Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 4 Welcome to Diagon Alley

The ability to see the essence through phenomena and discover the truth from the details is certainly a talent.

But at the same time, it also needs to be developed through constant practice.

At the beginning, Sherlock only started with relatively simple questions.

For example, when you meet a stranger, you can identify this person's history and occupation through observation.

Such exercises may seem childish and boring, but they can sharpen a person's observation skills.

As time went by and he practiced, Sherlock became more and more proficient in this area.

Now he already knows where to observe and what to observe.

He summed up a set of his own deductive methods.

Although it is not perfect yet, observation and analysis have already become instincts for him.

If he is in a train carriage, he can even tell the occupations of the people on the train one by one just by observing them.

——It’s a pity that no one bet with him, otherwise he would have made a fortune.

While Sherlock was asking the bar owner Tom, the latter took Sherlock and his parents across the bar to a small patio surrounded by walls on all sides.

Sherlock quickly glanced around and found that there was nothing here except a trash can and some weeds.

So... the problem is with the trash can?

Sherlock took two steps forward and came closer.

At the same time, Tom also took action.

He slowly drew out his wand and was about to do something when he suddenly turned around, smiled at Sherlock, and reminded him:

"Now that you have a wand, you'll need to come in by yourselves—remember the location of this brick, it's in the trash can..."

"Third block from the top, second block from the side."

Sherlock spoke calmly.

Tom turned around and looked at Sherlock, and asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

Because it is the only one that is different from the other tiles on the wall, both in color and the degree of wear around it.

For those who are good at observation, it is not difficult to discover this.

“What an amazing ability to observe!”

After hearing Sherlock's explanation, Tom couldn't help but utter a heartfelt exclamation of admiration, and then tapped the brick three times with his wand.

The Sherlock family stared at the tiles.

Then, something surprising happened.

The brick that was struck began to shake.

First, a small hole appeared in the middle.

Then the wall bricks on both sides moved rapidly, and the hole became bigger and bigger.

Finally, a wide archway appeared before them.

The archway leads to a winding cobblestone street that seems to have no end in sight.

In contrast to the originally dim and narrow Leaky Cauldron, the avenue now seemed particularly bright.

It can be said that the scene suddenly became clear.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley."

At this time, Tom's voice also sounded at the right time.

This is their destination, Diagon Alley, also known as Diagon Alley.

Sherlock turned around and saw that the archway was narrowing, the wall was returning to its original appearance, and Tom was waving goodbye to them.

"That short guy... he has no money on him, so he should be preparing to run away now."

Sherlock thought about it and decided to give a reminder.

Hearing his words, Tom's face suddenly changed, as if he remembered something, and he turned around and ran back without even saying thank you. Then he heard a faint voice coming from inside the bar, such as "Stop", "Stop right there", and "Catch him".

Sherlock shrugged, looked away, and walked out onto the street with his parents.

Diagon Alley was a stark contrast to the Leaky Cauldron.

Bright and wide streets, busy and crowded shops, bustling crowds of people.

Even the well-informed Mr. Holmes could not help but say, "It is hard to imagine that there is such a place in London."

Mrs. Holmes nodded in agreement with her husband.

Sherlock fell into thought.

Ever since he confirmed that magic existed and was not fake news, the magical world became more and more attractive to him.

Now it seems that the existence of the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley is somewhat similar to the world outside the mirror and the world inside the mirror in science fiction works.

However, the magical world should not exist independently of the secular world. Even if the city government does not know, the Prime Minister and the royal family should know.

The existence of such a location will definitely mean that the city government will collect much less taxes.

Sherlock said secretly in his heart.

Following McGonagall's reminder, the three of them first headed to Gringotts Wizarding Bank on the north side of Diagon Alley.

They need to exchange some magical currency.

Yes, although it may be a bit surprising, the wizarding world does have its own currency system.

The gold coin was the Galleon, seventeen Silver Sickles made up one Galleon, and twenty-nine Bronze Knuts made up one Sickle.

This exchange rate inevitably made Sherlock despise the wizards' mathematical abilities.

Even if it cannot be arranged into a decimal system, at least the exchange rates between the three currencies should be kept consistent, right?
虽然以前的英国也曾有过1英镑换20先令，一先令换12便士这样的旧制，但是自从1971年货币改革废除先令以后，如今早已经变成了1英镑兑换100新便士。

The secular world is constantly progressing, so why can't the magical world keep up?
No matter how regretful it is, the money still needs to be exchanged.

Compared to other buildings in Diagon Alley, Gringotts Wizarding Bank is very unique.

The towering snow-white building makes it stand out among the surrounding low buildings, and its bronze gate shines in the sun.

However, the most attractive person was a guy standing at the door wearing a scarlet uniform with gold trim.

Short stature, long arms and legs, black face, long pointed beard, that's exactly...

"Fairy."

Sherlock's eyes lit up when he saw this scene. Another creature that existed in legend.

"Are you here to exchange money? Don't wander around, follow me."

Perhaps because the goblin saw that the Holmes couple were not wizards, he immediately guessed the purpose of the three people's visit. After bowing to them, he said.

Sherlock noticed that the other party's attitude was distant and his tone was quite cold.

Tsk, the service industry still has this attitude. The magical world really needs to train them well.

Holmes' parents had no time to think about this, and Mrs. Holmes seemed a little worried:

"Tanan, do we have enough money? Sherlock seems to want to buy a lot of things, and I don't want him to suffer so far away..."

"Dear Varita, don't worry, trust me, it's okay."

Mr. Holmes whispered soothingly.

The Holmes family has a strong foundation.

Sherlock's grandfather was a country gentleman for generations, which would have made him a true aristocrat in the Victorian era.

Even in today's London, it is still at the top of the middle class.

So as long as the currency value in the wizarding world is not too outrageous, Mr. Holmes is still confident in his own purchasing power.

When following the goblin into the second silver gate, the words engraved on the two doors caught Sherlock's attention.

(End of this chapter)