A month had passed since Algy was killed by Death Eaters.
Scrimgeour was a highly capable Auror, and he had clearly arrived at the same conclusion as Sherlock.
There were other Death Eater plants within the Ministry of Magic!
However, he had never been able to find out exactly who they were. Or rather, there were simply too many people to suspect. Those high-level fence-sitters were all opportunists, leaning towards whichever side was stronger. But before the situation in the Wizarding World was completely clear, it was basically impossible for them to do anything that meant fully siding with one party.
The overt investigation only lasted for a week, and the tense atmosphere within the Ministry of Magic relaxed accordingly.
However, Scrimgeour did not truly relax; he simply moved the investigation underground.
This time, because there were no other casualties, he was fortunate enough to receive only a warning without losing his position. But if there were a next time, truly no one would be able to protect him anymore.
Many people knew about the Ministry of Magic being broken into again, so naturally, there was no way to completely suppress the news.
Just as Minchum had said, the next day's headline in The Daily Prophet was a report on the incident.
This time, there was no fig leaf like Sherlock capturing four Death Eaters and a traitor to cover it up; it became a pure scandal, greatly affecting the reputation and credibility of the Ministry of Magic.
Later, it was said that Minchum personally went to Hogwarts to ask Dumbledore to come out and say a few words, which finally calmed public opinion in the Wizarding World somewhat.
The more turbulent the era, the higher Dumbledore's prestige in the Wizarding World became. It was precisely because of his presence that the Dark Lord did not act recklessly.
But when peaceful times arrived and the threat was gone, some people would forget his importance and start to find him an eyesore.
Internal operations at the Ministry of Magic also returned to their normal track.
Even though he knew that a Horcrux might be hidden in the Lestrange family's vault, Sherlock was in no hurry to get his hands on it.
This wasn't his primary goal right now. As long as Lord Voldemort didn't know the secret had been leaked, the Lestranges wouldn't dare move that cup.
The item wasn't going anywhere; Sherlock wasn't worried.
After confirming his next major research objective with Madam Selwyn, he had formal work to focus on.
The Department of Mysteries seemed mysterious to outsiders because no one knew what the people inside were researching.
But once you actually came into contact with it, the so-called mysterious subjects were nothing more than a few categories.
Death, time, soul, prophecy, the human brain, and so on.
In the field of time magic, previous Wizards had researched many practical applications, and the Time-Turner was just one manifestation of that.
Since Sherlock had just entered the Department, Madam Selwyn naturally didn't want him to take over any vital research from the start. Instead, she wanted him to begin by understanding information related to time magic.
There was a vast amount of material, clearly not something that could be fully understood in a month or two. So even with actual tasks and work, Sherlock could still find time to slack off and research his own things.
During this month, the copy of Secrets of the Darkest Art that Amy had found was nearly worn out from his constant flipping, yet he still hadn't figured out how it could help him.
Until one day, when he accidentally pulled out the Soul Protection Charm belonging to the Original Owner's mother, Sally, intending to refresh his brain and change his perspective, a sudden flash of inspiration struck!
Soul magic required using one's own soul to protect another soul, while Horcrux magic involved actively tearing the soul apart. From this perspective, the two magics acting on the soul itself actually had something in common!
So, could they be linked slightly? After tearing the soul with Horcrux magic, could the characteristic of attaching it to an object be modified, while also mixing some other elements into the soul-protection aspect of the protective magic, allowing the two to coexist and survive together?
Sherlock's imagination was instantly blown wide open at this moment.
He rubbed his hands together with some excitement, feeling that the direction he had thought of was completely feasible!
Although such a thing had nothing to do with returning to the correct timeline, Sherlock was still full of enthusiasm.
Not only was it to help Snape realise his dream, but it was also out of an excitement similar to solving a long-troubling maths problem during his school days in his previous life.
Both Horcruxes and the Soul Protection Charm were the pinnacle of soul magic in the Wizarding World.
With Sherlock's current reservoir of knowledge, it was naturally insufficient to support him in completing the fusion of the advantages of both magics, but he was currently in the place with the most mysterious knowledge in the entire British Ministry of Magic, which could provide him with endless theoretical support.
He hurriedly pushed open his office door, preparing to go to the Hall of Souls to look for materials. Just as he stepped out of the Time Room, he happened to run head-on into a young man coming out of the Brain Room.
They glanced at each other, nodded, and passed by without much conversation.
Sherlock naturally recognised this young man.
Barty Crouch Jr., one of the team leaders in the Auror Office. At the same time, his father was Scrimgeour's direct superior, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Barty Crouch Sr.
Having graduated from Hogwarts with excellent grades and performing brilliantly after joining the Aurors, combined with his father's influence, he was definitely a rising star among the Aurors; even Kingsley could only rank behind him.
Since coming to the Ministry of Magic, Sherlock had had no interaction with him, at most just a nodding acquaintance like just now.
However, Barty Jr.'s frequency of visits to the Department of Mysteries seemed to have increased recently.(TN: Probably visiting that one Death Eater. What was his name again?)
In the month since Algy was killed, this was already the fifth time Sherlock had run into him.
But Sherlock only felt it was a bit strange at most and didn't think much of it.
Anyone could be a traitor, but if someone like Barty Jr.—a complete winner in life whose father also firmly supported the Ministry against Lord Voldemort—were to be a traitor, it would be far too absurd.
He walked into the Hall of Souls. As an Unspeakable of the Time Room, he buried himself in the vast pile of materials regarding souls, even neglecting his own primary duties.
This situation continued for several days. Even Amy, who was used to living with him, felt bored and wanted to find him in the Hall of Souls. The Unspeakables in the Hall of Souls were full of resentment towards him, feeling he was trying to usurp their work. Just as Madam Selwyn was helplessly preparing to intervene...
Sherlock finally emerged from the Hall of Souls five days later, sporting a head of hair that looked like a bird's nest.
The materials in the Department of Mysteries were sufficient; he had now found a basis.
The combination of Horcrux magic and the Soul Protection Charm was theoretically feasible!