Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 389 Sherlock's Guardian

After two elective courses with mixed reviews, it was finally time for the most popular course, Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Professor Lu Ping, as always, delivered an engaging and practical course.

However, his expression was not very good.

The four who knew the inside story knew that this was a side effect of recovering from their werewolf state after the full moon ended.

It was for this reason that Professor Lupin was absent from the party held at 12 Grimmauld Place during the holidays.

Otherwise, given his relationship with Sirius, he would have come over no matter how busy he was.

Fortunately, he managed to attend the public trial and witness firsthand the tragic end of Peter Pettigrew, the traitor.

After a fun practical lesson, the young wizards left the classroom in small groups, excitedly discussing their experience of dealing with magical creatures.

Just then, Lupin called out to Sherlock and Harry.

After everyone had left, he smiled and looked at the two of them:

"How about 8 PM this Thursday? I think the History of Magic classroom should be big enough."

"No problem, Professor. So, you've found Boggart?"

"Found it. After the interrogation ended the day before yesterday, Sirius asked Moody to go to 12 Grimmauld Place."

Fortunately, he discovered that it was indeed a Boggart hiding in the bookcase.

Moody originally intended to eliminate it while he was at it, but thinking of this, I decided to bring it along instead.

"That was indeed very lucky."

"and many more!"

Listening to Sherlock and Professor Lupin's conversation, Harry finally realized what they were talking about.

He also knew that Moody had gone to 12 Grimmauld Place after the public trial that day.

However, he didn't know what happened after that.

Unexpectedly, there was more to the story.

"Professor Lupin, Sherlock, do we still need to learn from them?"

I mean, haven't the Dementors already left and won't be guarding the school anymore?

Upon hearing Harry's words, Sherlock and Lupin immediately looked towards him.

"What, what's wrong..."

Harry felt a little strange being stared at by the two of them with such scrutinizing eyes.

“Harry, although the Dementors are no longer stationed at Hogwarts, it doesn’t mean you’ll never have to deal with them again.”

Lupin looked at Harry and said gently, "Or are you unwilling to learn how to dispel Dementors?"

Sherlock, as always, performed steadily, looking at Sherlock and saying:
"Have you already forgotten that you almost fainted during the trial?"

Dear friend, you wouldn't want to be laughed at by others because of this, would you?

Harry: "???"

Seeing Harry's bewildered expression, Lupin was amused by their conversation.

"Actually, I originally thought there was no need to rush to learn it, since it is very difficult for you at the moment."

But as Sherlock just said, Harry, you react more strongly to Dementors than anyone else.

"Professor Lu Ping..."

"No, no explanation needed—Harry, there's nothing to be ashamed of."

As I said before, this precisely demonstrates that what you fear is fear itself, which is very wise.

Although Dementors are now under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic, but…

At this point, Lupin frowned, paused, and then continued:

"In short, if possible, it's best to get in touch with the Patronus Charm as early as possible; that's also what Dumbledore meant."

Of course, I won't force you if you don't want to study.

Harry pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly but firmly: "I'll learn!"

He looked at Sherlock again, a glimmer of hope in his eyes: "You'll stay with me, won't you?"

"Of course, my friend."

Sherlock smiled slightly. "After all, I'm also curious to know what I'm most afraid of."

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, Harry and Professor Lupin also became interested.

Yes, what is it that someone like Sherlock is most afraid of?

Time flew by and it was already Thursday evening at eight o'clock.

Sherlock and Harry left the Gryffindor Tower and headed to the History of Magic classroom.

At this point, the curfew is practically meaningless to the two of them.

Now they don't even need invisibility cloaks anymore.

However, just in case, Harry still carried the Marauder's Map with him.

When the two arrived at the classroom, it was still pitch black.

They weren't surprised.

After all, being late is nothing unusual for Professor Lu Ping.

Sherlock lit the lamp with his wand, and Professor Lupin appeared in just five minutes.

He was carrying a large, swaying cargo container.

Needless to say, it contained the Boggart that was brought from 12 Grimmauld Place.

“Your new home is very welcoming, my friend,” Sherlock teased. “You’ve already sent me a gift so quickly.”

Harry managed a weak smile.

He hadn't felt anything when he agreed to learn how to deal with Dementors from Professor Lupin, but the thought of facing such terrifying creatures again made him nervous.

Besides nervousness, there was also a faint sense of anticipation deep inside.

Does seeing the Dementors again mean I can hear my mother's voice again?
Professor Lupin placed the crate on Professor Binns's lectern and explained to the two of them:

“I brought it from Grimoire Place and it’s been in my office ever since. There’s a cabinet under my desk and it likes to be there.”

Sherlock looked at the constantly shaking box. "Can we use it to practice repeatedly?"

"Of course, as long as you don't laugh out loud at it."

"That's unlikely to happen."

"Then let's get ready to begin..."

Professor Lupin got straight to the point, drawing his wand and gesturing for Sherlock and Harry to do the same.

"Although I've said this before, I want to say it again before we officially begin:"
The spell I'm about to demonstrate and teach you is a very advanced form of magic, far beyond the OWL level.

This spell is called the Patronus Charm, and it is the most powerful and oldest defensive spell, a typical example of black magic defense.

I've used it on the train and when Mr. Dumbledore faced the Dementors on the playground.

If successfully cast, it will conjure a guardian spirit that will act as a shield between you and the Dementors.

In short, the guardian spirits are the nemesis of Dementors.

As Professor Lupin spoke, a scene flashed through Harry's mind.

Hiding behind a gigantic Sherlock, he felt an overwhelming sense of security.

He subconsciously looked towards Sherlock, only to see his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he were also deep in thought.

Professor Lupin continued, “The Patronus is a positive force, an external manifestation of what Dementors rely on for survival—hope, joy, and the will to live.”

Because it can never feel despair like a real person, Dementors can't defeat it.

"Is it because they don't feel despair that they can't be defeated?"

“That’s right, Sherlock—but I must remind you, and Harry, that you need to be prepared that this spell is far too advanced for you.”

Normally, you won't be able to access this spell until you pass the Defense Against the Dark Arts (OWL) exam and reach a higher NEWTs level.

Even so, many adult wizards have failed to master it, and only a very few can summon a Patronus in its complete form using the Patronus Charm.

Seeing Lupin's solemn expression, Harry became even more nervous.

Sherlock chuckled lightly, "It's alright, we have plenty of time now."

"Yes, thank goodness you caught Peter, otherwise the Dementors would have stayed at the school, and things would have become very troublesome."

Professor Lupin glanced at Harry as he spoke, which made the latter somewhat embarrassed.

My initial reason for learning this magic was so that I wouldn't be affected during Quidditch matches.

“What exactly does a Patronus look like? I noticed that Dumbledore seemed to have summoned a phoenix that day, but you are not.”

"Sharp observation, Sherlock!"

Professor Lupin couldn't help but praise, "Because each guardian spirit is unique to the wizard who created it."

Is it unique?

"Yes, unique, so I didn't know what your guardian deity would look like until you successfully cast this spell."

Now, I will teach you this spell.

"You must concentrate all your thoughts on a particularly pleasant moment for this spell to work."

For Sherlock, this was an easy task.

He was very happy every time he solved a puzzle.

Harry is in a more complicated situation.

Since he has spent most of his life at the Dursleys' house, all his experiences there are obviously not worth considering.

Although relations with the Dursleys have improved, they are far from being particularly pleasant.

Because Lupin's words made him a little nervous, he racked his brains and finally came up with a pleasant idea.

That was the moment he first rode a flying broomstick.

Unrestrained, free to fly, feeling like you're floating on air—that feeling is undoubtedly very pleasant.

"I'm ready."

Harry said so.

However, after saying that, he felt something was off.

"Very good, the spell is—"

"Expecto Patronum."

"how do you know?"

Lupin looked at Sherlock in surprise. "Did you hear Mr. Dumbledore when he was casting a spell?"

"He asked me the same question before."

Sherlock smiled slightly. "In fact, that's exactly what I heard when you were chasing away the Dementors on the train, sir."

"It was me...!"

Lu Ping was taken aback at first, then sighed with emotion.

Little did he know that his first meeting with Sherlock would inadvertently reveal crucial information.

“Very good, the spell is Patronus Charm, let’s begin—Harry, you go first!”

"Okay, God protect me—no, protect me—I'm sorry—God protect me, God protect me—"

Harry was so nervous that he mispronounced the words several times.

Even though he gave the correct pronunciation, there was still no reaction.

He looked at Lu Ping with a puzzled expression, wondering which part of the process had gone wrong.

"Did you focus all your thoughts on those pleasant memories?"

Oh—yes—

Harry suddenly realized what was happening and quickly forced his thoughts back to the first time he rode the flying broomstick, and began chanting the spell again.

This time, there was finally a response.

Something shot out from the tip of his wand, looking like a cloud of silvery-white gas.

"did you see it?"

Harry exclaimed excitedly, "Sherlock, did you see that? There's a reaction! There's a reaction!"

“Very good,” Lupin smiled at Sherlock, “then it’s your turn.”

Sherlock was prepared; as soon as Lupin finished speaking, he recited the spell.

A wisp of silvery-white gas also shot out from the tip of his wand.

Unlike Harry, the white gas emanating from Sherlock's wand was much more solid, and one could even vaguely make out that it was some kind of animal with four limbs and a tail.

Watching the silvery gas disappear, Sherlock mused, "It looked like some kind of mammal..."

Lupin looked at Sherlock with some surprise.

There are very few people who can achieve this level on their first attempt at casting the Guardian Angel Spell.

This shows that Sherlock's inner strength is greater than he imagined.

"Very good, do it a few more times."

Sherlock and Harry then took out their wands and began to practice.

Next, the chanting of "Touch the Gods" echoed throughout the empty classroom.

It is an obvious fact that both Sherlock and Harry possess considerable talent in the methods of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

After practicing many times, they were all able to cast the spell successfully on their first try.

The summoned guardian deities became clearer and more solid—but this was only in comparison to their previous appearances.

Ultimately, the power to summon a truly complete guardian deity remains insufficient.

Like Sherlock, Harry's most clearly visible Patronus also has limbs and a tail.

However, judging from its size, it is smaller than Sherlock's patron god.

"It looks like a medium-sized feline or canine."

As Sherlock spoke, he recited the incantation again, summoning his guardian spirit.

Compared to the previous times, the image of the Patronus it summoned was still somewhat blurry, but both Harry and Lupin were able to see what Sherlock's Patronus was this time.

A lion.

“I originally thought it would be a hunting dog,” Sherlock tilted his head in confusion, “but it turned out to be a lion.”

“You are indeed a true Gryffindor.”

Watching the silver lion, whose outline was already discernible, vanish into a cloud of silver mist, Lupin remarked with some emotion:
"No wonder everyone calls you the Lion King, it is indeed the popular choice."

He smiled, then turned to Harry: "Harry's Patronus is a bit of a surprise."

(End of this chapter)