Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 273 He is Britain

Hermione spent a rather long time in France this summer, which is why she didn't visit Sherlock's house.

So it's not surprising at all that Harry, who was in England, would visit Sherlock's house.

but……

Setting a time to go shopping at Diagon Alley is a simple matter, why hesitate for so long?
Just then, she suddenly heard Harry say, "Oh, Sherlock, it's Hermione on the phone!"

Hermione was immediately overjoyed: "Harry, quickly give the phone to Sherlock!"

Harry:

He was just saying it would be the same with me, but now, as soon as he hears Sherlock's voice...

Harry silently muttered something to himself before handing the phone to Sherlock.

Hermione, you're back.

"Yes, I just got back."

Hearing Sherlock's familiar voice, Hermione seemed cheerful. "I was just telling Harry that we're going to Diagon Alley together the day after tomorrow. Is there a problem?"

"no problem."

Sherlock glanced at his watch. "Meet me at the Gringotts Bank at 10 a.m. the day after tomorrow."

"now it's right!"

Hermione was very satisfied with Sherlock's decisive and efficient approach.
"Then you should also tell Ron... Um, I'll talk to you later, let's talk again when we meet the day after tomorrow!"

Sherlock heard Mr. Granger's voice faintly coming from the phone, and then Hermione hurriedly hung up.

Hermione mistook me for Uncle Sherlock Holmes...

Watching Sherlock hang up the phone, Harry offered a perfunctory explanation, then asked, puzzled, "Sherlock, can we go out tomorrow?"

"Didn't Minister Fouché tell us to stay here until school starts and not go anywhere?"

Sherlock couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this: "Dear Harry, I remember you only promised Ron's father that you wouldn't go anywhere else after school started, and you didn't make any promises to Fudge."

"That's true, but if the Ministry of Magic doesn't agree, we won't be able to go anywhere."

He asked last time if there were still people from the Ministry of Magic guarding this place. Was he just trying to scare us?

"No, the Ministry of Magic does have people guarding the area. So far, there have been three shifts—that alone shows they are taking your safety very seriously."

Harry looked at Sherlock in surprise. "You... how did you know? Did Mr. Weasley tell you, or did you find out yourself?"

"I discovered it myself. No need to look so surprised, my dear friend. Those guys at the Ministry of Magic are probably too confident. Their methods of concealing their presence are extremely clumsy."

But this is also a good thing. If I were Sirius Black, I definitely wouldn't have chosen to make my move here.

"But if that's the case, doesn't that mean we can't go to Diagon Alley either?"

"Just ask someone for help."

"Who?"

Sherlock smiled without saying a word and dialed the phone right in front of Harry.

Almost instantly, the call was connected, and a voice came from the other end:
"Hehe, that's really rare. I didn't expect you to take the initiative to call me."

It's him!

Harry felt a chill run down his spine; he was all too familiar with that voice.

During the Christmas holidays of 1991, he received a phone call here and heard the other person's voice for the first time.

When that voice came through the phone again, he immediately realized who it was.

On the contrary, even if someone speaks directly to you, you might not recognize them.

That was Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's older brother, who was seven years older than him.

But isn't Sherlock supposed to be solving the Ministry of Magic's surveillance problem? What's the point of calling his brother?

Harry thought to himself, even if Mycroft is powerful, as a Muggle, he shouldn't be able to influence the Ministry of Magic, right?
With this question in mind, Harry witnessed what a high-level game was like in the next few minutes.

Sherlock cut straight to the point, saying, "Harry and I are going to Diagon Alley tomorrow."

A clear clinking of a teaspoon against the rim of a cup came from the other end of the phone: "Are you planning to buy books before school starts? My silly brother, my time is precious. Why bother calling just to tell me this?"

“An owl sat on my windowsill for three hours, and its droppings corroded the stained glass.”

“My dear brother, I thought you preferred observing the chemical composition of bird droppings to complaining about their habitat.”

"They placed two thirteen-year-old wizards under house arrest simply because a fugitive might—note, might—come to this area."

The day after tomorrow at 10 a.m., Harry and I need to be at Gringotts with my friends to prepare for the new school term.

"Is that the little girl who can recite the textbook and the little boy with red hair? My dear brother, I thought you were past the age of playing a spy this January."

"Playing dumb doesn't suit you, Mycroft. You should know very well that this measure is pointless, and you should know even better what it means that I was able to find this phone number."

The sound of sipping tea filled the air: "Yes, yes, it's quite a surprise that a call from my own home phone reached Downing Street!"

"Should I quote the language used by the Ministry of Magic and the Muggle Prime Minister in the Daily Prophet, Mycroft? No one else in all of Britain would use such language!"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by the rustling sound of fabric rubbing together. Harry guessed that Mycroft was sitting up straight in the down chair.

"I almost forgot, the Ministry of Magic is even more useless than Scotland Yard. Those foolish goldfish have unknowingly revealed their information. Tell me, do you need me to make sure the Ministry of Magic's security measures malfunction when you set off tomorrow morning?"

Harry noticed that Sherlock's lips finally curved into a noticeable smile:

"Ideally, we should confuse their memories so that they think we never left home, and if possible, replace the CCTV footage with 'Yes, Prime Minister'."

A soft laugh came from the other end: "The requirements are quite specific—unfortunately, I can't fulfill them."

You should know very well that I am just a lowly employee of a government department.

Actually, in terms of time, I've only just finished my probation period.

"No, you can."

"I can not."

"Mycroft, you don't want your mother to know what you've been doing all this time, do you?"

"Goodbye, Sherlock. I will never accept threats against me, not even from my own brother."

The dial tone went off, and Sherlock angrily slammed the receiver back into the cassette.

Harry was about to say a few words of comfort when he saw Sherlock's smile grow even wider.

"Sherlock, this..."

Harry was a little confused. What was this all about?
“It’s kind of funny,” Sherlock said, shaking his head and laughing. “Mycroft is even better than I thought. Things are getting more and more interesting.”

"I'm sorry, Sherlock, I don't understand what you're talking about."

"In just one year, he has become an indispensable figure in the Queen's government."

"Ha, but Mycroft says he's just a clerk..."

Sherlock's smile widened as he handed Harry a copy of the Daily Prophet.

The headline "Ministry of Magic Strengthens Security Patrols" prominently featured a dynamic photo of Fudge shaking hands with the Muggle Prime Minister.

However, Harry knew that this was definitely not what Sherlock wanted him to see.

He took a closer look and indeed noticed a figure holding a black umbrella behind the Prime Minister.

Harry might not even recognize him if it were under a Muggle's camera.

But under the wizard's camera, the person was incredibly clear.

"My dear Harry, please trust my judgment."

Under Harry's incredulous gaze, Sherlock slowly said, "In time, at some point, he will be England."

After saying this, Sherlock asked Harry to inform Ron that they would meet in Diagon Alley the day after tomorrow.

Over the next day, Harry imagined many different scenarios.

For example, like their adventure in the Forbidden Forest at school, where one of them dons an invisibility cloak and Sherlock uses his incredibly powerful stealth skills to sneak off to Diagon Alley.

For example, Mycroft, though sharp-tongued, had a kind heart and actually used some magical means to disrupt the Ministry of Magic's security measures, such as transferring Ministry personnel.

Another option is to have the Muggle government intervene and mediate with the Ministry of Magic.

That's just too high a level—but given Sherlock's high regard for Mycroft, Harry doesn't think it's impossible.

Of course, Harry never even considered giving up on going to Diagon Alley.

Since Sherlock said we can go, then we definitely can.

The next question is how to get there.

Despite Harry having overestimated Mycroft's abilities as much as possible, he was still stunned when the car arranged by the Ministry of Magic appeared before them on the morning before school started.

"Hello, I am Arnold Pisgood, a member of the Ministry of Magic's Reversal of Accidental Magical Events Team."

As ordered by my superiors, I will escort Mr. Holmes and Mr. Potter to Diagon Alley today.

After the mechanical self-introduction, Pisgood relaxed completely and extended his hand to Holmes:
"It's been a long time, Mr. Holmes."

“It has indeed been a long time, Mr. Pisgood,” Sherlock said, not at all surprised by Pisgood’s appearance. “Shall we set off now?”

"Of course, is it just you and Mr. Potter? And your guardians...?"

“With you with us, my parents are very relieved.”

"thanks for your trust."

Even when he sat in the back seat with Sherlock, Harry still found it incredible.

They actually arranged for people and vehicles from the Ministry of Magic to take them to Diagon Alley.

And this kind of operation?

That's amazing!
"After some time, he will be Britain."

Sherlock's words began to echo in Harry's ears.

At this moment, Mycroft Holmes's status in Harry's mind was elevated to an unprecedented level.

(End of this chapter)