First Arrival at the Ministry of Magic
After purchasing the items on the list, Wizet 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 Street, where the Ministry of Magic was located.
This street is very special; not only is it the location of the Ministry of Magic, but it is also surrounded by many government offices and connects the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street.
Wizet and her 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 stagnant sewage that emitted a faint stench.
Seeing this, Wizet felt somewhat disappointed. He had thought that the 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."
Wizet 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." Wizet 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...442!"
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 Wizet's disappointment.
As the dialer clicked to reset, a cold female voice suddenly rang out, "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name, occupation, and the business you wish to conduct."
Luna squeezed into the phone booth as well, Wizet tentatively said, "Vizet Lovegood, Luna Lovegood, professional student, applying for Wizarding 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 Winky silver badges slid out from where the coin slot should have been.
The badge contained the key words: Vizet Lovegood (Luna Lovegood), apply for Wizarding 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 Ministry of Magic, Wizet used her Magic Eye to pace back and forth a few times, collecting the Ancient Magic Power from the phone booth.
"It feels similar to Muggle elevator," Luna's voice rang out.
Even in the darkness, Wizet could sense Luna opening her clear eyes wide, curiously looking around.
Riding in a phone booth does feel a lot like riding an elevator, and there's 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 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 is a neatly arranged, glossy black wooden floor, and above your head is a perfectly fitted peacock blue ceiling.
Countless Winky golden symbols moved around inside the ceiling, like constantly shifting stars.
The Ministry of Magic's main hall was predominantly dark, and despite the ubiquitous light, it still gave Wizet 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 Ministry of Magic has captured the sleep-talking... There might be some secrets hidden inside!"
Wizet listened intently, drawing parallels to the Centaur 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 Wizet walked and talked, she also collected Ancient Magic Power from the surrounding area.
He used his knowledge of Astronomy to gesture at the golden symbols, connecting them to form various constellations.
Luna listened to Wizet'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 Golden Eagle floats in the middle of the fountain, depicting a graceful wizard raising his wand to the sky.
There are 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.
"Goblin and Centaur wouldn't show that kind of expression," Luna sighed softly. "They are proud creatures."
Wizet recalled the Centaur she encountered in the Forbidden Forest and Goblin Gringotts she 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 Centaur's name; Goblin names are usually more interesting..."
The two quickly found a counter with a sign that read "Security Checkpoint".
This was a 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 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?"