There weren't many people in the restaurant. From a distance, Sherlock could see Amy following a waiter, holding a bottle of cider she had retrieved from the wine cabinet and skipping along as she walked.
Amy's features were indeed far more exquisite than those of a normal human child.
But according to what Sherlock knew, girls with Veela blood generally had silver hair, yet Amy's was blonde.
Eddie had black hair. Initially, Sherlock had assumed Amy's hair colour came from her mother, but now it seemed likely that Eddie had used some means to change her hair colour to protect her identity.
After Amy returned, Eddie and Sherlock tacitly changed the subject.
"You can report to the Ministry of Magic tomorrow." Eddie poured a glass of juice for Amy and said to Sherlock, "Madam Selwyn seems very interested in your method of casting spells using Control Magic; that's the reason she agreed to let you join the Department of Mysteries."
No one around them noticed. Sherlock used Control Magic to manipulate the bottle of cider Amy had just brought over, unscrewing the cap and filling Eddie's glass with the drink.
"There's no need to hide this magic. It is indeed quite unique, but it's not something everyone can learn, or rather, it's not magic that can be learned normally. The reason I know it is that it was passed down from my mother."
"Just be careful. Not everyone in the Ministry of Magic is a good person. Although Madam Selwyn has made her stance clear—that she does not support the Dark Lord—you can tell from her surname that her husband is from the Selwyn family, a Pure-blood Family with a long history."
Sherlock had little interest in what kind of person his future immediate superior was; regardless, he had no intention of staying at the Ministry of Magic for long.
If he could find a clue or method to return, he would certainly leave this timeline with Snape immediately.
Even if he couldn't find it in the end, Sherlock had no intention of working at the Ministry of Magic forever.
"The mole I caught is named Algy, right? Has he been convicted yet?" Sherlock asked.
Eddie sneered and shook his head.
"The Wizengamot trial regarding him won't begin for another three days, and you will likely be invited to testify. But judging by the rumours coming from the Ministry recently, his family is actively manoeuvring, trying to use the excuse that he was under the influence of the Death Eaters' Imperio to let him escape punishment."
Sherlock frowned.
"Will people actually believe such an outrageous lie? Weren't there four Death Eaters caught along with him? Can't you use Veritaserum to get the truth out of them?"
"There has always been a debate in the Ministry of Magic regarding whether Veritaserum should be used on Wizards." Eddie said with an amused expression. "A large portion of people oppose using Veritaserum to interrogate prisoners, claiming it's inhumane. Those four Death Eaters didn't even get a trial; they were thrown straight into Azkaban after being captured."
Sherlock remarked sarcastically.
"Veritaserum is inhumane, but throwing prisoners into prison to be drained by Dementors is humane? That's truly ridiculous."
Eddie seemed relatively relaxed about this matter.
"However, given the temperament of the current Minister, Mr Minchum, it is highly unlikely that Algy will be acquitted, but due to the influence of his family, the number of years he will spend imprisoned in Azkaban won't be very long."
"Algy, who has already been exposed, is a minor issue." Eddie's expression grew slightly gloomy. "I feel that in Barty's Auror squad, he is definitely not the only traitor; it's just that some people haven't been exposed yet and are continuing to hide."
Sherlock raised an eyebrow.
"Do you have any suspects?"
Eddie shook his head.
"No, but from the current situation, among the remaining four members of that Auror squad, the families behind three of them have a very ambiguous attitude towards the Death Eaters. Only the Crouch family firmly opposes the Dark Lord, so Barty can basically be ruled out. If there are other traitors, it is highly probable that they are among those remaining three."
Sherlock had no interest in who the traitor was; what he truly cared about was what the Death Eaters, or rather, Lord Voldemort, wanted to get by having people break into the Department of Mysteries.
Anything that the current Lord Voldemort wanted to obtain would definitely not be ordinary.
However, he certainly couldn't get his hands on these things right now; everything would have to wait until he joined the Ministry of Magic.
"There is one more thing I would like your help with." Eddie said, stroking Amy's head.
Sherlock gestured for him to speak his mind.
"The situation in the Wizarding World is becoming increasingly tense, and working in the Auror Office means I basically cannot leave the Ministry for long periods. The Death Eaters have clearly discovered Amy's existence, and I cannot continue to leave her alone outside, so I would like to ask you to help me take care of Amy."
Sherlock hesitated and said, "I would naturally be happy to help with this, as I like Amy very much, but I will also be working at the Department of Mysteries later. I wouldn't be able to look after her during work hours, would I?"
Eddie said, "If you are willing, I can apply to Madam Selwyn. The Department of Mysteries has very few staff, everyone has an individual office, and the work is all clerical, so having Amy accompany you would be perfectly appropriate."
Since he had a way to convince the Ministry of Magic to let Sherlock bring a family member to work, Sherlock had no reason to refuse.
Amy's intuition was very sharp; having her with him in the Department of Mysteries might even be helpful.
"If that's the case, then of course that's fine."
That night, after dinner, Eddie left alone.
Amy would continue to stay with Sherlock. Once Eddie had everything arranged at the Ministry of Magic the next day, he would return to the Leaky Cauldron to take Sherlock to complete the induction procedures.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, after Sherlock informed Snape that he would be entering the Ministry of Magic starting today, Eddie arrived as promised a little after ten in the morning.
"I've already spoken to Madam Selwyn. If anyone asks about Amy's identity, just tell the truth: that she is a friend's child you are looking after."
Although everything was agreed upon, today was, after all, his first day to process his induction, so Sherlock naturally couldn't take Amy with him.
He entrusted Amy to Snape for the day, and then Sherlock and Eddie set off together for the Ministry of Magic.
The way they entered the Ministry of Magic was the same as when Sherlock had taken Harry to the Ministry: they used the visitor entrance.
Compared to the Ministry of Magic more than a decade later, there wasn't much change.
However, the staff looked busier, and no one had a relaxed expression on their face. Given the current situation, such a state of affairs was understandable.