Avada had no intention of blaming the Ministry officials who had been forced to work shifts during the holidays—he knew perfectly well how sensitive the identity he had fabricated for this body was.
No identity.No documents from any national Ministry of Magic.No traceable living history.And on top of that, he had used Apparition and an Undetectable Extension Charm without authorization the moment he arrived…
But there was no helping it. If he wanted to secure a legitimate status within British wizarding society, all of this was practically unavoidable—unless he was willing to simultaneously hack into the Ministry's immigration records, wizard identity archives, Apparition licensing files, and a whole mountain of other databases to insert his own information. And after that, he would still need to modify the memories of every official responsible for managing those records, making them "remember" having personally reviewed and approved his case…
The sheer workload alone was horrifying, easily several times more troublesome than the current process—and completely unnecessary.
Besides, he had only just decided to stop abusing mental magic. There was no way he was going to do something like that now.
If anything, he felt fortunate that they hadn't immediately slapped restraints on him or fitted him with a pile of spell-suppressing devices. After confiscating his wand and luggage and performing a brief search, they had simply escorted him straight to the Magical Law Office of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
Even better, just as Old Tom had said, hardly any wizards chose to travel abroad during the Christmas holidays. Still, the Department of International Magical Cooperation kept officials on rotation as usual. That meant he didn't have to endure the endless queues Tom had warned him about—though the seven nights he'd paid for at the Leaky Cauldron weren't wasted. After finishing things here, he would still be staying there for a while.
"Let me see…"
The wizard sitting across from him was a slightly overweight man with a receding hairline, his drooping face almost identical to those of the earlier staff. Avada's luggage—already sorted once—rested beside him, while a densely written piece of parchment lay on the desk.
"Other than that suitcase with the illegally applied Undetectable Extension Charm, there are no additional prohibited items in your belongings. The total value also falls well short of smuggling thresholds… Very good. Then let's begin with some basic registration."
"Name."
"Nathan Clarke."
"Age."
"Twenty-seven."
"Wand."
"Twelve inches. Applewood. Thunderbird feather."
"Matches the inspection results."
The wizard nodded, visibly relaxing. Generally speaking, wizards who owned applewood wands were rarely truly malicious.
"Any connections to Muggles—ordinary non-magical people?"
"I don't believe so."
"Excellent. That alone cuts the workload in half. Next… graduating institution?"
"None."
Avada shook his head. "Before my teacher passed away, I studied under him exclusively. I never attended what you would call a magical school. My wand—and these magical items—were either made by my teacher or by myself."
"None?"
The wizard frowned. "So, am I to understand that you never received any officially recognized education approved by a national Ministry of Magic, and that you cannot provide any certification whatsoever?"
"…That's correct."
"Hah. Then I'll have to take that back—looks like a whole bunch of people will be working overtime with me now."
He gave a short huff, half amused and half irritated, then rummaged through a file drawer and began flipping through records.
"Registration of reclusive wizard apprentices entering magical society… Foreign wizard entry without official identity… The last such case occurred in…"
"We'll need to know your teacher's identity, as well as the type of magic you studied."
After quite some time, he finally looked up, a trace of fatigue on his face.
"You'll need to visit the Auror Office later for evaluation, but first you'll need to describe your teacher. What was his name?"
"Uh… Gandalf. Gandalf Maia."
"Sounds Nordic… How long did you study under him?"
"Since I can remember."
"Where did you live?"
"In the Victoria Desert region."
"You mentioned earlier that he has already passed away?"
"Yes. Due to an experimental accident…"
In the end, a textbook image of a reclusive, non-political, research-obsessed hedge wizard was fully recorded on the parchment in the man's hand. Nathan Clarke was described as an apprentice who had long served as his teacher's assistant, barely interacting with wizarding society on his own. Only after his teacher—and most of their possessions—had been swallowed by an explosion did he finally travel to the more prosperous Britain.
"All right."
The wizard set down his quill and rubbed his stiff wrist.
"Next, you'll need to go to the Auror Office for inspection, to confirm that you are not a Dark wizard. After that, your wand and luggage will be returned to you—but the suitcase with the violation will remain here until you complete the proper paperwork."
"Understood. Thank you."
After politely expressing his thanks, Avada was led by another wizard to the Auror Office. He didn't encounter the off-duty head of the office, Rufus Scrimgeour—instead, he was subjected to a barrage of miscellaneous tests.
Checks for traces of Dark Magic.Screening for infectious diseases.Verification of whether he was a werewolf or had undergone human transfiguration.Confirmation that the wand truly belonged to him.Spellcasting output tests.Evaluation of whether he possessed dangerous magic or restricted knowledge…
Thankfully, he had been meticulous when constructing the wooden body, and the Animagus techniques he had used were advanced enough—and obscure enough—that he didn't reveal any flaws during the exhaustive inspections. The body's limitless stamina also spared him a great deal of suffering. If it had been his real body enduring several hours of this, he would have been exhausted long before the tests were halfway done.
"Apparition, broomstick operation, Undetectable Extension Charms, and spatial magic-related knowledge… all of these require examinations and licenses. Using them without certification can result in warnings, fines, or even imprisonment."
The unfortunate Auror who had accompanied him through the entire process looked as though he'd been reborn by the end of it, the wrinkles on his face relaxing noticeably.
"But those are matters for later. For now, you can retrieve your wand and luggage and remain within wizarding residential areas—except for that suitcase. You'll need to complete the paperwork before you can get it back."
"You can take the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron. They'll help transport the luggage that can no longer be carried using an Undetectable Extension Charm…"
It was clear he wanted nothing more to do with work. After stuffing the luggage into Avada's arms and rattling off a few procedural lines, he waved him away—he didn't even bother explaining how to summon the Knight Bus. To maintain his cover, Avada had to ask other staff for directions, and only then did he return to the Leaky Cauldron amid two thunderous bangs, struggling to haul a pile of luggage into his assigned room.
"Smoother than expected."
Though the body felt no physical fatigue, Avada instinctively collapsed onto the bed the moment he entered, lying spread-eagle while planning his next steps.
"Those licenses won't be hard to obtain—two days should be enough to finish everything. The only real complication is the spatial regulations… which will be the key focus of my next actions."
(End of Chapter)