A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 163: Eavesdropping

Chapter 163: Eavesdropping

The elevator descended rapidly, and after a brief darkness, Felix Harp caught a glimpse of the growing light beneath his feet.

A cacophony of noises reached his ears as they arrived at a vast underground structure.

Felix surveyed the patterns and murals on the arched ceiling.

Maxwell noticed his gaze. "We've adopted a new style – constellation patterns and some historical events. Have you seen that big sphere up there?" He pointed to the silver-white sphere hanging in the dome above, emitting a soft light that bathed the entire entrance hall as if it were daytime.

"It wasn't here before, thanks to the former Minister."

As the elevator reached the ground, Felix stepped out of the 'birdcage.' He looked around the circular hall, divided into two levels. He stood on the lower one, and in the center of the open space were several long desks, most of which were occupied. People hurriedly moved about, going to and fro.

The upper level was supported by columns and featured a railing along its edge. Felix saw someone standing by the balustrade, looking down from a height.

"The architecture here is laid out horizontally?" Felix inquired.

"What? Oh, yes, it is. Similar to a spider's web, and we're standing at the center of the web." Maxwell explained. "Quite different from the British Ministry of Magic. I heard you've bored through more than ten levels downward?"

"To my knowledge, it's ten levels," Felix replied.

Next, Maxwell led Felix out of the entrance hall and down a wide corridor to a small office. A piece of paper was affixed above it – Temporary Registration Point No. 2.

"I brought you here directly to save you from queuing at the front desk. It's always a long line," Maxwell pushed the door open. "Good afternoon, Willie. I'm bringing a friend for registration, attending the Muggle Studies conference."

A wizard with light-colored hair raised his head. "Of course... so many newcomers recently, I don't even have leisure time." He suddenly looked at Felix. "Do you enjoy Exploding Snap?"

Impatiently interrupting him, Maxwell said, "Willie, we're short on time. We still need to go to the hotel later. Just the thought of that American woman gets on my nerves."

"Ha! But you follow her orders, don't you?" The wizard named Willie registered Felix's wand while handing over a form. "Just fill it out casually. Mainly name, country, and purpose of visit."

Maxwell's stubble twitched. "I follow the Minister's orders."

Felix quickly filled in the basic information on the form, ignoring the section about magical expertise. When he handed it to Willie, the wizard didn't even look at it before tucking it into a drawer. He then turned to Maxwell with a gleeful grin. "But you do obey her, don't you? Has that woman had you doing servant's work?"

Maxwell responded with a rude gesture.

As they left the office, Maxwell explained, "This conference was applied for by the American Magical Congress to the International Confederation of Wizards. After the committee's unanimous approval, we were assigned to host it."

"Why not hold it in the United States?"

"They insisted on it. Who knows what they're thinking?" Maxwell clearly didn't want to delve further into the topic. Felix speculated that it might have to do with the woman he referred to.

The two arrived at a fireplace. "We'll travel through the Floo Network, a temporarily set-up connection. Bursley's Hotel, remember? Please, after you."

Felix grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, and amidst the emerald flames, he called out clearly, "Bursley's Hotel." His figure vanished.

Stepping out of the fireplace, Felix found the hotel's interior adorned predominantly in red and gold. The most conspicuous elements were the red carpets and the golden pillars, which reminded Felix of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts.

He couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Soon, Maxwell appeared from the fireplace, ushering Felix Harp into a room before hastily departing.

Felix pushed the door open. The furnishings inside were simple. After casting protective charms, he began to explore the hotel.

The hotel had a total of seven floors. Felix strolled to the first floor, exchanged a few words with the front desk attendant, and quickly surmised that it was a Muggle hotel, located in quite a remote area.

"Your travel group is quite peculiar. Visitors flock here in autumn for the flowers and scenery. Now, everything around is bare..."

"And once you're in, they don't allow us to clean the rooms and have all sorts of odd demands."

Felix made a few casual responses. He didn't know the details of the negotiations with the French Ministry of Magic and didn't wish to elaborate further.

Two men stood by the entrance, one hand casually resting in their pockets. Their demeanor was quite similar to Maxwell's, and Felix guessed they were Ministry guards.

Felix inquired with the attendant whether a guest named "Caridy Bubaji" had arrived. After checking the guest list, the attendant replied, "No, her room is 203, and it's still vacant. We cleaned it just this morning."

After a polite thank-you, Felix began ascending from the first floor, inspecting for traces of dark magic.

He encountered several wizards from different countries along the way, all invited experts. Felix exchanged a few words with them. Despite the language barrier with some, most were friendly.

On the fourth floor, he discovered a massive auditorium with hundreds of seats.

"It seems the conference will be held here."

The fifth and sixth floors were empty, but Felix went through them one by one until he reached the seventh floor, where he heard some noise.

"Have I really stumbled upon something? Or is it just hotel staff?"

Felix's figure gradually melded into the surroundings. His footsteps were nearly inaudible. Finally, at the door of room 705, he stopped.

The voices inside were soft, but Felix used a charm to make the wall softer where his wand touched it. He could hear the conversation clearly –

"Still no luck with the list?" It was a woman's voice.

"No, he's stubborn." A deep male voice responded.

"Can't you just—?" The woman's voice suddenly halted, as if silenced by a spell.

"You've recognized the problem too. We can't use force, at least I refuse to."

The woman muttered something under her breath.

After a pause that felt quite prolonged, just as Felix thought the conversation was over, the man said despondently, "This is an utter disaster."

Footsteps followed. Felix swiftly withdrew.

Inside the room, he pondered the incidental information he had acquired.

It seemed that one of the attackers from the previous incident had been caught. Based on their conversation, the attacker's identity was still quite special, which made them cautious.

Was it a relative of some official?

Felix suddenly felt that the Galleons he had spent weren't worth it – the information he gained was less valuable than what he had overheard standing by the door.

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