Chapter 673: Trip to the Ministry of Magic
Chapter 673: Trip to the Ministry of Magic
With the encouragement of the Ministry of Magic (and perhaps Dumbledore), the news that Kyle became Senior Assistant to the Minister spread like wildfire in the wizarding world, which also caused him to receive many letters from all over the world.
Among them were people he knew, such as McPhail, who liked to join in the fun. He sent a set of high-end robes with the letter, saying it was a gift.
“You cannot wear school uniforms to attend those important occasions.” He said in the letter.
But Kyle felt that McPhail was more of a gloater, without evidence, just a hunch.
In addition, the names of more of the senders were unfamiliar to Kyle, but judging from the contents of the letters, most of them were personnel from the Ministry of Magic.
“Oh, Cuthbert Mockridge.” Cedric pointed to one of the letters and said, “My dad mentioned to me that he was the director of the Goblin Liaison Office.
“There is also Gilbert Whymper, who is from the Experimental Spells Committee, whom we met while traveling in France before.”
Cedric rummaged through the pile of letters looking for a familiar name.
After flipping for a while, his hand suddenly stopped.
“Hufflepuff common room, second armchair from left, by Cedric Diggory.”
"A letter to me?" Cedric was stunned for a moment, and then he thought that there must be too many owls delivering letters just now, and he got mixed up in Kyle's pile of letters without paying attention.
However, after seeing the name of the sender, Cedric didn't think too much and opened the envelope directly.
“Who sent it?” Kyle asked.
“Oh, it’s my dad.” Cedric said, “He probably wanted to ask...”
Cedric's voice became quieter and his expression became more and more confused.
“Strange, my dad said he would send me some books about magical beasts tomorrow and said he was looking forward to working with me.
Cedric muttered: "Does he also want to work in a joke shop? That shouldn't be the case. Let's not say whether Fred and George will agree to it. This has nothing to do with magical beasts."
“Perhaps you are going to work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.” Kyle said casually: “It would be good to read more related books now.”
"No." Cedric shook his head, "I have told him before that I want to go to the joke shop to help, and he agrees... and so on."
Cedric suddenly thought of Kyle, "It doesn't have anything to do with you."
“Ah, that’s right.” Kyle opened the letter and said, “I wrote a letter to Mr. Diggory at noon and asked him if he wanted to work with you.
You know, my current status can help somewhat, and your grades are also very good, it is not difficult.
“It seems that Mr. Diggory must have agreed.”
The corner of Cedric's eye twitched, "But I have promised Fred and George that I will help them run the joke shop together."
"Don't worry about this, they will be with you... Oh, I found it."
Kyle waved an envelope in front of Cedric's face, and he noticed that it was from Mrs. Weasley.
After Kyle opened it, he looked curiously.
“Dear Kyle:
I saw today's newspaper and the commendation given to you. To be honest, I am so happy, but I am not surprised at all, because I know that you are fully capable of doing this job.
Furthermore, of course I would like Fred and George to find a serious and stable job, but I would rather they enter the Ministry of Magic on their own merit rather than relying on your help.
Arthur said that there are many people in the Ministry of Magic who are dissatisfied with you holding such an important position. They are all waiting for you to make a mistake, so I must reject your kindness.
“Wish you a nice stay at Hogwarts.”
…
Waiting for me to make a mistake?
That’s great!
Keir quickly found a piece of parchment and wrote on it:
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Weasley, the Assistant Minister has the responsibility to find excellent staff for the Ministry of Magic. I guarantee that Fred and George fully meet the requirements, and Minister Fudge also agreed.
As long as Mr. Weasley helps fill out the employment application, they can directly enter the Ministry of Magic after graduation. "
Kyle called Laton and asked him to deliver the written letter.
Cedric didn't know what to say at all.
He looked at Kyle and hesitated for a long time before saying quietly: "Fred and George will kill you."
"It doesn't matter." Kyle waved his hand nonchalantly, "They can't beat me, not to mention I have Mrs. Weasley as my backer, so I don't have to worry."
“It has always been their dream to open a joke shop.”
"There is no conflict. There is no rule that says you cannot open a joke shop after joining the Ministry of Magic... Then I will ask Dobby and Kreacher to help look after the shop, and I can also provide some products for free. It will definitely not delay the normal operation of the joke shop. Opened.”
Kyle narrowed his eyes and said: "And they laughed all day after hearing that I took up the job at the Ministry of Magic. They must also like working in the Ministry of Magic.
“Tsk, tsk, working one job and getting two salaries, they can just enjoy this kind of good thing.”
Cedric sighed.
It can only be said that Fred and George brought it upon themselves. They called Kyle "Boss Percy" and "Minister Candidate" for a day, but Kyle's counterattack came in the evening.
It was hard for Cedric to imagine Fred and George sitting in the office, processing files and writing reports.
“What about me?” Cedric muttered: “I just laughed for a while, which is much better than them.”
"That's what I'm saying..." Kyle said righteously: "We have all gone to the Ministry of Magic. Are you embarrassed to hang out outside?"
“Excuse me…” Although Cedric wanted to say this, he held back.
Because if he said this, he would offend three people, and it would only get worse.
He knows these people of his very well... let’s call them friends. Maybe Fred and George will punch and kick Kyle after knowing the truth, but they can also reconcile instantly when they have enough excuses and unanimously communicate to the outside world.
And he is obviously this "wai".
As for why Cedric is so sure...it's very simple, just pretend to be yourself.
He certainly wouldn’t mind doing this anyway, let alone Fred and George, who have a lower moral bottom line.
This is not bad now.
After all, it didn’t make much difference to Cedric whether he was helping out at the joke shop or working at the Ministry of Magic.
And more importantly, the Ministry of Magic is not Azkaban. They can resign at any time if they really can't stay.
“I think it’s better to find an excuse and let them write their own employment application.”
Thinking of this, Cedric instantly betrayed his partners and said, "If Mr. Weasley applied on his behalf, they might not recognize it."
"That makes sense." Kyle chuckled and said, "I have to say, you are really wicked."
"the same as you."
The two looked at each other and smiled, and then discussed how to deceive the Weasley brothers.
Kanna on the side couldn't stand listening anymore, so she took her quill and homework and went to the table farther away.
In the following days, the Ministry of Magic naturally became the hottest topic in Hogwarts. The four deans also believed that this was a rare opportunity, so they encouraged some students with excellent academic performance to try to submit an application for employment.
Cedric was the first to respond, and the next day he approached Professor Sprout with his application.
He originally wanted to find Umbridge, who was the representative of the Ministry of Magic after all, but he gave up the idea after Kyle's persuasion.
Kyle knew that because of what happened some time ago, he not only took over Umbridge's task, but also caused her to lose Fudge's trust. Umbridge had long held a grudge against him.
Everyone in the castle knew that he and Cedric were friends. If he went to find Umbridge, he would definitely be made things difficult for him.
So it is more reliable to find a professor.
He is also one of the best students in Hufflepuff and the first one to submit an application. Professor Sprout also attaches great importance to this matter and sent the application to the Ministry of Magic on the same day, along with a letter of recommendation. .
The Ministry of Magic responded quickly. On Friday, a letter was delivered to Hogwarts by owl.
Cedric's application was approved and he officially became a staff member of the Ministry of Magic... Of course, it was also an internship.
This is the same as Kyle, or every student in school.
But unlike Kyle, Cedric only received a letter and no announcement was posted in the castle.
In addition, his salary is only a symbolic seven galleons, which is only one-tenth of a normal employee, instead of receiving the full salary directly like Kyle.
But Cedric didn't care about it.
"Look..." He spread the letter on the table and said, "It says that we only need to go to the Ministry of Magic for one day on Saturday. We don't have to go every day. Seven galleons is good."
“Tomorrow is Saturday,” said Connor. “Kyle, are you going too?”
"I'm going." Kyle took out another letter, which was also sent by the Ministry of Magic just now.
"By train?"
“Probably not, that’s too slow.” Kyle said, “When the train arrives in London, we should basically be heading back.
"It's the Floo Network. The Ministry of Magic opened a new line connecting Umbridge's office."
“That would be much more convenient.” Kangna glanced at Kyle thoughtfully: “Tell me, should I also write an application?”
“Will Professor Snape allow you to work at the Ministry of Magic?” Kyle asked.
“Probably not.”
“No, definitely not.” Kyle said with a smile, “Besides, the work in the Ministry of Magic is very boring, and you won’t like it.”
Cedric next to him glanced at Kyle and made a loud smacking sound, "Tsk, that's not what you said yesterday."
"Nonsense, can you do the same?" Kyle said nonchalantly, "Mr. Diggory agreed to it."
Cedric raised his eyebrows, "Are you sure that's the reason?"
“If you keep talking, I will transfer you to the pest consultation office.”
“Ho!”
…
The next day, Saturday.
At 8:30 in the morning, Kyle and Cedric went to Umbridge's office together.
There were three other students coming together, two Slytherins and one Ravenclaw.
As for Fred and George, Kyle and Cedric agreed that it would be best to wait until the end of the school year to break the good news to them, especially with Mrs. Weasley by their side.
So they don’t know about it yet.
"Very well, you are all here." Umbridge opened the door and let them in.
Professor McGonagall is also inside, probably preparing to accompany the students.
Umbridge deliberately did not look at Kyle. Instead, she led the others to the fireplace and whispered softly:
“You are all the best students at Hogwarts, and I am very happy that you have chosen the right decision to join the Ministry of Magic.”
She grabbed a handful of powder and threw it into the fireplace with a fake smile.
“Minerva, you…”
"Thank you, Professor Umbridge." Professor McGonagall strode into the fireplace and shouted, "Ministry of Magic."
The next second, she disappeared into the office.
Umbridge looked a little ugly. She originally wanted Professor McGonagall to go back, but it was useless to say that now.
“Everyone else, follow up.” She took a deep breath and tried to maintain the fake smile on her face.
When everyone came to the Ministry of Magic through the fireplace, they immediately saw Professor McGonagall not far away, and Fudge next to her.
“Welcome, welcome.” Fudge walked over happily.
"Oh, Minister, you came to pick us up yourself." Umbridge's voice was higher and shriller than usual.
The two Slytherins also looked flattered.
"You are all the hope for the future of the Ministry of Magic. Of course I have to come here in person." Fudge said with a smile, "Come on, I think you can't wait."
He led everyone to the elevator, enthusiastically introducing every place he passed along the way.
“That’s the registration office. Everyone who comes here needs to register their wand... Of course, you don’t.”
“The Enchanted Fountain, where proceeds are donated to St. Mungo’s…”
Along the way, people kept saying hello to Fudge, and he responded to them one by one.
"I rarely come to the lobby." After they entered the elevator, Fudge said, "There are too many people here, and they are very enthusiastic. It takes me a long time to get out every time. If I can, I will Be willing to spend that time on work.”
"That's because you love your work too much, Minister." Umbridge said immediately: "I would say you should also leave some private time for yourself."
“Ah, I’ll try my best,” Fudge said.
At the very end of the elevator, Professor McGonagall pursed her lips tightly, pretending not to hear anything... She should have asked Snape to come if she had known better.
Because there is no one else here, every time the elevator stops, it means that a student has arrived at the place where he will work.
“Level 4, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures…”
“I’m here.” Cedric waved to Kyle, “We’ll see you in the evening.”
"See you tonight."
Cedric stepped out of the elevator, and Professor McGonagall also left with him.
The first three students had already left on other floors, and only Kyle, Fudge, and Umbridge were left in the elevator.
“How do you feel? Were you shocked after seeing the inauguration announcement?” Fudge asked with a smile.
“I was really scared,” Kyle said. “I thought it was a prank.”
"A prank? Of course not." Fudge said, "This is an attempt that has never been done before. There are many people who submitted applications, but we think we should still choose students in fifth grade or above. The O.W.L. scores are an important reference."
They arrived at the door of a room on the top floor with a sign indicating the Assistant Minister's Office.
"Your office, I keep my word." Fudge opened the door, "By the way, Dolores, those children may have a lot of discomfort when they come to the Ministry of Magic for the first time. As a professor, I think you You should go and help them.”
Umbridge, who was about to walk forward, suddenly stopped and looked at Fudge with disbelief.
“Any questions?” Fudge asked.
“No, not really.” Her voice trembled a little: “I’ll go right away.”
“Thank you for your hard work.” Fudge said casually. He walked directly into the room without looking at Umbridge.
Kyle couldn't help but look back, and happened to meet Umbridge's extremely malicious eyes.
Kyle had no doubt that if this wasn't the Ministry of Magic, and if Fudge hadn't been around, she would have cast a curse on herself.
"What are you waiting for, Professor." Kyle said with a smile: "Hurry up, otherwise you won't be able to catch the elevator in a while, and you will have to wait for a long time."
Umbridge's face turned red instantly and she gasped for air, which made her look more like a toad.
But Kyle didn't care. After he finished speaking, he didn't look at Umbridge again and walked briskly into the office.
(End of this chapter)