Chapter 5: The Lavish Ministry of Magic

'Being one year behind doesn't matter, as long as I can learn magic, that's what's important.'

George thought as he set down the newspaper and continued eating.

He had considered which house he might be sorted into during the Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony.

Most likely, it would be Gryffindor.

Gryffindor valued courage, and he thought himself quite daring—after all, it had only been a day since he took over this body, and he had already planned and succeeded in eliminating an old wizard.

"Good morning, Dorah—oh no, I should call you by your new name: George!"

The shop door opened, and a young, energetic witch strode in—it was none other than the Auror Tonks from the day before.

"Good morning, Miss Tonks," George greeted with a smile, setting down his egg pancake.

Tonks sat across from him without hesitation, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"No need to be so formal. From now on, just treat me like your big sister."

George sighed and fixed his hair, not rejecting Tonks's friendly gesture. He then brought out the extra breakfast he had prepared.

"I made an extra portion—join me?"

"How did you know I hadn't eaten breakfast? Hmm, what's this? It's delicious!"

Tonks took a bite of the rolled egg pancake, her eyes lighting up. The soft wrap filled with vegetables and sausage had a unique flavor.

Her own cooking was atrocious, so she rarely made breakfast, opting instead for a quick bite or skipping it altogether.

Magic included all sorts of culinary spells, but one needed to know how to cook to use them effectively. Without that knowledge, the spells would simply cause ingredients and utensils to fly everywhere, producing inedible results.

"It's called an egg pancake, made with eggs and flour, with green pepper strips and carrot strips inside," George started the explanation and stopped after a minute.

He hadn't known for sure whether Tonks had eaten breakfast, but preparing an extra portion was an easy way to earn some goodwill.

"Your cooking is amazing! I think you're destined for Hufflepuff," Tonks said, giving him a thumbs-up despite not fully understanding his explanation.

'Could I really end up in Hufflepuff?' George wondered.

He quickly dismissed the thought. Being sorted into Hufflepuff wouldn't be a problem. While he preferred Gryffindor, he believed every house had its pros and cons.

Still, he doubted he'd fit Hufflepuff's core traits.

Hufflepuff valued fairness, loyalty, honesty, and hard work—qualities he didn't feel strongly embodied him, aside from perhaps the last one.

After breakfast, Tonks led George to handle the various legalities of inheriting his newfound wealth.

Their first stop was the renowned Ministry of Magic.

"Hold onto my arm. This might feel uncomfortable at first, but it'll be over quickly," Tonks instructed as she guided his hand to her arm.

Then she cast the spell.

"Apparate!"

With a faint pop, they vanished from the spot.

The distance between Knockturn Alley and the Ministry of Magic wasn't far, so Tonks opted for Apparition over using Floo Powder.

'No wonder not all wizards like traveling by Apparition,' George thought, his experience unpleasant.

He felt himself plunged into darkness, compressed from all directions by an invisible force, as if iron bands were crushing his chest. His eyeballs felt pushed back into his skull, and his eardrums seemed to cave inward.

Thankfully, the ordeal lasted only a second or two before he emerged into the light again.

"It feels weird at first, but you'll get used to it," Tonks said, laughing at his discomfort.

"Let's go. I'll take you to get registered."

She led him to the central reception area, and George took the chance to look around curiously.

"This is... extravagant," he murmured after a moment.

The floor was a polished dark wood, so shiny it reflected light like a mirror. The peacock-blue ceiling was studded with golden symbols, constantly shifting and rearranging like a massive announcement board.

On either side of the hall, gilded fireplaces embedded in the walls served as entry points for wizards in various attire, who bustled in and out.

At the center stood a magical fountain with five statues—a handsome wizard holding a wand, a beautiful witch, and surrounding them, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf.

The centaur, goblin, and house-elf gazed at the witch and wizard with expressions of deep reverence, as if conveying a special meaning.

But what truly caught George's attention was that the statues were made entirely of solid gold, each two to three times life-sized.

"Daily Prophet, ladies and gentlemen! Get your copy of the Daily Prophet!" a wizard called out, selling newspapers near the fountain.

By noon, after four hours of paperwork, George finally completed the inheritance process and returned to the shop via Apparition with Tonks.

"The Ministry of Magic—flashy on the outside, hollow on the inside. No wonder Voldemort dismantled it so easily," George muttered, his disdain clear.

Though the Ministry appeared grand and magnificent, the employees were inefficient, complacent, and corrupt.

If not for Tonks's guidance, inheriting his estate might have been far more challenging.

However, the visit wasn't entirely fruitless. George saw many intriguing things at the Ministry—alchemy-infused magical items and clever office-use spells.

It broadened his understanding of magic in the wizarding world.

He realized that while magic in the Harry Potter universe often lacked large-scale destructive power and leaned toward utility, it didn't make it any less formidable.

In fact, its highly conceptual and versatile nature could be even more dangerous and unpredictable.