The red envelope opened and, before Harry and the others, actually turned into something resembling a face.
At the sight, Aunt Petunia's and Uncle Vernon's expressions immediately turned ugly. Before they could say anything, however, the paper face had already begun to speak.
"Dear Mr. Potter:
We have received intelligence that at seventeen minutes past eight this evening, you performed a Patronus Charm in the Muggle residential area of Privet Drive, in the presence of a Muggle. This conduct constitutes a serious breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and Section Thirteen of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. You have therefore been expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Ministry of Magic will shortly dispatch representatives to your residence to destroy your wand.
We regret to inform you that you must appear at the Ministry of Magic at nine o'clock on the morning of August twelfth for a hearing.
We hope you will take care.
Yours sincerely,
Mafalda Hopkirk
Improper Use of Magic Office, Ministry of Magic."
"What the hell, I'll bloody xx your uncle," Harry swore instinctively. But the recorded message had no capacity for real-time conversation. Once it had finished speaking, the letter destroyed itself.
"Nobody called Mafalda is ever likable," Harry said bitterly.
He was taking a jab at Ron's younger, distant cousin. Last year, a Weasley from abroad, Mafalda Weasley, had enrolled at Hogwarts. And she had been sorted into Slytherin.
That had caused quite a stir at the time. The little girl had even begun to emerge as the most influential student among the Slytherin first years.
Did that make sense? No, it did not.
And yet that was exactly what had happened.
Over the year that followed, Harry had not had much to do with Mafalda Weasley.