The elevator arrived promptly. With the sound of bells and clicks, the golden door in front of Percy opened smoothly, and a force from behind pushed him into the elevator. Soon, a large number of wizards entered and crowded Percy against the elevator wall.
"Couldn't they apply an Undetectable Extension Charm to this thing?" Bob, the wizard with the unkempt beard, complained because there were too many people, and his box in front of him stuck even closer to his body, making him feel uncomfortable.
The wizards around nodded and muttered in agreement.
When the elevator was full and could no longer accommodate more people, the grille door clicked shut. With the sound of the chain, the elevator rose slowly and then stopped. Then, a cold female voice echoed:
"Seventh floor, Department of Magical Sports and Games, including the Official Headquarters of the British and Irish Quidditch League, Office of Comic Product Patents."
The elevator door opened with a squeak, and several wizards struggled to make their way out. The space inside the elevator became slightly more spacious.
The elevator continued to rise and reached the sixth floor. Since the Ministry of Magic was built underground, the floors decreased in number. The main hall Percy first entered was on the eighth floor, and below were the Department of Mysteries and the Wizengamot Trial Chamber. The elevator continued to rise and would finally reach the first floor, where the Minister of Magic's office and the Logistics Services were located. The International Magical Cooperation Office, which Percy was heading to, was on the fifth floor.
The elevator briefly stopped on the Department of Magical Transportation; some wizards exited, and several paper planes entered. All the paper planes were the same color, a light purple shade, and bore the Ministry of Magic seal on their wings.
Percy knew these were messages sent between departments. When his father started working, messages were still sent with owls, resulting in the entire Ministry of Magic being filled with owl droppings.
Looking at the paper planes flying peacefully over his head and then at himself, immaculately dressed, Percy thought this reform was truly splendid.
"Fifth floor, International Magical Cooperation Office, including the International Magic Trade Association, the International Magical Law Office, and the British Branch of the International Confederation of Wizards."
"Excuse me, please!" Percy strained to get out. In front of him, there was a clean and orderly corridor, without unnecessary decorations. The floor was as shiny as a mirror, giving a refreshing feeling.
Remembering the corridor of the Department of Magical Sports and Games that looked like a nightclub, Percy thought he had made the right choice by choosing this place.
Before, under the guidance of a kind witch, Percy had applied for several positions, and finally, the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, the Department of Magical Transportation, and the International Magical Cooperation Office showed interest in him. After careful consideration, Percy chose the International Magical Cooperation Office.
At that moment, a figure appeared at the end of the corridor.
"Are you Percy Weasley, the new assistant to the department head?" The approaching woman was a witch with an elegant appearance. Her appearance didn't seem like that of a witch but rather that of an office executive. She had short hair and wore black-framed glasses. Her witch's robe was clearly modified, not as loose as the robes of other wizards, making it easier to wear in daily life.
After receiving an affirmative answer from Percy, the witch looked at him strangely and said, "Very well, follow me. Mr. Crouch wants to see you."
Percy became nervous and straightened his collar. It didn't surprise him that the department head, Mr. Crouch, wanted to see him. After all, he was his assistant, even if only a small character responsible for filing documents. However, it was appropriate to meet at least once.
The elegant witch led Percy to the end of the hallway.
"Mr. Crouch loves cleanliness and order, so the atmosphere in our department is the best in the entire Ministry. Everything must be in its place and perfectly organized." They passed by a window, and the bright sunlight illuminated Percy's face.
Percy knew that even underground, the lighting in the Ministry of Magic was unaffected as these windows were enchanted. The weather seen through them was determined by the Department of Magical Maintenance and Repair; if this department wanted a raise, the Ministry of Magic would likely have an extended period of bad weather.
They turned a corner and came upon two large oak doors. At the top of the doors, with decorative lettering, it read "International Magical Cooperation Office." Passing through the doors, Percy entered an open area divided into many small cubicles, where each person was hunched over their desk, silently busy. The only sound in the area was the scratching of quills on parchment and the rustling of documents being moved. It was as if Percy had entered an examination hall rather than an office area.
Occasionally, several notes would fly out from the cubicles and be handed to nearby colleagues, bearing written messages.
Percy saw a sign in one small cubicle that read "International Magic Trade Association" in very neat typography.
This scene deeply impacted Percy, who felt there was no place in the world more perfect than this, where rule and order manifested.
As he passed by the cubicles, Percy sneakily glanced into one of them and saw a wizard sitting at his desk, writing something on a note. There were stacks of perfectly organized documents on his desk.
"He must be busy with something very important!" Percy thought to himself.
However, if Percy had seen what he was writing, he would have been astonished. In the wizard's note, it was written in large letters: "Joey, want to grab lunch at noon?"
Most of the notes in this office had similar content or were about bureaucratic processes: here, someone needed to sign, there, someone had to submit an application.
Even the wizards in this office apparently busy were indeed busy, but as for the amount of work they really did...
Don't ask, don't ask. Everyone is working very hard!
Of course, Percy, as a newcomer, didn't know this truth. The witch guiding him, even if she did, had no intention of revealing this tacit secret.
And all of this originated from Mr. Crouch, who liked to follow rules and was very busy.
Percy and the witch crossed this office area and went through several hallways and similar areas until they reached a wooden door, where a plaque on the door indicated it was Mr. Crouch's office.