A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 915 10 Downing Street

10 Downing Street

Located in Westminster, London, England.

The entrance is a well-known classic landmark:

A black wooden door with a chandelier in front, lion head knockers and white Arabic numeral "10" inlaid on the door.

This is one of the most famous houses in Britain.

In addition to serving as the Prime Minister's official residence and office, the Prime Minister's secretaries, assistants, and advisors all work here.

10 Downing Street is the central hub of the British government and one of the core centers of political power.

However, few people know that 10 Downing Street is not actually the Prime Minister's official residence, but the residence of the First Chancellor of the Exchequer.

However, since the 20th century, the First Secretary of the Treasury has generally been concurrently held by the Prime Minister, and this place has become the Prime Minister's official residence in the common sense.

However, not all prime ministers were willing to live here before it became a symbol.

It was small in size, lacked maintenance for many years, and was built on swamp soil. Some prime ministers even suggested leveling it.

At its most outrageous point, prostitutes were frequently seen on this street.

In addition, public security is also a major problem.

In 1843, the secretary of Prime Minister Robert Peel was assassinated near 10 Downing Street.

Funerals have been held here, and bodies have been kept here for several days. Ghost stories have been circulating for a long time, making it seem rather ominous.

If that's all there is to it, then so be it. As long as the decor is made more comfortable, it should be barely livable, right?

For a long time, however, Parliament was unwilling to pay for the repairs, and the Prime Minister had to foot the bill himself.

Even during the expansion, the Prime Minister's private residence was moved to the small top floor... which used to be the servants' room.

Who are you trying to embarrass?!

I, Prime Minister Sugar... is this the treatment I'm getting?!

So it's no wonder people don't want to live there.

Besides, if he pays for the repairs himself, and then lives there for a few years before stepping down, wouldn't that just benefit the next prime minister?

Of course, not everyone is unwilling to live here.

For example, William Eulter Gladstone insisted on moving in, and he even oversaw the installation of the lights and telephone at 10 Downing Street.

To get a feel for the local people, Gladstone would often bring young prostitutes from the neighborhood back to 10 Downing Street for "chat".

What is chat?

She received both injections and IV drips, and lying there was like being fished out of water by her; it was a special treatment method.

After the conversation ended, the natural hope was that they could... abandon prostitution and return to a respectable life.

What a great prime minister!

However, there is another crucial, yet unspoken, reason why successive prime ministers have been unwilling to live here:

That's a small oil painting in the office.

The picture framed a small man who looked like a frog and wore a long silver wig.

Not only can he move freely and leave the frame, but he is also the messenger of successive Ministers of Magic.

He would notify the minister in advance whenever he was to visit.

However, every time the Minister of Magic came, he brought bad news.

That's true. The minister only appears when there's serious trouble in the wizarding world that could potentially affect Muggles.

It's even affecting Muggles... Can there be any good news?

Who could stand this going on for years?!

John Major, who succeeded Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister and moved into 10 Downing Street, has recently been considering resigning.

Fudge has visited several times in recent years, each time bringing bad news, which has made him somewhat neurasthenic.

However, before he could retire, today, oil paintings are speaking again.

To Major's surprise, the visitors were not Minister Fouché, whom he had visited several times, but two young men.

Looking at the two incredibly young wizards, who could practically be his grandchildren... Major hesitated for a long time before finally speaking up with a question:

"You two are really... wizards? You're so young, you look like students."

William was sitting on the sofa, holding dried fish, and engaging in a battle of wits with a cat.

Hermione sat next to him, intently flipping through a pamphlet issued by the Ministry of Magic.

Upon hearing the Prime Minister's words, William turned his head and smiled:

"The two are not contradictory, just as I am both a student and a professor at the school."

He snapped his fingers, and the teacup on the table turned into a mouse.

The cat, with its black and white fur, immediately rushed out, leaped onto the desk, and hooked a mouse with its paw.

That's the difference. If it were a teapot, let alone catching mice, people wouldn't even look up when they pass by.

Six years ago, when Bobocha first saw the owl that delivered the message, it immediately pounced on it.

Mason was, after all, the Prime Minister and had seen Fudge perform magic before, so when William performed magic, he managed to remain calm.

Having confirmed that the young boy was indeed a wizard, he mustered his courage and said:

"Humphrey is a workaholic; he won't let any mouse escape."

That's right, this cat's name is Humphrey.

It's a government-employed cat that only eats government food and has a legitimate official position.

10 Downing Street, with its long history and enormous size, has always been plagued by rats, causing headaches for successive prime ministers.

In 1924, then-Prime Minister MacDonald brought "Bill" to 10 Downing Street, thus creating the first Chief Mouser.

As each rat catcher grows old or is dismissed for laziness, a new rat catcher will take over.

Therefore, there is a saying that while British prime ministers come and go, the Minister of State for Rat Catching remains a constant.

Humphrey was originally a stray cat who wandered around 10 Downing Street before being adopted by Mrs. Thatcher.

Her name was also derived from her favorite cabinet secretary.

Seeing that William really liked Humphrey, Major tried to get closer to him by saying:

"It ate too many cookies, its kidneys aren't very good. Never feed it cookies. You can try meat jerky instead; I have some here."

Major took out some dried meat from the drawer and handed it to William.

Then, with a slightly ingratiating air, he squatted down and sat in the corner with the young wizard, petting the cat.

William showed no nervousness and chatted with him naturally.

He had contact with seven ministers, sent two to prison, and even chatted with two Black Demons... A British prime minister is nothing compared to that.

Major probed, "Could we postpone the meeting with the minister?"

I'm going to talk to Clinton in a bit... You know Clinton, right?

This prime minister clearly views wizards as reclusive beings.

"The call can be rescheduled," William said without hesitation. "This meeting is very important; it concerns British security."

"Alright then... but I roughly know what Clinton wants to say to me." Major said with a hint of schadenfreude.

"He hasn't been having a good time lately; things seem to be quite chaotic in America."

Major didn't have much experience dealing with wizards, so he planned to find a topic to start a conversation.

He also prepared topics about Clinton and Bush Sr., intending to showcase his abilities as prime minister.

William couldn't help but laugh, inwardly thinking:

"Your future will be even harder than Clinton's."

The war has begun...and all sorts of situations will arise that are incomprehensible to Muggles.

If this happens too often, the public will definitely question the Major government's competence.

If the war drags on, Major will definitely be forced to step down.

Major chatted with William for a while longer, and seemed a little disappointed when he heard that the girl looking at the booklet was his girlfriend.

His granddaughter was about the same age as William, and he wanted her to marry a wizard so he could find out about the magical world.

Unfortunately, this handsome and gentle young man... already has a girlfriend.

"By the way, what brings Minister Fudge to see me this time?" Major asked.

"It wasn't Fudge who contacted you; he's already stepped down and gone to jail," William said with a laugh.

Major was shocked... The top leader was in jail?!

The political struggles among wizards are a bit terrifying, aren't they?

They're practically on par with those barbarians in South Korea... They have absolutely no manners.

However, Major's sense of superiority resurfaced, and it seems that Fudge... is nothing special after all.

He suddenly felt a little contempt for this colleague, at least he wouldn't go to jail or be impeached.

"What crime did Fudge commit? Was it because he failed to catch that criminal named Black the Little Gray Wolf?"

Major still remembers that four years ago, Fudge suddenly appeared and said that "Little Grey Wolf" Black had escaped from prison and asked him to put a warrant for his arrest on the news.

William almost burst out laughing, but couldn't help correcting him, "It's Sirius."

"But he is innocent," he explained.

"Fudge's resignation has nothing to do with this matter. He has done many wrong things and has many more crimes to his name, which cannot be explained in a short time."

Major became alert.

The new minister is a ruthless character; not only did he oust his predecessor, but he also fabricated a whole host of charges against him.

"Is your new minister that capable?" Major inquired. "Is he difficult to get along with?"

"No, Mrs. Burns is a very nice person, and easy to get along with. And..." William smiled slightly.

"Fudge's imprisonment has nothing to do with Mrs. Burns; I got him there."

Looking at William's harmless face, Major's hand, which was still on William's shoulder, suddenly stiffened.

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(End of this chapter)