The security desk wasn't staffed by Hanson alone; several other wizards were nearby. They heard what Hanson said and came rushing over to shake Harry's hand.
"I've been at school for so long, I almost forgot that Harry has fans all over the British wizarding world."
Wade sighed and asked Lupin, "We're not going to be late, are we?"
Lupin shared his concern. He squeezed through the crowd and, with great effort, finally rescued Harry.
"Please, make way, gentlemen! We have important business to attend to, if you would please..."
Harry straightened his crooked glasses and asked, "Mr. Hanson, can we have our security check now?"
"Of course, of course."
Hanson used a thin golden rod to scan everyone's front and back, from top to bottom, just like a metal detector at an airport.
Then he had Harry place his wand on a brass machine that looked like a set of scales. A moment later, the machine spat out a narrow strip of paper.
"Eleven inches, holly, phoenix feather, used for one year, correct?" Hanson asked.
"Yes." Harry looked at the surrounding crowd and felt like a monkey in a zoo.
The wizards gave him kind, friendly smiles.
Hanson also smiled and said, "It's very well-maintained. Mr. Ollivander would be very pleased to see it."
He returned the wand to Harry and then stuck the paper on a small brass nail.
When it was Lupin's and Wade's turn, Hanson's attitude became strictly business-like.
"Cypress, unicorn hair, ten and a quarter inches, used for 21 years?"
"That's right," Lupin said.
"Aspen, unicorn hair, twelve inches, used for one year..." Hanson glanced at Wade and asked, "Are you a Hufflepuff? I'm from Hufflepuff."
"No," Wade said. "I'm a Ravenclaw."
"Oh..."
Hanson's friendly smile instantly vanished. When he turned to Harry, his enthusiastic demeanor returned.
"Mr. Potter, where are you headed? I can help guide the way."
"No need, Hanson. They're with me!"
Arthur Weasley suddenly pushed his way out of the crowd, slung an arm around Harry's shoulder, and led the trio toward an open golden gate.
"You're a bit late, Lupin," Mr. Weasley said.
"Sorry, Arthur. The Ministry people were a bit too enthusiastic." Lupin smoothed down his wrinkled clothes and protected Wade as they walked.
A flock of colorful paper airplanes flew past them, like a migrating flock of birds.
They passed through the golden gate and entered the atrium, where there were at least twenty elevators. A small group of people were waiting for them in the cramped space.
"Hi, Arthur," someone greeted Mr. Weasley. "How's work going?"
Mr. Weasley nodded. "Everything's great, except for a Muggle who almost had his nose bitten off by his own teacup."
The group approached an elevator, and Mr. Weasley pressed the down button.
"Dumbledore has already arrived," Mr. Weasley whispered to Lupin. "And a lot of foreign journalists... Fudge originally wanted to hold the hearing in Courtroom Ten, but because of them, he had to change it to Courtroom Three..."
Lupin seemed to know about both locations, as he breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, then..."
"Everyone wanted me to remind you... to stay calm, okay? No matter what happens in the courtroom, the person who loses their temper always loses," Mr. Weasley said.
"I understand." Lupin clenched his hands twice. His voice remained calm. "Disrupting the court will get you thrown out. I certainly won't let that happen."
"That's good." Mr. Weasley relaxed a little.
Wade and Harry both looked at Lupin. Ever since they had met him, Lupin had always been steady and rational. Professor McGonagall had her moments of anger with students, but Lupin had always been unbelievably calm.
So why did he seem like a guy who would flip a table at the drop of a hat to others?
Harry thought it was because they had a very close bond.
Wade's thought was... he had always assumed that in the original Marauders group, Lupin was the one who was led astray by his friends, but it seemed others didn't see it that way...
The elevator arrived quickly.
They took it down to the underground levels. The group walked down a flight of stairs. Torches were embedded in the rough stone walls, and the air was cold and damp.
"We're here. Courtroom Three," Mr. Weasley said, and he pushed open a large black door.
It was clear that many torches and floating magical candles had been added to the courtroom, illuminating the entire hall. The tiered benches on both sides were almost full. Everyone was talking, and the room was very noisy.
In the front rows were a dozen or so journalists with bulky cameras hanging from their chests. Some were scribbling furiously.
Among them, a woman with jeweled glasses and golden curly hair stood out. She was wearing a fluorescent pink dress that seemed out of place in the dark courtroom. The other journalists instinctively kept their distance from her, whether out of caution or distaste.
The group's entry went almost unnoticed. Mr. Weasley led them up a narrow side staircase to the top tier, where they found a few empty seats and sat down.
A moment later, someone else sat beside them. The wooden chair creaked as he sat down.
Wade looked up and saw that the man next to him had a terrifying appearance. He had scraggly, long, graying hair, a face covered in scars, and a mouth that was a crooked, gaping slit. The eye on the side closest to Wade was very strange, constantly spinning like a nimble pointer before suddenly turning to him.
Wade was startled by the sudden movement.
The wizard chuckled and asked in a raspy voice, "Mind if I sit here, kid?"
Even when speaking in the most polite tone, he still sounded like a threat.
Harry's eyes widened in alarm, and his body stiffened. He probably thought this was some dangerous Dark wizard. At the Umbrella House, he had also heard Theo's story about him and his brother almost being kidnapped and then being saved by a stranger.
Wade looked at the wizard and said, "Of course not, please sit."
"Got a lot of guts, you do," the wizard mumbled. His blue eye rolled around again to look at Harry, staring at the scar on his forehead for a moment before falling silent.
"Good morning, Moody," Lupin said, greeting him. "I didn't expect you to be here."
"Can't go deaf and dumb just because I've retired, can I?"
Moody took a large gulp from a curved flask. "Besides, Sirius was once a comrade of mine."
"I'm here to see for myself whether he's truly innocent or if he's tricked you naive lot with some sort of deception!"