Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 333 The Signature

"Although I know this question might make you think I'm a bit silly, I still have to ask: how did you do it?"

Harry had long since lost count of how many times he had asked the same question.

Anyway, similar things have been happening ever since he met Sherlock.

"This is really too simple; to put it bluntly, it's not worth mentioning."

First, you just pulled this parchment from your cloak.

"Yeah, what's the problem?"

Harry stared at Sherlock with a puzzled look, completely baffled as to what his action of taking out the parchment had to do with the reasoning.

"Brother, it wouldn't matter if it were someone else, but I know you too well. This is clearly not your usual way of storing things."

In addition, your tone and demeanor when you spoke, as well as the careful movements when you took out the parchment, all indicate that you did this under someone else's instructions.

I happen to know that, among all the people we know, only the Weasley twins have this habit of keeping things safe.

So when I saw you do that, my first assumption immediately came to mind: this was most likely something your twin brother just taught you, and the process took less than a second.

Harry was stunned by what he heard.

He recalled Sherlock's words and realized that he didn't usually hide things in his cloak.

As for why I did that just now, it was indeed because I subconsciously imitated the other person's actions after learning about the value of this thing.

This behavior, however, was spontaneous and spontaneous, which made him even more surprised by Sherlock's keen observation and bold judgment.

Sherlock noticed Harry's reaction, chuckled, and continued:

"Secondly, although this parchment, which has been enchanted by magic, leaves almost no trace, its creases still reveal some clues."

For a square piece of paper, most people would choose to fold it evenly in a crisscross pattern.

The final shape will still be a square piece of paper, one-quarter the size of the original, like this.

Sherlock demonstrated as he spoke, and Harry nodded instinctively; he would have done the same if he were in her shoes.

"For a piece of paper, the longer it maintains the same crease, the easier it is to see how it was folded."

Fortunately, this parchment is exactly like that.

Look here, the crease tells us that it was folded into thirds horizontally and then bisected vertically.

Coincidentally, I know that among all the people you know, only the Weasley twins have this unusual habit.

This folding method results in a final size that is one-sixth of the original. Compared to a square divided into four equal parts, this elongated shape is easier to tuck into the cloak for storage, which further confirms my earlier judgment.

Therefore, I conclude that this parchment is usually kept by the Weasley twins, who just handed it to you.”

Under Harry's astonished gaze, Sherlock continued speaking at double speed:
"As for the fact that the twin brother was not its first owner, that's actually quite simple."

Based on my observation of the texture of this parchment, it is easy to tell that it is about twenty years old.

At that time, the Weasley twins hadn't even been born yet!

"That was absolutely brilliant, Sherlock!"

Harry couldn't help but let out a heartfelt exclamation of admiration.

"I never imagined you could deduce so much from the creases!"
But...how do you know Fred and George's habits?

Harry asked, puzzled, "I met them at the same time as you, but I never knew about this."

"Observe, Harry, still just observe."

Sherlock smiled and explained, "A person's habits often reveal their true self to the public. In criminal investigation, once someone exhibits behavior that is very different from their usual habits, it often means that a major breakthrough in the case is about to occur."

That's why I pay attention to the little habits of the people around me in my daily life. For example:

When you organize your books, you like to put the thicker books at the bottom and the thinner ones on top.

Ron would put the first book he saw in the place closest to him.

As for Hermione, she would first categorize them by subject, and then sort them alphabetically by the author's last name.

But last week she first stacked all the books on Defense Against the Dark Arts into a separate pile.

This unusual habit stemmed from Professor Snape assigning a paper on werewolves. She stayed up all night researching and completing the assignment, which disrupted her usual organizational routine.

Harry sighed deeply upon hearing this: "It's always like this, Sherlock. Once you explain the reasoning process, the whole thing becomes incredibly simple. I should have more faith in your abilities."

"No, dear Harry, your trust in me is more than enough to make me ashamed—in fact, I just pulled a little trick."

"what?"

Sherlock stared at the ceiling with half-closed, lifeless eyes: "Just ten minutes ago, Gemma told me that she saw you, the Weasley twins, call you away."

Just ten minutes later, you found me and told me that someone had given you a Christmas present.

This completes the final piece of the puzzle for my earlier deduction.

Harry was stunned when he heard this.

However, when he saw Sherlock turn his gaze away from the ceiling, his gray eyes turning towards him with a half-smile, he couldn't help but burst into laughter along with him.
"Haha, Sherlock, I never expected you to be like this."

"Life is often dull and monotonous, and it's these occasional breaks like this that bring us joy, isn't it?"

"That seems to make some sense."

"Now, please tell me quickly how to use this seemingly ordinary parchment that actually holds a secret!"

Sherlock rubbed his hands together, his gray eyes gleaming. "To be honest, I really can't wait."

Harry nodded and got straight to the point:

"This was found by Fred and George in Filch's office when they were in first grade."

According to the two brothers, Filch never figured out how to use it.

Even they themselves only discovered the correct way to use it by chance.

"Oh, that is indeed something unexpected."

Harry drew his wand, and under Sherlock's watchful gaze, gently tapped the parchment, saying:

"I solemnly swear that I will do no evil."

In an instant, fine lines of ink, like a spider web, began to appear from where the wand had just touched.

These lines spread rapidly, merging and intersecting with each other, extending to every corner of the parchment.

Immediately afterwards, striking, curved green cursive characters began to appear at the top of the parchment.

【Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs】

[Introducing, gentlemen, a service designed to aid magical pranksters]: [Marauder's Map]

The parchment, which the four people who left their signatures called the "Marauder's Map," meticulously depicted all the roads in Hogwarts Castle, including not only those that were known to the public, but also all the secret rooms and passages.

Based on Sherlock's current understanding of Hogwarts, the various paths on this map are exactly as described, with an unexpectedly high level of accuracy.

However, what truly caught Sherlock's attention were the tiny ink dots that moved along the map.

Each ink dot is marked with a name in tiny letters.

For example, a marked black dot in the upper left corner shows Professor Dumbledore pacing in his office.

The two black dots on the right side together indicate that Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick are currently in the Ravenclaw Dean's office.

And Professor Snape was motionless in the Slytherin dungeon, most likely holding the Christmas present Harry gave him and silently shedding tears.

Neville was wandering through the boys' dorm rooms; without a doubt, he was looking for his pet toad, Rafer.

Besides the Hogwarts teachers and students, the map even marks Mrs. Lorris of Filch as loitering on the third floor; Peeves, the mischievous ghost, as hopping around in the prize room; and as for Reef, the pet Neville is looking for, he is quietly staying in a girls' dormitory in Hufflepuff, where Hannah Abbott lives.

Sherlock's heart skipped a beat upon seeing this, and he quickly located his position on the map.

Sure enough, the black dots representing Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter were clustered together in an empty classroom on the fourth floor.

Seeing Sherlock so engrossed in his research, Harry remarked with considerable admiration:

"Fred and George are able to sneak around the school using this map. Look, it has passages that I've never been through before."

Many of these passages lead to Hogsmeade Village; there are a total of…

“Seven,” Sherlock said without looking up. “The one behind the mirror on the fifth floor has collapsed, so there are actually six left.”

"how do you know?"

Harry was stunned once again.

It's not surprising that you can see seven passages leading to Hogsmeade from the map, but it's quite surprising to know that one of them has collapsed.

"Because I've been through all of these passages."

Sherlock said calmly, "I think you should remember that I helped you improve your stealth abilities. In fact, I haven't stopped exploring Hogwarts until now."

Harry looked at Sherlock with admiration.

The Weasley twins relied on the Marauder's Map to figure out every passageway in the school, but Sherlock did it all by himself, which is simply amazing!
Well, thankfully Sherlock is his friend and stands on the side of justice.

If Sherlock were a criminal...

Just thinking about it sent a chill down Harry's spine.

He quickly stopped himself from this terrible thought and hurriedly said:
"Fred and George said Filch knows four of them, and one of the remaining three is the collapsed passage you just mentioned, and the entrance to another one is right at the Willow of the Beating Man."

So they suggested I take the last route, the entrance being behind the one-eyed old woman statue, which leads directly to the Honey Duke's cellar.

"They gave you this map as a Christmas gift to make up for your inability to go to Hogsmeade."

Sherlock's eyes flickered. "But I see confusion in your eyes, brother. Are you worried about Sirius because you're not planning to go there?"

"That's part of the reason, but more importantly, it reminds me of Tom Riddle's notebooks."

"interesting."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow at her words. "The Weasley twins didn't take their father's words to heart, but you, an outsider, seem to care quite a bit about them."

"Sherlock, I don't quite understand what you mean."

"The summer before my second year, I went to Mr. Weasley before school started and told him that old Malfoy was planning to throw a dark magic item into the school."

He had warned his children then—never trust anything that can think independently unless you see where it hides its mind.

"Uh……"

Harry felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this, thinking that not only the Weasley twins, but even Ron and Ginny probably didn't take his words to heart; only Percy, the model student, would remember them.

"Although I have never heard Mr. Weasley say that, I do have concerns about it."

However, if it's just used to enter Hogsmeade, and not to ambush or attack anyone, it should be fine, right?

Harry hesitated for a moment before saying, "Besides, Fred and George have used it for years and nothing terrible has happened."

"But you still have doubts in your heart, which is why you came to me, isn't it?"

Sherlock chuckled and patted Harry on the shoulder. "Thank you for your trust, dear Harry. Give me a few days, and I'll give you my answer before the holidays."

"Ok!"

Harry nodded emphatically and said:

"After you're done using it, just tap it again and say 'Prank over,' and it will return to being a blank sheet of paper."

"Thanks for reminding me, my friend."

Harry finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he had Sherlock as a reliable friend; otherwise, he really wouldn't know whether he should use this thing or not.

The two parted ways, and Harry had to go find Cho Chang to say goodbye before the holidays.

Spending time with Qiu Zhang is always pleasant. Even if the two of you are just sitting quietly together doing nothing, just looking at her is enough to make you feel happy.

Not to mention that Cho Chang shares hobbies with Harry and possesses a unique gentleness characteristic of Eastern women.

Before I knew it, the whole afternoon had passed.

To Harry's surprise, Sherlock extended an invitation to him as soon as he returned to his dormitory after dinner:
“Dear Harry, I would be very grateful if you could come with me now.”

"what?"

Harry had just returned when he heard Sherlock telling him to leave again, and he was taken aback.
"Of course, but... where are we going?"

"Principal's Office."

Sherlock patted Ron, who was sleeping beside him, and said, "Let's go, my friend!"

"Oh, is Ron going too?"

Harry was stunned for the second time upon hearing this. Wasn't going to the headmaster's office always the exclusive privilege of him and Sherlock?

"Hey—what do you mean I have to go too?!"

Ron, who seemed to be sleeping, was slapped by Sherlock and immediately jumped out of bed, glaring at Harry with resentment as he complained:

"I'm the star of the show today, okay? If it weren't for waiting for you, Lao Xia and I would have left long ago!"

(End of this chapter)