New chapter! Thanks for all the support!
x
Looking at Draco's half-smiling expression, Fudge could barely keep his composure. He signaled to the people who had come with him.
"All of you, go together."
And so several wizards pushed together, and the gate was finally slowly pushed open by a small gap.
Mm. It had not been Fudge's illusion. Those circles of patterns really were countless doors overlapping. What they had pushed open was only the smallest door among those countless gates.
"A little harder. It is almost open."
Seeing the gate pushed open a crack, Draco stood to the side and said cheerfully.
In truth, even if Fudge and the others had not pushed open this gate, Draco would have had to push it to go in.
But Draco had played a little trick and made Fudge and the others push the gate for him. That way, he saved some effort.
With everyone pushing together, Fudge and the others finally squeezed through the small gate.
With a rumble, the stone gate slowly closed.
"Why would Mr. Dursley use this kind of gate?"
Looking at the slowly closing gate, everyone still felt lingering fear. It was far too tiring.
Because of safety.
The existence of the Testing Gate disabled the entrance spell wizards used most often: Alohomora.
Even if someone found this place, they would not be able to enter in a short time.
Moreover, those symbols on the Testing Gate were defensive measures Dudley had set up. Unless it was violently demolished, if one wanted to pass through the Testing Gate, one had to honestly use strength to push it open.
Of course, violently demolishing it was not that easy either. The entire Testing Gate was made from fluorapatite, one of the hardest biological minerals in the world.
"It is to test the visitor's ability."
Draco began introducing the Testing Gate like a professional guide.
"Magic has been placed on the Testing Gate. It can only be opened with pure force. It is divided into seven levels, and each gate requires twice the force of the previous one."
Draco pointed at the very center, the smallest stone door they had just passed through. "The place we just went through is the first gate. It is also the simplest one. It probably requires 500 kilograms of pushing force."
"A strength test?"
After listening to Draco's introduction, Fudge blurted this out without thinking.
'Ability! Only a brainless and vulgar person like you would think that.'
Draco despised Fudge in his heart, but none of it appeared on his face. He only gave a simple explanation.
Opening the gate did indeed require enormous strength, but as wizards, did they not know how to use magic?
Using magic to solve the difficulty before them, was that not a test of ability?
If magic had been placed on it, could you not break it?
Besides, it was not as if there were no charms that increased one's strength. Even if very few wizards learned them specifically, they did exist, did they not?
Look. Draco had not used the slightest bit of strength and had still gotten in.
So, the brain was a good thing, but not everyone had one.
"Why didn't you tell us earlier?"
Hearing that magic could be used, one of the Aurors complained.
"Do you know the charm I mentioned?"
Facing Draco's counterquestion, the Auror was speechless for a moment.
Strength-enhancing charms were extremely obscure. Basically no wizard would deliberately learn them. At least, none of the Aurors present knew them.
Who would have thought that as a wizard, one would still need physical strength?
Draco shrugged. Since you did not know it, what was the point of saying anything?
"How does Mr. Dursley usually enter? Does he also push open the first gate?"
Fudge walked up to the gate, carefully examined it, and asked.
Mm. He did not recognize a single one of the symbols on it.
"Of course not," Draco said as expected.
Hearing his words, everyone sighed in relief.
Mr. Dursley should use some unique magic to enter, right?
"Big D usually pushes open the third gate directly."
"He only opened the first and second gates to take care of me, Harry, and the others. Otherwise, those two gates should have been kept closed."
"???"
Push open the third gate? According to the rule that each gate doubled from the one before it...
The first gate was 500 kilograms. Then the second gate was one ton. The third gate was two tons.
Fudge and the others could not understand, and they were greatly shocked.
What kind of monster was that?
A giant reincarnated?
They did not notice that what Draco said was that Dudley usually pushed it open directly, not that Dudley could only push it open.
At this moment, a Cornish pixie flew over from the distance and stopped in front of Fudge and the others, giving them a very gentlemanly bow.
Its neat suit and polite, refined manner were completely different from the Cornish pixies in their memories.
This was the first time Fudge and the others had seen someone use a Cornish pixie as a receptionist. Even in a magical world, it still felt unbelievable. Someone had actually tamed such a troublemaker?
Clean, polite, quiet. These words absolutely should not appear on a Cornish pixie.
The Cornish pixie chirped a few words at Fudge and the others.
"What is it saying?" one Auror asked curiously.
Draco answered his question. "It is telling us to follow it. That is one of the attendants here."
After hearing Draco's words, Fudge and the others hurriedly followed the Cornish pixie toward the castle.
On the way, they passed through the garden outside the castle. Fudge looked for a while at the plants planted in the garden.
Pumpkins, vegetable beds, and cabbage patches.
"A vegetable garden?"
"Mr. Dursley grows his own food too?"
'Ignorance really is frightening.'
Draco could not help rolling his eyes inwardly.
Highly destructive magical pumpkins, extremely aggressive Venomous Tentacula, and terrifying Chomping Cabbages, along with all kinds of obscure magical plants. In a certain sense, this was indeed a vegetable garden. It just happened to be a very dangerous one.
Although Fudge and his group were all adult wizards, their reserve of knowledge was not even equal to Neville's.
Not only had they failed to recognize the magical pumpkins and Venomous Tentacula, they had not even recognized the famous Chomping Cabbages.
They thought those were only ordinary vegetables Dudley had planted.
It was not only Fudge. The Ministry employees and Aurors beside him were the same.
In truth, this situation was quite normal. Not everyone was a top student.
Most students forgot much of what their teachers had taught them after graduation.
It was like many ordinary people. Their peak reserve of knowledge was in secondary school. Once they left, they forgot everything.
Aurors were wizards, and wizards were people.
If you did not believe it, try recalling chemical equations, mathematical formulas, the periodic table, or even old poems. See how much you still remember.
The Cornish pixie led Fudge and the others all the way into the castle and to the reception room.
Dudley, Hermione, Neville, and Harry Potter, whom Fudge had been thinking of day and night, were all here.
At this moment, they were enjoying an exquisite breakfast.
Buttermilk pancakes, fried bread, bacon rolls, and hot, fragrant meat pies.
x
x
x
If you're enjoying the story so far, consider supporting me on Patreon ❤️
You'll get weekly early access to chapters, along with some exclusive content:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheDevotedReader