Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 390 Lupin Suspects Sherlock
Hearing Lupin say he was surprised by the form of the Patronus he had summoned, Harry couldn't help but ask curiously:

"why?"

“I thought your guardian spirit would be a deer like your father or mother, but it seems... it’s not.”

"Is my mother's guardian spirit also a deer?"

During the winter break, Harry learned about his father's Patronus from Sirius Black.

A male deer with a pointed head.

It perfectly lives up to its nickname, the pointed fork.

But he never expected that his mother's guardian spirit was also a deer.

"Yes, James and Lily, your parents, their guardian spirits are a stag and a doe, respectively."

Lupin remarked with considerable emotion.

The terms "stag" and "female deer" do not refer to any specific breed of deer.

Simply put, it's a general term for male and female deer, stags and female deer.

Judging from their appearance alone, male deer are slightly larger and have antlers, while female deer are slightly smaller and do not have antlers.

Therefore, it is easy to distinguish between the two.

Harry was stunned to learn that his parents' Patronus were a stag and a doe.

"Dad...Mom..."

Sherlock also wore a thoughtful expression.

"Alright, there's no point in continuing this kind of practice. Next, we'll practice on Dementors."

Lupin put away his memories of Harry's parents, and his gaze turned serious:
“Spelling magic in the air is completely different from spellning against a real Dementor, and I think you all understand that very well.”

When the surrounding environment is normal, recalling happy memories makes casting magic very easy.

But when you face a Dementor, it will suck away all the joy around you.

Furthermore, the cold and damp environment makes it difficult for you to recall happy memories, thus hindering the successful casting of the Guardian Charm.

After seeing Sherlock and Harry both nod, Lupin's gaze shifted back and forth between them before he finally spoke:
“Harry, go first—Boggart only turns into a Dementor when he sees you.”

After Harry, Sherlock took over.

Harry naturally had no objections.

Sherlock also thought the arrangement was reasonable—even if Harry fainted like before, he could still practice with the Boggart.

But since it's a Dementor transformed from a Boggart, Harry won't faint again, will he?
Lupin then turned to Harry, looked into his green eyes, and asked, "Harry, are you ready?"

"I'm ready."

Harry nodded, gripped his wand tightly, and walked to the center of the empty classroom.

He tried to focus solely on the memory of his first flight, but he couldn't concentrate.

Because as long as he faces the Dementors directly, he can hear his mother's voice.

Professor Lupin's revelation of his mother's Patronus image has intensified Harry's longing for his mother.

I can finally hear my mother's voice again...

But he quickly realized that he shouldn't have thought that way.

Even if you want to hear your mother's voice, it should be a gentle whisper to yourself, not her painful cries before her death.

Just then, Lupin grabbed the lid of the cargo box and yanked it open.

A Dementor slowly emerged from the box.

It was tall and held its cloak in one hand that gleamed with a cold light and was covered in scabies.

Seeing this from a distance, Sherlock's gaze sharpened and his brows furrowed.

Because this Dementor, transformed from a Boggart, looks exactly like a real Dementor.

The resemblance is one thing, since it's a characteristic of Boggart magic.

But as its hooded face slowly turned toward Harry, the classroom lights flickered and went out.

Immediately afterwards, a damp and chilly atmosphere began to spread throughout the classroom.

This is what surprised Sherlock.

How could a Dementor, transformed from a Boggart, have such a profound impact on its surroundings?
At this rate, Harry might actually faint.

By this time, the Dementor had completely emerged from the box.

As if sensing Harry's fear, it sped up and glided toward him, emitting a low, gurgling sound.

At the same time, Harry felt a chill that seeped into his bones.

He immediately sensed that something terrible was about to happen.

At this point, Harry had completely forgotten that the monster in front of him was not a Dementor, but a Boggart.

All he knew was that this was the closest he had ever come to a Dementor.

Whether on the train or on the playground, he had never been this close to the Dementors.

He reflexively waved his wand and shouted:

"Call upon God for protection! Call upon God for protection! Call upon God—"

However, before he could summon his guardian spirit, he discovered that the classroom and the Dementors were slowly disappearing, and he, as before, was once again falling into a thick white fog.

"Funny!"

As Harry slid to his knees with a thud, Lupin charged forward, shouting incantations and such.

Sherlock couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

With a snap, the Dementor in front of Harry vanished, replaced by a full moon.

Lupin first used his wand to drive the Boggart into the crate, then, while relighting the lamp with his wand, said anxiously to Sherlock:

"Sherlock, come quick, check on Harry!"

Just like last time on the train, Sherlock crouched down to examine it carefully, then quickly stood up:

"Just like last time, I was too frightened, but there's nothing seriously wrong. I brought brandy with me..."

"No, I brought chocolate!"

Lupin stated firmly, "Spiritual liquor is not suitable for the upcoming training. It would be better to give Harry some chocolate when he wakes up."

"Ok."

Since Lupin insisted, Shylock did not object.

However, he glanced at the other person and said quietly, "Professor, you seem a little anxious."

“Well, that’s true,” Lupin shook his head with a wry smile. “I wasn’t even as calm as you were, which is quite shameful.”

"Concern can lead to confusion; this is human nature and not surprising."

A look of inquiry appeared in Sherlock's eyes:
"What I find strange is that the Dementors that are transformed from Boggarts also possess some of the characteristics of Dementors."

Even I, as an observer, could feel the joy being stripped away; also, the classroom lights went out.

"Yes, at the moment the transformation was complete, we could actually consider the Boggart to be a Dementor."

However, it is not a true Dementor, so it immediately changes its appearance when I appear in front of it.

"I also want to thank you, Sherlock. It was thanks to your idea of ​​using Boggarts instead of Dementors for practice that things got really difficult."

"It's not difficult at all. Just have the Ministry of Magic send a Dementor to help."

"..."

Do you think you can just cooperate like that? Do you think the Ministry of Magic is your personal property?

Lupin narrowly avoided uttering those words, thus preserving his professorial image. Unexpectedly, Sherlock's next remark nearly caused him to lose his composure:
"So... can it also absorb a person's soul?"

Lupin stared at Sherlock in shock: "What did you say?"

“You just said that at the moment the transformation was complete, Boggart was a Dementor.”

Sherlock stared at the still-shaking box, his grey eyes revealing an even deeper curiosity:
"Judging from its performance when it first appeared, it was indeed no different from a real Dementor."

Does this mean it, like the Dementors, will suck away people's souls through the so-called Dementor's Kiss?

Lupin remained silent for a long time before shaking his head:
"You've really stumped me, Sherlock."

I've never thought about this question—in fact, very few people can turn a Boggart into a Dementor, and I've only seen it happen with Harry.

However, I think it's already at its limit to simulate the cold and despair brought by Dementors. The Dementor's kiss is the core ability of Dementors, and I don't think it can do that... probably not..."

"Then a question has been raised, Professor."

Sherlock said calmly:

To what extent is the Boggart transformation perfect?

It simulates the core qualities of Dementors: coldness, despair, and even the absence of joy.

So, does the Dementor truly replicate its core power and fundamental purpose—the ability to devour souls through a kiss?

Professor Lu Ping's facial muscles tensed up immediately.

His usually gentle eyes now turned wary, staring intently at Sherlock, and he asked incredulously:
"Sherlock, what do you mean by asking this? You don't mean you want to use Harry for experiments, do you?!"

The air seemed to freeze. The classroom lights, which had just been turned back on, seemed to become unstable because of Lupin's tension, casting swaying and ominous shadows on the cargo boxes.

Harry was still lying unconscious on the floor, not yet awakened from his coma.

"Absolutely not!"

Lupin's voice was firm and resolute: "Harry is not an experiment! How could you possibly think of using his soul to test your conjecture?"
Sherlock, I'd rather you were just joking! The idea itself is as dangerous as dark magic!

It's no wonder Lupin would think that way.

Because Sherlock's words are logically calm and clear, stripping away all emotional coloring and leaving only naked inquiry.

In the midst of this suffocating standoff, a crack finally appeared in the calm mask on Sherlock's face.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, and the corners of his mouth curled up in a slightly mischievous way.

"what……"

A short, soft laugh escaped his lips, breaking the stillness.

"Relax, Professor, you're about to snap."

Lupin was stunned and didn't react for a moment.

But he still stared at Sherlock warily, as if he hadn't understood what he was saying.

"Professor, I never knew you could have such a leap in thinking."

Life and soul are never experimental subjects to be casually manipulated in a crucible, and...

Sherlock shrugged, his gaze naturally sliding from Lupin's tense face to the unconscious Harry.

Lupin noticed that a genuine, gentle concern instantly crept into that relaxed demeanor.

He was all too familiar with that look; it was the same way he had looked at James and Sirius.

"I would never put my friends in danger."

Lupin was taken aback by Sherlock's sudden relaxed attitude and clear positioning, and his expression turned to confusion:

"Then why did you just seriously ask Boggart if he could..."

"Ha! That was just pure academic curiosity."

I pressed Boggart for the limits of its simulation capabilities, only to be shocked by how deeply it replicated Dementor characteristics.

This certainly warrants my in-depth understanding of its mechanisms, but...

The premise of all investigation is that no one should be placed in an uncontrollable risk.

Sherlock shook his head helplessly:

"Do you remember when I said that concern leads to confusion?"

You acted too hastily.

You rushed to stop Harry the moment you saw him fall, forgetting that Harry wasn't the only one learning magic from you today.

This time, Lupin finally understood what Sherlock meant.

The tension in my heart completely relaxed. Thinking back on my reckless actions, I felt embarrassed, and the doubts in my heart vanished.

"I'm sorry, Sherlock."

Lupin's voice was apologetic, and he scratched his head sheepishly, "I was too impulsive. You're right, I completely forgot about it."

However, even though the person standing in front of him was just a fourteen-year-old boy, he had genuinely believed that Sherlock would have such thoughts.

The oppressive aura emanating from Sherlock was so strong that even now, when he thinks back on it, he finds it hard to believe.

Sherlock watched Lupin's embarrassed yet relieved expression, his smile deepening, and that ease regaining its edge.
"Professor, have some confidence in yourself, okay? I'm just a fourteen-year-old boy."

Even if someone really wanted to do something, you could stop them instantly.

“Sherlock, I’m not Fudge. I’ve never treated you like an ordinary boy.”

Lupin said earnestly.

Sherlock smiled slightly, his gaze returning to the floor. "Harry is awake."

Upon hearing this, Lupin immediately bent down and softly called Harry's name.

A white mist enveloped Harry's consciousness. Large, blurry figures moved around him, and a man's voice was shouting anxiously:

"Lily, take Harry and get out of here! It's him! Run! Go! I'll hold him off—"

Someone stumbled out of the room, a door burst open, followed by a piercing, maniacal laugh:

"Get out of the way—get out of the way, you stupid woman—"

"Don't touch Harry! Don't touch Harry! Please—I'll do anything you want—"

"Harry—Harry!"

When he heard someone calling his name repeatedly, the white mist in Harry's eyes cleared, and he suddenly woke up.

He lay on his back on the floor and noticed that the classroom lights were on again.

Without needing to ask, he already understood what had just happened.

"for you!"

Lupin quickly handed him a piece of chocolate, "Eat this first, then we'll try again."

I never expected you to succeed on your first try—frankly, I would be amazed if you actually did.

Harry took the chocolate from Lupin, but didn't eat it right away.

Cold sweat streamed down his face, mixed with his tears.

"This time I heard my mother's voice was louder, and Voldemort's voice too, and..."

I heard my father's voice; it was the first time I had ever heard his voice.

He wanted to hold Voldemort back himself, giving my mother time to escape…

Harry murmured.

At this moment, he was already in tears.

(End of this chapter)