The Magnificent Ministry of Magic

"Being a year younger is fine. Learning magic is what matters most."

Setting down the newspaper in his hand, George ate as he thought.

He had, in fact, considered which House he might be sorted into during the Sorting Ceremony.

He thought Gryffindor was the most likely.

Gryffindor valued courage, and he considered himself quite brave. Just yesterday, after taking over this body, he had made a plan and successfully taken down an old wizard.

"Good morning, Dora. Oh, no, I should call you by your new name—George!"

The shop door was pushed open, and a young, energetic witch strode inside. It was Tonks, the female Auror from yesterday.

"Good morning, Miss Tonks."

Seeing her, George put down the egg pancake in his hand and greeted her with a smile.

Tonks unceremoniously sat across from George and reached out to ruffle his hair.

"No need to be so formal. From now on, just think of me as your older sister."

George helplessly tidied his mussed-up hair. He did not reject Tonks's closeness and instead brought out the second breakfast he had prepared in advance.

"I made an extra serving this morning. Eat with me."

"How did you know I hadn't eaten breakfast? Mm, what's this? It tastes really good!"

Tonks took a bite of the rolled egg pancake on the plate, and her eyes immediately lit up. Soft flatbread wrapped around vegetables and sausage, creating a uniquely delicious flavor.

Her own cooking was a complete disaster, so she never made breakfast. Usually, she would just buy something to make do with, or skip breakfast altogether and eat at noon instead.

Although magic included all kinds of cooking spells, the prerequisite was that you had to know how to cook. Only then could you use cooking magic to save time and quickly make delicious food.

If you did not know how to cook, then even if you used cooking magic and sent ingredients and kitchenware flying everywhere, the food you made would still be just as awful.

It was the same principle as all sorts of household spells. You had to know how to do chores before you could use household magic well.

"This is called an egg pancake. It's made with eggs and flour, and the vegetables inside are shredded green peppers and carrots."

George briefly introduced the breakfast he had made.

Of course, he had no idea whether Tonks had eaten breakfast, but preparing something in advance could improve her impression of him regardless of whether she had eaten.

"I never expected you to be such a good cook. When you're sorted, I bet you'll be placed in Hufflepuff."

Though she had not understood George's explanation, Tonks still gave him a thumbs-up, which made George pause.

I'm not really going to end up in Hufflepuff, am I?

Then he shook his head. Hufflepuff would not really matter. He personally preferred Gryffindor, but no matter which House he entered, he felt there would be pros and cons.

Still, he thought Hufflepuff was less likely.

Quite a few Hufflepuff graduates chose the food service industry after leaving school, but their defining trait was not knowing how to cook. It was possessing integrity, loyalty, honesty, and a willingness to endure hardship.

The reason they chose the food service industry was most likely just because their dormitory was close to the kitchens, and they had absorbed the influence over time.

Of those qualities, aside from the last, none seemed to have much to do with him.

After breakfast, George began handling all the procedures for inheriting the estate under Tonks's guidance.

And the first place they needed to go was the renowned Ministry of Magic.

"Hold tightly onto my arm. It might feel a little uncomfortable in a moment, but bear with it. It'll pass quickly."

Tonks placed George's hand on her arm and carefully explained first, then began chanting the spell.

"Apparition!"

A faint popping sound rang out, and Tonks and George instantly vanished from where they stood.

Knockturn Alley was not far from the Ministry of Magic, so she could Apparate there directly with George without wasting Floo Powder.

No wonder not every wizard likes using Apparition to travel.

George felt himself plunge into darkness in an instant, followed by air pressing in from all directions, squeezing him so hard he could barely breathe.

It felt as though several iron bands had tightly cinched his chest, his eyeballs had been forced back into his head, and his eardrums had been pressed deep into his skull.

In short, it was extremely awkward and uncomfortable.

Fortunately, it lasted only a very short time. It felt like one or two seconds before he saw the light again.

"It's a little uncomfortable the first time. You'll be fine once you get used to it."

At that moment, Tonks's giggling laughter also reached his ears.

"Come on, I'll take you to register first."

And so, George was pulled toward the reception desk in the center of the hall while he curiously looked around.

"It really is magnificent."

A moment later, he could not help but sigh.

The floor was made of dark wooden planks polished until they gleamed like mirrors. The peacock-blue ceiling was inlaid with glittering golden symbols that moved and changed constantly, like a huge overhead bulletin board.

Many gilded fireplaces were set into the walls on either side, with wizards in all sorts of clothing entering and leaving through them.

In the very center of the hall stood a magical fountain. Within it were five statues: a handsome wizard holding his wand aloft, a beautiful witch, and the Centaur, goblin, and House-elf gathered around them.

The Centaur, goblin, and House-elf all gazed at the wizard and witch with boundless admiration, as though the scene carried some special meaning.

Of course, that was not the important part. The important part was that these five statues, each two or three times larger than a real person, were actually made of pure gold.

"Daily Prophet! Daily Prophet, ladies and gentlemen! Get your copy of the Daily Prophet!"

A wizard beside the fountain was also selling newspapers for the Daily Prophet.

At noon, after a full four hours, George had finally completed every procedure for inheriting the estate. Tonks then brought him back to the shop by Apparition.

"All show and no substance. No wonder Voldemort dismantled it so easily."

That was George's assessment of the Ministry of Magic.

The Ministry looked splendid and grand, but the wizards working inside were all terribly lax, their efficiency was extremely low, and corruption was rampant.

If Tonks had not been there to guide him, he felt that fully inheriting the estate would likely have been quite difficult.

Still, it was not entirely without gains. At the very least, he had seen quite a few interesting things at the Ministry of Magic.

There were all kinds of magical items granted magical abilities through alchemy, as well as many interesting little spells developed to make office work more convenient.

It had broadened his horizons somewhat.

It also made him realize that although magic in the Harry Potter world rarely possessed large-scale destructive power and was mostly functional, that did not mean it was necessarily weak.

In some respects, it was even more dangerous and terrifying.

After all, many spells were highly dependent on intent and belief; they could not be judged solely by their outward destructive power.