Sherlock did not move, instead using Controlled Magic to open the guest room door.
He looked at the black-haired young man who walked in, his gaze carrying a hint of amusement.
"Why didn't you escape while you had the chance? Why come back to find me instead?"
This Auror, who was suspected to be named "Eddie", could have easily flown far away during the recent chaos. Since he did not want to return to the Ministry of Magic, continuing northwest meant he had somewhere else to go.
Yet, despite having such a perfect opportunity, not only had he not left, but he had actually come back to find Sherlock.
That was truly unexpected.
The black-haired young man did not answer Sherlock's question immediately. Instead, he stared at Sherlock's chest and asked without blinking,
"Have you met Amy?"
Sherlock's gaze sharpened slightly. He followed the black-haired young man's line of sight and looked down, discovering that ever since he had entered the room, he had been staring at the amulet Amy had lent him before they parted.
After a brief moment of surprise, thoughts flashed rapidly through Sherlock's mind before he asked in a deep voice,
"Are you Eddie Butler?"
The black-haired young man appeared genuinely surprised that Sherlock could identify him so quickly.
"Did Amy tell you my name?"
That answer was essentially an admission that Sherlock had guessed correctly.
"No. I simply happened to know that the Ministry of Magic is looking for a wizard named Eddie, while the Death Eaters are searching for someone with the surname Butler." Sherlock stared at him. "The person both sides are looking for should be the same person—and that person is you."
The black-haired young man named Eddie looked at Sherlock for a moment before shaking his head with a bitter smile.
"People Amy trusts are truly extraordinary."
Then he asked seriously,
"How is Amy now? Did you come to this city specifically to help her find me?"
Sherlock shook his head.
"No. I came here to deal with another matter. I didn't expect to run into Amy's father here. Amy is still at the Leaky Cauldron, and I have a friend looking after her."
After learning that Amy was safe, Eddie's expression relaxed slightly before turning serious again.
"This may be rather abrupt, but I still need to ask you for a favour."
Sherlock looked at him strangely.
"We've known each other for less than a minute, and you don't even know my name yet."
Eddie replied quickly,
"Since Amy gave you the amulet I gave her, it means she trusts you. I have no reason to doubt someone she trusts."
Ordinarily, those words would have sounded highly unreasonable. But Amy's gift was highly unusual, so it made sense that a father would place such faith in the judgement of his daughter, who wasn't even seven years old yet.
As Eddie spoke, he glanced out of the window.
Explosions and screams continued to echo through the street outside. The Muggle-Repelling Charm he had cast earlier only affected the area around the hotel, and now the Death Eaters were attacking the entire street.
"My time is running short. This..."
"You can just call me John."
"Alright, John." Eddie frowned deeply. "Although it is very presumptuous, given the current situation, I can only ask for your help. I need you to go to the Ministry of Magic on my behalf and find the current Head of the Department of Mysteries—Madam Selwyn. Tell her that Stredri has been killed, and that the Death Eaters obtained the secret behind the seventh door of the Department of Mysteries from her!"
"Why can't you go back yourself? Even if the Ministry of Magic currently believes you've defected to the Dark Lord's side, surely that misunderstanding could be cleared up after an investigation. You'd also be able to escape the Death Eaters' pursuit."
Sherlock asked, puzzled.
Just as he spoke, more than a dozen loud cracks echoed across the sky, followed by Moody's furious voice rising above the chaos and screams.
"Hurry and stop them! You can't let the chaos spread! Seal off this street! Otherwise, the Statute of Secrecy will become nothing but empty words!"
"Old cripple! I remember you!" Bellatrix's shrill voice pierced the air. "Avada Kedavra!"
"Stupefy!"
...
The Aurors had clearly engaged the Death Eaters by this point, and this was the opportunity Sherlock had been waiting for ever since arriving in Sheffield.
Yet he remained patient, waiting for Eddie to finish speaking.
"You should know that a month ago, four Aurors were killed by Death Eaters during an attack in Wales." Eddie was breathing rapidly, speaking almost without pause. "I was part of that operation. There were ten Aurors in total—two squads. I commanded one of them, and all four Aurors who died were my subordinates."
Sherlock frowned slightly and listened in silence.
"That operation began after the former Head of the Department of Mysteries, Madam Stredri, was attacked by Death Eaters. She requested assistance from the Ministry, and we were sent to rescue her. But it was as though the Death Eaters already knew exactly when we would arrive and where we would appear."
"We had only just arrived near Madam Stredri's house when they ambushed us. Two of my men died immediately, and during the battle I became separated from the other seven."
"After dealing with the two Death Eaters pursuing me, I returned to Madam Stredri's residence. By then, the Death Eaters had already left, and Madam Stredri was on the verge of death. She told me that the Dark Lord's followers had forced her to drink a large quantity of Veritaserum and had learned the secret behind the seventh door of the Department of Mysteries. She told me to notify the current Head of the Department, Madam Selwyn, immediately, or the Dark Lord would obtain a power that no one could stop."
"I tried to take Madam Stredri with me, but she only had her last breath remaining. After telling me that crucial piece of information, she died."
"Then the Death Eaters found me again and continued hunting me. I was injured during the fighting, and my body could no longer withstand long-distance Apparition, so I had no choice but to flee from city to city towards London."
"It wasn't until I reached Luton and was preparing to head to the Ministry of Magic that I heard the news from the Ministry."
Eddie's face was as dark as the waters of the Black Lake.
"After we became separated, the other two members of my squad were also killed. Of the Auror squad I commanded, only I survived. Yet the other squad returned completely intact."
"Among those who made it back to the Ministry, some claimed I had betrayed them—that I had informed the Death Eaters of the Ministry's plans in advance and used my position to have my own teammates killed. Because it was such a huge scandal, the Ministry kept the matter quiet, but secretly ordered Aurors to hunt me down and authorised them to capture me dead or alive."
Sherlock thought about the movements of the Death Eaters he had been tracking over the past month. Their frequent appearances and attacks matched Eddie's account perfectly.
From Wales to London, then abruptly changing direction at Luton before finally arriving in Sheffield.
"So the Ministry judged you guilty solely on the testimony of those who returned, without even attempting to capture and question you first?" Sherlock asked, frowning.
Eddie let out a cold laugh.
"There is much more involved than that. The person who betrayed us was definitely not just an ordinary Auror. Do you know who was in the other squad? The son of a Department Head, the nephews and cousins of three Department Directors, and a direct descendant of a former Minister for Magic."
"They were all pure-bloods?"
"Five people. Five pure-bloods. That squad was specially assembled. Before this mission, none of them had ever taken part in an operation against Death Eaters. The Auror Office has become the easiest department in which to pad a résumé. Those officials want to gild the reputations of their descendants without exposing them to any real danger."
Eddie's face twisted with fury.
"I should have realised it sooner! Why would those pampered young masters, who had always been protected, suddenly be sent on such a mission? The whole thing had been planned from the very beginning!"
"I can't return to the Ministry anymore. But this information must reach them. Among the five survivors, one of them—or the family behind them—is a traitor still hiding inside the Ministry. The Death Eaters' current operation isn't just about capturing me and stopping this information from reaching the Ministry. They're also trying to lure away most of the Ministry's forces to create the perfect opportunity for that traitor."
"So someone has to deliver this message to Madam Selwyn. My original plan was to go to the Isle of Man. The former Head of the Auror Office, Chris, retired there, and he has a close relationship with my family. He would believe me. I would tell him everything and have him go to the Ministry instead. But now there's no time left."
His tone grew increasingly urgent.
"I need your help, John. Although I don't know what lies behind the seventh door, it must be incredibly important. The Death Eaters' actions were ordered directly by the Dark Lord himself. In other words, whatever is behind that door is something the Dark Lord desperately wants."
Outside, the battle between the Death Eaters and the Aurors continued to rage.
Sherlock had very little time to decide.
Helping the Aurors fight the Death Eaters would only give him a chance to join the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Becoming involved with the Department of Mysteries would require far more effort later.
Eddie's request, however, would allow him to make direct contact with the Department of Mysteries and even meet its current Head.
Moreover, Eddie was Amy's father, and the situation within the Ministry of Magic was clearly even more critical than it appeared.
Whether for public or private reasons, Sherlock had more than enough reason to make his choice.
He looked into Eddie's anxious eyes.
"Tell me—how do I get to the Ministry of Magic and find Madam Selwyn?"