The process of entering the Ministry of Magic was also much stricter than it would be later.
However, when inspecting wands, Sherlock only handed over the wand he usually used. The Ministry of Magic certainly knew he had more than one wand, but they didn't ask him to have all of them inspected.
The Ministry of Magic's Human Resources Department was merged into the Minister's Office Logistics Department. All recruitment of ordinary staff, excluding Aurors, was organised by this department, and the employment letter Sherlock received was also issued by them.
So Eddie first took Sherlock to the Logistics Office on the first basement floor to complete the onboarding procedures and receive a clearance slip.
As long as he took this slip to the Department of Magical Transportation, they would enable Apparition for Sherlock within the Ministry of Magic.
However, before that, Eddie took Sherlock to meet the current Minister for Magic, Harold Minchum.
This was a Wizard who looked very tough; his style of speaking and acting was somewhat similar to Scrimgeour's.
According to the history Sherlock knew, in 1980, as Lord Voldemort's power in the Wizarding World grew stronger and public opinion in the Wizarding World became increasingly disappointed with him, he eventually resigned, and the position of Minister was taken over by a more capable Witch—Millicent Bagnold (Fudge's predecessor).
Minchum first thanked Sherlock for helping the Ministry of Magic protect the Department of Mysteries.
Then he hinted a few times that if Sherlock wanted to have better prospects in the Ministry of Magic, transferring to the Auror Office might be an excellent choice.
Sherlock did not directly refuse. He ambiguously said that he was still interested in mysterious and strange magical research, and if that interest faded, he might consider transferring to the Auror Office then.
Minchum was very satisfied with his answer, encouraged him a few more times, and then Eddie and Sherlock left his office.
"You said that on purpose?" Eddie clearly saw that Sherlock's words just now were not sincere.
Sherlock shrugged.
"I naturally have to save the Minister some face, otherwise, if he forcibly transferred me to the Auror Office, I would have no choice."
Eddie frowned slightly.
"But if you make such a promise, Minchum will bring it up again soon and transfer you."
"How soon do you think 'soon' is?" Sherlock asked.
"Probably around half a year to a year. He will transfer you to the Auror Office. It mainly depends on the Death Eaters' actions."
In response, Sherlock said with a mysterious smile.
"If he really does that then, I'll just listen to him and transfer from the Department of Mysteries to the Auror Office."
If Sherlock couldn't find valuable clues within half a year, then there would be no need for him to stay in the Ministry of Magic.
Eddie had always been suspicious of Sherlock's motive for wanting to join the Ministry of Magic.
He felt that with Sherlock's abilities, it would be no difficult feat for him to join the Ministry of Magic, so there was no need to wait until now.
However, he didn't ask much about such matters.
When they went to the Department of Magical Transportation to enable Apparition, they also met Sophie there.
Thanks to Sherlock, she had now been promoted from an ordinary staff member to Deputy Head of the Portkey Office.
The Department of Magical Transportation was one of the busiest departments in the Ministry of Magic, yet Sophie still put aside her office work to take Eddie and Sherlock to handle the procedures for enabling Apparition.
After leaving there, Sherlock asked, gossiping,
"She likes you?"
Eddie said calmly,
"If it weren't for Amy, perhaps we would have gotten together when we were in school."
Sherlock raised his eyebrows.
"Childhood sweethearts?"
"More or less. We've known each other since childhood. Later, when she found out I secretly had a child, she broke up with me, and we haven't been in contact since."
Sherlock advised,
"It's clear she still cares about you. If you explain things to her, she should understand."
Eddie shook his head.
"Right now, I'm not in the mood for such things. Besides, Aurors in this era can't be sure if they'll see the sun rise tomorrow."
Eddie was right; given the current situation, Amy was a burden to him, and he didn't want to pursue any other relationships.
Sherlock just mentioned it casually and didn't ask further, taking the lift down with Eddie to the ninth basement floor, once again arriving at the Department of Mysteries.
It was no different from his last visit.
There were many people in the lift, but only he and Eddie went down to the ninth floor.
They walked through the long corridor, then pushed open the black door at the end of the corridor, entering the circular black room with twelve doors on its walls.
This time, they didn't have to search one by one; after they entered the Department of Mysteries, one of the black doors opened, and Madam Selwyn walked out.
Eddie's tasks were all completed here. After explaining to Madam Selwyn and bidding Sherlock farewell, he turned and left.
"We meet again, Mr Belloc." Madam Selwyn's voice was soft, without the coldness that pushed people away.
Sherlock, of course, knew who needed to be befriended. Compared to the Minister for Magic, his direct superior, the Head of the Department of Mysteries was the key to maintaining good relations.
"Just call me Sherlock, Madam."
"Regarding the last incident, I must thank you again. Fortunately, you arrived in time."
"It's what I should do."
After some polite exchanges, Madam Selwyn got straight to the point.
"Since you've applied to the Ministry to join the Department of Mysteries, I welcome you very much. However, research in the Department is diverse; which aspect are you most interested in?"
Sherlock hesitated for a moment, glancing at the twelve black doors, then said,
"May I stay here for a few days first, look around, and then make a choice, Madam? Currently, I'm still unclear about the specific magical research in the Department, so I don't know how to choose."
Madam Selwyn nodded.
"If you want to understand first, then work in the Time Room office for now. You should have heard before coming that our department has very few staff, only five including you. They all have their own research and main directions, and even within the same department, they usually have little interaction."
"Also, regarding your friend's daughter, I know about it. This place is different from other departments; after choosing an office, you can even live here, and if you need to take care of a child, you can naturally bring them."