Chapter 450 Departure, And The Portus Key
Had Evan considered this, he could have assisted in retrieving these items without being discovered by Mrs. Weasley.
He had a cloth bag from Nicolas Flamel, and under the influence of alchemy and the Undetectable Extension Charm, the unassuming cloth bag could contain many things.
The Undetectable Extension Charm ensured that the content would not be found.
But apparently, Evan had spent too much time in Ginny's room last night.
When he returned, Harry, Ron, Fred, and George had all fallen asleep and had not informed him of anything.
Now that Mrs. Weasley was aware, it was too late to say anything!
Evan's remarks to Hermione last night could not be shared with Mrs. Weasley.
Regardless of whether she would believe it or not, alchemy, the Book of Abraham, and the malevolent gods had to be kept secret.
"Accio! Accio! Accio!" shouted Mrs. Weasley.
A bunch of misshapen candies, Silver Tongue Toffees, and other treats shot out from the most unexpected places, including George's jacket lining and Fred's jeans hems.
"Mom, we spent half a year developing those!" Fred exclaimed ruefully.
"You can't do this!" George looked at Mrs. Weasley with a distressed expression as he threw those things into the blazing fire.
"Oh, a great way to spend half a year!" Mrs. Weasley screeched. "No wonder you haven't achieved more OWLs! You've been studying those things all day!"
Under her angry gaze, Fred and George hung their heads, and no one in the kitchen dared to speak.
Ultimately, the atmosphere was not very friendly as they departed.
Mrs. Weasley continued to glare as she pecked Mr. Weasley on the cheek.
As for Fred and George, who had a worse attitude, they slung their backpacks on their backs and stepped into the fireplace without saying a word.
They were traveling through the Floo Network to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
After another turn, Evan emerged from the spacious waiting room fireplace at St. Mungo's.
This was his second time here. The last time had been following Sirius to visit Ron.
Compared to before, perhaps because it was too early, the waiting room was quiet, and under the dim light, no wizards were seen waiting for healers.
The very spacious room was unusually empty.
The air was permeated with the cold scent of mixed disinfectant, conveying a somewhat sticky sensation.
It felt as if something horrible could leap out from the corner at any moment.
"Come on, I know where it is!" Mr. Weasley whispered.
They passed through the double door between the waiting room and the ward and walked down a narrow corridor.
On both sides, there were portraits of famous healers. Glass bubbles filled with candles floated on the ceiling, resembling huge soap bubbles.
Right in front of the ward, just before entering, they saw Sirius emerging with a smile.
He looked very happy and, like everyone else, was dressed as a Muggle.
"You're finally here, I couldn't wait any longer!" Sirius said, hugging each one in turn.
"Sirius, your injury?!" Harry looked at him surprised.
"Don't worry, it's just a minor skin wound. It's already healed!" Sirius patted Harry on the shoulder with a smile on his face. "Harry, are you okay? Have those Muggles been bothering you?"
"I-I'm fine," Harry stuttered, unsure if it was necessary to voice his complaints.
But he couldn't hold back, and he had already started talking.
From his concern for Sirius and Evan, to this dreadful experience of summer vacation, the ordeal of staying alone with the Dursleys, and the strange dream and pain of the scar, he laid it all out at once.
Harry had never felt like this before. He confided all of this to a trusted elder.
Sirius was like a father to him.
The others did not interrupt the dialogue between Harry and Sirius, giving them space.
They knew that Harry, who had never experienced parental love, needed this reassurance.
As for Sirius, this was what he had been longing for for a long time.
Sirius listened attentively to Harry's confession and whispered his opinion to him.
After a few minutes, he finished talking to Harry and headed towards where Evan was.
"Thank you, Evan!" said Sirius, "Dumbledore told me you saved my life after I passed out."
Evan was slightly embarrassed. In fact, he also had to thank Sirius. If Sirius hadn't magically pushed him out of that huge hole, he might have fallen to his death!
They chatted for a while, and then Sirius pulled out something that looked like a Quaffle.
"Come on, lads, we can't miss the World Cup!" Sirius exclaimed, "It's time to go. If there's anything else to be said, it can wait. Let's go now!"
"How do we get there? Apparition?" Harry asked curiously.
"No," Mr. Weasley said, taking the Quaffle from Sirius. "We will go there using the Portkey. Fortunately, the Department has set up a Portkey at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. We don't have to go searching for it."
"The Portkey?" Harry stared at the Quaffle in his hand.
"Remember, as I said before, around 100,000 wizards are coming to see the World Cup!" Mr. Weasley explained, "With such a large number of people wanting to gather in one place, strict organization is needed. The first step is to stagger arrivals."
Among the 100,000 wizards, some could use Apparition.
In a forest near the final venue, the Ministry of Magic established safe Apparition points.
However, for those unwilling or unable to Apparate, other methods could be used.
"People with cheaper tickets must arrive two weeks early. Some individuals use Muggle transportation, but the number is limited. We cannot allow many people to congest their buses and trains," Mr. Weasley explained. "So, we use Portkeys. They are objects used to transport wizards from one place to another at a predetermined time. Large groups can be transported at once if necessary. Two hundred Portkeys have been placed in strategic locations around Great Britain."
"So, this Quaffle is a Portkey?" Harry continued.
"Yes," Sirius confirmed. "I checked, and there are no others closer to St. Mungo's. Hurry, there's less than a minute left, and time is running out!"
Evan had used Portkeys many times before, and only Harry, Ron, and Hermione were unaware of it.
He whispered to Hermione about the Portkey's activation and how to use it.