Kael looked at Amelia Bones; among everyone present, she was the main interrogator, not the overly enthusiastic Umbridge.
"I don't object to Mr. Malfoy's proposal, but the premise is I must receive a formal letter of interrogation."
Kael said, word by word, "Priori Incantatem is already my bottom line, and it counts as an explanation from Hogwarts students to the Ministry of Magic. After this, I won't accept any form of questioning, unless you issue a formal letter or present new evidence."
"As for now, I demand an immediate end to this absurd and ridiculous interrogation."
"Let's vote by a show of hands." Amelia said in a loud voice, "Those who support dismissing the charges, raise your hand."
When she finished, she was the first to raise her hand.
Truth be told, she never approved of this hearing, but what could she do, with Fudge being the Minister and Umbridge stirring things up beside him.
Next, more people, including Scrimgeour, raised their hands.
Like Amelia, Scrimgeour also felt this hearing was just a waste of time.
Kael's movements were honestly too simple—school, home, nowhere else. He really couldn't figure out how Kael could possibly avoid everyone and go kill an adult wizard.
There were plenty of raised hands, more than half without even counting, but Amelia continued:
"Those who support the charges, raise your hand."
Umbridge immediately raised her hand, along with another five or six people. Kael took note of each one, memorizing their faces.
Oh, the three Malfoys raised their hands too... Unfortunately, they don't have voting rights.
"Very well." Amelia Bones said, "Charges dismissed!"
"A wise decision." Professor McGonagall said with a smile.
"Don't celebrate too soon."
Umbridge, face dark with anger, glared at Kael. "You wanted a letter of interrogation, didn't you? You'll get it soon. I sincerely hope you're still so confident when you come to the Ministry of Magic seven days from now."
"I think you're mistaken about one thing—priority matters, Mrs. Umbridge."
Kael smiled, "Before that, you need to explain today's actions to the Wizengamot, and the Wizengamot's trial meeting will determine whether your testimony is reliable."
Then Kael's smile faded and he spoke seriously: "Lady Amelia Bones, regarding today's hearing, as a recipient of the second-class Merlin Knight Order, I formally submit a ruling request to the Wizengamot."
"That includes judging the authenticity of testimony and Mrs. Dolores Jane Umbridge's improper interrogation of me."
"On behalf of the Wizengamot, I accept your request." Ms. Bones nodded solemnly. "Additionally, you need to draft a written application and submit it to the Wizengamot."
"No problem." Kael said.
Seeing Kael only mentioned one name, everyone else let out a sigh of relief, except Umbridge, who began to panic.
"You can't agree to this, Amelia." Her face was deathly pale. "You must see that this is revenge, and I'm Senior Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Magic—he has no authority to interrogate me!"
"Actually, he does." Ms. Bones said coolly. "As an honorary member of the Wizengamot, he has the right to submit a ruling request when evidence is in question."
"Moreover, before this hearing began, I warned you this conduct was completely against regulations. If you mess up, the consequences will be severe."
"I thought the Sirius Black incident would have made you more prudent, but apparently not."
With that, she got up and left the room.
The others stood up, and several Wizengamot members approached Kael, first apologizing, then offering help.
But Kael politely rejected them all.
Before leaving the room, Kael glanced at Umbridge again.
She was sitting there, mumbling "I'm Senior Deputy Minister" and alike over and over.
Yes, Kael was indeed getting revenge, but so what? Isn't this just using the rules against people? Anyone can play that game.
Leaving there, Kael and Professor McGonagall, along with Chris, headed toward the elevators.
Kael noticed the corner of Professor McGonagall's mouth twitch—almost a smile, but she held it in.
"Professor McGonagall, are you going back now?" Chris asked.
"No, I need to tell Dumbledore what just happened." Professor McGonagall said. "This can't happen a second time."
"When does Mr. Potter's side finish?"
"Probably soon."
"Come sit at my desk for a bit, then."
"No need, I'll wait right here—don't want to miss anything later."
As they spoke, the elevator arrived.
When the iron doors opened, Dumbledore stepped out, along with Harry and Mr. Weasley.
"Ah, Minerva, Kael." Dumbledore walked up. "Wonderful—is your business finished as well?"
Seeing him, Professor McGonagall's face darkened again. "Come with me, Albus. I have something to discuss."
The two of them moved to another corridor.
"Kael, I heard from Professor Dumbledore you got a warning letter?" Harry leaned in and asked. "What happened?"
He seemed in good spirits, so his own charges were probably dismissed as well.
Kael thought for a second, then said, "Not much, same as you—using charms off campus."
He chose not to tell Harry the truth—not deliberately hiding it, but mainly because Harry is just... well, let's call it straightforward. He can't keep secrets, not on his face or in his heart.
Besides, Harry does know the real situation; after all, this is the Ministry of Magic. If he let something slip, that would be trouble.
Not long after, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall returned, and Dumbledore's face was now profoundly grim.
"Let me handle this, Kael." he said. "If they don't want to let this go, I'll fight them to the end."
"Professor," Kael said calmly, "Actually, I can handle it myself. It's really not that tricky."
Dumbledore paused, staring at Kael—whatever crossed his mind, after a moment, he said meaningfully, "You're still just a student, Kael. Some things are better left to adults."
"Alright then." Kael shrugged, noncommittal.
He could tell Dumbledore didn't really want him too involved in this matter.
But is that possible?
Kael certainly wouldn't let it slide.
If they plotted against him once with no consequence, what if they come up with something nastier next time... like sending a Dark Wizard to Ottery St Catchpole.
Given their style, it's not impossible—Harry is the best example.
Kael didn't want to waste all his time and energy handling this sort of thing—the Wizengamot was just the first step, to keep them from looking for trouble too soon, but it doesn't mean it's over.
There's still Voldemort, a huge headache.
To say Karkaroff and Malfoy acted on their own, Kael didn't believe it for a second—their personalities would never let them do this kind of thing.
This is most likely a request from Voldemort, and Kael was just the target—forced to endure something usually reserved for Harry.
And the reason? It's nothing more than Nagini.
As one of the soul artifacts, Voldemort definitely values that snake, so naturally he would try to get it back.
But Dumbledore had said Voldemort was seriously injured that day—just like his hand, needs time to recover. He wasn't healed yet; he'd spent the past month recuperating.
Now that Kael's about to return to Hogwarts, surely Voldemort can't sit still.
Because once Kael goes back to Hogwarts, Voldemort will have even less chance of stealing the snake—unless he's ready to attack the school directly.
Kael still has two years until graduation; if Voldemort keeps this up, it'll be miserable.
Without a way to outright kill Voldemort, the solution must start with the Ministry of Magic.
Kael stroked his chin.
Besides, it's time to spend some effort studying the snake in the box.
Ever since Kael snatched Nagini, the snake has just been left in the box—he hadn't bothered with it at all. He wondered if Nicolas's potion worked on living creatures.
Kael remembered the snake was once a wizard, but due to some special reason turned into a snake... Seems like a curse called Maledictus.
If possible, he really didn't want to simply kill Nagini.
Kael thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore seemed to sense something; he looked deeply at Kael and reminded him again, "Never forget, Kael—you're still a student."
"Of course, Professor." Kael snapped out of it and replied, "I always know that."
...