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*****
"Being a year younger isn't such a big deal. Learning magic is what's most important," George thought to himself as he set the newspaper aside and continued eating.
He had been wondering which house he might be sorted into during the Sorting Ceremony. He figured that Gryffindor was the most likely option.
Gryffindor valued courage, and George considered himself quite brave. After all, just yesterday, right after occupying this body, he had successfully executed a plan to take down an old dark wizard.
"Good morning, Dora—oh wait, I should call you by your new name, George!"
The shop's door swung open as a young, energetic witch stepped inside. It was none other than the Auror, Tonks, from the previous day.
"Good morning, Miss Tonks," George greeted with a smile, setting down the egg pancake he had been eating.
Tonks casually sat across from him and ruffled his hair with a playful grin.
"No need to be so formal. You can think of me as your sister from now on."
George helplessly tidied his now messy hair but didn't reject her friendly gesture. Instead, he brought out a second breakfast he'd prepared in advance.
"I made an extra portion this morning. Why don't you join me?"
"How did you know I hadn't eaten yet? Oh, what's this? It's delicious!" Tonks exclaimed as she took a bite of the rolled egg pancake. Her eyes lit up in surprise at the soft dough wrapped around vegetables and sausage—it had a unique and delightful flavor.
Tonks was terrible at cooking and never bothered to make breakfast. Usually, she'd grab something quick or skip the meal altogether, opting to eat more at lunch.
While there were various cooking spells in the magical world, they still required a basic understanding of cooking. Magic could help speed things up, but if you couldn't cook, using those spells would result in food flying around the kitchen—and the end product would be just as awful as your regular attempts.
This was true for all household spells: you needed to know how to do the chores before magic could help you do them efficiently.
"It's called an egg pancake," George explained. "It's made from eggs and flour, with fillings like green pepper and carrot strips."
He had no way of knowing if Tonks had eaten yet, but he figured preparing an extra meal in advance would leave a good impression regardless.
"Who would've thought you're such a good cook! I bet you'll be sorted into Hufflepuff," Tonks said, giving him a thumbs-up, which made George pause for a moment.
"Could I really end up in Hufflepuff?"
He shook his head with a chuckle. If it was Hufflepuff, so be it. While he preferred Gryffindor, he believed that whichever house he ended up in would have its advantages and disadvantages.
Still, he thought it was less likely he'd be placed in Hufflepuff.
Many wizards who graduated from Hufflepuff ended up in the culinary industry, but their house's reputation wasn't based on cooking skills. It was known for valuing honesty, loyalty, and hard work.
Perhaps many Hufflepuff students chose careers in food because their dormitory was close to the kitchen, and they picked up a thing or two over time.
As for those qualities? Aside from the last one, George didn't think he embodied any of them particularly well.
After finishing breakfast, George followed Tonks as they began the process of handling the paperwork to inherit his new assets. Their first destination was the famous Ministry of Magic.
"Hold onto my arm. It might feel a bit uncomfortable for a moment, but bear with it—it'll pass quickly," Tonks said, gently placing George's hand on her arm before she began casting a spell.
"Apparition!"
With a faint popping sound, both Tonks and George vanished from the spot.
Since Knockturn Alley wasn't too far from the Ministry of Magic, Tonks chose to Apparate them directly, sparing them the hassle of using Floo Powder.
"No wonder not every witch or wizard likes using Apparition to travel," George thought to himself. As soon as they Apparated, he felt as though he had been plunged into darkness. The air pressed in from all sides, squeezing him so tightly that he almost couldn't breathe.
It felt like several iron bands were clamped around his chest, his eyeballs being pushed back into his skull, and his eardrums pressed deep inside his head.
In short, it was an uncomfortable, disorienting experience.
But, fortunately, it was over in just a second or two, and soon enough, he saw light again.
"The first time is always rough, but you'll get used to it eventually," Tonks chuckled as her voice reached his ears.
"Come on, let's get you registered," she added, pulling him along toward the central reception desk in the Ministry's grand hall.
As they walked, George couldn't help but marvel at his surroundings.
"It's really quite magnificent," he muttered in awe.
The floor was polished dark wood that gleamed underfoot. Above, the peacock-blue ceiling was embedded with shimmering golden symbols, constantly shifting and changing, like a massive celestial bulletin board high above their heads.
Both sides of the hall were lined with golden fireplaces, where witches and wizards dressed in various outfits were stepping in and out.
In the center of the hall was a magical fountain featuring five statues: a dashing male wizard raising his wand, a beautiful witch, and surrounding them were a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf.
The centaur, goblin, and house-elf gazed up at the wizard and witch with expressions of boundless admiration, seemingly representing some deeper symbolic meaning.
Of course, that wasn't the main point. What really caught George's attention was that these statues, which appeared two to three times larger than life, were actually made of solid gold.
"Daily Prophet! Get your Daily Prophet, ladies and gentlemen!" A wizard near the fountain was hawking newspapers.
By noon, after a long four hours, George had finally completed all the necessary paperwork to inherit his assets. Tonks once again Apparated them back to the shop.
"No wonder Voldemort took them down so easily—it's all just a fancy facade," George remarked, voicing his frustration with the Ministry of Magic.
The Ministry looked grand and opulent on the outside, but the wizards working within were lethargic, inefficient, and thoroughly corrupt. Without Tonks guiding him through the process, George doubted he would have been able to complete the inheritance procedures at all.
Still, the day wasn't entirely without its perks. At least he had seen many interesting things within the Ministry.
There were various magical items empowered by alchemy, as well as some convenient minor spells distributed to facilitate government work.
All in all, it was an eye-opening experience.
It also made him realize that while magic in the Harry Potter world might not often exhibit large-scale destructive power, it didn't mean it was weak.
In some ways, magic here could be even more dangerous and terrifying, especially since much of it was driven by intent. It wasn't just raw destructive force that determined its potency.
(End of Chapter)