Chapter 825: An Acquaintance, Percy's Return
Chapter 825: An Acquaintance, Percy's Return
The Silent One, a profession that sounded serious and solemn, was, in Kyle's understanding, supposed to be meticulous and taciturn, only speaking when necessary.
Like Diana, who was more rigorous at the Department of Mysteries than at home.
However, the Silent One before him seemed to be amused, as if she was watching him make a fool of himself, just like Fred and George when they were being silly, and instead of helping, she was enjoying the spectacle.
Kyle rubbed his temples.
To put it simply, this Silent One was too lively and not as serious as he had imagined.
But Kyle didn't have time to worry about that now. He took two steps forward and said, "I have something to ask..."
"Okay."
The Silent One nodded before Kyle could finish speaking.
"What?" Kyle was taken aback.
"You're here to ask me to pass on a message to Diana, aren't you?" the Silent One said.
"How did you know?" Kyle asked, puzzled. "Did you overhear our previous conversation?"
"I didn't, and I don't need to," the Silent One shook her head. "Under normal circumstances, you should be at Hogwarts, but you're here at the Department of Mysteries. What other purpose could you have besides finding Diana?"
Kyle's eyes widened. "I...I was just about to ask you that."
The Silent One continued, "You're not supposed to be here, but you are. And I know you've been to Hogwarts."
Kyle's eyes widened further as he realized his mistake. He had been pretending to be Dumbledore at Hogwarts, and that was a secret that only a few professors knew. He shouldn't have revealed that he had been to Hogwarts.
The Silent One looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Are you surprised? Or do you think Albus Dumbledore's use of the Time Turner could go unnoticed by the Department of Mysteries?"
"A hundred years, such a massive time span, even the mist in the Time-Reversal Hall is about to spill out. If we didn't notice anything, we might as well close down the department."
Kyle was speechless.
He had almost forgotten that the Department of Mysteries dealt with time and space, and if someone used a Time Turner, they would definitely know.
"Godric's Hollow, Bathilda Bagshot's living room, am I right?" the Silent One continued. "After you used the Time Turner, we immediately investigated the area. Although there were many people around, it wasn't hard to deduce that you were involved."
"Why?" Kyle asked. "Why did you think it was me?"
"Because of the Phoenix," the Silent One explained patiently. "The Phoenix is a unique magical creature, not just anyone can get close to it. Since you were with it, that's all the proof we needed. Do you have any other questions?"
"So, you've been following me?" Kyle asked.
The Silent One smiled. "I wouldn't say that. We've just been keeping an eye on you. After all, you're Diana's family. We discovered that you sent Harry Potter off to school on September 1st, but you didn't return with the others. It's not hard to guess that you also went to Hogwarts."
"I could have used Apparition to leave early," Kyle said, trying to defend himself.
The Silent One looked at him with an amused expression.
"Okay, maybe that was a stupid thing to say," Kyle admitted, feeling embarrassed. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement could track Apparition, and if the Department of Mysteries was watching him, they would have been prepared.
The Silent One chuckled. "It's okay, don't worry about it."
Kyle shook his head. "You also know why I came to the Department of Mysteries, don't you? If you've been watching me, you must know I went to France and what happened there."
The Silent One emphasized, "We don't actually know what happened in France. We're just making educated guesses based on your itinerary and subsequent events. Diana knows you too well, so it's not hard for us to guess."
Kyle's eyes narrowed. If it was his mother, it would make sense.
The Silent One continued, "And Beauxbatons Academy is not a place we can easily access, so we wouldn't know what you experienced there."
"However," she said, her tone changing, "according to Diana's guess, you came to the Department of Mysteries because you noticed that Albus Dumbledore is stuck in the past and you want to rescue him."
Kyle nodded, acknowledging the truth. "I want to know what to do."
The Silent One's expression turned serious. "It's best if you do nothing. Let others handle it, and you won't have any trouble."
I think Minerva McGonagall is a great choice; she's capable and meticulous, and she can definitely bring Albus Dumbledore back from the past."
"I know, but I have a feeling that this is something I have to do," Kyle said.
"Is that so?" Jian Mo Ren paused, "Then do nothing and let nature take its course."
"Do nothing?" Kyle thought for a moment, "Is this what my mom meant?"
"The first rule," Jian Mo Ren said, "You should understand that she would never agree with you using the Time Turner. I can help you relay the message, but the answer will most likely be the same."
"Thanks, but no need." Kyle shook his head and turned to leave.
But soon he stopped and turned back, asking, "Do we know each other?"
"I guess so." The other person replied.
"Who are you?"
This time, Jian Mo Ren remained silent and simply reached out to open the suddenly appearing Black Door.
Until she walked in, she said lightly, "You'll find out, but not now."
The door closed and then merged with the wall, disappearing once again in front of Kyle.
He tried calling out twice, but there was no response around him.
"What a strange person." Kyle muttered.
He walked up the Alchemy Elevator and into the bustling main hall, pondering Jian Mo Ren's words and trying to match the image of Jian Mo Ren with the memories in his mind.
But no matter how long he thought about it, he couldn't be sure who the other person was, and none of the people in his memories matched.
As Kyle was thinking, he walked through the bustling main hall and arrived at the Fireplace.
He shouldn't have spent more than an hour on the ninth floor, and during this time, Chris wouldn't have returned from the Hebrides Islands.
So Kyle didn't bother looking for him and directly used the Fireplace to return to his shabby home.
...
"Hey, you two, be quiet!"
"Charlie, can you help me get a cushion? This chair is too hard."
"Mom, you've already put two cushions, why can't he stay at St. Mungo's for a bit longer?"
"Maybe the big-headed boy can write an amazing report on the softness of the hospital bed."
"Even more amazing than the report at the bottom of the Crucible."
"You're wasting his time!"
Many voices echoed through the shabby home.
When Kyle jumped out of the Fireplace, everyone looked at him in surprise.
"Sorry to interrupt you... Oh, Percy, when did you get back?" Kyle exclaimed, looking at the thin figure in the middle.
Percy Weasley, during the Death Eater attack on the Ministry of Magic, was also affected and sent to St. Mungo's after enduring the Cruciatus Curse and the Soul Shackling Charm.
I didn't expect him to be discharged so soon?
"Just now, Mom brought me back half an hour ago." Percy's voice was weak.
"Why not stay a few more days?" Kyle walked over and noticed that Percy's face was still pale, and his red hair lacked luster.
"I know the Dean there, and you can rest assured."
"There's no way to rest there." Percy shook his head, "Too many people, and next to me is someone affected by a strange Dark Magic. Every day, he'd believe he's a snake at random times and crawl around the room. Last night, he even broke free from the healer's restraints, crawled onto me, and tried to swallow me."
At this point, Percy shuddered involuntarily.
Next to them, Fred and George were laughing so hard they were rolling on the floor,
Fred's tears were streaming down his face, "That guy started swallowing from Percy's feet."
"I bet he'll never dare to eat randomly again." George said, leaning on the table,
"Can you two be quiet!" Mrs. Weasley tried to keep a straight face, but she seemed to be struggling to hold it in.
"Regardless, we should thank that person." She said, "Thanks to him, Percy was able to wake up so quickly."
"I bet Percy wouldn't want to thank him." Fred said, raising an eyebrow.
Percy didn't want to either.
The moment he opened his eyes and saw someone trying to swallow his leg, this incident would likely become a lifelong shadow for him... even bigger than the shadow of the Soul Shackling Charm and the Cruciatus Curse.
It was for this reason that Percy hurriedly told Bill, who was guarding his bedside, to have Mrs. Weasley bring him home.
"If that's the case, why don't I contact Dean Sascia and get Percy a new hospital room?" Kyle said, "Treating Unforgivable Curses, St. Mungo's is the best place."
"Thanks for your kindness, Kyle, but it's really not necessary."
At this moment, Mrs. Weasley also walked over and placed a large plate of candies on the table.
When I went to pick him up earlier, I asked the healers, and they said that Percy didn't endure the Unforgivable Curses for long, and as long as he wakes up, it's better to rest at home than at St. Mungo's.
"Yeah." Percy also nodded, "I feel much more relaxed after coming back here."
"Hey, who are you!" Fred suddenly shouted, startling everyone.
George also pointed his wand at Percy, "No matter who you are, you're not allowed to control Percy with the Soul Shackling Charm!"
"You two..."
Mrs. Weasley, startled, rolled up her sleeves angrily and walked over to twist their ears.
Fred quickly dodged Mrs. Weasley's hand and said seriously, "Mom, you've all been deceived. Percy can't say things like 'The Leaky Cauldron is comfortable'."
"Yeah, he also said that it made him feel oppressed, and he would never come back then!" George chimed in.
Mrs. Weasley's movements stopped, and her expression became complicated.
Because Percy did indeed say those words back then, when Voldemort had not yet publicly appeared, and the Ministry of Magic was still denying his resurgence.
At that time, Percy insisted on standing by Fudge's side, even at the cost of a family fallout. From then on, he never returned.
Even when Fudge later changed his tune and Voldemort made his grand entrance, Percy only apologized and continued to avoid the other Weasleys, let alone returning home.
The Leaky Cauldron fell into an eerie silence, and Kyle didn't know what to say to ease the tension.
Moreover, and it didn't seem appropriate for him to say anything about the Weasley family matters.
Feeling awkward, Kyle wanted to do something to keep himself busy. He carefully picked up a stick of mint candy and slowly unwrapped it, trying not to make a sound.
As soon as he opened the packaging, a sturdy arm reached over and snatched the candy away.
Charlie turned and glanced at Kyle, then popped the candy into his mouth.
It was obvious that he also felt a bit embarrassed.
Although he was also a Weasley, when Percy fell out with the family, he was still in Romania. After he returned, the others rarely mentioned Percy.
At this moment, he also didn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry."
No one knew how long it had been when Percy finally spoke, "I don't know what was wrong with me back then. It was probably my ridiculous pride, even though I knew I was wrong, I didn't know how to face you and Dad... So I thought that if I didn't see you, I could pretend nothing happened..."
"But I know I was wrong, I'm sorry. If it's possible... I want to come back, to come back to this family, is that okay?"
Percy anxiously looked at Mrs. Weasley, his hands tightly clasped together.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Mrs. Weasley's eyes instantly reddened, and she tightly hugged Percy, "You're a part of this family, and you can come back whenever you want."
"Is that it?" Fred frowned and said discontentedly, "Apologize, and all the nonsense can be erased?"
"And you two." Percy turned his head, and even though his body was weak, he still stood up shakily. "I apologize for my past actions. After that, you can do whatever you want to vent, as long as I can come back, even if it's in the attic."
Percy bent down, just like when he saw Barty Crouch at the Quidditch World Cup, bending very low, and his glasses even fell on the table.
"You... Just because you say that doesn't mean we'll forgive you." Fred, who was previously indignant, suddenly lost his words. He looked at Percy and unconsciously averted his gaze.
George was the same, and the two of them seemed to still be processing the situation, their expressions somewhat constrained.
"It's amazing that you can actually say something like that?" George threw the wand in his hand to the side.
The wand hit the chair and turned into a black line with a 'plop' sound.
"I'm starting to doubt if you're really Percy." Fred said, "The Percy we know would never apologize to us."
"He would only say: Fred, can you two be quiet? I can't read my book."
"And tattling to Mom."
"You can check, by any means, I have no objections." Percy said.
"Don't say that, dear." Mrs. Weasley rubbed her eyes, "I trust the healers at St. Mungo's. If they let you come back, it proves you're definitely fine."
"We will certainly do that."
George grabbed a candy, tore open the packaging haphazardly and stuffed it into his mouth, "But if you let him stay in the attic, Mom will kill us."
The two of them seemed to be adjusting to Percy's transformation, or perhaps they were still not used to it. After leaving a "We're going back to the shop" behind, they hurriedly left.
The door of the Leaky Cauldron opened and closed.
"I think I've never been to your place after you graduated." Charlie suddenly turned and asked Kyle.
"You haven't been there since graduation." Kyle said.
"Has it been that long? How's Tom, that cat-like creature of yours?"
"He's doing well, he's gained several circles, but Dad insists it's just his fur growing longer."
"I quite like cat-like creatures. They're smarter than dragons and easier to handle. Can you take me to see him?"
"Of course, no problem." Kyle stood up and left the Leaky Cauldron with Charlie.
...
(End of Chapter)
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