As soon as he stepped into the airplane cabin, Mundungus Fletcher immediately yanked off the tie around his neck rudely, muttering to himself:
"Damn tie! This thing is about to strangle me, why do Muggles like to put a hanging noose around their necks?"
"Fletcher!" Kingsley warned in a low voice: "Mind your appearance, we're official personnel now!"
Mundungus pursed his lips but grudgingly stuffed the tie into his pocket.
Meanwhile, Lupin had already briskly walked past them into the depths of the cabin, and among the drowsy passengers, he immediately spotted Vid who was flipping through a book.
The young man looked up, and Arthur Weasley beside him had already greeted him joyfully, exclaiming:
"Heavens, Kingsley, you're finally here! I was worried the Ministry of Magic would send that Scrimgeour guy!"
Kingsley gave a faint smile and shook hands firmly with Mr. Weasley, saying:
"I told him, the Wizengamot proposed adding an inspector to the Auror Office to oversee the legality and necessity of our operations, and Rufus couldn't wait to pass this field assignment to me while he rushed off to handle that thorny trouble."
Mr. Weasley's joy faded somewhat, and with a touch of worry, he said:
"Scrimgeour isn't that easy to deceive. When he finds out you used this as an excuse to send him away, he'll definitely suspect your intentions, or even your stance..."
"No, Arthur, I didn't lie."
Kingsley said calmly: "Indeed, some members are pushing this proposal, claiming the Auror Office is too independent and rough in its methods, and needs 'more effective oversight'."
"...Oversight?"
Mr. Weasley frowned.
Although he didn't like Scrimgeour either, Arthur Weasley was used to the freedom in his own office and didn't like having a watchful eye over him while he worked.
Kingsley glanced around, ensuring no one was eavesdropping, then lowered his voice and said:
"Some people say their proposal is actually to please the new Minister, deliberately suppressing Scrimgeour who once participated in the Ministerial election, weakening his influence among the Aurors."
Mr. Weasley's face darkened slightly, his previous worry instantly replaced by a deeper concern.
If that's the case, it would signal something far more troubling.
Increasing oversight could still be argued as procedural justice, ensuring the people's interests aren't harmed by reckless enforcers, although disliked, Mr. Weasley could understand;
But if it's the latter... it signifies the new Minister Sinclaire is permitting underlings to stir up factional strife, suppressing capable and ambitious officials, proving he himself is nothing like the mild and neutral image he projected during his campaign.
Kingsley knew he understood his meaning and changed the subject, saying:
"In any case, even if Scrimgeour checks, he'll only find that the information I gave him is true. He won't doubt me, instead, he'll thank me for warning him in advance."
Mr. Weasley: "..."
He almost forgot what he was worried about earlier.
...
On the other side, Lupin quickly approached Vid, who stood up to welcome him, and after giving him a once-over, Lupin's tense expression relaxed a bit.
"Vid, I'm glad you're okay." Lupin hastily asked without small talk: "How's Sirius?"
"Don't worry."
Vid said: "Right after the plane landed, Mrs. Weasley transported Sirius directly to St Mungo's via Apparition. I just received news that the Healer said his condition isn't serious due to timely detoxification."
"That's good... that's great..."
Lupin immediately relaxed, as if his feet had finally touched the ground.
Recalling how he and Moody had Apparated repeatedly after approaching England Island, almost throwing up from the motion, Lupin felt as if ages had passed.
He sat down slowly, supporting himself on the seatback, and after a moment of respite, he asked:
"After we left, how did you handle the fire in the cargo hold? What's with all these passengers?"
...
While Vid explained the situation to Lupin, Mr. Weasley also set aside the struggles he couldn't currently reach, quickly recounting the situation on the plane.
He instinctively withheld some of his baseless suspicions, and in his depiction, those "heroic" passengers sounded like helpers Vid had hired in advance.
"These people are the operatives in this incident, meaning the current Scourers from the US."
Mr. Weasley gestured to Kingsley to look at the back of the cabin, where several unconscious captives were, his tone filled with unmasked disdain and confusion:
"That guy—Modis. As a wizard, he actually joined the Scourers aiming to eliminate wizards; other than a bald leader who jumped out of the plane amidst chaos, the rest of the assassins are here."
Kingsley nodded and said: "That guy's called Adebayor, and he's already been captured by Alastor and Remus. I'll handle all these people... I'll negotiate with the American Magic Congress! They owe us an explanation for this matter."
"But..." Mr. Weasley recalled Sinclaire's conduct and said worriedly: "If this causes an international dispute... won't it bring trouble?"
"The ones in trouble will only be them."
Kingsley replied: "Allowing such an extreme organization, hiding dangerous magical artifacts, to exist, and even letting their members infiltrate international flights to assassinate our Hogwarts student... this is a severe dereliction of duty by the American Magic Congress!"
"Besides..."
Kingsley paused, his gaze turned solemn as he said:
"Compared to dealing with those endless... internal disputes, I prefer handling these external conflicts. At least here, we know who the enemy is, and how hard we should hit back."
Mr. Weasley remained silent.
In everyone's eyes, Kingsley has always been an energetic all-rounder, as if nothing could stump him.
Aside from insufficient seniority, Arthur Weasley felt that Kingsley was more suited to be the Head of the Auror Office... or even the Minister of Magic, than Scrimgeour.
But at this moment, he understood Kingsley's weariness and alienation towards the Ministry of Magic's increasingly decaying and scheming environment.
Mr. Weasley nodded heavily, said nothing more, and patted Kingsley's arm, with a gesture of understanding, and shared helplessness.
With a stomach full of unspoken worries, all turned into a simple sentence:
"Be careful... Better to be exiled to a laid-back department than to become their pawn caught in the middle."
"I know." Kingsley said softly.