"What do you think?"
"The stuff is still there."
As soon as Kyle returned to Diagon Alley, he slipped into the Weasley twins' shop. Before anyone else could notice him, he changed back into his own clothes and said, "I saw it. The Vanishing Cabinet is in Borgin and Burkes."
"Excellent," Fred said excitedly. "In that case, if we keep watch at the entrance to Knockturn Alley, we'll be able to track the Death Eaters' movements."
"Or we could just take control of Borgin and Burkes," George suggested. "It just so happens that our job now is dealing with dark magic items, so we could go in and inspect them under that pretense."
"I advise against that," Kyle cautioned. "It would only alert the enemy. Borgin is a crafty old fox—if he senses anything suspicious and reports it to the Death Eaters, all our previous planning will be wasted. We need to maintain the status quo."
He hesitated briefly before adding, "And I also saw a Werewolf's tracks in Knockturn Alley."
"A Werewolf?" Fred was startled.
Their shop was less than a hundred feet from the entrance to Knockturn Alley. If there really was a Werewolf lurking nearby, this location wasn't exactly safe.
"Yes. I assume he was hiding in Knockturn Alley before, then joined You-Know-Who and was sent to keep an eye on Borgin and Burkes," Kyle said.
"No way," Fred muttered. "I remember Lupin mentioning that the Werewolves in Knockturn Alley were all banished by Fenrir Greyback and were pathetically weak. I doubt they'd be of any use to You-Know-Who, even if they wanted to be."
"Then he must have snuck in," Kyle replied. "At the very least, I sensed danger when I walked past him. He has to be a strong Werewolf."
"And how do you know he's connected to You-Know-Who?"
"I'm just guessing," Kyle admitted. "But back in the shop, Borgin refused to sell me the Vanishing Cabinet no matter how much I offered. I named a price that should have been impossible to refuse under normal circumstances, yet he still wouldn't budge."
"He seemed to have some reservations—probably because there was a Werewolf stationed right outside."
"An impossible price to refuse…" George raised an eyebrow. "You didn't use our money, did you?"
Kyle said nothing, which was a silent admission.
"That was all our savings…" Fred sighed. "What if Borgin had actually agreed?"
"There was no such possibility. I knew what I was doing," Kyle said firmly. "Even if he had been willing to take the risk for a few thousand Galleons, I would have just found another excuse."
"I have another question," George said, letting the Galleons go for now. "Even if the Werewolf has joined You-Know-Who, Malfoy can't really be the one giving him orders, can he? He's only sixteen, still underage—not even a full-fledged Death Eater."
"Malfoy can't," Kyle agreed. "But there are others."
Did they really think he was handling something this big alone? He would definitely need help. It wouldn't be difficult for a Death Eater to send a Werewolf over with just a few words.
"But that means we won't just have to monitor the Death Eaters—we'll also need to make sure the Werewolves don't go feral when the full moon comes around. This is Diagon Alley, after all. If a transformed Werewolf suddenly breaks loose, we'll have a real problem."
"Don't worry, leave that to us," Fred and George said, thumping their chests. "We've just made a map of Diagon Alley—a simplified version of the Marauder's Map."
George pointed to what looked like an ordinary piece of parchment displayed in the shop window.
"We'll just make a few modifications to the map, and we'll always know what's happening at the entrance to Knockturn Alley."
"That's a great idea," Kyle said calmly. "But I still don't think it's reliable. You should tell Kreacher that… Actually, I'll do it myself."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Fred said indignantly. "Are you saying we're worth less to you than a House-elf?"
Kyle gave him a once-over, then nodded firmly.
Yes, that was exactly what he meant.
"What are you talking about?"
Just as Fred and George were about to give Kyle a piece of their minds, Kanna emerged from behind one of the shop shelves.
"Kyle, have you finished? We need to get back to school quickly."
"Ah, yes," Kyle replied.
"Good," Kanna said, placing a few interesting gadgets from the shelf to the side.
"Mr. Weasley, how much are these?"
"Just take them," Fred said with a wave of his hand. "It's on the house, a special offer for your first visit to our store."
"No way, you can't take something without paying for it," Kanna shook her head. "Just tell me the price, or I won't take them."
"Yeah, we can't take advantage of you like that," Kyle added.
He then took out a heavy suitcase and placed it on the counter with an air of generosity. "Forget it, you can have all this—no need to look for change."
The suitcase landed with a dull thud, its weight suggesting it was filled with gold Galleons.
However, Fred and George did not look pleased.
"Hey, this is our money, okay?"
"Paying with our money and not needing change… how could you say that?"
"Shame on you!"
Kyle, unfazed by their complaints, simply pretended not to hear them. Instead, he calmly found Kreacher, whispered a few instructions, and then left the shop with Kanna, heading toward the Leaky Cauldron.
A while later, Fred and George caught up from behind.
"Why are you going back so early?"
"We can just use the Floo Network with Ron and the others later, right?"
"We'd like to," Kyle said, "but what about the carriage? We can't just shove it down the fireplace, can we?"
"Carriage… Oh, how could I forget? You came here in a Thestral-drawn carriage," Fred said, slapping his forehead.
"But how did you get it out?"
"We tried before, but the Thestral refused to budge from the school gates. When we pressed it, it gave a shrill shriek."
"Luckily, we were quick, or Hagrid would have caught us."
It was no surprise that Fred and George, McGonagall's most troublesome students, were the ones who came up with the idea of taking a Thestral-drawn carriage.
"No need to speculate," Kyle shot them a look. "Professor Dumbledore gave his permission."
Hearing that the carriage had been obtained through proper channels, the twins immediately lost interest.
They walked together to the entrance of Diagon Alley, slipped through the hidden archway behind the Leaky Cauldron, and then Disapparated, reappearing in a secluded alley near Grimmauld Place.
A Muggle nearby widened his eyes at the sudden appearance of several people out of thin air, rubbing them in disbelief.
With a casual flick of his wand, Kyle erased the man's awareness of the event. His expression went blank, and he strolled away as if nothing had happened.
"You're pretty good with that Memory Charm," George remarked.
"Just a little talent," Kyle said with a shrug.
The Thestral-drawn carriage stood nearby, and Kyle was the first to jump in, reaching out to pull Kanna up after him.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Fred asked.
"Didn't we already do that before heading to Diagon Alley? We should get back as soon as possible," Kyle said.
"By the way, remember—if a Werewolf ever does get loose, don't try to be a hero. Let Kreacher handle it."
"That old, worn-out House-elf?" George said doubtfully. "Can he really do it? We won't be able to explain things to Sirius if the Werewolf ends up having him for dessert."
"Of course he can," Kyle said. "House-elves aren't just good at cleaning and cooking. They have their own magic, and they're just as strong as Werewolves."
"Remember Dobby? He was at school with us—knocked Lucius Malfoy out with just one finger."
"That's brilliant!" Fred said, his eyes lighting up. "Do you have a photo?"
"I don't carry my camera around all the time."
"Shame," George sighed. "We were going to put it in the most prominent spot in the shop."
"You'd better find something else, then." Kyle patted the back of the Thestral. "And don't be reckless. I'd rather not waste time brewing Wolfsbane Potion for you."
"Don't worry," the twins said, waving him off. "See you after graduation!"
The next second, the carriage lifted into the air, carrying Kyle and Kanna toward Hogwarts. Grimmauld Place grew smaller and smaller, vanishing into the gray clouds within moments.
"Kyle, are you a member of the Order of the Phoenix too?" Kanna asked curiously from the carriage.
"Sort of," Kyle said after a moment's thought. "But I was never officially invited by Professor Dumbledore, so my status is the same as Harry's and the others'—just an extra."
"That's still pretty great," Kanna murmured. "The atmosphere there is really nice. Mrs. Weasley is so kind, and everyone feels like family… Can I join?"
"I don't have the final say," Kyle said. "Professor Snape would have to approve, and considering he was all for sending you off to Beauxbatons, I doubt he'd agree to you joining the Order of the Phoenix."
"That's true," Kanna sighed. "Guess there's nothing we can do. We'll just have to wait until after graduation and see if we can change his mind."
"It doesn't make much difference," Kyle said nonchalantly. "The so-called Order of the Phoenix is just a name—like Aurors, Hit Wizards, DA, and the rest."
"If you like that kind of camaraderie, you could always move to St. Catchpole Village. There's plenty of empty land near my house and The Burrow. It wouldn't be hard to build another manor."
Kanna tilted her head. "So… are you planning to become neighbors with Professor Snape?"
"If he agrees," Kyle said with a grin.
They chatted idly, watching the landscape roll by beneath them. When they grew bored, they passed the time reading The Daily Prophet, which they'd brought from Diagon Alley.
As the sky darkened, they finally caught up with the bright red Hogwarts Express, arriving at school just ahead of schedule.
"You've worked hard," Kyle said, stroking the wing of the Thestral-drawn carriage and feeding it a fresh leg of warthog.
With the increasing number of Magical Creatures around, Kyle had made a habit of keeping such supplies in his suitcase. They weren't expensive, and buying in bulk came with discounts.
"Luckily, I went to Nicolas's manor for the holidays," Kyle said with some relief as they climbed the steps outside the castle.
"Why do you say that all of a sudden?" Kanna asked, puzzled.
"Look at this..." Kyle handed her the newspaper he was holding.
The Ministry of Magic had failed to achieve any meaningful progress regarding the Death Eaters, and Fudge's reputation had been deteriorating. In an attempt to salvage the situation, he had visited Hogwarts multiple times during the holidays, seemingly trying to recreate the illusion of being closely allied with Dumbledore.
Unfortunately for him, Dumbledore hadn't been at the school this holiday either, and his visits had been entirely fruitless.
His image dominated the front page, with several pictures showing him wandering around the castle grounds.
Rita Skeeter, ever the professional opportunist, had exposed his intentions with cutting precision. She knew exactly what people enjoyed reading most—ministers being scolded for their incompetence.
The article made it clear that the Ministry had accomplished nothing of significance since September.
Kyle could easily imagine what would have happened had he stayed at school instead of visiting Nicolas. With Dumbledore absent, Fudge would have inevitably come looking for him, dragging him into unnecessary distractions.
Honestly, Kyle would much rather have been lounging in a deck chair, basking in the sun, than wasting his time on the tedious task of saving Fudge's reputation.
They climbed the last steps and reached the great oak doors of the castle.
As expected, Filch was already there, his Dark Detector in hand. He circled Kyle and Kanna multiple times before finally giving the all-clear and allowing them inside.
"Fred was right—this inspection is useless," Kanna said, pulling a small box from her pocket. It held all the gadgets she had bought from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
Yet when the detector had scanned her earlier, it hadn't reacted at all.
"Don't say that—you just didn't have any dark magic items on you," Kyle remarked, casting a glance behind them. "And not everyone can manage the Undetectable Extension Charm."
The two of them made their way to the common room.
Though the train hadn't arrived yet, the common room was still lively, with most students having chosen to stay at school.
Kyle and Kanna walked over to an empty table and sat down.
"Kyle, how was your Christmas?" Ryan asked, looking up from his game of wizard chess.
"It was okay," Kyle said. "And you? Did anything happen at school?"
"Does drinking a vat of 500-year-old wine by the Fat Lady count?" Ryan said. "She and her friend—Violet, I think her name is... they drank all the wine from the portraits of the drunk monks in the Charms corridor."
"That was a disaster..." Mikel muttered, still shaken. "They kept going back and forth between portraits, howling and singing until two in the morning."
"The whole school couldn't sleep because of the noise."
"I hope those drunken monks have hidden their wine better this time, and that it's never found again."
At the mention of the incident, the group immediately launched into complaints, one after another, clearly still suffering from the torment.
It was no secret that the Fat Lady enjoyed a drink. Gryffindor students had often complained that whenever she indulged, she would make them listen to her singing before allowing them into the common room. But no one had expected this habit to start affecting students from other houses.
All they could say was that Gryffindors had it the worst—they had to endure it for seven years.
However, there were rumors that Professor McGonagall had already stepped in, warning the Fat Lady, and that Gryffindor's password had been changed overnight to Abstinence.
No one knew if that was true or not. After all, no one was about to make a trip to the eighth floor just to test it.
Apart from that fiasco, there wasn't much else to note.
There was still some time before the school dinner, so Kanna decided to get some more reading done, while Kyle made his way to the Headmaster's Office.
He wanted to ask Dumbledore about the Time-Turner.
When he reached the eighth floor, however, he found that Dumbledore had gone out again and wasn't at the school. The only ones in the Headmaster's Office were the former Heads of Hogwarts, pretending to sleep in their frames.
"What do you want?" one of them asked, as though accustomed to Kyle's sudden appearances.
"Dumbledore is at the Ministry of Magic at the moment. If it's urgent, I can go and fetch him for you."
"Thank you, Headmaster Everard, but no," Kyle said. "It's nothing urgent. I can wait until the professor returns."
"Very well."
Kyle nodded and left the Headmaster's Office.