Chapter 614: What I Saw at the Ministry of Magic

Felix deliberately entered the Ministry of Magic through the guest entrance, which was the red telephone booth.

This place was once blown open by Death Eaters with magic, which cut off the Ministry of Magic from the outside world and caused riots. Later, the Ministry of Magic used the excuse of "underground gas pipeline leakage" to prevaricate. Felix wanted to see if the mobile ice cream truck was still there, but unfortunately the street corner was now empty.

The woman in the telephone booth had the same cold and stiff voice as before, as if nothing had changed. But after passing through the anti-thief waterfall, Felix had the foresight to cast some magic on himself, which would make him less noticeable.

He stopped at the reception desk in the main hall of the Ministry of Magic for a while.

A dozen Squibs - this can be seen from their clothes - surrounded several receptionists and asked questions in a flurry. The bearded receptionist dealt with the questions from all sides in a mess.

"Quiet - all quiet -" he shouted, his beard twitching, trying to maintain order, "Fill out the form first - then go back and wait for the news, I don't have that damn special wand, not even one!" "

Why leave a phone number?" asked a squib.

Others had the same question. As we all know, the staff of the Ministry of Magic never use that thing to work, they prefer to use well-trained owls with two wings.

"The Ministry of Magic will set up a temporary office two streets away from here - in a yellow office building, where you can use the drop call - or the phone, I don't care what it's called." The bearded receptionist said irritably.

Not far away, the golden fountain made a gurgling sound. .

Felix came to the elevator, where a red-haired young man was waiting anxiously, holding a thick stack of information in his hand. He pushed away the paper plane that blocked his view with an impatient look and pressed the upward button.

"Percy?" Felix asked.

Percy was startled and the parchment documents in his hand fell to the ground. "Professor Hep?" he greeted, waving his wand hastily to get the scattered papers back into his hands. He knew there were people around, but for some reason, he hadn't had the slightest thought to investigate.

"I'm here at the Ministry for something. Is Ms. Bones in her office?"

"Yes, sir, she is," Percy said, and at this moment, the elevator door opened. The two walked in, and Percy smoothed his hair calmly, saying, "I just happened to be going to the Minister's office to deliver an important document," he explained.

The elevator began to rise, and several lavender paper airplanes circled above their heads.

"Sir?" Percy said.

Felix looked at him with a slight smile, as if they were still in class and Percy had just asked a question.

"I was there that day, at the launch of the exclusive wand..." He said with a little excitement: "After I went back, I thought about it seriously, and some ideas were spinning in my mind. I wrote a report overnight. You know I work in the Department of International Magical Cooperation-" "

Is it related to the exclusive wand?"

"Yes." Percy's nose was sweating, and his cheeks were slightly red. "I think-the exclusive wand will greatly enhance our international status. Now the news has not spread, but someone has sent a letter to our department. Sir, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity-if it is operated properly, it may be better than one or two championships, or the Quidditch World Cup, or even much better..."

Felix's mouth twitched slightly.

He also received similar letters.

The news of the exclusive wand was announced on August 1, but the official launch conference was postponed for a few days. Therefore, some well-informed people had the opportunity to know about it in advance, but they could not confirm whether it was true or not, so they wrote letters to inquire.

"Is this your own idea?" He had a good impression of Percy. Well, in Felix's mind, he had a good impression of people who could take the initiative to take things over.

"In fact," Percy said hesitantly, "I also got some inspiration. When Penelope got off work yesterday, she complained to me that owls from all over the world were drowning her, and the letters were mixed with French, German, Spanish and other languages. Some of the texts she had never seen before."

"I see, have you submitted your report?"

"Yes, this morning."

"I can mention it to Ms. Bones, but don't expect any results."

"That's enough, sir!" Percy said excitedly, "Now is a critical period for me. Ms. Bones has shown great trust in me, but my age is a big problem. I mean, after the new director takes office, I must maintain enough respect... I have applied to transfer to the International Magic Trade Standards Association, hoping to become the head of the department."

That was indeed something to be proud of. Percy had just graduated for a year, but he had already participated in large-scale international activities such as the Championship, the Quidditch World Cup, and the Ancient Magic Exchange Activities. Moreover, for a long time, he had no immediate boss.

It was only natural that he would stand out.

But it sounded so troublesome. Felix thought endlessly, who would be the new director? This question was lingering on his lips, but he found that he was not interested in the answer. The elevator door opened, and the two turned a few corridors and stopped. Percy straightened up and knocked on the door solemnly.

"Come in."

Ms. Bones said stiffly, sounding unhappy. Percy opened his mouth and walked in with gritted teeth.

There were people in the office.

In addition to Ms. Bones, who was sitting on the sofa with a stiff expression, there were two other groups of people present. Felix immediately felt the restless emotions surging in the office, and of course, he could see it with his eyes.

"It's Percy," Ms. Bones said, with a hopeful look in her eyes, "Is there any urgent matter in the department that I need to deal with?"

"Uh, I came to deliver a document." Percy said embarrassedly.

Obviously, this answer was not pleasing, and Ms. Bones sat back in her chair disappointedly. "Okay, thank you, Percy, just put it on the table, I'll look at it later. I'm busy now-" she snorted, "entertaining guests."

"Mr. Hep?" At this time, a surprised voice called out.

A blond young man jumped up from the sofa, strode over, walked around Percy, and revealed a familiar face.

"Uriah?"

Felix suddenly realized that it was very appropriate for Uriah to appear here. He had at least three reasons: Uriah was a professor at Ilvermorny and had a close relationship with the former headmaster who was killed; after leaving school, he chose to join the Magical Congress of the United States and became a member of the Auror team chasing Voldemort; he also represented the backbone of the Reform Society and also needed to show his ability and presence from time to time. It

was just unclear when he came to the UK.

Uriah shook hands with Felix in a slightly exaggerated manner. He became mature and his eyes were firm, but at this moment, there was a trace of desire in his eyes. After a slight hesitation, Felix's attitude became much warmer, and he opened his arms to hug him and patted his shoulders affectionately. But he couldn't help but sigh in his heart that doing practical things can really train people.

Over Uriah's shoulder, Felix saw that one of the two groups of people in the previous confrontation immediately looked gloomy.

"They are--" he asked in a whisper.

"The Stewart family." Uriah also said in a low voice.

Felix immediately thought of a name, James Stewart, who was one of the founders of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the Muggle husband of another witch, Isolt Sayer, who was actually the founder of Ilvermorny.

And Isolt Sayer was a descendant of Slytherin.

Thinking of this, the purpose of the Stewart family's visit was self-evident.

When the two separated, Ms. Bones was already standing in front of them. She said with a sense of relief, "Thank God, Professor Dumbledore told me, I just didn't expect it would be you who came - to be honest, I really -" She pursed her lips and didn't let herself say anything harsh.

Uriah was a little embarrassed.

He knew how they had harassed the Minister of Magic these days, and they simply refused to leave. But the snakewood staff was so important that they would ignore the criticism - when the snakewood staff was in Voldemort's hand, they didn't dare to do anything. Now that Voldemort was said to have failed, they immediately came to ask for it eagerly.

His only insistence was that he didn't try to go through Mr. Happ's way. But this insistence soon became shaky, because members of the Stewart family arrived after hearing the news, and they advocated taking back the relics of their ancestors.

"Felix, let me introduce you," Ms. Bones said with a smile, as if she was happy to get rid of a trouble. She glanced at an old dark-skinned wizard with a bald head, "With Mr. Edmund is Mr. Gregg, the vice-principal of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These two--" "

My name is Melville, Melville Stewart." A young man said eagerly. "Mr. Hyp, I have heard of your name. You should understand our admiration for the relics of our ancestors. We are always eager to restore the glory of our family. There is no doubt that we have the ownership of the snakewood wand."

"I--" Felix opened his mouth.

"Our bloodline is completely traceable, without any ambiguity. It can be traced back to Isolt Thayer's eldest daughter, Martha Stewart. Although she is only a Squib and married a No-Maj husband, her bloodline is extremely pure." "

Uh, congratulations?" Felix said, trying to think.

The young man stared, not expecting to hear such an answer. At this time, the middle-aged wizard behind him came over with a smile, stepped forward to shake hands, and said politely: "Hello, Mr. Hep, I am Melville's uncle, Blaise Stewart."

"Hello, Mr. Stewart." Felix nodded.

"About the snakewood wand-"

"Well, Mr. Stewart, I hope you understand that I am not a judge. The task I received is to return the property to its original owner-" "

We are its real owners!"

"You can try to see if it will respond to you." Felix took out the snakewood wand, and several pairs of fiery eyes immediately stuck to it. Blaise Stewart subconsciously took two steps forward and wanted to take it.

"I mean, call it and let it respond to you." Felix shook his head and took a step back.

"It's just a wand! Mr. Hep!" he said angrily.

Felix put away the snakewood wand, feeling a little disappointed. It seemed that the two members of the Stewart family present could not speak Parseltongue. The atmosphere was a little awkward for a moment, and then Ms. Bones said: "Felix, can we talk alone?"

"Of course." Felix agreed.

They came to the small lounge next to them and closed the door. Felix said: "Amelia, I tried, the Stewart people-"

"Oh, that's just a small matter. I don't care who the snakewood wand belongs to." Ms. Bones said, Felix was slightly surprised, she continued: "What I want to know is what you think about that report." Her last sentence was almost shouted in a low voice.

"What report?"

"You submitted 'The Challenge of Muggle Technology to the Wizarding Statute of Secrecy in the Context of the New Era'," Ms. Bones approached Felix, raised her head and gritted her teeth and said, "I can't believe you have quietly thrown out such a big trouble. Do you know that I have not been able to sleep well these days?"

"I don't know," Felix said honestly, "First of all, let me make it clear that the trouble was not caused by me. It was your responsibility to prevent the wizarding world from being exposed. I pointed out the omissions in your work. You should thank me."

Bones stared at him angrily and had to admit that what Felix said made sense. But why did she catch up?

"Why didn't you mention this during Fudge's tenure?"

"I'm not familiar with him."

"...What about the matter of the exclusive wand? Don't say this was an accident. I found out that you have been pushing this matter secretly. Everything you have done revolves around one purpose, which is-" "

To prevent the wizarding world from being exposed, and to prepare countermeasures after exposure." Felix nodded, "You're welcome. This is what I should do."

The two looked at each other for a moment, and Ms. Bones was defeated. She said breathlessly: "Okay, I admit it-if half of the content in your report is true, I have no reason to blame you. On the contrary, I should thank you-but you can never walk away!"

"Uh, well..." Felix hesitated, and Ms. Bones raised her eyebrows. "Ma'am, please pay attention to your image. In the eyes of the public, you are a resolute and courageous female minister who leads the people out of the shadow of war."

"Where do I have an image?" Ms. Bones couldn't help but yell, staring at him, "I have no confidence at all - it's a mess now, and we have to deal with the duds in the next few days. More than half of the staff in the department are busy, so where do we have time? What's more, those people outside are arguing in my ears all day long, and I can't get rid of them." She raised her chin towards the outside of the lounge.

"...I can only help with the staff and give some suggestions."

"Then it's settled." Bones insisted.

The excitement on her face disappeared, and she became serious and satisfied. Seeing Felix staring with his eyes wide open, as if dumbfounded, she elegantly smoothed her hair - she didn't know when her short hair turned into a shawl, and she said thoughtfully, "Sirius said you would fall for this, but I didn't expect it to be true."

"Sirius." Felix chewed on the name, as if he had just eaten a strange bean, "He really impressed me... Maybe I should treat him to a meal and get to know him again."

Because Sirius, the "traitor", leaked the secret, Ms. Bones was able to deceive him - it wasn't really a lie, at least her emotions were not fake, she was really worried and irritable. This gave Felix an inspiration, being able to observe emotions is not omnipotent.

"Don't think about it, you won't be able to find him in a short time," Ms. Bones rolled her eyes and said in a rather dissatisfied tone: "As soon as the press conference ended yesterday, he took Harry to travel around."

The two people who were just confronting each other now seemed to share the same hatred.

He ran really fast... Felix thought while rubbing his palms, but it's hard to say. Maybe Sirius had a similar plan, but Amelia kept holding him back, so he came up with this way to get out.

Felix suddenly felt itchy.

"What task did you originally plan to assign him?" he asked tentatively.

Ms. Bones bulged her eyes. "Well, you are always so perceptive... Sirius has been in Muggle society for a while. I want him to do some investigations first, visit some people as a teacher, and systematically observe the development level of Muggles over the years. But now it can only be postponed temporarily."

"A wise choice, ma'am."

"Thank you for the compliment." Ms. Bones said dryly, "Let's go out first and discuss it carefully after we send those people away. I have a lot of questions." "

Oh, not today, I may have to go to Ilvermorny. I have a new understanding of 'returning the property to its original owner', and I also guessed why Dumbledore said I was the most suitable candidate..."

I wish you all a happy Lantern Festival!