Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 374 Whose Figure Travels Through Reincarnation?

The next morning, Harry woke up with a start.

He himself didn't understand why.

It felt as if someone had shouted in his ear.

When I checked the time, I found it was only 5:30, so I simply went back to bed.

Unfortunately, just like last semester before the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, once I woke up in the morning, I couldn't fall back asleep.

Last time, he was worried about the competition because of the bad weather, but this time, the thought of going to the Ministry of Magic to sit in on Peter's trial filled every cell of his brain.

Ultimately, Harry couldn't bear the torment any longer and jumped out of bed to put on his glasses.

There were freshly washed and ironed jeans and a T-shirt at the foot of the bed, which Harry guessed Mrs. Weasley had secretly put in during the night.

Anyway, he didn't hear a thing.

While Harry was getting dressed, he was surprised to find that the blank canvas on the wall was actually chuckling.

He now knows that the portrait belongs to Phineas Nigellus Black.

It was Sirius Black's great-great-grandfather, whom he had mentioned before. He was also the former headmaster of Hogwarts, the most unpopular and most successful headmaster.

However, Harry stayed there for almost two weeks and never saw him appear.

He guessed that this person was probably always in the Hogwarts Headmaster's office.

Harry went down the stairs, tiptoeing past the heads of Kreacher's ancestors and the portrait of Mrs. Black, and came down to the kitchen.

He originally thought there would be no one in the kitchen at this time.

But as soon as he reached the door, he heard a low murmur coming from behind it.

He pushed the door open and saw Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, and Sirius Black sitting there, as if they were waiting for him.

Sirius was dressed neatly, just as Mrs. Weasley had said last night.

This makes him look like a big star.

This forced Harry to admit that Mrs. Weasley was right.

He felt that if he were someone who knew nothing about the whole thing, he would definitely think that Sirius Black represented justice when he saw him!

Being good-looking makes even what you say seem more reasonable than what others say.

Mr. Weasley was already dressed, only Mrs. Weasley was still wearing a purple casual shirt.

As soon as Harry went in, she stood up immediately.

"Eat breakfast."

As she spoke, she drew her wand and hurried toward the fireplace.

After breakfast, just as they were about to leave, Mrs. Weasley grabbed Harry again and began to work on his hair with a wet comb.

She pressed his head down forcefully, looked at Harry's stubborn hair, and said with a hint of helplessness:
Is it possible for it to become compliant?

“Molly, give up. James did the same thing back then,” Sirius said with a smile.

“But Harry isn’t James.”

Mrs. Weasley said seriously, "I must point this out, Sirius, sometimes you talk about him as if you think your best friend has come back."

"Uh, actually I don't think it's a problem."

Harry said weakly.

As Mrs. Weasley was fixing his hair, he felt something cool running down the back of his neck, and he almost thought someone was casting a disillusionment spell on him.

"The problem is you're not your father, Harry."

Mrs. Weasley said softly, “No matter how much you resemble him, you are not him.”

That being said, Mrs. Weasley ultimately failed to make Harry's hair smooth.

So Harry, sporting his spiky hair, could only follow Sirius and Mr. Weasley to Sherlock's house, under Mrs. Weasley's despairing gaze.

Despite being an employee of the Ministry of Magic, Mr. Weasley was not granted permission to observe the trial.

Fortunately, he was going to work at the Ministry of Magic, so he could go with Sherlock and the others.

According to him, at least they could have a place to stay at the Ministry of Magic before the formal trial began.

Arriving at King's Road, Harry was taken aback when he saw Sherlock dressed in brand-new clothes.

Sure enough, I was right; Mrs. Holmes and Mrs. Weasley were the same kind of people.

"Harry, you and Sirius are both in great shape... This outfit is nice, but why do I feel like you've grown taller again?"

Although Mrs. Holmes also took today's trial very seriously, Harry felt more at ease with her than Mrs. Weasley did.

how to say?

He was deeply moved that Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Holmes treated him like their own son.

But at the same time, he was also getting a little impatient with Mrs. Weasley's excessive pampering.

In contrast, Mrs. Holmes did not see herself as a clueless, naive child.

In giving yourself love, you also give yourself respect.

Harry guessed that this might be related to the Holmes brothers.

After a brief chat, the three said goodbye to the Holmes couple and went to the main street.

Since it was still early and there was no one around,

Sirius looked at Sherlock: "Dumbledore hopes we can cooperate with the Ministry of Magic."

"When did Dumbledore say that to you?" Harry asked Sirius Black with curiosity.

“He had Fox send you a letter last night, when you were already asleep,” Mr. Weasley said.

"Given the current situation, this is indeed a very cost-effective option." Sherlock nodded, agreeing with Dumbledore's assessment.

He then looked at Sirius and Mr. Weasley: "So how do we get there, Apparating?"

"This is the current plan: Sirius will take Harry, and I'll take you..."

Mr. Weasley coughed. "Sirius already told Harry about this on the way here, so now I want to talk to you about some things to keep in mind."

Even if someone is guiding you, it's still difficult to adapt to Apparition the first time..."

“This step can be omitted,” Sherlock said bluntly. “Professor Flitwick has led me to move around in this way more than once.”

"W-what?!"

Mr. Weasley looked at Sherlock in surprise. "Professor Flitwick Apparated you? When did this happen?"

"In my first year, I was investigating the case of the Greek interpreter, and he happened to have a student at the Ministry of Magic..."

“I know, it was Pisgood! He told me about it.”

Mr. Weasley suddenly realized, "That makes things easier."

Sherlock looked at Sirius, "Since we're on the topic, I'd like to ask you something."

Is there a Mr. Wright Black in the Black family?

I hadn't seen his name on that family tree before.

"Wright Black - Blacklight?"

Sirius paused for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "No, I don't think he belongs to the Black family."

However, it could also be a member of a collateral branch of the family, which is why I don't know. What's wrong?

“Nothing, just asking—let’s go, Mr. Weasley.” Just as Sherlock had said, because he had already tried Apparition more than once with Professor Flitwick when he was a freshman, he was hardly affected when Mr. Weasley took him Apparition again.

But Harry is in a terrible situation.

When he reappeared with Sirius, his face was very pale, and he was holding his knees with both hands, panting heavily.

"Wait a moment, Arthur."

Sirius looked at his side with some concern, "Harry needs more time to adjust."

"It's alright, there's still plenty of time."

While waiting for Harry to recover, Sherlock took in the surrounding scenery.

After the phantom materialized, they stood at one end of a long, magnificent hall with gleaming dark wooden floors.

The peacock blue ceiling is inlaid with glittering gold symbols that are constantly moving and changing, like a giant high-altitude bulletin board.

The walls on all four sides were covered with dark, glossy black wood panels, and many gilded fireplaces were embedded in the panels.

Every few seconds, with a soft "poof," a wizard would suddenly emerge from one of the fireplaces on the left.

On the right, several people were queuing in front of each fireplace, waiting to leave.

Clearly, this is also a way to enter and exit the Ministry of Magic—through Floo fans connected to the Floo Network.

Speaking of which, it seems that one of Mr. Weasley's acquaintances is having some financial problems.

So Sherlock and Hermione's fireplace isn't connected to the Floo Network yet, otherwise they could have used that method to get here today.

However, most people, like them today, arrive here through apparition.

So the hall was filled with crackling sounds and the chaotic footsteps of dozens of male and female wizards.

Almost everyone wore the expression of a working-class person forced to go to work, and hurried towards a row of golden doors at the other end of the hall.

There is a fountain in the middle of the foyer.

In the middle of a circular pool stands a pure gold statue larger than a real person.

At the center, and also the tallest, is a male wizard with a noble air.

He raised his wand high, pointing it straight to the sky.

Standing not far from him was a beautiful witch.

A centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf were further away, all looking up at the two wizards with boundless adoration.

Glistening jets of water shot from the tip of the wizard's wand, from the centaur's arrowhead, from the tip of the goblin's hat, and from the ears of the house-elves.

The sounds of tinkling and splashing water could be heard all around.

"here it is……"

Mr. Weasley noticed Sherlock's gaze sweeping around, cleared his throat, and prepared to explain himself as a veteran employee of the Ministry of Magic.

Unexpectedly, Sherlock continued along with what he had said:
"...This is the Ministry of Magic's lobby and reception area, used to greet visitors and employees."

"!"

Mr. Weasley looked at Sherlock in surprise, but he continued without changing his expression:

"We are currently on the eighth basement level. The elevators in front can take people to other floors, but not to the tenth-floor courtroom where we are going later."

"Sherlock, you..."

"That's the Magic Brothers Fountain up ahead, picturing a harmonious scene from a magical world."

But I think this is very unrealistic—because both centaurs and fairies think they are far superior to wizards and sorcerers.

House-elves do take pride in serving their owners, but I doubt they are truly happy.

Just look at how the Black family's house-elves treat Sirius.

Arthur Weasley: ━━∑(￣□￣*|||━━
At this moment, Mr. Weasley was beyond shocked.

no……

Why are you so skilled!

So, who works at the Ministry of Magic, you or me?
Also, Sirius Black is right there. Is it really okay for you to talk about the Black family's house-elves like that?
Thinking of this, Mr. Weasley subconsciously looked towards Sirius Black.

He showed no reaction to Sherlock's assessment.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that he, like Sherlock, was surveying his surroundings.

However, unlike Sherlock's calm and inquisitive gaze, Sirius's eyes were much more complex.

It was a mixture of disgust and the sting of memories, along with a hint of disdainful scrutiny of the place that had imprisoned his youth and caused him to lose his freedom.

Mr. Weasley didn't know how he figured it out.

Anyway, he figured it out.

As for Harry, the intense discomfort he had just experienced from the Apparition seemed to have completely disappeared.

His face was full of surprise as he listened intently to Sherlock.

Seeing this, Mr. Weasley suppressed his urge to urge the three to hurry on their way and instead posed the question that had been on his mind:

"Sherlock, to be honest, this is incredible!"
Your description is even clearer than that of most employees who have been with the company for a while!
Furthermore, you even know the elevator information for the courtroom on the tenth basement floor—how did you manage that?

Mr. Weasley's voice was filled with disbelief and disbelief.

Sherlock withdrew his gaze from the busy figures of the wizards and turned to Mr. Weasley, his expression as calm as ever:

"Knowledge comes from accumulation, Mr. Weasley."

I handled a case before Christmas in my first year, when Miss Abbott told me about the structure of the Ministry of Magic.

Later, I read the Ministry of Magic's report on the case involving Wright Black and Hannah Abbott's father.

Combining these two points, remembering them becomes quite easy.

"easy……"

Mr. Weasley opened his mouth, but it took him a while to find his voice, and he could only utter a short syllable.

He touched his hair, which had grown after using Potter's shampoo, and felt a little overwhelmed.

Although Sherlock's explanation sounds reasonable.

But... if it were him, he couldn't do it no matter what.

Comparing people to each other makes people angry!
"Harry's recovered?"

Sirius Black suddenly spoke, his voice slightly low, breaking the brief silence.

He was somewhat reluctant to stay where he was and discuss the architectural layout or symbolism of the Ministry of Magic, especially in this place that stirred up unpleasant memories for him.

"Yes, I'm fine now."

Harry quickly stood up straight. Although his face was still a little pale, his breathing was much more steady.

“Okay,” Sirius replied curtly, turning his gaze to Mr. Weasley. “Arthur, shall we go?”

"Yes, yes, it's time to go, it's getting late."

Mr. Weasley suddenly realized what was going on and remembered their business for the day.

He took the lead and guided the three of them into the crowd.

At this moment, the souls silently gazing in the ancient family portraits, Sirius standing in the Ministry of Magic's hall looking back on the past, and that seemingly ordinary yet extraordinary young figure in the crowd.

They meet at this moment, silently traversing the undercurrents of reincarnation.

(End of this chapter)