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Chapter 589: A Warning Letter from the Ministry
Chapter 589: A Warning Letter from the Ministry
As a snowy owl appeared before Kyle, carrying a letter in its talons, he felt a sense of intrigue rather than concern.
Lately, he had been receiving all sorts of letters, and it would have been odd if a day had passed without one. But for Mr. Weasley to rush back during his commute... Could it be about the meeting Dumbledore held, as mentioned by MacFarlanne?
Kyle took the letter from the owl and extracted the contents, curious to read it.
And then his expression changed.
The letter was not from Dumbledore, but from the Ministry of Magic, and its content was absurd. Kyle even wondered if he was seeing things.
Either that, or someone at the Ministry had lost their mind.
"What is it?" Fred and George asked, their curiosity piqued by Kyle's silence. They leaned in to read the letter.
"We have received a report that at 10:36 am this morning, you cast a spell at the Leaky Cauldron.
This action is in violation of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. Please come to the Ministry on August 12th to explain the situation, or we will have the right to expel you.
Mafalda..."
"Am I reading this wrong?" Kyle blurted out.
"Or is it me?" Fred exclaimed. "Is casting a spell at the Leaky Cauldron grounds for a warning?"
"Have they lost their minds?" George added, equally incredulous. "Or is there a Muggle hiding in the Leaky Cauldron?"
The twins clearly remembered that the so-called 'Restriction Decree' prohibited underage wizards from using magic outside of school only under one condition: if there was a Muggle present when the magic was performed.
If that condition wasn't met, no one would usually care, especially not at a place like the Leaky Cauldron.
Anyone who frequented that establishment was almost certainly a wizard, and even if there were Muggle parents present, they were well aware of the existence of wizards, so how could casting a spell there violate the decree?
"Watch your tongue, George," Percy interjected, straightening his collar in a self-important manner.
"In any case, it is against the rules for underage wizards to use magic outside of school, regardless of the location."
"Why don't you move your room to the garden, Percy?" George suggested with a glare. "I think you and the Goblins would get along swimmingly."
"The Leaky Cauldron is right next to Diagon Alley," George continued, ignoring Percy's remark. "With so many wizards gathered there, how can the Ministry claim it was Kyle who cast the spell and not someone else?"
"Well..." Percy stammered, "the Ministry must have their methods. Rest assured, Minister Fudge wouldn't make a mistake. If Kyle has done something wrong, he must face the consequences..."
"Oh, shut it, you big-headed boy!" Fred interrupted irritably. "How dare you act so high and mighty when I'm sure you've cast spells at home!"
"I haven't..." Percy started to defend himself.
"Oh yes, you have!" George cut in, smirking. "Remember when you used the Summoning Charm to find your glasses after we hid them?"
"And the Sticking Charm to seal envelopes so we couldn't snoop."
"Not to mention the Mending Charm..."
"...and the Lumos Charm..."
The twins reeled off spell after spell, with Ron and Ginny chipping in from time to time. With each mention, Percy's face grew longer, until he finally fell silent and stormed off back to his room.
"Good riddance," Fred muttered. "Ever since he got that promotion, he's become insufferable."
He turned to Mr. Weasley. "Dad, what's going on here?"
"Yeah," George chimed in. "Why is Kyle getting a warning for casting a spell at the Leaky Cauldron?"
Mr. Weasley shook his head. "I don't know. This is what Mafalda told me. Someone insisted that Kyle had cast a spell outside of school and demanded that she send a warning letter."
Mr. Weasley tapped his fingers on the table and hesitated for a moment before continuing, "There's something else as well."
"What is it?"
"Kyle isn't the only one who has to go to the Ministry. Harry has to go too."
"Harry? He used magic in Diagon Alley too?"
"Not Diagon Alley, but Little Whinging," Mr. Weasley said. "And he used magic in front of three Muggles."
Ron and Ginny stood up simultaneously.
"I need to go and ask him about it," Ron said anxiously, then turned and ran upstairs.
"What's worse is that this isn't the first time Harry has used magic in front of Muggles," Mr. Weasley sighed. "So, while Kyle is just being asked to come in for questioning, Harry will have to face a trial."
"A trial?" Ginny's face paled. "Will Harry be expelled?"
"No, he won't!" Mr. Weasley shook his head firmly. "They can't expel Harry, and Dumbledore won't allow it."
"Sorry, kids, I might have to leave for a bit. Oh, and Kyle..."
Mr. Weasley's tone softened, "Don't worry, just like I said before, they can't be sure if it was you or someone else in Diagon Alley who cast the spell. So, you don't have anything to worry about; it's just a formality."
With that, Mr. Weasley hurriedly left the shabby house.
Soon, Ginny returned to her room, leaving only Kyle and the twins in the living room.
"You... really used a spell?" Fred asked tentatively.
Kyle nodded.
He admitted to this, as he had indeed used a Silencing Charm to prevent anyone from eavesdropping when Rita Skeeter was about to spill her secrets. However, the question was, how did the Ministry find out?
Could it be that someone had seen him?
Even if they had, was it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it? When did the people at the Ministry become so diligent?
Kyle felt that there was definitely something amiss.
Had Rita Skeeter reported him?
"No, it's not her," Kyle immediately dismissed the idea.
It wasn't a matter of trusting Rita Skeeter's character, but she wouldn't dare. Whether it was her Animagus form or Fudge's secret, these weren't things that could be easily explained away with a few simple words.
Even for her own sake, Rita Skeeter wouldn't have reported him.
Could it be because of Voldemort... Does Fudge know that he's also on Dumbledore's side?
That was somewhat possible. During the holidays, he had written quite a few letters, and he never tried to hide them. It would be normal for Fudge to find out.
But to come after him for simply talking about it, Fudge was being a bit petty.
Kyle casually tossed the letter aside.
"Don't worry, Kyle," Fred reassured him. "There are lots of wizards in Diagon Alley, and as long as you don't admit to it, they definitely won't know that you used magic."
"Yeah," George chimed in. "And the Leaky Cauldron is full of wizards. Even if you did use magic, it wouldn't violate the Decree. They can't do anything to you."
"Yeah, I know," Kyle nodded.
Even though he said that, he was still disgusted by their methods, including what was happening with Harry, which he estimated also had something to do with the Ministry.
Earlier, Mr. Weasley had mentioned that Harry had used magic in front of three Muggles, which was most likely the Dursleys.
They probably investigated and knew that the Dursleys hated Harry and would not only refuse to testify for him but might even pin the blame on him.
Even if Harry had protected them.
"It's true... the Forbidden Forest has all sorts of creatures," Kyle muttered under his breath.
...
(End of Chapter)
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