Chapter 812: The Journey to France
Chapter 812: The Journey to France
"What, you're going to France?" Kyle's announcement was met with stares from everyone around the table.
"Yes," he nodded, "is there a problem?"
"No, not at all." Chris shook his head and was about to say something when a loud explosion-like sound interrupted him.
"Mom, we're back," Bill and Charlie walked in from the garden.
"Long time no see, Kyle," Charlie waved.
"Indeed," Kyle replied, waving his wand to turn a nearby stone into two chairs.
"Thanks." Once seated, they asked, "What were you guys talking about?"
"Some upcoming plans. I'm thinking of taking a trip to France," Kyle explained.
"To find Connor?" Bill, the accomplished Weasley with his twelve O.W.Ls, had immediately guessed Kyle's intention.
Hearing this, the others quickly caught on as well. Of course, Connor was currently in France, so it made sense for Kyle to want to go there.
"Mhm," Kyle nodded in confirmation. "I have some free time now, so I thought I'd pay her a visit."
Since the incident in Godric's Hollow, the Death Eaters had been unusually quiet. Although it was unclear what they were plotting, there was no use worrying about it. Instead, Kyle wanted to make use of this peaceful period to tend to his own matters.
As for Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall had made her expectations clear. If Dumbledore didn't return by Halloween, Kyle would have to make another appearance.
However, it was still early September, and Halloween was a long way off.
With no immediate concerns regarding the Death Eaters or Dumbledore's task, Kyle decided to take the opportunity to travel to France.
"Visiting France is fine, but have you considered your method of travel?" Charlie took a sip of pumpkin juice. "It's best to keep this trip discreet. Otherwise, the Death Eaters will likely cause trouble for you."
"Yeah, I'm worried about that too," Chris added. "France isn't like here. If we need to support you, it'll take us some time to get there, and even then, our information might be delayed."
Traveling to another country as a wizard wasn't as simple as using the Disappearance Charm. Each country's Ministry of Magic had a strict system in place to monitor such travel. If one tried to force their way through, they would undoubtedly be detected upon arrival, leading to a pursuit by the local Aurors.
This situation had some connection to Newt.
Before he became famous, the Ministry had strict regulations, but they would sometimes turn a blind eye to special cases or wizards with local connections. A simple heads-up was often enough to bypass the rules.
But everything changed after a certain someone showed up with a suitcase.
The severity of the 'Illegal Entry' charge skyrocketed, and no one dared to take these incidents lightly anymore.
Of course, there was one exception.
If one possessed sufficient strength, like Voldemort and Dumbledore during their recent battle in Austria, countries tended to look the other way.
That incident had caused quite a stir, but not a single Ministry of Magic along their route had accused them of illegal entry or misuse of magic.
They had all chosen to pretend they hadn't seen anything until the situation was resolved, only then quietly stepping in to clean up the mess.
However, this was a special case and not something anyone could replicate. Even when Connor went to France, she had gone through all the proper procedures with Fleur by her side.
Furong had described the process in great detail in her letters to Bill, almost as if she were intentionally teaching them what to do if they ever found themselves in a similar situation.
"The most concerning issue is that we still can't be sure if the Department of Magical Transportation is infiltrated by Death Eaters. If they leak your whereabouts..." Mr. Weasley sighed, leaving the dreadful consequences unspoken.
"You don't have to worry about that at all," Kyle assured them with a smile. "The Ministry can't track my movements anymore, no matter where I go."
Kyle spoke with confidence. The Ministry's monitoring methods relied on conventional means like the Disappearance Charm, Portkeys, and the Floo Network.
But with the help of his phoenix, Kyle had nothing to fear. The innate magic of phoenixes couldn't be traced by wizarding means, just as Hogwarts' restrictions couldn't bind Fawkes.
Moreover, he never intended to go through official channels for this trip.
Neither the British Ministry nor the French Ministry would be aware of his travels.
Even though France was far away, and it was unlikely that the Death Eaters could reach Connor there, Kyle still felt it was better to be cautious.
After all, he had directly or indirectly caused the deaths of seventy Death Eaters and one of Voldemort's right-hand women, Bellatrix Lestrange. A little extra caution never hurt.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Kyle waved away the topic.
He turned to Bill, "Where were you two just now? It's getting late."
"Charlie was checking for traces of Death Eaters around Grimmauld Place. After all, it's the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, so we have to make sure it's secure," Bill replied.
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 he hasn't looked for another job since.
Thinking about it, his colleagues could only be goblins.
"I was just about to ask about that. Any news from Gringotts?" Mr. Weasley asked, his eyes fixed on Bill.
"Not that I can see." Bill shook his head. "Although someone told me that the Death Eaters have been trying to get in touch with the goblins, Gringotts has publicly refused to cooperate with them."
"Of course," Charlie said, taking a bite of the fried meat. "If the goblins were to collaborate with the Death Eaters, their underground vaults would probably be emptied by half the next day. Those goblins are cunning; even if they did something like that, they wouldn't let others know about it."
"That's true..." Fred turned to Mrs. Weasley. "But Mom, shouldn't we withdraw our money from Gringotts? I don't feel safe keeping our money in the goblins' vaults."
"Just manage your own galleons..." Mrs. Weasley said awkwardly. "Don't worry about the family finances; I'll take care of it."
In the past two years, when they lived at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, they had saved some money due to not having to worry about food expenses, and most of the children had graduated.
Then that money was used to buy Harry's coming-of-age gift.
If she thought about it, in the Gringotts vaults belonging to the Weasley family, there might only be a few sickles left. If the Death Eaters wanted it, they could take it.
Of course, Mrs. Weasley wouldn't say such things in front of the children, and she brushed it off vaguely.
However, Kyle and Chris didn't seem to mind at all.
Kyle had never put his money in Gringotts in the first place. He had a vault there, opened before he started school at Hogwarts, mainly out of curiosity.
He remembered putting three Sickles and nine Knuts into the vault back then.
And that money had been sitting there untouched ever since... Well, maybe it had been touched; it had been so long that Kyle couldn't quite remember, but he could be sure that the total amount wouldn't exceed one Galleon.
As for Chris, he genuinely didn't care, mainly because he understood goblins.
If the goblins truly collaborated with the Death Eaters, it would mean that Gringotts was siding with Voldemort.
First of all, the Ministry of Magic would never allow such a thing to happen. Even if there were only hints of such a signal, the Aurors would likely forcibly take over Gringotts.
Additionally, no one would want to, nor dare to, keep their Galleons in the Death Eaters' pockets. It might be easy to deposit the money, but it would be challenging to withdraw it later.
So, if there were any signs of this happening, the best way to resolve the issue would be to withdraw the money early. The Gringotts goblins wouldn't make such a rookie mistake.
They could only, and must, remain neutral, just like St. Mungo's.
And with the goblins' strength and means, wizards wouldn't willingly start a war with them unless there were special circumstances.
There was no need.
...
It was only after chatting for over an hour that they finally finished dinner.
Mrs. Weasley and the children took the empty plates back into the house, and during this time, Fred and Charlie used their wands to make the plates fight each other... colliding to see whose plate was sturdier. When Mrs. Weasley discovered them, they quickly used their wands to repair the broken plates.
Kyle and Chris initially wanted to help, but after being refused, they returned to their own home.
At this moment, Kyle once again realized that he hadn't been home in a long time.
As soon as he opened the door, Crookshanks sauntered over and tilted his head to scrutinize him.
"Dad, I feel like Crookshanks has gotten fatter," Kyle frowned.
Crookshanks now looked like a walking rug, sprawling lazily on the floor.
However, Kyle forgot that Kneazles were highly intelligent magical creatures, and their ability to understand human speech was a clear indication of this.
Thus, Kyle felt as if his feet had been trampled on.
"There's nothing we can do about it," Chris said helplessly. "You haven't been home in years, and we've been busy with work, so we don't have time to take care of him."
"Then shouldn't he have gotten thinner?" Kyle asked, confused.
"He can find food on his own," Chris explained. "No matter where I hide the jerky, he always manages to find and eat it all... And he's almost finished off the birds in the nearby forest, too."
"He can still catch birds... Ouch!"
Kyle felt his feet being trampled on again.
"Piece of cake," Chris said. "After all, he's a Kneazle, and his fur has just gotten longer, so he doesn't actually look as fat as he seems."
As he spoke, Chris had already taken off his coat and hung it on a nearby rack.
The Bowtruckle that Kyle always carried in his pocket climbed out and jumped onto a potted plant next to the stairs.
This Bowtruckle had been raised by Kyle since he was young, and due to its small size, he could even bring it to school without anyone noticing.
"Is it that urgent?"
"If there's something important, I can leave a few days later."
"No, it's fine." Chris said, "But you must promise me that once you're there, you'll always have your phoenix with you. If you sense anything amiss, run away immediately, don't hesitate."
"Rest assured, I know what to do."
The two chatted for a while longer before Chris shooed Kyle back upstairs to his bedroom.
Despite not having returned for a long time, his room was spotless, not a speck of dust to be found.
Kyle lay on the bed and soon fell asleep.
And so, the next day arrived.
By the time Kyle got up and went downstairs, Chris had already left for the Ministry.
He made himself a simple sandwich with a few slices of toasted bread and ham, and also prepared a large handful of Phoenix Herb for Fawkes.
This herb was one of Fawkes' favorite foods and a primary ingredient in the Befuddlement Draught and Invigoration Potion, making it even more expensive than Mandrake.
However, this was an international trip after all, and Fawkes had helped him a lot previously, so it was only right to be generous this time.
After Fawkes had its fill, Kyle gently stroked the feathers on its tail.
"I'm counting on you."
Having just enjoyed a hearty meal, Fawkes naturally had no objections. It spread its wings and gripped Kyle's shoulders.
...
Perhaps due to the long distance, Kyle felt that this journey made him more dizzy than usual.
Even Kyle, who had gradually become accustomed to traveling by phoenix, was feeling a little overwhelmed.
Dazed, Kyle felt his feet touch solid ground once more, and his ears could hear buzzing sounds again.
It really was a buzzing sound, as he couldn't understand the words being spoken.
It took a while for Kyle to regain his bearings and slowly open his eyes.
He had arrived in France, in an alleyway in the streets of Paris, not far from the bustling main street.
The street was filled with pedestrians coming and going, none of whom noticed this unexpected visitor.
Kyle walked out of the alleyway onto the main street, and it was then that he realized he might have been a little unprepared.
He didn't know the way.
This was normal, as it was indeed his first time in France... Well, his second time, but the first time, Nicole had sent him a direct ticket, so he didn't need to worry about directions and was taken straight to his destination.
This time was different. While Fawkes could Disapparate, 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 in was almost entirely random.
This was embarrassing.
What made it even more awkward was that Kyle's French wasn't very good. He had learned some during the Triwizard Tournament, but upon arriving here, he realized it wasn't enough, as he couldn't pronounce the name of the address in French.
This also meant that he couldn't even ask for directions.
"Should I use magic?" Kyle hesitated.
He wasn't familiar with the French Ministry of Magic and wasn't sure if using magic would 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, he heard some noise coming from the alleyway he had just exited.
A man stumbled out from the other end, seemingly having spent the whole night drinking at a bar and only barely managing to stay conscious.
"Here's an idea." 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 my way..." The man mumbled, lifting his head, seemingly about to curse at him.
But the next second, his eyes widened in shock, and the alcohol in his system cleared up a fair bit.
He saw what looked like a leopard, about the height of a person... or should it be a leopard? But leopards didn't have six legs.
"Hello, may I ask where the triangular building is?"
Kyle asked the same question again.
At the same time, the man snapped back to his senses.
He didn't answer Kyle's question, his muddled brain taking a full two seconds to remind him that he should be screaming by now.
But just as he opened his mouth, he saw the leopard's eyes change from orange to purple.
What a captivating color, like the aged wine he loved to drink.
Dazed, the man felt as if he were soaking in a giant wine glass. But how could there be such a huge wine glass? He must be dreaming, just like he had dreamed of seeing a six-legged leopard.
Wait, how many legs did a leopard have?
"Thud..."
Along with the pain from the impact, the man suddenly came to his senses.
He found himself lying on the ground, with a crowd of people pointing and whispering at him.
"Oh, how did I end up sleeping here?" He rubbed his head, "How embarrassing. Damn Biddy, I'm never drinking that long with him again."
He quickly got up, covering his face, and hurried out of the alleyway, as if nothing had happened... or rather, as if he had subconsciously ignored what had transpired, brushing it off as a dream.
...
(End of Chapter)
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