Different Worlds

SEVEN - THE MINISTRY

Sebastian's POV

I still couldn't believe Sophie just took down two men. This tiny little woman who looked like an innocent delicate angel. But she was so confident so fierce and strong. I never met anyone like her before. She handled the whole situation so much better than me. I couldn't even imagine what made her learn to defend herself like that, but I was glad she knew how to do it. There was still so much we didn't know about each other.

"What now?" She pulled me out of my thoughts by pressing my hand she was still holding.

Oh right. We were actually on a mission. I had to get to the Ministry of Magic. I was almost positive that was where Alex went. He couldn't still be there. He had to apparate from there or maybe he took a Floo Flame because the trace ended up here but someone maybe noticed him. Unfortunately I had to go alone for obvious reasons. There was no chance I could take Sophie there. They would instantly erase her memory and maybe even put me in prison for breaking the secrecy law.

"Maybe we should split up and go snoop around a little, ask people if they saw him around," I tried to offer.

"Are you sure? We were just attacked," she asked with a shaky voice. I felt horrible. I didn't want to leave her alone. Especially not after what we just experienced. But I had to.

"We were in a creepy alley. There are plenty of people around and it is the middle of the day. You will be fine, Sophie, I promis. You can go and ask in the shops there." I pointed to the opposite side of the street. "I take the other side. It would be quicker that way."

"If you think that's a good idea," she agreed hesitantly.

I could see on her face that she also didn't want to split up. She didn't want it at all. But there was no other choice. The ministry was full of magic. To get there I had to use magic. And the last thing I wanted was her to forget.

"Trust me, Soph. It's better this way," I took her other hand in mine and pressed both of them reassuringly. "We will meet in an hour on this exact spot, okay? And hopefully we will be wiser then."

"Okay."

"Bye, squirrel," I finally let go of her hands.

"See you in an hour," she gave me a sad smile and ran towards the first shop.

After spending more than four whole days with her it felt weird to be alone. I waited until she disappeared and then crossed the road. The entrance was well hidden but I still had to wait for a few minutes before I could go in.

The Ministry was full of life. It reminded me of an anthill. There were witches and wizards everywhere, running from place to place. I was slowly walking around, trying to find someone who I could ask about Alex, avoiding all of those rushing people in the meantime. Luckily I took one of the photos Sophie had in her apartment, so it could make my search easier.

"Excuse me, did you see this wizard? We should meet here," I politely asked another two witches after a few unsuccessful attempts.

"I did not. Did you see him, Emily?" One of them said and looked at the other.

"No, I don't think so. But tried to ask Fred," she pointed at some elderly man with hands full of papers. "He works on reception. If anyone spotted him, it had to be Fred."

"Thank you," I smiled at them and quickly ran away, following the elder wizard.

"Excuse me. I was told you could help me," I tapped his shoulder gently when I finally managed to catch him up.

"What is it, young man?" He turned at me, trying to look important.

"I am looking for my friend. We should have met here but there are so many people I am afraid I can't find him here," I showed him the photo.

"No. I am afraid...actually, wait. I think I saw him with Edward. But not today. It was like a week ago. I remember because they were arguing. And I never heard Edward speaking so loud before. I didn't hear what it was about though." His face lit up. Oh this man for sure love gossips.

"Edward?"

"Ah, my apologies. Edward Carman. He is working as an Auror here."

"And do you know where I could find him now? Maybe he could help me."

"I'm afraid I can't be helpful here. I didn't see him for a few days actually. I guess he had some complicated case or something. Not that he would confide in me anymore. He was quite friendly, you know, when he started working here. We went for a beer or two from time to time, but after he moved to Benington he stopped talking to everybody," the man continued blabbing.

"Thank you, sir," I tried to stop him. "I guess I just sent an owl to my friend that I couldn't find him."

"No problem, lad. Good luck next time," he patted my shoulder blade a few times and promptly walked away.

Okay. So just to be clear. Alex was in fact here at some point. He met with this weird Auror a few days ago and no one has seen him or the Auror since. It definitely wasn't any official ministry business. They wouldn't be arguing in the hallways if it was. It had to be something personal but what? Alex didn't know any Auror that I knew for sure.

I quickly exited the Ministry and I was relieved to find out that Sophie was already waiting for me.

"Hi," she waved at me happily with a smile, visibly relieved.

I just chuckled softly. "Hey. Did you find out anything?"

Her smile instantly faded. "No. And you?" She asked hopefully.

"Actually, I did. He met someone called Edward Carman and they apparently argued about something. I know it's not much but it's better than nothing."

"Do you know where we could find him?"

"I am not sure. His work require a lot of traveling so he could be anywhere. But he lives in Benington. So we should head there next and maybe we will find out more. But let's leave it for tomorrow. I am sure it will involve a lot of walking again and there was already too much action for today. " I put my palm on the small of her back, pushed her slightly forward, and started walking back to her place.

"Okay, let's go then. If we are lucky, Madame Reeves is still enjoying her 'walk'," she imitated quotation marks with her fingers and giggled. It was only the second time I heard her giggle like this. I couldn't help but smiley at the sweet sound.

"But no shortcuts this time. Although I strongly believe you would protect both of us if necessary."

"You bet!"