Chapter 74 Visiting the Ministry of Magic
,!
If you were to rank the most annoying characters in the Harry Potter books, Umbridge would definitely break into the top three and become a strong contender for first place.
Countless viewers who watched the movie were filled with hatred for such an old woman who was selfish, flattered her superiors, was harsh on her subordinates, and did one thing in front of her and another behind her back.
But Clark is not the reckless and impulsive Harry. He has passed the stage of saying and doing things at will based only on his own likes and dislikes.
As a smart man, even when faced with Umbridge's outstretched hand, Clark was still able to hold it with a smile.
"Ah, Mr. Clark Prewett, a well-known rising star in the British wizarding world, of course I have heard of it."
"Dolores Jane Umbridge is the Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic and my right-hand assistant." Fudge introduced the two of them.
"Ah, Minister, you are so flattering to me. I just did some extra trivial work. Clark, you can call me Dolores." Umbridge shook his palm vigorously.
"Minister, who is this one?" Clark smiled, looked at another burly witch, and calmly withdrew his hand from Umbridge.
"This is Amelia Susan Bones, Director of the Legal Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Magic." Fudge introduced him.
Director Amelia's voice was very loud, "Hello, Mr. Prewett, I heard your name from Elijah."
Elijah Yaxley was the school representative of Hogwarts and a senior official in the Ministry of Magic. Clark had dealt with him several times before.
"Haha, that's right. On the way here just now, Mr. Minister talked about you specifically to me. He said that you are fair and objective in your affairs and treat you with the utmost respect."
Facing Clark's praise, Director Amelia smiled lightly and said, "You are so smart."
As she said that, she looked at Fudge again, "Minister, the preliminary examination of Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew has been completed, and we have fully grasped some key evidence, so I suggest that we can do it now Both of them were interrogated on the spot.”
"Of course it's no problem. You are a professional at this point." Fudge nodded happily, "Do you need me to do anything?"
"There are indeed a few things that need your help, Minister." Amelia ordered vigorously.
"The interrogation time is initially scheduled for one and a half hours later, so the Wizengamot side still needs you to notify us. In addition, I heard that Principal Dumbledore will also participate at that time..."
She saw Fudge nod,
So he said, "Then please inform him as well, and we will meet together in the tenth courtroom."
"Okay, the tenth courtroom...is the one on the tenth floor, right? Then...the time is one and a half hours later...uh...that is, eight o'clock in the evening."
Fudge confirmed with Amelia again.
"Then... Clark, I'm really sorry, I..."
"Minister, you go ahead and do your work. Don't worry, I've been to the Ministry of Magic several times before, and you're still worried that I might get lost." Clark made a joke.
Umbridge also interjected at this time, "That's right, Minister, isn't it me? Don't worry, I will stay with Clark."
Listening to her strange voice, Clark couldn't help but shudder and said quickly.
"No! No! No!" Clark waved his hand quickly, "You are the deputy minister, how can I trouble you? I think so, Roger MacMillan and I also happen to know each other, why not let him lead me in this magical place The ministry is doing well."
Umbridge said something nice, but she was just being polite and showed it to Fudge.
So when Clark said this, she stopped insisting.
"See you soon, Mr. Clark."
Clark followed Rogge out of the Legal Enforcement Department, along the corridor, and soon came to a smaller
There were at least twenty elevators there, blocked by elaborate golden gates.
With a ding, a ding, and a clack, an elevator descended in front of them.
The golden fence door slid open gently, because it was past the off-duty time, and it was empty with no one inside.
"This is not a common sight. It's usually packed, like a can of sardines." Roger McMillan joked as he walked into the elevator with Clark.
"That's really hard on you. If it hadn't been for Sirius, I'm afraid, Mr. Macmillan, you would have been home by now." Clark's attitude was very gentle.
"Yeah, yeah," Roger McMillan nodded repeatedly, "It's really annoying that he has to work overtime."
The fence door slammed shut, the elevator began to descend slowly, the chain rattled, and a cold female voice sounded in the elevator.
"The third level, the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters, includes the team for reversing accidental magical events, the memory cancellation command and the Muggle Issues Regulation Committee."
The elevator door opened, and Clark glimpsed a messy corridor outside, with various Muggle newspapers and fashion magazine posters staggered on the walls.
A wizard wearing plaid pajamas was waiting at the elevator door with a tired look on his face. When he saw the door open, he walked in immediately.
"Hey, Eric, are you off work or on a mission?" Roger McMillan said hello to the lethargic wizard.
"While on a mission, someone said that they saw several mermaids in Scarborough (a traditional seaside resort in northern England)." The wizard said weakly, "Honestly, this should be a matter of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Those seafood Why are you considered a human being?"
"Who is he?" The wizard looked at Clark curiously after complaining.
Roger MacMillan quickly introduced, "This is Mr. Prewett, Clark Prewett. I will take him to visit the Ministry of Magic."
"Mr. Prewett, this is Eric, the memory canceller."
The two nodded to each other.
"The fourth floor, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, contains the Office of Beasts, Aliens and Ghosts, the Goblin Liaison Office and the Pest Advisory Office."
The elevator door was opened again, and a witch stood in front of the door, reading a long piece of parchment that was dragged to the ground. She didn't seem to have any intention of coming in.
Clark and others saw that she was reading so seriously, so naturally they couldn't remind her. They watched helplessly as the elevator door closed again, and then continued to descend with a bang.
"The fifth floor, the Department of International Magical Cooperation, includes the International Magical Trade Standards Association, the International Magical Law Office, and the British seat of the International Federation of Magicians."
The door opened and there was no one outside, but a few paper airplanes whizzed into the elevator.
Clark looked up and watched them flying slowly around his head. They were a light purple in color and had "Ministry of Magic" stamped on the sides of their wings.
"That's a note for passing messages between departments." Roger MacMillan told him in a low voice. "The department used to use owls, but the mess was incredible. There was feces everywhere on the desk..."
"The sixth floor, the Department of Magical Transportation, contains the Floo Network Administration, the Broomstick Management and Control Bureau, the Portkey Office and the Apparition Testing Center."
Two notes flew out, but several more notes followed a wizard holding a broomstick and flew in, flying around the lamp above their heads, making the light flicker.
"The seventh floor, the Department of Magical Games and Sports, contains the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, the official Gobstone Club and the Office of Patent for Funny Products."
At this time, more wizards who had not yet got off work crowded into the elevator, and Clark had to lean back and press his back tightly against the wall behind him.
"The eighth floor, the atrium is here. Passengers who want to leave can choose to use the floo network here. The Ministry of Magic hopes you have a good day."
At this level, everyone went out, and Clark and the others were no exception.
When they came out and turned right, they stood at the end of a splendid hall.
On the ground is a polished black marble floor.
In the sky, the peacock blue ceiling is inlaid with sparkling golden symbols, which are constantly moving and changing, like a huge starry sky.
Just taking a look at it, a mysterious and wonderful feeling comes over you.
The walls on the left and right sides of the hall are lined with glossy dark wooden boards, and many gilded fireplaces are embedded in the wooden boards.
Every few seconds, with a soft "pop" sound, a wizard suddenly appeared from a fireplace on the left.
In front of the fireplace on the right, the wizards who had just sat in the same elevator with Clark and the others were queuing up to leave.
In the center of the foyer is a fountain over three meters high.
In the round pool, there is a pure gold statue that is larger than a real person. A noble wizard stands on a white stone platform, suspended at the highest point, holding a wand high and pointing directly at the sky.
Opposite him were a beautiful witch, a centaur, a goblin and a house elf.
Among them, centaurs, goblins and house elves all looked up at the wizard with infinite admiration.
Sparkling jets of water shot out from the top of the wizard's wand, from the centaur's arrow, from the tip of the goblin's hat, and from the two ears of the house elf.
It fell into the pool below, making a tinkling and gurgling sound.
This is the more famous landmark building of the Ministry of Magic - the Magic Brothers Fountain.
Of course, it is impossible for centaurs and goblins to worship a human wizard with such a respectful attitude in real life. This set of statues is nothing more than a utopian world dreamed up by wizards' wishful thinking.
Around the fountain, many wizards who had just gotten off work were using apparation in specific areas, making popping and popping air explosion sounds.
Not far away, at the golden door at the other end of the foyer, more wizards and witches strode towards this side with chaotic footsteps.
"This way," Roger MacMillan whispered.
They walked against the crowd, squeezing among Ministry of Magic staff.
Some of these people were holding piles of crumbling parchment in their arms, some were carrying tattered briefcases, and some were reading the Daily Prophet as they walked.
As he passed the fountain, Clark saw many sparkling silver Sickles and Copper Nuts under the pool. A stained small sign next to it read: All proceeds from the Magic Brothers Fountain are donated to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Injuries.
The two of them trudged through the crowd and walked to a table on the left side of the golden door.
Under a sign that read "SECURITY CHECK" sat a poorly shaven wizard in peacock blue robes.
Seeing someone approaching, he raised his head and put down the "Daily Prophet" in his hand.
"I brought a guest." Roger McMillan pointed at Clark and said to him, "I'm sorry, Mr. Prewett, this is a routine matter. Everyone who comes..."
"It's okay, I've been here before and I know the rules." Clark waved his hand.
The wizard said in a listless tone, "Come this way."
Clark took the initiative to approach him, and was swept up and down, back and forth by a long, thin golden rod that looked like a car's antenna.
"Wand." The security wizard yelled at Clark, put down the golden thing, and stretched out his hand.
Clark handed over his wand, and the wizard dropped it on a strange-looking brass machine that looked like a single-plate scale.
The machine began to vibrate slightly, and then, a narrow strip of parchment spit out quickly from a hole in the bottom of the machine.
The wizard pulled off the paper and read the words on it, "Nine inches, beech wood, the core of the staff is the nerve of a bird and snake, it has been used for three years, right?"
"That's right." Clark nodded.
"I'll keep this," the wizard said, jabbing the parchment note on a small brass nail. "Take this back."
He thrust the wand back into Clark's hand.
"Thank you." Roger McMillan said quickly.
The two left the security checkpoint, turned around, and headed to the other side of the gate.
Clark asked curiously, "Where are we going?"
"There's still an hour before the trial starts, let's go get something to eat first."
When Roger McMillan said this, Clark's stomach growled in response.
Under his leadership, the two quickly arrived at a small canteen with more than a dozen round tables. There were quite a few wizards and witches eating there, but there were not many types of food to choose from, just fish and chips, Fast food such as pizza, burgers, hot dogs and pasta.
"Some departments in the ministry work overtime until very late. Originally, everyone usually brought their own meals, but after some bachelors reported to the ministry, they finally built a small canteen like this to facilitate employees who work overtime at night."
Roger McMillan said, choosing a triple cheeseburger for dinner.
Clark hesitated for a long time, finally looked at the food ordered by others, and chose the more traditional spaghetti with tomato meat sauce.
The food served in the Ministry of Magic's canteen was quite fast. After Clark placed his order, a plate of attractively colored tomato bolognese pasta was placed in front of him not long after.