Ron Gets Caught in the Crossfire

"Kyle, if we ever believe you again, we're Swallow-tailed Dogs..."

"We're Flobberworms!"

"We're Flobberworms that have been stepped on by Swallow-tailed Dogs!"

At the dining table, Fred and George glared at Kyle as though fire might burst from their eyes.

They regretted it—regretted ever believing what Kyle had told them.

The previous evening, Kyle had used Hufflepuff's Cup as bait to talk them into rejoining the Ministry of Magic, and unable to resist the temptation, they had agreed.

After all, it was something left behind by the Hogwarts Founders. No one who loved alchemy could refuse it.

Though they also disliked working at the Ministry of Magic, Kyle had said that the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was different from the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee. There were plenty of people there, and they would not be particularly busy.

That was why they had gritted their teeth and decided to lower their standards a little.

But after arriving at the Ministry of Magic, they discovered that things were nothing like Kyle had said.

There were indeed quite a few people in the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, but there were also many divisions: beasts, beings, spirits, goblins, centaurs, werewolves, House-elves... Basically, anything that was not human fell under their jurisdiction. There were around a dozen offices of all sizes combined.

Split up like that, each office only had two or three people—no different from Hermione.

In fact, they had returned half an hour later than Hermione today.

If not for the Cup, they would have wanted to hang Kyle from the roof.

"What's wrong with you two?" Mrs. Weasley asked suspiciously as she emerged from the kitchen carrying freshly baked bread.

"Nothing, Mrs. Weasley," Kyle said. "I just found them new jobs. Their task is to