- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 92
-MACUSA, Woolworth Building.-
As Leo stepped out of the Portkey office and looked up at the towering, hundred-story magical building, he couldn’t help but think to himself:
“This place looks even more impressive than the British Ministry of Magic.”
Before coming here, he had already researched some information about the Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA).
Unlike the British Ministry of Magic, which is located underground in a standalone building, MACUSA shares the Woolworth Building with ordinary people. The entrance to the building is a revolving door—Muggles who pass through it enter the regular Woolworth Building, while wizards and witches who pass through it enter MACUSA.
“Where to?”
Stepping into the magical elevator, a small, elderly goblin wearing a bowler hat and a suit asked Leo.
Goblins look very similar to house-elves, but their status in the wizarding world is entirely different. House-elves are considered slaves, while goblins, in contrast, hold a status nearly equal to that of wizards. They are skilled in metalworking, especially in crafting silverware, and are responsible for minting wizarding currency.
They even run Gringotts Wizarding Bank, which means they have significant control over the magical economy.
“The registration hall,” Leo replied politely.
The goblin nodded, raised his cane, and pressed the button marked “1.”
A few seconds later, the elevator doors opened, and Leo stepped into the registration hall on the first floor.
MACUSA’s architectural style was reminiscent of a cathedral, with a large portrait of Seraphina Picquery, the current president of MACUSA, hanging at the entrance.
The corridors were more spacious and cleaner than those in the British Ministry of Magic, with enchanted brooms and mops constantly at work, keeping the place spotless. Golden metal eagles soared gracefully through the air.
The wizards seemed to have a leisurely demeanor, many sitting on benches reading newspapers or chatting.
Perhaps due to the recent unrest in America, there weren’t many foreign wizards registering today, so Leo didn’t have to wait in line to complete the registration process.
“You’re a wizard from Britain, so you might not know this, but in the U.S., wizards must carry a wand permit. You’ll need to go to the Wand Permit Office to get one before you leave.”
The witch handling Leo’s registration informed him after completing his paperwork.
Leo wasn’t surprised by this and simply nodded before heading back to the magical elevator.
Obtaining a wand permit is a unique requirement in the American wizarding community. Every wizard is required to have one. Aurors can track a wizard’s wand through the magical signature on the permit, allowing them to identify the wand’s owner.
On the 25th underground floor, Leo followed the signs to a room that had clearly been expanded many times over with the Undetectable Extension Charm.
The room was filled with neatly arranged desks, each connected to a transparent metal tube leading to the upper levels.
From time to time, documents folded into the shape of mice would scurry out of the tubes, only to tear themselves apart on the desks, disintegrating into fragments.
It was clear that this was where Congress staff processed and destroyed useless documents.
Leo couldn’t help but feel a bit intrigued by the magic that turned documents into mice for self-destruction.
Yesterday, at the British Ministry of Magic, he had seen the receptionist use a spell to turn a piece of paper into a paper airplane that automatically flew off to find Theseus Scamander.
He had thought at the time that if he replaced ordinary paper with explosive tags and sent them as paper airplanes toward an enemy, it might be an effective tactic.
“It seems that next time I visit the Naruto world, I should not only learn Orochimaru’s jutsu for storing items in one’s stomach but also learn how to create explosive tags.”
As he walked past the desks, he soon reached a sign that read “Wand Permit Office.”
Beneath the sign, a short-haired witch wearing a trench coat was sitting at her desk, lost in thought.
“Hello, I’m Tom Fawley from London, and I’m here to obtain a wand permit.”
“Hm… Oh, I’m Tina Goldstein. Welcome to New York. Please hand me your wand and registration form.”
The witch named Tina snapped out of her daze and, somewhat mechanically, pulled out a specially crafted magical card as she addressed Leo.
Tina Goldstein, the future wife of Newt Scamander, was once one of MACUSA’s best Aurors. However, after helping a Muggle who had been abused, she broke the Statute of Secrecy by casting magic in front of many Muggles. As a result, she was demoted by President Seraphina Picquery to a desk job in the Wand Permit Office.
Recognizing her name, Leo immediately knew who she was. However, he didn’t try to engage in small talk. Instead, he handed her Tom’s wand and the registration form he had received earlier in the hall.
After Tina processed his wand permit, Leo left the office just like any other wizard who had come for the same purpose.
He didn’t want his interference to cause any significant changes to the story, especially if it meant that Newt and Tina wouldn’t meet. That could negatively impact his plans.
His main goals in coming to New York were to use the original plot to establish his public identity and reputation in the wizarding world and to secretly form an alliance with Grindelwald for mutual benefit.
So, as much as possible, he would ensure that everything stayed under his control and that the storyline proceeded as planned.
After leaving MACUSA, Leo headed to New York’s magical street, following the information he had previously gathered. He found a bar and decided to stay there for the time being.
The magical street in America is located in Times Square, New York, and the entrance is a stone monument. By touching the monument and infusing it with magic, one can enter the magical street.
After spending a day exploring the entire magical street, Leo didn’t find much beyond a few magical books that he hadn’t been able to find in Flourish and Blotts and sampling some local magical cuisine.
But that wasn’t surprising. After all, the United States had only been established for less than two hundred years, so its wizarding history couldn’t be much older. Most American wizards were originally immigrants from Britain.
Even the founder of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Isolt Sayre, had been inspired to create the school after hearing countless stories about Hogwarts from her aunt, Gormlaith Gaunt.
The four houses at Ilvermorny were modeled after the four houses at Hogwarts.
So, while MACUSA may seem grander than the British Ministry of Magic, and the magical street may be larger than Diagon Alley, the depth of magical knowledge and history in America still lags behind that of Britain.
In the movie, if it weren’t for Newt Scamander’s help, Grindelwald could have single-handedly wiped out all of MACUSA’s Aurors.