The Greater Good [GrindelwaldxDumbledore]

~ Chapter Twenty One~ Ministerium für Magie

"Are we doing this or not?" Marcus gave him a pointed look, "we're not exactly inconspicuous here."

"Later," Albus placed his hand on Gellert's shoulder.

Gellert lost his voice to the warmth of Albus' hand. He nodded and marched back to the doorway hidden in the pavement. Pointing his wand at the crack in the slab of rock he cast Alohomora. The ground beneath his feet rumbled as the stone shuddered downward, the crack separating it into two distinct steps that joined into an existing staircase.

"Seems a bit simplistic," Finn said as he stepped forward to peek in. "One simple charm and anyone with a wand can find their way in."

"It is a secret staff entrance that not all the staff know about." Gellert grabbed his collar to stop him toppling in or trying to climb down ahead of everyone else. "It looks simple, but the entrance moves throughout the building and it would be easy for 'anyone' to end up in a trap or lost without hope of finding their way out."

Finn swallowed hard and took his place at the back of the crowd.

"I'll take the lead, if we are lucky this will take us close to the atrium and main staircase. If not then we could be in for an hour of negotiating the lesser-seen corners of this building. Apparently it knows when people are up to no good."

Albus chuckled, thinking to himself about the many corridors and passageways of Hogwarts. "But we are hoping to do good, so the building should be on our side."

"Rightly said..." Marcus looked to Albus.

"Albus Dumbledore."

"We can establish the pleasantries later, we need to focus right now." Gellert hopped down the staircase two steps at a time. His heart thrummed in his ears as he grasped the brass doorknob and pulled it open a crack. The smell of warm apple strudel made his mouth water. His stomach rumbled loudly. "We're in luck," he whispered, "It's the kitchen."

A few house elves busied themselves with the pots and pans in an overflowing sink of bubbles. The female in charge singing away as she scrubbed them into a mirror shine. Another stood beside her, his aged hands knobbled with age, he dried each item with an expression of love.

Gellert ducked low and used the worktops as cover. He resisted the temptation to run a finger through the cream or grab a serving of the pastry. His stomach threatened to give them away as if grumbled in protest. He signalled left and sprinted for the open door. 

His throat narrowed as he crossed the wide atrium. His footsteps sounded unnaturally loud on the marble floor. He hurried towards the glint of polished brass. The closer to the spiral staircase he got the slicker his palms became, his wand slipped an inch lower in his hand. 

He took the stairs as quickly as he dared, flying past the first floor of offices. Weezing and light-headed he stepped into the corridor.  "This is the level we want, boys and girls, all these offices are the higher ranking officials we need to hear our message. Finn and Hazel, you take the furthest corridor on the left, remember to stick to the offices, avoid storerooms. Marcus and Wilheim, the first on the left, Astrid and Jutta you take the first right."

"How many offices are there?" Matilda whispered as the gang split up, leaving her with Gellert and Albus.

"Between 200 and 300, depending on how many they need at any one time." Gellert took the lead and hurried to the last corridor on the right. The sound of locks doors creaking and drawers opening fuelled his anxiety. "You take the offices on the right side, you know what to do. Albus, stick with me."