Two weeks and a half later, Ammosta re-entered the Magic Ministry.
The magnificent entrance hall, once majestic and imposing, was marred by the jostling heads of the crowd. Dozens of journalists from all around the world, as well as some social celebrities who had been closely following the case of Little Star Peter in the magical community, gathered here, eagerly awaited the trial outcome.
Anticipating such a scene, Ammosta had already changed his appearance in advance, thus preventing a chaos.
The Magic Ministry's attention to this trial was unprecedented. To maintain order, all departments, except for the employees dealing with emergency affairs, had been dispatched to the hall to uphold order.
In Eric Mung's post, at the entrance of the elevator lobby, personnel from the department had also set up a security line. Those unrelated to the case were kept outside.
Ammosta struggled to push through the crowd. He saw Mr. Wesley, with beads of sweat on his forehead and an anxious expression, crouching behind the security line, scanning the busy crowd with his eyes as if searching for something.
"Mr. Wesley—"
Ammosta pushed his way to the front of the crowd, attracting Arthur Wesley's attention with a wave. Facing his perplexed expression, Ammosta raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"It's me, an old friend of Bill's—"
"Oh!"
Mr. Wesley's face immediately brightened with joy, and he relaxed completely. He greeted the guards and pulled Ammosta, who was holding his arm, into the security line, walking quickly with him into the elevator lobby without stopping.
"Dumbledore said you had never been involved in such matters, so he instructed me to guide you here!"
While waiting for the elevator, Mr. Wesley wiped away the sweat on his forehead and looked at Ammosta, whose features were slowly returning to normal.
"Ah, cleverly enough, Ammosta, where did you hide, Whisenjamo Management Office has sent you over a dozen letters to inform you of the trial time, but no owl could find you. Amelia couldn't help but think of Dumbledore—"
Ammosta smiled apologetically.
"I've been staying at Number 12, Gryffindor Square, you know, that old house has very strict protection measures. I did indeed neglect this matter until Dumbledore's portrait told me through Black Professor's painting."
"Oh, I understand, this is your first time after all!"
Mr. Wesley smiled and said, "Oh, I understand, this is your first time after all!" Then, he pushed an amber-red robe that he had been carrying into Ammosta's arms and pulled him into the elevator in front of them.
"This is from Amelia. Change into it quickly, Ammosta. All members of the Wizengamot must wear this dress—"
Mr. Wesley pounded the button for the ninth level underground roughly with his fist, muttering dissatisfaction.
"The trial is in the Twelfth Chamber, and even the elevator can't reach there since the fall of the mysterious person. Oh, in order to clean up that room, they even called Percival, who has never been used since then. That's my only helper---"
"Don't worry, Mr. Wesley--"
Watching Mr. Wesley in this state, Ammosta couldn't help but smile wryly.
"The Wizengamot will not convene because of me, and Peter will not be found guilty because of me."
The elevator still grumbled to the ninth underground floor. Unlike other floors, the cold voice reporting the station when the elevator arrived at this floor said "Mystery Affairs Department" and then closed its mouth, making no introduction to this floor.
The 'uniform' of the Wizengamot may be a bit garish in color, but it does have an air of authority. The only drawback is that when the Ministry was preparing the robe for Ammosta, they forgot to measure his height, so the robe's hem dragged on the ground.
Amostar pulled his hat up and walked quickly with Mr. Wesley into a corridor that was entirely different from the one above. The walls were bare, with no doors or windows. At the end of the corridor, there was a simple black door. Amostar gave it a quick glance and his forehead furrowed slightly.
The Ministry of Mysteries was indeed not simple, as a simple door had the ability to block magic perception.
Throughout the journey, Mr. Wesley and Ammosta did not encounter a single person. However, when they turned from a gap in the corridor to the steps leading deeper into the underground, there was a throng of people. Behind the gap was Jonython, who was the predecessor of Tonks in the office of Dementors, and he had had two encounters with Ammosta.
"Good morning, Mr. Brewer—"
Before Ammosta could open his mouth, Kingsley spoke in a voice that was slightly steady.
"Mrs. Bone greeted me, and if she sees you coming down, she'll let you in directly."
Kingsley then turned his gaze towards Mr. Wesley.
"I'm sorry, Arthur. You have no authorization here, you can only stop here."
Mr. Wesley felt no surprise, as if he had already known it, while Ammosta knew that Wesley had a hidden influence in the Ministry and was connected with many people. He looked at the Death Eaters who were stationed every two steps on the stairs and asked curiously with a slightly surprised look.
"Good morning, Kingsley," Mr. Wesley said, "Do you really need to do this? It's just Peter the Wicked Little Dwarf, and Dumbledore is down there too; he can't escape even with wings."
"For you, it may not be much, after all, you can take care of so many werewolves alone."
After saying goodbye to Mr. Wesley, Kingsley led Ammosta downstairs. Upon hearing Ammosta's inquiry, Kingsley spoke with a complex expression.
"But it cannot be denied that the Wizengamot is preparing to try the most evil and cunning dark wizard we have encountered in twelve years, and he has brought disgrace upon the Ministry."
Just as Kingsley said, every Auror standing guard here was tightening their faces, and a sense of dread filled the air.
Aurors are probably the strongest profession in the magical world right now, but just before the renowned Ammosta Brewer, no Auror dared to approach him for a conversation. They strictly followed the code and remained vigilant to any changes.
Kingsley and Ammosta descended further into the stairs and followed a corridor that was also crowded with people. The architectural style was almost identical to the underground corridors leading to Slytherin's common room at Hogwarts, with rough stone walls and shelves holding torches. The doors of the rooms they passed were heavy wooden doors, adorned with iron bolts and keyholes.
At a foreboding black door with a large iron lock, Kingsley stopped in his tracks and turned to nod at Ammosta.
"This is it, Mr. Brewer, since I haven't received the order, I can't enter."
"Thank you--"
Amostar smiled and walked past Kingsley. When his hand touched the cold, numb door handle, something suddenly occurred, and he turned to stop the retreating Kingsley.
"Oh, by the way, Kingsley, there is something I need to trouble you with. If possible, please help Tonks apply for a few more days of leave—"
Faced with Kingsley's puzzled gaze, Ammosta twitched his mouth.
"She is busy with her personal matters recently."
Ammosta surveyed the courtroom before him--the walls were built with dark black stones, and the light from the torches was dim and eerie. The rows of empty benches on both sides of the passage gradually rose higher, while in front of him, on the highest bench, several dark figures floated. They had been whispering among themselves just now, and when the heavy door behind Ammosta closed, an icy silence enveloped everyone.
"Ammosta!"
The greetings echoing in the courtroom included those of Amelia Bones, Cornelius Fudge, Dumbledore, and several other politicians and business leaders he had recently met.
When he entered the room, the murmurs here suddenly grew louder, and many wizards pointed and chatted with each other about him. Ammosta raised his head and looked at row after row of people with a bright look. Most of the wizards who made eye contact with him gave him a friendly smile, while others looked indifferent to his presence.
Dumbledore, as the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot, stood behind the central dais in the center, smiling at him warmly.
"Please, take a seat, Ammosta--"
(The End of This Chapter)
