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BS - Chapter 69: Where Have You Been?
🕑 Added 2025-09-03 10:36:09 +0000 UTCDisclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
“Dialogue”
‘Thoughts’
-Author notes-
Chapter 69: Where Have You Been?
Harry arrived at a fancy-looking room and found himself quickly surrounded by elegantly dressed people.
“This way, please.” Men dressed in black suits were signaling them to approach.
“We need to keep the arrivals area as clear as possible. Follow me, please.”
It didn’t take Harry long to figure out in which part of the Ministry he was now. He had acquired and studied as many books about the Ministry of Magic as he could get his hands on.
By now, he had memorized the entire layout of the building, or at least the parts that were disclosed to the public. Places like the Department of Mysteries or the Auror Department were still mostly unknown to him.
Right now, he was in one of the only two landing areas prepared for Portkey arrivals during events. By the pictures he had seen, this was the west one.
The men dressed in black suits were ensuring the area was kept as clear of people as possible to avoid any incidents.
Harry stood close to the nearest group, and they were guided to the main party hall, where the event would take place.
‘The event hall is on the third floor.’ He thought about it for a moment.
The Ministry had seven underground floors in total. The first one is the closest to the surface. That’s where most of the administrative offices were located.
The second floor contained office departments.
The third floor, where he was right now, had most of the rooms dedicated to parties and events, as well as several VIP rooms reserved for important visitors.
The fourth floor had most of the Auror Department, as well as the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.
The fifth floor was his target. That was the one containing several libraries and museums. All of them were well guarded...and that’s why they had placed them beneath the Auror Department.
Sixth and Seventh were normally not accessible to the public, as they contained the Wizengamot, holding cells, interrogation rooms, and finally, the Department of Mysteries, where the Ministry hid their most important secrets.
One day, he would like to take a good look at that last department, but for tonight, his only focus was going to be on the Museum of Dark Arts.
‘Visiting hours are over, so I’m going to need some help from someone with a high clearance.’ Harry already had someone specific in mind.
“Harry, over here!” Susan waved at him the moment she spotted him entering the hall.
Harry walked over. “Greetings, Susan. You look very lovely tonight.” He had studied the current customs for the wizard nobility, so he was aware of how to act.
To be fair, things weren’t all that different from his era in this regard. The magical world had barely evolved in the past five centuries.
The redhead girl blushed. “Thank you. And you look very elegant.” She stared closely at his face. “You are wearing your glasses again?”
“Oh, these? It’s just temporary, as I finish some business,” Harry responded.
“Business?” Susan looked confused for a moment, but just as she was about to say something else, an older woman walked behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Susan, dear. Is this?…” The woman was now staring at Harry.
He could see the similarities between her and Susan with just a quick inspection, which told him the only possible identity for this person… Amelia Bones.
She and Susan were the last surviving members of that ancient noble house.
Harry had recently been learning about the most important magical houses in the country, as it was important to know what he was going against, or even which houses could make for useful servants.
Susan turned to look at her aunt and smiled. “This is my date. I told you about him. Harry Potter!”
Her volume was loud enough to be heard by everyone nearby, making several individuals turn to look at them with curiosity.
The name of Harry Potter had been circulating a lot recently, sparking a lot of renewed interest in the Boy Who Lived.
“Harry Potter…” Amelia got closer to him. “Young man, do you have any idea how much panic you have been causing for the past three weeks? Where have you been?”
“Aunt Amelia, not now…” Susan tugged at her aunt’s robes.
“I would just like a quick explanation, that is all. I think that as one of the people made responsible for finding him…” She glanced at Harry. “I deserve that much. Surely, you know what I’m talking about.”
“I certainly do not.” Harry feigned complete ignorance. My family and I have been spending the last few weeks with my uncle Vernon’s cousins, who live in the countryside. Who exactly was trying to find me?. Usually, I'm left alone during the summers.”
“You really don’t know?… You were all over the papers like a dozen times,” Susan said.
“My aunt and uncle don’t allow me to receive any magical newspapers. They aren’t exactly fond of anything… magical,” Harry explained.
Amelia frowned. She had heard about that, but didn’t think it would be this bad. “Oh dear… You don’t know then.”
“Your house blew up.” Susan just went and said it.
“Susan!” She was quickly scolded by her aunt. “Have more tact.”
“Sorry…” Susan lowered her head.
“It’s okay. I did hear about that. We were told by the authorities about a gas leakage in one of the pipes and how it had caused an explosion. We were very lucky to have been away, but my uncle was extremely upset about it.” Harry told them.
“A gas leak… right.” Amelia knew for a fact that the cause of the explosion had been magical in nature, but she wasn’t surprised if that had been what his Muggle family had been told.
“Was it not?” Harry asked.
Amelia looked around. They had gathered the attention of many of the guests. “Let’s talk about this after the party, okay? Promise me that you won’t leave without telling me.”
“Of course, Madam Bones,” Harry responded politely.
She nodded with satisfaction. “Good boy. Now you two have fun at the party. I have some business to attend to now.”
“Okay, Aunt.” Susan waved her goodbye before offering her hand to Harry. “Shall we?”
Harry gladly accepted her hand.
Susan now had a bright smile on her face. “Come on, I want to introduce you to my friend Hannah and her date.”
