The Ministry

"You said you were not the successor?" his dad said to him. He sat opposite them on the carriage rolled along. Willaim raised his head, looking him in the eyes he said

"No"

His father paused for a while, thinking it over, then he said, "But if it wasn't Baltasar then who was it?"

"It was great grandfather"

"Abbott?" Williams nodded. "How could he do that to you, your family?" William didn't say anything.

The carriage stopped in front of a flight of bright white steps. "We're here," he opens the door and exits the carriage followed by Ruby.

William got a feeling. He wasn't sure what it was, but it made him look to his left; framed within the window, he saw a man across the road standing in front of a heavy rush of pedestrians as they all walked past him.

He was in a grey cloak, smoking a cigarette; the man seemed focused. He was facing the carriage, but he wasn't looking at him; William felt he was deeply focused.

"William", his father called, he turned back and saw him standing just outside the door looking back

"Sorry," he said, "I was just looking at that man," pointed at him, but he wasn't there anymore. "That's odd, I could swear he was just there." He got out of the carriage; his dad tapped the carriage lightly with his eagle-handed cane, and the carriage rolled along.

William looked around, searching for the man, but couldn't find him; he turned around and joined the others on the stairs.

As they walked into the air, they changed from the cold chill of winter to the hot hostility of a brazen workforce. It was a jungle, as hectic as ants on sugar.

Men and women were scattered about the place, some seated in chairs on their work desks, while others walked about in an uncoordinated traffic of blurring motion.

They couldn't hear themselves talk; all they said to each other was drowned in the incoherent noise of the working crowd. His father wisely worked up to the reception and they followed him. It was their first time being in the ministry, they couldn't stop looking.

The whole room looked endless; far above the seated workers were lines of what looked like golden wires, curving and interconnecting with one another; they were carrying white cylindrical tubes in various sizes.

In the distance were what looked like three sets of giant white shelves, stretching up to the golden ceiling. William couldn't believe his eyes; those couldn't be books on those shelves, he thought; they'd have to be larger than a whole human.

"Excuse me," his father said. "What's going on"

"Sorry, sir," the receptionist said, "We're quite busy; we may not have time to attend to you."

"Why?"

"Well others came down from high up, we're to look for something,"

"Looking for what?"

"I can't say sir"

"You can tell me, I'm the Dean at the new school of magic and I'd very much like to see the minister of magic"

"I'm not sure you can sir"

"Just what is going on"

"I'm not sure either, words came down they said we should look for a very powerful source of magic emanating from the world"

"Powerful magic?" His father said

William looked at Ruby, then he said, just how powerful would it be? Could it alter reality? "I don't know, the orders are just to look for the anomaly"

"Dad, we have to see the minister, we have to tell him what we know; it could all be connected, right Ruby."

"Yeah, I think so too"

"We have to see him now! Tell him it's me, say it's Charlswell Lorde, and say it's urgent."

The receptionist picked up her wand, it let out a yellow light from its tip, she pressed it against the side of her head and said,

"Are you there?" She paused for a second, "yes someone would like to see the minister." she paused again. "It's the dean of the new school of magic. Yes. a Mr. Lorde," she gave him a glance, and he returned with an approving nod.

"Oh, you know him?" Mr Lorde smiled. "Well, he says it's urgent," She paused again for a second, then looked at them, "she would like to know how urgent it is?" His father turned to him, and he said, with a great deal of tension in his voice.

"It is life and death and may have to do with the very matter he is dealing with. Tell her that."

"He says it's urgent and may have to do with the current situation," she paused for a second. "I don't know but they seem to know something. Okay, I'll hold."

She kept the wand pressed on her temple, she didn't make eye contact with them. Three seconds passed, seven, ten, every second felt longer than the previous one and the room seemed to be falling increasingly silent for them, even with the roaring crowd around.

She looked up at them and they all unconsciously leaned in a bit forward then she said, "You can see him," they drew back from the counter, with a sigh of relief

"But hurry up he is mighty busy. Right, just take the white elevator," Mr. Lorde turned and walked off; William thanked her.

They got into the elevator, "top floor!" Mr Lorde said. They all look up watching the numbers, Ruby turns away and covers her mouth

"Are you alright?" William asked. She nodded. "What's wrong with her? Mr Lorde asked. "She's been nauseous ever since we felt the wave of energy."

"How about you? Are you okay?" William chuckled. "I was a bit hysterical in class, but I'm alright now"

The elevator door swung open, and in front of them was a long light blue hall with parts diverging at both sides. Mr. Lorde walked,

"Follow me," he said.

William looked at Ruby; she nodded and swallowed her spit; he could see the ball in her throat move up and down. They exited the elevator.

When they made it to the end of the hall, Mr Lorde took off his hat and greeted the receptionist. She sat just beside a golden door, behind a curved white table.

"Nice to see you again Mr Lorde," he noticed she looked a bit sombre. It struck him that she was never like this.

Are we in a foul mood? Mr Lorde asked her. She chuckled with a bit of affection and said, "To be honest, I don't know why I feel this. It feels like I've lost something, but I can't remember what. Oh, look at me rambling on when you've got your own problem."

Mr Lorde smiled affectionately and said, "I don't mind"

"I'll just let him know you're here."

She pushed a yellow button under her desk and said, "Sir they're here"

"Alright, send them in, thank you, Clarissa"

She chuckled and said, "Sir, you got my name wrong again."

"I'm sorry," he said, sounding a bit somber and out of character for a great wizard. Mr Lorde took notice.

"It's alright, sir; I'll send them in." She pushed a white button under her desk, the golden door was unlocked.

"You can go in now he's waiting for you"