Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 256 Three women and one drama
For Hermione, even though Sherlock has now become her own hero, she doesn't want Gemma to know, much less Sherlock.

So when she heard Gemma's words, her ears instantly turned bright red, and she straightened her back, trying to appear calm:

"I...I wasn't excited at all!"

I... I just didn't expect him to come so quickly..."

She said that she picked up her cup again and took another sip.

But the expression behind the glass betrayed her—her eyelashes trembled slightly, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

Sherlock and Gemma naturally saw this scene clearly.

Sherlock paid no attention to Hermione's insincerity.

Gemma chuckled softly.

What a dishonest little guy!
Fortunately, I don't have any feelings for Sherlock yet.

Otherwise, someone like Hermione would only end up losing in the competition for love.

Thinking of this, she shook her head slightly, then turned to Sherlock: "So, can you tell me what happened now?"

Upon hearing Gemma say that, Hermione instinctively wanted to say no.

Although Dumbledore did not ask them to keep this a secret, Hermione believed it was because Dumbledore thought they knew what was appropriate.

However, after glancing at Sherlock, she ultimately bit her lower lip and swallowed back the "no" that almost escaped her lips.

Let Sherlock make the decision himself.

However, to her surprise, before Sherlock could speak, another voice abruptly interrupted:
"Sherlock, I want to know what happened too!"

Luna Lovegood, a first-year student.

Hermione and Gemma both looked surprised when they saw her.

Especially Gemma.

As a prefect, she knew this Ravenclaw freshman better than most people.

After all, "crazy girl" is not a nice thing to say.

But precisely because of this, she keenly sensed that Luna and Sherlock's relationship was not ordinary.

Putting aside everything else, you can tell just by the way they address each other.

It's worth noting that even now, many of Sherlock's classmates still call him Holmes.

Outside of Gryffindor, only a handful of people, including himself, would call him Sherlock.

Luna, a first-year student from a different school, Ravenclaw, actually calls Sherlock by his first name?
Furthermore, Luna is a loner; even in Ravenclaw, a school where students are known for their individuality, she is the type to be a loner, yet she managed to cross the line and come here to find Sherlock.

There must be something going on behind the scenes.

Just as when he saw Gemma, Sherlock was not surprised by Luna's appearance and immediately asked:
"What do you want to know?"

"Who used dark magic to control Lockhart? Is he really a Slytherin successor? How did you find the Chamber of Secrets and how did you defeat him and the Basilisk?"

Good guy!
Hermione looked at Luna in surprise, realizing that she still didn't know the girl well enough.

Gemma's carefully crafted roundabout phrases seemed both laughable and superfluous in the face of her straightforward question.

Luna's bluntness also surprised Gemma, who then chuckled.

Having at least participated in Sherlock's solution to the locked-room mystery, he was quite reserved when asking questions.

Luna actually hit a straight shot?

And it wasn't just one fastball!
Great!

However, the question Luna wanted to ask was exactly the same question I wanted to ask.

Almost instantly, she realized this was a golden opportunity.

So without hesitation, she decisively provided an assist:
"Regarding Miss Lovegood's question... Sherlock, I'd also like to know the answer to that, so... may I speak?"

Hermione, Gemma, and Luna all looked at Sherlock.

Under the watchful eyes of the three girls, Sherlock finally put down his cup.

"I can say anything, there's nothing I can't say. The real question is... will you believe me after I tell you?"

Hermione nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Yes, given the current state of the wizarding world, even if it were revealed that Voldemort was the mastermind, it's unlikely that many people would believe it.

However, both girls' answers were beyond her expectations.

Gemma smiled and said, "Truth is often in the hands of a minority."

Luna was even more direct: "I'll believe you as long as you say so."

Hermione: (╬◣д◢)

You guys are all so good at talking!

"The one who used dark magic to control Lockhart was Voldemort."

However, the next moment, Sherlock surprised the three girls with a single sentence.

The three people were surprised for different reasons.

Hermione already knew the answer, but she was surprised that Sherlock actually told Gemma and Luna the truth without holding anything back.

It would have been fine to tell Gemma, since, as Gemma herself said, she had been involved in this matter.

Moreover, Hermione had a vague suspicion that, given Gemma's intelligence and pure-blood family background, he must have already guessed something.

But telling Luna was something she had never expected.

Since returning from Christmas, she had already asked Sherlock and Luna how they met.

She found it incredible when she heard that the two had started calling each other by name after only meeting once at the school gate.

You know, I knew Sherlock before school even started!

She is the oldest of all Sherlock's friends!

Even so, I only changed how I addressed myself a month after the start of the semester.

As it turned out, Gemma and Luna were both incredibly fast!

It was me, it was me first, I was clearly here first!

Gemma's surprise stemmed from two reasons. One was Voldemort's answer itself.

Although not one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Pureblood Families, Gemma was still a pureblood wizard, and she had heard Voldemort's fearsome reputation since childhood, so it was naturally very familiar to her.

However, the education she received from childhood did not support her being like Sherlock, so she still couldn't help but shudder when she heard the name Voldemort.

Fortunately, she had already secretly cast the ear-blocking spell before Sherlock could reveal the answer.

This is a spell to prevent eavesdropping; once cast, it fills the ears of everyone around with an indistinguishable buzzing sound.

As for the second reason.

Despite her seemingly composed demeanor, she wasn't entirely sure Sherlock would tell her the truth.

Unexpectedly, Sherlock's opening remarks were a game-changer.

Can this be said?
Sherlock, you really trust us!
Compared to Hermione and Gemma, Luna was simply surprised.

"The mastermind behind it all is the mysterious man. So, he really is still alive, right?"

"It's obvious."

"And what about the other issues?"

Luna asked urgently.

Seeing Luna's appearance, Hermione and Gemma exchanged a glance.

Both of them understood the meaning in each other's eyes: "This little girl is a bit crazy."

However, Sherlock ignored this and answered in a matter-of-fact tone:
"Voldemort is Slytherin's successor, and it was he who controlled Lockhart to open the Chamber of Secrets and release the Basilisk to attack everywhere."

The process of finding the secret room is very complicated and cannot be explained in a short time. The main contributor is Harry, and I will tell you about it when I have the chance.

Actually, compared to finding and opening the secret room, defeating Voldemort and the Basilisk is simpler.

The rooster's crow is enough.

Although Sherlock's answer sounded somewhat simple, Gemma and Luna were already very satisfied.

The answer may be short, but it's incredibly valuable!

Moreover, Sherlock has already promised them that he will tell them the details when he has the opportunity in the future.

"Sherlock, this matter... should be kept secret, shouldn't it?"

After a moment's thought, Gemma asked, "Mr. Dumbledore didn't mention this, which must have been his consideration."

"It doesn't matter."

"what?"

"Even if you tell others about this, not many people will believe you."

Sherlock held up two fingers:
"First, the same words spoken by different people have different effects."

Second, people tend to believe what they want to believe.

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, Gemma pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.

If Dumbledore were to say that Voldemort has returned, everyone would definitely take it seriously.

But if he were just a student, most people would probably think he was talking nonsense.

Hermione understands this all too well.

Last year, Sherlock clearly stated that Quirrell missed class because he stabbed him, but no one believed him.

Ron even lost his right to choose a partner before he turned twenty because of this...

Just then, Luna suddenly blurted out:
"If we publicize it too much, the Ministry of Magic will arrest us."

Hermione and Gemma both laughed when they heard her words.

Hermione: "Lovegood, you're really overthinking it. How could the Ministry of Magic possibly have such an air traffic control system?"

Gemma: "They'll probably just think it's kids talking nonsense and laugh it off at most."

Sherlock said nothing.

Although he has been in the magical world for less than two years, he has already indirectly dealt with the Ministry of Magic several times.

Especially considering the way the Ministry of Magic treated Hagrid fifty years ago, these guys are really not as good as Scotland Yard when it comes to the Chamber of Secrets incident.

In his view, if the Ministry of Magic did not know that Voldemort had returned, then they might indeed have handled it as Gemma suggested.

But once they find out Voldemort is back, judging from their attitude towards the previous cases, they will probably handle it the way Luna suggested.

Covering up the problem or burying your head in the sand won't solve it; instead, deal with the person who raised the issue.

This is the Ministry of Magic.

The celebration lasted all night, until four or five in the morning, when people finally succumbed to sleepiness and began to return home.

When it got light, everyone returned to the common lounge and began to daydream.

There's not much to say about the rest of the summer semester.

With the exams and Quidditch matches canceled, Harry finally had time to resume his morning exercises with Sherlock.

As a result, the three of them—Sherlock, Harry, and Neville—became the ones doing morning exercises every day.

Sherlock taught Harry and Neville according to their individual talents.

Harry used to really like fencing, but ever since he punched Malfoy and won the Gryffindor boxing title, he suddenly fell in love with the feeling of every punch landing.

The daily morning exercise mainly consists of boxing, supplemented by fencing.

Neville, on the other hand, devoted all his energy to practicing his swordsmanship.

His resilience surprised everyone in the dormitory except Sherlock.

Ron and Dean both tried to follow Sherlock into boxing and fencing.

Sherlock didn't mind bringing two more people, but they only lasted two or three days before giving up.

Ron prefers eating and sleeping to getting up early for morning exercise.

Dean's interests include singing, dancing, rapping, and basketball.

　Thank you to reader 20230501190818347 for the generous donation to Gemma Farley! Your support is my motivation to keep updating (≧≦)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)