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Chapter 893: The Premature Newspaper, Kyle's Countermeasure
Chapter 893: The Premature Newspaper, Kyle's Countermeasure
The next day was sunny, and the morning breeze was cool and refreshing, a little chilly but pleasant.
Early in the morning, Kyle arrived at the Ministry of Magic. He made his way through the spacious main hall and took the elevator to the second floor, confidently pushing open the door to the Auror Office.
Scrimgeour was sitting there, looking tired, as if he had been working through the night without rest.
"Another operation?" Kyle asked casually.
"Still the same issue." Scrimgeour replied, "Why are you here? If you're looking for Chris, he hasn't returned yet."
"No, I'm just waiting for the fairies."
"Fairies?" Scrimgeour paused, "Do you think they'll bring the galleons today?"
Although he was eager to receive the money, he also knew that nearly forty thousand galleons was no small sum.
It seemed too good to be true that they would deliver the money this morning, just a day after the agreement. Even when Malfoy had donated five thousand galleons to the Ministry, it hadn't been this swift.
"I think so," said Kyle, fiddling with the large Foe-Glass in the office.
Scrimgeour frowned but didn't stop him.
Due to yesterday's events, he was now quite indulgent towards Kyle. It was just a Foe-Glass, after all, and although it was important, a mere touch wouldn't break it.
Time ticked by, and the office gradually filled with more people, all of them looking hurried and harried. They would rush in, give brief reports, and rush out again.
Kyle remained seated quietly in the corner.
Sometimes he could hear what the Aurors were reporting, and sometimes he couldn't.
Scrimgeour had probably cast a spell like Muffliato to ensure privacy. He was being cautious.
However, Kyle wasn't particularly interested in their discussions, and to avoid any misunderstandings, he took the initiative to get up and walk to Mr. Weasley's office not far away.
The Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office was also located on this floor.
When Kyle knocked and entered, he found Mr. Weasley talking to Chris.
"Dad? When did you get back?" Kyle asked in surprise.
"Just now. I ran into Arthur in the main hall a minute ago." Chris was equally surprised to see Kyle here. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for the fairies," Kyle replied.
"Fairies?" Chris was still clueless about what had happened, but Mr. Weasley quickly filled him in.
"Another Ukrainian Ironbelly? These fire-breathing dragons are becoming a real nuisance." Chris rubbed his temples wearily.
He had barely slept more than three hours in the past few days due to his efforts to calm the angry black dragons on the Hebridean Islands. If he had a choice, he would rather not deal with fire-breathing dragons anymore.
But a single abused adult Ironbelly could cause far more destruction than the black dragons. He had no choice but to get involved.
"Well, Arthur, it looks like we'll have to postpone that drink," Chris said with a sigh as he turned to leave.
"Wait," Kyle stopped him, "There's no need to rush, Dad. That fire-breathing dragon has already left Britain."
"How do you know?" Chris asked.
"The Dragon Reserve told me," Kyle said. "I wrote to them yesterday afternoon, and they agreed to take in the Ukrainian Ironbelly.
"In a reply I received not long ago, they mentioned that they would bring the dragon back to Romania from the Pyrenees."
"The Pyrenees...?" Mr. Weasley murmured, "So it flew to France?"
"Obviously," Kyle shrugged.
The Ironbelly had been chasing Oren, and it probably lost track of him along the way, ending up in France.
After all, the dragon had been kept in the dark underground vault for so long that its eyesight had deteriorated, and it couldn't discern directions. It flew purely by instinct.
"Alright then."
Upon hearing that the fire-breathing dragon had left Britain, Chris no longer felt the need to rush off. This was no longer under his jurisdiction, and even if he offered to help, the French Ministry of Magic probably wouldn't appreciate the intrusion.
Mr. Weasley then proceeded to fill him in on yesterday's events. When he heard that Kyle had encountered Death Eaters disguised as fairies in Gringotts, Chris showed no reaction and didn't seem worried at all.
He was used to it by now.
It would have been strange if Kyle hadn't encountered Death Eaters.
Compared to the near-catastrophic incident on the Hebridean Islands, these were minor incidents, and there was no need to worry.
It was only when Mr. Weasley mentioned that Kyle had obtained three thousand galleons in compensation from the fairies that Chris's eyes widened in surprise.
Those greedy fairies, who haggled over every knut, had actually agreed to compensate the Ministry with three thousand galleons?
Was it him or the fairies who had gone mad?
"It's true..."
"Bang!"
Before Mr. Weasley could finish his sentence, they heard a loud banging noise from the neighboring office.
Kyle was the first to rush over, followed closely by Mr. Weasley.
Chris was still processing what was happening, but seeing everyone else leave, he trailed after them.
As soon as they stepped into the corridor, they heard Bagman's angry voice.
"We agreed on this yesterday... What does this mean... Where's your wizard's honor?!"
He seemed so angry that his voice was shaking.
A fairy had barged into the Auror Office and slammed a newspaper onto the table, seemingly intending to throw it at Scrimgeour's face, but its survival instinct had made it change direction mid-flight.
This is...
Scrimgeour subconsciously lowered his head to glance at the newspaper, then deeply furrowed his brows.
[Self-directed and Self-acted, Gringotts May Become a Private Vault for the Mysterious Man]
Just from the title, Scrimgeour understood why the fairy was so angry.
"A shocking piece of news, the ever-impregnable Gringotts has allegedly been robbed. Although the goblins are trying their best to hide this information, I, the brave and righteous Rita Skeeter, have managed to obtain first-hand information..."
The article was long, filling up the entire front page, even encroaching on the usually reserved advertisement spaces at the edges.
Moreover, this article thoughtfully highlighted some key points in bold font for easier reading.
"I find it hard to believe how a wizard could possibly transform into a goblin without being discovered. This is the most shameless excuse I have ever heard, and I would rather believe that this was a collaboration between Gringotts and Death Eaters."
...
"An innocent and excellent wizard was dragged into this conspiracy, helping Gringotts drive away the Death Eaters, only to be almost framed as the culprit. I do not understand what the goblins are trying to achieve here, could it be that they have displeased their new master?"
...
"Whether the goblins have pledged allegiance to the mysterious man is beside the point, but the fact remains that Gringotts can no longer be trusted. It might be wiser to keep your galleons under your own floorboards from now on."
...
Well, what can one say? It was a typical Rita Skeeter style article, full of personal conjectures and hearsay, and if he were a goblin, he would be furious too.
Especially that last sentence, which was essentially suggesting that people withdraw their assets from Gringotts... This was something that Gringotts would never tolerate.
No wonder Bagman was so angry that he could barely speak.
However, Scrimgeour had no idea what had happened.
While this was indeed the Daily Prophet, something about it seemed odd.
The layout was strange; it was normal for the Gringotts incident to occupy the front page, but it was unusual for the same topic to continue onto the second and third pages.
Even if Gringotts was blown up by the mysterious man, it wouldn't warrant an entire issue of the newspaper.
Additionally, the timing was off.
The new issue of the newspaper was released at eight o'clock, which meant that the delivery owls would only set off from the newspaper office after that time.
But now...
Scrimgeour checked the time.
It was half an hour before eight, so no one should have been able to get their hands on the new issue of the newspaper yet.
And from Bagman's description, it seemed that they had already read the newspaper, indicating that they had received it even earlier.
Scrimgeour's expression kept changing, and it was only after a moment that he closed the newspaper, without revealing his discovery to Bagman. Instead, he frowned slightly.
"I don't know what's going on."
"You don't know?!"
"Yes," Scrimgeour said calmly, "The Auror Office only handles the capture of dark wizards and has no right to interfere with the newspaper, so I'm not informed."
"Oh dear... What's going on here?"
At that moment, Kyle happened to walk over leisurely from outside, "I could hear the commotion from the neighboring office... Oh, isn't that Mr. Bogrod?"
Kyle greeted him warmly as if he had just noticed the goblin, "What brings you here? Are you here to deliver the money? That's so thoughtful of you, no need to be in such a hurry."
"It's you!" Bogrod suddenly realized, "This must be your doing!"
"What do you mean, me?" Kyle blinked.
"This!" Bogrod waved the newspaper excitedly, almost wanting to throw it in Kyle's face.
"You already know?" Kyle said in a deep voice,
"Well, you..."
"No need to thank me," Kyle said before Bogrod could react, "I was just doing a small favor, it's really no big deal."
"What did you say?" Bogrod froze, "Thank you?!
Going back on your word, tarnishing Gringotts' reputation, and you expect no thanks?"
He had been a goblin for many years, and he had never met such a shameless wizard.
"Oh, were you asking what happened?" Kyle suddenly turned to Mr. Weasley.
Mr. Weasley, on the other hand, looked bewildered at Kyle... He hadn't said anything.
But seeing Kyle's eye-blinking gesture, Mr. Weasley quickly nodded, "Yes, what happened?"
"It's simple, I just asked a friend at the newspaper office for a small favor." Kyle said, "I was worried that the people at the Prophet wouldn't be able to resist such big news, so I asked her to keep an eye out and send me a copy of the newspaper as soon as the latest issue had anything about Gringotts in it."
"But..." Kyle paused before continuing, "She seemed to have misunderstood my intentions. I only asked for one copy for myself, but she sent it to Gringotts instead."
"You, you..." Bogrod stared at Kyle, dumbfounded.
Did he believe him? If it were someone else, he might have, but coming from Kyle, it was definitely a lie.
That newspaper must have been his doing, and that witch had sent not just one, but a whole hundred copies.
Was it really necessary to send so many if it was just to deliver a message?
"This newspaper... It can't be published... Absolutely not!" Bogrod stuttered, "You have to take responsibility for this, or else, or else, the previous conditions are off!"
"I'm afraid I can't help you there." Kyle sighed, "My friend is just a small employee, she has no say in what the newspaper decides to publish."
"What about your Ministry of Magic?!" Bogrod shouted, "Don't tell me you don't have the authority either!"
"We do, but there's nothing we can do."
"Nothing we can do?!"
"It's mainly due to a lack of funds." Kyle spread his hands out. "Everyone's busy right now, and with that escaped fire-breathing dragon taking up ten people, there's no extra overtime pay, so no one's willing to deal with the newspaper's troubles."
Bogrod understood; he was asking for money!
"That's nearly forty thousand galleons..." it shouted indignantly. "I already said that as soon as Gringotts has gathered the funds, we will send them over immediately."
"You misunderstood, that's not what I meant." Kyle shook his head repeatedly. "But the Ministry is also genuinely busy. Why don't you go to the different floors and see? Everyone has seven or eight tasks on hand; they truly don't have the time."
Bogrod stared at Kyle, speechless, and it was only after a few minutes that he asked in a low voice, "If we pay the money, will this article be canceled?"
"I've already said that it's not up to me to decide." Kyle thought about it. "But with overtime pay, everyone's work enthusiasm will definitely improve, and maybe someone will be willing to make a trip to the newspaper office."
"But I think there's no need. The owls delivering the newspapers will be setting off soon, and in such little time, how could Gringotts possibly gather over three thousand galleons? Let's think of something else."
Bogrod didn't say anything and turned to leave.
Scrimgeour wanted to ask something, but seeing that Chris and Mr. Weasley remained silent, he suppressed his curiosity.
Kyle sat there, watching the time.
Five minutes later, Bogrod returned with a box taller than itself.
The fairy wasted no time and lifted its hand to open the box.
In an instant, dazzling golden light seemed to bathe the entire Auror Office in gold.
"Now... is it okay?" Bogrod said through gritted teeth.
"Of course, of course..." Kyle's lips curled up towards his ears, "Director Scrimgeour, aren't you going to arrange for someone to go to the newspaper office? It'll be too late soon!"
"Oh, I'll go right now." Scrimgeour tore his gaze away from the box of galleons with great difficulty and strolled out, glancing back three times.
When he returned, the fairy had left, leaving only the box filled with dazzling gold coins as proof that everything was real.
"They... did the fairies really gather over three thousand galleons that quickly?"
"That's for sure." Kyle laughed. "As the largest wizarding bank in Britain, if they can't even gather three thousand galleons, it would be too laughable."
"Then what about their previous statements..."
"They were just trying to get a better deal." Kyle said, "Giving a little each month and making small requests in return. Considering the galleons, as long as it's not too difficult, you probably wouldn't refuse, right?"
Scrimgeour thought about it and slowly nodded.
If that were the case, they probably wouldn't refuse, and even the Minister would likely agree.
"Of course, these are just my speculations." Kyle said, "The fairies might have other ideas, but it's mostly to make up for their losses and gain benefits."
"Those greedy fellows..." Scrimgeour muttered something that sounded like a curse under his breath.
"Alright, let's divide the money!" Kyle said nonchalantly.
Now that they had the galleons, it didn't matter what the fairies were thinking.
Hearing his words, Scrimgeour's face lit up with excitement.
Dividing the money, what a wonderful decision.
"I'll go find the Minister!" He stood up and ran out.
This sum of money was nominally given to the Ministry, and Scrimgeour couldn't privately take the agreed-upon portion; he had to involve the Minister.
Soon, Amelia Bones arrived.
Seeing the entire box filled with galleons, even she was momentarily stunned.
They had actually gotten it... unbelievable.
The rest was simple.
Kyle took the first share of six thousand five hundred galleons, and the heavy galleons made a pleasing clinking sound as they were put into a bag.
The Auror Office also received the agreed-upon sum of fifteen thousand galleons, and Scrimgeour couldn't stop licking his lips.
However, Amelia Bones also assigned him the task of repairing Diagon Alley, even though magic could solve most of the problems, but not all.
The falling dragon fire and the split Golden Cup had also damaged many things, such as the books displayed outside Flourish and Blotts, and these couldn't be fixed with magic; they needed galleons.
Scrimgeour readily agreed.
He had a general idea of the extent of the damage, and it wasn't much, well within acceptable limits. Moreover, since he had taken the lion's share, he should take on this work.
As for the remaining half, as previously discussed, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures took a third of it, or five thousand galleons.
The reason given was that the fire-breathing dragon fell under their jurisdiction, so they should get a larger share.
Although everyone knew it was an excuse, they all tacitly accepted it.
Since Kyle had obtained the money, it was only right and proper for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to get a share, and there was no dispute about it.
Chris almost laughed out loud but managed to hold it in, his shoulders shaking slightly.
After taking a turn outside, he returned to find an additional five thousand galleons in funds, and he didn't have to do any extra work. It felt so good.
Mr. Weasley, sitting next to him, smacked his lips enviously... The Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office also needed funds, but he knew that Bones would most likely not agree.
Now, the Ministry's focus was on fighting the mysterious man and Death Eaters, and the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office had almost no say in anything.
If it weren't for him insisting on staying in his current position, Dumbledore would have temporarily closed the department when he announced the integration of the Order of the Phoenix into the Aurors.
...
(End of Chapter)
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