While Lewis was freely experimenting with his new Wild Shape in Ottery St. Catchpole, a debate concerning him was taking place at the Ministry of Magic.
"This is a First Class Order of Merlin, Madam Proudmoore—the highest honor we can award. Do we even have precedent for this? We've certainly seen incidents where magical creatures threatened Muggles, but awarding a First Class Order for such a case… isn't that excessive?" asked the chairman of the Wizengamot's Order of Merlin Award Committee during his discussion with the applicant, Jaina.
"Of course we have precedent—and quite a few examples," Jaina replied calmly. She had come fully prepared, as always, with documents already at hand.
"The most well-known is the Ilfracombe Incident, a major case in Ministry history."
"It happened in 1932. A rogue Welsh Green dragon attacked a group of sunbathers in Ilfracombe, Devon. The Toke family, who were vacationing there, prevented casualties and cast one of the largest-scale Memory Charms of the century."
"As a result, the entire family was awarded the First Class Order of Merlin by then-Minister Hector Fawley."
"Twenty-five years later, Norvel Twonk also received a First Class Order, although he saved fewer people—he rescued a Muggle child from a Manticore but died from his injuries."
"If you'd like, I can list more examples. Awarding wizards who save Muggles from magical creatures has always been our tradition, hasn't it?"
"But this is First Class, not Second or Third…" the chairman insisted, still reluctant. Even the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, looked uncertain.
"But this was a Chimera."
Jaina immediately pressed her second argument.
"I don't need to explain how dangerous that creature is. If it had been allowed to rampage on that beach, how many Muggles would have died? What kind of chaos would have followed? We might even have lost Aurors."
Fudge nodded repeatedly.
According to Tonks' report, Lewis had not sought out the Chimera, nor had he provoked the smuggler into releasing it. In the Ministry's official record, Lewis and Ciri had simply been strolling along the coast when a dark wizard attempted to unleash a magical creature on Muggles—forcing them to act.
"That's practically a suicidal situation."
"But Lewis Green is different. He personally killed the Chimera—and walked away without a scratch. That's something no wizard has achieved in centuries."
"And most importantly, he belongs to the British magical community—and has close ties to the rising Auror Tonks."
Hearing this, Fudge nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, yes, killing a Chimera is extraordinary. From that perspective, a First Class Order is entirely justified. If you're worried about over-awarding, you can simply give his companion a Second Class Order."
Jaina wasn't surprised at all.
She understood Fudge perfectly.
To him, logic and reasoning mattered far less than symbolism.
And Lewis, being loosely connected to their side, was excellent for publicity.
A young British wizard single-handedly slaying a Chimera—a feat unmatched for thousands of years—trained within the British magical system.
It sounded fantastic.
With precedent established and the Minister's support secured, the chairman finally agreed to bring forward the proposal:
"To award Lewis Green the First Class Order of Merlin, and Cirilla Reanlun the Second Class Order of Merlin."
Within the committee, once a proposal was formally introduced, it was usually as good as approved. The rest was merely procedural.
Jaina relayed the news to Tonks, whose entire family was delighted.
Soon after, the Tonks family invited Lewis, Ciri, and Hermione to visit their home. They warmly accompanied them to purchase formal attire for the ceremony.
If Lewis hadn't insisted he could afford it, they would have paid for everything themselves.
In their eyes, Lewis and Ciri were children without guardians. It was their duty to guide them through high society—something Andromeda Tonks, a former member of the Black family, was more than qualified to do.
The day of the ceremony arrived quickly.
The Tonks family personally escorted the three to the Ministry via Apparition.
However, instead of appearing inside the Ministry, they arrived on a bleak little street.
There were only a few shabby offices, a small pub, and an overflowing dumpster nearby.
It was hard to believe that the Ministry entrance was here.
"We've arrived," Mrs. Tonks explained. "Don't worry—this is near Westminster in London. The entrance is placed here to avoid Muggle attention."
"In fact, the Ministry is located beneath Whitehall, the center of the British government."
"Normally, we could use the Floo Network," Tonks added as she led the way, "but today we're attending a ceremony, so we'll use the visitor entrance… here."
She pointed to an old red telephone booth, missing several panes of glass and backed against a graffiti-covered wall.
Though it looked cramped, it had been expanded with an Undetectable Extension Charm, making the interior surprisingly spacious.
Tonks stepped inside and dialed a number from memory.
As the rotary dial clicked back into place, a cold female voice filled the booth—not from the receiver, but as if it surrounded them.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."
"We're here for an award ceremony—six people in total," Tonks said. "Nymphadora Tonks, two family members, two award recipients, and one guest."
"Thank you," the voice replied. "Visitors, please take your badges and attach them to your clothing."
A silver badge slid out of the coin slot. Tonks pinned it to her chest.
The voice continued, "Visitors to the Ministry must undergo security screening and register their wands. The checkpoint is located at the end of the Atrium."
Suddenly, the floor of the booth trembled.
They began descending like a Muggle elevator.
Darkness swallowed them, accompanied only by the grinding sound of movement.
Then, bright light flooded in.
They had arrived.
"We hope you enjoy your visit to the Ministry of Magic," the voice said.
The door swung open.
One by one, they stepped out.
For the first time, the three young wizards beheld the grandeur of the Ministry of Magic.
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