"Seriously, that really scared me." After leaving Knockturn Alley, Newt patted his chest, looking a little shaken.
"It's not that bad," Kyle said, giving him a look. "It was just a bunch of dark wizards. There were a lot of them, but if we really fought, we probably wouldn't have lost."
Kyle's tone was calm, as if they were discussing what to eat for lunch. There was something he didn't say.
When facing Newt Scamander, numbers meant nothing. If Newt had opened his suitcase, the Magical Creatures inside wouldn't even need to fight—just running around Knockturn Alley a couple of times would be enough to lower the entire street by a few inches.
So Kyle really couldn't understand what Newt was so afraid of.
"If all else fails, we could always fly away on Norbert," Kyle added.
"It's not that I'm worried—it's you," Newt said, giving Kyle a look.
"Me?" Kyle pointed at himself. "I'm not afraid of them either. Wait…"
Then something occurred to him. "You don't think I was going to let Norbert deal with those shopkeepers, do you?"
Newt didn't respond, but his wandering gaze was enough of an answer.
"How could that be… There was no need for that," Kyle shook his head.
Knockturn Alley had existed for so long for a reason. Neither Dumbledore nor the Ministry of Magic had ever destroyed it, so why should he worry about it?
"And the shopkeepers were actually quite sincere," Kyle continued. "Their tone was a bit harsh, but they did help me solve the problem with the werewolf. Like they said, it was a gift for our meeting."
"They've already backed down, so why would I want to make unnecessary enemies for myself?"
"I'm glad you see it that way," Newt said with a smile. "If you really wanted to deal with them, I'd help you—but afterward, I might have to take back the Nundu and the Wampus Cat."
"No…" Kyle waved his hand. "But I can't understand why you'd even think that. Or is my reputation that bad?"
"That shouldn't be the case, should it?" Kyle muttered to himself. "I feel like I'm a pretty nice person, and I was quite popular on the train ride back."
Newt coughed twice and said nothing.
It was Kyle's actions over the past few days that had made Newt think this way.
Back in the Black Forest, he had killed seven or eight werewolves without hesitation. And just now, in Knockturn Alley, he had let Norbert deal with the first person who mocked him at a glance.
It was only natural to have some concerns.
But…
If Kyle knew what Newt was thinking, he would definitely feel wronged.
Hadn't they gone to the Black Forest to solve the problem of the werewolves?
And in Kyle's mind, "solving the problem" naturally meant taking action. You can't reason with werewolves… That's ridiculous.
In the end, he had even let the surviving werewolves go, simply because of something Dumbledore had said a long time ago. He had chosen to leave them in the Black Forest instead of wiping them out.
To be honest, even now, Kyle still felt he had gone too soft.
Because if the roles had been reversed, those werewolves would never have let him go. No—they definitely wouldn't have.
As for what had just happened in Knockturn Alley, that was purely Norbert's fault.
It had nothing to do with Kyle at all.
At first, he had only wanted Norbert to teach that smug werewolf a lesson. Who could have known it would be such a hard hit?
So it really wasn't his fault.
Before long, Kyle and Newt returned to the now-empty Leaky Cauldron.
Old Tom was still behind the counter, polishing a glass for what must have been the umpteenth time. There was no one else in the pub now, so he had nothing better to do.
The two of them didn't greet him and simply walked straight out.
It was already late, and the street outside was deserted.
"Do you want to go say hello to everyone?" Kyle asked.
Though he didn't say where they were going, Newt understood immediately—Kyle was referring to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.
"I'm not going to join the fun," he said, shaking his head.
Newt had never liked crowded places. The only reason he had come out this time was because of the werewolf incident. Now that the problem had been resolved, he had no reason to stay.
Kyle knew Newt's personality well, and after hearing his refusal, he didn't bring it up again.
The two parted ways in front of the Leaky Cauldron.
Newt Disapparated—probably back to Dorset, or maybe to see Dumbledore.
Kyle also used Apparition, but instead of landing directly at Grimmauld Place, he chose a destination in a nearby alley, a block away. Then, he walked the extra ten minutes.
He arrived in front of Number 12.
Since he already knew the address, he could clearly see inside. The lights were on—someone was still awake.
It had to be Fred and George, who had just returned. Or perhaps it was the night watch.
Kyle thought this to himself as he reached out and knocked on the door.
Almost the moment he did, the door swung open from the inside.
"Kyle? Oh, you're finally back."
To Kyle's surprise, it wasn't Fred or George who opened the door, but Mrs. Weasley.
She pulled him into a hug, her voice filled with emotion. "Fred told me he ran into you and said you went to Knockturn Alley. I was worried about you the whole time. Thank goodness you're okay."
"Of course I am, there's no need to worry," Kyle said with a smile.
"How could I not be worried?" Mrs. Weasley said, her tone exasperated. "You don't know how evil the people in Knockturn Alley are. If it were up to me, I would never have let you go to a place like that."
"I think they're quite innocent", Kyle muttered under his breath, so softly that Mrs. Weasley didn't hear.
She greeted him warmly and led him inside.
Only then did Kyle notice that it wasn't just Mrs. Weasley who was awake—the rest of the Order of the Phoenix was also gathered around the table.
Of course, they weren't waiting for him. Kyle knew that much. They were discussing their next plan to rescue Harry.
As soon as he stepped in, he felt a piercing gaze lock onto him.
Moody.
Even though the Auror was sitting with his back turned, that magical eye of his was already focused on Kyle through the back of his head.
"Identify yourself!" Moody barked gruffly, spinning around to face him. "Molly, you're being too careless. What if he's a Death Eater disguised with Polyjuice Potion?"
"That's impossible, Alastor. Put your wand down," Mrs. Weasley said disapprovingly. "He knew where to find us, and he knocked on the door."
"Better to be safe than sorry," Moody muttered, still eyeing Kyle suspiciously. "Identify yourself… When was the last time Dumbledore was here?"
"The third day after Hogwarts finished its vacation," Kyle said casually. "And he only stayed for half an hour."
Moody studied him for a moment, then nodded and lowered his wand. "I'm sorry. These are special times. We have to be cautious."
"I understand," Kyle replied. "If it were me, I'd ask you to prove your identity, too."
"Very good. That's the way to do it," Moody said approvingly.
Kyle took a seat at the table, and Mrs. Weasley hurried into the kitchen. Moments later, she returned with a large platter filled with hot sandwiches and fried sausages.
"I guess you must be hungry, so eat something."
"Thanks," Kyle said, his eyes lighting up as he grabbed a sandwich and took a bite.
After such a long night, he was feeling a bit hungry, but it was so late that he had been too embarrassed to say anything.
"Hey, Mum, why does Kyle get sandwiches and fried sausages the moment he gets back, while George and I get nothing?" Fred said, clearly displeased.
"Yeah," George nodded. "We want sandwiches too."
"I thought you didn't like corned beef," Mrs. Weasley said without turning around.
"We do now," Fred said, glancing at Kyle.
Coincidentally, Kyle was looking right back at him. He slowly held up a finger.
"Beef sandwiches. Want some? One Galleon each. Buy two, and I'll give you three for the price of two."
"How much?" George blinked, thinking he must have misheard. "Two… three Galleons?"
"Yes," Kyle nodded calmly. "Is there a problem?"
"You're a real scoundrel," Fred said through clenched teeth.
"Same to you," Kyle grinned.
Hearing their exchange, a few other people who had been considering eating suddenly lost their appetite.
A sandwich for three Galleons… I can't afford that, I can't afford that.
Mrs. Weasley didn't interfere, simply watching them with a smile.
Of course, Kyle wasn't actually going to charge them. After a few more jokes, he pushed the plate to the middle of the table.
Mrs. Weasley had made plenty of sandwiches—far too many for just one person.
Everyone took the opportunity to have a light supper.
…
Soon, the large platter of sandwiches and fried sausages was cleared, and the conversation returned to what had happened earlier.
"We need to be careful tomorrow when we move," Kingsley said. "I've noticed some unfamiliar people lurking around Little Whinging lately. I suspect they're Death Eaters keeping watch on Potter's family."
"We mustn't alert them when we go in."
"What if we lure them out?" Tonks suggested. "I could come out of that street disguised as Harry—that should attract their attention."
"No, that's too dangerous," Mrs. Weasley said, shaking her head.
"If it's quick, it shouldn't be a problem," Tonks countered. "I can change my appearance before more Death Eaters show up. As long as you all hurry, you'll definitely make it in time."
"Yes, let's do it," Moody nodded. "By the way, I remember that family has three Muggles. Have their arrangements been made?
"Once the protective magic on that house is disabled, You-Know-Who will definitely not let them go."
"It's been discussed. Dedalus will move them somewhere else in advance," Kingsley said.
"Yes," Dedalus Diggle nodded. "The Death Eaters want Harry Potter. They won't care too much about the Muggles. This job won't be difficult."
"That's good," Moody said. "What about the route? Have you decided?"
"I've planned the route. There are three in total." Kingsley pulled out a map, more than ten locations marked in different colors.
He pointed to three red markers and said, "The first is Grimmauld Place. A direct Apparition is undoubtedly the fastest way here, but it will also reveal our approximate location."
"The second is an abandoned garage in the south. I've observed it, and no one ever goes there, so it's a good target for an Apparition. If someone is waiting for you, you can be back out in two minutes."
"The third option is a warehouse across the street. It's also a good choice, but it's farther away and requires a big detour. It would take at least five minutes to get here."
"No, five minutes is too long," Moody shook his head, his gaze shifting toward a different location on the map. "The Death Eaters could easily catch up. Let's prioritize this place instead—prepare the broomsticks in advance. It should be even faster. Charlie, you'll be in charge of the pick-up. Is that okay?"
"Okay," Charlie said simply.
"As for the other places," Kingsley continued, pointing to the blue markers, "these are meant to confuse the Death Eaters. We'll Apparate together, so even if they control the Department of Magical Transportation, they won't immediately know which one is the real Harry."
Kyle glanced at the map.
Diagon Alley, St. Catchpole Village, the Ministry of Magic... all places that seemed safe. Obviously, even the decoy locations had been carefully chosen to appear natural.
"How many of us are there in total?"
"Remus is at St. Mungo's, Tonks will be creating a diversion in Little Whinging, and Charlie will be handling the pick-up. So that makes... Wait, Kyle, are you going?"
"I can," Kyle said.
"That makes ten," Kingsley said.
"No, it's eleven," Mrs. Weasley corrected.
"It's ten," Kingsley shot her a look. "Molly, you need to stay here in case anything happens. Ron's level of Apparition is... well, slightly inadequate. If something goes wrong, he might have trouble escaping. Someone has to stay behind to mind the house."
Mrs. Weasley's face flushed red and white.
Kingsley had been tactful with his words, but she still felt the sting. Hermione, who was the same age as Ron, was already participating in rescue missions, while Ron wasn't even trusted to leave the house.
At that moment, she had the overwhelming urge to storm upstairs, drag Ron out of his room, and give him a proper scolding.
"Don't be like that, Molly," Mr. Weasley said, as if reading her thoughts. "Ron hasn't graduated yet. You can't expect so much from him. In fact, he's the one who wants to help the most."
"Yes, Mum," Fred chimed in, unusually speaking up for his brother. "Didn't you notice how sad he looked when we told him to stay behind and keep an eye on the place?"
"I bet he regrets spending all his time playing wizard chess instead of learning Apparition."
"And playing Quidditch..."
"Going on nighttime tours of the castle..."
"Looking at Quidditch picture books..."
"Showing off his Prefect badge in the corridors..."
"And hanging out with Lavender..."
Kyle watched as Fred and George, who had initially seemed to be defending Ron, gradually lost control of their teasing. Mrs. Weasley's face was growing redder by the second.
For a brief moment, Kyle had actually believed they were standing up for Ron.
As it turned out, he had been giving them too much credit.
They hadn't changed at all—this was nothing more than a clever ploy to ensure Ron got an even worse scolding.
A mob at work, Kyle thought.
"Ahem..." Seeing that Mrs. Weasley was on the verge of storming upstairs, Kyle quickly changed the subject. "By the way, you mentioned that Hermione would also be participating in the operation?"
"Ah, that's right," Mr. Weasley quickly caught on and added, "She wasn't originally supposed to be, but she insisted. And just recently, Hermione received her Apparition certificate, so she's fully qualified."
"What about my dad? Will he be joining?" Kyle asked, noticing that Chris wasn't present.
"No, he has a different task," Kingsley said. "Don't forget, Remus is still in St. Mungo's, and his safety is just as important. Sirius was supposed to stay with him, but he couldn't stand leaving Harry alone. Tonks' skills will be more useful for the mission, so he took her place."
"But he's also the most suitable candidate. As long as it's not You-Know-Who himself, I believe Chris can get Remus out of St. Mungo's."
"I see," Kyle nodded, then asked, "What about Professor Dumbledore?"
"No news yet," Mr. Weasley said after a moment's thought. "If all goes well, he should be involved in the operation as well."