Chapter 479: A Night at the Ministry of Magic

Chapter 479: A Night at the Ministry of Magic

The night was deep, and the 24-hour restaurant was unusually quiet. A waiter dozed off on a chair behind the bar, the clock on the gray wall pointing to ten o'clock.

Hermione sat at the head of her bed, gazing out the window at the clear, bright night sky. She estimated the time, thinking that the owl would likely deliver the letter by noon the next day. The unexpected time travel would finally come to an end tomorrow.

She lowered her head and looked at the Time-Turner hanging around her neck. The dark golden grains had turned pale white, occasionally emitting a faint glow. Hermione remembered clearly that this phenomenon had been ongoing for some time.

After a long while, she pulled out a black notebook from under her pillow and completed today's entry:

"Day 72 of time travel, Day 7 of the current time point: The closer I get to normal time, the more my senses feel real. It's much better than aimlessly wandering like a ghost at the beginning... Being abandoned by the entire world is a terrible feeling. The Time-Turner kept flashing, and I couldn't touch anything. If it weren't for the food I prepared in my beaded purse, I wouldn't have survived the initial period... Today, the Time-Turner developed two more cracks, the cause is unknown..."

Hermione paused, staring at the words for a moment before placing the notebook on the bedside table. She quietly slipped out of the room. As the door closed, the black notebook rustled, and a ghostly image muttered, "The third task, the trophy, the Portkey, and the root of it all... So it was you, little Crouch."

On the other side, Hermione cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself. She stood at the top of the stairs, watching the couple in the living room. They were sitting on the sofa, watching TV and chatting—

"Tomorrow when I see Hermione, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind. What kind of help is this? She even went to the tournament grounds!" Mr. Granger said angrily.

"Ever since she was young, she's had a mind of her own. You always praised her for being smart—" Mrs. Granger looked at him.

"Using her smarts to deceive her own parents?" Mr. Granger looked furious. "Do you know what the wizard said when I bravely asked about the tournament? It was stopped for centuries because of the high death rate. Just listen to that!"

"Hermione mentioned in her letter that the safety measures this year are excellent... And it's the final task. I saw the safety officers in the videos", Mrs. Granger said, trying to reassure him. "Why don't we ask about the third task tomorrow? If it's too dangerous, we can talk to the school..." She pursed her lips, unable to suppress her anger. "That girl has gone too far. After the tournament, we'll have a serious talk with her!"

They chatted for a while longer, turned off the TV, and went upstairs. Hermione brushed past them at the corner, reaching out but only catching air. In the silent stillness, her arm slowly dropped.

24-hour restaurant.

The silver light in Felix's eyes gradually faded. After a moment of silence, he took out two glass bottles, one large and one small. The larger one contained a thick, mud-like liquid that was slowly bubbling, while the smaller one held a small tuft of gray hair.

These were the Polyjuice Potion and a strand of hair from Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Felix's face broke into a faint smile. The origin of the hair was quite dramatic—two years ago, Fudge had been accidentally poisoned while inspecting the Basilisk's corpse and was taken to the Hospital Wing for treatment.

Felix had seized the opportunity to snatch a few strands.

That deliberate act saved him a lot of trouble.

Felix unscrewed the bottle cap and dropped the hair into the larger glass bottle. The potion immediately began to boil, turning into a sickly gray-green color, like a boiling cement mixture.

"Waiter, can I get the bill?" Felix called out, simultaneously tucking the Polyjuice Potion into his sleeve.

By the time he left the restaurant, it was half past ten.

London's night was eerily quiet, yet not without noise. Felix walked alone down the street, his footsteps echoing in the darkness. His figure flickered several times before appearing in front of a dilapidated red phone booth.

He opened the door and stepped inside, skillfully dialing the number 62442. A cold, female voice sounded from the phone booth.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and the purpose of your visit."

"Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Have the guard verify my identity", Felix said calmly. His body had already transformed under the influence of the Polyjuice Potion into a short, stout man with messy gray hair and a large belly.

He waited a few seconds, and a more lively wizard's voice appeared, his tone filled with unmistakable surprise. "Minister Fudge? Is that really you? What brings you here so late?"

"That's none of your concern", Felix said in a low voice.

"Oh, of course... But why didn't you use your private Floo?"

"I was visiting a friend nearby and suddenly remembered I had urgent business to attend to. Do I need to fill out additional paperwork tomorrow?"

"No, no need. I'll let you in right away..." the voice said nervously.

The phone booth began to descend slowly, the sidewalk outside gradually rising above the window. After passing through a dark tunnel, Felix's vision returned. He calmly observed his surroundings. The main hall was dimmer than on his previous visits, the fireplaces on the walls unlit, and the distant statues stood silently in the dark, their black silhouettes reflected in the still water. The only sound was the gentle flow of water from the fountain.

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from a distance. Felix's gaze swept past the statue, and he saw a wizard running from the security checkpoint.

Coincidentally, he recognized this person.

"Eric Munch", Felix said.

"It's me, Minister", Eric Munch said with a smile, deeply honored.

"I'm glad you're not sleeping on the job", Felix said, his eyes scrutinizing him.

"How could I—of course not—duty first—" Eric's face turned red as he stammered.

"Get back to your post, Mr. Munch! I'll leave through the fireplace when I'm done", Felix said.

"Yes, Minister", Eric dared not even breathe deeply.

Felix nodded at him, took a few steps, then stopped. "By the way, is anyone else still in the department?"

"I—I'm not sure, Minister", Eric said cautiously, looking at him. "I think Madam Bones, Madam Marchbank, and Mr. Ogden are still here... and the strange people from the Department of Mysteries, uh, I mean, the Unspeakables, I can never figure out their whereabouts."

"It's so late—" Felix's words trailed off as he frowned and looked across, knowing Eric would give him an answer.

Sure enough, Eric's tone became even more respectful and humble. "Madam Marchbank and Mr. Ogden are working overtime on the Wizarding Level Examination papers. They're always very busy this time of year. As for Madam Bones", he glanced up at Felix, "you reassigned a batch of Aurors to guard the third project, and they're short-handed there."

Felix fell silent, then snorted. "I see."

He turned and walked into the elevator, pressed the button for the ninth floor, and the gate clanged shut. The elevator creaked, and Felix exhaled slowly, relieved that the first step had gone smoothly. When the elevator stopped, a cold, indifferent woman's voice announced, "Department of Mysteries." The gate opened, and Felix stepped out steadily.

He walked down a dimly lit corridor and stopped at a black door. The flickering firelight cast shadows on his face, making his expression flicker between light and dark. In the magical view, he saw a vast expanse of magical radiance, almost blinding his eyes.

Just as he was hesitating whether to force the door open, it suddenly opened from the inside. A middle-aged wizard looked at him in surprise, his face stiffening after a few seconds. "Minister? What are you doing here..." he said, reaching for his pocket as he spoke. The next moment, a Confundus Charm hit him.

"Your name?"

"Thor Croaker", the wizard said, dazed.

"Could you be my guide today?" Felix asked politely.

"Minister, this is against regulations—" the wizard suddenly clutched his head, his face contorting in pain.

"Alright, let's try another question. Is anyone else inside?" Felix didn't push the wizard to continue, fearing it might trigger the secrecy oath of the Unspeakables.

"Bode is still inside, in the Hall of Prophecy", the wizard said calmly, his face regaining its composure.

"Thank you."

A red light struck the wizard, and Unspeakable Thor Croaker slowly fell to the ground. Felix slipped inside, and the black door closed behind him. He took out an echo bird, which fluffed its fiery red feathers and hopped around in his hand.

"Stay here. If anyone else appears or this man wakes up unexpectedly, alert me immediately", Felix whispered.

The small bird nodded and jumped onto the unconscious wizard, disappearing into his pocket.

Only then did Felix have a chance to look around. He found himself in a large, circular room where everything from the floor to the walls was black. A few candles with blue flames dotted the walls, providing weak illumination.

There were no windows, only twelve black doors, identical to the one behind him, evenly spaced along the walls.

"Where is the Hall of Prophecy?" Felix muttered to himself. He wanted to deal with the "Bode" the wizard mentioned first, but he couldn't see any difference. After a few seconds of hesitation, he pushed open one of the black doors.

Inside was a deep pit, and in the center of the pit, an ancient arch stood on a stone platform. A tattered black curtain hung from the arch, moving on its own despite the lack of wind.

Behind the curtain, there seemed to be someone... or someone he knew, as if he would see them if he lifted the curtain. Felix circled the arch, but there was nothing behind it. Then he heard a whisper, a distinct voice.

It seemed to be the voice of a young child. Felix's expression became distant, thinking of his memories from the orphanage. But he might have been mistaken, because the voice now belonged to a woman, who was whispering softly. Felix took a step closer, trying to hear more clearly.

The voice grew louder, and the whispers became clearer. It must be a very gentle woman, Felix thought.

"Pity it's just an illusion."

Occlumency kicked in automatically. He stared at the black curtain for a moment, then slowly exited the room. As he closed the door, a loud rumbling sound immediately filled the air, and the walls began to spin rapidly. He quickly drew his wand and left an arch symbol on the door. When the walls stopped, he glanced at the mark and walked toward the adjacent door.

The second room was empty, except for a table by the wall and a large glass tank in the center filled with dark green liquid. Some translucent brains floated inside. Felix glanced at it and quickly left.

The third room was a black chamber filled with planets. Felix stood at the entrance and looked around for a moment before moving on to the next room.

The next room was exceptionally tall, with a ceiling as high as a cathedral. Rows of tall shelves stretched up to the ceiling, filled with dusty prophecy orbs of various sizes, each glowing with a faint silver light. Felix pondered, the Hall of Prophecy... so Bode must be here.

"Thor? Is that you?" a voice called out from a distance.

Felix remained silent, moving closer without a sound. "Thor?" The voice grew louder, and the dim room was suddenly illuminated by the light of a wand. A man with a pale, worried face emerged from behind a shelf, and when he saw Felix, he froze.

"Mr. Minister?"

"Sorry." A red light flashed, and Bod fell limply against the shelf. Felix took some time to transport the unconscious wizard from the entrance hall to join his colleague, while the echo bird hid in the shadow of a chandelier above.

As he walked out of the Hall of Prophecy, his vision blurred for a moment, and a strange sense of familiarity washed over him. It felt as if something closely related to him was here... Felix closed his eyes and followed his instincts to a nearby shelf.

He opened his eyes and saw a silver, glowing glass orb at eye level. It was brighter than the surrounding orbs, and clearly much less dusty. As he approached, the orb's pulsing rhythm quickened, as if welcoming his arrival.

Felix read the label, which showed a date from two years ago, followed by a string of characters: S.P.T. to H.J.P. (Unverified). After preparing his defenses, he reached out and took the orb from the shelf, surprised to find no resistance.

Felix stared at it. The orb's warmth and brightness were starkly different from the cold room; holding it felt like basking in the sunlight for hours. At the same time, a raspy voice echoed in his mind—

"A change unseen in a thousand years... The drama of legends unfolds... Ha—The clown returns to the stage, the warrior prepares for battle, the lion grows old, the phoenix is reborn... Time! Time!"

Felix couldn't help but grip the orb tighter and listen again.

"Clown, warrior, lion, phoenix... What do they mean?" He didn't spend much time thinking; time was running out. It had been about twenty minutes since he arrived at the Ministry of Magic. He strode away, drawing a circle on the black door.

When the circular wall stopped rotating again, Felix headed straight for the next room. As he pushed open the door, he realized he had finally found the right place—amid the cacophony of thousands of ticking sounds and the beautiful, diamond-like light dancing in the sunlight, he saw various clocks, alarm clocks, travel clocks, grandfather clocks, and ancient sundials... Some hung on the walls, some stood on the ground, and others were placed on long tables and bookshelves.

On a glass-fronted cabinet, the wall behind it was covered with all sorts of hourglasses.

Felix's usually calm face showed a hint of excitement. These were the hourglasses used in Time-Turners, and—his gaze swept over the folders on the bookshelves and the drawers under the long tables, finally settling on a tall, bell-shaped crystal glass dome at the end of the room.

Unlike the other rooms, the crystal dome was the only source of light in this room. The diamond-like light Felix had seen earlier came from it, and inside the dome, a swirling, shimmering current filled the air.

It was time energy.

"Time... Time..." Felix whispered, beginning to understand why the prophecy orb had a special pull on him. "Because I am part of the prophecy." He closed his eyes, "Then who am I? The lion and phoenix are impossible, so—am I the clown? Or the warrior? Or—do they all exist because of me?" He opened his eyes suddenly, his light blue irises turning into deep, silver fire, burning intensely, filling his entire eye sockets.

The dark floor was covered in silver light, and everything seemed to replay the earlier scene. Felix summoned his Mind Chamber from his mind, but this time he exerted all his effort. Shadows emerged from Felix's body, each a part of his thoughts, the pinnacle of Memory Magic. These "people" scattered, pulling out documents from the bookshelves and drawers, sitting or standing, carefully studying them.

Felix himself stared at the bell-shaped crystal dome. Soon, the first shadow returned the folder to the shelf and merged with him. Felix's body suddenly stiffened, and after two minutes, he finally digested the knowledge.

But then, the second and third shadows returned, and this time Felix was frozen for five minutes, as if he were a stone statue. Felix sighed, resignedly taking out the long-unused Ravenclaw's Diadem from his ring. He said to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "Should I say, thank goodness Walen left this for me?" He put on the diadem, feeling a cool sensation spread through his body.

More shadows approached...

In the early morning, Felix held a floating hourglass in his hand, and the crystal dome in front of him was now open, with wisps of the glowing current being injected into the hourglass. This was the result of his all-night effort, just a glimpse into the domain of time, but even this small step was enough to uncover the secret of how to replenish the hourglass's energy.

He had also thoroughly reviewed the Ministry of Magic's records on time travel experiments—more detailed than the information collected by Nicolas Flamel, with many accounts even coming directly from time travelers themselves. For example, the experience of Eloise Mintab, who traveled back five centuries, was highly informative. Her account filled twelve parchments, and the analysis and speculation surrounding those twelve parchments filled thirty drawers.

...

When Felix stopped, the floating hourglass in mid-air dropped into his hand, the white sand inside now coated with a golden substance.

"The energy of one hourglass might not be enough, and two hourglasses also pose a problem. I need to make more preparations." He turned around and stared at the various hourglasses hanging in the closet, muttering to himself, "I'm just borrowing them temporarily."

With a wave of his hand, the glass front of the closet opened, and the hourglasses began flying toward Felix... After an unknown amount of time, hundreds of hourglasses were floating haphazardly around Felix, leaving the closet empty and the crystal glass covers dim and lifeless.

His magic was also nearly depleted.

At that moment, Felix suddenly raised his head, his eyes fixed on a particular direction. The echo bird he had left behind had been triggered!

He gathered all the hourglasses, touched his face— the effect of the Polyjuice Potion had long worn off—and draped a cloak over himself, pulling up the hood. Then, he walked out of the Hall of Prophecy.

In the circular room, a Silent One was bent over, examining the remains on the ground. Everything had happened so suddenly. As he pushed the door open, a fireball descended from above. Startled, he thought he was under attack. When he came to his senses, he discovered an intricate structure in the fire.

Was it an alchemy item? Who brought it? As he pondered, he suddenly felt drowsy. The last image in his mind was the burning remains abruptly disappearing and a pair of feet passing by without stopping.

Felix used human transfiguration to make himself appear shorter, with a sallow complexion. He rode the elevator to the Ministry of Magic's main hall, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

He could Apparate now!

However, his condition was at its worst. If he caused a split, the joke would be on him. He walked step by step toward the fireplace area, glancing at the time along the way. It wasn't too late.

"Sir! Sir!"

A guard's voice called out behind him, trying to stop Felix. His peculiar appearance had already raised suspicion, but he had no choice. He had to wear the hood; after all, he still had Ravenclaw's Diadem on his head. If he took it off, he would surely faint immediately.

Felix quickened his pace silently.

"Sir! Sir—" The guard called out again, watching as Felix got closer to the fireplace. To meet the needs of Ministry of Magic staff, the fireplaces were already lit.

The guard blew the whistle urgently.

Footsteps approached, and a dozen guards rushed toward Felix, wands drawn.

"Masked intruder, whoever you are, surrender immediately!" one of them shouted. Felix's response was a blinding red light, sending the man flying.

"Attack!" The other guards wasted no time, launching a barrage of dazzling spells.

Felix cast a human shield charm on himself, mustering his strength to deflect each spell. He panted slightly, suppressing the physical and mental discomfort, his wand leaving a trail as he incapacitated three guards in an instant. After two seconds, two more guards fell.

In the blink of an eye, the path before Felix was clear. He didn't stop, quickly leaving the scene.

Another round of footsteps echoed—

"Mr. Scrimgeour! Great, we've found an intruder in the Ministry of Magic!" The guard was overjoyed. Behind Scrimgeour were seven or eight Aurors, his face as dark as a stormy sky, like an angry lion.

"Combat level, maximum! Two-person teams, attack freely!" Scrimgeour shook his head and shouted. He tossed his cane aside and agilely cast a spell.

Felix deflected the troublesome spell, stepping back to avoid two Stunning Spells. His magic was nearly depleted, and he had to be precise. Suddenly, a blazing fireball shot toward him at incredible speed. Felix's eyes widened, and he instantly cast a Shield Charm. The fireball exploded on the Shield Charm, producing a deafening boom.

Felix staggered a few steps to the side, nearly falling. A surge of uncontrollable anger rose within him. Attacking me with my own magic?

"He's injured!" Scrimgeour pointed to the shattered Shield Charm, which was stained with a large patch of blood-red. "Use Runic Script magic! On my command, release it together!"

The Aurors scattered around, and upon hearing the order, they began to trace fire Runic Scripts with one hand and cast Fiendfyre Curses with the other. Seven or eight orange-red fireballs, each the size of a human head, were rapidly forming.

"Prepare—"

Felix's anger reached its peak.

"Get lost!"

He swung his wand, and his body underwent a strange transformation. Runic Script patterns climbed up his face and vanished in the blink of an eye. Felix barely noticed, his eyes wide with surprise at the unexpected power of the spell—

The fireballs in the Aurors' hands exploded uncontrollably, creating a massive shockwave that sent them flying.

At the same time, the magnificent, gilded hall of the Ministry of Magic hummed, as if in resonance. Glass panes shattered in a cacophony of noise, shocking everyone present.

The Aurors, guards, and Ministry of Magic staff were speechless.

The Aurors looked at each other, then at Scrimgeour, waiting for his decision. Scrimgeour's skin twitched violently. He raised a hand but hesitated, unsure. This person hadn't killed anyone, but if he was pushed too far...

Finally—

Felix stood in the fireplace, the green flames licking at his body. He faced Scrimgeour with a sallow, unfamiliar face, bowed slightly in apology, and disappeared in the next second.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end