Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 278 Life is coming soon
The Magical Creatures Shop in Diagon Alley isn't very big, but it does have a dedicated owl shop—Harry's owl Hedwig was bought here by Hagrid as a birthday present, and Harry even found the name in the book "The History of Magic."

However, though small, it has all the essential parts.

The walls of the Magical Animals Shop were covered with cages. Two enormous purple toads sat there, gobbling down dead flies. The shell of a giant tortoise gleamed, and a plump white rabbit kept shifting between a silk hat and a rabbit...

In short, everything seemed so novel and interesting.

The only problem is that the air is filled with the stench of feces and urine.

This inevitably reminded Harry of the zoo he had visited not long ago.

He could smell a similar scent every time he got close to the animals.

There was only one witch in the shop, and she was taking care of the other customers.

Upon seeing Sherlock and his companions enter, he politely asked them to wait a moment.

The four of them weren't in a hurry, so they stood aside and curiously looked around at the surroundings.

After the guest left, the witch turned to them with a big smile: "My dears, what help do you need?"

"After my mouse came back from Egypt, it yawned all day, had a runny nose, felt unwell all over, couldn't muster any energy, and its color was also a bit off."

"Please put it on the counter so I can take a look."

Ron nodded, then took Banban out of his pocket and put it on the counter.

There was a large cage on the counter containing a group of dark-skinned rats that were playing a jumping game with their long, bald tails.

At this moment, seeing that Banban had been placed on the counter, they all stopped playing and immediately crowded around the wire cage, curiously examining their fellow creature.

The witch first took out a pair of thick dark glasses from her pocket and put them on, but it still seemed difficult to see clearly. So she simply grabbed Scabbers and placed them in front of her:

"Hmm... how old is this little guy?"

“I don’t know,” Ron said somewhat embarrassedly, “but it must be very old; it used to belong to my brother.”

The witch looked at Ron with some surprise, seemingly incredulous that he had kept such a rat as a pet: "So... what are its abilities?"

Ron felt even more embarrassed after hearing the witch's words.

Aside from occasionally soiling the sheets, Banban doesn't seem to have any skills that can be considered "skills".

Seeing Ron's expression, the witch probably understood something, clicked her tongue, and then turned her gaze back to Scabbers.

"This little guy has suffered a lot."

“That’s how it was when Percy gave it to me,” Ron said, sounding a little aggrieved.

He understood what the witch meant; Scabbers' left ear was damaged, and its front paw was missing a toe.

When Percy gave it to him, it was extremely disgusted with it.

“An ordinary mouse like this can only live for about three years at most,” the witch said, putting down Spotted and spreading her hands. “Obviously, it won’t live much longer.”

"W-what?!"

Ron looked shocked.

Although he always complained about the little mouse that Percy had given him as a second-hand item, after three years of spending time together, the two had developed a deep bond.

So when I heard that Banban was dying, tears almost immediately streamed down my face.

Noticing Ron's expression, the witch kindly offered advice:

"If you want something that lives a long time, you can pick one from here."

As she spoke, she pointed to the iron cage.

Having witnessed countless heart-wrenching separations between owners and pets, the witch felt nothing at this moment, and even wanted to laugh, but she desperately held it back.

The black rats, however, seemed to understand the witch's words and immediately became lively.

Compared to the smug-looking spotted cat, their glossy fur and energetic appearance made them look much better.

However, Ron curled his lip in displeasure: "Show-off guys."

"If you don't want to switch to another one, you might want to try this rat tonic."

The witch realized that Ron had no intention of giving up on Scabbers, so she bent down and took a small red bottle from under the counter.

We still need to close a deal.

Ron nodded. Even though he knew Scabbers' time was up, he still refused to give up on treatment.
"How much? Oh dear!"

Before Ron could finish speaking, a large, ginger-yellow creature suddenly leaped out from the top of the highest cage and landed directly on Ron's head.

Because of his large weight, he was almost knocked down.

That's not all; it even stood up and bared its teeth menacingly at Banban.

This scene reminded Harry of the black snake that Malfoy summoned at the Dueling Club last year.

It was in the same posture at the time, as if it were ready to launch an attack at any moment.

"No, Crookshan, no!"

The witch saw this and hurriedly cried out, but it was too late.

The spotted bar, which she had been holding, suddenly slipped out of her hand like a slippery bar of soap and landed upside down on the floor.

It flipped itself over, stood up straight again, and then jumped up and rushed out the door.

"Banban!"

Ron yelled and chased after him out of the store.

Harry hesitated for a moment, looked at Sherlock, and seeing that he nodded at him, he followed him out.

Seeing that Sherlock didn't chase after Harry and Ron, Hermione felt a sweet warmth in her heart, as if she had eaten honey.

Then she realized that the large, ginger-yellow creature was actually a big cat. A thought struck her, and she pointed at it, asking:
"Is this cat named Crookshanks?"

“It’s been here for a long time.” The witch nodded, stroked the large cat, and then asked, “What do you need? Do you also need a pet like your friend?”

"No, I want to buy an owl..."

"Simple, do you have any special requirements? Larger or smaller, solid color or patterned?"

Seemingly afraid of taking on this business, the witch said impatiently, "Don't worry, I have everything that Eeyore's Shop has."

Hermione hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You just said this cat has been here for a long time?"

When Sherlock heard Hermione ask that question, he glanced at her with some surprise, and then began to silently mourn for Ron in his heart.

"Yes, poor Crook Mountain, nobody wants it."

"Okay, then give it to me!"

"What?" the witch exclaimed in surprise. "Don't you want the owl anymore?"

"I think Crook Hill is pretty good."

"no problem!"

Selling an unsold pet would undoubtedly be a happy thing for the witch.

She quickly calculated the price and then handed Crookshank to Hermione.

They even included two bags of cat food, and the rat tonic Ron had just dropped was also given away for free.

Sherlock took the small red bottle and asked, "Was Crookshanks like this before? Did he get agitated whenever he saw a mouse?"

Hermione, who had just gotten her new pet, was delighted when she heard Sherlock's words and couldn't help but laugh: "Oh, Sherlock, catching mice is a cat's instinct."

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a long-haired cat. Generally speaking, this breed is quite docile."

Sherlock offered an explanation and looked toward Crook Hill.

It nestled contentedly in Hermione's arms, clearly pleased with the warmth of its new owner's embrace.

"Also, when it saw this cage of rats, it wasn't as excited as it was when it saw Banban."

"That's because they've known each other for a long time, right?"

“What this young lady says is true; Crookshan has indeed become familiar with these little guys.”

Of course, this gentleman is also right; long-haired cats have a very docile temperament, but Crookshanks also have half-cat and half-raccoon blood.

"A cat?"

Sherlock and Hermione were both stunned for a moment, then looked again at Crookshanks in Hermione's arms.

It is quite large, with fluffy, soft ginger-yellow fur and a bushy tail like a bottle brush, and bowlegs with a noticeable pigeon-toed gait.

What's most eye-catching is its strange persimmon-shaped face, as if it had once bumped its head against a brick wall.

A pair of yellow eyes were curiously looking around, and the whole cat gave off a gloomy feeling.

"I really didn't realize that."

Sherlock said softly.

He said this because the raccoon is also a magical creature, and its classification level in the British Ministry of Magic is ×××.

Judging from appearance alone, a purebred cat takin looks more like a kitten, with large ears and a tail like a lion.

That's why Sherlock and Hermione find it hard to associate it with Crook Hill.

However, if it has cat or raccoon blood, then it's understandable why it reacted that way just now.

"let's go."

Sherlock picked up the red bottle containing the rat tonic, Hermione picked up Crookshanks, and just as they were about to leave, Sherlock suddenly asked another question:
"You just said that rats like my friend only live for about three years, right?"

"That's the case in most cases. Maybe there are a few who live exceptionally long lives, but I've never seen one."

The witch spread her hands.

Sherlock looked thoughtful, thanked the witch, and left.

"Sherlock, don't overthink it. It's already quite impressive that Scabbers has lasted this long."

"That's right, it's already quite impressive that you've managed to hold on for so long."

The two had just stepped out of the store when they saw Harry and Ron walking towards them from the crowded street.

"You bought this monster?"

When Ron saw Hermione holding Crookshanks in her arms, his mouth dropped open.

"Don't you think it's beautiful?" Hermione asked, her face beaming with joy.

By this time, Crookshanks had completely gotten used to Hermione's embrace and was snoring contentedly in her arms.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, both understanding the look in their good friend's eyes.

Clearly, neither of them thought the cat was particularly beautiful.

Harry was a little better off, but Ron was quite agitated. "Hermione, this thing almost ripped my scalp off!"

“It didn’t do it on purpose!” Hermione was in a good mood now, and asked while petting the cat, “Right, Crookshanks?”

"But what about the freckles?"

Ron pointed excitedly to the bulging pouch in his breast pocket, "It needs rest, it needs to relax! How can it relax with this thing next to it?"

"You can't stop others from buying pets just because your own pet needs rest—here comes the next one!"

As Sherlock spoke, he threw the red bottle at Ron.

(End of this chapter)