Thank you all for reading. :) All the follows, favs and reviews make me terribly happy. Here is a new chapter, hope you will find it okay.

(Sarah) Thank you, glad to hear that. We shall see soon - at least Sherlock's opinion on that matter.

(lulu) Thanks. Yep, it's pretty much given that just 'leaving it' isn't something Sherlock has in mind.

(dana-san) Thanks. Glad you think so. :)

(the cumbercollective) Thank you for the reviews. I am glad you enjoyed it so far :D

(KG86) :) I am happy to hear that. And of course - tell Sherlock he cannot have something (answers and information none the less) - it's like encouraging him :D

CHAPTER 13

At the end John needed to wait for Sherlock to return and borrow his phone as he somehow didn't notice that his was out of power. It was curious - he charged it recently, but now the screen was blank and the phone had refused to start. However he decided not to dwell on it, as they needed to go.

Everything went smoothly after that and they managed to arrive at the appointed place just before the time. There was no one waiting for them yet. John wasn't worried though, he was expecting Harry to show up any minute now...

However when the wizard was five minutes late, he began fidgeting.

Sherlock on the other hand, was just feverishly exchanging texts with someone, apparently not minding waiting at all.

"Who are you texting to?" asked John curiously.

"Lestrade," answered Sherlock promptly. "He is asking if we got something about Milverton or Aurors."

"Damn," cursed John, not really sure when did Sherlock receive the first text from the inspector. He had forgotten about the others until now. What were they going to say? They undoubtedly expected Sherlock to come up with results. "What did you tell him?" he asked

"Variation of the truth," replied Sherlock easily.

John groaned. "And that is?"

"We lost Weasley and then Mycroft came to Baker Street with his case. When he was told about what happened, he refused to help and seek any information about the man, claiming the priority of his problem."

Apparently John didn't need to worry. That will silence the Detective Inspector for now, but still... "We'll need to think of something to tell them by the end of this, Sherlock," he told the detective. "It's not like they will believe you just let it go. Actually, I am surprised Greg didn't complain about your sudden desire to work for Mycroft."

"He did complain," admitted Sherlock. "Actually he is still complaining. And I don't have any desire to work for Mycroft. As I understand it, this Ministry is independent from our government, even if they are keeping in touch... Ah, here comes Harry," he exclaimed suddenly when the man appeared before them ten minutes late.

"I'm sorry," the wizard said without preamble, unlike yesterday when he was wearing normal clothes, today he had similar robes like they had seen in the Alley. Though his was rumpled and John was fairly sure singed on some places too. Harry didn't pay his dishevelled appearance any mind, instead he glanced at the phone in Sherlock's hand and his eyes widened. "Oh," he groaned, "I forgot to tell you. You better turn off your phones. I should have said that yesterday, really – is it okay?" There was a concern on his face.

"Why?" asked Sherlock confusedly. His phone worked just fine.

"Technology doesn't react well when you bring it in places with high concentration of magic. It renders it unusable. Please, turn it off before we go this time."

John just shrugged resignedly, the mystery of his unresponsive phone solved, before he even managed to be truly concerned about it. "Guess mine was not so lucky. Is there any chance it can be repaired?"

"I am afraid I don't know," said Harry, silently cursing his forgetfulness. "Though it's curious Sherlock's is still okay when yours is not. Where did you get it?" he turned to the detective.

"Mycroft," answered Sherlock. "I… lost my old one some months ago."

"Ah," nodded the wizard, ignoring the slight pause in the man's reply. "Interesting, I will need to ask him about that. I'm really sorry," he said to John. "I intend to pay fully for the replacement."

"Oh no," shook his head the doctor. "It's really okay. Besides you paid for everything yesterday and we still..." He reached for his wallet, but Harry stopped him.

"I cannot accept it," he told him, but John seemed determined. At the end they both agreed to just leave it as it is, with Harry not paying for the phone and John and Sherlock keeping the books as a gift.

"Why were you late?" asked the detective after he pocketed his phone, thus successfully distracting his companions.

"Err..." started Harry sheepishly. "Do you remember that kit from yesterday?" John nodded, recalling the gifts. Sherlock merely stared. "Well, it was a pranking kit. My son, James decided it would be hilarious to try the contents on me this morning... Anyway Ginny helped to make me somewhat presentable again – after she stopped laughing her head off, of course."

John wanted to ask what happened, but an impatient huff from Sherlock changed his mind. "So where are we going? And how did you hide a magical building here of all places?" he looked around himself glancing from one official building to another.

Harry just opened the telephone box and beckoned them inside.

"You've got to be kidding me! How are the three of us supposed to fit there?" moaned John. "And are you going to tell me you're hiding a whole Ministry in a phone box! Wait, don't answer that," he stopped Harry's explanation short. "It's bigger on the inside. And you will pilot it to the Ministry!"

"Actually, I was going to say that this is only the visitor's entrance, it's not used all that much. And though there are expansion charms, they will stretch the inside only as much as is necessary, depending on how many people want to get in," corrected Harry. "And we're going underground – the box works like a lift. It doesn't need to be, er... piloted."

"Yes, John," smirked Sherlock, "do be serious. Where do you get such fantastic ideas?"

All three of them stepped in – as Harry said, they managed to fit in without any problem, though that didn't mean it was exactly comfortable.

"Can either of you dial 6-2-4-4-2, please?" asked Harry, because as the last one to step into the booth, he simply couldn't manage it. Sherlock did as requested. Suddenly a detached female voice filled the booth.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

Harry answered in a clear voice. "Head Auror Harry Potter accompanying Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson to complete their official registration as Muggle Investigators under the Auror Department as per Exemption."

"Thank you," answered the voice. "Visitors please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes."

Sherlock snatched the badges as soon as they slid out of the metal chute that was usually reserved for returned coins. He handed one to John and busied himself with pinning it to his coat. Suddenly the invisible female spoke again, telling them that their wands are to be presented for registration.

"Sorry," muttered Harry. "It's automated... and you know... we don't usually have Muggles here."

After the last announcement they started to descend down. It was very disconnecting to see the street disappear and be replaced by absolute darkness, but thankfully it didn't last long.

Soon the light returned and as the voice wished them a pleasant day, they entered the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. John started to think that he should get used to the fact that every wizarding place is going to be grand. He was trying to take everything in – from the way the place was decorated, to people hurrying around – and they were appearing and disappearing in fireplaces - the green flames lighting the wall! That was just... wow... he wished to go and take a better look, but instead they parted from the crowd and went to the opposite side, where they approached the Security guy stationed in one of the corners, quite abandoned.

"Hi," said Harry. "I'm here with visitors today, but..."

"Morning, Potter," grunted the elder man not even bothering to listen and proceeded to scan Sherlock and John with some kind of golden rod. Then he asked for wands.

"That's what I was trying to tell you," explained Harry. "They are Muggles and received access according to the Exemption. I have the copy of the official document with me if you wish to see."

"So you're Muggles?!" he looked shocked, taking the parchment, his eyes flying over the words. "By Merlin's beard! Muggles indeed!"

John didn't like that – so what if they were Muggles?! Even Sherlock was eyeing the man with distaste.

He waved at them dismissively, letting them proceed, but not before he offered his parting words, "The things you young people do nowadays – letting Muggles know! Bringing them here! Mark my words, it won't end well!"

Harry just rolled his eyes and dragged his two companions away from the complaining man and towards the lifts that were located in a smaller hall nearby.

"My department is on Level Two," he told them as they, along with some other people got in one of the lifts that just arrived. That was one of the only things he managed to tell them, before the other witches and wizards flocked around him and started inquiring about one thing or another. Sherlock was not very happy about being ignored. John was just grateful that he and his friend were left alone and thus got the chance to at least peek out whenever the door opened.

Every stop that was made was accompanied by the same voice that they'd heard in the phone box, which announced the Department and Offices located on that particular level. John thought that some of the names were rather silly, others sounded interesting and there was a few of them that just sounded plain old boring. He briefly wondered if they had a book about Ministry back at their flat, while his eyes occasionally landed on the small paper airplanes that were fluttering above their heads leaving and entering the lift as they pleased. Those were quite amusing – little helpful delivery planes (Harry told them that they were used as the means of communication between the departments in the one rare moment when he was left alone for about a second).

John tried to listen to what all those people were talking to him about, but he caught only snippets of it. It wasn't a fluent conversation anyway, because the topic changed every time someone entered or left the elevator and most people were just happy to at least say hello to the man... One of the more memorable encounters was a red-headed man with horn-rimmed glasses, who stepped in at their second stop and while talking to Harry enthusiastically, he somehow still managed to scold him for causing a scene in the Leaky Cauldron. The doctor had no idea how he knew about it, because he didn't remember seeing him there, but then, he may have just missed him. And it wasn't like Harry was the one to blame anyway; John still thought that the Skeeter woman fully deserved what she got...

Finally the cold voice announced 'Level Two: Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services' and they found themselves stepping into a corridor, leaving all the people in the lift behind.

So everything you seem to recognise was taken from OotP chapter 7 - but I tried to change stuff so it's not word from word (who would want to read that?) - I also absolutely omitted to describe the statue in the Atrium (that was on purpose), as I don't think they have Fountain of Magical Brethren anymore (even if it may have been repaired) and they definitely got rid of that thing that was there during Voldemort's reign - and John would be probably more interested in the people using Floo network anyway - any statue/fountain would pale in the light of that.
And look... another Weasley showed up. Was he recognisable during his terribly brief cameo? :)