Following Percy Weasley down to the floor where the Wizengamot courtroom was located, the students felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity despite the intimidating name.
The corridor outside the Wizengamot courtroom bore quite a resemblance to the Hogwarts Castle dungeons. Torches were set into the rough walls, their flames flickering and casting the entire place in dim, chilling shadows.
Michael Corner hunched his neck. "Being tried in a place like this... I feel like just walking down this corridor would make me crack and confess everything I'd ever done."
Anthony Goldstein could not help teasing him. "I never expected you to look at this corridor from a criminal's perspective!"
Chris Moen picked up the thread. "I'm different. I just feel like I'm back at Hogwarts, about to head to Potions Class!"
"Your perspective isn't any better than mine!" Michael shot back. "Tell me, then! What's scarier—Potions Class with Professor Snape, or being locked up in Azkaban?"
"Azkaban?" Terry Boot raised an eyebrow. "Azkaban's been gone for nearly a year now. The prisons nowadays..."
"No!" Realizing what he was saying, he shook his head. "Why are we even talking about prisons? Can't we pick a better topic?"
Padma Patil, standing nearby, looked at Terry and the others with raised brows. "Aren't you all being a little too relaxed?"
Before Terry and the others could say anything, the noise ahead abruptly vanished, and Terry swallowed the words that were about to leave his mouth.
The students rounded the corner and discovered that people had already been waiting for them up ahead.
Anthony lowered his voice, rubbing his brow as he spoke. "The Minister for Magic, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation..."
"So many Ministry officials are here! Looks like I