The entrance hall of the Ministry of Magic is still as glorious as ever. The dark wooden floor and jewel-like ceiling are as shiny as yesterday. Many fireplaces covered with gold wire are inlaid on both sides of the hall to accommodate the frequent entry and exit of all visitors.
The bright green magic flame kept licking the inside of the fireplace, but occasionally it would suddenly burst out. This makes the wizards who have just arrived at the Ministry of Magic have to stay a little further when passing by, so as not to be taken out together by others.
Of course, not everyone comes and goes through the Floo Network. Just like Pansy at this moment, she took the magic elevator and descended straight from the top of the fireplace.
And when she walked out with slightly stiff steps, the flow of people coming and going in the hall immediately reminded her of some past events.
I remember that my father back then was not as reticent as he is now. Although he was very strict in discipline, he really wanted to be a good father.
At that time, Pansy's father took his daughter Pansy to the Ministry of Magic several times, which broadened her horizons.
"Sure enough, it hasn't changed much. There are still a lot of people..." Looking at the wizards around him, Pansy couldn't help but murmured, "Perses... should be working in the ministry at this time, right?"
The person she mentioned was naturally her unlucky brother.
After being squeezed into a sinecure where he would spend his whole life living and waiting to die, his brother Perses Parkinson, who had little chance of promotion, began his depraved life.
But no matter how depraved he is, it still requires capital - Perses did not resign, he still went to and from work half-deadly every day, and then spent the gold galleons he earned and the remaining time in many pubs and bars .
To be honest, Pansy, who once admired her brother very much, now really wants to see him at work. But after thinking about it, she finally put aside her worries about her brother's recent condition.
After all, the things around her were enough to keep her busy and unfocused.
"Upstairs... no, you have to go to the security checkpoint first."
Pansy touched the guest badge that was fastened to her chest, and then slowly moved forward along with the endless flow of people.
Passing through the front hall, she soon came to the wider atrium.
Once here, the crowd is no longer as crowded as before. At least everyone has enough space to move around with their legs.
Unlike the entrance hall, which still maintains its old appearance, this atrium is obviously very different from what she saw when she was a child.
The solid gold statue that stood in the fountain in the early years is still there - the centaurs, goblins and house elves are still looking up at the noble wizard and beautiful witch in the middle with eyes full of reverence as before.
But except for the central fountain with the statue, many places have undergone tremendous changes.
For example, the Ministry of Magic repainted a huge two-person-high magical portrait of the late great wizard Albus Dumbledore. The portrait was hung high on the display wall on the side of the atrium. Behind the half-moon-shaped lenses, a pair of eyes were slightly closed all year round, as if they were asleep.
And when the wizards in the atrium turned their heads slightly, there was another statue with a square stone base in front of the elevator. Pansy, the young wizard statue standing on top of the obelisk, is very familiar. If it's not Maca McClain, who could it be
When Pansy got closer with the flow of people, she realized from the inscription carved on the base of the obelisk that it was actually a bronze monument secretly cast by the Muggle Queen of England in response to the last disaster in London. . And what she was thankful for on behalf of all the Muggles in Britain was, of course, a series of wizards headed by Maka.
Among the names engraved on it are Neville, Hermione, Sirius, etc., many of whom saved Muggle people during that incident.
In fact, Maka also knew about the obelisk statue presented by the Muggle Queen, but he never let it appear in school. Because he knew very well that the Queen was probably still thinking about it and wanted him to promote the integration of wizards and Muggles in the UK!
Otherwise, why would the other party cast a separate statue of himself on a bronze monument that was thanking an entire group of wizards
Therefore, after Maka heard that Scrimgeour had already accepted this thing first, she simply let him keep it for herself to enjoy.
Of course, in addition to these objects that actually don't have much significance, there are also many portraits or signs that trace important historical events in the atrium.
Therefore, Scrimgeour, as a minister of the Ministry of Magic, probably understood to some extent that he could not accomplish anything by himself, so he worked hard to create these objects that actually have lasting value. .
As Pansy was walking and looking, she finally saw a table in front of the magic elevator. And right next to the table, a sign with the words "Safety Inspection" was erected on the ground.
You can see that some wizards and wizards have been lined up there, and a staff member in a blue robe is busy using various tools to inspect the guests one by one.
On the table at his hand, a quill was hanging above the data book, twisting and writing quickly.
When Pansy saw this, she suppressed her worries and went to the back of the queue.
Fortunately, the queue was not long. After all, the people who needed to come here to check the wands were all guests without reservations. Even though the crowd here is so dense, in fact most of them are regulars.
Perhaps only when large-scale disasters like the previous few times strike, this place will enter a wartime state, so that no one can go to each floor to handle matters without going through inspection.
A moment later, Pansy found that everything in front of her was suddenly empty - it turned out that it was her turn.
"Come closer."
But he saw the blue-robed wizard waving slightly at Pansy. When Pansy came closer, he held up the thin golden stick and swept it up and down around her body.
Immediately afterwards, I heard him say rather listlessly:
"Wand."
Seeing the other person stretch out his hand, Pansy was still a little worried, but she couldn't let him just wait. At this time, the more you procrastinate, the more suspicious you will be, right
Of course, with the blue-robed wizard's drooping eyelids and half-dead expression, Pansy really wanted to know if he would be able to find out in time if he just left like this.
While thinking this, Pansy handed over the wand that had been modified and adjusted by Maka. Following her, she saw that the blue-robed wizard took her wand and threw it on a brass single-plate magic scale without looking at it.
Immediately, as the scale trembled slightly, a narrow strip of parchment spit out from the opening on the base.
"Nineteen...three-elevenths...of an inch...or so?"
This strange length, which was not in line with common sense at all, immediately stunned the blue-robed wizard on the spot - he had been working as a damn security inspector for so many years, and this was the first time he had seen such an unconventional wand appear. .
You must know that almost every wand maker in the world has integrity and reserve to the extreme, and the numbers of wands that are directly related to the magic itself will have different effects on the casting of spells. Influence.
The blue-robed wizard, who seemed a little hesitant about the wand, suddenly turned his head and glanced at the balance instrument, apparently beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with the alchemy tool.
However, the problem was only with the wand, and he would definitely not gain anything by messing around with the detection tool.
After the blue-robed wizard struggled for a while and tried several times but found no change in the test results, he finally thought of asking Pansy:
"Excuse me, what is the exact length of this wand?"
"Oh, I think you're right about the scale... Yes, my wand is indeed a little 'special' because it didn't come from those famous wand makers."
Hearing what Pansy said, Fang Zheng was a little confused - if it came from a private wand maker, it would be somewhat understandable.
Although there are not many examples like this even on a global scale.
Inadvertently, the blue-robed wizard suddenly saw the guest badge pinned on Pansy's front, and then he saw the eye-catching word "Registration".
"Is this your first time coming to the UK from abroad?" He immediately waved his hand and said, "Then please go directly to the International Magic Cooperation Department to register! There are more complete testing instruments there than my small place, specially for foreign guests. Register with special visitors, and you will receive a small gift after completing the recording! The elevator is just three floors up!"
Just as he said that, the blue-robed wizard glanced at the parchment note again - at least there was no danger detected on it, so it could be released.
Pansy took back her wand from the other party's hand. After a slight nod of thanks, she turned and walked towards the row of golden magic elevators.
She obviously would not go to the Department of International Magical Cooperation, not to mention that her destination was actually the Auror office. Even if there were any small gifts, she simply did not want to take the risk of being given a "more complete detection instrument". Checked it again.
Not long after, Pansy followed several wizards and squeezed into a golden elevator that had just opened the grating door, slowly ascending with the sound of chains clattering.
Along the way, the elevator stopped five times, but Pansy didn't get out. And as there were fewer and fewer people in the elevator, when the grating door opened automatically again, the pleasant female voice from the newspaper floor finally said calmly:
"Second floor, Department of Magical Law Enforcement; this floor contains the Department for the Prohibition of the Misuse of Magic, the Department for the Prohibition of the Misuse of Muggle Articles, the Auror Command, and the Wizengamot Conference Hall."
"Kingsley Shacklebolt."
Pansy thought to herself, licking her lips that were a little dry due to nervousness.