Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 395 A World for Two
The House of Requests.

Sherlock was rapidly scanning every detail of the room, his gray eyes gleaming with pure and focused curiosity.

He didn't answer Gemma's question immediately, but instead walked quickly to the wall and touched the texture of the velvet curtain.

He listened intently, and only after confirming that he could not hear any sound from the corridor did he nod slightly, a very faint smile curving his lips.

"The concealment is impeccable, the sound isolation is perfect, and even the Marauder's Map can't find this place..."

He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps conducting on-site verification: "The difficulty of investigating from the outside is even greater than that of the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin."

His tone carried a hint of excitement, clearly indicating his extreme satisfaction with the room's privacy.

Then, he turned his attention to the atmosphere of the entire space, his gaze falling on the two sofas and the flickering fireplace.

"but……"

His gaze shifted to Gemma beside him, a knowing smile playing on his lips:

"This extra comfort and thoughtful arrangement is clearly thanks to you."

Dear Gemma, you've designed it so well, far beyond a mere safe house.

A quiet space for organizing thoughts and practicing dragon taming theories won't come with a wine cabinet, flowers, or a small observatory.

This gift is far too thoughtful; it has exceeded my expectations.

Gemma walked to the sofa by the fireplace, sat down gracefully, and relaxed.

Even after her little scheme was exposed, she showed no embarrassment whatsoever; instead, she readily admitted it.
"It is my honor to do something that will surprise Sherlock Holmes."

I just think that a place where you'd be willing to stay a long time and do important thinking should at least make you feel comfortable.

Discussing things with you can sometimes take up a lot of time and energy.

A warm fireplace, a soft seat, and a moderate amount of drink can all help to clear the mind.

As she spoke, she picked up the teapot and began pouring steaming hot black tea into the teacups.

“I don’t think even Sherlock Holmes needs to be in the stone chamber of a monastery all the time.”

Her tone was slightly teasing, and after saying that, she gently pushed a cup of tea toward the sofa next to her.

Sherlock accepted the invitation and sat down on another sofa.

The sofa is just the right amount of softness, supporting your back while making you want to relax.

Watching Gemma pour the tea with natural ease and recalling the subtle care she had shown him in her letters, Sherlock clasped his hands together, resting his chin on them, lost in thought.

The scene before him naturally reminded him of his friendship with Harry.

Before arriving at Hogwarts and officially entering the wizarding world, he had already predicted that Harry Potter would inevitably be at the center of the storm—and the experiences of the past three years have proven this point.

This was exactly what he wanted, as he was passionate about adventure and eager to explore and solve puzzles.

That's why he took the initiative to approach Harry.

He had originally planned to create an opportunity, but Harry himself presented the opportunity to him.

Harry's painful experiences at the Dursleys' house made him desperately need to confide in someone and find a mentor who could help and guide him.

Sherlock appeared at just the right moment.

For Sherlock, approaching Harry, the boy who had miraculously survived, was a purely utilitarian endeavor.

As long as you stand with this savior of the magical world and the nemesis of the Dark Lord, you will naturally be at the center of the vortex.

Various troubles and unexpected events will follow.

At that time, Sherlock will deal with them one by one.

Of course, this utilitarianism is beneficial to Harry himself.

However, as time went on, Sherlock's ideas changed.

This surprised even himself.

Because he once thought he would never have any friends.

But without realizing it, he gradually abandoned the idea of ​​treating Harry as a tool and became his true friend.

Especially on the night I practiced the Guardian Charm.

Harry told Sherlock that his happiest moment was when the two first met on the train.

Sherlock will never forget the shock he felt at that moment.

That pure and sincere emotion washed away the last trace of utilitarianism that remained at the starting point of his actions.

It made him realize more clearly that the friendship had long surpassed his original intention.

That's why he said those things to Harry.

In retrospect, Gemma was to him what he was to Harry.

Gemma initially approached him because she accurately judged that his mind could bring value, and that's why she approached him with a clear purpose.

As a Slytherin prefect, establishing a connection with a discerning ally is definitely a wise choice.

Sherlock told his friends more than once that this was the real Slytherin.

If you don't have the ability, they will naturally look down on you, but they will not bully the weak, they will just ignore you completely.

If you have the ability, they will respect you and try to make friends with you at all costs.

Characters like Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle are simply a disgrace to Slytherin.

She showed kindness upon first meeting me, and then, as a prefect and senior student, she provided various conveniences and information, maintained communication with me, and offered help more than once when I needed it...

And then there's this gift in front of him, a gift that combines the needs of both of them and was tailor-made for him.

All of this is accompanied by Slytherin-style value considerations.

A freshman with a memory loft and amazing observational skills is definitely worth investing in.

However, just as his relationship with Harry had long since evolved, the relationship between Gemma and himself had also transcended the simple community of interests.

This room in front of us is one example of that.

The space, which Gemma envisioned and created, not only met his core needs but also incorporated elements that made him feel comfortable and happy.

This is not something a pure ally would go to great lengths to do.

Only a friend who truly understands and cares about one's comfort would go to such lengths.

At this moment, Sherlock projected Gemma's attitude toward him onto the trajectory of his evolving friendship with Harry.

The starting point was purposeful, but the destination was pure and precious friendship.

“You’re right, Gemma.”

Sherlock snapped out of his reverie and looked into Gemma's deep blue eyes:
“This room perfectly meets our shared needs. Thank you, I love this gift.”

Gemma lowered her eyes slightly, watching the steam rising from the teacup in her hand, and a gentle smile curved her lips.

"Then, let's enjoy this first cup of tea,"

She looked up, her eyes clear, "This is our own private world."

The two clinked their teacups together, accompanied by the whispers of the flames.

In this space created by their mutual affection, Sherlock was certain that he had gained and reciprocated a precious friendship that had been elevated through the sublimation of values.

Gemma picked up her teacup and smiled faintly. Their blue and gray eyes met, and looking into the pure and trusting gaze of the boy opposite her, Gemma sighed quietly from the depths of her heart.

She knew very well that the deeper emotion, which even she herself had not confirmed, was firmly isolated by the cognitive barrier that the boy in front of her had built with the logic of friendship.

In other words, once you've truly confirmed your feelings, you must be more proactive and direct.

After all... I don't have much time left.

With the attention of various parties, the first Quidditch match of the new semester finally began.

Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin.

Just like in the previous Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff match, all the Gryffindor Quidditch players were present to watch the game.

“I want to punch Flint every time I see him like that!” Fred Weasley said viciously.

“If it weren’t for him changing the order of the games last time, we wouldn’t have lost to Hufflepuff, and we wouldn’t be in such a passive position now!” George Weasley said.

The Gryffindor players all nodded, their expressions showing deep agreement.

Sherlock shook his head at this moment, "No."

“Sherlock, what’s wrong?” Fred asked curiously.

"You're wrong."

"What's wrong?" George asked, puzzled.

Sherlock held up two fingers:

"First of all, Marcus Flint did not make excuses for changing the order of the games."

Draco Malfoy did indeed fall from his flying broomstick and break his leg.

"But he was clearly capable of making it to the competition!"

"He just happened to be discharged from the hospital on the day of the official game!" said Angelina Johnson, looking annoyed.

Hermione sighed: "Johnson, if Harry had broken his leg, Wood wouldn't have let him participate in the game right after being discharged from the hospital."

"Not always."

Another Chaser, Aria Spinnett, glanced at Wood, who was intently watching the game, and whispered when he wasn't looking, "He'll do anything to win."

Angelina Johnson chimed in, “That’s right. If it weren’t for Ms. Pomfrey stopping him, he could have pulled him up even from his hospital bed.”

Hermione: "..."

She had nothing to say and could only look at Sherlock.

Sherlock shook his head:
"Flint is not Wood, and Malfoy is not Harry."

An injured player is a perfectly legitimate reason and cannot be considered an excuse to change the game order.

The Gryffindor players fell silent. They weren't unreasonable people, and they knew Sherlock was right.

Harry nodded in agreement. "Sherlock is right."

"Secondly, even if the order of the matches is not changed and we play against Slytherin normally, Harry will still fall off his flying broom because of the Dementors who suddenly appear on the playground."

In that case, we would still lose the game, just like we are now.

It's even worse than that, because it would give the strongest Slytherin team a victory early.

"..."

This time, everyone was speechless.

Are you kidding me? Why are you taking this so seriously?
Only Hermione and Luna looked at Sherlock intently, and nodded repeatedly after he finished speaking.

Harry coughed as well, "Sherlock is right, it was all my fault in the last match..."

The Gryffindor players were even more speechless.

"Alright, Harry, let's not talk about this."

The third chaser, Katie Bell, seeing that things were getting out of hand, interrupted the conversation:

"How about we discuss who would be in our best interest to win this match?"

"They seem about the same? Regardless of who wins or loses, we still have to win the remaining two games, right?"

"Aria Spinner said uncertainly."

All eyes were on Sherlock and Hermione.

Obviously, for the Maniac Academy, for things that require thinking, they can just ask the Lion King and Miss Know-It-All.

There is a Ravenclaw student nearby, but Luna has long been nicknamed "Crazy Lovegood," so there's no point in counting on her.

Judging from her shifty eyes, she certainly doesn't seem like someone we can count on.

"Indeed, there's not much difference."

Hermione glanced at Sherlock, and seeing that he didn't seem inclined to analyze, she simply began to analyze directly:

"There have been two matches so far. Of the three teams that participated, Ravenclaw has one win, we have one loss, and Hufflepuff has one win and one loss."

If Slytherin defeats Ravenclaw today, Ravenclaw will have one win and one loss, while Slytherin will have one win.

If Slytherin loses to Ravenclaw, then Ravenclaw will have two wins and Slytherin will have one loss.

In either case, we need to defeat Slytherin and Ravenclaw in the next two matches to achieve a record of two wins and one loss in order to have any chance of competing for the championship.

If we lose even one game, our record will be one win and two losses, and we'll be out of contention for the championship.

Of course, even if we win the remaining two games, it doesn't guarantee the championship.

Because there's a Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff match next semester, and if Hufflepuff wins, they'll have a 2-1 record, and then their points will need to be compared.

"Hufflepuff is no match for Slytherin."

Wood, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, "That's a foregone conclusion."

"If that's the case, Slytherin has essentially secured a victory in advance."

Hermione said, frowning.

"Don't bother calculating, Miss Granger!"

Wood waved his hand dismissively, "The match is about to begin, and we can't control the outcome, so let's analyze these things after the match is over!"

Sherlock nodded. "Now that the outcome of this match is decided, we can put aside more uncertainties."

The key point is what Wood pointed out: the outcome of this match is not something we can control.

Hermione understood this as well, so she nodded and stopped analyzing.

On the playground, referee Ms. Huo Qi signaled for the two captains to shake hands.

Flint looked relaxed, while Davis remained expressionless, but their handshake betrayed their inner turmoil.

As Ms. Huo Qi blew her whistle, fifteen flying brooms took to the sky at the same time.

"The match has begun! Ravenclaw gets the ball first!"

Immediately afterwards, commentator Lee Jordan, whose speaking speed created a natural rhythm, also began to work with great passion.

The two Seekers, Cho Chang and Draco Malfoy, hovered at the same height, facing each other across the entire field.

(End of this chapter)