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Chapter 940: Chris' Proposal
Chapter 940: Chris' Proposal
Kyle sometimes wondered if the position of Minister of Magic held some sort of magical power.
He had surprisingly noticed a hint of Cornelius Fudge's traits in Amelia Bones, the decisive and action-oriented Minister.
Though it was just a slight resemblance, she had indeed changed from before.
However, Kyle was willing to help her.
After all, during the previous decisive battle, Amelia Bones had not stayed in the rear but had led from the front, fighting at the forefront.
This was the quality a qualified Minister of Magic should possess, and compared to that, her minor personality change was insignificant.
So, Kyle cooperated and completed this visit, attempting to salvage some of Amelia's reputation...
Kyle wasn't sure if this would be effective... He wasn't Dumbledore, who had such immense influence.
But at least one thing Kyle could be certain of was that with his help, Amelia wouldn't be directly ousted from her position.
This period of buffer time was enough for her to accomplish many things.
However, what happened afterward was no longer of great concern to Kyle.
Only Dumbledore could change most people's opinions of the Minister of Magic with a single sentence; he didn't have that kind of influence yet, and being able to help buy some time was already quite an achievement.
After that, Kyle visited the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures again, but he didn't find Chris there. According to Cedric, he had been dealing with Dementor-related issues since noon.
"Dementors?" Kyle asked in confusion as he sat in the director's chair, "Are those guys causing trouble again? Haven't they learned their lesson?"
A few years ago, when the Dementors collectively rebelled, they were purged once, and the number of Dementors killed by Kyle and Cedric was close to triple digits.
Later, Sirius offered a generous reward, even sparking a trend of hunting Dementors for a while.
Additionally, Dumbledore and Newt seemed to have caused them trouble, leading to a sharp decline in their numbers.
Now, there might not even be fifty left, pitifully huddled in the old ruins of Azkaban.
Yes, the ruins.
Since the Dementor rebellion and the mass breakout of Death Eaters, Azkaban had lost its original purpose.
After that, the Ministry of Magic didn't dare to imprison criminals there anymore, causing Azkaban to gradually become a useless relic.
Kyle was also puzzled; did those Dementors have no memory at all?
"No, it's not what you're thinking," Cedric shook his head and explained, "The remaining Dementors are well-behaved; it's just that their numbers suddenly increased... from thirty-nine to two hundred and thirty-nine."
"What's going on here?"
"I only know that the new Dementors suddenly appeared on Azkaban Island."
Cedric said, "According to the director, Dementors are the embodiment and collection of all evil, and as long as there is still Dark Magic and Dark Wizards in the world, they cannot be completely eradicated."
"Then why did he go there?"
"He probably went to negotiate," Cedric said in a low voice, "I heard... I just heard that the director suggested rebuilding Azkaban."
"Dad wants to rebuild Azkaban?" Kyle muttered, quickly understanding Chris' intention.
It was still because of the Dementors.
Since these creatures couldn't be eliminated, the best solution was to confine them to a place far away from others.
Azkaban was the best choice.
First, it was remote enough that almost no one would go there, and second, while guarding prisoners, they could also solve their food problem, preventing riots due to food shortages, killing two birds with one stone.
Alright... this was also an unavoidable solution. Besides rebuilding Azkaban, Kyle couldn't think of anywhere else to house so many Dementors.
Although they could kill them one by one, that method had too many uncertainties, and Dementors didn't appear one at a time. Who would be willing to station dozens of wizards on Azkaban Island permanently?
The Patronus Charm was already an advanced spell, and only a portion of elite Aurors knew this spell; it was unrealistic to dispatch dozens of them to such a remote location at once.
"Has the Ministry agreed?" Kyle asked.
"Not yet," Cedric said, "Many people oppose the director's proposal. They believe Dementors are unreliable and suggest following the French wizard prison's example by using Alchemical creatures to guard the prisoners."
"Are they crazy?" Kyle blinked, "Alchemical creatures to guard hundreds of Dark Wizards... Do they know how much those things cost? Or are they finally willing to be generous and prepare a large sum of gold for the Ministry of Magic?"
Kyle had never been to the French wizard prison but had heard about it.
It was said to be the most secure prison besides Azkaban, with all the buildings, including walls and floors, being part of a massive Alchemical creation, and some even bearing the touch of Niccolo Flamel.
Whether this was true or not, Kyle hadn't asked, but it was certain that the French wizard prison had now surpassed Azkaban.
Additionally, such a massive Alchemical creation would undoubtedly be expensive, requiring a nearly astronomical amount of funds.
Given the current financial state of the British Ministry of Magic, it's impossible to fork out so many Galleons, not even enough to lay a floor.
Thinking about it, rebuilding Azkaban seems to be the cheapest option.
"What does the Minister think?" Kyle continued, standing up and walking towards the office door.
He felt that he should be able to help.
If he went to find Amelia Bones now, she would surely give him some face and patiently listen to him for a few words.
"Minister Bones should be supportive of the Director," Cedric followed Kyle out of the office, saying, "She's just hesitant because of the previous mass prison break."
"The Director's trip to Azkaban is to resolve this issue."
Hearing Cedric say this, Kyle knew that this matter didn't require his help.
Minister Bones and Chris shared the same idea; the remaining task was to address the potential rebellion of the Dementors and convince the others.
This wasn't difficult... after all, only rebuilding Azkaban didn't require extra Galleons.
The two stepped into the elevator and headed towards the grand and opulent main hall.
"Do you want to come back to Hogwarts with me?" Kyle asked Cedric beside him, "I organized an interesting Poetry Club with the Weasley brothers, and you might find it interesting."
"Huh?" Cedric paused, seemingly trying to understand Kyle's intention.
With the war just over, the people at Hogwarts probably hadn't recovered from the joy of victory and sorrow yet. At this time, organizing a Poetry Club...
Was it to eulogize the fallen?
But... such a meaningful and positive activity didn't seem like something Fred and George would do... and it didn't fit with Kyle either.
Cedric knew his three dearest friends too well; he could trust them completely when facing danger.
But when there was no danger, he wouldn't dare turn his back on them.
In other words, after the war, they were probably the biggest danger at Hogwarts.
No matter how Cedric tried, he couldn't associate them with a choir.
"Never mind, I'll stay at the Ministry," Cedric shook his head, declining Kyle's invitation.
With half the staff gone, the remaining personnel were almost overwhelmed with work to ensure the normal functioning of the wizarding world.
Cedric was no exception; since his return, he had taken on three jobs. In addition to his primary duties, he also had to keep an eye on smugglers looking to take advantage of the situation, and occasionally, he needed to fill in for the Obliviators, erasing the memories of Muggles.
This time, when he accompanied Kyle out, he also wanted to take a breather.
Cedric actually wanted to go to Hogwarts with Kyle and spend time with his friends, but he couldn't... Someone had to do these jobs; otherwise, the British wizarding world would fall into chaos.
Of course, this didn't mean that Hogwarts was any less challenging, as they might face the returning threat of Voldemort.
Each had their own responsibilities.
Seeing Cedric shake his head, Kyle didn't say anything further and used the fireplace to return to Hogwarts.
To facilitate the quick arrival of the families of the fallen and a swift escape in case of danger, the school had set up a special Floo Network in Professor McGonagall's office fireplace.
However, due to its long disuse, Kyle emerged from it covered in dust.
"It's you, Kyle," Professor Flitwick, who was on duty, waved his wand, and the surroundings immediately became clean.
"How is it? I heard that many people want to oust Minister Bones because of the Ministry's rebellion. She sent you for this, right?"
"Yes, that's right," Kyle said, "But I choose to support her. Once the details of the war are published, and everyone sees that she's been fighting Death Eaters all along, she should be able to regain some support."
"The school can help too," Professor Flitwick said, "We've discussed it with Professor McGonagall. Minister Bones is a good Minister. At least until Voldemort is completely eradicated, she won't be a hindrance."
"Then we can arrange for Professor McGonagall and Minister Bones to meet and discuss matters," Kyle said, "I remember that's what Professor Dumbledore did, and he successfully helped the unpopular Fudge stabilize his position as Minister."
"But Professor McGonagall isn't Albus," Professor Flitwick sighed.
"But she's the Headmistress of Hogwarts," Kyle said with a smile.
"That's true."
At this moment, the fireplace behind them crackled again.
Kyle knew someone was coming and left the office.
"Oh, look at this rotten, maggot-infested cheese; it's so similar to Voldemort's head!"
As soon as Kyle stepped out of the office, he heard a clear and resonant shout from the corridor, as if someone had found a piece of cheese that had been lying in the corner for years.
Another voice, equally serious and resonant, followed suit. "Don't say that about Voldemort, his head is nothing like cheese. I think Voldemort's head is more like a House Elf's bottom."
Damn, every sentence has to mention Voldemort... Kyle immediately understood that they must be Fred and George's accomplices.
But the things they said... Putting Voldemort and House Elves together, Fred knows how to curse.
Fortunately, they were at Hogwarts; otherwise, it's hard to say if Voldemort would come and kill them.
Kyle continued walking forward and realized that there were more people like them.
It seemed that during his time at the Ministry of Magic, Fred and George had found a group of like-minded companions.
As he walked through the Hogwarts corridors, he could clearly hear the name Voldemort being uttered from every corner, and none of it was positive.
Some were obviously in the style of Fred and George, while others were personal improvisations, but equally explosive.
Hopefully, Voldemort would take the initiative to turn off the passive effects of the Name Magic; otherwise, Kyle even thought he might be infuriated to death.
After all, even someone with a good temper like him felt a surge of anger, let alone someone with a volatile temperament like Voldemort.
Kyle returned to the first-floor Great Hall and found Conna there.
She was treating the injured with Madam Pomfrey.
Due to the large number of injured people, even with Slughorn's help, the healing and antidote potions were constantly in short supply. When Conna learned about this, she volunteered to help.
She had previously brewed many similar potions, both healing and detoxifying, and now she was so skilled that she could control five different potion cauldrons simultaneously, leaving Slughorn in awe.
He could only manage three cauldrons, and if he tried to do more, they would all have to be the same potion.
Skeptical, he went to check the quality of the potions.
They weren't the best, but they would easily earn an 'O' in the N.E.W.T. exam, fully meeting Madam Pomfrey's requirements... which was already very impressive.
And in the current situation, efficiency was clearly more important than quality.
After seeing Kyle, Conna hurriedly waved and followed Madam Pomfrey to another location.
Kyle also spotted Fred and George.
They were still sitting in the corner of the Great Hall, brainstorming new sentences.
Not far away, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting.
In this war, the 'Savior' didn't seem to have played the role he should have, making Harry's surroundings seem a bit deserted.
However, Harry himself didn't mind this and even felt happy about it.
At that moment, he was excitedly touching his forehead and talking to Ron, while Hermione was flipping through a thick book, occasionally glancing at Harry with a deeply puzzled expression.
"You're saying that there's a piece of Voldemort's soul fragment inside your body?"
"And the Dementor sucked it out..."
"That's impossible!"
Hermione quickly flipped through the book, The Spell of Souls, Unfold Your Mind, trying to find content that could explain all this.
Harry was a living person; how could he be a Horcrux?
And as for the Dementor, Hermione couldn't believe that such a creature would be so kind-hearted, only sucking out Voldemort's soul fragment and leaving Harry's intact soul untouched.
It defied common sense.
It was like a wizard who broke into Gringotts' vault and abandoned the readily available Galleons, instead choosing a damaged Knut.
Would a Dementor be that kind-hearted? It's impossible no matter how you think about it.
As for Harry's claim that the Dementor was under Kyle's control and didn't harm him, Hermione was even more skeptical.
She had never heard of anyone controlling a Dementor. Even the wizard who guarded Azkaban could only communicate with them simply, not command them like a Bowtruckle.
In fact, no wizard could command Dementors; there had never been any such records, except during Voldemort's attack on Hogwarts.
But that couldn't be considered a command; Voldemort merely released the Dementors, and all their actions were driven by their desire to absorb happiness.
Hermione closed the book in her hand and put it aside, picking up another one.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
She quickly flipped to the page with the Dementor illustration.
It was clearly stated on this page that after encountering a Dementor, if you don't know the Patronus Charm, just run without hesitation. There was no third way to deal with them.
Even the famous Newt Scamander couldn't do it, so others certainly couldn't.
And when it came to Kyle, Hermione inevitably thought of how he had suddenly stunned her with the Stunning Spell in the Screaming Beverage Shop.
This made her even angrier.
"Flip... flip..." Hermione's book-flipping sounds grew louder, while Harry and Ron's voices became softer.
Kyle listened for a while and then quietly left the Great Hall without disturbing them.
...
(End of Chapter)
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