Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 344 An Unexpected Twist

When Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge officially announced to the entire Hogwarts school community that the Dementors would be withdrawing from the school that day, the entire Great Hall erupted in cheers.

Obviously, no one would like such an ugly creature.

They lurk in the darkest and dirtiest places, sucking peace, hope, and joy from the surrounding air.

No one can guarantee that they won't be the next Harry Potter.

After all, once you fall from a great height, there's no Dumbledore to help slow you down.

The cheers were especially loud at the Gryffindor table.

As everyone knows, lion cubs are the ones who love adventure the most.

The presence of Dementors was simply too much of a hindrance for them.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that Sirius Black was born in Gryffindor.

The academy lost a notorious Death Eater but gained a behind-the-scenes hero who silently dedicated himself to his friends for twelve years—it's a great thing no matter how you look at it.

Seeing how respectful the Hogwarts students were, Fudge was clearly very satisfied with the scene before him, and a sense of accomplishment welled up in his heart.

"Of course, I would also like to thank our headmaster, Mr. Albus Dumbledore, on behalf of the Ministry of Magic!"
As the headmaster of Hogwarts, he assisted the Ministry of Magic in tracking Peter's movements with a high sense of responsibility, demonstrating unparalleled professionalism, especially in the Hogwarts arrest operation.

It is precisely thanks to this collaborative effort both within and outside the system that justice was ultimately served.

"He really has the nerve to say that," Hermione said, gently nudging Sherlock beside her who showed no reaction whatsoever. "Aren't you angry at all?"

“This morning, I told my roommates that I would be satisfied as long as the truth is revealed and the criminals are brought to justice.”

Let you laugh and scold as you please; I'll do as I please. My vast wealth is mine alone to enjoy.

"Is this the talk of a Roman miser?"

“My dear Hermione, you’re absolutely right.”

"Your skills should be made public so that everyone can know about them."

Hermione looked at Sherlock and said seriously, "I think you should present this case. Of course, if you don't want to, I'll do it for you."

Harry and Ron got excited as soon as they heard about it.

"Yes, yes, everyone should know that this is actually Sherlock's doing."

"There's also the case of Abbott's father being framed, Qiu's stolen eyeshadow, and the Greek translator case!"

"Even a complete idiot like Lockhart can publish a book, so there's no reason for a truly talented person like Sherlock to be buried!"

"Hermione, go for it! We've got your back!"

Despite Harry and Ron's support, Hermione still turned her attention to Sherlock:

"Sherlock, what... what are you thinking?"

"Do whatever you want, dear Hermione."

Sherlock smiled slightly, looking at Fudge who was still talking animatedly.

"With the unanimous approval of Wizengamo, we will posthumously award Mr. Black the Order of Merlin!"

Amidst the renewed uproar in the auditorium, Fudge couldn't resist praising himself, "Of course—this is all thanks to the efficient emergency hearing process of this cabinet..."

"When the bureaucratic system apologizes, every word is priced in reverse."

Sherlock shook his head, unsurprised.

“It doesn’t matter, I have the whole story in my head,” Hermione said earnestly, taking Sherlock’s hand. Her face was slightly flushed. “People will know the truth of these things.”

No one listened to what Fudge said next.

This inevitably made him feel a little regretful, but it was already very good to have achieved such a result.

In fact, even he himself did not expect that this matter would be so full of twists and turns and constant reversals.

Two nights ago.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, accompanied by Minerva McGonagall, Vice-Headmaster and Head of Gryffindor House, and Professor Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin House, visited the Ministry of Magic.

Despite having been informed by Dumbledore beforehand, Fudge and the Ministry of Magic members were still surprised when they actually arrived.

Because in addition to the two headmasters and Snape, the youngest headmaster in history, they also had a bald man with a shifty face, a timid and cowardly appearance.

After Dumbledore's explanation, Fudge was surprised to learn that this person was actually Peter Pettigrew, who had been "killed" by Sirius Black twelve years earlier.

However, Fudge was even more shocked after Dumbledore finished recounting what had happened.

Peter Pettigrew, who was awarded the Order of Merlin First Class by the Ministry of Magic, was the traitor, while Sirius Black, who was regarded as the traitor, was the hero.

The identities of the two people took a complete 180-degree turn.

Just as Sherlock analyzed, the Ministry of Magic, led by Fudge, was unwilling to admit this matter from the bottom of their hearts.

Even with the most compelling evidence of Peter Pettigrew's resurrection right before their eyes, even with Snape emphasizing that Peter's confession was obtained after taking Truth Potion, even with the facts perfectly matching all the reasoning, what followed was only natural. After an emergency meeting at the Ministry of Magic, Fudge immediately reached an agreement with the others and informed Dumbledore of the Ministry's decision.

For well-known reasons, Snape, who was with Dumbledore, immediately became furious.

In front of a group of Ministry of Magic officials, he publicly rebuked Fudge, pointing out that in order to uphold the authority of the Ministry of Magic, he disregarded the facts and made such a low-level judgment, which was simply like eating shit.

This gave Fudge even more grounds for his opposition:
“Dumbledore, I have always given you complete freedom and respected you greatly. Perhaps I do not agree with some of your decisions, but I have always remained silent.”

Not many people would allow you to hire a werewolf, retain Hagrid, or decide what to teach students without consulting the Ministry of Magic.

I now question the decision to expel Mr. Lucius Malfoy from the Board of Trustees last year, despite the venerable family's generous donations to a noble cause.

"Dumbledore, I think it's necessary to discuss the school's management style with the other members of the Board of Trustees."

With things having developed to this point, it's almost a foregone conclusion that the Hogwarts Headmaster and the Minister of Magic, who were originally on the same side, will part ways.

"Albus, I told you long ago that you should have let me kill that guy directly!"

After leaving the Ministry of Magic, Snape was extremely dissatisfied. "Now look what's happened! They don't even plan to announce that rat's crimes. Those idiots might not even be able to keep an eye on him, and he'll probably escape again in a couple of days!"

"Calm down, Severus."

Dumbledore said calmly, “Not everyone in the Ministry of Magic is like that. There are still quite a few trustworthy people who fought alongside us during the Wizarding Wars.”

Severus, you should know very well that we had anticipated Fudge's attitude before we came, but we didn't expect him to go to this extent.

When he first took office, he bombarded me with owls almost every day.

However, as time went on, he began to become enamored with his official position.

His long-term position of power and the flattery he received from others led him to mistakenly believe it was due to his own abilities, thus causing him to lose his proper judgment.

Snape: "That's right, but it makes no sense."

McGonagall stared at Dumbledore and asked, "Albus, what do we do now? Should we go find Sirius?"

“That’s necessary. I trust him just as much as I trust you and Severus, but we also have to be prepared to part ways with the Department of Magic at any time.”

Dumbledore said firmly, "The truth must be made public. If the Ministry of Magic is unwilling, then let us do it ourselves."

"Do we really have to do that?"

Professor McGonagall looked worried. "Albus, if the Ministry of Magic insists on going against us, Hogwarts could be greatly affected."

“That’s right, so I want to make one last attempt before that.”

"Forget it, it's better to rely on Sherlock Holmes, the great detective you value, than on that idiot."

“You’re right, Severus.”

"what?"

"Let's start this last attempt with Sherlock—Minerva, tell Sherlock and Harry about it tomorrow."

"Do you really think that so-called detective can solve this?"

"Don't forget, this whole affair was orchestrated and exposed by Sherlock from the very beginning."

"Hmph, but that doesn't mean he can solve the Ministry of Magic's problems."

"Before the start of this term—when we all thought Sirius had escaped from prison to find Harry, the Ministry of Magic had instructed Harry and Sherlock not to leave home."

As Dumbledore spoke, a meaningful smile suddenly appeared on his face:

"The Ministry of Magic's original plan was to buy the items for Sherlock and Harry in Diagon Alley and then send them directly to the station when school started."

However, two days before the start of the school term, the Ministry of Magic sent Mr. Pisgood to personally drive them to Diagon Alley to buy items.

I have reliable sources that this turn of events is due to pressure exerted on the Ministry of Magic by the Queen's government.

"What? Muggle!"

"exactly."

Dumbledore's smile widened as he looked at McGonagall and Snape, and said with a touch of melancholy:

"Minerva, Severus, it seems we all underestimated the power of this young detective!"

Both are about detectives, but Snape's mention of them is full of sarcasm, while Dumbledore's is clearly a compliment.

The next morning after breakfast, Professor McGonagall told Sherlock and Harry about it, just as Dumbledore had instructed.

Then I got the answer from him: "Defeat magic with magic".

One day later.

British Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge was speechless with astonishment as he looked at the formal official letter from the British Prime Minister.

(End of this chapter)