The Deputy Minister's Outrageous Proposal

Moody's leave of absence this time lasted longer than anyone expected; he didn't return to Hogwarts until about a month later.

On Friday evening, while everyone was enjoying their dinner, the Great Hall doors were suddenly pushed open from the outside, Moody, his face grim, limped in.

Although Moody usually has a serious, even somewhat intimidating, expression, it was immediately clear to everyone that he was in a bad mood today.

His scarred face was taut, and the demonic eyes in his sockets never stopped scanning everyone around him.

Seeing this, some students who had originally wanted to greet him gave up the idea and sat there obediently, not daring to even look at Moody.

"Kyle, guess what happened?" Cedric whispered at the Hufflepuff table. "This is the first time I've ever seen Professor Moody so angry."

"I don't know either," Kyle shook his head, "But I guess it might be related to what's been happening at the Ministry of Magic lately."

He glanced at the Daily Prophet beside him.

On the front page of the newspaper, there was a prominent headline.

[Dolores Jane Umbridge, former Deputy Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, has been transferred to the Minister's Office to serve as Senior Deputy Minister for Ministry of Magic.]

Unlike the brief mention of Crouch a month ago, the newly appointed Deputy Minister Umbridge occupied the front page of the newspaper by himself.

The above details her past achievements and various contributions to the Ministry of Magic.

Kyle didn't even glance at most of the content, ignoring it after just a quick look, but the last one caught his attention.

The text above states that Umbridge believes the Auror have too much power and that the use of some of the most powerful spells in the past, such as the Blasting Curse, should be prohibited.

She also stated that the Auror had been too disorganized before, and that they should all be under the command of the Minister's Office, just like the Hit Wizard, instead of being directly led by the Head of the Auror Office as they are now.

Judging from the timeline, this proposal appeared about two weeks ago and was marked as pending, indicating that it was still under discussion and had neither been approved nor rejected.

Professor Moody's return after such a long time must be because of this.

If that's the case, it's no wonder he's so angry.

Auror and Hit Wizard are two different departments. Auror mainly deal with notorious dark wizards, and their missions are much more dangerous; you could say that every mission is like dancing on a knife's edge.

The consequences of being forbidden from using more powerful spells are obvious.

Furthermore, being assigned to the Minister's Office means that the Auror have to go through an extra procedure every time they operate, which will also greatly reduce their efficiency.

In some situations, especially in emergencies, even a second's delay can make things worse.

Although Moody has retired, he certainly wouldn't stand by and watch the Ministry of Magic send Auror to their deaths.

Fudge has gone too far; he didn't even reject such an outrageous suggestion immediately.

While other countries are striving to improve the treatment of Auror in order to attract more talent, he deliberately chooses to do the opposite.

Kyle could guess some of it; he probably wanted to take control of the Auror Office as well, but the way he did it was too foolish.

If people from other countries saw this, then...

Well, in fact, people in other countries have already seen it.

Phoebe gave a cold laugh at the newspaper.

Although Kyle wasn't sure if she was laughing because of the news, there didn't seem to be anything else funny in today's newspapers.

Meanwhile, at the Slytherin table, Krum wasn't eating in silence as before; instead, he was chatting and laughing with the other Durmstrang students in Bulgaria.

And beside him was also a copy of the Daily Prophet.

Kyle shook his head helplessly.

It seems Sirius was right; Crouch's absence is indeed not a good thing for the Ministry of Magic.

However, he didn't need to worry about these things; Dumbledore would certainly not allow such a proposal to pass.

Kyle glanced towards the High Table; Dumbledore was talking to Moody, his expression equally serious.

The next morning.

When Kyle arrived at the Headmaster's Office on the Seventh Floor as usual, he didn't see Dumbledore there... He must have gone to the Ministry of Magic.

Kyle had anticipated this situation before he arrived, so he only waited in the Headmaster's Office for ten minutes before getting up and leaving.

Taking a week off once in a while is nice, and today is Hogsmeade Week. After drinking Pumpkin Juice for over a month, Kyle is going to the Three Broomsticks for an ice-cold Butterbeer.

After leaving the Seventh Floor, Kyle encountered Sirius and Harry in the Entrance Hall, who seemed to be heading outside as well.

"Kyle?" Sirius a little surprised. "You don't need to learn spells from Professor Dumbledore today?"

Although most students were unaware of this, the professors were, and Sirius even had the audacity to audit a class in the Headmaster's Office.

However, he only lasted ten minutes that day before leaving without looking back.

I can't understand it at all.

Those complex Ancient Runes formulas gave him a headache. He hadn't chosen to study Ancient Runes when he was in school, and the little knowledge he had accumulated had been almost completely forgotten in the past twelve years.

"What? Kyle is learning spells from Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked in surprise, a hint of envy in his voice, as he heard this for the first time.

That's Dumbledore! The greatest wizard of this century. With him as a professor, you're sure to learn a lot.

"That's right... um, for the Triwizard Tournament." Sirius blinked, then whispered, "Remember not to tell anyone else."

"No problem, I'll keep it a secret." Harry suppressed his envy and nodded repeatedly.

He had been considering whether to tell Ron and Hermione, but since Sirius said so, he decided to wait a while longer.

When the Third Task begins, reveal this secret; their expressions will be priceless.

Harry looked at Kyle and said, "So you've learned it now? I really hope you win the championship."

"Learn it? Not a chance," Kyle said. "Professor Dumbledore isn't at school today. I'm going to the Three Broomsticks for a drink. What about you guys...?"

"Perfect timing, we're going to Hogsmeade too," Sirius said with a smile. "Remus is there too. If you don't have anything else to do, would you like to come along?"

"Professor Lupin? Of course, no problem." Kyle nodded.

He had indeed not seen Lupin, the former Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, for quite some time.

Looking at Sirius, Kyle suddenly realized that he had essentially taken over Lupin's job... It just goes to show how good friends are, even their jobs are the same.

I wonder if Sirius will be able to retire unscathed from this position after this school year ends, just like Lupin.

To be fair, Lupin's ending over the past few years has been the best. Although his Werewolf identity was exposed and he was forced to resign, he did not suffer any real harm.

That alone puts him ahead of 99% of his colleagues.