Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 227 The Suspect's Statement
"Nobody knows how Harry Potter survived the attack by the mysterious man."

When questioned by Cedric and Hannah, who were also Hufflepuffs, Ernie McMillan mysteriously said:
"What I mean is, he was just a baby when that happened, so he should have been blown to pieces, right?"
Don't assume that the savior of the wizarding world can't be a dark wizard. Do you know why the mysterious man wanted to kill Potter when he was just a baby?
It's because he doesn't want another Dark Lord to appear and take his place!

His words were so outrageous that Cedric and Hannah couldn't think of a rebuttal for a moment.

However, quite a few junior wizards looked thoughtful after hearing this analysis, and many even nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Sherlock murmured:
"You've dragged down the entire Hufflepuff's intelligence."

Professor McGonagall had initially hoped that Cedric and Hannah would step forward and that the Hufflepuff students would be able to solve the problem themselves.

But when she heard Ernie Macmillan spout nonsense like "Voldemort wanted to kill Harry to prevent the birth of a new Dark Lord," she simply couldn't bear to listen anymore.

Professor McGonagall's body stiffened, and she immediately said sternly:
"Enough, McMillan!"

Professor McGonagall's imposing presence frightened even Peeves, let alone these students.

So even though the boss was unwilling, McMillan could only obediently shut his mouth and silently lower his head.

Seeing this, Professor McGonagall ignored it and immediately said:
"The prefects are leading their students back to their respective houses. Potter, come with me!"

After saying this, she hesitated for a moment, then turned to Sherlock, "Holmes, you come here too."

Sherlock and Harry were not surprised by this. The two quickly followed Professor McGonagall and disappeared after turning a corner.

As soon as they disappeared, the young wizards who had just returned to school began asking the students who stayed at their respective colleges what had happened.

Almost all the Gryffindor students surrounded Ron, bombarding him with questions.

"Ron, what happened? Has someone been attacked again?"

"Damn it! Weasley, why did Peeves say Potter killed the student? We're roommates, you better make sure things are clear!"

"Um, I... I think Harry must have been misunderstood..."

"Shut up, all of you, and let Weasley speak, or I'll cast a spell!"

This was the first time Ron had been in such a public setting.

As he faced the expectant gazes of the crowd, a strange sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.

A strange thought popped into his head: "How wonderful it would be to always be treated this way!"

However, he also knew that the reason everyone was treating him this way today wasn't because of him personally, so he took a deep breath:

"Shortly before your arrival, new victims appeared at the school, and there were... three of them!"

The lion cubs were immediately thrown into an uproar.

What was supposed to be a short holiday of just over ten days has turned into another disaster?

However, while I was surprised, I also breathed a sigh of relief. It seems that not staying at school for the holiday was indeed the right decision!

Especially those young wizards who are not of pure blood.

After all, no one knows if they will be the next victim.

The most surprised person was Hermione.

Because she remembered what Sherlock had said when she and Sherlock rode the Hogwarts Express home together.

According to Murphy's Law, the more you dislike something happening, the more likely it is to happen.

It actually came true!
At this point, Hermione was unsure whether she should praise Sherlock for his uncanny foresight.

As Grandma Neville said—good things don't come true, bad things do.

Indeed, some things just can't withstand being talked about.

On the other hand, Harry is in a terrible situation.

He was in a heavy mood as he followed Professor McGonagall, keeping his head down and remaining silent the entire way.

As for Sherlock, he recognized the way to the Gryffindor Headmaster's office after walking for a while, so he took the initiative to ask:
"So, Mr. Dumbledore still hasn't returned?"

"Holmes, you don't actually think I can't do anything to you just because the headmaster isn't here, do you?"

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, Professor McGonagall immediately frowned:
"Even if I weren't the Vice-Headmaster of Hogwarts, I would still be the Head of Gryffindor."

"Professor, you're being a bit too sensitive."

Faced with a somewhat agitated Professor McGonagall, Sherlock calmly said, "I'm just making a deduction based on existing facts."

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, Professor McGonagall's furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and she fell silent.

Harry looked at Sherlock with admiration.

My good friend is still as brave as ever.

Fortunately, he took the lead for me, otherwise I would have had to face Professor McGonagall alone.

In fact, even though Dumbledore was the headmaster, Harry faced even more pressure from Professor McGonagall when he was alone than Dumbledore.

The Gryffindor Headmaster's office was on the second floor, so the three of them quickly arrived at their destination.

This was Sherlock's first time in Professor McGonagall's office.

Sherlock glanced around the room, and just as he had imagined, everything was arranged neatly.

Even if you never know Professor McGonagall, you can still deduce something from this room.

The room's owner is a serious, strict, and meticulous person. He has been single for many years, had a happy past relationship, and is passionate about Quidditch.

In addition, they also kept a tabby cat—this is the only point where the inference differs from the actual situation.

Based on the inference, the most likely conclusion is that this tabby cat is well-behaved and obedient.

However, the truth is that the cat is Professor McGonagall herself, transformed by her advanced Animagus transmutation technique.

Of course, since everyone at Hogwarts has secrets, Sherlock had no intention of investigating Professor McGonagall's past until these secrets showed any danger to him and his friends.

The reason I consider these things is purely a conditioned reflex.

"As you expected, Mr. Holmes, Professor Dumbledore has still not returned."

Professor McGonagall stared at Sherlock. "If you have anything to say, I can pass it on."

"Please urge him to come back as soon as possible."

“As I’ve already said, he has other commitments and can’t return immediately,” Professor McGonagall took a deep breath. “If you have anything to say, you can just tell me.”

"Then please urge him for me."

Mag: (ー`ー)
So, I'm only fit to be a setter?
McGonagall took a deep breath, suppressing her displeasure, and said to Sherlock and Harry:

"Please have a seat, Mr. Holmes, and Mr. Potter."

Sherlock immediately sat down, while Harry nervously began to explain:
"Professor, I swear I didn't—"

“I can’t handle this, Potter.”

Professor McGonagall replied briefly, “With Professor Dumbledore absent, I can only act as the headmaster—now, tell me everything you know.”

"But, but..."

"Sit down and talk."

With Harry's voice trembling at the end, Sherlock suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into his seat.

His grey eyes gleamed coldly in the candlelight, and a hint of impatience tugged at the corner of his mouth: "You're trembling like you've been cursed with popping candy."

But once Harry obediently sat down, Sherlock's eyes lit up with a new, inquisitive light:
“I’d love to hear what happened—Harry, you need to be as detailed as possible, and try not to leave out any details, because maybe one of them will help me find the murderer.”

Professor McGonagall watched as one student forced another into a seat right in front of her, raising an eyebrow slightly, but ultimately remained silent.

After all, what Sherlock said was indeed what she wanted to say.

Hearing his friend's familiar yet reassuring voice, Harry's anxiety gradually subsided.

He took a deep breath, nodded, and began to recount the events in detail:
"After dinner tonight, I went to Qiu to learn the Water and Fire Immunity Spell, just like I always do..."

"Mr. Potter, you mean Cho, Miss Cho Chang from Ravenclaw?"

"Yes, Professor."

"You mean, like usual... you mean you've been learning this spell from her all this time?"

Harry had no choice but to briefly recount how Cho Chang had encouraged him before the Quidditch match.

It just so happens that neither he nor Qiu Zhang went home for the holiday, and the other students were not there either, so it was a good opportunity for them to study together.

After saying this, Professor McGonagall had Harry cast the Water and Fire Immunity Charm on the spot before nodding:
"Indeed, you have made progress after studying for some time... Mr. Potter, if you could put the same effort into learning from Miss Zhang into the Transfiguration class, I think your current achievements would be far more than this."

Harry blushed as he heard Professor McGonagall's suggestive remark.

Can that be the same?

Learning magic from a strict and old-fashioned witch is nowhere near as enjoyable as spending time with a beautiful young lady.
Of course, he would never dare to say these words aloud.

Fortunately, Professor McGonagall didn't dwell on the issue too much, but instead changed the subject:
"Okay, you can continue."

"After that, I first took her back to the Ravenclaw Tower, and then planned to go back to my own dormitory."

But on my way back, as I passed an empty classroom, I heard what sounded like movement inside…

Upon hearing this, Sherlock visibly perked up.

The action of sketching on the parchment with a quill pen that was in progress also stopped.

"Is there some kind of noise? Is it a clear collision? A whisper? Or the hissing sound of a wand scraping against a potion bottle?"

Harry understood exactly what Sherlock meant: the so-called "whispering" referred to the eerie sound that only he could hear.

He looked at Sherlock and saw that the latter had already sketched a floor plan of the corridor on the parchment with a smooth stroke of his pen, and had even drawn a conspicuous circle on the "empty classroom".

"neither……"

Harry looked embarrassed as he said this.

"I went over to take a look out of curiosity—actually, I shouldn't have gone over there. If I hadn't been so curious, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

At this point, Harry's face was full of regret, wishing he could turn back time and change his actions.

Upon hearing this, Sherlock immediately clasped his hands together to support his chin and asked with great interest:

"So... what did you see?"

(End of this chapter)