Looking at the owl that had suddenly appeared in front of him, as well as the letter on its claw, Kael wasn't really concerned.
Lately, he'd been getting all kinds of letters—if a day went by without getting one, that would be the odd thing.
But for something that made Mr. Weasley come running back on his way to work… could it be that meeting Dumbledore arranged that McPhail mentioned?
Kael took the envelope, pulled out the letter inside, and began to read curiously.
Then his expression changed.
The letter wasn't from Dumbledore, but from the Ministry of Magic—and the contents were so absurd that Kael even thought he was reading it wrong.
Either that, or someone at the Ministry had gone mad.
"What is it?"
Seeing that Kael wasn't saying anything, Fred and George leaned over, curious, and began reading the letter aloud.
"We have received a report that at 10:36 a.m. today, you used a charm at the Leaky Cauldron.
This action violates the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. Please come to the Ministry of Magic on the morning of August 12th to explain yourself, or we have the right to expel you.
Mafalda…"
"Wait, did I read that wrong?"
Fred couldn't help exclaiming, "Or am I seeing things? You'll get a warning for using a charm at the Leaky Cauldron?"
"Are they nuts?" George also found it hard to believe, "Or is there a Muggle hiding out in the Leaky Cauldron?"
They remembered very clearly—the so-called "Restraint Law" did prohibit underage wizards from using magic outside of school, but there was a condition: only if there were Muggles nearby when casting magic.
If that condition wasn't met, basically no one would care—especially at the Leaky Cauldron.
Anyone there was almost always a wizard; if there were any Muggles, it'd be students' parents, and everyone knew about wizards anyway. How could this possibly break the Restraint Law?
"Watch your words, George." Percy stepped forward, fussily adjusting his collar.
"No matter what, underage wizards aren't allowed to use magic outside school—that's the rule. Location doesn't matter."
"Percy… why don't you just move your room to the garden, I think you'd get along really well with the gnomes."
George shot him an annoyed glare. "The Leaky Cauldron is right next to Diagon Alley. With so many wizards crowding together, why does the Ministry assume it was Kael who used magic and not someone else?"
"That's because… the Ministry must have its methods." Percy replied awkwardly, "Anyway, Minister Fudge can't possibly be wrong. If Kael did something wrong, he must face the consequences…"
"Oh, shut up already, you big-headed git!" Fred snapped, "Are you seriously gonna claim you've never used magic at home?"
"I haven't…"
Before Percy could finish, George snorted.
"I remember you using a Summoning Charm to find your glasses when we hid them."
"And you used a Stickfast Hex on the envelopes to stop us from reading them."
"And the Repairing Charm…"
"Lighting Spell…"
"Repelling Spell…"
Fred and George rattled off the names of spells one after another, with Ron and Ginny chiming in whenever they got stuck.
And with every spell they mentioned, Percy's face got more and more sour, until at last he simply shut up and stomped off to his room without another word.
"Finally, that annoying guy's gone." Fred remarked, "He's gotten more unbearable ever since that promotion."
Then he turned to Mr. Weasley again, "Dad, what on earth is going on?"
"Yeah." George agreed, "Why would Kael get a warning for using magic at the Leaky Cauldron?"
"I'm not sure either." Mr. Weasley shook his head. "Mafalda told me—she said someone insisted Kael used a charm outside of school and told her to send the warning."
"Who was it?"
"She didn't say."
Mr. Weasley drummed his fingers on the table. After hesitating for a moment, he continued, "There's something else too."
"What?"
"It's not just Kael who has to go to the Ministry this time—Harry does as well."
"Harry? He used magic at Diagon Alley too?"
"Not Diagon Alley—Little Whinging." Mr. Weasley explained. "And he did it right in front of three Muggles."
Ron and Ginny immediately jumped to their feet.
"I've got to go ask him." Ron said anxiously, then hurried upstairs.
"What's worse," Mr. Weasley sighed, "this isn't the first time Harry's used magic in front of Muggles. So Kael's just being questioned, but Harry is actually facing a hearing."
"A hearing?" Ginny went pale. "Harry—will he be expelled?"
"No, he won't!" Mr. Weasley shook his head resolutely. "They can't expel Harry, and Dumbledore won't allow it either."
"Sorry, kids, I have to head out for a bit, oh—Kael…"
Mr. Weasley's tone softened a bit. "Don't worry, like I said, there's no way they can prove it was you rather than someone else in Diagon Alley who cast the charm. Nothing will happen—it's just a formality."
With that, Mr. Weasley bustled out of the Shabby Residence.
Ginny soon went back to her own room, leaving just Kael, Fred, and George in the living room.
"You… really did use a charm?" Fred asked tentatively,
Kael nodded.
He fully owned up to it—for fear that Rita Skeeter would be overheard when she spilled any secrets, he'd used a Muffliato, but still—the Ministry somehow found out.
Did someone notice?
Even if someone did, wasn't this a bit much? Since when has the Ministry gotten so diligent?
Kael was certain there was more to this story.
Did Rita Skeeter inform on him?
"No, probably not." Kael dismissed that idea immediately.
It wasn't that he trusted Rita Skeeter's character—she simply wouldn't dare. Whether it was the Animagus secret or what she knew about Fudge, that was more than she could explain away with a few words.
Even to look after herself, Rita Skeeter wouldn't snitch.
Then could it be because of Voldemort… and Fudge realized Kael was siding with Dumbledore?
That was a possibility. Kael had written lots of letters over the holidays and hadn't hidden anything. Fudge could easily know about that.
But for Fudge to come after him over just a few words—wasn't that a bit petty?
Kael tossed the letter aside carelessly.
"Don't worry, Kael," Fred consoled him. "There are loads of wizards in Diagon Alley. As long as you don't confess, there's no way they can pin it on you."
"Yeah." George added, "And the Leaky Cauldron is full of wizards—even if you did use magic, it doesn't break the Restraint Law. They can't do anything to you."
"Mm, I know." Kael nodded.
Even so, this whole process was pretty disgusting—not just his own case, but Harry's as well. It had to have something to do with the Ministry.
Just now Mr. Weasley said Harry used magic in front of three Muggles—it'd have to be the Dursleys.
They must have investigated, and knew the Dursleys hated Harry. Not only would they never testify for him—they'd probably be thrilled to throw him under the bus.
Even if Harry had protected them.
"Honestly… there's no end to the weirdness in the Forbidden Forest." Kael muttered to himself.
...