Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 336 He roared and pounced.

“My memory is as good as ever, Severus.”

Looking at Professor Snape, whose defenses had already been breached and whose red temperature had dropped, Dumbledore spoke calmly.

Professor McGonagall chimed in again, "Severus, why don't you hear Sherlock's evidence first?"

"evidence?"

Snape whirled around to look at McGonagall, the wind from his flowing robes making the viewing mirror spin even faster. "What evidence could there be for such nonsense?"

"Yes, sir, yes."

Sherlock said quietly, "Although I would love to share my reasoning process with you now, judging from your eagerness, I think it would be better to present the facts directly to you."

After all, you and I both know that facts speak louder than words—that's why I've invited everyone here.

Just then, Scabbers screamed, its small black eyes bulging out of its head, and it twisted its body desperately, trying to break free from Sherlock's grasp.

However, Sherlock, who was prepared, held him firmly in place.

"What a pity, Mr. Peter Pettigrew!"

A sneer crept across Sherlock's lips as he spoke to the little mouse he had pinned down:

"While transforming into a rat enhances your agility and stealth, it also limits your abilities, making it impossible for you to escape from even an underage wizard like me."

In fact, your best chance was just now, on your way to this office.

Unfortunately, you gave up this only opportunity in order to get more information.

Seeing Sherlock still talking to the little mouse, Snape flew into a rage:

"Holmes, I'm warning you..."

However, before Snape could finish speaking, Sherlock turned to Lupin: "Professor, could you please hold this for me?"

Lupin's behavior was the strangest of the four professors present.

From the moment Sherlock took out Scabbers, his body began to tremble slightly, a stark contrast to his usual calm and collected demeanor.

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, he walked step by step to the desk and slowly took Scabbers from Sherlock's hand.

At this moment, Banban trembled even more violently.

Lupin held Scabbers tightly in his hand, and reminded by Sherlock's earlier words, he stared intently at the little mouse's missing paw, a deep self-mockery and regret on his face:
"How simple... how clever... why didn't I think of that?"

He suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with gratitude as he gazed at Sherlock: "Sherlock, you truly are a genius!"

"Thank you for your compliment, Professor."

Some say that genius is the ability to endure endless hardship, but this definition is quite inappropriate.

However, it's quite applicable to detective work.

He gave Harry a meaningful look and continued:

"In fact, if it weren't for you, Professor, bringing this up while you were talking to me, making me connect Peter with a missing finger and Scabbers with a missing claw."

With the help of a small gadget, even for me, it would take much longer to spot its disguise.

The moment Sherlock's gaze fell upon him, Harry's intelligence kicked in.

He now understood that Sherlock was talking about the miniature peephole on the surface, but he was actually referring to the Marauder's Map!
When I received the map this morning, they said they would give me an answer in a few days, but I brought them here on the same day.

I clearly saw the name Peter Pettigrew on the map!

This is the real final piece of the puzzle that Sherlock was talking about!
Having successfully carried the entire game, Sherlock then turned his attention to Professor McGonagall:

"Professor, I think you should be able to help people who transform into animals through Animagus to revert to their original forms, right?"

As he said this, he glanced at Professor Snape, whose face was now clouded with gloom.

Clearly, he had figured out what Sherlock was trying to do, and his earlier resentment and dissatisfaction had dissipated somewhat.

Professor McGonagall's feelings were equally complex at this moment; she had already vaguely anticipated this.

It is highly likely that what happens next will overturn the "truth" they have believed in for twelve years.

She looked at Dumbledore, whose smile had long since spread across his beard, and he nodded slightly:

"Minerva, thank you for your help."

"Yes, leave it to me, Albus."

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

Seeing Professor Lupin gripping Scabbers tightly, and Professor McGonagall even pulling out her wand and pointing it at Scabbers, Ron finally couldn't help but stand up:

"Weren't we here to treat Banban's illness? What exactly do you want?"

"Are you still calling him Banban?"

Sherlock sneered, "My dear Ron, haven't you understood what I just said?"

Ron clearly didn't understand: "Understand what?"

"Shut up, Weasley!"

Professor Snape, already quite agitated, suddenly turned to him and said, "If you don't want me to shove a dung bead into your brain, then stay there and don't move!"

"Minerva, if you can't do it, then let me do it."

“Thank you, Severus,” Professor McGonagall shook her head firmly. “I think it’s better if I do it myself.”

Lupin, however, was still trying to explain, "Don't worry, Ron, if it really is a rat, it won't hurt you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Professor McGonagall's wand emitted a beam of blue light that struck Scabbers in Professor Lupin's hand with perfect accuracy.

Under the influence of magic, Lupin released his grip on Scabbers, whose small gray body remained suspended in mid-air, writhing wildly.

"Do not--!"

Seeing Banban's pained expression, Ron yelled.

However, Snape stopped him just as he was about to step forward.

"This is the second time, Weasley."

I just told you, stand still and do nothing—five points deducted from Gryffindor.

Harry and Hermione looked at Snape with surprise.

No, professor, even at a time like this, you still haven't forgotten to deduct points?
Sherlock, on the other hand, smiled.

Professor Snape...how interesting.

As they were talking, Banban had already landed on the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a dazzling light flashed, and something magical happened.

It was like a fast-forwarded shot of a tree growing. A head popped out first, followed by limbs. The little mouse Banban disappeared in front of everyone, and in its place was a real, living person.

Crookshan immediately roared, and even the fur on its back stood on end.

The adult form that was transformed from Scabbers was short, not even much taller than Hermione.

His sparse, dull hair was messy and had a large bald patch on top, making him look wrinkled and disheveled, even worse than Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron.

Experienced people know that this is a sign that an overweight person has lost a lot of weight in a short period of time.

Once the transformation was complete, everyone noticed that his skin was very dirty, almost exactly like the spotted fur, and his pointed nose and beady eyes also had some characteristics of a rat.

His gaze swept over everyone present, his breathing rapid, giving off an exceptionally sleazy feeling.

Although Sherlock had already given the answer, everyone was still stunned when they saw Ron's pet actually come to life right in front of them. They stared blankly at the bald man, just like Sherlock had when he announced Scabbers, and remained silent for a long time.

"We've finally met, Mr. Peter Pettigrew. It's obvious you haven't been using the Potter family's hair growth tonic."

In the end, Sherlock spoke first, greeting the man before smiling at the professors present:

"Teachers, I think... I haven't mistaken you for someone else, have I?"

"Of course!"

Professor Lupin responded immediately, his voice sounding even more cheerful than Sherlock's, as if mice were frequently appearing before him as old classmates.

He stared at the man and said, word by word:

"Long time no see, my dear friend Peter."

Professor McGonagall remained silent. Even though the other man had been restored to human form by her magic, she still found it hard to accept and stared at the bald man in shock.

Professor Snape, who had just refused to believe Sherlock's statement, quickly accepted the fact.

Although he didn't say anything, his gaze towards Peter Pettigrew was full of disgust.

That disgust was different from the disgust he had shown when he looked at Ron earlier; it now contained a hint of... hatred.

Dumbledore's performance was the most interesting.

After a brief moment of surprise, he closed his eyes and sighed softly, as if mourning the lies of an era.

When he opened his eyes again, his expression first changed to relief, and then to joy. His gaze towards Sherlock was full of doting affection.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Ron couldn't help but shout out.

Even with the facts laid bare, the blow to him of seeing his pet, with whom he had spent three years, turn into an ugly man right before his eyes was unimaginable.

Especially when he thought about how many nights he had slept with Banban in his arms, and how Banban would often soil his sheets, Ron almost felt nauseous and wanted to vomit.

Harry caught him just in time, but his eyes were fixed on Peter Pettigrew.

Even though he doesn't know why Peter, who should have died, didn't, he only needs to use his brain a little to know that there must be something fishy about it that would make someone pretend to be a rat for twelve years instead of enjoying that great honor!

Hermione quietly moved closer to Sherlock, as if doing so would make her feel safer.

"Nothing is impossible."

Hearing Ron's words, Sherlock said calmly:
"When all the impossible scenarios are eliminated, the remaining one, however unbelievable, must be the truth."

Sherlock said this more than once.

But at this moment, everyone, including the four professors, truly understood the meaning of this statement.

“Remus… my dear friend, Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall…”

Peter Pettigrew finally spoke, his voice high-pitched and thin, which sounded very unpleasant.

“Mr. Peter, if you want to escape, then I advise you to give up this plan as soon as possible.”

"I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense..."

"Is that nonsense? From the moment you took human form, you've looked towards the door seven times."

Sherlock interrupted Peter without any politeness, saying in a relaxed tone:
"As I just said, your best chance was before you came to this office. It's too late to run away now."

And...excuse my bluntness, but if you really manage to escape in front of four professors, then Hogwarts might as well close down now!

Dumbledore and Lupin both smiled, McGonagall remained silent with a stern face, and Snape gave a cold snort.

This time, however, none of the four spoke, tacitly handing the initiative over to Sherlock.

Sherlock, not to be outdone, stepped forward, stared at the man, and slowly said:
"Although I already have a general idea of ​​what happened, I still want to ask you to tell us why you faked your death twelve years ago, turned into a rat, and then stayed hidden there..."

"He's come to kill me again!"

Sherlock was interrupted by Peter's scream before he could finish speaking.

"Sirius Black, he killed Lily and James, and now he's trying to kill me!"
"Remus, Principal, Professors, you have to save me! You have to save me!"

Sherlock tilted his head. "But Mr. Peter, I have my doubts about what you're saying."

Because I simply don't understand what reason there is for a hero of the magical world, a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, to give up being a decent human being and instead become a mouse?

And they did it for a full twelve years!

"You know nothing! He possesses dark magic you can't even dream of, otherwise how could he have escaped from Azkaban? It must be that person whose name can't even be mentioned who taught him a few tricks!"

"Ha, that's an interesting way to put it. You mean Fu..."

"It's all your fault!"

Sherlock had just uttered the first syllable of Voldemort when Peter suddenly roared and lunged at Sherlock.

"Ayo!"

"careful!"

The situation changed so quickly that Harry and Hermione only had time to speak up and offer a warning.

Seeing that Peter still couldn't grasp the situation and intended to put up a stubborn resistance, Sherlock couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless.

He simply assumed a stance, ready to let him taste the power of his fist.

However, perhaps because he had lived as a rat for many years, Peter's body became more agile.

Halfway through his attack, he abruptly changed direction, abandoning Sherlock and lunging in another direction.

That's Harry standing there.

"roll!"

An angry voice rang out.

Before Peter could even reach Harry, he was lifted off the ground and flew straight backward.

Although the principal's office is large, it is still relatively large.

In the blink of an eye, Peter was about to bump into Dumbledore.

However, with a gentle wave of his wand, Peter suddenly stopped a few feet away from him and then fell heavily to the ground.

Dumbledore waved his wand again, and Peter, who was still trying to struggle, remained motionless this time.

"Severus, you seem to be a bit too rude. If I had reacted any later, this old body would have been smashed to pieces."

Dumbledore glanced at Snape, who was standing in front of Harry, then smiled and said gently, "Well done."

Snape slowly withdrew his wand, stepping aside from Harry who hadn't yet reacted, and said through gritted teeth:
"I just wanted to show this guy what happens when you act recklessly in front of me."

Hearing Professor Snape's evasive explanation, Sherlock almost burst out laughing.

Although he was also at the center of the vortex, he never ignored his surroundings.

The moment Peter lunged at him, Snape had already made his move.

When Peter turned and rushed toward Harry halfway, he immediately stepped forward and shielded Harry behind him.

Even he himself didn't realize what this subconscious action meant.

But Dumbledore clearly understood, which is why he said that.

　Thank you to Director Gong Wanming for the Sherlock Holmes donation! Your support is my motivation to update! o(*￣▽￣*)o
　　
　
(End of this chapter)