Chapter 942: Disappearance
Chapter 942: Disappearance
"Hey, Kyle, where's Mad-Eye?" Hagrid approached, holding two bottles and glancing first into Kyle's wooden hut and then around the empty field.
"I don't know either," Kyle shook his head. "But he mentioned wanting to go home earlier."
"Home... Oh, yeah, a lot of people want to go home after the war." Hagrid's voice grew somber.
"Grawp is the same. I saw him sitting there in a daze this morning, but he can't go back. Mom won't welcome him... Of course, she wouldn't welcome me either."
"Mad-Eye should go back... Although I was planning to find him for a drink to celebrate his resurrection... But he should go back."
Hagrid muttered to himself, not wasting the two bottles he brought... After confirming that Kyle didn't want to drink, he poured them all into his own mouth.
"Hagrid, you..." Kyle watched him, hesitating to speak.
"I'm fine," Hagrid shook his head. "Giants only like kids who are tall enough. I'm used to it, but Grawp still needs some time."
"Forget about that." He casually stuffed the two empty bottles into his shirt pocket. "So Mad-Eye is really alive, and I didn't dream it, right?"
"He wasn't dead in the first place," Kyle said. "But he has other tasks after this. You mustn't... tell anyone."
"I understand. It needs to be kept secret, right? Don't worry." Hagrid patted his chest.
Then, as if he had thought of something, he suddenly stood still.
Mad-Eye isn't dead... Could it be that Professor Dumbledore is also... Oh, what am I thinking? That's impossible. No one has found Mad-Eye, but Dumbledore is real.
Or maybe he personally carried him away... Hagrid's expression became desolate again. He wanted to drink, but he only took out two empty bottles.
"Hagrid, Hagrid..."
Kyle called out twice without getting any response. It wasn't until the third time that Hagrid slowly looked over.
"Sorry, Kyle, I didn't hear you."
"It's fine," Kyle didn't know what Hagrid was thinking about just now, assuming he was still thinking about his giant brother.
"I'm going to the castle for lunch. Want to come?" Kyle invited.
"You go ahead. I want to stay with Grawp." Hagrid shook his head in refusal.
Kyle had no choice but to go to the castle alone.
Compared to yesterday, the castle suddenly seemed much emptier today.
Most people had already left, with less than a hundred students remaining. Even during lunch, the long table wasn't fully occupied.
"There will be people coming soon," Fred stuffed a piece of fried pork into his mouth and mumbled, "I heard the professors discussing this morning... whether to reopen classes."
"You know, there's still some time before the end of the school year."
George's voice came from Kyle's other side, "If they reopen school now, we should be able to catch up with the O.W.L. for fifth-year students and the N.E.W.T. for seventh-year students. These are two important exams."
"I think they'll be very disappointed when they hear this news," Kyle couldn't help but say.
"This time, I firmly support Professor McGonagall's decision," Fred finally swallowed the fried pork in his mouth.
"Examinations are the most important experience in a wizard's career. How can they be canceled just because Voldemort attacked Hogwarts, which is a trivial matter?"
"That would be a real pity."
"Hogwarts can't do that."
"It's irresponsible to all the students."
Watching the two of them echo each other's sentiments, Kyle almost believed them.
It's only because they've already graduated; otherwise, they would never say such things.
"Hey, we're not gloating," George explained when he saw Kyle's speechless expression. "We're doing this to strengthen the Harmony Choir."
"Harmony Choir?" Kyle was taken aback and subconsciously thought of the Hogwarts Frog Choir.
"It's the idea you proposed," Fred said. "We've given it a more detailed name: The First Team of Wizards United Worldwide to Jointly Condemn Voldemort."
"That name is too long," Kyle clicked his tongue. "Are you serious?"
"We also think the name is a bit long," Fred said.
"So we gave it a shorter name... Harmony Choir," George picked up the pumpkin juice on the table and gently clinked glasses with Fred.
"Okay," Kyle clicked his tongue, gradually accepting this outrageous but, in a sense, normal name.
It wasn't surprising for Fred and George to make any decision.
"We value this activity highly."
"Absolutely."
"But later, we found that although there are many people in the castle, very few agree with our idea..."
"Those adults will only think we're fooling around..."
"So, up until now, we've only recruited over eighty members. It's too few..."
"But we also discovered that solving this problem isn't difficult..."
"As long as Hogwarts reopens..."
"At that time, we'll have several hundred potential members."
As Kyle listened, he finally understood.
It was because his idea was too unconventional, and not everyone could accept it.
Fred and George could, as they were unconventional themselves and didn't have much fear of Voldemort.
But for the adult wizards who had experienced the war a decade ago, the fear of Voldemort was deeply ingrained and not something that could be easily dispelled in a day or two.
Perhaps they could try changing the name in public places, but it was difficult for them to utter anything too extreme.
It was an instinctual reaction.
Fred and George had only recently realized this, so they turned their attention to students who hadn't experienced the First Wizarding War.
However, there were only a handful of people helping out at Hogwarts, and after the war, some were hastily picked up by their parents, leaving less than a hundred students.
"We've already approached all of them."
"The number is still too small."
"But to recruit new members, we'll have to wait until school starts again."
The two sighed, looking dejected.
In their plan, eighty people were not enough. They needed at least two hundred to continuously taunt Voldemort around the clock.
To be honest, gathering this number wasn't difficult; they had countless ways to quickly expand their team in a short time.
But they didn't do that, or rather, they imposed a crucial restriction on themselves—when making statements against Voldemort, they had to be physically at Hogwarts.
This was to ensure the utmost safety for everyone involved.
After all, Voldemort wasn't a forgiving person. Even though he had fled after his defeat, his formidable power remained.
Once he became enraged, almost no one could escape his pursuit... unless they all stayed together at Hogwarts, a place Voldemort would dare not return to.
This was why the numbers couldn't increase quickly. There were only so many people at the school, and most of those who could join had already done so.
"Oh, right, Kyle, I just remembered you're a professor too," George suddenly slapped the table and said. "Go ask if Hogwarts can reopen."
"That's right, I forgot about that," Fred chimed in. "And since it was your idea, it's not fair for us to do all the work while you do nothing."
"It's time for you to contribute."
Before Kyle could even put down his cutlery, Fred and George pushed him out of the dining table.
Kyle had wanted to finish his lunch first, but seeing the determined look in Fred and George's eyes, he gave up the idea and sighed, heading towards the direction where the professors were.
Since classes hadn't officially resumed, Professor McGonagall and the others weren't at their usual staff table. Instead, they were all seated at the front of the Gryffindor long table.
As Kyle approached, they were discussing the topic of reopening the school, and no one noticed him.
"No, it's too dangerous," Professor Sprout clearly opposed the idea. "No one can guarantee that Voldemort won't return. If he does, we won't have time to organize another student evacuation."
"Pomona, your concerns are unnecessary," Professor Flitwick, sitting across from her, disagreed.
"I don't think Voldemort will return. He should know that without his Death Eaters, he can't possibly face all the professors united.
If he's smart, he won't come back."
"I agree with Filius," Professor Sinistra from the Astronomy class whispered. "And as far as I know, the Aurors have been searching for Voldemort and that traitor, Snape.
If they dare return to Hogwarts, it's like walking into a trap."
Throughout the discussion, Professor McGonagall remained silent.
While she valued the exams, she was even more concerned about the students' safety, making it difficult for her to decide.
However, after hearing Professor Flitwick and Sinistra's arguments, she seemed somewhat convinced.
Like them, she didn't believe Voldemort would come to Hogwarts to cause trouble after his Death Eaters had been captured.
Perhaps a single professor might not be a match for Voldemort, but if all the professors united, it would be Voldemort who would have to flee.
So, Professor McGonagall thought that even if Voldemort sought revenge, his first priority would be to rescue the captured Death Eaters, not to come to Hogwarts alone.
Therefore, as long as they paid close attention to the situation at the Ministry of Magic, they should be able to send the students away again before Voldemort returned.
"Alright, let's vote," Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, interrupting the discussion.
"Those in favor of reopening the school, raise your hands."
Several hands, including Professor Flitwick and Sinistra, went up immediately, accounting for about half of the group.
Kyle also raised his hand, at the very edge, unsure if it would count.
"Good," Professor McGonagall said, lowering her hand. "Those who disagree with reopening, raise your hands."
Several hands were raised, but it was evident that fewer students volunteered compared to before.
Some, like Professor Trelawney and Professor Slughorn, didn't raise their hands at all.
"Well, the result is clear." Professor McGonagall said, "Filius, please inform the students that Hogwarts will officially reopen tomorrow."
"No problem." Professor Flitwick didn't even finish his lunch and immediately jumped out of his chair, heading out of the Great Hall. But soon, he returned.
"Minerva, should we use the Hogwarts Express?"
Professor McGonagall shook her head after a moment of thought, "The train journey is too long. Let them go directly to Hogsmeade, either by Apparition or the Knight Bus.
"Make sure to inform them about summoning the Knight Bus as well. Although it's slightly less comfortable, it's incredibly fast, even for those coming from the furthest parts of Britain. It's very convenient."
"No problem." Professor Flitwick hurried off, heading towards the Owlery.
The simplest and most straightforward method of communication at Hogwarts was sending letters.
"Pomona."
Professor McGonagall turned to Professor Sprout, "Please check the castle again. I'm concerned about the remaining Dark Magic traces left by the Death Eaters. We must clean them all before the students start classes."
"I understand." Although Professor Sprout opposed the school's reopening, with most of the professors in agreement, she had no choice but to comply. She also stood up and left the Great Hall.
Several other professors accompanied her.
After all, checking for Dark Magic was a tedious task, and one person alone wouldn't be enough.
With Professor McGonagall's arrangements, everyone soon had their tasks.
"Professor McGonagall, what about me?" Kyle asked, pointing to himself in the corner.
"You don't need to do anything..." Professor McGonagall paused.
Initially, she had planned to ask Kyle to prepare for another possible encounter with Voldemort, just like the day before.
But after a moment's hesitation, she changed her mind, "You can decide for yourself. You can help either Filius or Pomona, but make sure to rest well first."
"Don't worry, Professor McGonagall. I'm fine." Kyle assured her.
He then returned to Fred and George's side and shared the good news about Hogwarts' reopening.
Although he had hardly contributed to this matter, Fred and George were none the wiser.
They only knew that Kyle had gone to the staff table, and the matter was settled. For a while, they were in awe of Kyle's abilities.
"It's nothing, just a small matter." Kyle said calmly, "But you should be more careful when the time comes. Your current play isn't suitable for those first and second-year little witches and wizards."
"We understand that."
"Don't worry, we won't corrupt the little ones."
The two brothers assured him, but how much of this was credible was uncertain.
It should be quite high, after all, most of the products in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had age restrictions.
Moreover, if they corrupted the younger witches and wizards, Professor McGonagall would be the first to not let them off easily.
Fred and George wouldn't do anything dangerous.
After a quick lunch, Kyle prepared to find Professor Sprout.
There wasn't much he could help with on Professor Flitwick's end. The school owls were specially trained, and their flying abilities and endurance far surpassed those of ordinary post owls.
There were several hundred students who needed to receive letters, but for the owls, it was just a matter of making a few extra trips.
As for the letters, they could be handled with the Duplication Charm. Professor Flitwick could manage it alone, and no assistance was needed.
As Kyle left the Great Hall and headed towards the stairs, something unexpected happened. Fox, who had been quiet since the end of the war, suddenly flew out of his box and landed directly on Kyle's shoulder.
The appearance of the phoenix immediately caught everyone's attention, including the professors who hadn't gone far.
Although they had known about the phoenix's presence with Kyle during the battle, and how it had worked with him, using a special form of Apparition to dodge the Killing Curse twice, seeing it up close now still felt incredible.
Everyone knew that Professor Dumbledore had a phoenix, and now it was perched on Kyle's shoulder... Was this Professor Dumbledore's choice? Some people's minds instantly envisioned a scene of the old and new wizards passing the baton, with Fox as the symbol.
Unlike the professors, the students had simpler thoughts. They purely admired the beauty of the phoenix, and Fred even took out his camera, intending to take a photo to use on their upcoming promotional page.
He already had a name in mind: 'Boy and Phoenix,' which he believed would attract many people.
"Bang!"
A purple cloud of smoke rose, and Fred frowned at the photo in his hand.
It showed a bright flash of light, and nothing else.
Just as he pressed the shutter, Kyle was already enveloped in a flash of light and disappeared.
(End of Chapter)
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