepping on his foot.
"There's no other way." Chris said helplessly, "You've been away for a few years, we've been busy with work, and we don't have time to take care of it."
"Shouldn't it have lost weight instead?" Kyle didn't understand.
"It can find food on its own." Chris said, "No matter where I hide the jerky, it always finds it and eats it all... It's almost finished off the birds in the nearby forest, too."
"It can still catch birds... Oh!"
Kyle felt his foot being stepped on again.
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"It's effortless." Chris said, "No matter what, it's still a Kneazle, and mainly, its fur has grown longer, so it doesn't actually look that fat."
As Chris spoke, he took off his coat and placed it on the nearby coat rack.
The tree-stump sniffer in Kyle's chest pocket, which he always carried with him, crawled out and jumped onto a potted plant next to the stairs.
This tree-stump sniffer was also raised by Kyle since he was young, and due to its small size, he could bring it to school.
"When are you going to France?" Chris asked.
"Tomorrow," Kyle replied.
"Is it urgent?"
"If there's something important, I can also leave a few days later."
"No, it's fine," Chris said. "But you must promise me that once you get there, you must always carry the phoenix with you. If you sense something amiss, run immediately and don't hesitate."
"Don't worry, I know what to do."
After a brief conversation, Chris sent Kyle back to his second-floor bedroom.
Despite his long absence, the room was spotlessly clean, not a speck of dust in sight.
Kyle lay on the bed and soon fell asleep.
Time passed, and the next day arrived.
When Kyle woke up and went downstairs, Chris had already left for the Ministry of Magic.
He made a simple sandwich with some toast and ham slices, and also prepared a large handful of Phoenix Grass for the phoenix.
Phoenix Grass was one of the phoenix's favorite foods and a key ingredient in Baffe Elixir and Vitality Elixir, even more expensive than Mandrake.
However, this was an international trip, and the phoenix had helped him a lot before, so he decided to be generous this time.
After the phoenix finished eating, Kyle gently stroked the feathers on its tail.
"I'm counting on you."
The well-fed phoenix had no objections and spread its wings, grasping Kyle's shoulders.
...
Kyle felt that this time, the spinning sensation during the journey lasted longer than before, perhaps due to the distance.
Even though Kyle had gradually become accustomed to the phoenix's method of travel, he still felt a bit overwhelmed.
In a daze, Kyle felt his feet firmly planted on solid ground again, and his ears could once more hear the buzzing sound.
It was indeed a buzzing sound, as the words were incomprehensible to him.
Kyle took a moment to relax before slowly opening his eyes.
He found himself in a small alley in Paris, France, with a bustling street not far ahead.
The street was filled with pedestrians coming and going, none of whom noticed this unexpected visitor.
Kyle walked from the alley to the main street, and at that moment, he suddenly realized he might have overlooked something.
He didn't know the area.
This was normal, as it was his first time in France... Well, second time, but the last time, Nicolas had given him a direct ticket, so he didn't need to find his way and went straight to his destination.
But this time was different. Although the phoenix could apparate, it didn't know the exact address, and even if Kyle told it, it wouldn't know how to get there. So, the place they appeared could be considered random.
This was embarrassing.
What made it even more awkward was that Kyle's French wasn't very good. He had studied it for a while during the Triwizard Tournament, but upon arriving, he realized it wasn't enough. He couldn't pronounce the name of the address in French.
This meant he couldn't even ask for directions.
"Should I use magic?" Kyle hesitated.
Unfamiliar with the French Ministry of Magic, he wasn't sure if using magic might attract the attention of the local Aurors.
But if he didn't use magic, he couldn't just go back.
Just as Kyle was feeling conflicted, a slight noise came from the alley he had just exited.
A man stumbled out from the other end of the alley, seemingly having spent the night drinking at a bar, barely managing to stay awake.
"I have a way," Kyle immediately turned back and blocked the man's path.
"Excuse me, where is the triangular building?" he asked slowly in French.
"Hmm, get out of the way..." The man mumbled, lifting his head as if to curse.
But the next second, his eyes widened, and he became more alert.
He saw a creature about the size of a human... a catamount? It should be a catamount, but how could a catamount have six legs?
"Hello, where is the triangular building?"
Kyle asked the same question again.
At the same time, the man also snapped out of his daze.
He didn't answer Kyle's question, but after a moment of processing, his brain finally reminded him that he should be screaming.
But just as he opened his mouth, the catamount's eyes changed from orange to purple.
Such a captivating color, just like his favorite vintage wine.
The man felt as if he were soaking in a giant wine glass, but where could there be such a large wine glass? He must be dreaming, just like the six-legged catamount he had just seen.
Wait, a six-legged catamount?
"Thud..."
With a jolt, the man suddenly woke up.
He found himself lying on the ground, surrounded by a group of people pointing at him.
"Oh, how did I fall asleep here?" He patted his head. "How embarrassing, damn Billy, I'll never drink with him for so long again."
He quickly stood up, covered his face, and walked out of the alley as if nothing had happened, seemingly forgetting what had just occurred... or perhaps subconsciously dismissing it as a dream.
...
(End of Chapter)
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