Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 142 141. Harry's First Visit to the Ministry of Magic and Defense Lawyer Dumbledore
Hardworking, diligent, and studious - it is hard to imagine that these positive words can be associated with a reporter who loves to make up stories, but this is indeed the fact.

"That's really... spectacular." Ron couldn't help but sigh as he imagined the scene.

"Who says it's not?" Mr. Weasley nodded in agreement. "Anyway, like I said, there's no need to be nervous, Harry. There are a lot of people supporting you. You're not alone."

As if he was afraid that Harry would not be able to bear it, Mr. Weasley comforted him again.

"Thank you," Harry said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm ready."

"That's great," Mr. Weasley patted Harry on the shoulder and said, "The case will be heard on my floor, and Amelia Bones will be here to question you. She's the director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and she's very fair."

"What?" Percy said in surprise, "The director asked the question himself?"

"We can't help it, Percy. This has become a big deal," Mr. Weasley explained. "The wizards' support for Harry is even beyond Fudge's imagination. Can you believe that for such a small matter of a minor using magic outside of school, they would punish him by breaking his wand or expelling him from Hogwarts? It was just a warning, but the wizards acted as if they were going to tear down the Ministry of Magic."

"Wait, Dad, that's not just a warning," Fred said dissatisfiedly, "This incident damaged Harry's reputation, and I dare say that even if the Ministry of Magic expelled Harry from Hogwarts, the other magic schools would not reject him!"

"Yes, it is definitely a loss for Hogwarts and the British wizarding community," George also said.

"Hey, kids, your dad is just speaking metaphorically," Mrs. Weasley consoled, "and the Ministry of Magic has no right to expel students from Hogwarts. Harry will only stay here, he won't go anywhere - right Harry?"

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said sincerely, "Hogwarts is indeed the most prestigious of the three major wizarding schools."

"In short, given that this case currently has a huge impact on the entire British wizarding community, the Ministry of Magic has even activated the most formal and highest-level criminal court to try the case - with the members of the Wizengamot voting on it." Mr. Weasley sighed and said, "Actually, there is nothing to vote on. Everyone knows what is going on."

If we understand the Wizengamot in terms of the Muggle political system, we can think of it as a wise council of wizards. The Order of Merlin is awarded by this organization. It also has the legislative and judicial functions of the British wizarding world and is a combination of the court and parliament.

"Let's hope it can be over soon. My friend at the Department of International Magical Cooperation said that this matter has even spread to other countries. I heard that the French are laughing at it a lot. Damn, it's really uncomfortable," Mr. Weasley continued.

For any British person - even for British wizards, the ridicule from the French is unacceptable.

Harry understood this very well.

"I've finished eating, and it's almost time. How are we going to get to the Ministry of Magic?" After wiping his mouth, Harry asked Mr. Weasley, "Should we take that car?"

"No, no, no, Harry, of course not," Mr. Weasley waved his hands and said, "Remember? Not for the purpose of use - so of course we won't go out in that car, that would get us into another trouble."

"Yes, Arthur, your car that must not be named." Mrs. Weasley glared at her husband before saying, "The Ministry of Magic has an official entrance near Whitehall. You can enter from there."

"Absolutely not!" Mr. Weasley stretched out his arms and made a cross in front of him and refused, "Have you forgotten what I just said? Harry must not go through the official entrance, especially today - I swear on my slippers, the main entrance to the Ministry of Magic is definitely crowded with people right now, God, my scalp tingles just thinking about it."

"That's pretty lively," Ron complained, "At least we don't have to worry about Harry being wronged in the Ministry of Magic."

"Of course he won't." Mr. Weasley wanted to rub his youngest son's head hard. "Let me check the time - well, it's eight o'clock. If Jace didn't cause any accidents, the fireplace at home would be connected to the Ministry of Magic now - let's go, Harry, remember how to use Floo powder?"

"Of course," Harry nodded. During his time at the Weasley family, he had been to Diagon Alley many times using Floo Powder, a method of transportation that was far more time-consuming, safer, and more comfortable than the Knight Bus and Apparition.

There was a sense of urgency. After making the decision, Mr. Weasley quickly changed his clothes and prepared to take Harry to the Ministry of Magic.

After hugging Ron and the others and accepting their blessings, Harry picked up a pinch of Floo powder and threw it into the fireplace. After stepping in, he said, "Ministry of Magic!"

The green flames rose and moved, and then an arm lifted Harry out of the fireplace.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked concernedly.

"Not bad." As he said this, Harry had already begun to look around him. This was his first time coming to the Ministry of Magic, the core of the wizarding society.

This was a very large and magnificent hall. After Harry and Mr. Weasley stepped aside, someone else came out from the fireplace they came in from. Harry discovered that there was a whole row of gilded fireplaces in this corner of the hall, and people were constantly coming in and out.

The dark wooden floor under his feet was polished to a reflective finish, and the peacock blue ceiling was inlaid with many glittering golden symbols that were constantly moving and changing. With the knowledge Harry currently possessed, he was unable to decipher their meaning.

This was the entrance hall of the Ministry of Magic, and in the center of the entrance hall was a fountain. Just as Harry had described in books before, a group of pure gold statues, much larger than real people, stood in a circular pool. A wizard stood at the highest point with his wand pointing to the sky, while a beautiful witch and centaurs, goblins, and house-elves surrounded him, the latter of whom showed expressions of infinite admiration.

It was indeed eye-catching, but compared to the statue, what was more eye-catching was the place further away in the hall, where many people were standing densely. They seemed to be stopped there, and several people who were probably employees of the Ministry of Magic were trying hard to stop them from moving forward.

"Merlin's beard..." Mr. Weasley leaned over slightly and whispered in Harry's ear, "Look at them. If we had come in from the official entrance, we would have been surrounded by them - I didn't lie to you, did I? Harry, they are all your supporters... Go, don't let them see us."

Mr. Weasley's reaction was quick, and his actions were quick, but it was still somewhat late.

"Harry! Potter!!!"

There was a heart-wrenching scream, and Harry turned his head to see a woman in a veil covering her mouth with one hand and pointing at him with the other.

Her voice completely attracted the attention of everyone in the hall, especially the group of people who were being stopped by the Ministry of Magic employees - and then Harry saw that the employees were drowned by the crowd.

"Run!"

Grabbing Harry's arm, Mr. Weasley dragged Harry and ran without looking back, as if he was escaping for his life. But it was too late. Not only were there people chasing him from behind, but there were also people surrounding him from the front.

They shouted Harry's name enthusiastically, and everyone stretched out their arms to shake Harry's hand, as if they would be blessed with good luck after shaking hands.

Harry had no idea how he had gotten into the Ministry of Magic. His well-trained body couldn't make it through such a dense crowd. He could only shake hands with them one by one with a stiff smile on his face.

To be honest, Harry couldn't even hear what these people were saying, because their voices were completely mixed together. He could only hear some vague words, probably saying things like we support you, come on, down with the Ministry of Magic.

By the time Harry and Mr. Weasley finally passed the security line and got into the elevator, their hair and clothes, which had been tidied by Mrs. Weasley when they went out, were all messed up.

"It's terrible, isn't it?" Mr. Weasley took a long breath, winked at Harry and said, "I almost thought we were not going to get out."

"Yeah, they are indeed very... enthusiastic." Harry also straightened his clothes with lingering fear. To be honest, he had never experienced such a situation even in Azeroth - people in Azeroth are still quite reserved, and they would not be like some witches just now who wanted to climb all over him.

Scary.

"So is it really okay for them to shout 'Down with the Ministry of Magic' in the Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked Mr. Weasley, suddenly remembering something.

"Of course no problem." It was not Mr. Weasley's voice, but the answer from the other side of the elevator. "The Ministry of Magic will not...well, in fact, we will not care about such trivial matters as long as they don't really do anything."

Harry turned around and saw that it was an acquaintance - he had met him before at the Kenmare Red Falcons Club. "You should remember Ludo Bagman, right?" the middle-aged man said, extending his hand.

"Of course," Harry said, shaking hands. "Are you now the Director?"

"Hahaha, no, at least not yet," Ludo laughed happily, "but it should be soon. Well, let's not talk about my business, Harry. I'm afraid I have to wish you a smooth lawsuit - although I don't think there should be any suspense in this matter. I also made a bet with Lancer -"

"Hey, Ludo?" Mr. Weasley interrupted Ludo and said, "Harry is just a child."

"Oh, sorry, sorry, my bad," Ludo said, scratching his hair.

[Seventh floor, Department of Magical Games and Sports, including the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, the Official Gobstone Club and the Funny Product Patent Office]

A cold female voice suddenly sounded in the elevator.

"Looks like I've arrived." Ludo breathed a sigh of relief, quickly walked out of the elevator and waved, saying, "Anyway, I wish you all the best - Harry, don't slack off in your training!"

"I will." Waving goodbye, Harry watched the elevator doors close again.

"Don't worry, Harry, Ludo is not a bad guy, he just has a little... hobby," Mr. Weasley shrugged and said, "But if he asks you to bet on something, just refuse."

"I don't have a hobby of gambling," Harry nodded.

Perhaps the thing he is best at in his life is gambling with his life, and fortunately, he always wins.

[Sixth floor, Department of Magical Transportation, including the Floo Network Administration, Broomstick Management and Control Bureau, Portkey Office and Apparition Testing Center]

The elevator door kept opening and closing. Harry stood in the corner of the elevator, and Mr. Weasley stood in front of him to prevent him from being seen by anyone and causing a sensation.

"So we're actually going down?" Harry asked.

"Yes, the British Ministry of Magic is built underground," Mr. Weasley whispered, "Don't talk, we are almost there."

Cold female voices rang out one after another, and the elevator went down.

[Second floor, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Abuse of Magic Department, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration]

"Here we are, Harry. Let's go." Mr. Weasley took Harry's hand and walked out of the elevator. "My office is on the other side of this floor, but we are not going there today."

"The Wizengamot?" said Harry, still looking around curiously.

Although both are wizard-themed areas, the scenes inside the Ministry of Magic are in two different styles from Diagon Alley.

There were many paper planes flying in and out when we entered the elevator just now. According to Mr. Weasley's explanation, those were actually notes conveying information between the various departments of the Ministry of Magic. They were a good thing that replaced owls... After all, owls would poop in the corridors and on the tables.

"Yes, that's it," Mr. Weasley said with a smile, "It's interesting, isn't it? These windows are enchanted, making you feel as if you are still on the ground - the weather is very sunny today, it seems that the people in the Magic Maintenance Department are in a good mood today."

“What if they’re in a bad mood?”

"Then they'll give us rain," Mr. Weasley sighed, "and sometimes there'll be strong winds and things like that. If you don't hold on to the handrails next to you, it'll blow you from one side of the corridor to the other."

It was obvious that he had experienced everything he had said, and the word "pain" was written all over Mr. Weasley's face.

Harry nodded. By now he was no longer surprised by the chaotic nature of wizards.

It even feels like an abuse of magic.

Just like going somewhere for a picnic or a trip, Harry and Mr. Weasley walked down the stone stairs while chatting.

The area where the Wizengamot was located felt like a Hogwarts dungeon classroom, with rough stone walls and torches stuck on brackets on both sides of the wall. Every door you passed was a heavy wooden door with an iron bolt and keyhole.

"Courtroom Four" stopped in front of a wooden door and Mr. Weasley confirmed, "This is it. We are here."

"Will you come in with us?" Harry asked.

"Of course not," Mr. Weasley shrugged and said, "Only you can go in here - don't be afraid, Harry, I dare say that the most scared person today is definitely not you, go."

Harry nodded and without another word turned the heavy iron handle on the door and walked into the courtroom.

Like the corridor outside, this courtroom also maintained the traditional style of wizards. The surrounding walls were made of dark stone and were illuminated only by the light from burning torches. It was completely devoid of the brightness that one had felt when they first entered the Ministry of Magic. It looked very dark and eerie.

On either side of Harry were rows of gradually rising benches filled with people. Harry could hear them whispering about him and talking to each other, thinking they were being very discreet - some of them were wearing wizard robes, while others were in suits.

That didn't match the descriptions of the Wizengamot members Harry had seen, so... Ministry employees, perhaps? Here to watch the fun?

As Harry gradually approached the center of the courtroom, many dark figures suddenly emerged on the highest benches in front of him. Compared with the people he saw when he first entered the room, these people were dressed in much more uniform clothes.

They were all wearing purple robes with an exquisite silver letter 'W' embroidered on the left chest. Similarly, these people were also looking at Harry and whispering to each other.

Sitting at the highest bench, which symbolized the highest power, Harry saw Fudge, the Minister of Magic. He was fat, wore a tall bowler hat, and had a fake smile on his face. However, Harry did not see the person he wanted to see there—Dumbledore.

But it made sense, after all, Dumbledore was standing in front of him now.

"If you want to say something good for me, it's actually most convenient to sit in the top seat." Walking in front of Dumbledore, Harry said with a smile: "Right? Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot, Headmaster Dumbledore?"

"Oh, maybe it's because I want to say something good for you that poor Dumbledore can't sit on it." Crossing his hands on his lower abdomen, Dumbledore winked playfully and said, "Which one do you think is more suitable, Harry?"

Dumbledore was wearing a serious black robe today, which was quite rare.

"Actually, I don't think it's your turn to defend me in such a trivial matter." Harry shrugged and said, "It's a bit of a waste."

"Ah, I can't wait until you really do something big before I show up." Dumbledore shook his head slightly and said, "Of course, we can talk about these things later."

(End of this chapter)