Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 332 Sherlock's Defeat
"They're just in business, they don't know anything about magical devices!"

Upon hearing Sherlock mention that the miniature spyglass had been repaired, Ron said irritably:

"There are only three people in our dorm, who isn't trustworthy?"

"This thing is definitely broken—or, like Bill said, it's just a scam!"

Hearing Ron's certainty, Sherlock's lips curled into a wide smile.

His smile was so bright that Ron temporarily forgot his pain: "Sherlock, what are you laughing at?"

“I’m thinking of something happy,” Sherlock said.

Harry asked curiously, "What's so exciting?"

"The matter of Sirius Black."

As Sherlock spoke, he opened the box, took out the wool socks Hermione had given him, stuffed the spyglass inside, and threw the socks and the box together.

As the lid of the box slowly closed, the annoying shrieking sound stopped abruptly, and the dormitory fell silent instantly.

He looked at his two friends:

"I think... this matter can be resolved faster than we imagined."

"what?"

Harry perked up immediately upon hearing this, and he leaned over eagerly to ask:
"Did you find any new clues today?"

Ron straightened up, his body still clutching one leg, and stared intently at Sherlock.

Before this, Sherlock had said that he wouldn't be able to catch Black until the next holiday.

But now they've suddenly changed their tune, clearly because they've made a new discovery today.

This made Ron feel that he shouldn't have gone to Hogsmeade today, and he felt like he had missed something important.

"Well said."

Sherlock looked at Harry and Ron and gave an affirmative answer, but then, under their expectant gazes, he changed the subject:
"However... my dear friends, please forgive me, I cannot tell you for the time being."

"Is this it again?"

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and shrugged helplessly.

Having spent three years with Sherlock, they were already used to his mannerisms, so they weren't surprised.

Harry continued fiddling with the snacks he had prepared for his cousin Dudley, while Ron took off his shoes and socks and started picking at his toes.

At this moment, Sherlock turned his gaze to Scabbers, who was curled up in the corner of Ron's bed.

"Its situation looks rather bad."

The once chubby, round little mouse is now skin and bones.

Even the fur on its body fell off in patches, revealing its mottled skin.

This appearance is so pitiful; just looking at it makes one feel uneasy.

"It must be because of too much psychological pressure!"

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, Ron tenderly stroked Scabbers with his hand that had been picking at his toes, and Scabbers shrank back sharply.

However, Ron didn't notice this detail; his tone was full of anger:
"If that clumsy big furry ball could stay away from it, it would be fine."

"Well said."

Harry nodded.

He knew that Crookshan had tried to sneak into the boys' dormitory more than once.

But if Ron were to say this, it would only worsen his relationship with Hermione.

So at this moment, Harry simply echoed Ron's words, hoping to calm his anger a little.

However, neither Harry nor Ron noticed that Sherlock's gaze toward Scabbers had become increasingly profound.

After that incident, Hermione locked Crookshanks in the dormitory.

But it was also a little angry that Ron wanted to kick it.

Ron was even angrier than her because Crookshan never gave up eating Spot.

Having learned from his previous experience, Harry abandoned his efforts to get Hermione and Ron to talk to each other this time.

Anyway, the holidays are coming up soon. Ron and I will stay at school, while Sherlock and Hermione will go home for the New Year.

This meant they wouldn't be able to see each other for a full two weeks.

Time is the best healer.

When the holiday ends and they return to school, they'll probably forget about it, right?
However, in this matter alone, Harry chose to stand by Ron's side.

Crookshan's intentions toward Banban were all too obvious.

Especially this time, it has already launched a direct attack on Ron.

Not to mention that on the morning of the competition, he repeatedly stopped Crookshan from sneaking into the boys' dormitory.

What puzzled him was that, although Sherlock knew about this just like him, he would always just smile and remain silent whenever Sherlock brought it up.

This inevitably made Harry suspect that Sherlock was secretly favoring Hermione.

After all, Hermione's feelings for Sherlock have become increasingly obvious.

"I must say, you're overthinking it, my dear Harry."

Upon hearing Harry's concerns, Sherlock couldn't help but laugh out loud:
"In my view, love is an emotional thing, which contradicts what I consider the most important thing: calm thinking."

I will not fall in love, because that would cloud my judgment.

Harry: "..."

Dude, what can Harry say after all this?
However, Harry did not agree with Sherlock's statement.

Keep in mind that they are only thirteen years old, and it is really too early to talk about this topic.

Who can say for sure what the future holds?

Don't let Sherlock's current words fool you; he might have more than one girl by his side in the future!
In any case, after experiencing that previous low point, Harry is once again full of hope for the future.

First, next semester, Sherlock and he have already decided to learn from Professor Lupin how to fight Dementors.

Secondly, he has already made a preliminary purchase decision regarding the new flying broom.

Of course, the most important thing was Sherlock's promise.

We've caught Sirius Black!
This accomplice who caused the death of his own parents!
As Christmas draws closer, the young wizards preparing to go home are getting started on their preparations.

For all students, apart from spring break which includes Easter, the period before winter and summer vacations is relatively leisurely.

Sherlock is no exception.

Gemma also seized this opportunity to frequently visit Sherlock and have in-depth conversations with him.

Just days before the holidays, and after Sherlock had parted ways with Gemma, Harry found him. "Sherlock, I have something very important to tell you."

"In that case, I won't bother you any longer."

Gemma greeted Sherlock and Harry gracefully before leaving.

"President Gemma is truly an anomaly among Slytherins!"

Harry couldn't help but sigh.

“Dear Harry, I have said more than once that people like Gemma are the real Slytherins.”

"Yes, you're right, but let's talk about the matter first, shall we?"

Seeing Harry's mysterious expression, Sherlock simply pulled him back to the empty classroom where he and Gemma had just been.

"Sherlock, why haven't you been busy these past few days?"

"All the clues have been collected; now only the last piece of the puzzle remains."

As Sherlock spoke, he cast a reverse lock spell on the door, just like Gemma had done.

This spell is not complicated; as long as you know the incantation, it is easy to cast.

“Unless Blake makes another move during this time, or obtains a key clue that can solve the mystery, continuing the search will be a waste of effort—I’m not willing to do useless work.”

No wonder you've looked a bit listless these past few days.

Harry originally intended to tell Sherlock directly, but upon hearing his words, an interesting idea suddenly popped into his head.

"Since that's the case, I'm going to give you a rather complicated test now. You don't think I'm being reckless, do you?"

"Quite the opposite, dear Harry."

Sherlock smiled genuinely upon hearing Harry's words:

“I’m happy to look into any questions you may have; it will help me pass the time before my vacation.”

Harry's spirits lifted upon hearing this:
“I often hear you say that it’s hard for any everyday item to not leave some traces that show the user’s characteristics, which are easy for a trained person to identify.”

I have something new here. Can you tell me about its previous owner's personality and habits from it?

Harry carefully pulled something from his cloak, gently placed it on the desk, and then said to Sherlock:
"This is an early Christmas gift from a good friend."

What Harry placed on the table was a large square piece of parchment, which was obviously very worn at a glance.

However, the parchment, which looked like it had been used, was completely empty.

This contrast immediately caught Sherlock's eye, and he took the paper in his hand to examine it carefully.

He first looked at the surface of the paper, and then carefully touched its texture.

The entire observation process was very meticulous, first with the naked eye, and later with a magnifying glass.

After exhausting the common observation methods of the Muggle world, Sherlock pulled out a bright red eraser from his person.

Harry asked curiously, "What is this?"

"The visible eraser, I got it in Diagon Alley."

Sherlock wiped the blank parchment twice as he spoke, but nothing appeared.

Undeterred, he hesitated for a moment, then drew his wand and used the Revealing Charm on the parchment.

"Aparecium!"

There was still no response.

Seeing Sherlock's dejected expression, Harry almost couldn't help but laugh.

Because he thought about how he would feel if he received such a thing.

At that time, he also thought it was a prank—after all, its owner was most skilled at playing pranks.

At this point, Sherlock finally gave up observing and said with some helplessness:

"There are almost no traces left on this blank parchment. There are no magical traces, no invisible ink. It looks just like an ordinary blank old parchment."

"Hey buddy, it's not some old parchment, it's..."

Harry stopped abruptly at that point.

I must have been influenced by Hagrid; thankfully, I blurted out the answer.

“I know, of course I know. Since you entrusted it to me, it must be more than it looks.”

I think its true purpose might be obscured by clever magic—unfortunately, I can't see the mystery behind it.

Before entering the magical world, this was simply unimaginable to me.

Hearing Sherlock's words, Harry finally burst out laughing.

This was the first time he had ever seen Sherlock lose.

Although Sherlock is indeed his best friend, considering the recent incidents involving Hermione's cat and Ron's mouse, it would be interesting to teach him a lesson for his usual autocratic behavior.

Seeing Harry's happy expression, Sherlock gave his friend a half-smile:
“Dear Harry, although there are not many traces of it, my observations have not been entirely unfounded.”

“Really?” Harry rarely questioned Sherlock.

"Let me give you my opinion, and please correct me if I'm wrong."

"Okay."

Harry looked at Sherlock with curiosity, eager to know what he could possibly see.

“I think… this parchment is something you just got from the Weasley twins, and they weren’t its first owners.”

Harry was stunned when Sherlock said those words.

He, who had been sitting, immediately stood up, looked at Sherlock, and, somewhat disbelieving, picked up the parchment and examined it closely, just like Sherlock had done before.

Unfortunately, he found no trace of the Weasley twins on the paper.

"Sherlock... did you really deduce this from this parchment?"

"It's not entirely true. To be precise, I deduced this conclusion based on my own observations of this parchment and of you."

"But how can you deduce these facts so accurately—you just said you could hardly see anything, and then what you said in the blink of an eye is exactly the truth."

"Ah! This time it was just luck. I only mentioned some possible scenarios and didn't expect it to be so correct."

"So you didn't just guess?"

"Yes, I've told you more than once that I never speculate."

Because guessing is a very bad habit; it hinders logical reasoning.

Sherlock clasped his hands together, resting his chin on them, and leaned back slightly.
"The reason you find it strange is because you don't understand my thinking and you haven't noticed the essence hidden beneath the phenomena."

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(End of this chapter)