Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 274 Hermione the Blackie

Although Sherlock told Harry that Arnold Pisgood was a former student of Professor Flitwick and had helped Sherlock solve the case of the Greek interpreter.

Even with him present, Harry still felt there were many things he couldn't say to Sherlock.

Moreover, judging from Pisgood's appearance, he himself seemed unaware that his visit to pick up people was influenced by Mycroft, and thought it was an internal arrangement by the Ministry of Magic.

This made Harry even more hesitant to bring up the matter.

However, his attention was quickly drawn to other things.

The car sent by the Ministry of Magic looked unremarkable, but it easily passed through narrow gaps several times during its journey.

Based on common sense in the Muggle world, this is impossible.

Compared to Mr. Weasley's flying Ford Anglia, they each have their own merits.

As a result, they were hardly affected by the traffic jam and arrived at the Leaky Cauldron bar very quickly.

However, as they prepared to enter Diagon Alley, Pisgood stated that he would not be going in with them.

"Since we've come all this way, we should definitely have a drink!"

Pisgood winked at Sherlock. "Mr. Holmes, I don't think you'll mind, will you?"

“Of course,” Sherlock had anticipated this situation and readily promised, “We’ll come looking for you when we leave.”

"But you must make sure you stay in Diagon Alley and don't go to any dangerous places, okay?"

"You mean Knockover Alley, right?"

Harry's eyes narrowed suddenly.

"Ahem, Mr. Holmes, don't always do this, you'll have no friends in the future..."

"Don't worry, we won't go."

Pisgood was quite reassured by Sherlock's promise, so he quickly took Old Tom out for drinks.

Harry was quite pleased with this. He and Sherlock went to the backyard, and Sherlock took out his wand, tapped the third brick from the left above the trash can, and then took a step back.

As they looked at the archway opening in the wall leading to Diagon Alley, Harry couldn't help but whisper:
"Welcome to Diagon Alley."

Harry's mood always improves whenever he comes here.

This long, cobblestone street is lined with some of the world's most fascinating magical shops.

At this moment, even the threat posed by Sirius Black was forgotten.

Sherlock glanced at Harry and knew what he was thinking: "Let's go, let's go to Gringotts first."

When the two arrived at Gringotts, they found it was still early, so Sherlock decided to accompany Harry to the underground vault first to refill Harry's money bag.

This was also the first time Sherlock had witnessed the wealth of the Potter family.

It lives up to its reputation.

Once back at Gringotts, while waiting for Hermione and Ron, Harry finally found an opportunity to ask:
“Sherlock, what’s going on here—why did the Ministry of Magic send a car to bring us to Diagon Alley? Was this also arranged by Mycroft?”

"Obviously, my friend."

"Mycroft... your brother, is he really that amazing?"

“I already told you, this is easy for him.”

Even though Sherlock had told him about this beforehand, Harry still felt a sense of disbelief when the facts were presented to him.

A Muggle actually managed to influence the Ministry of Magic's decisions...

"This...this is simply unbelievable!"

Harry had barely finished speaking when a clear, crisp sound rang out.

"What's incredible?"

Hermione!

Harry laughed happily just hearing that voice.

However, when he turned around and saw the owner of the voice, he was startled.

"Oh my god, how did you turn into Dean?"

"What did you say!"

Hermione said reproachfully, "It's just that I got a little tanned."

Harry's statement was indeed somewhat exaggerated.

In reality, Hermione's exposed skin has only turned wheat-colored; she's still a long way from becoming a dark-skinned person like Dean.

It's just that her skin was originally very fair, so the contrast with her previous appearance was obvious, which is why Harry had such a feeling.

Hermione looked at Sherlock as she spoke, her eyes filled with the joy of a long-awaited reunion.

She stepped forward confidently and gave Sherlock and Harry a hug each.

“My dear Hermione, you have learned the romance of the French.”

Sherlock calmly said, "The West Coast is sunny; I suggest you prepare sunscreen next time."

Hearing Sherlock's words, Hermione hesitated for a moment: "Sherlock, do you...do you prefer...those with fairer skin?"

Sherlock was taken aback upon hearing this:
"No, this is not a matter of personal preference, but simply advice regarding your health."

Ultraviolet rays have strong penetrating power and can directly damage skin cells.

If you are exposed to ultraviolet rays for a long time without protection, your skin will develop sunburn symptoms such as redness, swelling, pain, and peeling.

This is because ultraviolet radiation damages the skin's stratum corneum and epidermal cells, impairing the skin's barrier function and triggering an inflammatory response.

Hermione: _

What am I even expecting...?

Hermione took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to retort, and then turned to Harry: "So what did you just say was unbelievable?"

“Let’s wait until Ron arrives,” Sherlock raised an eyebrow. “Otherwise, we’ll have to explain it to him again.”

Hermione: (╬◣д◢)

So what if I tell you this separately? Hermione is already 14 years old, in the prime of her youth.

Ever since Sherlock rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets again last school year, he has become the hero in her heart who will come to save her whenever she cries out.

After that, Hermione's attitude towards Sherlock began to become subtle.

But Sherlock seemed completely oblivious to this.

Although she knew that was his personality, Hermes couldn't help but feel helpless.

She took another deep breath, suppressed her distracting thoughts, and began to recount her travel experience:

France boasts exceptional beaches, thanks to its long coastline bordering the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the English Channel.

This time, Hermione's family stayed there for nearly two months, and naturally had a great time.

Just as they were talking about how the beaches of Crozon Peninsula were fine and soft, a great place to enjoy the sun and sand, Ron appeared at the entrance of Gringotts.

He didn't pay attention to the atmosphere and interrupted Hermione as soon as he opened his mouth:
"Hi, you guys are here so early!"

Ron didn't get a tan after returning from Egypt, but his freckles were more noticeable.

Hermione glared at him angrily.

Ron, don't you consider the context when you speak? Context!
Ron, of course, had no idea what Hermione was thinking and felt completely bewildered. Then he heard Sherlock say:
"You're late. It's five past ten now."

"Please, Sherlock!"

Ron looked helpless. "We did agree to meet at ten o'clock, but is it really necessary to be so precise down to the minute?"

"You're the one who said we arrived early."

Ron: "..."

What you said makes so much sense that I am speechless.

"Okay, I'm late... By the way, my whole family is staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight!"

When the topic came up, Ron became very excited. "Harry, why don't you stay here tonight too?"

I just asked Old Tom, and they say there are still rooms available. That way, you can come with us to King's Cross Station tomorrow!

Harry had already told Ron that he was living at Sherlock's house when he wrote to him the day before yesterday.

That's why Ron thought it would be too much trouble for Harry to go back again, so he came up with this idea.

"Uh……"

Harry hesitated for a moment, then looked at Sherlock: "Maybe we should just forget about it. I don't want to cause any more trouble for the Ministry of Magic."

Sherlock nodded. "There's no need to complicate things."

"There's no need to create unnecessary trouble for the Ministry of Magic."

Hermione immediately asked, "What exactly happened? Is it the thing you were talking about earlier?"

"Wait, did I miss something?"

Hearing the three of them talking, Ron immediately sensed that they were getting into gossip.

Harry looked at Sherlock. "Can we talk now?"

"Well, let's find a place to sit down and talk slowly."

The four of them sat down at Florin Fosco's ice cream shop and ordered four ice cream drinks.

Next, Harry recounted in detail how Mr. Weasley and Minister Fudge had come to see him.

When he finished speaking, Ron was stunned, while Hermione covered her mouth with both hands.

After a moment, she lowered her hands and whispered:

"So Sirius Black escaped from prison to find you?"
Oh dear, Harry, you have to be careful, very careful, and whatever you do, don't go looking for trouble..."

"I didn't cause any trouble!"

Harry was annoyed when he heard Hermione say that.

"Trouble always comes looking for me!"

Hermione felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this. She looked at Sherlock and, seeing that he didn't seem particularly nervous, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry... Harry, but I don't think you'd go looking for a madman who wants to kill you, right?"

"Yes, I will wait until I have the strength to defeat him before I go to find him."

Hearing Harry say that, Hermione and Ron breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Harry just made it very clear that Sirius Black is very powerful, the kind of wizard who can fight Snape and Flitwick to a standstill.

Their strength is undeniable; the former could fight Lockhart, who was controlled by Voldemort, to a draw, while the latter was a dueling champion in his youth.

Even though Harry is a genius, he would have to wait until he was an adult to reach their level of ability.

By then, Blake might have already been caught.

After all, this was the first time the magical world had asked Muggles for help. The fact that the two worlds were working together to find a fugitive showed the intensity of the manhunt.

"However, I didn't expect your brother to be so amazing."

Hermione looked at Sherlock, finding it unbelievable. "Before this, I never imagined that a Muggle could influence the Ministry of Magic's decisions."

"Please, Hermione, that's Sherlock's brother!"

Ron wasn't surprised at all, and he said nonchalantly:

“We met him when we lived at Sherlock’s house. He’s even more capable than Sherlock, Sherlock himself admitted it!”

Sherlock nodded: "His observational skills and mastery of reasoning are indeed superior to mine."

The four chatted for a while longer, paid for their ice cream, and then crossed the street toward Flourish and Blotts bookstore.

Compared to Sherlock and Harry, Hermione and Ron were clearly more worried about the threat posed by Black.

However, when they entered the bookstore, they were captivated by the amazing scene before them.

(End of this chapter)