Chapter 167: Turmoil

"Just north of London lies a little town called Enfield where one of my friends from my student days resides. We had a falling out due to certain unfortunate incidents, but I trust she still has faith in me," Eddie hurriedly explained to Sherlock. "Her name is Sophie Friedman. She should be living in a house with a red roof on the easternmost side of Enfield. Simply tell her the truth. Even without meeting me, she should be rational enough to believe what you say."

"Have her take you to the Ministry, she's an employee of the Department of Magical Transportation, so she has the authority to enter and leave whenever she pleases."

"Mrs. Selwyn is almost always in the Department of Mysteries, located on Level Nine underground. The Unspeakables who work there never leave unless it's absolutely necessary."

After gathering all the information from Eddie, Sherlock asked, "What about you? What are you planning to do next?"

Eddie looked at the intense battle happening outside on the streets. "I must leave this place immediately. The Death Eaters have two tracking spells on me. I managed to break the obvious one back in Cambridge, but they think I'm unaware of the other tracking spell on me. That's why I was able to outsmart them today."

"That second spell is a troublesome one—I can only disrupt it temporarily, I can't cancel it entirely. Once it reactivates, the Death Eaters are bound to discover my location very quickly. Their battle in the city will inevitably lead to the deaths of many innocent muggles, I need to leave the city immediately and draw them away!"

His voice was firm, showing no concern for what might happen if the Death Eaters caught him. Sherlock didn't press on. With a wave of his wand, the scattered wands around the room flew back into his pocket. Time was of the essence. The sooner Sherlock could deliver the news to the Ministry and find the real traitor, the sooner Eddie could escape the danger.

"How can I notify you once the traitor has been apprehended?"

"Use the Ministry's fireplace to travel to the Isle of Man, that's where I should be around this time tomorrow!"

Eddie and Sherlock exchanged one last glance. They didn't say another word, instead raising their wands simultaneously and using the Disillusionment Charm. As they departed, the battle in the streets had already reached a fever pitch! The Aurors and Death Eaters, perched on flying brooms, were zooming across the city sky, brandishing their wands.

Countless green and red spells streaked through the night sky like falling stars, and there was a constant sound of apparitions appearing. These forces were reinforcements from the surrounding cities, comprised of Aurors and Death Eaters alike.

"Should we request more assistance from the Ministry?" Dodging a ghastly green curse Tris, another Auror captain who had come here from York asked. She was simultaneously returning spells and shouting at Moody. Moody was skillfully piloting his flying broom, bending low, his wand aimed at a Death Eater who swooped low to bombard a Muggle residence with explosive spells. The next moment, a precise red beam shot out from his wand, striking the fast-moving Death Eater. The incapacitated Death Eater fell helplessly from his broom, and even if he survived the fall, he would sustain life-changing injuries.

"They can't send out any more reinforcements!" Wind filled Moody's mouth as he shouted, "The Ministry only has Kingsley's teams left! If we keep sending out reinforcements, the entire Ministry would be emptied!"

"But if we continue like this, the whole Muggle city will know what is going on!" Tris anxiously declared. Moody's face was strained. He looked up at the Death Eaters—who were mainly hovering in the sky not really engaging the Aurors, merely bombarding the unsuspecting Muggle city below with their curses—and roared his response to Tris.

"You take your team to the west and north, I'll control the east and south! Push them towards the center!"

...

Apparating to solid ground, Sherlock found himself on the very street where the Leaky Cauldron was nestled in London. But there was no desire to visit the pub at this point. Decisively, he utilized the Unlocking Charm to open the door of a nearby car, then controlled the ignition with a spell. He hopped in and drove toward Enfield. He had never visited this small town before hence had no ways to Apparate directly, and the Knight Bus wouldn't necessarily take him there directly since its next stops were determined by the order of the passengers aboard, not by the proximity of the destinations.

A muggle's vehicle seemed the best means of transportation at this moment. Sherlock kept the accelerator floored. Luckily, Enfield wasn't far from London, and in about twenty minutes, he had reached the small town and swiftly found a red-roofed house in the easternmost part of town. He left the car, tapped the car bonnet lightly with his wand, and the vehicle restarted on its own, retracing its way back. It would automatically avoid other vehicles and pedestrians, returning to where Sherlock had found it initially, and besides a slight decrease in the petrol tank, the owner would discover no other issues.

Meanwhile, Sherlock knocked on the door of the red-roofed house. Not long after, a light flickered on in a bedroom on the second floor. A young and attractive woman wearing pajamas opened the window and cast a suspicious glance towards Sherlock from above. "It's quite late, you're not some door-to-door salesman, are you?"

Sherlock trained his gaze on her and responded earnestly. "Eddie Butler sent me to find you." 

The woman seemed visibly taken aback. After a pause of ten or so seconds, she stomped her foot in frustration, as if trying to muster her composure. "Just use the Unlocking Charm and wait a second! I'll be down in a moment!"

Upon hearing this, Sherlock Forester, forgoing any semblance of politeness, used the Unlocking Charm to open the door. As he crossed the threshold, Sophie was descending the staircase, clutching her wand in hand.

"I hope you are here to tell me that he's been wrongly accused! That you're here to seek my help to clear his name! Because if you're here to convince me to join You-Know-Who on his behalf, then prepare for a trial under the Wizengamot!"

Sherlock met Sophie's gaze squarely. The witch's wand was aimed unerringly at him, her apprehension evident as if she feared hearing the confirmation that Eddie had truly become a lackey of the Dark Lord.

"You're right," Sherlock shrugged, "Eddie has been unjustly blamed. He hasn't betrayed the Ministry of Magic, nor has he joined the Death Eaters."

A spark of hope seemed to kindle in Sophie's eyes, though she did not lower her wand. She strove to contain her emotion, her tone rushed, "Then what happened to him! Why didn't he come to find me himself!"

Sherlock kept his explanation succinct and relayed all that Eddie told him, within as short a time as possible. Three minutes later, the wand in Sophie's hand lowered.