On July 18th, Richard, accompanied by Nymphadora, arrived at the Ministry of Magic by midday. Instead of one elderly wizard, two burly wizards in the dark blue robes of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement were stationed at the entrance. There was no wand weighing; instead, a thorough search was conducted.
Richie was a little surprised by the increased security, but he took it in stride. These mages were nowhere near Her Majesty's guards. They didn't even ask him to remove his belt; they simply waved some kind of retractable antenna-like artifact along his body and then let him in.
After overcoming numerous obstacles, Richard finally found himself in the minister's office. Nymphadora remained in the secretary's office, which led into the minister's domain.
It was a cozy, rectangular office. Opposite the entrance stood a fireplace with an engraving on the stone, depicting a horizontally positioned, modified figure eight and a surrounding ornament of rune-like symbols. Above the fireplace, there was nothing of note except a mirror in the shape of an elongated semi-oval. In the center of the room stood a large, round, antique table, engraved with the Ministry's emblem. The emblem was a circle with a huge black "M" inscribed in the center. The center of the circle was lacquered yellow, and around the edge was a wide black band bearing the inscription "MINISTRY OF MAGIC" in gold letters.
In addition, the minister's office had room for a desk: large, massive, and antique, almost identical to the one in Rich Sr.'s office at Eaton Hall. The comfortable chair was befitting a man holding such an important position: luxurious, upholstered in burgundy leather.
The slightly worn burgundy carpet softened his steps, and the intricate mirrors in the corner of the office spun chaotically. But as soon as Richard stepped onto the carpet, the mirrors stopped spinning.
Millicent Bagnold looked up from her study of a stack of parchments. She was wearing a lime-green, off-the-shoulder dress with a plunging neckline. The newly appointed minister's appearance left much to be desired. Dark circles under her eyes and pale skin suggested she hadn't slept all night.
"Richard, it's you," the minister said wearily.
"Good afternoon, Millicent," Rich said with a polite bow. "Please forgive me if I'm at the wrong time."
"No, no," Bagnold shook her head wearily. "Sit down."
"Is something wrong?" Richard asked politely. "I don't mean to say anything bad, you always look great, but right now I would recommend you see a doctor."
"A sleepless night..." the minister drawled, then straightened her back with a crunch and leaned back in her chair. "Oh, my back's sore... We've had an emergency..."
Richard, who had settled into a comfortable visitor's chair, sat up abruptly. The first thing that came to mind was the problem of the wizard threatening the planet.
"What happened?" he asked anxiously.
"An escape from Azkaban," Bagnold replied. "A dangerous wizard has escaped-Sirius Black."
Richie narrowed his eyes and asked:
- Ma'am, is this by any chance the same Black who was Riddle's closest supporter?
"He's the one..." a heavy sigh escaped the minister's chest.
"How did this happen?" Richie was perplexed. "I heard that escaping from Azkaban was considered impossible."
"Black is a powerful wizard," the minister replied.
"So you don't know," Richard stated. "What do we even know?"
"The escape happened the day before yesterday," Bagnold said. "We're trying to keep it a secret for now, but I sincerely fear it won't last. Dumbledore has already come to me and asked what I plan to do about it."
"How does he know about the escape?" Richie asked suspiciously.
"Richard..." Millicent straightened her shoulders and tried to adjust them more comfortably against the back of the chair. A cracking sound came from her back. "Dumbledore has spies everywhere: in the Ministry, the Wizengamot, the Aurors, and even among the wizarding underworld. Don't underestimate him."
"I see," Richie thoughtfully ran his hand over his chin. "Since there haven't been any escapes from Azkaban before, I suppose Black must have had help. In that case, someone high up must have been involved, or the prison guards must have been bribed."
The minister's expression was extremely thoughtful. She closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then looked closely at Richard and said:
- A similar theory was put forward in the DMP. The guards can be ruled out. The entire Azkaban guard was interrogated using a Truth Potion after the prisoner's escape. But a high-ranking official...
"Do you have a guess?" Richard asked.
Millicent's red hair fell loosely over the back of the chair. She leaned forward with a disgruntled expression and adjusted her hair, but another crunch in her back made her give up and settle back into a comfortable position. The minister continued:
"I believe this is Scrimgeour's doing, but there is no evidence."