Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 243 There's nothing to be afraid of anymore.

As soon as Potions class ended, Ron couldn't wait to complain to his friends:

"Did you see what Snape and Malfoy looked like just now? It was absolutely disgusting."

"Malfoy is just a clown, ignore him."

Hermione frowned. "But Professor Snape wasn't wrong. Dumbledore will indeed be back with us soon."

“He’s right to say that, but he’s got such a high opinion of himself—I think he’d love for Dumbledore to leave so he can become headmaster.”

“Ron, you have a very deep misunderstanding of Professor Snape.”

Sherlock looked at the indignant Ron and earnestly explained to him:
"I still stand by my previous opinion: Professor Snape is a despicable but kind-hearted man."

"Sherlock, it's not that I don't trust you, I just want to broaden my horizons—I can see Snape's despicable nature, but where exactly do you see his kindness?"

“In many places… pay attention, you need to observe, not just look.”

Sherlock shrugged. "In fact, he's more interested in becoming the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher than the Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"Uh……"

Ron was taken aback by Sherlock's answer: "If it's him, I'd rather Lockhart continue teaching this course."

Hermione frowned upon hearing this.

When she learned that Professor Lockhart was most likely under the control of Voldemort's dark magic artifacts, she immediately expressed her concern for the professor.

Unfortunately, it's too late now, all she can do is pray.

However, hearing Ron bring up this topic now, she couldn't help but feel somewhat dissatisfied:

"Let's stop discussing this and focus on the next game!"
Sherlock said that after Harry finishes this battle, we'll go to the Chamber of Secrets to defeat the Basilisk and rescue Professor Lockhart!

"By then, maybe he really will be able to stay as our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor forever!"

Sherlock sighed.

If that day ever comes, Lockhart will be exposed for what he truly is.

He didn't care what others thought; he was the first person he wouldn't agree to let Lockhart continue teaching this course.

Hermione, clearly unaware of Sherlock's thoughts, turned to Harry and asked curiously:
"Speaking of which, Harry, are you confident you can defeat Hufflepuff?"

"Don't worry, this time it's not just me, everyone in Gryffindor thinks so."

If they could defeat Slytherin, who possessed seven Nimbus 2001s, then taking down Hufflepuff would be a piece of cake!

Seeing Harry's confidence, Sherlock's gaze also deepened:

"Get ready, my dear Harry—after you finish this match, we'll go to the Chamber of Secrets and end it all."

Harry nodded heavily.

This time, the entire Gryffindor team has never been more confident of winning the Quidditch Cup.

The match day arrived quickly.

The morning was sunny and a pleasant breeze was blowing gently.

Sunlight danced on the bright red tablecloth of Gryffindor, making the gilded cutlery gleam, and the air was filled with the aroma of toasting bread and the savory smell of sausages.

"This is exactly the perfect weather for a Quidditch match!"

Wood spoke enthusiastically as he added lots of scrambled eggs to each team member's plate.

“Hey Oliver, do you think there’s no weather that’s unsuitable for Quidditch?” Fred Weasley shrugged.

“What did you say during the last thunderstorm? ‘The weather’s nice, we should still be able to fly…’” George Weasley put his right hand to his forehead, making a gesture of observing the sky.

"Hahahahaha!"

Everyone was in high spirits, chatting and laughing, showing no signs of nervousness about the upcoming competition.

Seeing the team's emotions completely opposite to those in the previous game, Harry couldn't help but feel a little lost.

He recalled Qiu Zhang, who had come here specifically to encourage him before the last competition.

Wood had no idea what Harry was thinking, but noticing his low spirits, he patted him on the shoulder:

"Harry, pull yourself together. You need to eat a proper breakfast."

"Yes, thank you, Oliver."

"Don't do that, Harry."

Ron guessed Harry's thoughts this time, and he lowered his voice to say:

"Once you finish this battle, we'll be able to catch that petrified guy! Don't you think so, Sherlock?"

"Well said."

Sherlock, for once, agreed with Ron's statement:
"You should put aside your personal feelings for now and win this game as soon as possible."

“I understand, Sherlock.”

Harry took a deep breath.

The clues in the secret room have been thoroughly investigated, the mandrake is about to ripen, and Hufflepuff is no match for it...

Everything is moving in a positive direction.

There's nothing left to be afraid of...

Ron looked helpless.

He wondered why Harry was so obedient when Sherlock's words were much stricter than his own.
But then he thought about it again and realized that he was no match for Sherlock, so he ate his sausage while looking around.
"Where's Hermione? Why isn't she here yet? Did she oversleep?"

"I think that's unlikely."

Sherlock said seriously, "A person who is used to waking up early wouldn't do this unless something unexpected happens."

"..."

This time, Harry and Ron were both speechless.

"Um, Sherlock..."

Ron said somewhat helplessly, "I know you don't care about these things, but can't you say something auspicious?" "You've already said I don't care about these things, so why do you have to deliberately say something auspicious? My friend, don't you think your words are contradictory?"

Ron: ○|￣|_
What you said makes so much sense that I am speechless.

And so they ate and chatted until breakfast was almost over and the group was about to head to the arena, but Hermione still hadn't come.

“Maybe Sherlock was right,” Ron muttered. “He probably ate something bad last night.”

Harry said worriedly, "If that's really the case, then all will be well; but I'm afraid..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Professor Milo walk briskly down the stairs and onto the long table for the faculty and staff.

When Harry noticed her expression, his heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.

The next moment, his premonition came true.

Professor McGonagall surveyed the entire hall, first casting an amplification spell on herself, then uttering a statement that astonished everyone:
"Today's match has been cancelled."

After a moment of silence, the entire auditorium erupted in cheers.

Oliver Wood was the most surprised and the quickest to react.

He darted forward and rushed in front of Professor McGonagall:
“Professor! We have to compete...you know...this is the closest we’ve ever come to the championship…”

"Wood, I understand how you feel, but unfortunately, the current situation no longer allows us to continue this matter."

After explaining this to Wood, Professor McGonagall turned to the others and said loudly:
"All students must return to the college common room, where the college administrators will provide you with more information—please leave as soon as possible!"

As soon as Professor McGonagall uttered those words, everyone understood what had happened.

Another attack has occurred!
The already noisy auditorium, which was filled with the noise of the cancelled match, became even more chaotic.

It was at this point that the prefects naturally came into play, leading the students back to their respective college's common room.

However, due to the suddenness of the incident, the auditorium inevitably became somewhat chaotic.

This scene immediately reminded Harry of last year's Halloween.

The situation then was similar to that now:
Quirrell burst into the Great Hall saying the trolls had escaped, and chaos ensued. In the end, Dumbledore intervened and asked the prefects to take everyone back to the common room.

Halfway there, Harry and Ron realized Sherlock was missing, and then remembered that Hermione might have run into a troll.

This time... it can't be such a coincidence, can it?
Thinking of this, he immediately turned to look at Sherlock.

Thankfully, the person is still alive this time.

"Sherlock, Hermione wouldn't..."

Sherlock, who had just explained that Hermione's lateness was due to an accident, frowned at this moment.

This unexpected event was quite different from what I had imagined.

"let's go!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Harry and pushed his way toward Professor McGonagall.

"Hey, wait a minute, what about me?!"

Ron panicked when he saw Sherlock drag Harry away.

"I haven't caught up yet!"

He immediately shouted that he wanted to catch up with the two, but he didn't have Sherlock's skill in pushing through crowds, and soon fell behind.

"professor!"

Sherlock pulled Harry to Professor McGonagall's side. "What exactly happened?"

"Sherlock Holmes, Potter..."

Professor McGonagall's gaze turned complicated upon seeing Sherlock and Harry.

She thought for a moment, then finally sighed, "Alright, come with me for a moment..."

"Wait, wait a minute!"

Professor McGonagall was about to take a step when she saw Ron running towards them. He used all his strength to squeeze through the complaining crowd.

He looked at Sherlock and Harry with a resentful expression.

Is this okay?

Are they really good brothers?
Sherlock remained calm, while Harry looked somewhat embarrassed.

Oh no, how could I forget about my other good buddy?

Fortunately, Professor McGonagall spoke up in time, breaking the awkward silence.

"Well, maybe you'd better come too, Weasley."

Led by her, Sherlock and his two companions climbed the marble staircase and stopped in a secluded spot.

"Professor, has another attack occurred?"

As soon as Professor McGonagall stopped, Harry couldn't help but ask.

He was both frustrated and angry.

I was clearly prepared to catch this troublemaker in one fell swoop after this match.

In order to lower the opponent's guard and give him the confidence to strike again, Dumbledore even pretended to leave the school.

Unexpectedly, the confidence they gave the other side this time seemed to be a bit excessive.

The other side actually acted ahead of time!
The game was over before it even started.

How infuriating! The rooster and the mirror are clearly there...

“No, it’s worse than that,” Professor McGonagall shook her head and said gravely after hearing Harry’s words, “They kidnapped him and took him straight into the Chamber of Secrets.”

"what?"

Harry and Ron gasped, both clenching their fists tightly.

Only Sherlock's expression remained calm: "Professor, how can you be so sure of that?"

(End of this chapter)