Chapter 175: Amy's Mother

Chapter 175: Amy's Mother

Amy was very happy today.

She held a pinwheel in one hand and a lollipop in the other, swaying as she walked along the path in the zoo.

They had just finished riding the Ferris wheel, then went on the roller coaster and the spinning chairs. When they reached the carousel, Amy watched it for a while but found it uninteresting, so they skipped it and went straight through the amusement park to the zoo behind it.

"Why doesn't the lollipop spin?"

She looked up at Sherlock, swaying the candy in her hand.

"Because this is something to eat, and its best place is in someone's stomach."

Sherlock helped her remove the transparent wrapper from the lollipop and handed it back to her.

Amy stuck out her little tongue and gave the candy a light lick. She then frowned and wrapped it back up.

"Amy doesn't like how it tastes, but it looks pretty!"

She decided to treat the lollipop as a toy like the pinwheel, not to eat it.

Snape held the crown in his hand and walked alongside Sherlock.

His face was still gloomy, but it was clear he had improved significantly compared to before. The emptiness and coldness in his eyes had diminished considerably.

Having seen and used countless magical creatures in the Wizarding World, Snape found the animals in the zoo unimpressive.

The highlight of his outing so far was making Sherlock uncomfortable on the Ferris wheel.

Among the three, Amy was the most excited, but not because she found the animals novel or exciting. She was simply happy to have company for a day out.

"So many pigeons!"

She pointed to a large group of pigeons gathered on the stone path in the zoo's central rest area, exclaiming in wonder.

Sherlock thought the scenery was nice and bought some breadcrumbs to feed the pigeons with Amy.

"Would you like to take a family photo, gentlemen? We have a special offer for family photos right now."

A photographer with a camera around his neck approached them.

"That's a good idea", Sherlock said with a smile.

He pulled the reluctant Snape over and grabbed Amy, who was trying to place breadcrumbs on the pigeons' heads to prevent them from eating, and positioned her in front of him. The background was the pigeons pecking for food in the square.

The photographer observed the odd trio for a moment, looking a bit perplexed.

"The gentleman on the left and the little girl, can you smile? Isn't it fun to be out?"

Sherlock noticed that only he was smiling. Snape still had a gloomy expression, and Amy was trying her best to force a smile.

"Smile, Tobias. Trust me, smiling will bring you good luck", Sherlock said, raising an eyebrow at Snape.

However, Snape remained unmoved.

Just standing there for the photo was a huge concession on his part, and he was not about to smile.

After trying to persuade Snape, Sherlock left him alone and, as he had done on the London Bridge, used his hands to stretch Amy's mouth into a smile.

The photographer was a bit taken aback by the situation but continued his work, raising the camera to his eye and focusing on the three of them.

"Alright, on the count of three, everyone try to relax. Three, two, one."

As he pressed the shutter, Snape's lips twitched slightly, and he inadvertently formed a smile that was completely different from his usual sneer or smirk, almost imperceptible.

At the same time, a well-fed pigeon flew over his head, and instinctively dropped something indescribable from mid-air.

"Click!"

Amy, holding her lollipop and pinwheel, with a happy look in her eyes, was helped into a smile.

Sherlock, bending slightly to support Amy's cheeks, was the only one with a natural smile on his face.

Snape, who was barely managing to force a smile, remained oblivious to the indescribable substance landing on his hair.

Three different smiles were captured in that moment.

The Ministry of Magic sent someone to find Sherlock three days after their visit to the amusement park.

During those three days, Sherlock had been closely following the Daily Prophet.

The battle between the Aurors and the Death Eaters in Sheffield had ended on the day they went to the amusement park.

The Aurors had paid a heavy price but managed to drive the Death Eaters out of Sheffield before the situation spiraled out of control.

The battle continued in the outskirts for some time, eventually ending with the loss of seven Aurors and twelve more injured.

Of course, the Death Eaters suffered even heavier casualties, and their operation within the Ministry of Magic ultimately failed.

This outcome naturally symbolized a significant victory for the Ministry of Magic.

Harold Mincan, the current Minister of Magic (a staunch anti-Voldemort advocate who stepped down in 1980), loudly publicized the event.

He particularly emphasized the battle in the Department of Mysteries, praising the "two brave Ministry of Magic employees" for their heroic efforts in thwarting the Death Eaters' plot.

Sherlock, who had not yet joined the Ministry, was already being referred to as a Ministry employee, but he had anticipated such political maneuvering.

However, the aftermath of the Sheffield incident continued to simmer.

Due to its massive impact, even with the Ministry of Magic deploying all their memory erasure teams for two consecutive days, they could only barely suppress the news of that night.

Rumors of a nature akin to urban legends still circulated in Sheffield.

The International Confederation of Wizards even sent a formal inquiry to the British Ministry of Magic, urging them to contain their internal issues and warning that any breach of the International Statute of Secrecy would result in other countries' Ministries of Magic intervening in Britain's internal affairs.

The Daily Prophet, naturally, gave extensive coverage to the matter, and Minister Mincan responded with a firm stance.

He stated that the affairs of the British Wizarding World would be handled internally and that external forces should not and would not interfere.

Both domestically in Britain and internationally in the magical community, the recent period had been far from peaceful.

Sherlock, for his part, was keeping up with the current events, but his primary concern was his upcoming employment at the Ministry of Magic.

The person who came to see him was none other than Eddie Butler, who had been cleared of the traitor's charges and had safely returned from the Isle of Man.

"Dad!"

Amy, upon seeing Eddie, did not show much excitement. It was as if she had known he would return to her.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone again for so long", Eddie said apologetically as he hugged Amy.

"It's okay. John took Amy to many places to play, and he bought her pinwheels and lollipops."

Amy had not yet eaten the lollipop, and it seemed she didn't intend to, preferring to keep it as a toy.

After a brief chat, Eddie turned to Sherlock to discuss the important matters.

"Thank you so much, John, not only for taking care of Amy but also for helping me so much."

He expressed his gratitude earnestly, and Sherlock waved it off.

"Amy was very well-behaved and helped me a lot, so you don't need to thank me."

Eddie did not dwell on the thanks, knowing that keeping such kindness in his heart was more practical than repeatedly saying it.

"The Ministry of Magic has agreed to your request to join, and it was personally approved by Minister Mincan. Madame Selwyn has also agreed to your application to join the Department of Mysteries. The department has few employees, and you practically saved her life, so she had no reason to refuse. Here is your appointment letter."

Sherlock took the appointment letter from Eddie's hand and felt a great sense of relief.

Entering the Department of Mysteries meant he had achieved a significant part of his goal. If he couldn't find the clues he needed there, Sherlock couldn't think of anywhere else to look for a way back.

Eddie, however, was puzzled.

"I don't understand why you want to join the Department of Mysteries. From Sophie, I learned about your capabilities. If you want to advance in the Ministry of Magic, joining the Auror Office would be the best choice. It's a special time, and with your abilities, promotion wouldn't be an issue."

Sherlock shook his head.

"I have a strong interest in magical research, especially in the obscure and mysterious aspects of magic. The Auror lifestyle doesn't suit me."

To each his own, and Eddie was not a hothead who believed that someone with Sherlock's abilities should necessarily dedicate themselves to the fight against the Dark Lord.

After discussing the Ministry of Magic with Sherlock, Eddie invited him to dinner at a nearby restaurant that evening to show his gratitude.

Before coming, Sherlock had heard that his uncle also lived in the bar and had intended to invite him along.

However, Sherlock politely declined.

"He hasn't been in a good mood lately. Let's not disturb him. It's better to let him be for a while."

Amy blinked her eyes.

"Tobias is still upset about what happened at the zoo that day."

Sherlock stifled a laugh and pushed Amy down the corridor.

He could clearly sense that in Room 12, Snape, upon hearing Amy's words, had a face as dark as the bottom of a cauldron and crushed a frog's eye in his hand.

"Alright, don't rub it in, Amy. Let's go eat."

Eddie had chosen a Muggle restaurant on the street where Diagon Alley was located.

"In some aspects, the Wizarding World is indeed behind the Muggles, but even those who don't discriminate against Muggles can have a sense of superiority. Even if something is good and useful for Wizards, if it has anything to do with Muggles, they are very resistant to it."

They chatted about various things in the Wizarding World.

Eddie had a great personality, being upright and responsible, which was evident from his behavior in Sheffield.

After chatting for a while, Sherlock asked a question that had been bothering him for a long time.

"How old are you?"

There was no reason for a man to hide his age.

"I'll be 24 after October."

Sherlock's eyes widened. He had always thought Eddie just looked young, but he hadn't realized that his actual age was almost the same as his!

"Amy says she's 7 years old!"

Eddie shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Yes, I had a daughter like her before I even graduated from Hogwarts, when I was not yet 17."

Sherlock's expression was complicated.

He knew that in the Wizarding World, early marriage and early parenthood were common. Most Wizards got married right after graduating from Hogwarts at 18 and had children before they turned 20.

Like Harry's parents and the Weasley couple.

But for Eddie to have a child while still at Hogwarts was extremely rare.

Eddie held his wine glass, gazing out the window at the passersby, took a large sip, and then sent Amy away to ask the restaurant for another bottle of wine.

"My situation is a bit complicated, but there's nothing I can't talk about. I've just been busy at the Ministry of Magic and rarely mentioned this to anyone. It was also to protect Amy; hardly anyone knows I have a daughter."

"If you follow the Daily Prophet, you might remember a month ago when they reported on the divorce of the head of the Department of Transportation at the Ministry of Magic, who then remarried in Germany."

Sherlock's memory was decent, and he recalled the gossip news.

"You mean Mrs. Evans, who married and divorced six times in five years?"

Eddie nodded lightly.

"Yes, she is Amy's biological mother."

Sherlock was stunned.

Given the woman's history, she seemed to be a fickle and promiscuous person. He found it hard to believe that someone with Eddie's perspective and character would have any involvement with her.

Eddie noticed Sherlock's confusion and continued, exhaling a breath of alcohol.

"You might think I was just naïve and inexperienced back then, and you're right. I was young and couldn't resist temptation. But from the reports about that woman, you should know she's not an ordinary person. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been involved with so many high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Magic."

Sherlock seemed to understand something and hesitantly asked.

"Is she not a normal Wizard?"

"She is a veela", Eddie said calmly. "A fickle, thrill-seeking veela."

"During the summer of my 17th year, I met her by chance. She used her unique charm to seduce me, and we had a relationship."

"At first, I didn't know her true identity and genuinely thought I had fallen in love with her. Later, she got pregnant, and we had a child. I thought we would get married after I graduated. But then, after she gave birth, she told me she was done playing with me and wanted to break up. She didn't want the child and left it to me to raise."

"I was furious, feeling betrayed. So, we had a big argument."

"She got very emotional, and you know what happens when a pure-blood veela gets agitated."

"It was then that I learned her true identity and realized that I had never truly liked her. The so-called feelings were just the veela's innate, unique enchantment magic."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end