Ministry of Magic.
Department of Mysteries.
Miravia and Nagini strode down a long corridor.
Ahead of them, a stern-faced elderly wizard was leading the way.
"We... we really just got in like that?" Nagini whispered nervously.
"Why wouldn't we?" Miravia smiled. "You can speak louder if you want. He can't hear our conversation."
Nagini glanced at the old wizard ahead of them, still feeling shaken.
They had just taken part in the Department of Mysteries recruitment examination.
At first, everything had gone smoothly.
Then the elderly wizard walking ahead of them, who had introduced himself as the Head of the Department of Mysteries, appeared and informed all the candidates that anyone who wished to enter the Department had to undergo Legilimency first.
Only after confirming there were absolutely no problems would they be allowed to enter the Department of Mysteries and become Unspeakables.
The moment Nagini heard that, she had wanted to leave. She had no desire to let someone use Legilimency to pry into her thoughts.
But if even Nagini was unwilling, Miravia was naturally even less willing.
So while Nagini was still hesitating over how to withdraw without looking suspicious, Miravia simply drew her wand.
After that, everything became rather surreal.
The Head of the Department of Mysteries suddenly changed his mind and announced that only two people had passed the examination: Miravia and Nagini.
Everyone else had failed.
Those who were declared unsuccessful raised no objections at all. They simply gathered their belongings and left the examination room as though this were perfectly natural.
Without a doubt, Miravia had acted, and apart from Nagini, no one had noticed anything wrong.
"Is this... really going to be all right? If we're discovered, we'll both end up in Azkaban..." Nagini said, feeling extremely guilty.
"Relax, Nagini. There's no one in the Ministry who can see through my nightmare magic. I've known that for a long time," Miravia said proudly.
During the decades she had been trapped, her consciousness had wandered everywhere. She had observed this place more than once. If someone capable of detecting her magic had existed here, they would have discovered her consciousness long ago.
"But... what if there is someone?"
"Oh, Nagini. Being cautious is good, but if you treat everything with excessive caution, life becomes far too boring." Miravia sighed. "You should learn from Wade. He's extremely cautious too, but if the reward is great enough, he's never afraid to take a risk."
At that moment, the old wizard stopped in front of a lift and said in a dry voice, "The true Department of Mysteries is upstairs. Remember, our work is completely classified. Not a single detail may be revealed to outsiders."
Miravia and Nagini followed him into the lift and rode upward.
After opening the lift's metal gate and walking through a simple corridor, they came to a black door.
The old wizard opened it.
Beyond was a vast circular chamber.
The ceiling, walls, and floor were all black.
Only a few candles burning with eerie blue flames decorated the walls.
Twelve identical black doors, each unmarked and without handles, were set at intervals around the dark walls.
Once Nagini and Miravia stepped inside, the black door behind them closed automatically.
At the same moment, the entire chamber suddenly began to rotate.
By the time it stopped, neither of them could tell which door they had entered through.
The old wizard, however, seemed completely unaffected. He casually opened one of the nearby black doors.
Behind it was a dark, cluttered office.
Apart from a desk and a bookshelf, there was nothing else inside.
The old wizard entered and tapped the bookshelf with his wand.
The previously empty shelves instantly filled with books.
Every volume shimmered with brilliant streams of light.
"You are now official Unspeakables. These books contain everything currently being researched by the Department of Mysteries. Your work for the first month is to remain in this room and familiarise yourselves with all of it," the old wizard said.
"And after that?" Miravia asked.
The old wizard was still under the influence of nightmare magic, so he answered without hesitation.
"After that, you may choose whichever door interests you and enter it. Behind each door is a research project. Just go inside. The Unspeakables here only care about their own research. They won't care whether you're newcomers.
"However, so that you don't slow anyone down, you must first understand the research you intend to join while you're here. Since you passed the examination, I assume none of this will be difficult for you."
Nagini stared at the books on the shelves in astonishment.
Without her teacher, she might never have learned in her entire life what kind of things the Department of Mysteries was actually researching.
"Do you have any other questions?" the old wizard asked.
"There's one door that seems impossible to open," Miravia said directly. "What exactly is hidden behind it? How do I open it? Do you have the key?"
The question was actually quite abrupt. This was Miravia's first time here, so she should not have known that such a door existed.
But the old wizard's perception had already been altered by nightmare magic, so he answered without hesitation.
"Behind that door is a certain kind of power... It is one of the most mysterious subjects studied within the Department of Mysteries. More mysterious than death, human intelligence, or the forces of nature. More wondrous, and more terrifying.
"If you want to open that locked door, you must first completely understand that power. Once you do, the key will naturally appear in your hands. However... since I joined the Department, I have never seen anyone open that door."
"What kind of power is so mysterious?" Miravia asked excitedly.
The old wizard paused, then finally answered.
"That power is... love."
Miravia: "?"
...
Hogwarts.
Inside Wade's suitcase.
Tom frowned at the miniature castle in front of him, which stood only three metres tall.
"Did your castle fail to grow properly? It looks a little underdeveloped... Should I buy it some milk powder?"
Wade glared at him. "Castles don't drink milk powder, thank you. And when did you become so sarcastic?"
"This castle really is a little too small," Anne could not help saying.
Wade looked at her, then suddenly realised something was wrong.
"Wait. My suitcase is in the boys' dormitory, isn't it? How did you get in here?"
Anne blinked.
"Boys can't enter the girls' dormitory, but girls can enter the boys' dormitory. Didn't you know?"
Wade looked at Tom.
Tom nodded. "That's true."
"That's unfair!" Wade frowned. "Why do boys keep slipping whenever they try to enter the girls' dormitory?"
Tom gave him a sidelong look. "And how do you know that?"
"I... Henry told me, obviously. What? Do I look like someone who would sneak into the girls' dormitory?" Wade said righteously.
"Oh... of course not," Tom said. "There's no way magic at that level could make you slip anyway."
Wade had the distinct feeling there was something wrong with that answer.
"All right, back to your castle..." Tom quickly changed the subject before Wade could work it out. "Why is your flying castle getting smaller and smaller? It wasn't this tiny the last time I saw it."
Wade's attention was immediately diverted.
He smiled broadly. "Isn't a castle that can grow and shrink more interesting than one that can only fly?"
He turned toward the miniature castle.
"If I'd had more time, I could've made it even smaller."
Tom stared at the castle in shock.
"You mean..."
With Tom's intelligence, he immediately understood just how terrifying a war fortress would be if it could not only fly, but also freely shrink and return to full size.
Once reduced, it would be far easier to conceal and much harder for enemies to locate.
And if the castle were equipped with powerful alchemical weapons...
It could silently approach directly above an enemy, rapidly return to full size, and unleash all of its firepower onto the target.
"How large can it become?" Tom asked seriously.
"It can return to its original size. Inside the suitcase, that's the limit for now," Wade replied calmly.
Tom remembered that the castle had never been particularly large to begin with. It was not even as tall as one of Hogwarts' towers.
"That's fine. As long as it can fly, shrink at will, and return to its original size, the main technical obstacles have already been overcome. Expanding it later will be much easier." A gleam appeared in Tom's eyes.
"Exactly. Right now it's only a small castle, but one day... I'll turn it into an entire city in the sky." Wade spoke softly. "By this summer, the castle should be ready to fly. Then we'll be able to live in the sky."
"A city in the sky... living above the clouds..." Tom murmured.
"Can... can I stay there for a few days too?" Anne asked hesitantly.
"A few days? You can live there permanently if you want." Wade pointed toward the castle's windows. "I designed plenty of rooms and left a lot of space for future expansion. You, and every comrade who joins us in the future, will be able to live in this city in the sky. It will be our base."
"That sounds amazing!" Anne said excitedly.
Living in the sky?
Just imagining it felt incredible.
"A city in the sky..." Tom closed his eyes and pictured the scene.
"When that day comes, would you stand with me high in the high heavens?" Wade asked quietly.
______
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Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69