Kyle turned his attention to Amelia Bones. Of all those present, she was the main authority in this interrogation, not Umbridge, who had been the loudest and most disruptive participant.
"I do not object to Mr. Malfoy's proposal," Kyle said clearly, "but only on the condition that I receive an official interrogation letter."
"Prior Incantato was my compromise—a way for me to answer to the Ministry on behalf of the Hogwarts students. Beyond that, I will not accept any further questioning unless a formal letter is issued or new evidence is presented."
"As of now, I demand an immediate end to this absurd and unfounded interrogation."
Amelia Bones nodded slightly before addressing the room. "Let's take a vote by show of hands. Those in favor of dismissing the charges, please raise your hands."
She was the first to raise her hand, her posture resolute. While she had never supported this interrogation, she had been forced to proceed due to pressure from Fudge and Umbridge.
Slowly, more hands went up, including Rufus Scrimgeour's. He, too, felt this entire proceeding was baseless. Kyle's movements had been limited to school and home—there was no logical way he could have killed an adult wizard without drawing any attention.
The number of raised hands was overwhelming. Amelia didn't need to count to see that more than half were in favor of dismissing the charges.
"Now," she said, "those who support the charges, raise your hands."
Umbridge's hand shot up immediately, followed by five or six of her colleagues. Kyle scanned their faces, memorizing each one. Unsurprisingly, Malfoy, Macnair, and Karkaroff raised their hands as well, though their votes didn't count.
"Very well," Amelia said, her voice firm. "The charges are not substantiated."
"A wise decision," Professor McGonagall said with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of triumph.
"Don't celebrate just yet," Umbridge snapped, her face pale as she glared at Kyle. "You wanted official letters? You'll have them soon enough. Let's see how confident you are when you return to the Ministry in seven days."
"I think you've misunderstood something, Madam Umbridge," Kyle said calmly, a polite smile playing on his lips. "Everything must proceed in the proper order."
"Before that happens, you'll need to explain your actions today to the Wizengamot. The Wizengamot Trial Committee will evaluate the reliability of your evidence."
Kyle's expression turned serious as he addressed Amelia Bones. "Madam Bones, regarding today's interrogation, I formally request a ruling from the Wizengamot as a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Second Class."
"This includes assessing the veracity of the testimony presented and the improper conduct of Madam Dolores Jane Umbridge during this proceeding."
"On behalf of the Wizengamot, I accept your request," Amelia said gravely, nodding. "You will need to prepare a written application and submit it formally."
"That's no problem," Kyle replied.
The room grew noticeably tenser, except for Kyle, who remained composed. Many present let out sighs of relief, realizing Kyle had named only Umbridge. She, however, paled visibly, her composure beginning to falter.
"You cannot agree to this, Amelia!" Umbridge exclaimed, her voice rising in desperation. "Surely you can see this is nothing but revenge! He has no right to interrogate me—I am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic!"
"Actually, he does," Amelia replied coolly. "As a member of the Order of Merlin, Second Class, and thus an honorary member of the Wizengamot, he has the right to request a ruling in cases of doubt."
"And I warned you before this interrogation began that your actions were out of order. The consequences, I said, could be dire if you made a mistake."
"I would have thought the Sirius Black incident would have taught you more caution. Apparently, it did not."
With that, Amelia stood and left the room.
The other attendees began to disperse, and several Wizengamot members approached Kyle to offer apologies and assistance. However, he declined their offers with a polite smile.
As Kyle turned to leave, his gaze fell on Umbridge. She was still seated, her mouth moving as she muttered indignantly about her status and authority as Senior Undersecretary.
Yes, this was revenge, Kyle thought, satisfied. But it's within the rules, isn't it? Just like you use the rules to oppress others.
Kyle exited the room with Professor McGonagall and Chris, making their way to the elevator.
As they walked, Kyle noticed a twitch at the corner of Professor McGonagall's mouth. She seemed as though she was suppressing a laugh, but she managed to maintain her usual stern demeanor.
"Professor McGonagall, are you heading back now?" Chris asked as they waited.
"No, I need to inform Dumbledore about what happened," McGonagall replied firmly. "This must never happen again."
"When will Mr. Potter be finished?"
"Probably soon."
"Why don't you sit at my desk for a while?" Chris suggested.
"No, I'll wait here. I don't want to miss him," McGonagall said.
As they spoke, the elevator arrived.
The doors opened, and Dumbledore stepped out, followed by Harry and Mr. Weasley.
"Oh, Minerva, Kyle," Dumbledore greeted them warmly. "Wonderful timing. Have you finished with your side of things as well?"
At the sight of Dumbledore, McGonagall's face turned pale. "Come with me, Albus. I need to speak with you."
Without waiting for a reply, she led him into a nearby corridor.
Harry approached Kyle, looking curious. "Kyle, I heard from Professor Dumbledore that you got a warning letter? What happened?"
Harry seemed to be in a good mood, so Kyle deduced that the accusations against him couldn't have been too serious.
Kyle paused before answering. "It's nothing much—just like you, I broke the rules by using spells outside of school."
He didn't tell Harry the full truth, not because he wanted to keep secrets but because Harry wasn't great at hiding his emotions or thoughts. With the Ministry of Magic still close by, even a single slip from Harry could spell trouble.
Before long, Dumbledore and McGonagall returned. Dumbledore's expression was grim, and his usual calm seemed replaced with quiet anger.
"Leave this to me, Kyle," he said gravely. "If they refuse to let this go, I'll deal with them myself."
Kyle replied calmly, "Thank you, Professor, but I can handle it. It's not as difficult as it seems."
Dumbledore froze for a moment, studying Kyle with a thoughtful expression. Then, after a pause, he said meaningfully, "You're still a student, Kyle. Some matters are best left to adults."
"Okay then," Kyle said with a shrug, noncommittal.
It was clear that Dumbledore didn't want Kyle too involved in this issue, but Kyle wasn't about to let it slide.
If they believed they could act with impunity now, who's to say they wouldn't escalate next time? What if they planted a dark wizard in St. Catchpole Village, just as they had tried with Harry?
Kyle didn't want to spend his time and energy fending off these schemes endlessly. While bringing this matter before the Wizengamot was a good first step to buy some peace, it wouldn't be enough in the long run.
There was also Voldemort to consider.
Kyle was certain that Karkaroff and Malfoy weren't acting on their own initiative. Their personalities didn't align with taking such risks unless ordered. This had to be Voldemort's doing, targeting Kyle in the same relentless way he targeted Harry.
The reason was likely Nagini.
As one of his Horcruxes, Voldemort would value the snake highly and would stop at nothing to retrieve it.
Dumbledore had mentioned that Voldemort had been seriously injured after that night on the mountaintop—similar to his hand—and had spent the past month recovering. With Kyle about to return to Hogwarts, Voldemort would have even fewer opportunities to reclaim the snake unless he was willing to launch a full-scale attack on the school.
But with two years left until graduation, Kyle knew that if Voldemort continued these schemes, it would be a long, exhausting battle.
In the absence of a direct way to eliminate Voldemort, the next best course of action was to address the Ministry's corruption and complicity.
Kyle stroked his chin thoughtfully. He also needed to find time to examine Nagini in the suitcase. Since capturing her, he hadn't checked on her, and he wasn't sure if Nicolas Flamel's potions would have any effect on living beings.
Kyle recalled hearing that Nagini had once been a witch who had been cursed and transformed into a snake—a curse known as Blood Malediction. If there was a way to break the curse, Kyle preferred not to kill her outright.
Next to him, Dumbledore seemed to sense Kyle's train of thought. He gave him a deep, searching look before speaking again. "Remember, Kyle, you're still a student."
"Of course, Professor," Kyle said, snapping out of his thoughts. "I've always known that."