Hogwarts: I will not become the Dark Lord
#357 - Temporary changes to time and location
"Jerry? Is that you in the kitchen?"
Creak. The sound of the door opening was like rusty gears turning in the silence. Hermione's head peeked in from behind the door, instantly dispelling the heavy, tense atmosphere between Jerry and Dumbledore.
"Hermione?" Dumbledore's blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles narrowed slightly. His originally serious and tense expression was instantly replaced by a gentle and kind smile. "Come in, child."
"Ah, I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore, I... I didn't expect you to be here too." A hint of surprise flashed in Hermione's eyes, which quickly turned into a series of apologies and fluster. She stammered, "I'll go back to my room first. I don't want to interrupt your conversation with Jerry."
"It's alright, child, come in and sit down!"
"I..." Hermione's gaze wandered between Dumbledore and Jerry, appearing somewhat hesitant.
"Come sit down," Jerry said.
Hearing this, Hermione moved her feet and sat down obediently beside Jerry.
"It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?" Jerry glanced at the pocket watch in his hand. The hands had quietly pointed to the early morning hours.
"Isn't it because of your trial at the Ministry of Magic tomorrow? I'm so anxious that I can't sleep, tossing and turning in bed." Hermione's voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum. "So I wanted to talk to you, but I didn't expect you to be out of your room..."
"Hahaha, Hermione, don't worry about that little rascal Jerry. Look at him, he doesn't even take it to heart, so why are you so worried about him?" Dumbledore said with a smile. "I assure you, he will go to school with you as before!"
"Of course, I have great faith in the Wizengamot," Jerry said with a relaxed shrug, turning his gaze to Dumbledore, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "After all, they are all people who uphold the law and distinguish right from wrong, right?"
"That's great," Hermione said happily. "It's a pity I couldn't help much. I was with Jerry when we encountered the Dementors that day..."
"Don't be so self-deprecating, Hermione," Dumbledore's words carried a hint of depth and encouragement. "Do you know why Harry was able to defeat Voldemort?"
"It's because Harry possesses a power that Voldemort can never possess. This power, in fact, you also possess!"
"Me?" Hermione was a little puzzled. Did Dumbledore mean that I could defeat Voldemort, or was he saying I could defeat someone?
"That's right!"
"It's getting late, I should go too. Jerry, I'll leave it to you here!" Dumbledore stood up and left the kitchen in the firelight of Fawkes.
"Jerry, what did Dumbledore mean by what he said at the end? Am I that powerful?" Hermione asked impatiently.
"Don't mind that old man. He always likes to say things that make people scratch their heads." Jerry leaned lazily against the back of the chair, his hands crossed behind his head, his gaze blankly staring at the ceiling. "It would be nice if the world was really as simple as he said..." His voice gradually lowered, as if lost in thought.
"Indeed..." Hermione's voice sounded in Jerry's ear, her warm breath brushing against Jerry's cheek, carrying a faint citrus fragrance, like the surface of water rippled by a feather.
Jerry felt like a sun-warmed petal, gently pressing against his cheek.
It was also like a spark of fire splashed on his skin, the small patch of skin she had kissed burning hot.
"Hermione, you..." Jerry quickly turned his head and found that Hermione had knelt on the chair at some point, her fists clenched, supporting her body as she leaned over.
"Jerry, sometimes you're so stupid that it's annoying!"
"Annoying? When?" Jerry clearly heard her swallow.
"Right now!" Hermione seemed to have made up her mind and grabbed Jerry's collar.
"Mmm..."
...
The next morning at five o'clock, Jerry quietly got up and went to the kitchen with light steps.
Jerry pushed open the kitchen door and saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius Black, Lupin, and Tonks, who had stayed up all night, were sitting around the dining table. Hermione was also drinking the porridge in her bowl with her head down.
"Good morning, everyone!"
"Good morning."
"Jerry, what would you like for breakfast?" Mrs. Weasley greeted him enthusiastically. "Porridge? Or some ham sandwiches, or smoked fish?"
"Thank you, but don't bother so much, Mrs. Weasley. Just give me a bowl of porridge!" Jerry asked for a bowl of porridge and sat down next to Hermione's seat. "You went to bed so late last night, why didn't you rest a little longer this morning?"
"It's alright, Jerry." Hermione's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her ears turned pink. Under the table, Jerry's warm palm had silently enveloped her hand.
Jerry was going to the Ministry of Magic for trial today, so Hermione planned to get up early, eat breakfast, and then wake Jerry up, so that he could sleep a little longer. She just didn't expect Jerry to get up so early too.
Lupin and Tonks, who were sitting opposite Jerry and Hermione, exchanged a look and smiled knowingly. No wonder from the moment they saw Hermione this morning, the corners of her mouth had not come down.
Harry arrived late.
"What would you like for breakfast, Harry?"
"Relax, Harry." Mr. Weasley patted him on the shoulder, his tone full of encouragement.
"The trial is set in Bones's office. She is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a very fair person." Mr. Weasley added, trying to ease Harry's anxiety.
"Remember, you two, no matter what happens, don't lose your cool." He emphasized again.
"The law will be on your side." Professor Lupin's voice was gentle and firm. "Underage wizards, under special circumstances, such as when their lives are threatened, have the right to use magic for self-defense."
Harry managed a smile.
"I think we can leave now." Mr. Weasley glanced at the watch on his wrist. "Although it's still early, instead of waiting here anxiously, we might as well go directly to the Ministry of Magic."
"Alright." Harry put down the bread in his hand, and Jerry also wiped the corner of his mouth and stood up.
"Jerry..." Hermione was still worried, holding onto Jerry's hand and not letting go.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to some dangerous place," Jerry smiled softly and flicked her forehead with his index finger. "I'll be back soon."
"Harry, Jerry, good luck to you both today," Lupin and Tonks said.
Outside the door, the dawn was just breaking, and the gray sky revealed a bit of winter chill.
Mr. Weasley took the two of them to take the London Underground to the Ministry of Magic.
Along the way, Mr. Weasley kept repeating "Incredible" and "Amazing." Jerry was really afraid that he would get too excited and make them take the wrong stop.
Finally, with Jerry's reminder, they walked out of the correct platform and entered a narrow and desolate alley.
The alley was lined with a few dilapidated offices and a small tavern under dim yellow lights, which seemed particularly out of place.
"Here we are, this is it." Mr. Weasley pointed ahead to an old red telephone booth. The glass was long gone, leaving only the weathered wooden frame, with a graffiti-covered wall behind it.
"You two go in first," Mr. Weasley instructed.
The telephone booth wasn't large, especially with the three of them crammed inside.
"Does this phone even work?" Harry muttered, his eyes on the dilapidated telephone.
"Don't worry, it's fine," Mr. Weasley said, lifting the receiver and staring intently at the dial. "Let me see, it should be 6...2...44...2."
As the dial turned, a crisp echo reverberated within the telephone booth. Then, a woman's voice came coldly through the receiver.
After a brief explanation from Mr. Weasley, two square silver badges slid out of the coin return slot.
Jerry picked up one of them. It read: Jerry Green, Under Review.
Suddenly, the floor of the telephone booth began to tremble, as if pulled by an invisible force, slowly sinking into the underground world. Harry stared wide-eyed in horror, seeing the sidewalk outside rapidly rising through the broken glass window, until the darkness swallowed everything above.
"Is this how people at the Ministry of Magic usually commute?" Harry asked.
"Of course not," Mr. Weasley replied, shaking his head with a slight smile. "We usually use Floo Powder or Apparition. An experience like this is rare."
About a minute later, a thin beam of golden light fell from above, landing precisely on the tips of Jerry's shoes.
The door of the telephone booth swung open, and Mr. Weasley stepped out first, followed closely by Jerry and Harry.
The three of them found themselves in a long and magnificent hall, with clean, dark wooden floors beneath their feet.
On the peacock blue ceiling, countless shimmering golden symbols were embedded, constantly shifting and changing.
The walls of the hall were also covered with dark wood paneling, inlaid with numerous gilded fireplaces. Every few seconds, with a soft 'poof' sound, a wizard would stride out of a fireplace on the left.
And on the right, queues had formed in front of each fireplace, with people patiently waiting to leave.
In the center of the hall, a fountain stood quietly. In the middle of the circular pool, a group of pure gold statues, larger than life-size, stood majestically. The tallest was a wizard, holding his wand high.
Surrounding the wizard were a beautiful witch, a dignified centaur, a clever goblin, and a humble house-elf. Streams of water spurted from them, splashing droplets.
"This way, we need to go through security first," Mr. Weasley said. "Ever since the French Ministry of Magic was attacked by an unknown dark wizard a few years ago, and the Department of Mysteries' magical items were plundered, security has been upgraded throughout the European magical community, especially in the Department of Mysteries, which is heavily guarded."
Jerry: ...
They arrived at a sign that read "Security Check." A uniformed wizard, holding a thin metal rod resembling a car antenna, scanned Jerry from head to toe.
After completing the security check, they deposited their wands at the designated area, and were finally allowed to pass through. They stepped through the imposing door into a slightly smaller hall, filled with at least twenty elevators.
With a crisp metallic clang, an elevator slowly descended before them. The golden grille door slid open, and the three of them stepped inside.
"The first floor is the Minister's Office," Mr. Weasley explained to Jerry and Harry. "The second floor is the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where the Auror Headquarters are located."
"The third floor is the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, which mainly deals with Muggle-related matters."
"The fourth and fifth floors are the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and the Department of International Magical Cooperation, respectively."
"The sixth floor is the Department of Magical Transportation. The Floo Network, flying brooms, and Portkeys are all under their jurisdiction. George and Fred will be taking their Apparition tests here."
"The seventh floor is the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ludo Bagman is the Head of that department, but lately, the guy seems to have come into some money and is often absent from work."
The elevator doors quietly opened, and four or five robe-clad wizards filed in. At the same time, several small paper airplanes zipped and weaved into the elevator.
"That's how the departments communicate," Mr. Weasley whispered to Harry and Jerry. "In the past, these tasks were handled by owls. Can you imagine the fountain without any wishing coins, just full of bird droppings!"
As the elevator smoothly reached the second floor, the doors slowly opened again.
"Come on, we're here. It's still early, let's go to my office first," Mr. Weasley said.
"Are we underground?" Harry asked curiously, pointing to a window. Despite being underground, bright and warm sunlight streamed through the window.
"Those windows are enchanted. The Magical Maintenance Department controls the weather here. I remember one time, we had a hurricane here for two whole months because they wanted a raise."
After walking through a dimly lit and slightly dilapidated corridor, the three finally arrived at Mr. Weasley's usual workplace—the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.
There were no windows here, making it dark and shabby. Two desks were squeezed into the small space, surrounded by rows of overflowing filing cabinets along the walls, with precariously stacked files on top, as if they were about to topple over at any moment.
Jerry and Harry barely found a space to sit in the crowded office. Mr. Weasley pulled out a copy of The Quibbler magazine from a mountain of parchment and handed it to them.
"It's still early, have a look at the magazine to pass the time."
An old wizard, hunched and with white hair, walked into the room with a slight wheeze.
"Arthur, I've finally found you, thank goodness," the old wizard said, panting, with a hint of anxiety in his voice.
"The time and location of the hearing have been changed. The hearing has been changed to eight o'clock, and the location is the courtroom on the tenth level below."
"Merlin's beard!" Mr. Weasley glanced at the clock on the wall, then leaped from his chair and hurried Jerry and Harry towards the courtroom on the tenth level.
"Why would they change the time at the last minute, and not even tell us?" Harry asked Jerry, panting as they ran.
"You'll have to ask Fudge about that!"
"Luckily, we came early today. If we had missed it, that would have been a big problem!"
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