Chapter 173: Amy's Mother

Amy was in high spirits today. She walked lightly along the zoo's path, swaying as she carried a pinwheel in one hand and a lollipop in the other. They had ridden the Ferris wheel, experienced the roller coaster and spinning chairs, and upon reaching the carousel, Amy had merely observed it for a bit before deciding it held no interest. Thus, they bypassed the theme park entirely, moving straight on to the zoo.

"Why doesn't the lollipop spin?" Amy asked Sherlock, shaking her candy questioningly.

"Because this is for eating, its destination is supposed to be your stomach," Sherlock replied. He helped her unwrap the transparent outer wrapping of the lollipop, then returned it to Amy. She stuck out her small tongue, licked the candy once, scrunched up her brow, then rewrapped it.

"Amy doesn't like its flavor, but it sure is pretty!" she declared.

She decided to treat the candy as another toy, like her pinwheel, instead of eating it. Snape, holding his crown, walked alongside Sherlock. His countenance was as gloomy as ever, but the icy emptiness in his eyes had lessened noticeably. Having witnessed numerous exotic creatures in the wizarding world Snape held the zoo's animals beneath notice. But the Ferris wheel experience had cheered him—making Sherlock bite the dust was the highlight of his trip. Of the three, Amy was the most enthusiastic, not because of the novelty of the animals but simply because she was ecstatic to get to explore the outside world with John and Tobias.

"So many pigeons!" she squealed.

Amy pointed towards the multitude of pigeons that had assembled on the stone-paved rest area in the zoo's center. Sherlock thought the setting was rather picturesque. He bought a bit of bread crumbs and fed the pigeons with Amy.

"Would you gentlemen like a family photograph? We offer special discounts!" A photographer, carrying his camera around his neck, approached them.

"That's a great idea." Sherlock nodded, a smile playing on his lips.

He grabbed an unwilling Snape with one hand, and on his opposite side, held Amy, who had been engrossed in playfully placing crumbs on a pigeon's head. The backdrop included pigeons scavenging around the square. The photographer observed this unusual trio—resembling an unconventional family—through his lens, looking a bit uneasy.

"Could the gentleman and the little lady on the left smile, please? Isn't going out for fun supposed to be... well, fun? Come on say 'Cheese!'." he instructed cautiously. 

At his words, Sherlock realized he was the only person smiling. Snape retained his dark expression, and Amy was earnestly trying to form a smile, her lips a straight line.

"Smile, Tobias, trust me, it brings good fortune," Sherlock encouraged Snape, an eyebrow raised.

Snape, however, remained unmoved by his words. The fact that he was even standing there for a photograph was already a significant favor to Sherlock. Expecting him to smile was out of the question. Sherlock didn't bother further persuading Snape. Instead, he repeated what he did on London Bridge: placing his hands on the corners of Amy's mouth, helping her form a grin. The photographer was slightly taken aback by this development, but he continued his work, lifting his camera once more to capture the strange trio.

"Alright, on the count of three, everyone loosen up a bit. Three, two, one. Cheese!"

As he pushed the shutter button, a slight twitch graced Snape's lip, unconsciously evening out into a discreet flicker of a smile that couldn't be further separated from his usual sneers and cynical grins.

Right at that moment, a pigeon, fresh from feeding, happened to fly overhead, releasing an indescribable something from midair in a classic force of nature.

"Click!"

Amy, holding candies and a pinwheel, sporting a beaming smile thanks to a little help, takes center frame. Sherlock, slightly hunched over while propping up Amy's cheek, gazes straight into the lens, bearing the only genuinely relaxed smile amongst the trio. Snape, awkwardly managing a forced grin so subtle that one might miss it without a second glance, continues to be oblivious to the unnameable object descending towards his hair. Three markedly distinct smiles are thus forever captured in this moment... (E/N.: beyond hilarious. get it? the pigeon shitted!! haha -_-)

...

The Ministry of Magic representatives reached out to Sherlock three days after their return from the amusement park. During these three days, Sherlock had been keeping a keen eye on 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, after paying a heavy price, managed to drive the Death Eaters out of the Sheffield city center, preventing a complete catastrophe.

The fight dragged on in the outskirts for a while, ending with a bloody toll of seven dead and twelve injured Aurors. However, the Death Eaters fared much worse, their operation within the Ministry effectively thwarted. This, naturally, signified a major victory for the Ministry of Magic. The current Minister for Magic, Harold Minchum (a hardliner in the fight against Voldemort, who stepped down in 1980), made sure to publicize the event extensively.

He particularly underscored the courage of the "two brave Ministry employees" who played a significant role in unraveling the Death Eaters' plot. Sherlock, not yet officially in service, had been preemptively acclaimed as a Ministry employee. Still, he had largely anticipated this political necessity. Yet, the aftershocks of the Sheffield incident continued. The fallout was so large that even with all the Obliviators the Ministry could muster, after two days of continuous work, they were barely able to contain the events of that fateful night.

Urban legend-esque rumors continued to circulate around Sheffield. The International Confederation of Wizards even made inquiries with the British Ministry, insisting they contain their internal issues and not allow the International Statute of Secrecy to be breached, else foreign Ministries would intervene in their internal disputes. Of course, the Daily Prophet made extensive coverage of this, and Minister Minchum replied assertively. He opined that issues within the British magical community would be handled internally and foreign forces needn't and shouldn't interfere. These recent events were causing ripples both within and beyond Britain. (E/N.: does he.. not want help in defeating Voldemort..?)

But Sherlock was primarily concerned about his imminent induction into the Ministry. The representative who came to see him was none other than Eddie Butler, who had successfully cleared his name from allegations of treachery and safely returned from the Isle of Man.

"Daddy!"

Upon seeing Eddie, Amy didn't seem overly excited, almost like she knew he'd be coming back for her.

"I'm sorry, love. You've had to be on your own for a while, again," Eddie said, all the while holding Amy in an embracing apology.

"No it's okay, John took Amy to so many places to play, bought her windmills and lollipops." Amy's lollipop, until today, still remained completely untouched, suggesting her desire to cherish it as a keepsake rather than a treat. Chatting a while, Eddie eventually faced Sherlock to speak earnestly.

"I can't thank you enough, John. Not just for looking after Amy, but also for the favor you've done for me."

"Easy now, Eddie. Amy is a delight to be around, in fact she did me a favor too, so there's no need to thank me."

Being a man who focused on actions rather than words, Eddie chose not to dwell on expressing his gratitude verbally. Instead he continued, "The Ministry accepted your job application. Even Minister Minchum personally endorsed you. Mrs. Selwyn of the Department of Mysteries, too, has accepted your request to join her rather sparse team. You've saved her life; she has no reason to refuse, she said." Eddie seemed genuinely proud of his newfound friend as he handed over a letter,  "Right and here's your official letter of appointment. Welcome to the Ministry."

Upon holding the appointment letter in his hands, Sherlock sighed a palatable sigh of relief. Being accepted into the Department of Mysteries was a significant step to accomplishing his goal. If even here he couldn't find the necessary clues, he wouldn't know where else to look. Eddie, however, seemed puzzled by his decision.

"I don't really understand why you want to join the Department of Mysteries. According to Sophie, with your ability, you'd have a spectacular career as an Auror, particularly during these times.  It's a time of crisis, promotions aren't hard to come by as long as one shows promise.

Sherlock, however, begged to differ. "I find magic fascinating, especially the obscure and mysterious kind. The lifestyle of an Auror isn't for me."

Everyone has his own path, Eddie knew, recognizing Sherlock's urge to follow his own interests over combating the Dark Lord. After discussing the matters of the Ministry, to express his thanks, Eddie invited Sherlock for dinner at a nearby restaurant. He'd heard that Sherlock's uncle also lived at the pub and planned to invite him too. However, Sherlock declined.

"He hasn't been in the best spirits lately. Best let him be," he explained. 

Amy blinked, "Tobias is still bothered about that incident at the zoo."

Sherlock, who was holding back a laugh and leading Amy out of the corridor, could clearly perceive from room number 12, a flustered Snape, as dark as a cauldron's base, bitingly crushing a frog's eyeball upon hearing Amy's words.

"Alright, enough about that, Amy," he deflected, steering the conversation. "Let's focus on what you want for dinner." 

The eatery Eddie picked was a Muggle one, located on the very street where the Leaky Cauldron stood.

"In certain respects, the magical world really does lag behind the Muggles. But even those who do not despise Muggles exhibit an air of pride. Despite the benefits certain associations might bring to a wizard, anything connected to Muggles is treated with resistance."

They chatted about various happenings within the magical world. Eddie turned out to be a man of integrity and responsibility, as his performance in Sheffield best depicted. Chatting with him for a while, Sherlock, inquisitive as always, asked Eddie a question he'd been pondering over.

"How old are you?" 

Of course, Eddie saw no sense in hiding his age. "24, come October."

Sherlock's eyes widened in surprise. He had always assumed Eddie to be a young man in appearance, but there was nothing 'youthful' about his earnest countenance nor his age, which stood astonishingly close to his own!

"Amy said she's turning seven this year!"

Eddy, shaking his head with a wry smile, responded. "Indeed, I fathered her when I was not even seventeen, still studying at Hogwarts."

Sherlock's face betrayed a complexity of emotions. He knew that in the wizarding world, early marriage and parenthood were common. Most wizards were married by 18 and had children before they were 20 - just like Harry's parents and the Weasleys. But for Eddie to have a child while still in Hogwarts was exceptionally unusual, even by wizarding standards. Holding a glass of wine, Eddie watched the pedestrians outside the window, took a long sip, then unhurriedly sent Amy away to ask the restaurant staff for another bottle.

"My circumstances are complicated, but there's nothing too secret to share. Working in the Ministry of Magic kept me busy, so I rarely mentioned the matter. Furthermore, to protect Amy, very few people know about her existence."

"If you've kept up with The Prophet, you should know that a month ago, they reported on the divorce of the Director of the Ministry's Transportation Department and his wife's subsequent move to Germany."

Sherlock's memory was sharp, and he had a vague recollection of the gossip. "Are you referring to Mrs. Evans, who married and divorced six times in five years?"

Eddy, nodding gently, confirmed, "She is Amy's mother."

Sherlock's face reflected surprise. Considering Mrs. Evans, she was very lively with a frolicsome personality; it seemed unlikely that conservatively minded Eddy would have any relation with her.

Reading Sherlock's doubt, Eddy exhaled a breath fogged with alcohol and continued, "You see, you might think I was just young and naïve. And indeed, I was a foolish, enamored boy unable to resist temptation. But from the news about her, you ought to realize she isn't just any ordinary person; she has had entanglements with several high-ranking officials in the Ministry."

Something seemed to dawn on Sherlock, and he hesitantly asked, "She... isn't a regular witch, is she?"

"She's a Veela," said Eddy, his tone dispassionate, "A capricious and thrill-seeking Veela."

"I got to know her by chance during the summer of my seventeenth year. She seduced me with her unique charm, and we began an intimate relationship."

"At first, I didn't know her true identity and genuinely believed myself to be enchanted by her. After finding out that she was pregnant, I thought we would marry after graduation. But unexpectedly, after she gave birth to the child, she declared herself bored with me and broke it off. She didn't want the child, leaving me to care for her."

"I was incredibly angry - I felt betrayed, abandoned. We had a huge argument over it.."

"She also became emotional. You must know what happens when a pure-blood Veela gets agitated."

"It was then that I discovered her identity. I realized that my affections were never real, merely an effect of the Veela's inherent enchanting magic."