Number Ten Downing Street

Number Ten Downing Street

Located in Westminster, London, United Kingdom.

The entrance is a well-known classic landmark:

A black wooden door with a chandelier above it, and lion-head knocker rings and the white Arabic numeral "10" inlaid on the door.

This is one of the most famous houses in the United Kingdom.

In addition to serving as the Prime Minister's official residence and office, the Prime Minister's secretaries, assistants, and advisors all work here.

Number Ten Downing Street is the central hub of the United Kingdom government and one of the core centers of political power.

However, few people know that Number Ten Downing Street is not actually the Prime Minister's official residence, but the residence of the First Chancellor of the Exchequer.

However, since the 20th century, the First Secretary of the Treasury has generally been concurrently held by the Prime Minister, and this place has become the Prime Minister's official residence in the common sense.

However, before it became a symbol, not all prime ministers were willing to live here.

It was small in size, lacked maintenance for many years, and was built on swamp soil; some prime ministers even suggested leveling it.

At its most outrageous point, prostitutes were frequently seen on this street.

In addition, public security is also a major problem.

In 1843, the secretary of Prime Minister Robert Piers was assassinated near Number Ten Downing Street.

Funerals have been held here, bodies have been laid to rest for several days, and ghost stories have been circulating for a long time, making it seem rather ominous.

If that's all, then so be it. At least if the decor is comfortable enough, it should be livable, right?

For a long time, however, Parliament was unwilling to pay for the repairs, and the Prime Minister had to foot the bill himself.

Even during the expansion, the Prime Minister's private residence was moved to a small top floor... which used to be the servants' room.

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Who are you trying to embarrass?!

I, Prime Minister Tangtang... is this the treatment I'm getting?!

So it's no wonder people don't want to live there.

Besides, if he pays for the repairs himself, and then lives there for a few years before stepping down, wouldn't that just benefit the next prime minister?

Of course, not everyone wants to live here.

For example, William Eulter Gladstone insisted on moving in, and he even oversaw the installation of the lights and telephone at Number Ten Downing Street.

To get a feel for the local life, Gladstone would often bring young prostitutes from the neighborhood back to Number Ten Downing Street... for "chat."

What is conversation chat?

She received both injections and IV drips; lying there was like being fished out of water—a special treatment method.

After the conversation ended, the natural hope was that they could... abandon prostitution and return to a respectable life.

What a great prime minister!

However, there is another crucial, yet unspoken, reason why successive prime ministers have been unwilling to live here:

That's a small oil painting in the office.

The picture framed a small man who looked like a frog and wore a long silver wig.

Not only can he move freely and leave the frame, but he is also the... mouthpiece for successive Minister for Magic.

He would notify the minister in advance whenever he was scheduled to visit.

However, every time the Minister for Magic came, he brought bad news.

That's true. The minister only appears when there's serious trouble in the Wizarding World that could potentially affect Muggle.

It's even affecting Muggle... Can we expect good news?

Who could stand this going on for years?!

John Major, Mrs Thatcher as Prime Minister and moved into Number Ten Downing Street, has recently been considering resigning.

Fudge has visited several times in the past few years, and each time he brought bad news, which has made him somewhat nervous.

However, before he could retire, today, oil paintings are speaking again.

To Major's surprise, the visitors were not Minister Fudge, whom he had visited several times, but two young men.

Looking at the two incredibly young wizards, who could practically be his grandchildren... Major hesitated for a long time before finally speaking up with a question:

"You two are really... wizards? You're so young, you look like students."

William was sitting on the sofa, holding dried fish, engaging in a battle of wits with a cat.

Hermione sat next to him, intently flipping through a pamphlet issued by the Ministry of Magic.

Upon hearing the Prime Minister's words, William turned his head and smiled:

"The roles of student and wizard are not contradictory, just as I am both a student and a professor at the school."

He snapped his fingers, and the teacup on the table turned into a mouse.

The cat, with its black and white fur, immediately rushed out, leaped onto the desk, and hooked a mouse with its paw.

That's the difference. If it were Bobocha, let alone catching mice, it wouldn't even look up when passing by.

Six years ago, when Bobocha first saw the owl that delivered the message, it immediately pounced on it.

Mason was, after all, the Prime Minister and had seen Fudge perform magic before, so he managed to remain calm when William performed magic.

Having confirmed that the young boy was indeed a wizard, he mustered his courage and said:

"Humphrey is a workaholic; he won't let a single mouse escape."

That's right, this cat's name is Humphrey.

It's a government-employed cat with a legitimate job and a government salary.

Number Ten Downing Street, with its long history and enormous size, has always been plagued by rats, causing headaches for successive prime ministers.

In 1924, then-Prime Minister MacDonald brought "Bill" to Number Ten Downing Street, thus creating the first Chief Mouser.

As each rat catcher grows old or is dismissed for laziness, a new rat catcher will take office.

Therefore, there is a saying that while United Kingdom prime ministers come and go, the Minister of State for Rat Control remains a constant.

Humphrey was originally a stray cat who wandered around Number Ten Downing Street before being adopted by Mrs Thatcher.

Her name was also derived from her favorite cabinet secretary.

Seeing that William really liked Humphrey, Major tried to get closer to him by saying:

"It's eaten too many cookies, its kidneys aren't doing well. Don't feed it cookies anymore. You could try jerky; I have some here."

Major took out some jerky from the drawer and handed it to William.

Then, with a slightly ingratiating air, he crouched down and sat with the young wizard in the corner... petting the cat.

William showed no nervousness and chatted with him naturally.

He had contact with seven ministers, sent two to prison, and even chatted with two Dark Lord... A United Kingdom Prime Minister is nothing compared to that.

Major tentatively asked, "Could we postpone the meeting with the minister?"

I'm going to talk to Clinton in a bit... You know Clinton, right?

This prime minister clearly views wizards as reclusive beings.

"The call can be rescheduled," William said without hesitation. "This meeting is important; it concerns United Kingdom security."

"Alright then... but I roughly know what Clinton wants to say to me." Major with a hint of schadenfreude.

"He hasn't been having a good time lately; things seem to be quite chaotic in United States."

Major didn't have much experience dealing with wizards, so he decided to find a topic to start a conversation.

He also prepared topics about Clinton Bush Senior., intending to showcase his abilities as prime minister.

William couldn't help but laugh, inwardly thinking:

"Your future will be even harder than Clinton's."

The war has begun... and all sorts of situations that Muggle can hardly understand will arise.

If this happens too often, the public will definitely question the Major government's competence.

If the war drags on, Major will definitely be ousted from power.

Major chatted with William for a while longer, and seemed a little disappointed when he heard that the girl looking at the booklet was his girlfriend.

His granddaughter was about the same age as William, and he wanted her to marry a wizard so he could gather information about the Wizarding World.

Unfortunately, this handsome and gentle young man... already has a girlfriend.

"By the way, what brings Minister Fudge to see me this time?" Major asked.

"It wasn't Fudge who contacted you; he's already stepped down and is in jail," William said with a laugh.

Major was shocked... The top leader was in jail?!

The political struggles among wizards are a bit terrifying, aren't they?

They're practically on par with those barbarians in South Korea... They have absolutely no manners.

However, Major's sense of superiority resurfaced, Laifu... is nothing special after all.

He suddenly felt a bit contempt for this colleague; at least he wouldn't go to jail or be impeached.

"What crime did Fudge commit? Was it because he failed to catch that criminal Little Grey Wolf Black?"

Major still remembers four years ago when Fudge suddenly appeared and said that "Little Grey Wolf" Black had escaped from prison and asked him to put a warrant for his arrest on the news.

William almost burst out laughing, but couldn't help correcting him, "It's Sirius."

"But he is innocent," he explained.

"Fudge's resignation has nothing to do with this matter. He has done many wrong things, and his crimes are far more numerous; it's impossible to explain them all in a short time."

Major became alert.

The new minister is a ruthless character; not only did he oust his predecessor, but he also fabricated a whole host of charges against him.

"Is your new minister that capable?" Major inquired. "Is he difficult to get along with?"

"No, Madam Bones, and easy to get along with. And..." William smiled slightly.

"Fudge's imprisonment has nothing to do with Madam Bones; I got him there."

Looking at William's harmless face, Major's hand, which was still on William's shoulder, suddenly froze.

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