Chapter 23.3- Doom Days

__30th December, 1994

I walked into the ministry wearing my own face. It was the first time I was walking out of Hogwarts without some form of disguise, and even with how busy the ministry seemed to be, I still struggled to fly below the radar. Several people turned as I passed them, staring at my scar. I kept it exposed, wearing it proudly instead of hiding it like Potter would have preferred.

“ Harry Potter here for the Department of Ministries. I have an appointment” I said, speaking to the Security Guard.

“Wand please” The man said after a healthy dose of staring at my scar. I passed over my wand.

“Holly and Pheonix Feather, 11 inches?” He asked.

I nodded.

“Registered on 31st July, 1991 to HJ Potter?”

“Accurate”

“Then please be on your way, Mr Potter. Will you require a guide or aid with your trunk?”

“Neither.” I said.

It was early in the evening on the day before New Year’s eve. Even if the Ministry was fuller than expected, it was still better than it could have been.

I practically darted to the elevator, tapping the button for the Ninth level.

“Hold it please” A man shouted from across the atrium. I considered it for less than a second before pretending like I hadn’t heard him. The elevator closed before he could make it, and I shrugged. He could always take the next one, and I wasn’t enthused about the thought of sharing an elevator.

The lift opened to a different world. The walls were tiled and black, there were no windows or sources of light beyond the blue-flamed torches that lined the walls. Even they seemed to only provide so much that a person wasn’t stumbling in the dark, but not enough to call the place illuminated by any stretch of the imagination.

I arrived at the door to the Department, following the directions Fudge had given in his letter and placed my wand against the black door.

A hooded person, wearing a cloak too large to give me any clues as to their gender, opened the door a few seconds later.

“Yes?” They asked quite rudely.

“I’m here for property of mine.” I said, shoving the letter at them.

They took a look at the letter, giving it a read before waving their wand over it.

“I assume you have some means to collect this property” They said.

I gestured to the trunk and they nodded before picking it up and taking it inside, slamming the door in my face. I stared at it gobsmacked. I couldn’t even think of any words o say.

I just stood there, stewing and waiting. The Department of Mysteries would find itself in a very different situation once I ended up in charge of this place, I thought to myself.

It took ten minutes, when I had already resolved to only wait for another five, for the door to open again.

The same unspeakable just dropped the trunk at my feet.

“Your property is within. Head Unspeakable Croaker has expressed a desire to speak with you if you are interested” He said.

I thought about it. The Head Unspeakable was a powerful man- both magically and politically. There were worse allies to make. But then the treatment I’d endured so far hadn’t endeared me to the Department very much.

Still, it was the Head Unspeakable.

“I’ll see him” I said.

They nodded like my reply had been a foregone conclusion before opening the door widely and gesturing for me to step past them inside.