Chapter 373: Adoptive Father?
Chapter 373: Adoptive Father?
The day Mrs. Mathews and Sherlock had agreed to meet coincidentally fell on the same day as the knighting ceremony.
Fortunately, after the ceremony, it was customary for the Order of Merlin to host a grand banquet for the new recipients, which was usually scheduled for the afternoon.
Early that morning, Sherlock brought Silke to Mrs. Mathews' old, dilapidated yard.
The moment she saw Silke, the old witch couldn't help but snort.
"No wonder you said it was a personal matter."
Silke didn't react, and Sherlock remained unperturbed.
They were still on the terrace in the yard, and Mrs. Mathews didn't seem to have any intention of inviting them into her house.
She had Silke sit opposite her and didn't immediately check her eyes. Instead, she first inquired about the situation with the Time Dust.
"When and where were your eyes contaminated?"
Silke glanced up at Sherlock before softly replying.
"In August 1977, inside the Time Chamber of the Department of Mysteries, British Ministry of Magic."
Mrs. Mathews frowned deeply.
"August 1977 in the Time Chamber!"
Sherlock cleared his throat and interjected.
"I forgot to mention last time, Mrs. Mathews, the Time Dust that contaminated Silke's eyes came from the William's Temporal Form created by your ancestor."
But Mrs. Mathews didn't seem to be paying much attention to what Sherlock was saying. She was recalling the time and then stared intently at Silke's face.
"Are you the daughter of Auror Eddie Butler, who made a great contribution during the 1977 Time Chamber melee and later sacrificed himself?"
Silke's face showed no signs of sadness as she calmly replied.
"Yes, he is my father."
Mrs. Mathews' expression suddenly softened.
"And the Silent Watcher of the Time Chamber, John Watson, who also sacrificed himself at that time, was said to be a close friend of your father and your adoptive father. He was a revered hero."
"Ha!"
Hearing the word "adoptive father" from the old woman, Sherlock couldn't hold back a burst of laughter. He nearly choked on his own saliva and started coughing violently, drawing an irritated look from Mrs. Mathews.
"Cough, cough, cough. Sorry, my fault. Sorry, please continue."
Sherlock kept apologizing, and Mrs. Mathews' expression softened again as she turned back to Silke.
"John is not my adoptive father", Silke emphasized firmly.
"That was your father's explanation to the public. He never believed Mr. Watson was dead and said he would find him and make him your adoptive father", Mrs. Mathews insisted.
Sherlock was starting to feel extremely uncomfortable, but fortunately, Mrs. Mathews didn't dwell on the issue.
"I was invited to take over John's position in the Time Chamber after he sacrificed himself. I was already quite old at the time, but I was honored to carry on the legacy of such a man and continue time magic research within the Department."
"If Professor Forrest had explained your identity from the beginning, that coward wouldn't have had to pull any strings to get my help."
Hearing her say that, Sherlock's already stern face grew even longer.
What's the point of saying this now? Can you return the benefits Professor Slughorn gave you?
Then, Mrs. Mathews began to address the main issue. She thoroughly inquired about the situation when Silke was contaminated by Time Dust and clarified her current profession, as well as whether she had shown any unique talents in her childhood.
It wasn't until Silke mentioned that her intuition was very accurate—she could guess the correct answer to most uncertain things and that her current profession was a Diviner—that Mrs. Mathews seemed to understand the crux of the problem.
"There are Wizards in the Wizarding World who are born with the ability to make prophecies and can even see glimpses of the future. They are called Seers."
She said earnestly.
"Your talent, while not as strong as a true Seer's, still far surpasses anyone else in divination."
"The William's Temporal Form is actually a delicate balance between the future and the past. The continuously flowing 'silver sand' represents the present. Based on your description, the Time Dust in the hourglass at that time was likely attracted to your talent for predicting the future, and it autonomously attached itself to you to achieve another balance."
"This isn't a characteristic of the Time Dust itself, but rather a magical ability that my ancestor William imbued in the hourglass during its creation. He probably didn't expect that a Seer's constitution would also be attracted to it, as people with such talents are extremely rare. There are very few in the entire history of magic."
Through her explanation, Sherlock finally understood why the sand in the hourglass had targeted Silke at that time.
But knowing the root of the problem wasn't the main issue; the most important thing was whether Silke's eyes could be cured now.
Mrs. Mathews didn't give a direct answer to this question.
"I will do my best." She stood up from the terrace, leaning on her cane. "The Wizarding World has lost the method to create Time Dust, and naturally, few people still have the magical instruments to collect it. However, because my ancestors were craftsmen of Time Turners, I still have one. But I can't guarantee that I can remove the Time Dust that has already integrated into her body, as no one has ever experienced such a situation."
Silke stood up with Mrs. Mathews, and the two of them headed indoors. When Sherlock tried to follow them, the old witch stopped him outside.
"You don't need to come in. I'll help her try. You won't be able to help, and you might just get in the way."
Sherlock didn't insist. He just said seriously,
"If anything goes wrong, prioritize her safety above all. Even if you can't remove it, don't let her get hurt."
Mrs. Mathews tapped her cane.
"Even if you didn't say that, I know what to do. I won't harm this young girl."
Before entering the room, Silke gave him a smile and made a reassuring gesture. The old and young witches then disappeared from Sherlock's sight.
(End of Chapter)
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