Chapter 382 Department Of Mysteries And Departure
In front of them lay a simple and profound hallway.
This hallway was quite distinct from the previous ones. The walls were bare; there were no doors or windows besides a simple black door placed at the end of the hallway.
Evan knew this was the Department of Mysteries.
Indeed, he was eager to enter and explore it.
He had heard too many rumors about it, but in reality, very few were true and reliable.
In the market, there were scarcely any trustworthy records about this mysterious department.
Luna showed him an article in "The Quibbler" claiming that Fudge was using the Department of Mysteries to develop terrible poisons, which he secretly gave to anyone who disagreed with him.
But this was obviously ludicrous. Evan knew that it actually housed a collection of all the prophetic crystal orbs, inherited magical objects, and various unknown magical items needing to be researched and preserved, such as magic related to time, soul, and death.
The prototype of the Time-Turner used by Hermione was stored here. That magical artifact could assist a wizard in controlling time.
"The Department of Mysteries is the most enigmatic department of the Ministry of Magic. No one knows what they are up to. The identity and tasks of the staff in this department are highly confidential," said Sirius. "The wizards who work in the Department of Mysteries are known as the Unspeakables!"
Evan nodded and scrutinized the simple black door carefully.
This door must have seen years. Similar to the materials used in the construction of the Centaur Moon Temple, it was made of Obsidian with no trace of magic on it.
"One of my ancestors used to work here; I read his diary." Seeing Evan's keen interest, Sirius continued, "According to his records, long ago, the Ministry of Magic discovered that there were many types of inherent magic. Unlike current magic, their forms of existence are hard to explain, even harder, and perhaps impossible to control."
Unsurprisingly, this magic must have been inherited from the studies of ancient sorcerers.
They delved deeper into the realms of magic and knew more than the current wizards.
However, with time, the once flourishing magical civilization eventually vanished.
There were many theories about the extinction of the ancient sorcerers.
The debate had spanned centuries. The most absurd statement Evan had recently heard was that the malevolent spherical deity informed him that the powerful ancient sorcerers collectively fled to a new world because they wanted to evade the control of the malevolent gods.
"Behind this black door is a circular chamber with many doors. The Unspeakables explore and experiment with mysterious forces in various chambers," said Sirius. "If you're interested, you can apply to work here after graduation. While the top students may not meet the requirements, they may not recruit new students for several years. But with your strength, there should be no issue."
They walked down the hallway and paused in front of the black door for a moment.
"Come on, let's not keep Dumbledore waiting too long!" Sirius took Evan's arm and led him to the left, where there was an opening leading to a staircase.
"Next is the special Wizengamot courtroom. The Portkey to Azkaban is reserved there," Sirius mentioned as they walked. "If convicted, you'll be sent straight to Azkaban, without the need for a few days at sea."
They walked for a while, reached the foot of the staircase, and ran through another hallway, reminiscent of the one leading to Snape's dungeon at Hogwarts, with rough stone walls and torches on sconces. The doors they passed here were heavy wooden ones with iron bolts and locks.
"Courtroom 10, here we are!" Sirius dragged Evan and stopped in front of a gloomy dark door with a massive iron lock. He frowned, "Originally, I was supposed to be tried here, but after a long wait, I was told that my crimes did not require a trial, and I was sent straight to Azkaban."
They pushed the door open and entered. The walls around them were made of dark stone, dimly lit by torches.
Empty benches stood on either side, but further ahead, Dumbledore was sitting on a bench with his eyes closed, lost in thought.
As soon as they entered, Dumbledore sensed them and opened his eyes.
"Here you are," said Dumbledore calmly. "I'm sorry, we have to start from this place, but believe me; the place we are headed to is more frightening and much more dreadful than this."
He gestured for Sirius and Evan to follow him.
They walked towards the top of the room, circling the enormous round stone pillars. Behind the black curtain, there was a small hidden door.
Dumbledore tapped his wand, and the closed door opened automatically.
In the center of the room stood a statue of a Dementor.
It was about to remove its hood, revealing the dreadful mouth that seemed poised to kiss and suck the soul out of someone.
"Special privileges are required to enter the room," explained Dumbledore, "Outside is the Wizengamot High Criminal Court, where almost all Azkaban prisoners are tried. They do so precisely by the statue we have in front of us. It is the only Portkey that swiftly transports us to Azkaban."
Dumbledore carefully observed the Dementor statue for a while, seemingly lost in thought, before turning his clear blue eyes towards Evan.
"Do you know what a Portkey signifies?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes, I do. I have read about it in books," Evan replied hastily.
"Very well, but this statue is different from common Portkeys!" said Dumbledore. "It doesn't follow us. In fact, there is an identical statue in Azkaban. We just lightly touch them, and we can be sent back and forth."
"But, what is the principle behind this magic?" asked Evan.
"No one knows, like what you saw in the Department of Mysteries above. There is still plenty of wonderful magic waiting for us to discover and study," said Dumbledore, "What we know now is only a small portion of it." He took something from among his robes and handed it to Evan.
"I visited the Centaur colony last night and saw the records related to that evil god. It is inconceivable. It is not any creature I know of, nor does it appear in magic books," said Dumbledore, "Before you arrived, I pondered carefully on this. Now that you have traveled back in time and encountered the Four Founders of the school, what they left behind is also related to these malevolent spirits. So, I think it's best that you keep this."
Evan was astonished as he received what Dumbledore had given him.
Surprisingly, it was the red plate that remained in the underground ruins when the monster with the giant eye disappeared, and the image of the fearsome god of nightmares was painted on it.