Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 831: A Unique Way to Travel

Evening, Ministry of Magic, England.

Fred and George had just wrapped up a long day at work. Exhausted, they rode the lift down to the lobby, grumbling inwardly about Kyle as they prepared to head back to St. Catchpole.

“Mr. Weasleys...” A slow drawl drifted over, making them turn instinctively.

“Bob, what is it?” Fred asked. “Got another fun story to share?”

“Weʼre all ears,” added George.

Bob was the Ministry’s front desk receptionist, tasked with guiding first-time visitors to the right departments. Thanks to his job, he always seemed to be the first to hear new gossip, and the twins had long maintained a friendly rapport with him.

“Fun stories? There’s nothing going on lately—I’m so bored I’m thinking about changing jobs,” Bob sighed.

“Then how about joining the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures?” Fred’s eyes lit up. “We’ve got connections. We can get you in, no problem.”

“Seriously,” George chimed in. “The pay’s way better than what a receptionist makes.”

“The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures?” Bob shuddered. “No thanks. Now that I think about it, boredom isn’t so bad. At least I’ve got time to do the things I enjoy—unlike you two, who are constantly swamped. Anyway, enough depressing talk.”

Bob changed tack. “Here, this is for you.”

He placed a stuffed envelope on the counter.

“A foreign owl delivered it. You weren’t here, so I signed for it.”

“Our letter...”

“A foreign owl?”

Fred blinked. “From where? Who sent it?”

“Austria,” Bob said. “It’s from Kyle. Honestly, I’d love to visit Austria someday—I’ve heard the Diagon Alley there is filled with all kinds of music.”

Bob sounded cheerful, but Fred and George were completely baffled.

A letter from Kyle in Austria?

That made no sense.

He had been at home just yesterday—how could he suddenly vanish and send a letter from Austria?

They didn’t believe it, but at Bob’s urging, they walked over and took the envelope.

They initially thought it had to be a prank—maybe there was a joke box or something waiting to explode when they opened it.

Until they saw the name on the envelope.

It really was Kyle’s name. And his handwriting.

The two looked even more confused.

“Kyle... actually went to Austria?” Fred asked.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” George replied. “Let’s check his house. If he’s there, someone else must’ve sent this with an agenda.”

“Exactly.”

Without another word, they said goodbye to Bob and hurried back to St. Catchpole.

They went straight to Kyle’s house and knocked loudly for a long time. No response—just the irritable meows of the Kneazle inside, seemingly urging them to be quiet.

“Did he really go to Austria?”

“Maybe. Now that I think about it, there was a small marking on the envelope that only we’d recognize. That shouldn’t be easy to fake.”

“Let’s head home and take a closer look.”

They returned to the Burrow.

“You’re just in time for dinner,” Mrs. Weasley said, stepping out of the kitchen with a stew pot in hand.

“Hold on a sec, Mum.”

Fred set the envelope on the table.

“What’s that?” Mrs. Weasley asked.

“No idea,” said George. “Kyle sent it. From Austria.”

“Kyle...” Mrs. Weasley paused. “Isn’t he at home?”

“We just checked. He’s not there,” George replied, picking up the envelope again.

The letter had been magically sealed and required a password to open—but that was no problem.

“Speaking of passwords...” George grinned. “Fred, what was the first thing that came to your mind?”

“What else?” Fred grinned back. “The one we know best.”

“Yeah. Been a long time since we’ve used it,” George said with a touch of nostalgia.

“Not like we’ve had the chance...”

“What are you two talking about?” Charlie asked, looking puzzled. “If you know the password, hurry up and open it.”

The twins ignored him, exchanging a look.

“Together?”

“No problem.”

They pulled out their wands and tapped the envelope.

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

The seal glowed briefly, then opened on its own.

Everyone crowded around, curious to see what was inside.

There was no parchment—just a shrunken suitcase...

Or rather, the envelope had been enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. It only looked small. As soon as they pulled the suitcase out, it returned to full size.

“This is Kyle’s suitcase,” Fred blurted. “What’s it doing here—”

Before he could finish, the latch clicked open on its own.

Then, to everyone’s astonishment, Kyle pushed the suitcase open and jumped out.

“Finally made it. Took long enough.” He stretched his arms, then glanced around. “Oh—Mrs. Weasley, Charlie, Bill... Why do you all look like that?”

“Why donʼt you start by explaining why youʼre here?” Fred looked from Kyle to the envelope. “What exactly is going on?”

“As you can see, I hitched a ride,” Kyle said, spreading his hands. “Itʼs a bit of a long story, but to keep it short—someone took me to Austria, but didn’t bother to bring me back. So I had to come up with my own solution.”

“This is the solution you came up with?” George raised an eyebrow.

“It’s pretty convenient, don’t you think?” Kyle grinned. “Owls might not be the fastest, but they’re untraceable by the Ministry. They fly freely. Without an illegal Portkey, there’s really no better way.”

He sounded quite pleased with himself.

All it took was a suitcase and an envelope enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm—safe, quick, simple, and stress-free. If Newt had thought of it, he might not have needed to go hunting down illegal Portkeys all the time.

“So how did you get yourself into the envelope?” Percy asked curiously.

“That part’s easy. Just had the owl give me a push. They’re smart enough—totally capable of handling it.”

Kyle nudged a plate on the table. It was much larger than the envelope, but thanks to the Undetectable Extension Charm, it slipped inside effortlessly the moment it touched the envelope.

“What about sealing it?”

“You can do that from the inside.”

Percy smacked his lips and muttered, “Never thought the Undetectable Extension Charm could be used like that. That’s a loophole—people with bad intentions could really exploit it.”

“Not that I mean you, of course,” he added quickly, glancing at Kyle.

“No worries.” Kyle waved him off, unconcerned.

“To be honest, pulling that off isn’t exactly easy,” Bill said thoughtfully. “Casting an Undetectable Extension Charm on a flimsy envelope? I doubt many wizards could manage it. Not to mention, you’d need a suitcase big enough to stay in comfortably for a while.”

“Let’s come back to that later,” George cut in, staring at Kyle. “Why did you suddenly run off to Austria?”

Right...

With that reminder, everyone turned to look at Kyle.

“That... I might need a few days before I can explain,” Kyle said.

“Not even a hint?” Fred pressed. “I’m dying of curiosity here—if I don’t find out, I might not sleep tonight…”

“Fred, if you’ve got so much free time, why don’t you go help your father with his paperwork!” Mrs. Weasley’s voice called from behind as she emerged carrying a large bowl of stew. She smiled and handed it to Kyle. “Darling, would you like some toast?”

“Thanks…” Kyle replied. “Oh—almost forgot. I brought gifts for everyone.”

He pulled out a pile of items from his suitcase: color-block robes, a Muggle-made accordion, a screaming harmonica, Reʼem horn-rimmed glasses, local Austrian wine... the table was soon covered in unique souvenirs he’d picked up while searching for the owl post office.

“These are too extravagant,” Mrs. Weasley said, though her eyes lingered on one of the unusually styled robes. Even Charlie was eyeing the wine with undisguised interest.

“Not at all. These are cheap locally,” Kyle said with a grin, taking a big bite of stew. “The expensive part was shipping them over. No one really wants to send things to England these days…”

“Can’t be helped. It’s the Death Eaters’ fault...” Charlie muttered.

The warm, lively atmosphere immediately dimmed.

“Any new movements from them?” Kyle asked.

“Nothing.” Mrs. Weasley shook her head. “That’s exactly what we’re worried about. According to Arthur, there’s plenty of evidence they’re recruiting more Death Eaters, but they’re keeping a low profile. Apart from the occasional small skirmish, nothing’s happened. I’m afraid they’re planning something bigger.

“With so many of them—if they launched a coordinated attack, how would we even begin to defend ourselves…”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Weasley. Maybe we’re just overthinking it,” Kyle said reassuringly. “At this point, it’s pretty even. Not everyone’s going to join You-Know-Who. And the Ministry’s increasing the number of Aurors and Hit Wizards, right? If it came down to numbers, we might not be outmatched after all.”

“Exactly, Mum. Don’t worry.”

“We still have the upper hand.”

Bill and Charlie added their support.

Mrs. Weasley finally gave a small, reluctant smile and added two more sausages to everyone’s plates.

Kyle, who hadn’t eaten properly all day, had clearly been served more than the others—he even ended up with what had been set aside for Mr. Weasley’s dinner.

...

After the meal, Kyle leaned against the wall as he left The Burrow and returned to his own house.

He’d caught a bit of sleep in the suitcase, but hadn’t been able to truly relax—more like resting with his eyes closed than actual sleep.

Now that he was finally home, all the exhaustion from being chased around by Vinda Rosier and the others the previous night came crashing down. Without even changing clothes, he collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep.

...

He slept straight through to noon, only to be woken by persistent pecking.

Grumbling, he waved his hand to shoo away the owl perched near his pillow.

“Quit it, Ratton... food’s in the cabinet, you know where it is.”

But Ratton wasn’t giving up. The owl kept pecking the back of his hand, then stretched out a claw and slapped an envelope onto Kyle’s face.

That finally got him up. He rubbed his eyes, tore open the envelope, and pulled out the parchment inside...

And then, Kyle suddenly leapt out of bed.

“Hurry to Hogwarts. You-Know-Who appeared and attacked Gringotts. Minister of Magic Amelia Bones insists on seeing Dumbledore.

...Minerva McGonagall.”

“Why now?” Kyle frowned, instinctively reaching for the Polyjuice Potion he’d stashed on himself.

But his hand came up empty. After searching himself three times, Kyle finally confirmed that the Polyjuice Potion and the strand of Dumbledore’s hair—both stored in his Mokeskin pouch—had vanished.

“Did I drop it in the forest earlier?” Kyle frowned again.

He’d been fleeing in a panic back then. Maybe he’d accidentally pulled it out while rummaging for something else.

It didn’t matter. There was still a backup in the headmaster’s office. If he moved fast, he could make it in time. Kyle didn’t waste another second. He Apparated straight to the familiar Hog’s Head, ready to repeat the trick—transform into an owl and fly back to the school.

“Wait.”

A hand suddenly reached out and blocked him.

“Mr. Aberforth…” Kyle looked at him. “There’s no time to explain. I need to get back to Hogwarts right away.”

“I know,” Aberforth said calmly. “There are experienced Aurors all over Hogwarts right now. If you use Transfiguration again, chances are they’ll catch on... Go that way instead.”

He pointed at a large painting on the wall.

It was Ariana’s portrait—but it had swung open like a door, revealing a passage behind it.

“Wait, didn’t you say this was a one-way secret passage?”

“I did,” Aberforth said coolly. “But about a minute ago, someone opened it from the inside. Maybe they knew you were on your way back and opened it for you.

“Enough talk. Get going. If the passage closes again, you’ll have to figure it out on your own.”

“Got it.” Kyle nodded and jumped in.

The passage was long and spacious. Even hurrying, it took him nearly ten minutes to reach the exit at the Room of Requirement.

The Room of Requirement was on the eighth floor—same as the headmaster’s office—so the distance wasn’t far. But as soon as Kyle emerged, he heard Amelia’s cold voice echoing down the hall.

“Minerva, where is Dumbledore? I must see him today!”

“I’m sorry, Minister Bones. The headmaster is handling more urgent matters.” That was Professor McGonagall.

“More urgent matters?” Amelia’s voice rose sharply. “What could be more urgent than an attack on Gringotts? Over a hundred Death Eaters attacked! Aurors and Hit Wizards fought desperately to protect the wizards inside—where was Dumbledore? Do you even know how many we lost?

“I need to see him today. I must know where he stands. If Dumbledore refuses to cooperate with the Ministry in resisting You-Know-Who, then we’ll have no choice but to withdraw all protections and cease all information sharing with Hogwarts.”

“You misunderstand, Amelia. Hogwarts has always stood against the Death Eaters,” said Professor McGonagall.

“Then let Dumbledore come speak for himself!”

Kyle crept forward and saw Amelia Bones and Professor McGonagall standing at the far end of the corridor.

Fortunately, it was just the two of them—no Aurors, no students in sight.

Amelia was already out of patience. “Don’t give me excuses. I’ve looked into it—no one in the magical world, in any country, has had a single word about Dumbledore. Just tell me the truth—is he even alive?”

“Of course. I give you my word,” Professor McGonagall said, face solemn.

Amelia’s expression eased a little. She looked like she’d finally exhaled.

At the same time, Professor McGonagall spotted Kyle sneaking through the corridor. She shifted slightly, subtly blocking Amelia’s line of sight.

Amelia followed the motion instinctively—her gaze moved with McGonagall, just enough to miss the hallway.

Kyle took his chance and tiptoed past.

But Amelia seemed to catch something and instinctively started to turn.

“Actually…” McGonagall suddenly raised her voice, drawing Amelia’s focus back. “I’ve already contacted Headmaster Dumbledore. He’ll be returning shortly.”

“Then I’ll wait here.”

Listening to their exchange, Kyle—who had just slipped by—felt his knees go weak.

He understood now. The Death Eaters had attacked Gringotts. The Ministry had fought tooth and nail. And Dumbledore... never showed up.

The Minister was here to demand answers.

What excuse could he possibly give?

Kyle’s thoughts were in chaos. If this went wrong, Hogwarts could end up completely cut off from the Ministry. How had all this landed on him?

With a mix of anxiety and dread, Kyle passed through the stone gargoyle and took the spiraling staircase up to the headmaster’s office.

No matter what, Dumbledore had to appear. As for the excuse... he’d have to improvise. Hopefully Professor McGonagall would help cover for him.

He pushed open the oak door at the top of the stairs and headed straight for the drawer where the spare Polyjuice Potion and hair were kept.

But to his surprise, someone was already in the room.

Kyle jumped slightly—then exhaled in relief when he saw who it was.

“Nicolas?”

“Ah, I knew you’d figure out your own way back,” Nicolas said with a smile.

At that, Kyle couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

If he hadn’t come up with the owl idea, he would’ve spent half a day flying. No way he was going to bring that up now.

But this wasn’t the time for small talk. Kyle strode quickly to the desk, opened a drawer, and started searching for the Polyjuice Potion as he spoke.

“Nicolas, what are you doing here? I might not have time right now—can it wait?”

“No worries. I just came to drop something off.”

Nicolas smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out an elegant golden pocket watch, which he placed on the table.

“I told you—the Time-Turner would be ready once you got back from Nurmengard. And look, perfect timing.”