After dinner, Kyle's gaze drifted to where Chris and Diana had been sitting, perhaps unintentionally... Their seats were empty—they must have left early.
Soon, the rest of the students began filing out of the Great Hall, heading back to their dormitories. Kyle, however, remained behind. The banquet had only been one part of the Order of rlin ceremony; the most significant part was still to co.
"Would you care to join for so tea?" Dumbledore asked McPhail with a warm smile.
"Certainly. I could do with a drink," McPhail agreed with a nod. "Honestly, there's sothing about this castle... I've even got my appetite back."
He chuckled, brushing off his earlier joke about hurrying back before Dumbledore could recruit him. Of course, Dumbledore wouldn't actually consider asking the older wizards to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts—that was a job for the younger ones.
"Albus, any chance you've got so Firewhiskey on hand? I could go for a drop."
"Firewhiskey, you say? As it happens, I received a bottle for Christmas," Dumbledore replied.
"Perfect."
...
In the headmaster's office on the eighth floor, an extra-long table was set up alongside several plush armchairs with high backs. A variety of drinks filled the table: steaming tea, Firewhiskey, ad, Butterbeer, and lemonade—likely just brought over by the House-elves from The Three Broomsticks. Unlike witches and wizards, House-elves could use their magic inside the castle without limits, even performing spells like Apparition.
The group took their seats at random, enjoying their drinks and engaging in cheerful conversation. Naturally, as the focus of the evening, the discussion couldn't avoid centering on Kyle. Though Fudge made a few attempts to shift the subject, Dumbledore deftly picked up on his intentions and kept steering the conversation back to Kyle.
Kyle understood Dumbledore's intentions, hinted at with a quiet remark on their way to the eighth floor. Dumbledore had ntioned, in a voice only Kyle could hear, that this gathering was a rare chance to et influential wizards from outside the school—an invaluable opportunity to build connections.
Kyle knew well the importance of networking in the wizarding world. For instance, if Dumbledore hadn't been acquainted with Nicolas Flal, he could never have borrowed a useful "bait" like the Philosopher's Stone. Similarly, the Malfoys wielded significant power because they maintained a network of connections with many officials in the Ministry of Magic. Even if this network was held together by Galleons, it had undeniably solved many of the family's issues, both big and small, over the years. This was why Lucius Malfoy continued to thrive despite his reputation as a "suspected Death Eater."
Even Mr. Weasley benefited from connections. Though his position in the Ministry was modest, he got along well with most of his colleagues, including so departnt heads like Ludovic Bagman from the Departnt of Magical Gas and Sports, Bartemius Crouch from the Departnt of International Magical Cooperation, and Alia Bones from the Departnt of Magical Law Enforcent.
Chris, his friend, didn't count—but even Chris had recently hinted that Mr. Weasley was preparing to introduce a new bill on muggle protections and tighter regulation of dark magic items.
Judging by Chris's tone, it seed the bill was close to passing. If Mr. Weasley were just an ordinary employee in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, Fudge would hardly give him a second thought, much less support his proposal.
McPhail, too, was eager to get acquainted with Kyle, the youngest mber of the Order of rlin, and their conversation quickly beca lively and amiable. Fudge, however, seed distracted.
He saw Kyle's potential but realized that by the ti Kyle graduated from Hogwarts, his own term as Minister would likely be over, leaving little chance for their paths to cross professionally. Instead, Fudge chose to focus on McPhail and Sykes, hoping to impress them with his ideals and ambitions.
As for Newt, his situation was much simpler—he was socially awkward. He hadn't been in a room with so many people in over twenty years, making the gathering before him feel a bit overwhelming. Luckily, this didn't last long.
As the night wore on, about half an hour later, the gathering began to break up. Newt was the first to leave the headmaster's office. McPhail and Belby, however, stayed behind; Dumbledore had offered to arrange rooms for them in the castle so they could present the rlin Award in the morning. They accepted his offer gladly. For so reason, Fudge also chose to remain.
After leaving the headmaster's office, Sykes set off back to St. Mungo's. She had co specifically to support Kyle this ti, and she wouldn't be staying for the award ceremony tomorrow.
After bidding her farewell, Kyle turned to find Newt waiting for him around the corner by the stairs.
The two of them entered a nearby empty room, and Kyle said, surprised, "I really didn't expect you to co, too."
"Didn't you write to earlier, asking to help with so troubleso little creatures?" Newt sighed. "As it happened, they sent an invitation, asking if I'd like to co to Hogwarts as well."
"So you said yes?"
"Mm," Newt nodded. "Your Order of rlin is worth celebrating, so I thought I should be here. Oh, and Tina ca along too."
"Thank you..." Kyle said sincerely.
Newt rarely attended gatherings, even with old friends, yet here he was, standing in the Great Hall in front of hundreds of people—a considerable challenge for soone as socially reserved as he was.
But Newt waved a hand, stopping Kyle from continuing.
"So, is the little creature you ntioned in your letter a Niffler?"
"Those little ones can be quite the troublemakers. You'll need a lot of patience with them."
"No, it's not a Niffler," Kyle chuckled. "These little ones are really cute and hardly any trouble at all."
"Then what are they?" Newt asked, puzzled.
Aside from Nifflers, he couldn't think of any other Magical Creatures Kyle might need help with.
"They were all smuggled in, and I've been taking care of them since I found them... Anyway, it's best if you see for yourself."
Kyle took out his suitcase, opened it, and set it on the ground.
"But before you go in, you should be prepared—they might not be quite what you're expecting."
"Now that you ntion it, I'm actually a little curious," Newt laughed, shaking his head. But he didn't take Kyle's words too seriously.
After all, he'd encountered so many Magical Creatures by now that he hardly ever needed to be "prepared."
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