Chapter 824: Chapter 710: Kael’s Decision (Part 2)
The lifts were all full, so Kael and Chris had to wait for the next one.
"Kael, it’s so late now, why don’t you head back first?" Chris said.
"I’d like to, but Fudge is still waiting for the report," Kael sighed. "After such a big event, and with the Ministry of Magic winning such a major victory for the first time, he can’t wait to announce the news."
"So the report has to be submitted by tomorrow morning, before the Daily Prophet goes to print."
"How about...you help me write it?" Kael glanced at Chris. "You’ve written so many reports before, one more won’t hurt."
"Ah, I think I lost something." Chris suddenly slapped his forehead. "I must have dropped it on the way here. You go up first, I need to look for it."
Finishing his sentence, he bowed his head and hurried off to the other side of the lobby.
Kael pulled a face, feeling speechless... If you don’t want to write the report, just say it. Claiming you lost something? That excuse isn’t even a little bit original.
As he was thinking that, the lift arrived.
Kael stepped inside.
With no one else around, he quickly reached the first floor.
Fudge wasn’t there; he must have gone to the Trial Room as well.
Kael returned to his own office, sat at the desk, and began writing the report.
...
Because so many Death Eaters and Aurors were involved, it was already past midnight by the time Kael finished writing.
He tossed his Quill aside, massaging his slightly sore wrist.
No wonder his dad hated writing reports so much—this thing really was torture.
He needed to come up with some sort of method.
Speedwriting Quill?
No good, those leave too obvious a mark and have a lot of drawbacks. They’re fine for copying things, but a report would be far too much—people can easily tell.
He’d have to figure out how to improve it. Although it might be a hassle, saving loads of time on reports would still be worth it.
Thinking this, Kael forced himself awake, grabbed the thick pile of reports, and prepared to deliver them to the Minister’s office next door.
While he was in the corridor, he happened to run into Fudge, just exiting the lift.
"Oh, Kael, I was just about to look for you!" Fudge looked delighted and said excitedly, "A great victory—what a great victory! We caught more than twenty Death Eaters. It’s been ages since the Magic Realm had such exciting news."
"Haha, all those people who acted indifferent before went dumb when they saw the Death Eaters in the Trial Room."
"Yeah," Kael said. "Good thing the Auror Office didn’t listen to them."
"Thanks to the information you brought, I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when they read the paper tomorrow." Fudge went on, "Before that though, I’ll need you to help organize the details—it’s going to take up the whole front page, after all."
"I’ve already finished it." Kael handed over the stack of reports in his hand.
"Well done, Kael. I knew I could count on you." Fudge said happily, "Don’t worry, tomorrow your name will absolutely be front and center in the paper."
"No, Minister," Kael shook his head. "This was really the Auror Office’s achievement. The Aurors were the ones who caught the Death Eaters and protected everyone. I only helped with some of the aftermath. I didn’t do anything else."
"Don’t sell yourself short." Fudge shook his head. "If you hadn’t brought the information, they would have succeeded. You deserve credit too."
"I really don’t." Kael insisted. "I just received an anonymous letter."
"Anonymous letter..." Fudge frowned. "Where’s the letter?"
"It destroyed itself right after I read it," Kael said. "I think some Protective Magic had been added in advance, probably to stop it falling into Death Eater hands later."
"So cautious?" Fudge looked even more puzzled. "But such important news—who could it have come from? Was it a Death Eater?"
"That’s what I thought too. Only the Death Eaters would know You-Know-Who’s plans."
"But there are so many Death Eaters. Who was it?"
"I’m not sure," Kael thought for a moment, "but the letter did mention Professor Umbridge. The writer said that after learning she insisted on resisting the Death Eaters even after being subjected twice to the Crucio Curse, they finally decided to betray You-Know-Who."
"So I think the credit should go to Professor Umbridge."
"Are you sure? This is a golden opportunity to boost your reputation." Fudge said quietly, "You didn’t have to tell me any of this. Only you saw the letter, so if you don’t say anything, nobody would ever know."
"Of course, Minister. I’ve already made up my mind," Kael said.
Fudge nodded, giving Kael a slightly emotional look. "If Dolores knew, she’d be so proud to have taught you."
"It’s only what I should do," Kael said with a smile. "Minister, if there’s nothing else, may I clock off?"
"Oh, is it that late already? I didn’t even notice." Fudge realized, "I was just thinking of having you come sit in on the trial, but if you insist, of course... Do you want the Ministry to send you home?"
"No need, as long as the Ministry lets me use Apparition once," Kael said. "I missed the Apparition exam and now I have to wait until next year."
"Oh, I remember now, you were catching Dementors at the time," Fudge said offhandedly. "Alright, go ahead—I give my permission."
"Also, let’s waive the Apparition exam. Call it a reward for all your work this time."
