Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 302 The Student Council President is a Maid

“Dear Gemma, I’m afraid even you wouldn’t believe such a nice-sounding statement.”

When Sherlock heard Gemmafa say in a light tone that "the Ministry of Magic will soon be able to capture Sirius Black," he gently shook his head, his long fingers resting on his chin: "If the Ministry of Magic's efficiency could keep up with their boasting, Black would never have had a chance to escape."

Gemma's sea-blue eyes suddenly froze, and her gaze toward Sherlock carried a hint of resentment: "So you really had to expose me in front of everyone?"

"Escaping broken porcelain won't make the cracks disappear."

There's an interesting, seemingly pointless statement in the bottom left corner of page three of the Daily Prophet: "The Muggles witnessed Black not in the outskirts of London, but in the Scottish Highlands."

Sherlock's gaze bypassed the hesitant girl, his grey eyes turning directly to Harry:

“Harry, you should understand what this means.”

“That means he’s closer to Hogwarts.” Harry’s voice was like a feather soaked in cold water, falling heavily on the stone steps.

"To be more precise, I'm closer to you now."

Sherlock tapped his long fingers lightly on the table. "His escape route was very clear, and the coordinates of his destination were as precise as the center of a target—and you are the bullseye."

Ron's face turned pale instantly, and he stammered, "But...but Professor Dumbledore is in the castle, and there are Dementors..."

“Azkaban has more Dementors and is more strictly managed than Hogwarts, yet Black managed to escape unscathed.”

Sherlock chuckled and shook his head. "My dear Ron, do you think the walls of Hogwarts Castle are harder to breach than the Headmaster of Azkaban, or do you believe the Dementors here are more formidable?"

Ron immediately fell silent.

Hermione's knuckles turned slightly white from the force she exerted.

Harry, on the contrary, behaved more normally.

Just then, Gemma suddenly chuckled softly, her fingertips twirling a strand of chestnut curls as she joked with Sherlock:

"This is a formal warning from the student council president, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Intimidating classmates will result in points being deducted."

“I’m just laying out a chain of cause and effect,” Sherlock said calmly. “It’s like telling you it will rain tomorrow without apologizing—common sense doesn’t exist to please. Gemma, you’re the student council president, not a maid. When analyzing facts, there’s no need to consider your master’s feelings.”

Gemma's sea-blue eyes suddenly widened.

What is this guy, who's three years younger than me, saying?!

Even Hermione, who harbored a hidden hostility towards Gemma, felt somewhat helpless after hearing this.

That's so rational, so incredibly rational!

Reason is a good thing.

Emotional value is also very important to humans, but in Sherlock, this value is often difficult to be reflected.

He's like a precisely functioning machine, only giving answers without any regard for the occasion or atmosphere.

At this point, Gemma could only turn to Harry again: "Harry, as long as you stay within the castle grounds, you will be safe."

"Don't worry, I won't go looking for him."

Harry was speaking to Gemma, as well as to Ron and Hermione.

Hermione and Ron were relieved to receive his assurance.

“Actually, you don’t need to worry so much,” Gemma suddenly blinked. “With Sherlock around, there’s no way Harry could sneak out.”

Yup!

Hermione and Ron realized that, aside from Harry's promise not to recklessly run out to find Black, they were surprised.

Even if he really had that idea, with Sherlock's abilities, Harry simply couldn't do it!

Unless Sherlock goes with him.

But that kind of thing is simply impossible!

And so, the shadow cast by Blake quickly disappeared.

After comforting Harry, Gemma left. Before leaving, she smiled at Sherlock and mouthed a sentence to him silently.

After Gemma became the student council president, Cho Chang also made a special trip to greet Harry.

She also came to comfort Harry after learning that Sirius had appeared nearby.

This warmed Harry's heart.

Just as Gemma thought, emotional value is still very important to ordinary people, aside from Sherlock.

Surprisingly, Luna Lovegood also came along with Cho Chang.

However, the way she provides emotional value is rather peculiar.

It was less about comforting Harry and more about distracting him.

Because she told Sherlock that if he planned to go to find Black, he should remember to take her with him, because she was very sensitive to death.

Although it sounded absurd, Harry accepted it because she meant well.

In the afternoon, the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the new semester was finally about to begin.

The lion cubs are really looking forward to it.

After all, the story of Professor Lupin driving away the Dementors on the train had already spread, and everyone knew that this new teacher was quite capable.

Surprisingly, Professor Lu Ping had not yet arrived when all the students had gathered.

They sat down, took out their textbooks, quills, and parchment, and began to discuss quietly. "It's really strange. It's always the students who are late; this is the first time I've ever seen a teacher late."

Ron's words weren't meant to be malicious; they were just a joke.

Hermione was looking around, and Harry, noticing her, asked curiously, "Hermione, what are you looking at?"

"We're looking to see if Professor Lupin is like Professor McGonagall, using Animagus to transform into animals and observe us."

Before Hermione could answer, Sherlock spoke first, "My dear Hermione, you can look away now. I can hear footsteps outside the classroom."

As soon as Sherlock finished speaking, Professor Lupin walked into the classroom.

Although he was still dressed in tattered clothes, he looked much healthier—after all, he could be seen every morning when having breakfast in the auditorium.

His appearance naturally sparked a discussion among the lion cubs:
"I have a feeling that he must have had a few good meals these past few days."

"Don't say that, I think he just hasn't had enough rest."

"Perhaps the explosion was accidentally triggered while practicing the spell?"

"Believe it or not, I'll kick you to death, you little black bastard!"

"Simmo, no!"

"..."

Just then, Professor Lu Ping noticed that everyone had put their textbooks on the table, and said with a smile, "Good afternoon, everyone. I'm sorry I'm late."

However, please put your textbooks back in your bags, because today's lesson is a practical one, and you only need your magic wands.

The young wizards looked surprised upon hearing Lupin's words.

In their first year, they never had a practical lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

In second grade, almost every class was a practical class, but most of the time was spent on reading novels and role-playing.

Only when get out of class is about to end will there be a very short period of time to complete the actual practical lessons.

So the young wizards were understandably surprised to hear that this teacher was going to give them a practical lesson right away.

Once the students were ready, Professor Lu Ping led the whole class out of the classroom and down the long corridor.

A small incident occurred upon arrival at the destination.

They encountered Mischievous Ghost, who loved playing pranks.

It's playing its usual prank—stuffing chewing gum into the keyhole of a house.

Aside from the teachers, the only entity that could truly control it was Barrow, the resident ghost of Slytherin.

For most students, this seems to be the only way to deal with Mischief.

But to everyone's surprise, he didn't look up until Professor Luping was only two steps away from him, and then he began to mock him face-to-face:
"Lupin, you crazy idiot, you crazy idiot..."

Mischievous Ghost is notorious for being unruly, but he still respects his teachers. So the way he's acting now is quite surprising.

“It’s just taking advantage of Professor Lupin being a newcomer,” Ron said with certainty.

The whole class looked at Professor Lu Ping with curiosity, wanting to see how he would react.

Surprisingly, Professor Lu Ping remained polite throughout, but after his attempts to persuade him failed, he directly demonstrated a magic spell to everyone.

As he uttered "Vadivasi," the chewing gum that Peeves had stuffed into the keyhole sprang out like a bullet and burrowed into Peeves' nostril.

Mischievous Ghost immediately fell silent, did a somersault, and flew away cursing.

This episode, much like Professor Lockhart's Freeze Curse last year, quickly elevated Professor Lupin's image in everyone's mind.

Well, this effect is more effective than any other form of education.

"See? See? I told you Professor Lu Ping was extraordinary, didn't I?"

Ron quickly seized the opportunity to speak, "He was on the train at the time..."

Ron had actually already promoted it once before at the opening ceremony, but as the saying goes, seeing is believing.

At the time, most people felt that Ron's account was somewhat exaggerated.

But now that he had seen him easily defeat Peeves, Ron's credibility suddenly skyrocketed.

Professor Lupin did not stop the whispering, but led them onward, stopping at the door of a faculty lounge after passing through the second corridor.

"Everyone, please go inside."

Professor Lu Ping opened the door and stepped aside to let the students enter first.

This lounge is long and narrow, a typical example of a space where the depth is greater than the width.

The room itself was nothing special; the four walls were paneled with wood and piled with old chairs.

But the person in the room surprised everyone.

Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin House and Professor of Potions.

As the students entered the classroom one after another, he turned to look at the little lions, a mocking smile in his eyes.

Professor Lupin was the last to enter the room, and just as he was about to close the door, Snape stopped him.

(End of this chapter)