The Hit Wizards searched through the pile of leaves for a long time but found only half a shoe sole with teeth marks on it.
He had been kicking the Chomping Cabbage earlier, so his shoe must have been damaged then and fallen off while he was running away.
Of course, he might have left it behind intentionally.
Hit Wizard Hardy stood there, his face dark as a thundercloud. He could already anticipate what awaited him.
Failing to catch the suspect was a dereliction of duty, and with Oren's earlier words, Hardy had become the perfect scapegoat. The Ministry would surely pin all blame for the suspect's escape on him — especially that pink toad...
Demotion would be the lightest punishment to satisfy certain people's anger.
Hardy roared at the Hit Wizards to search the area for Oren's traces. When the centaurs tried to intervene, they were forced back at wandpoint.
"This is an important Ministry suspect. Anyone who obstructs the search will be treated as an accomplice!"
Under his threats, the centaurs could only seethe in silent rage.
But none of this mattered to Kyle anymore. Professor McGonagall had arrived, her expression more terrible than he had ever seen — her lips white and pressed into a thin line.
The DADA professor actually tried to kill a student?
Minerva never imagined such an atrocity could happen at Hogwarts. Had Dumbledore left his wits on Fawkes's perch when he hired this bandit?
She quickly surveyed the scene, then strode over to Kyle and asked, "Are you alright, Kyle? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Professor." Kyle said, "Thanks to the centaurs and Hit Wizards, they drove Oren away before he could do anything."
The surrounding Hit Wizards stood stunned for a moment before breaking into wide grins of relief.
Kyle's casual words had transformed their failure to catch a suspect into a heroic rescue of a student from a dangerous dark wizard.
Not only would they escape blame — though that alone was enough to celebrate — but they might even receive commendation.
The Hit Wizards crowded around Kyle like concerned neighbors, asking if he felt unwell anywhere.
Hardy showed particular enthusiasm. After confirming Kyle wasn't injured, he declared that the Ministry would take full responsibility for the incident and provide appropriate compensation.
As he spoke, he gave Kyle a subtle wink.
Kyle caught the meaning instantly but kept his expression neutral. His garden would likely see an expansion next year.
Professor McGonagall, unlike the Hit Wizards, clearly saw through the story. The devastated section of the Forbidden Forest — with its magical residue and fallen trees — told a different tale than "nothing happene
"Merlin..."
It was too much information for Minerva to process at once.
They hadn't even resolved Oren's situation, and now an illegal Animagus had appeared — why were there so many strange incidents at Hogwarts this year?
With this new development, she couldn't simply look the other way. She led Kyle and the other two professors to the tree.
The witch lay unconscious, having just been pulled from the hole by two Hit Wizards. Seeing her pitiful state, Professor Flitwick drew in a sharp breath.
"Child, did you do this?"
"I didn't mean to." Kyle said, hanging his head, "I just didn't expect her to be so weak."
He then gave a simple account of what happened.
He deliberately started his story from when he cast the first Spongify, skipping the very beginning. After that point, he had nothing to hide and told the truth.
Professor Flitwick's eyes lit up as he listened, regarding Kyle as if seeing a promising young duelist. Given the circumstances, though, he contained his excitement and merely patted Kyle's arm.
He was already contemplating the revival of the Dueling Club.
Minerva's concerns were more immediate — she needed to get Kyle and the witch back to the castle quickly. An Animagus lurking near a student demanded thorough investigation, and she wasn't about to leave that to the Ministry.
She approached Hardy and said, "This witch is connected to our student. I need to take her with me."
Hardy frowned — he actually didn't want to let her go, since this witch was their only achievement. If Professor McGonagall took her away, he'd only have half a shoe sole to show for their efforts.
But with three Hogwarts Heads of House present, he had no way to refuse, especially after what happened earlier.
After a moment's hesitation, he agreed to her request.
"Only half a day, Professor McGonagall." Hardy reminded her, "We'll come to Hogwarts first thing tomorrow morning to take her to the Ministry."
Minerva nodded and took the witch away with her wand.
✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
A crowd had gathered at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, craning their necks and staring intently toward the trees.
"Look, Professor McGonagall is coming out!" someone shouted.
Two figures, one tall and one short, emerged from the depths of the forest.
Kanna burst from the crowd and ran to Kyle's side.
"Are... are you okay?" Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
"Ah, I'm fine." Kyle said woodenly, "Even though I'm a ghost now, it feels pretty good."
"Ah!?" Kanna's lips trembled as tears began flowing.
"What nonsense are you talking!" Minerva gave him a tap, then helped wipe the little girl's tears, "Look carefully, does he look like a ghost to you?"
"…"
✭✭✭
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