Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 350 Though you cannot emit light, you are a conduit for it.

Sherlock and Harry left Hogwarts Castle and arrived at the school campus.

The traces of the heavy snow from a week ago are still there.

The last month of 1993 was drawing to a close, so the temperature remained very low.

Overall, the weather was nice today, quite sunny and breezy.

Harry, wearing a Cho Chang hand-knitted scarf, was in a mood as bright as the sunshine.

Sherlock led Harry northwards.

They passed the greenhouse where herbal medicine classes were held, the edge of the forbidden forest, and finally stopped in front of a very thick tree.

There was no wind at all, but the tree branches were shaking violently, swaying back and forth, clearly preventing them from moving forward.

The Whomping Willow.

Looking at the thick tree trunk, Harry couldn't help but swallow hard, then quietly took a half step back and came behind Sherlock.

He had a very deep impression of that tree.

This is the Willow Tree that, within just one month, smashed Malfoy's Nimbus 2001 and its own Nimbus 2000 to pieces twice.

The results are valid and verifiable.

Professor Lu Ping also said that during his school days, people often came here to see who could touch the tree trunk in order to test their courage.

Until a boy named David Gerjean nearly lost an eye, the school stopped allowing students to go near it.

So he really didn't understand why Sherlock had brought him here.

Surely Sirius wouldn't be hiding inside this thick tree trunk, would he?
"Dear Harry, it seems you need to really work on your memory."

Sherlock pulled Harry, who had been shielding him, to his side and explained under Harry's questioning gaze:

"The Weasley twins told you something the moment you got the Marauder's Map."

There are seven paths to Hogsmeade Village, one of which has an entrance near the Willow of the Thieves.

Reminded by Sherlock, Harry also remembered this matter, and he immediately showed a surprised look:
"You mean Sirius is really hiding here?"

"Yes, right here, if your eyesight is good enough—well, your eyesight isn't good enough..."

Harry:

"In short, all you need to know is that the entrance is here."

"...But how are we supposed to get there?"

Looking at the Whomping Willow frantically waving its branches, Harry frowned deeply. "In this situation, we can't get any closer!"

He didn't think his body was any more robust than a flying broomstick.

"How could it be impossible to get close?"

Sherlock laughed. "If you couldn't get close, how did Sirius get in?"

“I don’t know,” Harry said honestly.

“Look there,” Sherlock said without keeping her in suspense, pointing to a prominent knot on the tree trunk, “it will stop attacking as long as someone holds it down.”

Fortunately, the sun was shining brightly, and Harry was able to spot the scar Sherlock had been pointing to.

He didn't ask Sherlock how he knew about it, but instead looked at his older brother with a questioning gaze, pointed to himself, and said somewhat uncertainly:

"Sherlock, you mean... I should go?"

“Give it a try,” Sherlock encouraged. “If Sirius Black and Crookshanks could do it, so can you.

"it is good!"

Harry nodded heavily.

He stretched his arms and legs, took a deep breath, and then rushed toward the scar.

Believe in yourself, I can do it!
Surely a human isn't worse than a cat?
Unfortunately, ideals are full and reality is very skinny.

Harry had barely taken a step when a large tree branch came crashing down on him.

He had anticipated this, so he nimbly dodged to the side.

But another branch was pulled down right afterward, forcing him to return to his original spot.

Harry was not discouraged.

As he recalled the stealth techniques Sherlock had taught him, he used the agility he had developed over the years under Dudley's fists and in Quidditch to leap left and right between the maliciously waving branches.

Unfortunately, even though he was panting heavily, he still couldn't get close to the roots of the tree.

There was even a time when he seized the opportunity and was willing to take a hit to rush over.

A tangle of branches, as thick as a fist, lashed out, forcing Harry to retreat once more.

He touched his right shoulder, which had been whipped by the branches, and looked at Sherlock with a helpless gaze.

Harry wondered to himself if he was being too useless—but in the current situation, he really had no other choice.

Surely no one would enjoy the feeling of being whipped, right?
Sherlock was not surprised by this. He chuckled and said, "Harry, watch my movements."

After saying that, he did the same thing as Harry before, rushing straight towards the scar.

Harry immediately opened his eyes wide and looked carefully.

It's still jumping left and right.

However, compared to Harry, Sherlock's movements are clearly more agile.

He moved swiftly among the branches of the willow tree that were constantly whipping back and forth, like a nimble hunting dog.

The Whomping Willow, which had just rendered Harry speechless, nearly struck Sherlock several times, but he managed to dodge at the last second each time.

All they could do was slightly slow Sherlock's advance.

Before long, Sherlock arrived in front of the tree trunk.

Sherlock dodged the last branch, bowed slightly, and placed his hand on the knot on the trunk.

The throbbing willow tree, which had been twitching violently, seemed to have been put on stop, and even every leaf of it stopped moving.

"Come here, my friend."

Harry stared at Sherlock in shock.

Is this enough?

"Sherlock, how...how did you do that?" Harry asked, puzzled, as he walked towards Sherlock. "How are you so agile?"

"This is the result of serious training, and it is also the biggest difference between me and Polo."

Remember that great detective from the novel? I told you about him before.

Seeing Harry nod, Sherlock continued, "Having strong and agile skills allows you to actively seek out clues when solving cases, instead of lying in an armchair and using your little grey cells to dissect evidence brought by others."

Seeing Harry nod thoughtfully, Sherlock gave him an encouraging look: "Brother, with the talent you've shown, you can do it too if you work hard."

"Uh... I... I'll do my best."

To be honest, Harry wasn't confident.

"Let's go!"

Sherlock gestured for Harry to go into the large opening next to the tree root.

Neither of them was unfamiliar with drilling.

Don't think wrongly.

In first grade, they passed through the trapdoor guarded by the three-headed dog, Momo, and entered the series of rooms containing the Philosopher's Stone.

In their second year, they opened the secret door in Myrtle's girls' washroom and entered the secret room.

Now that they're in third grade, it's just a matter of repeating the same steps as before. Harry was the first to crawl into the hole and slowly made his way down a dirt slope.

Soon, a very low tunnel appeared in front of him.

Harry waited there for a moment, and then Sherlock came to his side and stepped forward without hesitation.

"follow me!"

"Lumos!"

Having learned from his previous experience, Harry decisively used an Illumination Charm first.

Due to the terrain, the two could only walk forward while bending over.

Both of them started growing rapidly this year. Even Harry, who originally looked smaller than his peers, has also started to grow taller this year and is gradually catching up with Sherlock.

"Fred and George said they had never traveled this road before and didn't know where it led."

"The Marauder's Map only marks the entrance to this passage; the passage itself disappears from the edge of the map halfway down. The fact that they know this leads to Hogsmeade is already a satisfactory achievement."

"But they said they didn't recommend this route if I wanted to go to Hogsmeade."

“I agree with them. In terms of both time and effort, the road that leads directly to Honeydukes is more suitable than this one.”

"But I'm free now, and I don't have to sneak off to Hogsmeade anymore."

"It's hard to say, brother."

Sherlock didn't turn around, but Harry could still guess that a smile must have appeared on his face at that moment:
"I wouldn't be surprised at all if you were grounded again."

Harry: "..."

So, in your eyes, I'm just a troublemaker?
Next, the two quickened their pace and continued forward.

Compared to the escape room trip last school year, this trip was shorter but much more difficult.

In the secret room, all they had to do was slide down the long tube.

Even after they slide to the bottom, there is still enough space for them to maintain a normal walking posture.

This time, however, their backs were bent so low they could barely bend any further.

It's okay in the short term, but it becomes very uncomfortable over time.

After walking for a while, Harry gradually began to feel short of breath and a sharp pain in his chest.

Just when he was about to give up, the tunnel finally began to rise, and the path became much wider.

"Coming."

Sherlock spoke as a faint ray of light appeared ahead.

Harry, finally able to stand up straight, stopped and took a few deep breaths.

This road is so difficult to walk on!

Luckily he had training, otherwise he might not have been able to persevere.

Another reason was that Sherlock, who was leading the way, was walking too fast.

If we can go a little slower, it's still fine.

Sherlock, on the other hand, remained completely unfazed.

This made Harry realize even more the importance of physical fitness.

Just like Sherlock said, we still need to exercise more.

Sherlock had already emerged from the cave.

He looked around and found himself in an empty room.

The house itself was messy and covered in dust, as if it had been abandoned by time.

The wallpaper around the walls looked like peeling wounds, the stains on the floor resembled wet ink, and even the broken furniture bore the marks of violent tearing.

All the windows were boarded up, the boarded-up windows cutting the light into fragments, and the dust floating in the air wove a hazy net in the dim light emitted by the magic wand.

Everything in the room was covered in a thick layer of dust, except for the floor, where there were obvious signs of footsteps.

Sherlock knew at a glance that someone had been there recently, and he also deduced who the person was and what they had done.

At that moment, Harry also emerged from the cave and subconsciously glanced at Sherlock beside him.

"It's obvious that this is the Scream Shack."

"The Screaming Shack?"

Harry was somewhat surprised. "Is this the house Hermione mentioned that's the most haunted house in all of England?"

“My dear Harry, ghosts don’t do these things.”

Sherlock pointed to the broken furniture.

Harry immediately noticed that a large piece of wood had been torn off a chair, and one of its legs was missing.

"More than a decade ago, at certain times, a few familiar guests would visit this place—I think you know what I mean."

"I understand, it's Professor Lu Ping!"

Upon hearing Sherlock's suggestion, Harry had a sudden realization and immediately understood, "It's Professor Lupin who turned into a werewolf, and my dad and the others!"

"Great!" Sherlock looked at Harry, his eyes encouraging. "Excellent!"

"As for the haunted sounds the villagers heard, they must have been caused when Professor Lupin transformed into a werewolf!"

"That's good, anything else?"

"I think it must be Mr. Dumbledore who deliberately let this kind of rumor spread."

"why?"

"To make Professor Lupin safer, as long as people believe the Screaming Shack is haunted, they won't dare come here anymore!"

"It must have been quiet here for many years since Professor Lupin left Hogwarts, but judging from the condition of this empty house, the villagers still dare not approach it."

"Completely correct!"

Sherlock spoke while laughing, saying:

"Harry, you've really improved a lot."

I have to say, in the years you've been with me, you've gotten into the habit of underestimating your own abilities.

You may not emit light yourself, but you are a conduit for light.

Some people may not have natural talent, but they possess a remarkable ability to inspire genius.

My dear partner, I must admit I am so incredibly grateful to you!

Harry: X﹏X
He knew Sherlock was praising him, and he knew it was from the other person's heart, but something still felt off.

Overall, however, Sherlock's words brought Harry a lot of joy.

After all, this was the first time he had mastered Sherlock's method, and he had even received Sherlock's praise in practical application.

Thinking of this, Harry couldn't help but puff out his chest with pride.

Just as Harry was about to say something more, a creaking sound suddenly came from above, as if something was moving upstairs.

The two immediately looked up at the ceiling.

After a moment, Sherlock was the first to withdraw his gaze:

"Come on, brother, I think the meeting you've been waiting for is just around the corner."

Harry nodded and followed Sherlock up the crumbling staircase with light steps.

(End of this chapter)