It wasn't until the next evening that Kael found out why Chris had to rush back to the Ministry of Magic overnight.
In short, the department was seriously understaffed. The few people in the Department of International Magical Cooperation were simply not enough, so anyone who could breathe was called back to help.
Mr. Weasley was no exception.
For an entire week, they left before dawn and didn't return until late at night.
So during these days, Kael ate at the Weasley family home, and each time he went, he would hear Fred and George making sarcastic remarks.
Because of the incident where Kael and Cedric teamed up to stuff them into a box, the two had been like this ever since returning from the campsite.
Cedric managed to avoid it because he lived farther from the Shabby Residence.
In the end, Kael couldn't stand the annoyance any longer and promised to take them for a tour inside the box after the school started, which finally quieted things down for a few days.
During this time, something else happened. Percy and Mrs. Weasley had a big argument.
The reason was that Rita Skeeter published another article. She somehow got information, saying Mr. Weasley was trying to please the Headmaster of Beauxbatons, only caring about a few French students while being indifferent to the deaths of over a dozen wizards.
Of course, anyone with a clear mind could see it was fabricated, but Percy believed it and even complained during breakfast about Mr. Weasley's unwise actions, dragging Bill and Charlie into it.
Mrs. Weasley was furious and had a big fight with him. Charlie even gave him a taste of what a Dragon Tamer's skills were like.
Percy left for the Ministry of Magic without finishing his meal, dark circles under his eyes.
"Ignore him," Bill said to Harry and the others nearby, "Rita Skeeter never writes anything good about anyone. She's best at distorting facts, yet many foolish people believe her."
In the blink of an eye, it was the last day of vacation, and Sirius and Lupin still hadn't sent any letters.
In the morning, Kael went to No. 12 Grimmauld Place, but it was empty, and the Little Elf was not there.
Moreover, there was no news from the Ministry of Magic either.
Obviously, Sirius's retrial had been postponed.
The events of the Quidditch World Cup hadn't been fully resolved, and Fudge didn't seem willing to go after Crouch at this time.
However, this wasn't hard to understand, as the Ministry of Magic was already in chaos, with tons of Howlers being sent to the Department of International Magical Cooperation office almost daily.
If not for Crouch drawing public anger, those complaints about World Cup safety issues and demands for compensation would likely end up in his minister's office.
Fudge didn't want to spend most of his time handling those Howlers every day.
When Kael returned to Ottery St Catchpole, it was almost noon.
Chris had returned but quickly left with Charlie. He received a mission to go to Romania immediately, and Charlie decided to hop a ride with the Portkey, as his vacation was only one day left anyway. Using the Ministry of Magic's Portkey would save him a lot of travel time.
Mr. Weasley only returned very late, dragging his tired body, looking completely exhausted.
"Things are getting more out of hand." He sat in a cushioned armchair by the fireplace, listlessly stirring the wilted broccoli on his plate.
"Rita Skeeter has been scurrying around all week, searching for more chaos at the Ministry of Magic to report on. Her articles have brought us significant trouble."
"What about Malfoy, Dad..." Bill asked, "What happened to Malfoy, was he sent to Azkaban?"
"I wish that were the case." Mr. Weasley sighed, "During the trial, Malfoy insisted that his actions were impulsive because his supported team lost, and he didn't intend for things to get so big."
"Impulsive?" Bill said angrily, "They used the Crucio Curse!"
"I know, but no one could testify," Mr. Weasley said. "Remember, his charm didn't succeed, so we have no way to prove it with Priori Incantatem."
"And quite a few jurors chose to believe Malfoy. They think the mastermind is an escaped Death Eater, responsible for using the Imperio Curse on Barty to assassinate Harry or for being the first to use the Killing Curse and conjure the Dark Mark.
Coincidentally, when the Dark Mark appeared, Malfoy had already been captured, which means he wasn't involved with the Death Eater."
"Utter nonsense... And what about Headmaster Maxime? Did she agree?" Bill asked.
"The people at the Ministry of Magic are still negotiating with her," Mr. Weasley said. "That's also why Malfoy and the others haven't been released yet.
Despite donating a large sum of gold and voluntarily covering all the losses and compensations, Headmaster Maxime went to the French Ministry of Magic, insisting on an explanation. Otherwise, she threatened to withdraw..."
Mr. Weasley paused before continuing, "In short, Headmaster Maxime and the French Minister's attitudes are very firm, and Fudge has been troubled by this."
"Understood." Kael nodded, "He doesn't want his international reputation damaged, nor does he want to give up Malfoy's gold..."
"You could say that." Mr. Weasley poured himself a small glass of whiskey. "But either way, Malfoy's gonna pay this time... I've inquired, just the gold he promised for compensation isn't a small amount.
"Plus, he needs to give Beauxbatons an explanation... There's news that the Malfoy family has started selling shops on Diagon Alley."
"He should be in Azkaban!" Ron complained loudly, "I'd love to see if Draco Malfoy will still be so arrogant by then."
Mr. Weasley didn't say anything.
If that Crucio Curse had been successfully cast initially, he wouldn't have escaped, but now... It only shows that Lucius's scheming over the years has paid off. Throwing out loads of Galleons finally got him help at a critical moment.
As long as the mistakes weren't too severe, there would always be someone to speak for him.
Besides, the way the Dark Mark appeared was just too timely, conveniently giving him an excuse to escape accountability.
"I think you all should head upstairs and check if your luggage is packed," Mrs. Weasley interrupted their conversation, saying, "Go on now, stop mentioning Malfoy and let your father have a rest."
"Alright..." Everyone took their belongings and headed upstairs.
Kael initially wanted to inquire if there was any news about Sirius from the department, but seeing Mr. Weasley's exhausted face, he decided not to speak up.
...