Kyle didn't give much thought to the sudden appearance of the owl in front of him, nor to the letter clutched in its talons. Letters had been flooding in lately, and it would have been more surprising if he hadn't received one that day.
But for Mr. Weasley to rush back from work... could it be about the meeting Dumbledore had mentioned, as McPhail hinted?
Curiosity piqued, Kyle took the envelope and pulled out the letter, quickly scanning its contents. His expression shifted abruptly.
The letter wasn't from Dumbledore. It was from the Ministry of Magic, and its contents were nothing short of outrageous. For a moment, Kyle wondered if he had misread it.
Or perhaps the Ministry had lost its mind.
'What is it?" Fred and George, noticing Kyle's silence, leaned over to read the letter for themselves.
"We have been informed that you used a Charm in the Leaky Cauldron at 10:36 this morning.
This is a violation of the Reasonable Restraint of Underage Wizards Act.
Please report to the Ministry of Magic on the morning of the 12th of August to explain the situation, or we will be forced to expel you.
"No way—did I read that right?" Fred exclaimed. "Or did I just misread it, and doesn't using a Charm in the Leaky Cauldron only earns a formal warning?"
"Are they completely mad?" George frowned, trying to wrap his head around it. "Or was there a Muggle hiding in the Leaky Cauldron?"
They all knew the rules of the Restraint Act. While underage wizards weren't permitted to use magic outside of school, there was a crucial exception: a Muggle had to witness the magic for it to be a violation.
But the Leaky Cauldron? Everyone who passed through there was either a wizard or, at the very least, a Muggle parent already aware of the wizarding world. How could this possibly be a breach of the Restraint Act?
"Watch your words, George," Percy interjected, stepping forward and adjusting his collar in a self-important manner. "Underage wizards are prohibited from using magic outside school, no matter where they are. That's the law."
"Percy, why don't you move your room to the garden?" George snapped. "I'm sure you'd get along brilliantly with the Gnomes."
He gave Percy a glare before continuing. "Diagon Alley is practically next door to the Leaky Cauldron, and it's crawling with wizards. How can the Ministry pin this on Kyle when it could've been anyone else?"
"That's because... well, the Ministry must have its methods," Percy mumbled. "Minister Fudge doesn't make mistakes. Kyle broke the rule, and he has to face the consequences—"
"Shut it, you bighead!" Fred interrupted sharply. "Don't act like you've never used magic at home!"
Before Percy could finish, George cut him off with a snort.
"I seem to recall you using a Summoning Charm to find the glasses we hid."
"Or a Sticking Charm to keep your envelopes sealed," Fred added.
"And Mending Charm... Lighting Charm..."
The twins took turns rattling off spells Percy had used, with Ron and Ginny occasionally chiming in to help when they faltered.
Each accusation made Percy's face darken further until, thoroughly defeated, he stormed off to his room without another word.
"Finally, the irritating git is gone," Fred declared with a satisfied grin. "He's been unbearable ever since that promotion."
Then he turned to Mr. Weasley. "Dad, what's the deal here?"
"Yeah," George echoed, "why is Kyle being warned for using magic at the Leaky Cauldron?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Mr. Weasley admitted, shaking his head. "Mafalda mentioned it to me earlier. She said someone insisted Kyle used magic and demanded she send a warning letter."
Mr. Weasley drummed his fingers on the table, hesitating before speaking again. "There's something else."
"Kyle won't be the only one going to the Ministry of Magic. Harry will be there too."
"Harry? What did he do?" Ron and Ginny both asked.
"He used magic as well," Mr. Weasley explained. "But not in Diagon Alley—he cast a spell in Little Whinging. And he did it in front of three Muggles."
Ron and Ginny stood up at the same time.
"No way, I'm going to go and ask him," said Ron anxiously, before turning and bolting upstairs.
"What's more troubling," sighed Mr. Weasley, "is that this isn't the first time Harry has used magic in front of Muggles. So, Kyle will only be questioned, but Harry... he'll be put on trial."
"A trial?" Ginny's face turned pale. "Harry... will he be expelled?"
"No, he won't!" Mr. Weasley said firmly, shaking his head. "They can't expel Harry, and Dumbledore won't allow it."
He stood up, a determined look on his face. "Sorry, kids, I might have to leave for a bit. Oh, and Kyle..."
Mr. Weasley's tone softened. "Don't worry. As I said earlier, they can't be sure if it was you or someone else in Diagon Alley who used the Charm. You'll be fine—it's just a formality."
With that, he hurried out of The Burrow.
Not long after, Ginny returned to her room, leaving Kyle alone in the living room with Fred and George.
"You... really used a Charm?" Fred asked tentatively.
Kyle nodded. He admitted it. To prevent Rita Skeeter from spreading rumors, he had cast a Muffliato Charm. But how did the Ministry of Magic know about it?
Had someone seen him? Even so, making such a big deal out of it seemed unnecessary. Since when had the Ministry become so vigilant?
Kyle's thoughts turned to Rita Skeeter. Had she reported him?
'No, I don't think so,' Kyle quickly dismissed the idea—not because he believed in her integrity, but because she wouldn't dare. Her unregistered Animagus status and her knowledge of Fudge's secrets would be hard to explain if she got involved. For her own safety, she wouldn't risk snitching.
Could it be because of Voldemort? Did Fudge know Kyle was aligned with Dumbledore?
That seemed plausible. Over the summer, Kyle had written many letters openly Discover more novels on NovelHub - your gateway to endless stories. If Fudge knew about them, it wouldn't be surprising for him to create trouble.
Still, it felt petty—so petty, in fact, that Kyle tossed the letter aside with irritation.
"It's okay, Kyle," Fred said reassuringly. "There are loads of wizards in Diagon Alley. As long as you don't admit it, they'll never prove it was you who used magic."
"Yeah," George agreed. "And it's not even a violation of the Restriction Act to use magic there. They can't do anything to you."
"Hm," Kyle murmured, nodding.
Even so, he couldn't help but feel disgusted by these underhanded tactics. And Harry's situation? That was likely more of the Ministry's meddling too.
Mr. Weasley had mentioned Harry had used magic in front of three Muggles—presumably the Dursleys. The Ministry must have known the Dursleys despised Harry. They wouldn't just refuse to testify on his behalf—they'd probably blame him outright, even if he'd protected them.
Kyle scowled. "Really... you can find all sorts of people," he muttered.