Chapter 645: Hogsmeade Ministry of Magic
Chapter 645: Hogsmeade Ministry of Magic
"Take out your wands and hold them in your hands", Sirius Black said to Ryan and the others as they walked into the courtyard of the Shrieking Shack. "Then follow me straight ahead."
Ryan and the others did as instructed, drawing their wands and holding them in front of their chests before walking up the steps. A brown door on the stairs blocked their path, but Sirius Black didn't stop; he walked right through it. Ryan and the others followed, as if the door were made of mist.
"This place was only repaired three days ago. Madam Bones, the Minister of Magic, insisted that the Ministry could only move in after all the Wizards seeking refuge in Hogsmeade had settled into their homes. Initially, all the manpower was focused on repairing the row houses. It wasn't until the houses were mostly fixed that they started working on the Ministry, which is why it's just been completed", Sirius Black explained.
"Our new Minister is truly admirable", Liam nodded. At that moment, they found themselves in a large white hall. In the center of the hall was a huge bulletin board, enchanted to display a continuous stream of text with official announcements. Liam stepped forward to take a closer look and saw that these were all public notices.
Apart from the bulletin board, the hall had almost no decoration, making it seem rather austere.
"Follow me this way", Sirius Black led them to an elevator. "It might look a bit simple, but this is just a temporary location, so it just needs to be functional."
"Ding." The elevator dinged, and Sirius Black stopped his chatter, leading Ryan and the others inside. The elevator was already crowded with people.
"Stay close", Sirius Black warned. "Since this is a temporary facility, the elevators are in high demand. When an elevator arrives, a large crowd always rushes in. Don't get separated."
"Sirius Black", Liam asked curiously after they squeezed out of the elevator with a large group of Wizards. "How did you know where we were going? The appointment letter only mentioned the International Magical Cooperation Office."
"Of course, I know", Sirius Black shrugged. "Right now, there's only one office for the International Magical Cooperation Office here."
"Only one office?" Hermione seemed incredulous. "Such a large department can't have just one office, can it? I remember in London, the International Magical Cooperation Office occupied an entire floor!"
"You said it yourself, that was in London", Sirius Black spread his hands. "Right now, our Ministry of Magic isn't officially recognized by foreign Wizards. In some countries' Ministries of Magic, we're considered a rebel organization. Under these circumstances, what use do we have for an International Magical Cooperation Office?"
"It sounds pretty grim", Liam raised an eyebrow. The American Congress of Magic hoped to divide and weaken the core of the European wizarding world, the British Wizarding World, so it was natural for them to support London.
As for the European Wizards, they feared Voldemort bringing the war to their lands. However, considering Dumbledore was still alive and leading the resistance, they chose to turn a blind eye to the changes in the British wizarding community.
While Liam pondered these issues, Sirius Black stopped. "—We're here."
In front of Liam was a wooden door painted black. In the center of the door hung a copper plaque that read: "International Magical Cooperation Office." After bidding farewell to Sirius Black, who was heading to the Auror Commander's office, Liam gently knocked on the door. When there was no response, they turned the doorknob and stepped into the office.
The office was as plain as the corridor outside, with only a set of brown desk and chairs and a few visitor chairs. An elderly man with thin white hair was writing something at the desk. He appeared quite old, and he didn't even notice the sound of Ryan and the others entering.
"Hello!" After waiting for a while and getting no response, Liam stepped forward and said. The old man finally reacted, lifting his head and pulling out a monocle from his coat pocket to place it over his left eye.
"Excuse me—do you have any business here?" The old man looked at Ryan and the others and asked. His voice was very high-pitched and wheezy.
"Actually, sir", Liam said, pulling out the appointment letter Professor Mcgonagall had given them. "Yesterday, we received this from Professor Mcgonagall. She told us that Professor Dumbledore wants us to come here as special appointees to the International Magical Cooperation Office. We were wondering what exactly this entails."
"Oh, so Albus recommended you?" The old man took their appointment letters and examined them carefully. "Yes, these are from us. As for the special appointees—"
At this point, the old man lifted his head. "You should know that when the Ministry of Magic was in London, the International Magical Cooperation Office was almost entirely staffed by Pure-blood Wizards from various Pureblood Families. This was because they often married into other countries' Pure-blood families, which facilitated international relations."
"However, since that person caused the Ministry of Magic to change, most of the International Magical Cooperation Office has remained in London. I, a man over 100 years old, had to temporarily come out of retirement to handle these matters. So, when I heard that Hogwarts recently had a batch of new graduates, I requested Dumbledore to recommend some people to come here."
"Considering the current situation, every department in the Ministry of Magic is short-staffed. Therefore, I hope to recruit some part-time personnel to get the department running, which is why you received this appointment letter. By the way, let me introduce myself. I am Effias Doge, the head of the International Magical Cooperation Office."
"We are honored to receive this appointment letter and are willing to contribute", Hermione said, as they had discussed before. "However, we have many other things to do and cannot be at the Ministry every day."
"Of course, I understand that." As one of Dumbledore's oldest friends and a core member of the Order of the Phoenix, he was well aware of the importance of Ryan and the others' current activities. "You don't need to be at the Ministry of Magic every day. In fact, I will only give you some suggestions. Whether you complete these tasks is up to you. And right now, I have a task that should be quite suitable for you."
"Already have a job for us?" Liam thought as he took the parchment document Effias Doge handed over. It was an invitation, with a golden emblem depicting two crossed wands, each emitting three stars.
"Beauxbatons 700th Anniversary?" Hermione read softly after Liam unfolded the letter. "Sincerely inviting Hogwarts representatives to attend? This invitation is for Hogwarts representatives, what does it have to do with the Ministry of Magic?"
"Well, you could say it's an official celebration", Effias Doge explained.
"An official celebration? What does that mean?" Hermione looked puzzled.
"It means we can send representatives to use this celebration as a cover to discuss matters that can't be talked about in formal settings", Effias Doge clarified. "You know, due to fear of the Dark Lord, the Ministries of Magic in various countries, especially those in Western Europe, can only tacitly recognize the legitimacy of the London Ministry of Magic. Therefore, we cannot officially send personnel to France to establish contact. In this situation, we hope you can go as representatives of Hogwarts to cover for the actual negotiators."
(End of Chapter)
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