The Ravenclaw Nine || BTS Harry Potter AU

Chapter 32

Yoongi's Point of View

Even though the Ministry was less crowded at such a late hour, Yoongi felt hundreds of eyes boring into him. The giant banner depicting the Minister for Magic seemed to be glaring down at him as he submitted his wand for evaluation – since Grindelwald's rise and fall, security had tightened at the Ministry. It was regretful, seeing how the old wizard appeared to deem him too questionable to pass. Admittedly, his burnt robes, bloody face, and vague aroma of smoke was hardly a common occurrence amongst workers for the Ministry.

"May I ask your name?" the wand examiner inquired, his suspicious tone high-pitched and wheezy.

"I fail to see how that relates to my wand," Yoongi replied coldly. He subtly readjusted his robes to hide the name boldly displayed on his visitor's badge.

The wizard squinted his eyes and peered at Yoongi's face, taking care to notice the familiar contours of his cheekbones and the creases of his sharp eyes. "You wouldn't happen to be related to... Beomgyu Min, would you?"

Yoongi's heart pounded. Those within earshot stopped and stared at the accursed name, wondering what someone could have done to warrant a mention of Beomgyu Min. Even the wand examiner had hesitated to speak the name – it had clearly become a taboo subject within the Ministry. "I fail to see how that relates to my wand," he repeated, his voice shaking only slightly.

The wand examiner's wrinkled lips thinned even further as his eyes widened. He leveled a shaking finger at Yoongi, who could see the recognition blazing in his eyes. "You are! You are that child – the one who ran away from his orphanage and became Hogwarts' troublemaking student. I recall your last criminal hearing – you were very nearly charged with a lifetime in Azkaban, were you not?"

Yoongi's hands trembled beneath the long sleeves of his robes. "I don't deny it."

Just when the wand examiner seemed like he was willing to summon security, a familiar voice rang out across the expansive hall. "Yoongi?" The voice belonged to a middle-aged woman with shiny, tight curls in her hair. She was dressed in an attire entirely inappropriate for a workplace environment, but the stained cloak and form-fitting leather pants seemed proper for her line of work. The confusion on her face quickly morphed into feigned excitement when she caught Yoongi's pleading gaze. "Welcome, my dear – I have been awaiting our visit."

"Y-you have been expecting... Beomgyu Min's child?" the wand examiner stammered, flinching on the last syllable of Beomgyu's name. The dark-haired woman remained unfazed and smiled down at the elderly wizard.

"I see no need to tarnish Yoongi's reputation with mentions of his defective father."

"With all due respect, madam, the boy was nearly sent to Azkaban five years ago for attempted murder!"

"And yet, I don't see him locked in a cell with dementors circling him. Please, my dear, join me in my office for a cup of tea."

"Gladly." Yoongi was surprised to hear how much his voice was shaking – he was usually proficient at controlling his emotions. The woman grasped his shoulder tightly and, once the wand examiner had reluctantly returned his wand, she led him to the lifts and waited patiently while it ascended to level two. By level four, everyone had cleared from the elevator, leaving Yoongi alone with the familiar woman.

"Mrs. Mercier?" he asked as politely as he could manage. "Could you please let go of me?"

"I don't know," Mrs. Mercier replied coldly. "Of all the wizards in the world, you are the last I expected to find in the Ministry today. What is your business here?"

"I will reveal that information once we have reached a secure location."

As if on cue, the lift jerked to a halt, and the grilles slid open. A cold female voice announced, "Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services." Mrs. Mercier let out a deep sigh at Yoongi's stubbornness and clutched his shoulder even harder as they walked through the barren corridors to the wing dedicated to Auror Headquarters. As many wizards within this profession worked late hours, Yoongi felt dozens of eyes burn holes into his body as he entered. He was deeply intimidated to find the dark eyes of a woman by the name of Moody staring at him but refused to show it outwardly.