Chapter 85: The Ministry of Magic

“How about calling it Mark One?” Xiwen suggested with a mischievous grin.

“Who names things like that? There’s nothing special about it at all!” Helena looked at him in utter disdain.

“Is it really that lacking in character?” Xiwen fell into a bout of self-doubt.

To be fair, the name “Mark” was indeed rather bland—just a simple way of denoting a model number. But at least it was clear and straightforward, right? One could instantly tell it was part of a series, and that might even motivate him to keep making improvements.

‘And besides, if it sounds bad, that’s not my fault! You should ask a certain Tony Stark where he came up with such a name,’ Xiwen grumbled inwardly, shifting the blame.

Since Helena couldn’t touch the little wizard version of Xiwen, she reached out and gave his ghostly form a light smack, urging him, “Hurry up! At least come up with a name people will remember!”

‘Isn’t “Mark One” memorable enough…?’ Xiwen thought to himself, though he didn’t dare say it out loud.

His hasty method of naming the kitten already showed he was far from talented in that department. But with Helena watching him like a hawk, he didn’t dare brush it off, and could only rack his brains for a better option.

“Why not combine the names of the two spells used in the combination?” After mulling it over for a long time, Xiwen finally hit upon a good idea. “If we take the Rings of Raggadorr and Protego, we could call it the Raggatego Shield!”

Helena considered this for a moment, then slowly nodded, reluctantly acknowledging the name.

Xiwen let out a silent sigh of relief.

…

In the days that followed, Xiwen’s life was a whirlwind—attending classes by day, improving the Raggatego Shield by night, doing homework on weekends, and occasionally venturing out in search of the cat. Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

On the Friday night of the second week, Ignatius knocked on the dormitory door.

“Xiwen, Professor Melis asked me to let you know to be at the Deputy Headmistress’s office at eight o’clock sharp tomorrow morning,” he said. “I couldn’t find you before curfew, so I had to come by after.”

“Oh, I was outside practicing magic,” Xiwen explained apologetically, then asked with some curiosity, “Prefect Pruett, do you know why Professor Melis wants to see me?”

“I’m not really sure myself,” Ignatius shook his head.

“All right, thanks for passing along the message, Prefect Pruett.” Xiwen was a bit puzzled, but thanked Ignatius nonetheless.

“It’s nothing, really,” Ignatius waved it off. “But it’s nearly the weekend, and yet you were out practicing magic until curfew. Not many first-years are that diligent!” He gave Xiwen an approving look before leaving the dorm.

“Xiwen, are you hiding some big secret from us again?” After Ignatius left, Abu asked curiously.

“What do you mean, ‘again’?” Xiwen twitched his lips.

Then, glancing at the date by chance, Xiwen suddenly realized that tomorrow was the day of the trial for Professor Loray and the other two, and he was to appear as a witness.

…

At eight o’clock the next morning, Xiwen knocked punctually on the door of the Deputy Headmistress’s office.

Sandrine was already seated on the sofa, chatting with Professor Melis. From the look of things, Melis had been full of praise for Xiwen, for Sandrine was beaming with delight.

“Mr. Rozier, right on time!” Professor Melis smiled.

Sandrine waved at Xiwen with equal cheer, saying, “Deputy Headmistress Melis was just singing your praises! I hear you’re doing quite well in Defense Against the Dark Arts?”

“I’m doing all right, I suppose,” Xiwen replied nonchalantly.

“There’s no need for false modesty, Rozier,” Professor Melis pretended to put on a stern face. “If the best student in the class is only doing ‘all right’, are you suggesting my teaching is lacking?”

“Ah, Professor, I didn’t mean it like that at all!” Xiwen stiffened, hastening to explain.

“All right, I’m only teasing.” Professor Melis chuckled kindly. “The trial will begin soon, and as witnesses, you both need to arrive at the courtroom a bit early.”

“Armando applied for you to use the Ministry’s internal passage, so you can go straight to the Ministry through the fireplace in this office. Armando should already be there.”

Sandrine bid farewell to Professor Melis and was the first to step into the fireplace, heading for the Ministry of Magic.

Xiwen followed, scooping a handful of Floo Powder from the pot beside the hearth and tossing it in. Instantly, the flames turned a cool, emerald green.

He stepped into the fire and spoke his destination clearly—“Ministry of Magic.”

This time, Xiwen was prepared; to avoid choking on ash, he held his breath in advance.

The green flames surged up around him and swiftly deposited him elsewhere. When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a long and resplendent hall.

The hall stretched so far that the ends were lost to sight. The polished dark wood floors gleamed like a mirror, and the peacock-blue ceiling was inlaid with shining golden symbols, constantly shifting and dancing, like a giant bulletin board in the sky.

The gilded fireplaces set into the side walls were numerous. All the wizards arrived at the Ministry through the fireplaces behind Xiwen, though occasionally he saw someone leaving through those on the far side.

Xiwen deduced that the fireplaces on each side were designated for entry and exit, preventing unfortunate collisions.

“Hey, young wizard, don’t block the exit!” An elderly staff member in formal robes tapped Xiwen on the shoulder.

“Oh, sorry!” Xiwen quickly stepped aside and joined Sandrine.

It was the morning rush hour, and the atrium of the Ministry of Magic was bustling. The emerald flames in the fireplaces flickered constantly as people arrived.

“It’s crowded now, so stay close and don’t get lost,” Sandrine said, grabbing Xiwen’s hand. “We need to go down two more levels to reach the courtroom.”

Xiwen stiffened at the sensation of his hand being held, feeling awkward. He didn’t really consider himself a child anymore, and being led by his mother’s hand brought a wave of embarrassment. He tried to discreetly slip his hand free.

But Sandrine caught on to his little ploy and gripped his hand even more tightly, giving him no chance to escape. Left with no choice, Xiwen resigned himself to being led along.

‘Surely it’s not embarrassing to be led like this with this appearance,’ he consoled himself.

…

…