You Need to Be Mentally Prepared

After the dinner, Kyle glanced, seemingly casually, at the spot where Chris and Diana had been sitting... It was empty; they had clearly left beforehand.

Afterwards, all the students returned to their dormitories, except for Kyle, who was left behind.

The banquet was just one part of the investiture ceremony; the most important part came afterward.

"Would you like to go for a cup of tea together?" Dumbledore suggested with a smile.

"Of course, I do need something to drink right now."

Mike Phil nodded. "Honestly, this castle seems to have some kind of uncanny magic. Even my appetite has improved a lot since I got here."

His earlier comment about wanting to get back quickly was obviously a joke, and Dumbledore wouldn't actually invite these old guys to be Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts... that's a privilege reserved for young men.

"Albus, do you have any whiskey? I'd really like some right now."

"How about Firewhisky? I just received a bottle for Christmas."

"That would be perfect."

In the Headmaster's Office on the Seventh Floor, there was an extra long table and several soft chairs with backrests.

The table was also set with a variety of drinks, including steaming tea and whiskey, as well as mead, Butterbeer, and lemonade.

These must have been just bought by the House-elf from the Three Broomsticks. Their magic is different from that of the wizards; they can even use Apparition inside the castle.

The group sat down casually, drinking and chatting happily.

As the main characters in this story, Kyle was naturally a frequent topic of conversation.

Although Fudge tried to steer the conversation away from the topic several times, Dumbledore always managed to see through his intentions and subtly bring the conversation back to Kyle.

Kyle understood his intention.

On the way to the Seventh Floor, Dumbledore had hinted in a voice only he could hear that this was a rare opportunity to meet famous wizards outside the school, which would greatly help him expand his network.

Kyle naturally understood this principle.

In the Wizarding World, connections are equally important. Take Dumbledore, for example. If he hadn't known Nicolas Flamel, how could he have borrowed such a useful "bait" as the Philosopher's Stone?

The Malfoy family is another example; their influence stems from their complex network of relationships with most people in the Ministry of Magic.

Although this network of relationships is woven with Galleon, it will crumble once this most important material is missing.

However, it is undeniable that before this network was broken, it did help Malfoy solve many minor and major problems he encountered in life or business.

This is also the main reason why he was able to thrive despite being labeled a "suspected Death Eaters".

Besides, even Mr. Weasley was like that. Despite his insignificant position, he had a very good relationship with most people in the Ministry of Magic, including some department heads.

For example, Ludo Bagman (Department of Magical Games and Sports), Barty Crouch (Department of International Magical Cooperation), and Amelia Bones (Department of Magical Law Enforcement).

Chris doesn't count; he's the deputy.

And just a few days ago, Chris casually mentioned that Mr. Weasley was planning to enact a new bill, apparently about protecting Muggle and strengthening the management of Dark Magic items.

And judging from Chris's tone, the new bill seems to be on the verge of being passed.

If Mr. Weasley were truly just an ordinary Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, given Fudge's personality, he probably wouldn't even give him a second glance, let alone pass any bills he proposed.

As for Mike Phil and his friends, they were also eager to meet Kyle, the youngest member of the Order of Merlin.

The two sides hit it off immediately and had a very pleasant conversation.

But Fudge and Newt are exceptions.

Fudge had other things on his mind... In his opinion, Kyle had great potential, but by the time Kyle graduated from Hogwarts, Fudge would be nearing the end of his term, and the two would hardly have any interaction.

Therefore, Fudge would prefer to talk to Mike Phil or Sacia about his ideals and ambitions, in order to leave a good impression on them.

As for Newt, it's much simpler... he's socially awkward.

It had been twenty years since Newt had been in a room with so many people, so the scene before Newt was quite unfamiliar.

Fortunately, this situation did not last long.

Because it was already quite late, the group ended their conversation in less than half an hour.

Newt was the first to leave the Headmaster's Office.

Mike Phil and Belby didn't move. Dumbledore just said he could arrange for them to stay at the castle for the night, so they could go and award the Order of Merlin to someone else tomorrow.

The two readily accepted.

For some reason, Fudge also stayed.

After leaving the Headmaster's Office, Sacia set off back to St Mungo's's... She had come voluntarily to support Kyle and didn't need to attend tomorrow's inauguration ceremony.

After saying goodbye to her, Kyle found Newt waiting for her at the corner of the stairs.

The two entered an empty room nearby, Kyle said with some surprise, "I really didn't expect you to come."

"Didn't you write to me before saying you wanted me to help take care of some troublesome little animals?"

Newt sighed. "Perfect timing. They sent me an invitation, asking if I wanted to come to Hogwarts."

"So you agreed?"

"Hmm." Newt nodded. "It's something to celebrate that you received the Order of Merlin. I should have come over too. Oh, Tina thinks so too."

"Thank you..." Kyle said sincerely.

Newt rarely attends even gatherings with old friends, but today he's showing up in the Great Hall with hundreds or even thousands of people... This is quite a challenge for someone as socially awkward as him.

But Newt waved his hand, stopping Kyle from continuing.

"So, the little animal you mentioned in your letter is the Niffler?"

"Those little guys are indeed a bit mischievous; you'll need some patience to deal with them."

"No, not Niffler," Kyle chuckled. "The little guy is adorable and not troublesome at all."

"What's that?" Newt paused, taken aback.

Besides the Niffler, Newt couldn't think of any other Fantastic Beasts Kyle might need his help taking care of.

"They were all smuggled in. I took care of them for a while after I found them... Never mind, you should see for yourself."

Kyle took out his box, opened it, and placed it on the ground.

"However, before you go in, you need to be mentally prepared, as they may be a little different from what you expect."

"Now that you mention it, I'm suddenly looking forward to it a bit." Newt smiled and shook his head, but he didn't take Kyle's words to heart.

He's seen all sorts of Fantastic Beasts, so why would he need to prepare himself mentally?