At eight forty-five the next morning, Lin Ze arrived outside the Minister's Office fifteen minutes early.
He thought he had come early enough, only to run into Kingsley in the corridor, who had arrived even earlier.
Kingsley had changed into brand-new dark blue robes and looked very sharp.
He leaned against the wall, holding a cup of still-steaming coffee, and gave a slight nod when he saw Lin Ze.
"Nervous?" Lin Ze walked over to him.
Kingsley fell silent for a moment, then answered honestly, "A little."
"That's normal." Lin Ze took the coffee from his hand, had a sip, and handed it back.
Kingsley looked at the cup of coffee that had been snatched away and returned, hesitated, then continued drinking.
The corridor soon grew lively.
Ben Frick had made a point of wearing a new tie today. Its color fell somewhere between fluorescent yellow and mustard green, with purple flames printed on it.
It couldn't be called ugly, only... hideous beyond compare. Ben's taste remained as consistent as ever.
Amelia wore her hair down today, her long, dark brown hair falling to her shoulders. Her dark blue robes were well tailored, and she walked with an air that warned strangers to keep their distance.
Everett and Reed were the last to arrive.
"Everyone's here."
Lin Ze glanced at his pocket watch. "Let's go."
A young male secretary stood outside the office, dressed in dark gray robes, his expression very serious.
He stopped the six members of the Special Operations Team at the door.
"Please show your identification."
They took out their work IDs.
"Please wait." The secretary pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, then began checking the list with painstaking formality.
His finger slid down the names on the list one by one.
Watching his sluggish movements, Lin Ze couldn't help speaking up. "How about opening the door first? We can go inside while you finish checking."
"Rules are rules," the secretary said without looking up.
"..."
"You may go in." Once the secretary finally finished checking, he pushed open the heavy oak door behind him and gestured for them to enter.
The Minister's Office was far more spacious than Lin Ze had imagined.
An enormous mahogany desk stood in the center, with a row of tall stacks of folders on its surface.
The bookshelves against the wall were crammed with legal tomes and all sorts of medals. On the top shelf stood a magical picture frame, the person in it smiling at the camera.
The windows were huge, stretching from floor to ceiling, and had been enchanted so that the scenery within them constantly changed. It was the sort of office style Lin Ze liked.
The conference table to one side had probably been added temporarily. A gray-haired witch with a stern face sat at its center.
She wore deep purple, high-collared robes with a gold ministerial badge pinned at the collar. She sat ramrod straight, her hands folded on the table, and her mere presence made the air throughout the office feel heavy.
Millicent Bagnold.
The current Minister for Magic.
Barty Crouch sat to her left.
Crouch wore dark gray robes today, his collar fastened with meticulous care. A document lay open before him, and he was writing something on it with a fountain pen.
To Bagnold's right sat someone Lin Ze had only seen in newspapers.
Lucius Malfoy.
He wore exquisitely tailored black velvet robes, with subtle silver patterns embroidered at the collar and cuffs, and held a snake-headed cane.
His long, pale blond hair lay neatly over his shoulders, his chin slightly raised, a faint trace of a smile on his lips, as though even the air in the office ought to revolve around him.
Beside him sat a short wizard in rather ill-fitting brown robes, with thinning hair and a habitually ingratiating expression.
Lin Ze recognized him as the deputy head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, who would also successfully win election as Minister after Millicent stepped down in the future.
Every so often, Fudge turned his head to murmur something to Malfoy, who responded each time with only a slight nod.
Rufus Scrimgeour sat on the other side of the conference table.
Scrimgeour looked rather unhappy, his brows tightly knitted. He spun a quill rapidly in his hand, its nib occasionally striking the tabletop with a tapping sound.
Beside him sat several people in Wizengamot uniforms, along with two middle-aged wizards Lin Ze had never seen before.
Lin Ze filed in with the members of the Special Operations Team and took his seat.
He deliberately chose a place one seat away from Crouch. After sitting down, he habitually pulled a notebook from his pocket and opened it to a blank page.
Ben sat on his right, Kingsley on his left, Amelia beside Kingsley, and Banks and Tonks next to Amelia.
Ben's fluorescent yellow and mustard green tie looked particularly garish against the dark surface of the conference table. Sitting opposite him, Fudge squinted at the dazzling colors.
"Since everyone is here, let's begin." Bagnold's voice wasn't loud, but the entire office instantly fell silent.
"First, on behalf of the Ministry of Magic, I would like to commend the Special Operations Team's recent operations."
"However." Bagnold's tone suddenly grew heavier.
"There have recently been voices within the Ministry questioning the Special Operations Team's methods."
Here it comes.
"Some say the Special Operations Team's investigations are too broad, involving many upright wizards who conducted themselves well during the war. Others say the Special Operations Team has been making unauthorized arrests without sufficient evidence. These voices demand my attention."
Lin Ze's eyebrows moved slightly, but his expression remained completely unchanged.
He knew perfectly well where those voices came from: someone, or several people, sitting in this very room.
"Madam Minister." A low, elegant voice rang out.
Lucius Malfoy tapped his cane lightly against the floor.
"Please allow me to add a few words."
"Please go ahead, Mr. Malfoy." Bagnold inclined her head slightly.
Malfoy rose to his feet with the elegance of someone performing onstage.
"First, I fully support the Ministry of Magic's decision to investigate the Death Eaters. Those criminals who betrayed the wizarding world deserve the harshest punishment." He paused, his gaze sweeping toward the Special Operations Team.
"However, during these investigations, we must pay attention to our methods. We cannot label someone a 'Death Eater sympathizer' merely because he has had social dealings with certain Death Eaters. Still less should we subject someone to indiscriminate investigation simply because he belongs to an ancient pure-blood family."
He gave a soft sigh, as though discussing something he deeply regretted.
"Take me, for example. During the war, some old acquaintances of my family did indeed choose to follow the Dark Lord."
"But those were their personal choices and had nothing to do with the Malfoy family. Everyone present knows that the Malfoy family has always devoted itself to charitable causes in the wizarding world. We have donated money to St. Mungo's, Floo Powder to the Ministry of Magic, and brooms to Hogwarts."
He paused, then said, "Yet even someone like me has recently felt pressure from the Special Operations Team. As far as I know, the Special Operations Team is investigating the movement of my funds."