"Oh... Mr. Scamander is planning to take you to the Romanian Dragon Reserve?" Chris mused, looking thoughtfully at the letter the owl had just delivered. He turned to Kyle, who was watching him with anticipation, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Do you think I can go?" Kyle asked hopefully.
"If you're eager to, I see no reason why not." Chris smiled, pulling a letter from the living room cabinet. "Actually, I've also received an invitation."
"I thought so…" Kyle murmured. On the way back, he'd suspected Chris might be invited. As one of Newt Scamander's students and Deputy Director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Chris was well-regarded in the field. After the incident two years ago, where he and Newt had safely returned smuggled magical creatures to their original habitats, Chris's reputation had only grown. It was no surprise that he'd be invited.
"So, am I going with you, then?"
"No, you'll still be with Mr. Scamander. I'll probably be arriving a bit later," Chris said, shaking his head. "Fudge seems to be taking this very seriously and wants me to represent the Ministry of Magic in Romania. That means I have to leave from the Ministry, and I'll have a long series of handovers with the Romanian Ministry of Magic before I can make it to the reserve."
"That sounds exactly like Fudge," Diana said as she joined them, sitting down beside Chris. "He probably thinks it'll boost his standing."
"Perhaps," Chris said, taking a sip of the hot chocolate she offered. "Though, if I'm honest, he might not appreciate me saying this, but Barty Crouch's name would probably carry more weight with other ministries."
Diana poured Kyle a cup of hot chocolate as well. "I don't mind you going to Romania to expand your knowledge," she said, "but you'll need to take some precautions… How many times can you use your ring?"
"Twice," Kyle replied, holding up his hand. He had already used the Apparition charm once to get away from a particularly overexcited Norbert last holiday.
"Hand it over," Diana said, holding out her hand. "Just in case."
"Alright," Kyle agreed, handing the ring over to her.
"Will Apparition work in a secure area?" he asked, curious.
"Yes," Chris explained. "The Romanian Dragon Reserve is massive, and it would be nearly impossible to cast a complete Anti-Apparition Charm over the entire area."
Besides, he added, the dragon keepers had specialized methods for detecting magical activity within the reserve. They mainly focused on protecting the dragon eggs and young dragons, as no one would be foolish enough to meddle with the adult dragons, much less steal them.
Kyle thought about it, realizing the truth in this. In all its years of operation, the Romanian Dragon Reserve had never lost a dragon, and even the Antipodean Opaleye incident from two years ago had involved a dragon acquired from elsewhere by Oren's group. He'd also heard that dragon keepers went through a selection process nearly as rigorous as that of Aurors, even if they didn't have a formal certification. He wasn't sure if this was true, but it wouldn't surprise him.
Finishing his hot chocolate, Kyle went upstairs to his room. He wasn't sure how long he'd be in Romania and knew he'd need to complete his assignments and his article for Transfiguration Today within the month.
The school assignments were straightforward enough; he finished those in a few days. But the article was an entirely different matter. Professor McGonagall had given him a full two months for it, and now he understood why.
Writing a professional academic paper required rigorous logic. Each point had to be supported by a wealth of theoretical evidence, and he'd need to verify the feasibility of his arguments from multiple perspectives. After that, there'd be a series of experiments, each documented in detail, followed by careful analysis of the results.
...
Although the Most Promising Newcomer Award was meant for current Hogwarts students, meaning the expectations were somewhat relaxed, Kyle still bought over ten books on Transfiguration. He spent nearly two weeks working tirelessly before finally completing his paper. By the time he stepped outside again, July was nearly over, and something big had happened next door at the Weasleys'.
"Kyle, you've got to see this!"
"Haha! I bet you won't believe it!"
Fred and George came rushing over, shoving a copy of The Daily Prophet in Kyle's face.
"Congratulations to Arthur Weasley, winner of the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw…" read the headline, accompanied by a photo of Mr. Weasley standing proudly next to Barnabas Guffey, the editor-in-chief, both of them beaming.
"How many Galleons…?" Kyle asked.
"Seven hundred!" Fred said, practically bouncing. "It used to be only five hundred, but they raised it this year."
"We entered before," George added, "but the most we ever won was from the quiz contest."
"Twelve Sickles in total…" Fred sighed dramatically. "Which we lost again when we tried betting on who'd be the next Minister of Magic."
It was clear Fred and George were thrilled, and it was the happiest they'd been since Kyle had taken Dobby the House-elf home with him. In fact, the entire Weasley family seemed to be in high spirits.
When Kyle followed the twins over to the Burrow, he was surprised to see Percy, who usually kept to himself at this hour, chatting animatedly with Ginny.
"Oh, I almost forgot the main point!" Fred exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "Kyle, Mum's using the prize money for a trip to visit Bill—and you're coming with us."
"Yes, dear," Mrs. Weasley chimed in, joining them with a smile. "Seven hundred Galleons! This is going to be a wonderful trip."
"I can't wait…" Ginny said, clasping her hands excitedly. "Do you think Bill will take us to see the pyramids?"
"Of course he will…"
They all began chattering enthusiastically.
"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Kyle sighed. "I'm actually going to Romania in August with Mr. Scamander to visit the Dragon Reserve, so I won't be able to join you."
"Romania?" Ginny looked surprised. "Are you going to see Charlie?"
Their brother Charlie Weasley had been working with dragons in Romania since graduating.
"You could say that," Kyle laughed. "I was actually hoping he'd be my guide."
"Mum, why don't we go to Romania instead?" George suggested suddenly. "I've never seen a dragon before."
The idea sparked immediate interest among the others. Both the pyramids and the chance to see dragons were enticing.
"If you all want to see dragons, we can plan a trip next year, but this year we're sticking to the plan to see Bill," Mr. Weasley said, coming downstairs. "There's been a lot happening in Romania lately, and the Dragon Reserve isn't open to the public right now, so even if we went, we wouldn't be able to visit Charlie."
"But why can Kyle…?"
"Oh?" Mr. Weasley asked with a knowing smile. "Are you going with your father or Mr. Scamander?"
"Mr. Scamander," Kyle replied.
"I figured as much… The reserve would definitely extend an invitation to him."
Fred looked between Mr. Weasley and Kyle, thoroughly puzzled. "Please, will someone explain why Kyle can go see Charlie, but we can't? And what's happening in Romania that's so important we can't just change our plans?"