Chapter 168: Department of Mysteries

"Eddie is being pursued by both the Ministry of Magic and the Death Eaters?" asked Sophie, her eyes wide with anxiety as she fixed them on Sherlock. The witch clearly had history with Eddie, and given their fall out during school and the mystery surrounding Amy's mother, Sherlock couldn't help but envision a tangled romantic drama of love and hate. But this was not the time for such thoughts.

"Exactly, which is why you need to get me to the Department of Mysteries to meet Mrs. Selwyn as soon as possible. The sooner we find her, the sooner Eddie will be able to return."

Sophie quickly threw on a robe over her nightgown and grabbed Sherlock by the arm, apparating them both straight into the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry had anti-apparition charms in place, but they didn't affect official employees. Still, no wizard would apparate directly into the Ministry unless it was extremely urgent; it was considered very impolite. Instead, they would usually travel by means of a toilet (as Mr. Weasley did when Voldemort came to power).

But right now, they hardly bothered about manners and apparated directly onto the sixth underground floor of the Ministry.

"I've never been to the ninth floor where the Department of Mysteries is located. So I had to apparate us to the sixth floor, and from here we'll take the lift," Sophie explained. With that, she led Sherlock towards the elevator at a brisk pace, passing hallway lights that lit up as they rushed by.

The Ministry seemed desolate at this time, absent of even the nocturnal employees. Apart from the patrolling Aurors, there wasn't a soul in sight. They were yet to reach the lift when they found a motionless figure lying to the side of the corridor. Sophie paled as she approached the unknown wizard with an unresponsive face.

"It's Brook! He is part of one of the only two remaining Auror squads that were alternating shifts tonight!"

Luckily, the wizard named Brook was not dead, he'd merely been hit by a stunning spell. Sherlock frowned as he examined him. "The undercover agents within the Ministry have begun their actions. With the Death Eaters distracting most of the Aurors in Sheffield, the defenses here have weakened considerably. We still don't know exactly how many Death Eaters the traitor has brought into the Ministry, but we need to be extremely careful."

"What should we do now?" Sophie asked, her voice shaking. "Should we try to alert the others in the Ministry or head straight to the Department of Mysteries?"

Being a simple administrative employee at the Ministry, she had no combat experience and couldn't even cast a Shield Charm, making her incapable of forming any resistance.

Sherlock never expected her to help either, and continued to run towards the elevator. "Can you notify all Ministry of Magic staff to return here within thirty minutes?"

"Even the Minister for Magic can't do that!" 

"Then don't bother. We don't have the time. Let's just head over and assess the situation for ourselves."

Sherlock released his Control Magic, but the Ministry seemed to have a unique magical protection that limited and pressured his magic, reducing its usual stretch from ten meters to a meager eight. Notwithstanding, an eight meter range for detection was enough. They entered the lift which started descending. 

Sophie was visibly nervous, but she pursed her lips without uttering a word of retreat. She made it clear she would stay by Sherlock's side. When they reached the eighth floor, the entrance to the Ministry's main hall, they found two more Aurors lying on the ground. This discovery did little to buoy Sherlock's spirits. There were definitely multiple Death Eaters stationed within the Ministry! 

Eventually, in the quiet and darkness they arrived on the ninth floor, the home of the Department of Mysteries. Sophie held her wand tightly, and as soon as Sherlock stepped out of the elevator, he took out a bag carrying more than thirty wands, flinging them into the surrounding area. He couldn't use any more; amidst the confined spaces of the Ministry's corridors and his already suppressed controlling magic, more wands would clog the narrow hallway and diminish their effectiveness. 

Once out of the lift, they were faced with a long hallway. They found another unconscious Auror laid out on the floor as they made their way towards the end. According to Sophie, there were two teams of Aurors stationed at the Ministry, totaling ten individuals, with the head of the Auror Office, Scrimgeour, being the eleventh. Four of them had already been stunned by spells! 

After approximately two minutes of navigating the hallway, they reached the end, a simple black door awaited them, unadorned and lacking any handle or marking. A slit of light, evidence that it had been opened, cut through the door's otherwise complete darkness. Sherlock approached the door, his Controlling Magic having preemptively probed inside to ensure its safety, and then he pushed it open. 

Beyond the door was a large circular room where everything, including the ceiling and floor, was a pristine black. There were twelve doors identical to the one they had entered through adorning the walls. As soon as Sherlock and Sophie had stepped in, the circular walls began to spin rapidly, leaving them disoriented and unsure of both their entry point and the door they needed to pass next.

Breathing heavily, Sophie anxiously asked, "Is no one here? Why are they not here?"

Sherlock didn't answer. Because at that moment, the revolving walls had stopped. He trailed along the round walls, going door by door, attempting to glimpse what lay beyond using detection magic. Yet this time, he could "see" nothing. Each door led to nothing but emptiness, as if the round, black room they now occupied stood alone and independent of all other spaces. 

Thoroughly comprehending this, realization transformed his features. They were indeed isolated from all other spaces. The hall of the Department of Mysteries was an entirely separate plane, and these black entrances were not doors in the truest sense, but portals to other spaces. This was why he could glean no insight through detection magic.

Understanding but devoid of better solutions, Sherlock realized the only way to determine which door the Death Eaters had entered was to open each one. Several dozen wands floated behind him as he approached a black door. "Watch out," he cautioned Sophie.

Warm sweat moistening the palm grasping her wand, Sophie nevertheless breathed steadily.Seeing her nod with determination, Sherlock gently pushed the first door open.

The square room was filled with bright, stark emptiness, with only a lone desk. In the center stood a massive tank of sparkling green liquid, large enough for a person to swim in. Suspended within it floated numerous pale entities. At a casual glance, one might mistake them for a peculiar species of jellyfish. However, a closer look revealed them to be brains! 

With trembling lips, Sophie pointed out, "I think I've heard of this place. This is the Brain Room, where Unspeakables conduct research on human brains."

Sherlock cast cursory glances into the Brain Room and shifted his gaze away. The brains in the tank appeared to be alive, giving off a creepy vibe that made one's hairs stand on end. There were several other doors inside the Brain Room, but Sherlock no longer planned to painstakingly check each one. His priority was to ascertain whether the Death Eaters were lurking behind one of the twelve black doors. The Brain Room's door was left ajar, thus, the black door-embedded circular walls wouldn't rotate again.

Sherlock didn't tarry; he quickly moved to the next door—the throng of wands floating beside him reorienting their directive tips in unison. He pushed open the second ebony door. Before him lay a room, boundlessly dark, orbited by countless vibrant planets without visible floor or ceiling. Even Sherlock, with limited astronomical knowledge, immediately recognized the distinctive solar system—nine major planets that rotated and revolved around the middle sun mass at their own pace and orbital path. (Pluto was still considered a planet and would be until 2006). Even without Sophie's description, Sherlock could have named this room – the Planetarium. Next, he opened the third door.

Behind this door lay a square, dimly lit room defined by an enormous, central pit, roughly twenty feet deep, encircled by descending stone steps resembling an ascending amphitheater. At the centre of the crater, a raised platform held an archway that was standing old and ragged, its dark curtain—or perhaps more of a veil—hung untouched around the unsupported arch. Despite the cold stagnant air, the veil seemed to be subtly waving, as though just brushed by a presence. This room left Sherlock feeling ill at ease, he chose not to dwell on its purpose and proceeded to the fourth door.

The room was filled with beautiful, diamond-like twinkling lights; each surface was adorned with a clock. Varying from a floor clock to a pocket watch, every size was represented. The ticking of countless clock hands echoed, mirroring the steady march of thousands of orderly footsteps. In that moment, an unwelcome sight greeted them at the epicentre of the room – a Death Eater, donned in an iron mask contorted into a gruesome grimace, wand at the ready, and face-to-face with an undeterred Sherlock Forester.