After leaving the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee, Kyle headed to his office. After all, so many people had seen him—he couldn’t just disappear without making an appearance.
But as he stepped into the lift, he saw soone familiar standing inside.
"Didn’t I tell you to stay at Number 12 Grimmauld Place?"
Chris looked at Kyle as he walked in, montarily stunned.
He’d never thought of Kyle as reckless, so he couldn’t understand why Kyle would take the risk of leaving the safe house and coming to the crowded Ministry at a ti like this.
Didn’t he realize there could be hidden Death Eaters lurking around?
The thought made Chris imdiately angry.
But in the next second, a golden-red phoenix suddenly appeared on Kyle’s shoulder.
"It’s fine, I ca prepared," Kyle said with a smile. "It’s not that easy for You-Know-Who to catch . Fawkes brought straight from ho—completely safe."
Chris’s rising anger vanished instantly upon hearing this, though he still kept a stern expression.
"What if You-Know-Who launches a direct attack on the Ministry? You’d drag everyone into trouble."
"I’m not that important—he wouldn’t go that far just to target ," Kyle shrugged. "Besides, he wouldn’t dare."
"He wouldn’t dare?"
"That’s right." Kyle nodded. "The last ti the Death Eaters dared to attack the Ministry, it was because they were sure Dumbledore wasn’t here. Plus, the Order and so Aurors were focused on Privet Drive—it was a planned ambush."
"But now, things are different. No one knows where Dumbledore is. He could be hiding in so corner of the Ministry. As long as his whereabouts are uncertain, You-Know-Who won’t dare take the risk."
"And if he doesn’t co, neither will the Death Eaters."
"Then how can you be sure Dumbledore is at the Ministry... or at least make You-Know-Who think he is?" Chris asked.
"That part’s easy," Kyle said.
Just then, the lift doors opened. Fawkes flew out and, to the surprise of those nearby, turned into a burst of flas and vanished.
When the lift doors closed again, Kyle shrugged. "Well, Dumbledore’s now at the Ministry."
Chris could only feel his temples throbbing.
But he had to admit, Kyle’s move was clever.
The second floor was the busiest floor—news of Fawkes’s appearance would spread fast.
And right now, the only known phoenix in the wizarding world was Dumbledore’s. So wherever Fawkes appeared, it ant Dumbledore was nearby.
"I really don’t get why Dumbledore would entrust his phoenix to you," Chris muttered, rubbing his forehead.
"Maybe because I’m a kind person," Kyle said with a grin. "And I get along with Fawkes."
Chris opened his mouth to respond but gave up. "Fine. So why did you co to the Ministry all of a sudden?"
"Hermione wanted to help out, so I figured I’d recomnd her."
The lift stopped on the first floor, and Kyle quickly stepped out.
"You can just bring soone into the Ministry to work now?" Chris, who had planned to follow, paused in disbelief. Even he couldn’t get a student who hadn’t graduated to work here directly.
Even the Minister would need to issue an official appointnt, not just show up with soone like they were popping ho for dinner.
"Of course not. She’s just volunteering," Kyle explained. "All the departnts are short-staffed. They’re more than happy to have free help."
Chris nodded. That made more sense.
"Where is Hermione now?"
He glanced behind them. It seed Kyle had co into the lift alone.
"She’s already started. Didn’t even make it to the office—went straight out with Parrish."
"Wait, where?"
"The Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee," Kyle replied casually.
Chris looked even more confused. "Hermione’s one of the smartest witches I’ve ever t—and you sent her to the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee?"
"It’s a good fit, isn’t it?"
"That’s not the point." Chris took a deep breath. "I want to know why you didn’t bring her to the Departnt for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
"Huh?" Kyle blinked. "You guys short on people?"
"What do you think?" Chris said irritably. "Why do you think I ca to see Minister Bones? To ask for manpower."
"So tell , who do you think are the wizards most likely to illegally keep magical creatures?" Chris asked.
"Those stall vendors in Knockturn Alley?" Kyle guessed.
"More specifically, the ones who live on the edge of the dark," Chris said. "People like Mundungus. They’re not truly Dark Wizards, but they operate in grey areas—doing illegal business."
"The most lucrative trades—smuggling, making Dark magic items, or conducting dangerous magical experints—almost always involve magical creatures."
"They’re also pri candidates to beco Death Eaters. Most of the new recruits co from these circles."
"And when they join, guess what happens to all those illegally kept magical creatures and the ones altered through experints?"
Kyle was starting to realize where this was going and felt a twinge of guilt.
Chris gave him the answer.
"Most of them are just dumped. Especially the ones with low value or that are hard to carry. When they go off to serve You-Know-Who, they just leave the animals on the roadside."
"Do you know our workload has tripled?"
"Yesterday, Cornwall was full of three-tailed dogs and two-headed geese. Cedric stayed up all night dealing with it and still isn’t back!"
Chris grew more agitated as he spoke. They were so busy at the Ministry they hadn’t seen ho in days, and now, just as they had a chance at getting help, Kyle had passed her off to another departnt.
For a mont, Chris even considered asking Bones to reassign Kyle to his departnt.
"I—I didn’t know," Kyle muttered, looking away guiltily. "How about I get you a couple more helpers? Fred and George seem pretty free. Might be good to give them sothing to do."
"You’d better—especially if I leave empty-handed this ti," Chris said with a huff.
Just then, they reached the Minister’s office.
Chris ignored Kyle, straightened his clothes, knocked, and walked in.
Knowing they had official business to discuss, Kyle didn’t follow. He walked a bit farther down the corridor and returned to his own office.
It was the one Fudge had assigned him. Not very large, but much nicer than the cubicles most other departnts had. And it was a private room—quiet and peaceful.
Even though he hadn’t set foot in it for over a year, Bones hadn’t reclaid it when she took over. It was still his.
Kyle felt a little embarrassed thinking about it.
The office was spotless. Soone must’ve been cleaning it all along... or maybe it was a House-elf.
The Ministry did have House-elves—not as many as Hogwarts, but like those in the school kitchens, they usually kept themselves hidden.
To them, the mark of a good House-elf was not being noticed at all.
Kyle sat behind the desk. After a mont’s thought, he pulled out a piece of parchnt and began writing.
Half an hour later, the door opened and Alia Bones walked in.
She looked much the sa as the last ti they’d t—except now she wore glasses.
Clearly, being Minister wasn’t an easy job.
"I heard from Chris that you finally ca back to work," Bones said, walking over.
"I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, Minister," Kyle said. "I ca today to do a favor for a friend... and to hand in my resignation."
"Resign?" Bones frowned, her expression turning serious. "Why? Are you afraid?"
"But I don’t believe you’re the type. From the very first ti we formally t, I could tell—you’re not afraid of Death Eaters."
The first formal eting?
That must’ve been when he ca to the Ministry to be interrogated, with Lucius Malfoy, Karkaroff, and Macnair accusing him.
He really hadn’t shown the slightest fear—and later, through the Wizengamot, had even made them suffer a bit.
"I guess I am afraid—but not in the way you think," Kyle explained. "Yesterday, in Godric’s Hollow, I saved a few people and disrupted You-Know-Who’s plan. You know what he’s like—petty. I’ll probably need to lay low for a while."
"Godric’s Hollow?" Bones echoed softly. "Wasn’t it Dumbledore who rescued them?"
"I helped a little," Kyle said. "You-Know-Who wouldn’t dare target Dumbledore, so I’m the easier one to go after."
"Well, that makes sense."
"Exactly," Kyle nodded. "So I need to hide for a bit, which ans I won’t be able to work here."
"In that case," Bones said, "you don’t need to resign. I’ll keep the position and the office for you. Once things settle down, you can return."
Kyle glanced up at her.
Sothing didn’t add up.
He understood Fudge giving him privileges—he had, in a way, served as Fudge’s behind-the-scenes advisor and helped him avoid being ousted.
But Bones?
It couldn’t just be because she admired his talent. Last year, while Kyle was working at the Ministry, she’d been recovering at St. Mungo’s. They barely interacted.
Still, Kyle didn’t let his doubts show.
"That’s very generous," he said. "But I’ll forgo the salary. I’d feel guilty taking money for doing nothing."
Bones didn’t reply—just smiled, which counted as agreent.
The Ministry’s funds were tight, and its biggest financial backer had sided with the enemy. Every Galleon had to be stretched. A senior assistant’s salary wasn’t small—so saving where they could made sense.
"So, are you leaving now?" she asked.
"No rush." Kyle handed her the parchnt. "Since I’m here today, I wanted to contribute sothing."
"What’s this?"
"ssage parchnt," Kyle said.
"ssage?" Bones adjusted her glasses and examined it closely.
Kyle explained, "Each parchnt has a unique number. If you write that number, the ssage will show up on the matching parchnt. It’s a lot faster than the paper airplane notes the Ministry uses now."
"Clever idea," Bones said. "But what about security? If an Auror loses the parchnt, the enemy could learn our plans."
"You can add a password restriction. It’s not hard," Kyle said. "I didn’t think that far ahead—it’s mainly for internal use, to improve efficiency."
"Hmm," Bones said. "It feels familiar."
"It should," Kyle replied. "We used it last year, during the Dentor crisis—to share location updates."
"Your idea?"
"Not exactly. I just made it. The idea ca from soone else."
"Who?"
"Hermione Granger and Cedric Diggory," Kyle said. "They set up a Defense Against the Dark Arts study group at school. They used sothing like this to tell everyone when lessons started—back then, it was a coin, not parchnt."
"Diggory?" Bones thought for a mont. "Cedric Diggory from the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures?"
"That’s him," Kyle nodded. "And Hermione’s working here too—for a month, with the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee."
"Alright, I’ll seriously consider it," Bones said, putting the parchnt away. "If it’s approved... your salary stays as is."
"Also, if possible, I’d like you to co up with a version for Aurors and Hit Wizards. That’s the priority."
"Don’t worry about coming in—just have Chris bring it."
"I’ll think about it," Kyle said.
"One more thing," Bones said suddenly. "I heard Dumbledore ca to the Ministry today?"
"Really?" Kyle blinked. "Where is he? I actually had sothing to ask him."
"You don’t know?"
"Nope. Haven’t seen him since yesterday afternoon."
Bones stared at him.
"What?" Kyle asked.
"Nothing," she said.
Then she left. She had plenty to deal with and couldn’t stay.
Kyle, anwhile, got called to the Departnt for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures by Chris and spent the whole day working in the office.
It wasn’t until 8 p.m. that Kyle finally looked up from the mountain of paperwork, just as Chris returned.
Once they were alone, Kyle told him about what had happened during the day.
"It’s simple," Chris said. "She doesn’t want to keep you. She wants to keep Dumbledore."
"What do you an?"
"Because Dumbledore values you. Everyone knows it. So even say he’s grooming you to be the next Hogwarts headmaster," Chris said quietly, glancing at the closed door.
"That’s ridiculous," Kyle said quickly. "I’m way too young. Even if Dumbledore retired, it’d be Professor McGonagall."
"That’s not what matters. What matters is what people think," Chris said. "She’s probably realized Dumbledore won’t be staying at the Ministry long-term, so they need another way to strengthen their ties with him."
"Through you, or Harry. As long as one of you is at the Ministry, people will firmly believe Dumbledore supports it too."
"So I’m just a mascot now." Kyle spread his hands. "Tch, never thought Bones would start using Fudge’s tactics."
"She just wants to build trust in the Ministry. Honestly, I can’t bla her," Chris said. "If it were , I might have done the sa."
"Alright, go ho," Chris said, patting Kyle’s shoulder. "Stay put tomorrow. Don’t co back. The phoenix can’t keep showing up at the Ministry every day."
"Okay." Kyle nodded. "Should I wait for Hermione? She went out with Parrish again and hasn’t co back."
"No need. Arthur will take her ho," Chris said. "And she probably won’t be back before ten. If you want to wait two more hours, I won’t stop you..."
"Then I’ll leave it to Mr. Weasley!"
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