Chương 27: Chapter 26
We apparently arrived at the Department of Magical Transportation, more specifically, a room designated for foreign guests of the Portkey Office. Or maybe I'm remembering how things work at the British Ministry of Magic incorrectly — it has been a few years since I was last familiarized with it.
A Ministry employee quickly approached us.
"So, Germany... Gabor Zoltan Bathory, Stefan Gsigor Bathory, Hildegarde Brigida Stahlwolf, Adalbert Friedrich Stahlwolf, Tomasz Karpishin, and Anton Karpishin... Is that correct?" Without even looking up at us, the unknown man began reading from a document in English. "Correct... Here, take these forms, fill them out, and head to office seven to complete your registration. There, you'll be issued your temporary residence permits..." he finished, handing us the forms without any apparent concern as to whether we were listening or understanding him.
We all exchanged glances. As did our parents. The result was almost perfectly synchronized.
Did this idiot really not recognize who stood before him based on the quality of our attire? Even if we weren't purebloods, but just wealthy foreign wizards, we could still cause him a lot of problems! This could easily turn into an international scandal. Ordinary tourists might be dismissed, but the rich...
"Such outrageous unprofessionalism," mother muttered, practically voicing my own thoughts, her gaze freezing the employee in place.
"Don't you see who's in front of you, boy?" Anton's father added, his tone filled with clear indignation as he glared at the rather young wizard. The man couldn't have been more than twenty, with just a small ponytail.
"We are acquaintances of Lucius Malfoy. I hope you at least know who that is?" Stefan's father chimed in, fully agreeing with the previous remarks, but choosing to get straight to the point.
Fortunately — for the Ministry worker — the boy recognized the name, nervously twitching his cheek.
"Acquaintances of Malfoy..." he muttered, without a hint of respect, and even with some clear disdain, prompting us to exchange glances once again. "Alright. Fine... But that's not within my competence. Head to Mr. Mills, the Head of the Department of Magical Transportation. First office." He waved his hand toward the door with the corresponding number and, abandoning the forms, walked off to greet some new tourist arrivals.
"It seems the situation here is even worse than we thought. I think I'll have a few new questions for Lord Malfoy..." Gabor frowned.
"There's nothing to think about, father. It's the same as back home — disrespectful attitudes toward us..." Stefan shrugged, and was about to continue, but was silenced by a gesture from his father.
"Later. This isn't the right place to discuss these matters," the Hungarian explained, and he led the way to the office we needed.
Our situation was quickly resolved. Mills, it turned out, was an acquaintance of Lucius (read: he was in his pocket), and he was happy to arrange everything for us at the highest level. He apologized for the previous employee and blamed the quotas for Muggle-borns imposed from above.
"It wasn't as bad as it seemed," I said as we left his office.
"Indeed. Looks like Dumbledore hasn't fully taken over this place," mother agreed, casting a glance at the less-than-impressive surroundings. Whether it was due to English snobbery or simply a lack of funding was unclear.
We left the Ministry quickly, finding ourselves on Diagon Alley. Yes, one of the exits led here. Even though the entrances to the magical world, connecting the Ministry and Diagon Alley, were located far apart in the Muggle world, in the magical world, the two places were close together, effectively part of the same city.
As far as I know, this wasn't mentioned in the canon, but in reality, there's an entire magical town around the Alley called Londinium. Back when it was built, wizards hadn't yet gone into hiding and considered their settlement just a part of the larger city.
Much time has passed since then, and the old name is now only used by mid-level wizards who live there. Most of the main shops and trade are concentrated on the main street shown in the canon, which is why, when wizards speak of where they're headed, they only mention Diagon Alley, not the town as a whole.
Speaking of Diagon Alley, it was about three times larger than in canon. The buildings were similar to those shown in the films, but they weren't crooked. They were fairly ordinary semi-medieval buildings with a magical flair.
Nothing extraordinary... A modern person unfamiliar with magic would probably be more impressed by the brightly colored attire of the locals and the objects flying everywhere than by the overall museum-like atmosphere.
"This place hasn't changed at all..." mother said with a touch of nostalgia. As we walked through the Alley, we naturally paired off — each parent with their child.
"An unusual place. Noisy," I shared my impressions. After all, there were many wizards, and the Alley was quite narrow. At times, we had to practically shove our way through the crowd to keep moving.
We were headed to one of the smaller shops, which was indirectly owned by the Malfoys through intermediaries. It's important not to think that pureblood wealth is sustained solely through ancestral inheritance. Almost all pureblood families have their own businesses. The lesser families run theirs directly, while the older and more influential ones do so through intermediaries. Take the Longbottoms, for example. They own several greenhouses, managed by their representatives, who are paid for their work.
I suspect that the Malfoys also have not-so-legal sources of income. Despite all the bans, various small dark magic items are quite popular. And that's just in our part of the world. Who knows what's happening here, because as everyone knows, when something is forbidden, it only increases people's interest in it.
And the Ministry cannot handle proper propaganda against the negative qualities of banned items. They simply ban them and expect compliance. That kind of attitude frustrates not only proud pureblood lords but also ordinary wizards who don't believe that dark magic is inherently evil. Sure, it has its nuances that can give a wizard a rather "interesting" life... but honestly, when has magic ever been safe? Even so-called Light spells can, with a bit of imagination, become the purest instruments of slaughter.
"Gentlemen... and lady," a wizard bowed to us, stepping from behind the counter just a few moments ago.
Pureblood, but a young family — my mind immediately assessed.
His attire was appropriate, indicating that he was aware of certain nuances not accessible to those outside our circle. However, if he were even remotely close in lineage, he wouldn't be acting so subserviently.
"Mister Llewellyn, correct?" Gabor acknowledged with a nod, clearly pleased with the man's manners — though in essence, he was a vassal of the Malfoys.
"That's correct, Lord... Bathory. Lord Malfoy was expecting your visit," the wizard, who appeared to be around thirty years old, nodded respectfully.
"Please," he gestured toward a fireplace, which surely wasn't connected to the general Floo network that spans much of Magical Britain.
One by one, we stepped into the fireplace, throwing in a handful of green powder, and clearly stating the three words:
"Malfoy Manor!"
When my turn came, I was soon swirling through the network, with a slight nausea rising in my throat. Thankfully, I hadn't eaten recently, so it wasn't a problem.
I didn't even stumble much!
After all, I'm still a student, and I don't have much experience traveling this way. So Stefan and Anton's landings probably weren't any more graceful. Anton, in particular, was even clumsier than I was, but no one seemed to pay much attention — especially not the two people greeting us.
Well... Lucius Malfoy was quite impressive.
This wasn't exactly the canonical actor... but very similar. The facial expression, the posture. His long platinum hair was closer to the version from the films, whereas, in the books, if I recall correctly, his hair was shorter.
Standing beside him was Narcissa... a beautiful woman, but it was already clear that her prime years had passed. Not that I doubt this would be a problem for her husband, judging by the canon. What caught my attention more were her hair colors — partly black and partly platinum. This phenomenon is easy to explain. The Blacks and the Malfoys are very old families, and when a member of one family marries into another, the transition is never complete. The family magic — which is why pureblood wizards marry into other pureblood families — resists such transitions. But not completely. Hence, the unique appearance.
This can be mitigated with a set of rituals and spells... but it seems the Blacks chose not to do that. The most likely reason is that they wanted a reminder of which family Narcissa was born into.
"Gabor, old friend. It's a pleasure to see you at my home," Lucius said, embracing Bathory slightly, seemingly even with some sincerity.
"Likewise, Lucius, likewise. It's a shame we don't get to meet more often," the Hungarian replied, not to be outdone in pleasantries. "Lady Narcissa, as always, you are radiant," he added, kissing Draco's mother's hand to conclude his greeting.
"Thank you, Lord Bathory," she replied with dignity, not a single muscle betraying her composure. She was the daughter of a great house and the matriarch of another, only slightly less great.
"Lady Hildegarde, I'm pleasantly surprised to see you here. If I'm not mistaken, we haven't met since my father's last gathering?" Oh, interesting. She never mentioned that.
"That's correct. Allow me to also introduce my son, and Conrad's son — Adalbert." Lucius's attention shifted to me, but there was no attempt to exert pressure or suspicion. On the contrary, his gaze was rather approving.
"I'm pleased to meet you for the first time, Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy," I said with a deep nod, ensuring that I neither diminished my family's status nor disrespected them.
It's quite easy to master such courtesies, honestly. The bigger challenge is remembering the crests and members of noble families. Forgetting such details would be an egregious offense, as it would lower a wizard in comparison to those whose names you do remember.
Next, the Karpishins were introduced, and we headed upstairs.
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