The Alchemy Room proved to be a treasure trove for Alan. He often stayed there all day and night, either lying on the floor or leaning against the walls to observe the magical patterns of the rune array inch by inch. This exhausted the two Ministry staff members supervising him. In their eyes, Alan was simply too dedicated; he never rested, often working until midnight. However, it was precisely because of their reports that Minister Bagnold and other high-ranking officials trusted Alan even more.
On the fifth day of his inspection, the Portkey detection device finally returned to normal. Once activated, any wizard in Britain using a Portkey could be monitored by the array. After repairing this section, Alan understood why the Ministry had kept the function disabled for so long: the magic power consumed by monitoring Portkeys was immense, comparable to the energy consumption of the standard magic monitoring function. This meant the Alchemy Room's energy requirements had instantly doubled.
Moreover, while studying the array, Alan discovered that in addition to monitoring Portkeys, the room could actually monitor Apparition. Of course, if this function were also activated, the energy consumption would not just double; it would likely consume several times the power, which the Ministry's current reserves could not sustain long-term.
Using the excuse of inspecting the array, Alan took the opportunity to visit the Ministry's Magic Power Storage Room for a brief study. This area was in the core of the Ministry, guarded by Golems and Aurors at both the entrance and interior. When he entered, he was warned that he could only look and must not perform any form of spellcasting; otherwise, he would be treated as an enemy.
Alan only wanted to observe, so he briefly inspected the area with a magnifying glass. Fortunately, the structure of the Ministry's magic power source was not overly complex. During his observation, he found that the source was similar to Hogwarts', absorbing and storing diffused magical energy. When wizards from various departments cast spells, when Aurors trained, and even from the magical creatures or items kept within the building, excess magic power dissipated. The array connected to the entire Ministry absorbed and stored this energy for use.
The amount of power stored each day was astonishing; there was a considerable surplus even after supplying the Ministry's needs. Alan had anticipated this, as the principle at Hogwarts was similar. If a school with only a few hundred children could sustain itself, the power produced by hundreds of adult wizards was even more impressive.
However, while studying the consumption rates, Alan specifically recorded the outflow of magic. He found that the consumption of each floor was different. The first, second, and tenth floors had the lowest consumption—hardly surprising, as those housed the Minister's Office, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and the courtroom. Surprisingly, the highest energy consumption was not the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, but the Department of Mysteries on the ninth level.
Its consumption accounted for almost one-third of the Ministry's daily power, and it was also the place with the highest output. This discovery greatly surprised Alan. He had heard of this mysterious department; its secrecy was absolute. Even Moody knew very little, only that its guardians were a group of Unspeakables. The discovery piqued Alan's interest, but given its significance to the Ministry, he did not want to risk an unauthorized investigation. For now, he suppressed his curiosity.
Just as Alan finished his maintenance of the Alchemy Room, Minister Bagnold found him. His trip to Azkaban had been approved.
"Alan, the observing officials gave extremely high praise for your work. I haven't even had a chance to thank you yet," Bagnold said, her mood joyous.
*Extremely high praise? I think they didn't understand a thing and just wanted to look good,* Alan thought, but his expression remained humble.
"It is only what I should do. I have provided the future maintenance methods, and I presume you have received them as well. As long as the room is properly maintained, it can operate normally for over a hundred years."
"It would be wonderful if it could truly achieve that," Minister Bagnold nodded in satisfaction, then looked at him seriously. "Next, you will stay close to me. Although your application to visit Azkaban has been approved, I must accompany you throughout the entire process, including your meeting with Sirius. I will be monitoring everything. I will not interrupt, and I hope you understand."
"This is only right. However, during the meeting, it would be best if you concealed yourself with a Disillusionment Charm. I'm not sure if Sirius will speak if someone else is present," Alan agreed.
"No problem," Bagnold assented. Their main goal was to get Sirius Black to talk, regardless of his innocence. "By the way, do you know the Patronus Charm? Azkaban is not a safe place; Dementors don't care if you're a criminal."
"Don't worry. Although I'm not a master of it, casting it normally is no problem." Alan could perform a standard corporal Patronus, which was more than enough to defend against Dementors.
"Haha, even the Aurors in the Ministry can't all cast a Patronus normally. You are too modest. Sometimes, I truly envy Dumbledore for having a student like you. Do you seriously not consider joining the Ministry directly after graduation? I am willing to make you my assistant, or even promise you a captain's position in Auror Command."
Minister Bagnold looked at Alan with admiration; it was clearly not the first time she had made such an offer.