There are twelve doors in the main hall of the Department of Mysteries, and they all look the same.
"These doors all require mental effort to open," Hardy said. "You need to think about where you want to go, otherwise the door won't open. But I'm temporarily granting you access to these doors; you can open any door."
Morris glanced at Hardy with some surprise.
Judging from this, Hardy holds a very high position in the Department of Mysteries.
"Don't look at me like that," Hardy said, a faint smile playing on his lips, as if he knew what Morris was thinking. "I'm not the greatest leader among the Unspeakable."
"Yeah?"
Morris casually replied, and relying on his sixth sense, chose one of the twelve doors, walked over, and gently pushed it open.
The door opened, revealing a rectangular house that was quite spacious but slightly chilly.
What came into view was a huge stone gate standing in the very center, covered with cracks and runes he couldn't understand.
A curtain-like canopy hung inside the door, swaying gently, creating a peculiar sense of unreality.
" The Death Chamber," Hardy's voice came from behind, "Has been neglected for a long time. This door was left behind by researchers five hundred years ago."
"Five hundred years ago?" Morris looked at the stone door and asked instinctively, "Does the Ministry of Magic have such a long history?"
"No," Hardy shook his head, walked to the side of the stone door, and gently pressed his palm against the cracked stone walls. " The Ministry of Magic was founded in 1707, less than three hundred years ago. But the history of the Unspeakable is far longer than that of the Ministry of Magic."
Morris turned to look at him and said, "I always thought the Department of Mysteries was just an ordinary department within the Ministry of Magic."
"That's true," Hardy said unhurriedly. " The Department of Mysteries is indeed just an ordinary department, no different from the Department of Magical Transportation or the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. However, the Unspeakable are a much older group than the Department of Mysteries itself."
This idea... Morris always felt that the Unspeakable were somewhat independent of the Ministry of Magic.
"Let's get back to the point, Morris." Hardy patted the archway. "See this door? I can tell you very clearly, it's a door to the world of the dead. We call it the Door of Death."
" The Door of Death?"
Morris took a step toward the door and said softly, "You mean, going through this door will take you to... the afterlife?"
"At least, that's what the person who built this door thought. Hey! Don't come any closer!"
As Hardy spoke, he grabbed Morris's arm with considerable force, pulling him back a step.
"I didn't want to go in," Morris said helplessly. "I'm not that stupid."
"That's good." Hardy released his grip, giving Morris a strange look.
In his view, Morris had almost stepped one foot into it.
"I must warn you, this door is dangerous; it's best not to go near it," Hardy said seriously. "No fewer than ten Unspeakable have entered it, but none of them have returned. They have all disappeared and their whereabouts remain unknown to this day."
"I understand," Morris shrugged, then casually asked, "Can I throw something in?"
"Of course... uh, what did you say?" Hardy paused, "What are you going to throw?"
"For example, this." Morris took a Winky Galleon from his pocket.
Upon hearing this answer, Hardy's expression visibly relaxed.
"You can give it a try," he said, "But the result might disappoint you."
Morris weighed the Galleon in his hand, and without hesitation, tossed it out gently.
"Ding-dong."
A crisp sound.
Just as the Galleon crashed into the curtain, it silently passed through and landed on the ground on the other side.
"See?" Hardy walked over, picked up the Galleon, and tossed it back to Morris, explaining, "Any inanimate object will just pass right through it. It's that simple."
"I see." Morris raised an eyebrow. "Could I conduct another experiment?"
"Please feel free to do as long as you don't damage the door."
After Hardy gave his permission, Morris waved his right hand.
A figure appeared in front of him.
It was a Inferi that Morris had transformed into an undead creature.
Unlike ordinary Inferi, this Inferi, although its skin had a sickly, deathly gray color, showed no signs of decay or damage.
"This..." Hardy stared at the Inferi, his brow furrowed deeply, "A model?"
"Let's leave it at that," Morris said, placing a Surveillance Crystal Ball in the Inferi's hand and then nudging its back. "Go, go inside."
Hardy was about to say that it was useless, but before he could finish speaking, the Inferi had already stepped inside.
The next second, the Inferi's body was swallowed up, but the crystal ball fell to the ground and was not taken away.
The crystal ball bounced twice on the stone slab and rolled a short distance.
Morris walked over regretfully and picked it up.
It seems he won't be able to see what's inside the door, what a waste of his Inferi.
Fortunately, he had a large number of Inferi, so using them as consumables wouldn't be a big deal.
Hardy was silent for a few seconds, then turned to look at Morris.
"What just went in?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"Never mind," Morris said, shoving the crystal ball back into his pocket. "It's just a special model. I was hoping to use it to smuggle the Surveillance Crystal Ball in and see what was behind the door—but I failed."
Hardy asked no more questions.
"Would you like to look at the other rooms?"
"Certainly."
Morris followed Hardy out of the Death Chamber. At that moment, a figure appeared beside the central flame— Robert Hilliard.
Morris knew that his Ravenclaw senior was already a member of the Unspeakable, so it was normal for him to be here.
"Hello, Mr. Hardy, and Morris," Robert greeted them crisply and directly, without any unnecessary pleasantries.
He walked straight toward one of the doors.
"Perfect," Hardy stopped Robert, patting him on the shoulder, "Let's take Morris to see your workplace."
Robert's expression underwent a subtle change.
"Are you sure?" He looked at Hardy, his tone hesitant. "It's confidential..."
"It's alright," Hardy waved his hand. "I gave my permission."
"Alright, you're the boss," Robert nodded, beckoning to Morris, "Come with me, I'm in charge of the Time Chamber. You should have heard of the Time-Turner at Hogwarts, that's one of the projects I've been working on."
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