A Magic Stronger Than Darkness ~ Book 2: Forever & Always

Chapter 19 ~ Mystery & Mayhem

  The evening was fast approaching by the time that we had made it to London, and thankfully Buckbeak was flying high enough that the muggles would not be able to see us. Once in the city, our hippogriff transport started to dive toward a narrow alleyway tucked between two massive office buildings. Obviously, the path to the Ministry would be a little less direct than this, and while I had never been to the Ministry of Magic, I knew there must be some secret entrance nearby. Thankfully, the growing darkness was perfect cover for the three of us as Buckbeak glided down into the littered strip of concrete where the alley resided.

When we finally came to a solid stop, Buckbeak lowered his body again so that Draco and I could quickly dismount him. Before anyone could discover the massive creature, he bolted back into the sky, disappearing into a low-hanging cloudbank. If there was one thing I could say about Buckbeak, it was that he was a very intelligent and very loyal animal, and I was thankful that he had flown off before a muggle happened to pass by.

My boyfriend finished brushing off his clothes and scanned the surrounding area, stopping to face the only exit from the alleyway.

"Come on, I know where to go from here." He murmured, taking my hand and leading me out of the musky street.

Someways down the sidewalk, we came upon a telephone booth, the typical ones you see in England that resembled cute little red towers. Draco opened the door and gestured for me to step inside. I raised an eyebrow at him, wordlessly expressing my curiosity.

"This is the visitors entrance," He explained, repeating his gesture with a bit more haste. Ahh the hidden entrance...got it...

Doing as bid, I stepped into the phone booth with Draco following close behind.

"Are you ready?" He asked, glancing at me while he shut the door.

I took a deep breath, "As I will ever be. Let's go." I responded confidently.

I watched Draco put the telephone to his ear and punch in a numerical code, 62442. He listened to the operator on the other end and pressed the buttons on the keypad as he was instructed to do. Underneath our feet, the floor of the telephone booth vibrated for a split second before beginning to lower us down into an apparent tunnel. It almost reminded me of an elevator, only this one traveled underground.

It wasn't long before a magnificent room appeared before our eyes and I gazed at the golden statues of the witch, the goblin, and the centaur standing proudly in the very center of the shining ebony and crimson brick chamber. Surprisingly, the Ministry was just as deserted as the muggle world above.

"It's a good day to come, no one is here to question us. Not even the Minister himself. This is the Atrium, by the way..." Draco spoke quietly as the magical elevator came to a stop.

The door opened for us this time and we slowly walked out into the room, both of us searching for any sign of my friends. There was nothing, no sign of life whatsoever.

"I've been here loads of times, I know where the Department of Mysteries is. Follow me." My boyfriend instructed, gripping my hand again to tug me along with him.

We hurried across the chamber and into another lift, where Draco pressed the button that took us down to Level 9. Within a few short minutes, we were descending through the seemingly endless floors of the Ministry. Eventually the lift came to a stop once more, and the two of us darted through the golden sliding door as soon as it opened. Draco hurriedly led me through the winding hallways of Level 9, occasionally pointing out one specific office or another but refraining from giving me a whole tour of the Ministry. As much as I would've loved the chance to familiarize myself with this place, we both knew we did not have time to sight-see. Sirius was in danger, and every moment counted.