Chapter 161: Blue Eyes
Chapter 161: Blue Eyes
Sherlock's breakfast consisted of toast and hot milk.
After finishing his meal, Snape returned to his room immediately. He had just received today's Daily Prophet and was reading the front-page headline.
Surprisingly, this headline had nothing to do with any Death Eater attacks; instead, it was a piece of gossip.
"Mrs. Evans Remarries, Moves to Germany, New Husband a Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Magic"
The news story detailed how Taylor Evans, the current head of the Magical Transportation Department, had divorced his ex-wife, who had now remarried and moved to Germany.
A simple remarriage wouldn't usually be newsworthy, but the key point was that Mrs. Evans had married and divorced six times in just five years. Each of her husbands had been a high-ranking official at the British Ministry of Magic, with the lowest-ranking being an office director.
The title "Mrs. Evans" was derived from her current husband; previously, she had been known as Mrs. Nelson, Mrs. Andrew, and so on.
Rumors suggested that she was incredibly charming, and every man who met her for the first time was instantly captivated.
There were even whispers that Mrs. Evans was actually a veela, and no man she set her sights on could escape her allure.
Now, it seemed she had grown tired of the British magical community and had recently divorced her current husband to marry someone in Germany. The Daily Prophet, of course, made a big deal out of this.
Besides commenting on her departure and the impact she might have on the German Ministry of Magic, the article subtly mocked the lustful behavior of the British Ministry of Magic's upper echelons, suggesting that their indulgence in affairs with colleagues and subordinates' wives was a significant reason for the Wizarding World's current state of decline.
Sherlock found this news uninteresting and, after a quick glance, tossed the paper aside and continued eating his toast.
However, the other patrons in the bar were highly intrigued by the gossip. After days of hearing about Aurors and Death Eaters clashing, a bit of different news to relax and chat about was a welcome change.
"Rumor has it that Mrs. Evans actually had a child with her first husband, who was just an ordinary Auror captain at the time."
"Even after having a child, she still went through all those marriages?"
"Can you tell by looking at her that she's a mother?"
"Which is why the rumor that she's a veela isn't unfounded. That silver hair is too striking."
Sherlock had no interest in their conversation and got up to return to his room upstairs.
Just a minute after he left, two wizards in black robes pushed open the door and entered the bar.
They wore wide-brimmed hats that obscured their faces, making them unremarkable at first glance.
But what they did next caused unease among everyone present.
Before Tom could approach to greet them, they drew their wands, cast a spell, and plunged the tips into the ground!
Suddenly, almost every wizard in the bar stood up. The two wizards then revealed their true faces, which were twisted and sinister.
In front of them, a green mark appeared, showing a large snake emerging from a skull's mouth.
The Dark Mark!
Death Eaters!
Some wizards immediately tried to Apparate away, but their bodies flickered and reappeared in the same spot—their magic had been neutralized!
Everyone's faces turned pale. The first spell the Death Eaters cast upon entering the bar was an Anti-Apparition Jinx.
Most people in the bar recognized the two Death Eaters.
Igor Karkaroff and Dolohov, core followers of the Dark Lord and pillars of the Death Eaters.
Both had been present in the recent battle in Wales, where four Aurors lost their lives.
"I advise everyone not to make any sudden moves", Karkaroff said, his tall, thin frame and smooth, pleasant voice belying the cold, sharp look in his eyes.
"The Dark Lord has a task for us. If everyone cooperates, no one will be harmed today. But if anyone tries to be a hero, they might enjoy the praise of the living as a ghost."
No one in the bar dared to move or speak.
Although there were only two Death Eaters, they could summon more through the Dark Mark at any moment. No one wanted to confront these vicious criminals.
Karkaroff seemed pleased with the reactions of the wizards. He walked to the bar and casually picked up a piece of toast from the tray Tom was holding, as if he were just another customer having breakfast.
"Your cooking is excellent, Tom. I've always thought you were underappreciated at the Ministry of Magic", Karkaroff said approvingly.
Tom's face twisted into an uncomfortable smile as he stammered, "I, I just want to earn a living, that's all."
"Don't be nervous", Karkaroff said, patting Tom's shoulder, which only made Tom tremble more.
He leaned down to Tom's face, his cold eyes meeting Tom's gaze.
"Dark Lord is looking for someone. I think she might be staying here."
"Y-yes, sir."
"A little girl, with the surname Butler."
Tom thought for a moment, then swallowed hard.
"No, no, sir. My inn hasn't received a little girl named Butler."
Karkaroff's gaze never left his eyes, and he stared intently.
"You'd better think carefully, Tom. The baked bread is delicious, and the cider is sweet. You surely want to continue enjoying these treats, don't you?"
Sweat began to bead on Tom's forehead. His next words were crucial for his survival.
"R-really, sir, I haven't received any guests with the surname Butler recently."
Karkaroff remained silent, his sharp eyes piercing into Tom's mind, as if seeing through all his thoughts.
Just as Tom's legs were about to give out, Karkaroff suddenly spoke again.
"Then let's disturb the guests staying in your inn a bit. We'll look for the person we're seeking. Would you mind?"
"O-of course not, sir", Tom forced a smile, leaning against the bar.
Karkaroff moved away from him and approached another Death Eater, Roll, whispering.
"Go up and search. Bring down any children you find. I'll watch them."
Roll, a burly male wizard with a face full of scars, nodded and took out his wand, turning to walk up the stairs.
Once he was upstairs, Karkaroff turned to the Wizards in the bar, who were looking at him nervously. He smiled and waved.
"Sit down, everyone, relax. We are reasonable people. Your misunderstandings about us come from the Ministry of Magic's constant smear campaigns."
"Come on, let's continue our pleasant breakfast and newspaper time. What's in today's Daily Prophet? Oh, my goodness, that harlot is finally gone. Otherwise, the Ministry of Magic's officials would have their scandalous nature fully exposed, and that would be quite troublesome."
The moment Karkaroff and Roll cast an Anti-Apparition Jinx on the entire Leaky Cauldron, Sherlock and Snape both sensed something was wrong.
They opened their doors and exchanged glances. Neither said a word, but they both understood.
If things went wrong, they would leave immediately.
They retreated back into their rooms, but Sherlock suddenly noticed that a small gap had been opened in the window!
He quickly scanned the small room, but found no one else inside.
At that moment, someone started to climb the stairs, beginning to search each room. Murmurs of discontent rose from those being disturbed, but the voices quickly faded.
Soon, the searchers reached the room next to his, Snape's room number 12.
He heard the door to Snape's room open and the conversation between Snape and the searcher.
"Who are you looking for?"
"You'd better cooperate, mate. You should recognize my face and know who I work for. Now, step aside. I need to search your room!"
Snape didn't speak, clearly allowing the searcher to enter.
At that moment, Sherlock released his Control Magic and thoroughly searched every corner of the room. He finally noticed something unusual under his bed.
He got down on the floor and looked under the bed. It was empty, with nothing visible.
But Sherlock didn't give up. He reached out and felt around, touching something invisible and slippery.
He grabbed the material and gently pulled, revealing a small figure.
She blinked her bright, deep blue eyes and silently met Sherlock's gaze.
Sherlock looked into her eyes, and they stared at each other for a few seconds. Finally, he said nothing, quietly covering her with the Invisibility Cloak and standing up.
By then, the searcher had finished checking Snape's room and, without knocking, used Alohomora to open Sherlock's door.
"What are you doing?" Sherlock frowned as Roll walked in.
Roll sneered.
"If you read the Daily Prophet regularly, you should recognize my face. So, you'd better stay still and cooperate."
Sherlock, of course, recognized his face. Over the past three months, Roll's photograph had appeared twice in the Daily Prophet: once on a Ministry of Magic wanted poster and once in a report about the Wales attack.
Sherlock made no move to resist, allowing Roll to enter and search his room, including the cabinets, under the bed, and the bathroom.
Finding nothing, Roll glared at him.
"If you find a child named Butler, it's best to hand her over to us. Dark Lord will reward you. If you find her and don't do this, you'll receive a special reward!"
The "special reward" was clearly not a real reward.
After Sherlock nodded to indicate he understood, Roll left his room and headed to the neighboring room number 10.
(End of Chapter)
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