Chapter 781: The Stolen Wand

The next morning, Kyle, still deep in sleep, was awakened by the sound of lively conversation.

He opened his eyes and listened carefully for a moment. Realizing that there was no panic in the voices, he let out a sigh of relief. After getting dressed and stifling a yawn, he stepped out of his room.

The voices were coming from downstairs—he could tell right away that it was Harry and Ron.

"A new minister was chosen overnight?"

At the breakfast table, Ron looked at the freshly delivered Daily Prophet and remarked, "This has to be the fastest the Ministry of Magic has ever moved."

"How could they afford to be slow?" Hermione shot him a sharp look. "Do you think they'd go through another voting process? That would waste so much time! What if the Death Eaters launched another attack in the meantime?"

"I know, I know, I was just saying," Ron muttered. "But does anyone actually know who the new minister is?"

"Amelia Bones… I remember there was a Bones in Hufflepuff. What was her name again?"

"Susan Bones," Harry and Hermione answered in unison.

Ron glanced at them suspiciously. "How do you two know that so well?"

"Because of Slughorn," Harry explained. "At the start of last year, he invited Susan Bones to have lunch with him in his compartment."

"And I saw her at the welcome feast," Hermione added. "But only twice. After that, she never showed up again."

"I suppose that was because Madam Bones was attacked by Death Eaters and had to be sent to St. Mungo's for a while."

"That's just how Slughorn is," Harry said with a slight sneer. "He likes to cozy up to students from influential families, but the moment they lose their status, his attitude changes completely."

Ron suddenly let out a laugh. "I bet Slughorn is regretting it now! Not only did Madam Bones recover, but she also became the Minister of Magic."

"Yeah, I'm sure he's kicking himself," Harry chuckled, amused by the thought. "I bet he'll be eager to invite Susan to his dinner parties again once term starts."

"But whether Susan actually accepts is another matter," Hermione said with a small smile. "I remember she never really liked those dinner parties to begin with. Given everything that's happened, I doubt Professor Slughorn will have much luck."

As they chatted, Kyle descended the stairs, stretching and letting out a long yawn.

"Sorry," Hermione turned to him. "Were we too loud? Did we wake you?"

"It's fine," Kyle waved it off. "It's nearly noon anyway—just in time for lunch… What are you guys talking about?"

"The Ministry has a new Minister," Ron said, waving the newspaper in his hand.

"Amelia Bones?" Kyle asked.

Ron looked surprised. "How did you know? You haven't even read the paper."

"I saw Professor Dumbledore meeting with her last night," Kyle replied casually. "And honestly, she's the most suitable candidate in the Ministry."

"Even Professor Dumbledore thinks so?" Ron whistled. "No wonder she took over Fudge's position so quickly. I mean, if Dumbledore supports her, nobody else is going to argue, right?"

"I think it has more to do with Madam Bones herself," Harry said. "If she weren't capable, Professor Dumbledore wouldn't support her."

He had asked Sirius about the trial countless times and was well aware of Amelia Bones' stance—and how she had helped Sirius. Because of that, Harry had a natural respect for her and fully supported her as the new Minister.

"Maybe you're right," Ron shrugged, not arguing the point. "So, what's she like compared to Fudge?"

"I don't know much about her as a Minister," Kyle said thoughtfully, "but as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she was known for being fair and decisive. She never put off what could be done today."

"Well, that alone makes her better than Fudge," Ron said, shaking his head. "Everyone knows how indecisive he is."

"Who knows…" Kyle murmured.

A position can change a person. Take Fudge, for example. Back when he was in charge of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, he had done an outstanding job, with plenty of impressive achievements.

But that didn't stop him from becoming the power-obsessed Minister people know today.

As their conversation continued, Kyle glanced around, taking in his surroundings.

"Are you three the only ones here? Where is everyone else?"

"Sirius and Mr. Weasley went to the Ministry," Harry said. "There's a lot to handle, so he was pulled in to help."

"And Mrs. Weasley went to St. Mungo's."

"Still because of Percy?" Kyle asked as he casually took the cup of tea Kreacher handed him.

"Thanks."

"Master Kyle, please enjoy. Lunch will be ready shortly," Kreacher said, bowing before retreating.

"Incredible," Ron muttered, unable to hold back his surprise. "That house-elf has never been this polite to us before."

"That's because you're not polite to him," Hermione replied.

"I don't think that's it," Ron shook his head. "You've always been kind to him, but has he ever treated you with any respect? I've even heard him calling you 'Mudblood' behind your back… Well, you get what I mean."

Hermione opened her mouth but said nothing.

Because it was true. Kreacher didn't just insult her behind her back—he had no problem saying those things to her face, never holding back on his nasty comments. The only times he exercised restraint were when Sirius or Kyle were around.

So, even if Hermione wanted to argue with Ron, she had no good reason to. Instead, she shifted her gaze to Kyle, acting as if she hadn't heard anything, and smoothly changed the subject.

"It's not just because of Percy… It's mostly about someone else."

"Someone else?" Kyle frowned. "You mean someone in the Order of the Phoenix?"

"No, no, that's not it," Hermione quickly shook her head, having guessed where Kyle's thoughts were heading. "It's not anyone from the Order. But I don't know exactly who it is—they didn't say before they left."

Kyle nodded. Knowing it wasn't someone from the Order, he lost interest in the topic.

...

Half an hour later, Fred and George also came downstairs, yawning. Like Kyle, they had been up until dawn the night before and had only just woken up.

"Honestly, all that chattering so early in the morning," Fred grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I think I finally understand how Mum felt during the holidays."

"She must be counting down the days until we go back to school," George said.

"It's way too loud."

"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly.

"No, Harry, it's not you. Same for you, Hermione," Fred clarified. "We meant Ron. He's the one making the most noise."

"If you're that bored, why don't you just do your homework?" George suggested, eyeing Ron. "I'll bet three Galleons that your assignments are still completely blank."

"I'll throw in another three," Fred added.

Ron's face turned red. He wanted nothing more than to slap his completed homework down in front of Fred and George and make them hand over those six Galleons. That amount was practically a fortune to him.

But the problem was… he really hadn't done any of it.

The holiday was only halfway over. Who in their right mind would start their homework this early?

Fred and George smirked knowingly at Ron's flustered and slightly annoyed expression. They knew him too well—just as Ron always suspected them first whenever he got pranked, they had an unshakable instinct when it came to teasing him.

It was the kind of useless but undeniable bond only brothers could have.

...

With the adults away, Kreacher prepared lunch—a lavish meal, more than enough for the six of them.

After lunch, they finally had some rare free time.

Fred and George headed back to Diagon Alley to organize their shop, while Kyle made a trip to St. Catchpole Village.

Due to the Fidelius Charm protecting the area, owls couldn't deliver mail directly to his home, so his letters and packages were typically sent to St. Catchpole instead.

Today was his birthday, and there was an overwhelming number of gifts and letters. But this time, he also received something he hadn't gotten on past birthdays—job offers.

For example, among a full set of miniature dragon figurines, there was a letter from the Romanian Dragon Reserve, asking if he was interested in becoming a dragon keeper.

There were also invitations from two Quidditch teams—the Chudley Cannons and the Falmouth Falcons—offering him tryouts as a Chaser.

Kyle barely glanced at the Chudley Cannons' invitation before tossing it aside. Joining a team that finished dead last in every match? He'd have to be out of his mind.

But the Falmouth Falcons' invitation gave him pause. The signature at the bottom of the letter was a familiar one.

Cullen Harris

Back when Kyle started at Hogwarts, Harris had been Hufflepuff's Prefect, the Quidditch team captain, and one of the best Chasers the house had ever seen.

Kyle knew that after graduating, Cullen Harris had become a professional Quidditch Chaser, but he couldn't quite recall which team he had joined. He hadn't expected him to end up playing for the Falmouth Falcons.

To be honest, Kyle didn't know much about the team, but he was certain they were much better than the Chudley Cannons.

With so many gifts and letters to sort through, it was already afternoon by the time Kyle finished packing and returned to 12 Grimmauld Place.

As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed the living room was packed with people.

Even though it was still early for the Ministry to be off work, Sirius, Mr. Weasley, and Tonks were all there. Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie had also returned from St. Mungo's.

Even Mundungus Fletcher and Dedalus Diggle had shown up—aside from a few who couldn't make it, nearly all the members of the Order of the Phoenix were present.

"You're finally back," Fred whispered as he hurried over to Kyle.

"I got held up for a bit," Kyle replied. "What's going on? Is there some kind of operation?"

"No idea," Fred said, shaking his head. "But Dumbledore arrived earlier, and then, within half an hour, everyone else started showing up."

"They had a meeting but didn't let us in," George added, clearly disgruntled. "I don't get it. We're officially members of the Order now, so why are they still keeping things from us?"

"Not to mention, I don't know what kind of magic Dumbledore used, but none of our gadgets work," he added sourly.

George was referring to their Extendable Ears, a handy little device they'd used to eavesdrop on meetings back before they had even graduated.

But this time, Dumbledore had clearly anticipated their tricks and blocked them in advance.

As they spoke, several people in the room were already getting up to leave, their expressions grave.

At that moment, Kyle spotted Dumbledore emerging from one of the rooms, and Dumbledore, in turn, noticed Kyle.

"I was just wondering where you had gone," Dumbledore said softly. "If you hadn't returned within the hour, I was going to ask the Weasleys to go find you."

"I just went to sort through my packages," Kyle explained.

"Understandable," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "It is your birthday, after all. You must have had quite a few gifts to go through. So, did you like what I sent you?"

"It's nice, but…" Kyle hesitated, his tone a little odd. "I don't know about everyone else, but personally, I don't usually wear short-sleeved wool shirts in the summer."

Yes, Dumbledore's gift had been a short-sleeved wool shirt. When Kyle first unwrapped it, he was momentarily stunned, spending quite some time trying to figure out when he was supposed to wear it.

For one, there was no way he'd wear thick wool in the summer—it would be unbearably hot. And in the winter? He usually wore long sleeves then.

"No worries, I'm sure you'll find an occasion for it," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "If you have a moment, I'd like to speak with you about something. We should still have time to catch dinner afterward."

"Of course," Kyle nodded, following Dumbledore into the room.

Fred and George had been about to sneak in as well, but before they could step inside, the door shut with a loud bang.

"Again?" Fred grumbled through clenched teeth. "Why does Kyle get to go in?"

"He's younger than us by a whole year!" George complained loudly.

Harry and the others chimed in as well, but no one responded.

As the last of the newcomers departed, the house quickly settled back into silence.

...

Meanwhile, inside the room, Kyle had barely taken a seat when Dumbledore spoke in a calm tone.

"I imagine you must be curious about what happened yesterday."

"Yes," Kyle nodded, his gaze instinctively drifting to Dumbledore's arm, which now hung limply at his side. "You were injured?"

"It's just a minor wound—nothing to worry about," Dumbledore said lightly. "A particular type of cursed magic that severs a wizard's sense of certain body parts. Tom has always had a remarkable talent for these peculiar and obscure spells."

"Can it be healed?" Kyle asked, his concern evident.

Dumbledore was the strongest asset the Order of the Phoenix—and possibly all of Britain's wizarding world—had. If anything happened to him, who was going to deal with Voldemort?

Surely not Harry, the so-called 'Chosen One.'

No matter how Kyle looked at it, he couldn't imagine Harry standing a chance against Voldemort. Based on his usual performance, it was questionable whether he could even defeat Bellatrix.

His go-to spell was the Disarming Charm, but a Disarming Charm against the Killing Curse? That was absolute madness. It defied all logic.

Rather than pinning his hopes on the title of The Boy Who Lived, Kyle figured he'd be better off heading to France to find Kana—at least it was safer there.

If all else failed, he could always retreat to Nicolas Flamel's old estate. Voldemort would never be able to find it.

"No need to worry. Sykes is already brewing a potion for me, though it may take some time," Dumbledore said. Then, unexpectedly, he let out a chuckle. "And I have you to thank for that."

"Me?" Kyle looked puzzled. "What does this have to do with me?"

"More precisely, the Basilisk venom you gave me."

Dumbledore explained, "It's the key ingredient in the antidote Sykes is making. Basilisk venom has remarkable effects on wounds caused by dark magic. In certain cases, it's even more effective than phoenix tears."

"Well, that's a relief," Kyle said, relaxing slightly now that he knew Dumbledore would be fine.

"So, what exactly happened yesterday?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Tom set a trap…" Dumbledore murmured. "And my wand was stolen."