"A younger class, so what? Learning magic is what matters most," George thought as he finished his breakfast and set aside his newspaper.
He'd actually considered which house he'd be sorted into during the sorting ceremony. He figured it was most likely Gryffindor. Gryffindor values courage, and he considered himself quite brave. He'd just taken possession of this clone yesterday, and he'd already devised a plan to successfully eliminate an old wizard.
"Good morning, Dora, or rather, your new name, George!"
The door to the shop opened, and a young, energetic female wizard stepped in. It was none other than the Auror Tonks from yesterday.
"Good morning, Miss Tonks," George said, putting down his omelet and greeting her with a smile.
Tonks unceremoniously sat down across from George and tousled his hair. "Don't be so distant. Just think of me as your sister from now on."
George reluctantly smoothed his messed-up hair. He didn't refuse Tonks's advances and brought out a second breakfast he'd prepared in advance.
"I made an extra this morning. Let's share."
"How did you know I didn't have breakfast? Hmm, what is this? It tastes delicious!"
Tonks' eyes lit up as she tasted the rolled-up omelet on the plate. The soft dough, filled with vegetables and sausage, had a unique flavor. Her cooking skills were terrible, so she never made breakfast. She usually just bought something to make do or simply skipped breakfast and ate lunch together.
While there were various cooking spells in magic, they required the ability to cook. Using cooking magic to save time and quickly create delicious dishes was a prerequisite. If you don't know how to cook, even if you used cooking magic, the ingredients and utensils would be flying everywhere, and the resulting food would still be terrible. It's the same principle as various household magics: knowing how to do chores is key to using them effectively.
"It's called an omelet. It's made with eggs and flour, and the vegetables inside are shredded green peppers and carrots," George briefly explained his breakfast.
He didn't know if Tonks had breakfast, but preparing it in advance, regardless of whether she ate or not, would improve her favorability.
"I didn't expect you to be such a good cook. I think you'll definitely be sorted into Hufflepuff when they sort."
Although she didn't fully understand George's introduction, Tonks gave him a thumbs-up, which surprised George for a moment.
"I'm not really going to Hufflepuff, am I?"
He then shook his head. It didn't really matter if it was Hufflepuff; he personally preferred Gryffindor, but he felt there were pros and cons to being sorted into any house. He just thought Hufflepuff was less likely. Many wizards who graduated from Hufflepuff chose to work in the catering industry, but the hallmark of this wasn't cooking skills, but integrity, loyalty, honesty, and a fearlessness of hardship. Choosing the catering industry likely stemmed from their dormitories being close to the kitchen, where they were exposed to it. With the exception of the last of these qualities, he didn't seem to possess much.
After breakfast, George, led by Tonks, began to handle the various procedures for inheriting his inheritance. Their first destination was the prestigious Ministry of Magic.
"Hold on to my arm. It might be a little uncomfortable for a moment, but bear with it and it will pass soon."
Tonks placed George's hand on her arm, gave him careful instructions, and then began to chant the spell.
"Apparition!"
A soft popping sound echoed, and Tonks and George vanished instantly. Knockturn Alley wasn't far from the Ministry of Magic, so she could Apparate George directly there without wasting Floo Powder.
"No wonder not all wizards prefer Apparating to get around."
George felt himself plunged into darkness, followed by a surge of air from all sides, nearly suffocating him. It felt like several iron hoops were squeezing his chest tightly, his eyeballs pushed back into his head, and his eardrums pressed deep into his skull. It was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. But it was brief, only a second or two, before he could see the light again.
"It'll be a little uncomfortable the first time, but you'll get used to it," Tonks's giggles reached his ears. "Come on, I'll take you to check in."
With that, George was led towards the reception desk in the center of the hall, and he looked around curiously.
"It's truly magnificent," he exclaimed after a moment.
The floor was polished to a brilliant shine, and the peacock-blue ceiling was inlaid with gleaming golden symbols, constantly moving and changing, like a giant, sky-high bulletin board. Gilded fireplaces lined the walls on either side, and wizards in various costumes scurried in and out of them. In the center of the hall stood a magical fountain, nestled within it five statues: a graceful wizard with his wand raised high, a beautiful witch, and centaurs, goblins, and house-elves surrounding them. The centaurs, goblins, and house-elves all gazed at the wizard and witch with adoration, as if carrying some special meaning. Of course, that wasn't the main point; the main point was that these five statues, seemingly two or three times larger than life, were made of pure gold.
"Daily Prophet, ladies and gentlemen, a copy of the Daily Prophet."
A wizard from the Daily Prophet was selling newspapers near the fountain. At noon, after four full hours, George finally completed all the inheritance paperwork and was apparated back to the shop by Tonks.
"Outwardly strong, but weak at heart. No wonder it was so easily destroyed by Voldemort," George complained about the Ministry of Magic.
The Ministry looked magnificent, but in reality, the wizards and witches working there were incredibly lazy, inefficient, and deeply corrupt. If it weren't for Tonks's guidance, he felt that inheriting the entire estate would have been quite a challenge. However, it wasn't all in vain. At least he saw a lot of interesting things in the Ministry. Various magical items imbued with magical powers through alchemy, as well as various interesting little spells developed for office convenience. It was a real eye-opener.
He also realized that while the magic in Harry Potter's world rarely had widespread destructive power and was mostly functional, that didn't necessarily mean it was weaker. In fact, in some ways, it was even more dangerous and terrifying. This was because much magic was subjective and couldn't be judged solely by its outward destructive power.
(End of Chapter)