Before Harry could open the letter, another owl floated over leisurely.
The envelope looked very official, stamped with the Ministry of Magic's seal.
"It's an official letter from the Ministry of Magic, Harry," Ron said with some alarm, "Did you use magic at home? Oh no..."
"I just used a few spells, that's all." Harry sighed, thinking not using a magic wand would prevent detection.
He opened the letter, and it read:
[Mr. Potter:
We have received reports that since the holiday, you have used the Apparition Charm and Silencing Spell at 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, and recommended magical products to Muggles.
You know that underage wizards are not allowed to use magic outside school, and adding magical potions like Euphoria Potion to Muggles' food is strictly prohibited. Should you engage in such actions again, expulsion might be considered (Article 3 of the decree regarding reasonable restrictions on underage wizardry, 1875).
Furthermore, remember that according to Article 13 of the International Wizarding Federation Confidentiality Law, any magical activities that might attract the attention of non-magical world members (Muggles) are serious violations.
Considering that you are a first-year student and this is your first offense, our department is only issuing this notification.
Have a pleasant summer!
Mafalda Hopkirk
Ministry of Magic, Department for the Regulation and Control of Unlawful Magic]
"How many laws have you broken?" Ron asked, looking quite stunned beside him.
"No idea," Harry casually folded the letter into a paper airplane and tossed it away, "I think Hermione's guess was right, the Ministry of Magic is just monitoring a location — 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, and I'm the only wizard there, so they concluded it was me using spells."
Actually, by using elimination, it's possible to deduce, since Harry didn't use a magic wand in Little Whinging, it shows that the Ministry's monitoring isn't limited to just the wand itself.
While Harry used a few minor evil curses that could have landed him in Azkaban when he was in Diagon Alley, none were detected by the Ministry, further indicating one thing — in areas crowded with wizards, the Ministry cannot monitor a specific individual.
"No wonder Dad sometimes lets us practice a few spells; turns out this is the reason." Ron said with sudden realization.
When he looked up, seeing Harry's action of tossing the paper airplane, he asked with some concern, "Then... will handling the Ministry's official letter this way..."
"Don't worry." Harry made a makeshift shade with his hand, watching the paper airplane drift farther away, "It's just the Ministry of Magic; they won't lock me in Azkaban —"
But he thought to himself, it's best to avoid extra trouble for now; after all, rescuing Vivi and Cassandra is the priority, and it's better not to be entangled with such trivial matters.
Sometimes he also wished how great it would be if things were swapped.
If only he had gone to the current Hogwarts first; once entering the Magic World, everyone knows him, everyone rushes to shake hands with him, there's money to buy piles of snacks and share with friends on the train — he could even excel in Quidditch.
No matter what mistakes he made, he had friends by his side to share the punishment, and when upset, he could go to Hagrid's hut to complain; that towering, big friend always had his unique way of being supportive.
But him going to school a hundred years ago?
No family beside him, no friends, not a penny to his name; living cautiously in the Magic World, fearing any wrong remark would upset others, getting him expelled from school.
If not for Professor Weasley and Gareth's help, he might have stayed withdrawn forever.
Days a hundred years ago... better not mention.
Though reluctantly acknowledging, other than the Weasley family and two Slytherin troublemaker friends a hundred years ago, Cassandra was genuinely one of the few rays of sunshine he felt — along with Vivi who transferred to Hogwarts in the fifth grade.
Thus, receiving the notification letter, Harry did not plan to start a conflict with the Ministry — rescuing the two girls was the most important; other matters could wait.
Hmm... but judging by the personalities of these two girls, they probably wouldn't regard the Ministry of Magic highly.
After all, one is the sister of a legendary Dark Wizard, a wizard herself capable of mastering any curse as soon as she sees it, possibly even stronger than her brother; the other's father was once the actual controller of the Ministry of Magic.
Harry opened another letter from Mr. Leme, which read:
[Dear Sir,
Pleased to receive your correspondence; it's been a long time since I saw you — worth mentioning, your handwriting is just as terrible.
Albus has detailed your situation to me, considering the recent schedule, I plan to await your arrival on August 16th.
If there is any news, please reply using the owl; I will be very delighted.
Nicolas Flamel's letter to Harry Potter, 29th July 1992]
Harry glanced at the owl still standing beside him, took out paper and pen, and wrote a reply to Nicolas Flamel, letting the owl take it back for him.
When he sent off the owl, he found Ron already in the field playing with goblins.
Those little creatures looked like potatoes, shrieking when picked up, yelling, "Let go of me."
Ron, like a Chaser throwing the Ghost Flying Ball, swung his arm wide and tossed the goblin out.