Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 325 A Hundred Souls Press In, Silver Phoenix Breaks the Silence

The Quidditch stadium, which was originally bustling with activity, was suddenly enveloped in an eerie silence.

Large raindrops pelted the ground, splashing water half a foot high, yet no sound was heard.

Lightning flashed like silver snakes across the leaden sky, illuminating the entire stadium, but the thunderclap that followed was like a drum stuffed with cotton, disappearing into the void with a muffled sound.

The strong wind, carrying the scent of damp earth, made the flags on the sidelines flutter wildly, but the howling sound seemed to be swallowed up by an invisible barrier.

Only a chilling silence remained, as if a movie playing had been stopped, and all sound abruptly ceased.

In the audience stands, Sherlock, who had remained calm throughout, suddenly stood up.

His gray eyes narrowed abruptly—in the distance, clusters of dark figures, like black mist blown away by the wind, were surging toward the stadium from all directions.

Dementors!
More than a hundred Dementors appeared on the field!
Sherlock knew very well that such a number meant that all the Dementors guarding the entire school had come out in full force.

He was someone who had faced Dementors directly, and he recalled how a single Dementor on the Hogwarts Express instantly turned that carriage cold.

A chill crept up the spine like a venomous snake, rendering almost everyone immobile and gripped by extreme fear.

Now that more than a hundred Dementors have appeared together, the chilling aura emanating from them has increased exponentially, and the air seems to freeze wherever they go, making it feel like being in a horror movie for all the teachers and students.

Knowing that Harry was particularly sensitive to Dementors, Sherlock immediately turned his gaze in that direction.

Sure enough, Harry only glanced down once before his body went limp and he fell headlong off the flying broomstick, plummeting towards the ground.

The driverless Nimbus 2000 was blown away by the strong wind, like a drifting leaf, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"That's unreasonable!"

Sherlock was unusually furious at this moment.

He recalled the joy he felt when he solved the puzzle, using that warmth to dispel the biting chill and negative emotions brought by the Dementors.

Like an agile lion, it leaped over the students in the stands who were stunned and completely enveloped in fear, and quickly rushed towards the field.

However, some people are faster than Sherlock.

Albus Dumbledore.

This headmaster of Hogwarts once again demonstrated his prowess as the greatest wizard of his time.

No one saw where he was originally; all they knew was that he appeared on the playground almost instantly.

More than a hundred Dementors seemed to have no effect on him.

He first waved his wand in Harry's direction, and as if being supported by an invisible hand, Harry's descent speed immediately slowed down.

He then turned his wand toward the Dementors, and the silver light bursting from the tip of the wand instantly illuminated the entire gloomy sky, as if tearing open the dark curtain that shrouded Hogwarts.

As Sherlock ran, he noticed that the light was like liquid moonlight, condensing in the air into a giant phoenix.

As soon as the silver phoenix formed, it spread its wings and blocked the Dementor army.

The Dementors seemed to have spotted their natural enemy and immediately left the playground.

The lingering chill in the air above the playground had not yet dissipated when Sherlock had already sprinted into the Quidditch pitch through the mud.

When he saw Harry lying on the ground, his eyes reddened slightly, and his hands clenched tightly.

Forcibly suppressing the feelings that might affect his judgment, he immediately squatted down to examine his body.

He quickly looked up at Dumbledore: "No mortal danger, but... a broken bone..."

His voice was calm, yet it was laced with suppressed anger.

Dumbledore's anger seemed even greater than Sherlock's.

After the Dementors left, all the teachers and students in the school finally regained their ability to move.

The students had never seen Dumbledore so angry before.

In their minds, Dumbledore was always a smiling, kind old man.

Compared to the principal, Vice Principal Professor McGonagall had more of the principal's authority.

But now...

The usually calm and composed principal now had his robes billowing, his silver beard trembling violently in the wind, and his eyes behind his crescent-shaped glasses burning with an unusual rage.

"They actually got onto the school grounds!"

He stared in the direction the Dementors had fled, and said angrily, "Without my permission, these robed figures..."

Realizing his lapse in composure, Dumbledore took a deep breath, then waved his wand, and a stretcher flew over from somewhere.

Harry's body also floated onto the stretcher.

"Let's go."

Dumbledore spoke, and Sherlock nodded. The two of them walked together to take Harry to the school hospital.

"Apply for the rematch!"

Diggory's anxious voice came from behind, but Sherlock had no time to pay attention to it at this moment.

Even he hadn't expected that Sirius Black's threat had only just begun to emerge, and the Dementors, who were supposed to stop Black and protect them, had become an even greater threat.

"Sir, why are they here?"

While walking with Dumbledore, Sherlock suddenly asked a question.

“They’re hungry.” Dumbledore’s voice was tinged with bitterness. “I insisted on keeping them out of the school, so their prey supply dried up.”

"Prey...is positive emotion?"

"Yes, Dementors are among the most vile things in the world. They live in decay and despair, sucking peace, hope, and joy from the air around them."

I originally thought that keeping them out of the school wouldn't threaten you, but now it seems I was wrong, terribly wrong.

At this point, Dumbledore sighed deeply, "They couldn't resist the temptation of the large crowd around the Quidditch pitch; for them, the excitement and exhilaration were a veritable feast."

The two had already arrived at the school hospital.

"Bobby, look at this kid."

"Oh, Merlin's beard!"

Ms. Pomfrey rushed over immediately and began to examine the body carefully.

Soon, she let out a long sigh of relief:

“It’s not a big problem—I can cure him quickly, but he’ll have to stay at the school hospital for observation this weekend.”

Hearing Madam Pomfrey say this, Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Sherlock with a serious expression:
"Please, Sherlock, find Black as soon as possible."

If you need any help, just let me know.

It is obvious that after the Chamber of Secrets incident last year, Dumbledore really did make the changes he said he would make.

They will no longer conceal key information based on their own subjective judgment as they did before.

This is evident from the fact that after Halloween, he tells Sherlock and Harry about what happened twelve years ago.

This was naturally a good thing for Sherlock, as he could see through appearances to the essence of things as long as he had enough information.

“I will… but compared to Black, I think the threat of the Dementors is more imminent.”

Sherlock glanced at Harry, who was still unconscious, and frowned as he said:

"While I don't understand why Harry reacted more strongly to the Dementors than others, this is a reality we have to face."

"What are your thoughts, Sherlock?" Dumbledore asked gently.

“Sir, if you truly consider him the savior of the wizarding world and an indispensable member in the fight against Voldemort, then you must teach Harry the ability to deal with Dementors.”

Sherlock cut to the chase, saying, "It's the spell you just used—Patriot."

"You actually heard that?"

Dumbledore looked surprised. In that chaotic environment, how could Sherlock have heard the spell he was chanting?

"No, I heard it on the train when I saw Professor Lupin exorcising the Dementors."

Dumbledore suddenly understood, but still gave him an approving look:
"Your observation skills are as keen as ever, but this spell is a very advanced magic for a third-year student."

It far surpasses the level of ordinary wizards; even many highly skilled adult wizards have not been able to master it.

"Whether it's possible or not, we'll only know after trying. I believe Harry is willing to learn."

Looking at Sherlock's determined eyes, and then at Harry lying on the bed, Dumbledore hesitated for a moment before agreeing:
“Okay, I’ll get to it, but… I hope you can study with Harry then.”

"Of course, I was originally very interested in this as well."

"I'm going to talk to those Dementors now."

Dumbledore said slowly, "I need their assurances that they will never enter the school again—Bobby, please come with me for a moment."

As soon as Professor Dumbledore and Ms. Pomfrey left, a group of people rushed in.

Sherlock's gaze swept across them and he found that they were all the members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team except for Wood.

In addition, there are people who do not belong to the team: Hermione, Ron, Cho Chang, Luna, and Ginny.

The blue-clad Qiu Zhang and Luna stood out conspicuously among the red-clad figures.

Everyone was covered in mud from head to toe, looking as if they had just climbed out of a swimming pool.

"Sherlock, is Harry alright?"

Ron asked cautiously first.

“No problem,” Sherlock repeated what Ms. Pomfrey had just said, “but he’ll be staying here this weekend.”

Hearing Sherlock say that, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Some things that he hadn't dared to say before were finally said:
"Luckily the ground is so soft."

"No, it was all thanks to Headmaster Dumbledore using magic to slow his descent."

"I thought he was definitely dead."

"I didn't expect that he didn't even break his glasses."

"This is the most terrifying thing I've ever seen in my life..."

Arya's words resonated with everyone.

More than a hundred Dementors!
When have they ever seen a lineup like this?
This is practically the same as visiting Azkaban.

Just as they were about to begin a further discussion, Harry, who had been lying in the hospital bed, suddenly sat up, startling everyone.

(End of this chapter)