''You sure are wasting a lot of time for someone who wants to become proficient in legilimency in two weeks,'' the disillusioned hat remarked sarcastically from the top of the boy''s head.


    ''Nobody said it would be easy,'' the hat sing-songed inside his head as an almost imperceptible crack resounded through the neighbourhood of Privet Drive, and a small man dressed in an old-fashioned muggle suit came out of a conveniently placed abandoned alleyway.


    "Hullo, professor," the boy greeted as Flitwick finished making his way over to his side of the street and waved once he''d gotten close enough.


    "Good day to you as well, Harry," the man said, putting a strong intonation to his use of the first name.


    Harry awkwardly chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. He listlessly waved his arms, pointing at his trunk. "I''m ready to go," he proclaimed.


    "Well, Filius. They already met you, and it turns out that being mature beyond one''s years also grants one certain privileges in the muggle world. I can look after myself," Harry said.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Stumbling to a stop and managing not to fall on his face, a great success, Harry righted himself, clutching his trunk like a lifeline, in the ministry atrium. He stepped forward off the platform, already hearing someone new arrive behind him.


    "So the Department of Mysteries is responsible for upkeeping the statute of secrecy?" Harry asked curiously.


    Harry wondered who exactly decided the direction of what the Department of Mysteries researched. Brains in vats, time-magic, the veil. The only semi-normal thing the department did was store the prophecies, from what he knew. "Who funds them, who decides their research direction, and in whose service are they contractually?" he asked, curious as to why exactly the department was working on time magic if it was such a forbidden topic.


    "All good questions," Filius said with a nod. "However, it''s not called the Department of Mysteries for no reason. They''re funded by the ministry, so taxes, essentially. I think they are generally trying to develop magic that would help society. However, that''s all I know."


    More likely, with the fact that portkeys were instantaneous and didn''t need a waiting time to refuel or anything, there was no need for any delays or larger groups.