Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 109 Ministry of Magic

It was a weekend in late June 1993.

Malfoy Estate welcomed a special visitor.

"Good morning, Professor!"

Seeing Lucius's somewhat stiff expression beside her, Narcissa couldn't help but clench her fists. Thea was afraid that tomorrow's Daily Prophet's headline would be about the attack on Malfoy Manor, so she quickly gave the newcomer an extremely sincere smile and added a warm greeting.

"Hello, Professor."

Draco also greeted Dumbledore along with Thea.

Good afternoon, Thea, and Draco.

And Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy.

Dumbledore was not annoyed by the coldness of Lucius and his wife; instead, he nodded gently and calmly to them.

"...Are we leaving now?"

Narcissa's expression was somewhat complicated as she spoke her first words of the day.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Malfoy, now is the most appropriate time to go, since we need to go to the Ministry of Magic first.”

Dumbledore looked somewhat surprised, but he still patiently explained, like a kind and persuasive teacher.

"Auntie Xixi, don't worry, I'll be back tonight!"

Thea tugged at Narcissa's sleeve, trying to reassure her.

Narcissa only glanced hastily at Thea before making a final struggle towards Dumbledore.

"Can't we go later? She's only 13 years old..."

“…Cissy…”

Lucius hesitated and tugged at Narcissa's sleeve, but was met with a merciless glare. Lucius had no choice but to silently lower his hand and pretend nothing was wrong.

"It's a pity, but I think now is the best time, and Thea is also willing to accept it, isn't she?"

Dumbledore was gentle yet firm, and shifted the problem to Thea.

Thea cursed the old bee inwardly for being unreliable. He was the one who forced the arrangement, yet now she was being made to take the blame...

But when Thea's gaze fell on Narcissa's dark circles, Thea pursed her lips and earnestly assured her, "Aunt Cici, don't worry, with the professor here, I will definitely come back safely."

Narcissa closed her eyes briefly, a pain etched on her face. She knew in her heart that she could never stop this child…

Seeing the two figures, one tall and one short, disappear through Apparition, Narcissa glared at Lucius again before taking the bewildered Draco into the manor.

Here, Thea felt that squeezing sensation again, which almost made her vomit.

"Are you okay?"

Dumbledore touched his nose somewhat guiltily.

"...It's nothing." Thea waved her hand, indicating that she was fine.

When Thea recovered, she found that the two of them were in a dilapidated alley. The walls were covered with colorful graffiti, and there was even a pile of garbage in the corner, which was emitting a foul stench.

"……professor?"

Thea was a little confused. Weren't we supposed to be going to the Ministry of Magic? How did we end up here?

“Don’t worry, this isn’t our destination,” Dumbledore said with a smile, then led Thea into a red telephone booth.

Thea watched with wide curiosity as Dumbledore dialed a string of numbers on the dial pad.

Before long, a flat voice came out: "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and what you need to do."

Thea curiously tried to pinpoint the source of the sound; it didn't seem to be coming from the receiver, but rather seemed to be floating inside the phone booth.

"Albus Dumbledore and Dorothea Black, we've come to get the door key."

“Okay, welcome,” the tablet’s voice sounded again, as two exquisitely designed silver badges were ejected from the metal slot. “Please put on the badge in front of you.”

Dumbledore picked up the badge and thoughtfully pinned it on Thea.

"Guests from the Ministry of Magic, you will need to have your wands checked at the security checkpoint, located at the far end of the main hall."

The tablet's voice sounded again.

At the same time, Thea felt the ground in the phone booth suddenly shake.

As the ground descended at a steady pace, like an elevator, the two officially entered the Ministry of Magic.

"The Ministry of Magic hopes you have a pleasant day," the flat voice said again.

Suddenly, the door to the phone booth opened.

Thea obediently followed Dumbledore out.

She looked with great curiosity down the long corridor before her. The dark floor was polished to a shine, and there were office doors on both sides, each with its name written on it.

Frodo Network Management Bureau!

Flying Broomstick Management and Control Bureau!

Door key office!

Phantom Manifestation Test Center!

"Where are we?" Thea asked curiously.

"This is the Department of Magical Transportation of the Ministry of Magic. We need to obtain the Port Key to Azkaban."

Dumbledore explained, then stepped forward and pushed open the door to the Portkey office.

Thea didn't go in, but waited quietly outside the door.

The soundproofing of this door doesn't seem very good, or maybe the noise inside is too loud.

From the moment Dumbledore entered, countless greetings rang out, interspersed with Dumbledore's gentle and polite replies.

Is this the treatment enjoyed by the greatest wizard in the wizarding world?

Despite possessing the greatest power, he was still restricted by this building, and that minister didn't seem to be without ulterior motives...

Thea closed her eyes wearily, not wanting to think about these headaches.

"All right!"

As Dumbledore's cheerful voice rang out, Thea once again followed him out of the Ministry of Magic.

Recalling the unique feeling of using the door key, Thea hesitated for a moment, but ultimately placed her hand on it.

As a hook caught her belly button and pulled her back, Thea scrunched up her face again.

As a bright light appeared before her, Thea slowly opened her eyes.

Before her stretched an endless sea, and as Thea turned around, a somber and enormous castle came into view.

"Thea, this is Azkaban."

Dumbledore stood next to Thea, seemingly unaware of her absent-mindedness, and explained to her in a nonchalant tone.

Azkaban originated in the 15th century, but it was not initially used as a prison. The first fortress of Azkaban was built on an island in the North Sea, and this island has never appeared on any map, not even in Muggle or wizard maps.

Rumors circulate that this place was created with magic, while others say that it has been enchanted to expand its space.

The fortress was originally the home of an unknown wizard who called himself Extis. He possessed immense magical power, but his nationality was unknown. Extis wielded the most wicked dark magic, and also took pleasure in luring, torturing, and murdering Muggle sailors who passed through the area.

People believed he had gone insane. It wasn't until after his death, when the concealment spell he had cast lost its power, that the Ministry of Magic became aware of the island and the buildings.

After the International Wizarding Union's secrecy laws were implemented, the Ministry of Magic deemed the small wizarding prisons scattered throughout the country a security risk. Wizards attempting to escape frequently caused accidental explosions. Therefore, this building, located on a remote island, was transformed into a prison specifically for holding wizards.

Thea's mother, Bellatrix Lestrange, is imprisoned here.