Chapter 592: The Department of Mysteries
Chapter 592: The Department of Mysteries
At five in the morning of the next day, with the sky just barely beginning to lighten, Kyle was awakened by the pecking of several owls at his window.
He sat up, yawning and rubbing his face to try and wake himself up. It wasn't until a few minutes later that he gradually remembered he was due for an inquiry today.
There also seemed to be something going on with Diana; he needed to head over to the Ministry of Magic a few hours before she started work.
With that thought, Kyle quickly jumped out of bed, got dressed, and headed downstairs to the living room to prepare breakfast.
Just then, Chris placed a plate of fried ham and several slices of bread on the table.
"I was just about to come get you," said Chris. "Fancy a drink? How about some pumpkin juice?"
"Sure," said Kyle.
He sat down next to Chris and began spreading raspberry jam on his bread.
"No need to rush," said Chris, bringing over a large glass of pumpkin juice. "We can just Apparate directly to London; that'll save us a lot of time."
Kyle nodded without saying a word.
He had thought about it all last night and still couldn't figure out why Diana wanted him to go to the Department of Mysteries. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that he had finally dozed off, and now he felt sleepy.
About half an hour later, as the sky began to brighten, the two of them stepped out the front door.
"Ready?" asked Chris, extending his arm. "Grab on tight, we're off."
Kyle placed his hand on Chris's shoulder.
The next second, the familiar squeezing sensation spread throughout his body, and when Kyle opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in an old record shop.
The shop owner, seemingly unfazed by the sudden appearance of the two, merely glanced up at them.
"Chris, is that you so early in the morning?"
"Hey, Rod," Chris greeted him. "I have no choice; there are still a lot of reports to write."
"Those people wanting to keep magical creatures as pets again?" Rod asked knowingly. "Ever since the end of the Triwizard Tournament, everyone seems to have taken an interest in keeping them. I bet you've been busy lately."
"Yeah, just yesterday I had to rescue someone who wanted to keep a Hippocampus as a pet," Chris sighed. "I wonder when they'll realize that not every magical creature is as docile and cute as a Puffskein."
"That might be a bit difficult," said Rod. He then turned to Kyle. "And you are... sorry, this is the staff entrance for the Ministry of Magic. The visitor entrance is on the street up ahead."
"This is my son, Kyle," Chris quickly introduced. "He's here for an inquiry at the Ministry today, at nine o'clock, in the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol."
"Oh... he's the one who won the Triwizard Tournament?" Rod, who had been sleepy-eyed a moment ago, suddenly became spirited, eyeing Kyle with curiosity.
"I believe he was the youngest champion... impressive."
Then, as if he had just remembered something, Rod casually tapped the notebook next to him. The notebook automatically flipped to the latest page, which he glanced at.
"Yes, that's right. Seven days ago, he received a warning letter for using magic in the Leaky Cauldron...
"Wait, the Leaky Cauldron?"
Rod's voice rose in surprise as he stared incredulously at the notebook's contents.
"Merlin's beard, this is the first time I've come across such a ridiculous reason. If they're not allowed to use magic in the Leaky Cauldron, why don't they just take away their wands?"
"Probably because no one would agree to that," said Chris.
"Of course no one would agree," Rod scoffed, closing the notebook. Turning back to Kyle, he said, "Well, kid, it seems to me that you haven't done anything wrong, so there's no need to be nervous.
"Amelia from the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol is a fair person; I'm sure she won't punish you for such a ludicrous reason."
"Thanks," said Kyle with a smile.
It was clear that the wizard before him was a good person.
"Can we head in now?" asked Chris. "Sorry, but I'm a bit pressed for time."
"Of course, go right ahead."
Rod tapped the counter with his wand, and the display case next to it extended to the left and right, revealing a passageway.
"Thanks," said Chris, and he led Kyle through.
Beyond the passage was a long corridor lined with fireplaces needed for the Floo Network, but at this early hour, they were all extinguished.
"Okay," Chris replied.
"Follow me now," Diana instructed, leading Kyle away from the fireplace corridor and toward an elevator.
It was equally deserted here, with only an occasional icy voice announcing their floor.
"Remember, don't wander off or look around. Just stay with me," Diana cautioned as they rode the elevator. "And no matter what you see in there, don't tell anyone else about it afterward, including the Weasley brothers and that girl, Connor."
"Okay, I understand," Kyle nodded.
Just then, a cold voice interrupted them.
"Department of Mysteries."
"We've arrived," Diana said, stepping out of the elevator first, with Kyle hurrying to keep up.
He had been here once before, but that time he had turned left after exiting the elevator and headed toward the stairs. This time, however, he followed Diana through the empty corridor to a simple door at the end.
"Remember, don't look around or wander off," Diana reminded him again before pushing open the door and stepping inside.
Beyond the door lay a large circular room, as if it had been washed with ink. The ceiling and floor were black, and the walls were adorned with twig-shaped candles that gave off a cold, blue flame devoid of warmth.
The doors along the walls were also black and unmarked, all appearing identical.
Yet, Diana barely glanced around before striding directly toward one of the doors.
From then on, Kyle felt like he had returned to the final task of the Triwizard Tournament; this place was like a maze.
The uniform color, architecture, and doors were so similar that if he relaxed for even a moment, he might forget which way he had come.
After walking for nearly ten minutes, Kyle finally spotted something different.
It was a massive tank that filled the entire room, occasionally revealing what looked like brains floating inside.
He had seen this before—during the interrogation of the little goblin, Griphook. Diana had used this tank to uncover Griphook's secret identity as a Secret-Keeper.
However, the tank had been much smaller then, the size of a desk, and not nearly as large as the one before him now.
Further ahead was a room enveloped in a golden airflow. As they walked through it, Kyle constantly heard a ticking sound, like a clock's hand moving or a sand timer dripping.
He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but as he walked, Kyle suddenly felt like he was growing taller. His clothes, which had fit perfectly before, now felt tight around his shoulders, and his wrists were exposed.
But after a few seconds, the clothes seemed to enlarge again, and the pant legs dragged on the ground, almost tripping him.
As Diana pushed open the door at the end, and Kyle stepped across the threshold, everything instantly returned to normal.
At the same time, Diana also stopped and did not continue further.
"This is it," she said.
Kyle looked up and found himself in a huge cave-like space.
Surrounding them were stepped stone benches that descended steeply, reminiscent of the Quidditch World Cup stadium. They stood at the very top.
From their vantage point, they could see a tall stone platform with a stone archway, ancient and dilapidated, standing upon it.
"Come on," Diana urged, tugging Kyle forward.
With just one step, they crossed the rows of steps and found themselves on the platform.
Apparition?
No, it didn't seem like it, as Apparition wouldn't be so silent.
But what could it be, then...
Kyle was curious, but seeing the serious expression on Diana's face, he refrained from asking.
"Over here," Diana said, pulling Kyle to the center of the stone archway.
The stone arch rippled like the surface of water, and beyond it lay a slowly drifting white mist that obscured whatever lay within.
...
(End of Chapter)
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