On the last day of July, after a fruitless morning, Kyle and Cedric decided to temporarily end their hunt for Dentors.
The primary reason was that ever since The Daily Prophet had published news about the reward, most of the wandering Dentors had mysteriously disappeared.
Of course, this didn’t an they had all been replaced by Galleons. A reward of one hundred Galleons was tempting, but there weren’t that many witches and wizards capable of defeating Dentors—at least not quickly or consistently.
Kyle surmised that most of the missing Dentors had likely gone into hiding. After all, Death Eaters read newspapers too. With Dentors now seen as coveted prizes instead of terrifying threats, Voldemort would surely take steps to protect his allies.
Still, this developnt wasn’t entirely bad. At least Muggles wouldn’t be at risk of encountering Dentors for now. Additionally, forcing the creatures into hiding might make it easier to track and round them up later. The real challenge was discovering exactly where they had gone, but that was a problem for Dumbledore to solve.
Having made their decision, Kyle and Cedric prepared to return to the Ministry of Magic. However, there was still one more address in their records—a new report that had just co in.
The address had only appeared minutes earlier, suggesting that soone had recently spotted traces of a Dentor and alerted the Ministry. Since they were already out in the field, Kyle and Cedric decided to check it out before calling it a day.
“Do you think soone will get there before us this ti?” Cedric asked as they flew toward their destination.
“Who knows?” Kyle replied. “But the report only ca through recently, so I doubt anyone else has made it there yet.”
“Finally,” Cedric muttered, rubbing his forehead. “I don’t care, though. You have to give three days off when we get back.”
“Don’t you enjoy flying?” Kyle teased with a grin. “Quidditch matches can last a week. How can you expect to be a professional player if you can’t handle this?”
“Is that the sa thing?” Cedric retorted, clearly exasperated. “There aren’t Dentors on the Quidditch pitch.”
“You’ve got a point,” Kyle admitted with a shrug. “But whether you get a holiday isn’t up to .”
“I don’t care—I’m not getting paid less this month,” Cedric replied, sounding unexpectedly cheeky.
Kyle blinked in surprise. It was hard to imagine Cedric, usually so composed, speaking like that.
“The holiday doesn’t matter,” Kyle said, giving him a sidelong glance. “But in the future, you might want to spend less ti around Fred and George. You’re starting to pick up their bad habits.”
“They’re much poorer than you,” Cedric muttered under his breath.
The pair soon arrived in Hampshire and began scanning the area. After half an hour of flying, however, they hadn’t found any Dentors. Instead, they spotted three wizards hovering over a nearby forest.
Two n and a woman, all on broomsticks, were clustered around a large, locked suitcase.
Even from a distance, Kyle could hear their excited chatter.
“A live Dentor is worth 200 Galleons! We’re in luck!”
“Yes, who would’ve thought these things were worth so much?”
“Too bad there’s only one, or we’d be rich...”
It wasn’t hard to guess—the suitcase clearly contained a captured Dentor.
“Looks like soone beat us to it,” Cedric said quietly. “I didn’t think anyone could catch a Dentor alive. They’re pretty skilled.”
Kyle nodded in agreent.
Capturing a Dentor alive was far more challenging than killing one. The creature’s re presence drained a wizard’s strength with each passing second. Successfully containing one usually required multiple Patronuses working in unison.
The three wizards must have used this thod to subdue the Dentor.
Kyle gave the group a quick glance. Without bothering to greet them, he turned in the opposite direction, signaling Cedric to follow. They prepared to head straight back to the Ministry.
But just then, sothing unexpected happened.
A Bowtruckle, perched unnoticed in Kyle’s collar, suddenly poked its sharp fingers into his neck.
Startled, Kyle swerved his broom sharply, bumping into Cedric.
Poor Cedric, unprepared for the sudden jolt, wobbled precariously and nearly tumbled off his broom.
“Kyle, what are you—” Cedric’s words were cut short as three spells streaked past him, aid at the spot where Kyle had been monts earlier.
No explanation was necessary.
“Wait!” Cedric instinctively canceled his Disillusionnt Charm, revealing himself to the attackers. “We were just passing through! We an no harm, and we won’t take your Dentors—”
“Get rid of the extra one!”
Before Cedric could finish, another volley of spells shot toward them. He dodged as best he could, but one struck the tail of his broom, sending black smoke billowing into the air. Cedric lost control, spiraling toward the ground.
Kyle moved to help him but was forced to veer away when another spell ca hurtling in his direction.
“I didn’t think you’d dodge that...” one of the attackers sneered, a bearded wizard with a malevolent glint in his eye. “You truly are worthy of being the Triwizard Tournant champion.”
“You know ?” Kyle asked, glancing downward. He let out a quiet sigh of relief when he saw Cedric steadying himself in midair, wand drawn.
“Of course we do,” said another bearded wizard, his voice dripping with greed. “You’re quite valuable now. Thr Dark Lord has promised the highest honor and a most generous reward to whoever kills you.”
“A generous reward?” Kyle asked, feigning curiosity. “What is it—10,000 Galleons? If that’s the case, maybe we could work sothing out.”
“Work sothing out?” The wizard looked puzzled, unable to comprehend Kyle’s train of thought.
“It’s simple,” Kyle said nonchalantly. “I’ll brew Polyjuice Potion, you get the guy behind you to drink it, then kill him instead. That way, you can claim the reward. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. We’ll split the reward ninety-ten in your favor.”
At Kyle’s words, the wizard standing behind the speaker stiffened in alarm, his wand subtly shifting direction toward his companions.
“Idiot!” the bearded wizard snarled, glaring at his ally. Then he turned back to Kyle. “Do you think you can turn us against each other with such pathetic tricks? Don’t even dream of it. No one deceives the great Dark Lord, and no one dares to try.”
“That’s right,” added the third wizard, his tone resolute. “The reward isn’t sothing as crude as Galleons—it’s far greater than that!”
“I don’t think Galleons are crude,” Kyle muttered. Then he raised an eyebrow. “By the way, you didn’t just happen to be waiting for here, did you? How did you know I’d pass by?”
“Enough talk! Kill him already!” snarled the witch among the group, her voice laced with venom. Her eyes burned with pure hatred as she fixed her gaze on Kyle. “You should’ve known this day would co after you killed my brother...”
“Your brother?” Kyle asked, bewildered. “Who?”
“Amycus Carrow!” the witch scread, her voice cracking with rage.
Kyle blinked, the na triggering a faint recollection. Amycus Carrow—a Death Eater he’d encountered in the Valley of the Giants.
“No, no, you’ve got the wrong guy!” Kyle protested, quickly piecing things together. “Hagrid killed your brother! You should be looking for him. What does this have to do with ? You can’t just pick on because you can’t handle a half-giant!”
“You’re all going to die!” the witch hissed, her voice trembling with fury. “You first, and soon your friends will follow!”
“Confident you can kill , are you?” Kyle asked, tilting his head.
“Do you think you can escape?” the witch sneered. “Crouch said you were tough, but in my opinion, you’re nothing. And there’s no one here to save you!”
“How about we negotiate?” Kyle offered, his tone deliberately shaky. “I’ll tell you where Hagrid is, and you can go after him instead—”
“Shut up! Don’t think I don’t know you’re stalling!” the witch snapped, cutting him off. “By the ti the Aurors arrive, you’ll already be dead!”
“Fair enough...” Kyle shrugged. “But if you know I’m stalling, why waste your ti talking so much?”
“Avada Kedavra!”
The air seed to freeze as a flash of green light shot toward Kyle.
But before it could reach him, a massive shadow lood overhead. A colossal figure interposed itself between Kyle and the curse, absorbing the impact.
Norbert’s dark scales glinted ominously as the Killing Curse struck, the area of impact briefly turning a dull, greyish-white. The dragon let out a low growl, its size and presence dwarfing the attackers.
Despite the faint discoloration of a few scales, the curse had barely fazed the enormous creature.
“A... dragon?”
The three Death Eaters were stunned. The bearded wizard among them rubbed his eyes, struggling to process the sight before him. A dragon? Here?
Before he could make sense of it, Norbert, infuriated by the Killing Curse, let out a roar and unleashed a torrent of dragon fire at the trio.
Instinctively, they tried to flee, but Kyle wasn’t about to let them go so easily.
“Impedinta!”
“Stupefy!”
To avoid Kyle’s spells, the Death Eaters were forced to swerve mid-air. That brief hesitation sealed their fate. One of them was caught in the full force of Norbert’s flas and plumted to the ground, motionless.
The other two managed to escape the flas but were far from safe. In the sky, they were in Norbert’s domain, and there was no escaping his superior speed and agility.
With a powerful beat of his wings, Norbert soared toward the nearest Death Eater—the bearded wizard.
The man felt his broom tremble under the dragon’s pursuit. A massive shadow lood over him as Norbert closed the gap in seconds.
Panicking, the wizard turned to shout, “I surrender! I—Protego—”
Bang!
Before he could finish, Norbert’s thick tail struck him with the force of a battering ram. He hurtled toward the ground with a resounding crash.
That left the witch, Alecto Carrow.
In the span of monts, the three-on-one advantage had evaporated, leaving her alone against the enraged dragon. She barely had ti to process what was happening.
Though she burned with hatred for Kyle and desperately wanted to kill him, the searing heat radiating from Norbert’s flas kept her from even considering turning back. Her only thought was escape.
Norbert, however, wasn’t letting her off so easily. The dragon closed in, his massive form blocking out the sunlight as the temperature around her climbed higher and higher.
But just as Norbert was about to catch her, two more hooded Death Eaters appeared nearby.
Two simultaneous Killing Curses shot through the air, forcing Norbert to halt mid-pursuit and dodge.
Norbert roared in fury, retaliating with another blast of dragon fire. The flas streaked toward the new arrivals, but before they could land, the Death Eaters vanished.
Kyle flew over, calling out to calm the irate dragon.
Though he didn’t know who the newcors were, they had bought enough ti for Carrow to escape. Kyle didn’t give chase. With the speed of his Firebolt, he could have caught her, but he wasn’t willing to take unnecessary risks. Who knew how many more ambushes might be waiting nearby?
Landing softly, Kyle quickly spotted Cedric leaning against a tree.
“Are you okay?” Kyle asked, rushing over.
“I’m fine,” Cedric replied through gritted teeth. His leg, twisted at an unnatural angle, told a different story. “Probably broken... But what about you? And who were those people?”
“Death Eaters,” Kyle said grimly.
Cedric nodded. “Thought as much.” He handed Kyle a small book. “I already notified the Aurors. They should be here soon.”
Kyle took the book and glanced at it. At the end of the latest address, a new note had been added:
“Dark wizard found, urgent...”
The note had been Cedric’s doing. The Aurors carried copies of the sa enchanted book, so any additions or andnts would automatically appear in all copies. This ant help was on the way.
“Wait here,” Kyle said, standing up.
“Where are you going?” Cedric called out, alard. “It’s dangerous! Co back!”
Kyle ignored him, striding into the forest.
Before long, he found the two Death Eaters who had fallen earlier.
To his surprise, the bearded wizard Norbert had struck with his tail was still alive. He was limping, but he hadn’t succumbed to the fall.
He must have completed the Shield Charm just in ti, Kyle thought, though he didn’t dwell on it.
The man cursed under his breath when he noticed Kyle approaching. “Damn it! The Dark Lord... he won’t let you go!”
“You don’t need to remind ,” Kyle replied coldly.
Without hesitation, he drew his wand and leveled it at the Death Eater.
“What do you want—” The wizard’s bravado crumbled into terror, and sweat beaded on his forehead. “You can’t... can’t kill ! Dumbledore wouldn’t allow it!”
Kyle didn’t respond. Instead, he muttered, “Legilins!”
The Death Eater’s eyes glazed over, his thoughts laid bare under Kyle’s spell.
...
Pop, pop, pop!
A series of sharp explosions echoed all around them monts later—the Aurors had arrived.
"Obliviate!"
"Kyle!" Chris hurried over, his face etched with concern. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Dad," Kyle replied with a smile. "He tried to escape, but I caught him."
"Leave it to the Aurors," Chris said. "Co with ; I'll take you to St. Mungo's."
"I'm really fine. Just take Cedric to St. Mungo's," Kyle insisted. "But Dad, why are you here?"
"Amos recognized Cedric's handwriting, so I guessed you'd run into Death Eaters," Chris said, his voice tinged with anxiety. "What exactly happened?"
"The Death Eaters were about to take the Dentors, and we just happened to run into them," Kyle explained.
That was what he had seen in the bearded wizard's mind.
Kyle had initially thought the encounter was an intentional trap, but it turned out to be pure coincidence. The Death Eaters had co to deliver Voldemort's ssage to the Dentors and take them away. It just so happened that Kyle and Cedric had arrived at the sa ti.
The Disillusionnt Charm’s concealnt wasn’t very effective in daylight. Once the Death Eaters noticed them, they acted swiftly, planning to cause a spectacle before leaving and return to Voldemort with proof of their efforts.
Then the earlier confrontation unfolded.
What Kyle hadn’t anticipated was just how valuable he was. Dead or alive, if captured and brought back alive, the captor would not only earn the rank of a core Death Eater but also receive a personal power boost from Voldemort.
The reward was even greater than what was promised for Harry. No wonder their eyes had burned with such desperation when they saw him.
At that mont, Scrimgeour arrived, surveying the scene with a discerning gaze. He frowned slightly when he spotted an area scorched by dragon-like flas.
"This isn't your average Fire-Making Charm," he remarked.
"It's the Death Eaters," Kyle said, his face filled with anger. "Those heartless bastards—they're utterly detestable."
"I see," Scrimgeour replied with a nod, though he didn’t appear overly concerned.
The Death Eaters' use of dark magic was notorious for its variety and ingenuity, and enhanced Fire-Making Charms were not uncommon among them.
Chris, standing nearby, twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth. He glanced at Kyle but ultimately held his tongue.
Amos Diggory soon used a Portkey to take Kyle and the injured Cedric away to the Ministry of Magic.
Once they left, Scrimgeour approached a charred tree and ran his fingers along the scorched bark.
"Chris, co take a look. Could this be dragonfire?"
Chris joined him, mimicking his motion as he examined the trunk. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head, his expression calm.
"No," Chris said. "Dragonfire has a stronger sulfuric sll and is more adhesive. What we have here... is so kind of special magical fla."
"That's a relief," Scrimgeour exhaled. "If the Death Eaters had dragons on their side, we’d be in serious trouble."
"Agreed," Chris replied.
"But your son is remarkable," Scrimgeour said with a small smile. "Facing two Death Eaters, he fought off one and captured the other alive. He was born to be an Auror. Frankly, it’s a waste for him to stay in the Office of the Minister for Magic."
Chris laughed awkwardly, clearing his throat quickly. "Ahem... I’ll warn you, Rufus, don’t say that at the Ministry."
"I wouldn’t dream of it," Scrimgeour said with a chuckle. "But you really should encourage Kyle to beco an Auror. He’s a natural."
"I will," Chris replied with a smile. "But in the end, the choice will be his."
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