After purchasing the items on the list, Vizette and Luna went home first to sort and put away the purchased items.
After confirming everything was correct, they boarded the Knight Bus and headed to Whitehall, where the British Ministry of Magic was located.
This street was very special; not only was it the location of the British Ministry of Magic, but it was also surrounded by many government offices and connected the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street.
Vizette and his companions were lucky; all the berths on the bus were empty, and the same mishap as yesterday did not occur.
The Knight Bus sped along wide streets, past tall buildings, weaving through traffic, and finally stopped in a dark alley.
Stepping out of the alley, there was a narrow street outside. It seemed to be poorly maintained, with potholes and a lot of sewage accumulating inside, emitting a faint stench.
Seeing this, Vizette felt somewhat disappointed. He had thought that the British Ministry of Magic, being adjacent to government agencies, would be more impressive.
Luna said smugly, "That's what I was thinking too. It would be great if it could be built next to a zoo."
Vizette agreed, "If it really is built next to the zoo, it would be really interesting if we could visit the zoo after we get our passports."
The two looked around the dilapidated streets and, following a wall covered in graffiti, found a run-down red telephone booth.
It looked like an abandoned phone booth, with several pieces of glass smashed and even the receiver hanging to the ground.
A street riddled with potholes, a seemingly abandoned phone booth, the inside of which had also been vandalized;
No matter how you look at it, most people wouldn't go in here; it's a very clever way of hiding things.
"It's really…unique." Vizette opened the door of the phone booth; the dial was an old-fashioned rotary dial.
He picked up the receiver and started dialing, "6...2...4...2!"
If you press this string of numbers using a nine-key input method, you will get the word "MAGIC".
The dilapidated telephone booth, coupled with the unique way of entering, greatly diminished Vizette's disappointment.
As the dialer clicked to reset, a cold female voice suddenly rang out, "Welcome to the British Ministry of Magic. Please state your name, occupation, and the business you wish to conduct."
Luna squeezed into the phone booth as well, and Vizette tentatively said, "Vizette Lovegood, Luna Lovegood, students, applying for a wizard passport to travel to another country."
"Thank you," the cold female voice replied immediately. "Please take the badge and pin it in a conspicuous place to avoid unnecessary trouble. Thank you for your cooperation."
With a long, thumping sound, two gleaming silver badges slid out from where the coin slot should have been.
The badge contained the key words: Vizette Lovegood (Luna Lovegood), apply for a wizard passport.
After the cold female voice gave a few more instructions, the floor of the phone booth suddenly shook, slowly sinking the two of them into the ground.
Having rarely visited the British Ministry of Magic, Vizette cast his Revelio charm back and forth a few times, collecting the ancient magical power from the phone booth.
"It felt similar to a Muggle elevator," Luna's voice rang out.
Even in the darkness, Vizette could sense Luna opening her clear eyes wide, curiously looking around.
Riding in a phone booth felt a lot like riding an elevator, and there was even a similar friction noise.
About a minute later, a flash of golden light appeared in the phone booth and shone on the feet of the two people.
It then gradually lengthened and widened, sweeping back and forth across the two people before finally stopping at the badge and then suddenly disappearing.
The cold female voice appeared again, "Welcome to the British Ministry of Magic. I hope you have a pleasant day."
The door to the phone booth suddenly popped open, revealing a vast and spacious hall before them.
Underfoot was a neatly arranged, glossy black wooden floor, and above their heads was a perfectly fitted peacock blue ceiling.
Countless glittering golden symbols moved around inside the ceiling, like constantly shifting stars.
The British Ministry of Magic's main hall was predominantly dark, and despite the ubiquitous light, it still gave Vizette a cold and solemn feeling.
Luna tilted her head slightly, curiously examining the ceiling, and said in a light, dreamlike voice, "Those patterns are so beautiful, like nebulae swirling in the night sky."
"Perhaps a star is sleeping, and its sleep-talking has turned into these patterns. The British Ministry of Magic has captured the sleep-talking... There might be some secrets hidden inside!"
Vizette listened intently, drawing parallels to the centaurs of the past, "just as we use astronomy to observe the movements of celestial bodies and thus uncover hidden omens."
"It could also be an interesting story."
"That must be a fairy tale to be so golden."
...
As Vizette walked and talked, he also collected ancient magical energy from the surrounding area.
He used his knowledge of astronomy to gesture at the golden symbols, connecting them to form various constellations.
As Luna listened to Vizette's analogy, her eyes seemed to shine brighter than the symbols on the ceiling.
The two quickly arrived at the center of the hall, where there was a fountain.
A gilded statue floated in the middle of the fountain, depicting a graceful wizard raising his wand to the sky.
There were four other statues around: a beautiful witch statue, a centaur statue with its hooves raised, and two somewhat similar goblin statues.
The goblin and centaur statues shared the same expression and demeanor, both bowing and looking at the two wizard statues with expressions of reverence.
"Goblins and centaurs wouldn't show that kind of expression," Luna sighed softly. "They are proud creatures."
Vizette recalled the centaurs he encountered in the Forbidden Forest and the goblins he met in Gringotts, and nodded in agreement.
"I think… if Bane saw these statues, he would probably run at them and smash them to pieces."
Luna smiled, her laughter melodious. "That must be a centaur's name; goblin names are usually more interesting..."
The two quickly found a counter with a sign that read "Security Checkpoint".
This was the cold female voice instructing them to undergo a security check before officially processing their business.
They were greeted by a male wizard who rested his chin on his hand, looked down at a newspaper, and had a bored expression on his face.
Noticing someone approaching, he looked up, his gaze sweeping over the badge.
"Welcome to the British Ministry of Magic!" he said listlessly, taking out a short, antenna-like stick and circling the two of them.
After confirming everything was correct, he yawned. "The wand needs to be checked too."
The device used to detect the wand was peculiar; it resembled a strong signal receiver with several dish-shaped antennas on it.
After a series of vibrations, the instrument ejected a strip of parchment.
"Dragon heartstring, thirteen inches, used for one year; Unicorn Tail Hair, ten and a half inches, used for... brand new?"
...
BONUS CHAPTERS RELEASED!
Did you enjoy the extra chapters this week? If you want to keep the streak alive for next week, Vote with Powerstones!
Can't wait? You can read 100+ Chapters Ahead instantly on P@treon right now!
[email protected]/Ren_Saga
