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Chapter 669: Kyle Targeted
🕑 Added 2025-03-31 13:08:02 +0000 UTCTonks didn’t leave with Twycross that evening. As it turned out, Fudge seemed acutely aware of Umbridge’s limitations, and as an Auror, Tonks’s responsibilities at Hogwarts were much broader. In fact, it appeared she was destined to assume the role of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at some point.
Despite her strong opposition to this arrangement—repeatedly emphasizing that she was only there to assist Umbridge—Professor McGonagall had nonetheless arranged for her to live at Hogwarts.
Later that evening, she unexpectedly turned up in the Hufflepuff common room.
Kyle nearly jumped when he saw her appear in the dormitory.
“This is the boys’ dormitory!” Mikel exclaimed, startled. He quickly yanked the curtain around his bed closed, peeking out only to show his head.
“Of course I know that,” Tonks replied nonchalantly. “That’s why I didn’t go barging into the girls’ dormitory.”
She grinned, pulling several large bottles of Butterbeer from behind her back and swinging them around. “Alright, come on out. I’ve got something good!”
She shut the door behind her with a flourish.
“Why are girls allowed in the boys’ dormitory, anyway?” Mikel muttered indignantly. “It’s not fair!”
“You’d better take that up with the founders—or Professor McGonagall,” Ryan replied dryly from his own bed. “Complaining to us won’t change anything.”
Mikel grumbled something unintelligible, though it was clear he wasn’t going to let it go anytime soon. If he did decide to pester Professor McGonagall about the rules, Kyle figured he’d end up in detention before long.
Mikel quickly shifted his focus. “Hey, Kyle,” he asked, “do you actually know her? What’s her name again?”
“Nymphadora Tonks,” Kyle replied, grabbing his robe and pulling it on as he stood up.
“Oh, right!” Mikel nodded repeatedly. “Do you know her?”
“Yes, we’ve met a few times before,” Kyle said as he stepped out of the dormitory.
By then, Tonks had made herself at home in the Hufflepuff common room. She was lounging in an armchair, arranging the Butterbeer bottles on the table like a seasoned big sister inviting younger siblings to indulge.
“Help yourselves,” she said, gesturing to the bottles. “Drink up—it’s on me!”
The younger students still in the common room, who didn’t know Tonks yet, exchanged confused glances. No one moved.
“How did you get in here?” Kyle asked as he approached and took a seat opposite her.
Tonks smirked. “Funny question. I did graduate from Hufflepuff, you know. And unlike the other houses, there’s no password here. Not exactly a fortress, is it?”
“You’re right,” Kyle admitted, realizing he’d overlooked that detail.
“It feels surreal being back here after all these years,” Tonks said, handing Kyle a Butterbeer before opening one for herself and taking a long drink. She glanced around the room, her eyes misty with nostalgia.
“It hasn’t changed at all,” she murmured. “See those flower pots on the shelves? They were here when I started at Hogwarts, and they’re still here. And those armchairs—like that one by the fireplace? I used to sit there catching up on homework.”
Kyle chuckled. In Hufflepuff, doing homework was practically a house tradition, and Tonks was clearly no exception—though he suspected Cedric was probably the only Hufflepuff who ever managed to avoid it.
As the evening wore on, the common room gradually emptied, leaving only Kyle and Tonks.
Tonks, who had switched from Butterbeer to something stronger, suddenly slammed her bottle down on the table.
“You tell me,” she growled, her tone sharp with frustration, “with so many people at the Ministry, why me? Why do I have to help that woman?”
Kyle blinked, startled by her sudden outburst. “Help who?” he asked instinctively.
“Who else? Umbridge!” Tonks snapped. “Why does Kingsley get to investigate Death Eaters when I’m clearly better suited for the job?”
To emphasize her point, Tonks transformed her hair into a greyish white mess, added wrinkles to her face, and adopted the sinister glare of an old witch who might lurk in the shadows.
Kyle finally pieced it together: she was still brooding over Twycross’s remarks that morning and had come to the common room to vent.
“There are some advantages to being at Hogwarts,” Kyle offered cautiously. “At least it’s safe here. You don’t have to be on edge all the time, right?”
“Are you sure?” Tonks shot him a skeptical look. “Teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts is safe?”
“Er...” Kyle hesitated. “At least Umbridge is technically ahead of you, so the Curse should hit her first. You’re only an assistant professor, so you’re probably safe... for now.”
“That’s not the point,” Tonks said, waving her hand dismissively. “If Sirius were still here, I wouldn’t hesitate to take this assignment. But Umbridge? Honestly, no one at the Ministry wants to work with her. It’s torture—worse than any curse.”
Tonks leaned forward. “Be honest: if you had to choose, would you rather go after Death Eaters or work with Umbridge at Hogwarts?”
Kyle didn’t even need to think. “Definitely Hogwarts,” he said immediately.
“Really?” Tonks looked incredulous, reverting back to her usual appearance.
“Of course. I’m still a sixth year. Do you think anyone would let me leave school to hunt Death Eaters?” Kyle quipped, cracking open another Butterbeer. “By the way, how did the Ministry decide who would come to Hogwarts? Did they draw lots?”
“Not exactly,” Tonks muttered darkly. “When I got to the Auror’s office this morning, it was empty. Then Fudge showed up and sent me here."
“Now I know why Alastor and Kingsley both suddenly had ‘urgent matters’ to deal with. They knew Fudge was going to pick someone for Hogwarts today, and they didn’t tell me!”
Kyle coughed awkwardly but wisely stayed silent.
...
Tonks lingered in the Hufflepuff common room until the early hours of the morning, chatting and reminiscing before finally leaving. As a result, Kyle couldn’t stifle his yawns when he arrived at the Quidditch pitch the next day.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you okay?” Cedric asked, his tone laced with concern. “You look like you’re barely awake. Didn’t you go back to the dormitory early yesterday?”
“I did,” Kyle replied, rubbing his eyes. “But then I got called out again.”
“Tonks... well, Professor?” Cedric asked hesitantly, clearly having heard about her new role. He still seemed uncertain about addressing her as a professor.
Kyle smirked. “You’d better stick to calling her a teaching assistant. Calling her a professor would just make both of them unhappy.”
“Because of the Curse?” Cedric asked thoughtfully. “Who’s the other one, then? Twycross?”
“No, Umbridge,” Kyle said with a dry laugh. “Twycross doesn’t care about titles, but Umbridge definitely doesn’t want to be seen as being on the same level as someone who’s just assisting her.”
Their conversation was abruptly drowned out by a roar of cheers from outside the Changing Rooms.
“I think that’s our cue,” Cedric said. “What about you? Do you need a substitute?”
“No,” Kyle said, shaking his head as he popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth. “Just a little sleep deprivation. I’ll manage.”
The two opened the door to the Changing Rooms and stepped onto the frosty grass, which crunched beneath their feet as they headed toward the center of the pitch.
The Quidditch Pitch was a sea of excited spectators, a dark mass of bobbing heads. Almost all the professors had come to watch, an unusual sight for a regular match.
From his seat in the middle of the teachers’ box, Dumbledore gave a friendly wave and a warm smile as he noticed Kyle looking over.
“Go Hufflepuff, go!”
Tonks’s hair was a striking mix of half-blonde and half-black, and she was shouting exuberantly from the teachers’ table. Her energy was contagious, bolstering the Hufflepuff crowd, whose cheers began to drown out the Ravenclaws nearby.
Do Aurors ever sleep? Kyle thought, shaking his head in mild disbelief.
The two teams gathered at the center of the pitch, where Madam Hooch stood waiting with the ball suitcase.
“Captains, shake hands,” she instructed.
With Roger Davies absent after an injury in Care of Magical Creatures the previous day, Cho Chang was leading the Ravenclaw team. Cedric stepped forward and shook her hand amidst scattered jeers from the crowd.
“Good luck,” he said politely.
“You too,” Cho replied, just as courteous.
“Oh, come on,” Mikel muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear. “There’s always something missing when the captains don’t exchange a few harsh words.”
Cedric and Cho ignored him, pretending not to hear.
Madam Hooch’s whistle cut through the air, signaling the start of the match.
The crowd erupted in cheers as players shot into the sky, and Kyle caught the Quaffle effortlessly as it was released.
“Alright, here we go!” Lee Jordan’s voice boomed from the commentator’s booth.
“Kyle has the Quaffle—dodges Bradley and Stretton—oh, and here comes Inglebee with a Bludger... Missed! Kyle expertly avoids the Bludger, and now it’s just him and the Keeper!”
A brief pause followed as the crowd collectively held its breath.
Then, the Hufflepuff stands exploded with cheers.
“Goal! Hufflepuff scores!” Lee Jordan announced enthusiastically.
Lee Jordan’s voice rang out, full of energy:
“The Firebolt was just too bright! Kyle and that broomstick are the perfect combination! Hufflepuff has taken the lead in less than a minute, and Ravenclaw is in serious trouble!”
On the pitch, Cho Chang’s eyes darted back and forth, scanning for the Golden Snitch while yelling instructions.
“Stop him!” she called urgently. “Just like we practiced! Bradley, you take Davies’ place!”
At her command, two Ravenclaw Chasers moved to flank Kyle, one ahead and one behind, attempting to box him in. Simultaneously, a Bludger shot in from the side, clearly aimed at him.
Kyle didn’t need to guess—this Bludger was meant for him, and no one else. With two Chasers and a Beater targeting him, it was obvious that Ravenclaw was devoting half their team to shutting him down.
“Kyle has slowed down... and the Quaffle is now with Derbys,” Lee Jordan narrated with mounting excitement. “This is incredible—I've never seen a game where Chasers are targeted more aggressively than Seekers!"
“But it’s clear that Cho Chang’s strategy is spot on. If Kyle continues scoring at this pace, the game could be over in twenty minutes, and even catching the Golden Snitch wouldn’t be enough to save Ravenclaw!"
“Though, let’s be honest, stopping a Firebolt with a Cleansweep? It’s going to be an uphill battle.”
Kyle knew Lee was right. The Firebolt’s speed far outclassed the Cleansweep brooms most of the Ravenclaw team used. With a simple burst of acceleration, he could easily break through their formation. But he held back.
An utterly one-sided match might be thrilling at first, but it would lose its appeal quickly. A competitive, back-and-forth game would keep the crowd engaged. Besides, Kyle didn’t want to hog the spotlight; the rest of the team had worked just as hard in training, and it wouldn’t be fair for them to fade into the background.
So Kyle deliberately slowed his pace, allowing Ravenclaw to temporarily gain the upper hand. Derbys had possession of the Quaffle for only a moment before another Hufflepuff snatched it back.
“Now Grace has the Quaffle! This girl’s got talent—she’s going for a pass to Kyle—oh, no! Intercepted by Bradley, who sends it back to Derbys!”
Kyle shouted as he passed Grace mid-air, “Don’t worry about me! I’ll keep them busy—you focus on scoring!”
Grace nodded and turned her broom sharply, speeding after Derbys.
Just then, Mikel flew up beside Kyle, a mischievous grin on his face. Swinging his cracked bat, he half-joked, “So, are we targeting Cho or not? If I knock her off her broom, you think I’ll get kicked off the team?”
“Cedric isn’t that petty,” Kyle quipped. “But if you ignore the Seeker all match, he might expel you.”
“That’s a relief,” Mikel said, grinning as he aimed a swing at the Bludger hurtling toward Cho. The ball, however, veered slightly and missed her by inches, whizzing harmlessly past her head.
Kyle sighed. “You might want to take this a bit more seriously. If we lose, Hufflepuff’s going to be the laughingstock of the school.”
“I am serious—it’s the bat,” Mikel replied, holding it up. Sure enough, a visible crack ran along its length.
“I should’ve listened to Weasley and bought a new one,” Mikel grumbled. “These school bats are ancient.”
“Do you need a time-out?” Kyle asked.
“No,” Mikel said, shaking his head. “I can manage until the end of the match. Do you need backup?”
“I’ve got this,” Kyle said, narrowly dodging another Bludger. “Go help Grace!”
“On it!” Mikel called, immediately redirecting his broom toward the other Bludger.
...
With Kyle skillfully holding off the three Ravenclaw players, Hufflepuff’s other two Chasers began to shine. They scored with increasing confidence, sending a Quaffle through the hoops every few minutes. By the time half an hour had passed, the score was 130 to 20.
Although the gap was wide, Ravenclaw still had a fighting chance—if they could catch the Golden Snitch.
But ten minutes later, Hufflepuff had extended their lead by another two goals.
At that precise moment, a sudden shift occurred. Both Cho and Cedric, who had been hovering high above the pitch, moved in unison.
They crouched low over their broomsticks and sped toward the same direction.
For an instant, the entire stadium fell utterly silent.
“It’s the Golden Snitch!” Lee Jordan shouted. “Right in front of them! This is it—either Hufflepuff secures a landslide victory, or Ravenclaw stages a last-minute comeback! It all depends on who catches it!”
The commentary barely registered; all eyes were locked on the two Seekers.
The Snidget darted past the Ravenclaw goalpost, weaving through the air toward the opposite side of the stands. Cho and Cedric were both in hot pursuit, their brooms angled steeply as they closed the gap.
The crowd held its breath as they approached, both of them leaning forward, arms outstretched.
Closer... closer...
Their hands shot out simultaneously—
The shrill sound of the referee’s whistle cut through the tension, signaling the game’s end.
“Who caught it?” Lee Jordan asked, leaning so far out of the commentator’s box it looked like he might fall.
All eyes turned to Cedric as he straightened up on his broom. He raised his hand high, and there, feebly flapping between his fingers, was the Golden Snitch.
For a moment, the stadium seemed frozen in collective realization.
Then the crowd erupted into a roar of excitement.
Tonks sprang to her feet in the teachers’ box, waving a Hufflepuff flag she had conjured mid-air. She grinned to herself, feeling for the first time that maybe Hogwarts wasn’t such a bad assignment after all.
The players embraced each other mid-air, exchanging congratulations before descending to the ground.
Cedric approached Cho with an extended hand.
“It’s a pity—we were so close,” Cho said graciously, shaking his hand.
“Yes,” Cedric replied with a warm smile. “Though I think I owe this to the extra inch on my arm.”
Cho laughed, taking the comment in good humor. Cedric wasn’t wrong; while smaller Seekers often had the advantage in speed, having longer arms could be the deciding factor in a critical moment.
The Hufflepuff team gathered together, fists pumping in the air as they cheered with their supporters.
