Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 356 Peter Must Die

When Dumbledore first sent Peter Pettigrew to the Ministry of Magic, he did not mention Sherlock.

The main reason is the concern that if it is revealed that the whole thing was led by a third-year student, the arrogant and illogical Ministry of Magic will not take it seriously enough.

Therefore, the prevailing view at that time was that Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, along with Professor McGonagall (Transfiguration), Professor Snape (Potentials), and Professor Lupin (Defense Against the Dark Arts), jointly discovered the truth.

That was quite reasonable, and the Ministry of Magic did not raise any objections.

But the professors never expected that the shamelessness of the bureaucrats would exceed their imagination.

They would rather suppress the matter and handle it quietly than reveal the truth.

Even Dumbledore's reputation couldn't save him.

In the end, it was only through Sherlock's brother Mycroft's underhanded tactics that the Ministry of Magic reluctantly admitted to the matter.

Now that the truth has come to light, Harry feels there's no need to keep it a secret any longer.

Although Sherlock himself said he didn't care about fame or fortune, Harry, as Sherlock's friend, couldn't stand to see him being treated like this by Fudge.

He wanted to stand up for what was right!

Upon hearing Harry's words, Fudge's eyes widened in disbelief.

He then began to carefully examine the little boy he had previously overlooked.

As a 13-year-old boy, it's immediately noticeable that Sherlock is taller and thinner than his peers.

His facial features are angular, with a slender nose and a square, prominent jaw.

His bright gray eyes made him appear exceptionally alert and decisive.

However, Fudge quickly shook his head, a faint smile appearing on his face:

"Harry, Harry, I think you've lost your mind..."

This matter was clearly orchestrated entirely by your headmaster, Dumbledore.

Oh, of course, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Professor Lupin all made huge contributions to this.

But now you're telling me that your classmate discovered it..."

Fudge smiled, looking at Harry with a sympathetic gaze that seemed to say, "I've seen it all," and said earnestly:
"You just said that this Holmes is your best friend. Of course, I completely understand the desire to make a friend famous, but I still have to say, you can't just talk nonsense like that!"

"It's Sherlock Holmes, not Hugh Holmes—and I'm not talking nonsense!"

Harry roared angrily, "You have no idea how amazing Sherlock is!"

Fudge paused for a moment after hearing Harry's words, then laughed again:
"But look at him, he looks completely ordinary..."

"Mediocre?"

Harry was furious when he heard Fudge lying through his teeth. "Sherlock can tell what you've done all day just by looking at you. You're saying he's nothing special?"

"Oh, is that so? I'd really like to see it for myself." Fudge clearly didn't believe Harry's words, and he kept laughing as he spoke.

Harry was furious and quickly grabbed Sherlock, pointed at Fudge, and said:
"Sherlock, tell me quickly what the minister did before he came here today. You can do it!"

"Calm down, my dear Harry."

Seeing Harry's eagerness to prove himself, Sherlock laughed instead.

“What we need to do now is to get Peter Pettigrew to accept his own judgment. Compared to that, the fact that the minister ate abalone before he came is not worth mentioning.”

Harry was somewhat surprised.

He knows Sherlock all too well.

My friend likes to show off his unique way of performing in front of others, and then secretly enjoys seeing the surprised expressions on their faces.

Normally, when he said that, he should have said it at twice the speed.

How can you just brush it off with a simple statement like "I've eaten abalone"?
Just as I was wondering, Sherlock continued:

"Twelve years ago, magic, without judgment, cast a loyal, innocent, and brave man into the hellish Azkaban, creating a tragedy that continues to this day..."

“I’ve already said it, that had nothing to do with me, it was Crouch who did it—and besides, I’ve never eaten abalone!”

Upon hearing Sherlock bring up the matter again, Fudge couldn't wait to speak up once more, saying in a fit of anger and embarrassment.

Harry wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Fudge's emphasis was on the second half of the sentence.

Sherlock ignored Fudge and continued:

"Now that the truth is out, the culprit is right in front of us."

His crimes are well-documented and his offenses are too numerous to recount.

However, the Ministry of Magic hesitated to grant a fair trial due to certain political considerations and dirty deals.

If even the most basic thing like giving evildoers the punishment they deserve is difficult to do, then what is the foundation of the Ministry of Magic's existence?
Once public trust is lost, it is extremely difficult to regain it.

Hasn't the so-called rule of law and justice become a joke that can be smeared at will?

That's right, it's the Tacitus Trap!
Harry realized it immediately.

At the same time, Fudge looked at Sherlock with suspicion.

Based solely on Sherlock's words, he no longer dared to underestimate his opponent.

The other party's point of view went straight to the heart of the problem; every word was like a knife, stabbing into my heart.

This is not something a thirteen-year-old boy should say!
This sense of oppression... is exactly the same as the feeling the Muggle government has given him these past two days.

Just who is this kid?
"You don't understand at all, and these are not things you should be considering."

Even though he thought this in his heart, Fudge still refused to admit it. He said something in a threatening tone, then turned to look to the side:
"Dumbledore, are you just going to stand by and watch a student act recklessly?"

Sherlock raised an eyebrow.

It's true what they say, a leopard can't change its spots. Once they realize that reasoning with people is useless, they resort to using their power to intimidate them.

Unfortunately, Dumbledore was on his side.

"Connelly".

Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "I don't think Sherlock is being ridiculous. What he just said made perfect sense?" "Naive, utterly naive!"

Fudge said angrily, "What does a little kid know? The adult world is not as simple as he imagines!"

Dumbledore looked at Fudge with pity. "Cornelly, I must remind you, it's not good for you if you treat Sherlock like a child."

Besides, the adult world you're talking about can actually be quite simple.

As he spoke, Dumbledore's voice became somewhat ethereal, as if he were recalling something from the past.

This scene naturally did not escape Sherlock's eyes.

"The minister is used to being high and mighty, how could he possibly respect others?"

A voice abruptly interrupted, "Let alone a little boy, I'm afraid in his eyes we're just a bunch of old fogies who only know how to do academic research, right?"

That's right, that's exactly what I think!

Fudge mentally gave the person who said those words a big thumbs up.

However, upon seeing that these words were spoken by Professor Snape, he quickly took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead:

"No, Severus, you've misunderstood. How could I possibly think that?"

Damn it, everyone at this school—the principal, the teachers, and the students—is so difficult to deal with.

"Your Excellency, Minister."

Just as Fudge was in a state of utter confusion, Sherlock spoke again, interrupting his thoughts.

"Holmes, is there anything else?"

Fudge said with an impatient look on his face.

The more he looks at Sherlock, the more it bothers him.

Seriously, how does Dumbledore manage the school? Couldn't he just kick out the irrelevant people?

"When the law fails to bring justice to the parties involved, private revenge becomes justified, even noble, from that moment on."

Sherlock's resounding words stunned Fudge.

"W-what do you mean?"

"That's what it means."

"Well said, Sherlock!"

Sirius clapped his hands and whistled excitedly.

"Since you are unwilling to give us fairness, then I will seek fairness myself."

Minister, do you know how many Dementors are guarding Peter?

How does that compare to the number of people Azkaban guarded me back then?

Imagine this: a criminal who was initially protected by the Minister dies at the Ministry of Magic, with "The murderer Cornelius Fudge" written in blood next to him. Doesn't that sound incredibly exciting?

“Blake, you can’t…”

Fudge was terrified.

This is a threat, a blatant threat!
"Dumbledore, aren't you going to do anything about this? He's your student!"

"Connelly, Sirius graduated many years ago."

The school has no right to interfere with students' behavior after graduation, but it is you who…

Dumbledore smiled and said, "Weren't you just talking about this?"

The Ministry of Magic and Sirius Black are partners, and Sirius Black left Azkaban with your authorization.

So you're the one who should be managing him!

"That's not..."

Fudge's words came to an abrupt halt halfway through.

His face alternated between white and purple, making him look extremely comical.

This made everyone present feel a sense of relief.

All I can say is... well done!
Professor McGonagall also wore a thoughtful expression; she now understood what Sherlock meant when he said he trusted the rules too much.

Compared to my last trip to the Ministry of Magic, this time at Hogwarts, facing the same situation, the whole process was incredibly satisfying.

Indeed, the most exciting way to deal with such unruly people is to defeat them in their area of ​​expertise.

Didn't you see even the kind-hearted Dumbledore start being sarcastic?

As the headmaster, Dumbledore ultimately had to consider the bigger picture.

After seeing Fudge's embarrassed expression, he slowly spoke:
“Cornell, if the Ministry of Magic is going to decide to cooperate with Sirius, it should show enough sincerity.”

A single Merlin Medal, I don't think, is enough to show this sincerity, and besides..."

He stared at Fudge and said, word by word:

“If even someone like Peter can’t be punished, then all our efforts over the years have been for nothing.”

I agree with Sherlock's statement that when the law fails to bring justice to the parties involved, private revenge becomes legitimate, even noble, from that moment on.

“Peter must die!” Sirius was much more decisive than Dumbledore. “Otherwise, forget about everything else. I don’t mind sending him on his way myself, if you’re confident you can get those Dementors to stop me.”

“Peter must die!” Professor McGonagall looked at Fudge and said solemnly, “This is an explanation to Potter and Lily, to the innocent victims over there, and to the promise the Ministry of Magic made earlier.”

“Peter must die!” Professor Snape caught up with Professor McGonagall, saying with venomous hatred, “He deserves to die!”

“Peter must die!” Professor Lupin’s voice was calm, yet it contained immense determination.

Sherlock and Harry didn't speak, but their eyes said it all.

Peter... must die!

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(End of this chapter)