Chapter 552: The Senior Undersecretary’s Absurd Proposal

Moody took longer to return to Hogwarts than anyone had expected—nearly a month. On a Friday night, as everyone was enjoying dinner in the Great Hall, the doors were suddenly flung open. Moody limped in, his face set in a dark scowl.

Though his usual demeanor was intimidating, tonight it was clear he was in an especially foul mood. His scarred face was drawn taut, and his mismatched eyes—one natural, the other magical—darted restlessly, scrutinizing every person in the room.

The oppressive air around him silenced even the boldest students. Those who might have greeted him quickly abandoned the idea, sitting stiffly and avoiding his gaze altogether.

"Kyle, do you know what's going on?" Cedric whispered from his spot at the Hufflepuff table. "I've never seen Professor Moody so angry before."

"I'm not sure," Kyle replied, shaking his head. "But I think it might have to do with what's been happening at the Ministry."

His eyes flicked to the Daily Prophet lying open beside him. The front page featured a bold headline:

"Former Deputy Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Dolores Jane Umbridge, Appointed Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic."

Unlike the brief mention of Bartemius Crouch a month ago, this article about Umbridge dominated the entire front page, detailing her past achievements and contributions to the Ministry. Kyle had skimmed most of it, uninterested, but one detail near the end had caught his attention.

It mentioned that Umbridge believed Aurors had too much autonomy and suggested banning certain powerful spells, including the Blasting Curse. She had also proposed restructuring the Auror Office, placing it under direct oversight by the Minister's Office, similar to the Hit Wizards, instead of leaving it under the authority of the Auror Office Head.

The article indicated that this proposal had been made about two weeks ago and was still under discussion, marked "pending."

Kyle pieced it together. That was likely why Moody had been away so long—and why he was furious now.

Aurors and Hit Wizards operated under very different circumstances. Aurors, tasked with capturing dangerous dark wizards, frequently faced life-or-death situations.

Forbidding them from using powerful spells would put them at even greater risk. Worse, placing their missions under the Minister's direct control would add bureaucratic delays that could prove fatal in emergencies, where every second counted.

Though Moody had retired, he would never stand idly by while the Ministry jeopardized the lives of his former colleagues.

Fudge, the Minister of Magic, had truly overstepped this time. It was baffling that he hadn't immediately rejected such a reckless proposal. Other countries were working to improve conditions for their Aurors to attract more talent, yet Fudge seemed intent on undermining his own forces.

Kyle suspected that Fudge's motives were political—perhaps a desire to consolidate power—but it was a shortsighted and foolish move. Other nations were undoubtedly watching this debacle unfold.

Fleur's soft, derisive laugh drew Kyle's attention. She had glanced at the Daily Prophet and seemed to find the situation amusing—or perhaps absurd. Nothing else in the paper could explain her reaction.

Meanwhile, at the Slytherin table, Krum wasn't his usual silent self. He was speaking animatedly in Bulgarian with his Durmstrang companions, a copy of the Daily Prophet lying on the table beside him.

Kyle sighed. Sirius was right—the Ministry is a mess without Crouch.

Still, this wasn't something he could do anything about. Dumbledore would undoubtedly step in to prevent such a disastrous policy from being enacted.

Glancing toward the teachers' table, Kyle saw Dumbledore deep in conversation with Moody. The Headmaster's expression was grave, underscoring the seriousness of the situation.

...

The next morning, when Kyle arrived on the eighth floor as usual, he found the Headmaster's Office empty. Dumbledore wasn't there.

I guess he went to the Ministry of Magic, Kyle thought.

He had anticipated this possibility, so after waiting for about ten minutes, he decided to leave. It was refreshing to have an occasional day off, and today happened to be Hogsmeade week. After more than a month of drinking pumpkin juice, Kyle was eager to visit The Three Broomsticks and enjoy a chilled Butterbeer.

As he descended from the eighth floor and reached the foyer, he ran into Sirius and Harry. Judging by their relaxed demeanor, it seemed they were also planning to go out.

"Kyle?" Sirius said, sounding a little surprised. "Don't you have a class with Professor Dumbledore today?"

Though most students were unaware, the professors knew about Kyle's private lessons with Dumbledore. Sirius, in particular, had firsthand knowledge—he once tried to skip a class by heading to the Headmaster's Office. That attempt lasted a grand total of ten minutes before he gave up and left in frustration.

Sirius still couldn't wrap his head around it. The complex formulas in Ancient Runes made his head spin. He hadn't taken the subject during his time at school, and what little knowledge he'd picked up had long faded during his twelve years away from society.

"What? Kyle is learning Charms from Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked, clearly surprised and a little envious. This was the first time he'd heard of it.

That was Dumbledore—the greatest wizard of the century. Studying under him had to be an incredible opportunity to learn.

"That's right," Sirius confirmed, winking conspiratorially. "For the Triwizard Tournament. But—" he lowered his voice—"remember not to tell anyone else."

"No problem. I'll keep it a secret," Harry said, nodding earnestly while trying to suppress his envy. He briefly debated whether to tell Ron and Hermione, but since Sirius had emphasized keeping quiet, he decided to wait. He imagined the stunned expressions on their faces when he revealed this secret closer to the third task.

Turning to Kyle, Harry asked, "So, have you learned it all by now? I really hope you can win."

"Learn it all? It's still early days," Kyle said with a shake of his head. "Professor Dumbledore isn't at school today, so I'm heading to The Three Broomsticks for a drink. What about you two?"

"That's perfect," Sirius replied with a grin. "We're heading to Hogsmeade as well. Remus is already there. If you're free, why don't you join us?"

"Professor Lupin? Of course," Kyle said, nodding with enthusiasm. It had been quite some time since he last saw Lupin, the former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

As Kyle glanced at Sirius, a curious thought crossed his mind. Is he filling in for Lupin? It seemed fitting. The two were such close friends that they even shared similar roles. Kyle only wondered whether Sirius would manage to leave the position unscathed at the end of the school year, unlike Lupin.

To be fair, Lupin's departure had been the most fortunate outcome compared to his predecessors. Though forced to resign after his identity as a werewolf was revealed, he hadn't faced any significant harm. That alone was more than 99% of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors could claim.