Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 401 It's not only women who can use their beauty to seduce others.
As a flight instructor and Quidditch referee, it's understandable that Ms. Hodge had a keen interest in flying broomsticks like the Firebolt.

She liked fire bolts just like everyone else in the school, or rather, she was more interested in them than anyone else.

Being unable to put it down is the best way to describe it.

Before training began, she held the fire crossbow bolt in her hand and gave her team members some professional advice:

"Look at its balance—it's absolutely perfect!"

I must admit that after decades of continuous updates, the Nimbus series of flying brooms can be considered quite perfect.

If we had to point out any flaws in the Nimbus series, it would be that the rear end is slightly tilted.

After using them for a few years, you'll find they're a bit cumbersome.

But the fire crossbow bolts were different!

She excitedly pointed to the tail of the flying broom, "This time, they also improved the broom handle."

Look, it's more stable than the Light Wheel series and slimmer than the Sweep series.

This reminds me of the Silver Arrows of the past—it's a shame they're no longer in production.

I learned to fly by riding a silver arrow, which was a very exquisite old broom.

I've always believed that if it had continued to persevere back then, it would have become a brand no less successful than the Nimbus series…

She talked about this topic for quite a while, until Wood finally couldn't stand it anymore and had to interrupt her:
"Um—Ms. Hodge, should we have Harry take the Firebolt back?"

It doesn't mean anything else, it's just that we need to train..."

Seeing Wood's slightly flushed face, Mrs. Hooch realized she had been talking for a while, so she nodded and handed the Firebolt to Harry.

“Oh, okay, here you go, Potter. I’m sitting over there with Holmes.”

During the final training session, Sherlock volunteered to come and watch Harry train.

You can also take this opportunity to adjust your mood and organize the evidence you've collected over this period of time.

Given his special status, Wood naturally had no objections.

At this point, he and Ms. Hodge left the stadium and sat in the stands.

"Holmes, why don't you join the Quidditch team?"

Ms. Hodge asked with some curiosity, "I heard from Oliver that your flying talent is no less than Porter's."

Sherlock smiled and shook his head. "My time is precious, Ms. Hodge. I can't spend five days a week training."

After the start of this semester, Sherlock resumed his exploration of the Forbidden Forest.

It's no exaggeration to say that, apart from Hagrid, the gamekeeper, Hogwarts key keeper, and professor of the Magical Creatures course, no one knows the Forbidden Forest better than Sherlock.

Even the Weasley twins wouldn't do it.

The next step is to search for raw materials in this treasure trove.

"Uh... okay, everyone has their own ambitions, we can't force them. Let's watch them train together."

The Gryffindor players gathered around Wood to hear his final instructions before tomorrow's game.

“Harry, I think you should know your opponent very well, Ravenclaw’s Seeker, Cho Chang.”

All the team members except Wood looked towards Harry.

The Weasley twins started to heckle loudly.

All Quidditch players knew that Harry and Cho Chang were very close.

There's even a consensus that they wouldn't be surprised if Harry started dating Cho Chang someday.

Harry blushed slightly upon hearing this and whispered, "Yes, I know, Oliver."

"She played very well, very well, much better than that little bastard Malfoy who only got into Quidditch because of his rich dad."

She was stronger than Diggory of Hufflepuff—though she rode a Comet 260, which was a joke compared to a Firebolt.

He glanced at Harry's broom with fervent adoration and said, "The problem now is, Harry, you can't be lenient with him in the game because of your relationship with him."

The Weasley twins whistled again.

Harry quickly shook his head. "No, Oliver, I told Cho Chang a long time ago that we would both give it our all in this game."

“No, Harry, I think you could make a small ‘sacrifice’ and have Zhang go easy on us in the game,” Fred Weasley said.

“Exactly, anyway, she’s so beautiful, you’re not really losing out,” George Weasley said.

"Give her a kiss and make her swoon!"

"Make her only have eyes for you, and make her crazy about you!"

"What the hell are you talking about!"

Angelina Johnson was very unhappy with the claim that the Weasley twins were involved, and she glared at them fiercely.
"How could you encourage Harry to do such a thing!"

"Just kidding, why are you so excited?"

"Didn't Harry just say that he's already discussed it with Zhang?"

"You two just want to stir up trouble!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Let's start training!"

Wood interrupted the three of them.

Harry mounted the Firebolt and pushed off the ground with both feet.

This wasn't the first time he had used fire crossbows for training.

But every training session still feels just as wonderful.

Nimbus 2000 was already considered a very good flying broom. Back then, it would react immediately if he touched it lightly.

However, the fire crossbow bolt is even better.

It seems to obey his thoughts rather than his control.

It swept across the field like lightning, its speed turning the stands into a hazy green and gray expanse.

Harry flew to a wonderful spot, and suddenly, as if struck by a divine inspiration, he made a sharp turn.

The three female chasers, Angelina Johnson, Aria Spinnett, and Katie Bell, were so startled that they screamed.

That wasn't all; Harry then executed a perfectly controlled dive.

He slammed headfirst to the ground, and as his toes grazed the grassy ground, he abruptly raised his flying broom and soared into the air.

Harry couldn't contain his excitement. He let out a clear whistle, and the altitude gradually increased: thirty feet, forty feet, fifty feet—

Sherlock, watching from the stands, nodded in approval as he saw Harry soaring freely on a Firebolt for the first time.

It is indeed worth the price.

One can imagine that when it finally appears on the field, it will definitely cause a sensation.

Given commentator Lee Jordan's personality, he'd most likely be too busy advertising Firebolt to even care about the game.

"Harry, I've released the Snitch!"

Just then, Oliver Wood shouted.

Harry had just landed from the sky when he heard this, he turned around and chased after a ball that had wandered off towards the goalpost.

He easily overtook the ball and saw the Golden Snitch dart out from behind Wood.

In less than ten seconds, he had already firmly grasped the Golden Snitch in his hand.

The team members cheered wildly.

Harry wasn't satisfied yet, so he released the Snitch again.

This time, he decided to let it run for a minute first.

A minute later, Harry started up and sped off to catch up.

He dodged and weaved among the team members.

When he saw the Golden Snitch hiding around Katie Bell's knees, he ducked down, easily bent over, and caught the snitch in his hand again.

This caused Katie to scream, "Harry, you almost knocked me down!"

“Don’t worry, Katie, it won’t happen.” Harry held the Golden Snitch in his hand and said confidently, “I’ve left enough of a safe distance.”

"You call this a safe distance?!"

Katie gestured to indicate the distance between herself and Harry, "You're just inches away from kissing me!"

Harry blushed slightly upon hearing this.

“Harry, you can’t do that,” Katie couldn’t help but laugh. “You blush so easily when it’s just a joke. If you actually kiss Cho Chang, you won’t even be able to breathe!”

"Alright, Katie, stop bullying Harry and get back to training!" Angelina flew over and urged the two of them to return to the ground.

This was Harry's best training session since joining the Quidditch team.

The legendary fire crossbow is about to make its official debut, which greatly inspires all team members.

Everyone performed at their best, delivering near-perfect results.

When everyone landed back on the ground, Wood had no words of criticism to offer.

In the words of George Weasley, this was unprecedented.

“I don’t see anything that can stop us tomorrow!” Wood said. “Unless—Harry, you’ve already solved Cho Chang’s problem, haven’t you?”

“Yes,” Harry said, nodding emphatically as he recalled his promise to Cho Chang.

"Trust Harry, Oliver, he knows what's important and what's urgent," Fred said confidently.

“Well, I hope so,” Wood said. “Anyway—everyone’s practiced well, and Fred and George’s suggestions aren’t entirely out of the question…”

Harry stared at Wood in shock.

"Oliver!"

Angelina Johnson cried out in dissatisfaction.

Arya Spinnett and Katie Bell couldn't help but chuckle.

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding. Let's go back to the tower—get some sleep..."

The other team members headed towards the locker room, while Harry strode towards the stands.

Sherlock glanced at Mrs. Hodge beside him; she was already asleep in her seat.

"Sherlock, would you like to try the fire bolt?"

As his best friend, Harry naturally wanted to share his joy with Sherlock.

Sherlock smiled and shook his head. "No need. Just watching you ride it and soar through the sky is already a pleasure."

"Sherlock!"

Hearing Sherlock's words, Harry felt inexplicably moved.

"By the way, about Professor Slug... I'm sorry, Sherlock..."

"It's Professor Horace Slughorn."

Sherlock never forgets names related to a case.

"Oh, right, how's Professor Slughorn's situation?"

"Things went fairly smoothly. I visited Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Snape these past two days..."

"What? You even found Professor Snape?"

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, Harry couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

His voice startled Ms. Foster awake.

She scolded Sherlock and Harry for not waking her and insisted that they return to the castle immediately.

Harry shrugged, slung the Firebolt over his shoulder, and walked out of the stadium with Sherlock, which was gradually darkening as night fell, continuing to discuss Professor Slughorn's matter.

Would Professor Snape be willing to tell you about himself?

"Why not?" Sherlock countered.

“Oh…you know…um…I mean, Professor Snape has never liked Gryffindor students, has he?”

"He just doesn't like you and your father. Gryffindor is a victim of the two of you."

Harry: (ー`ー)
"He was very willing to cooperate with me, and I got enough information from him to gain a better understanding of Professor Slughorn, but unfortunately."

"What's a pity?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Didn't you just say he was very willing to cooperate with you?"

"He was only willing to cooperate on the part about Professor Slughorn, but he didn't say a word about himself, and in the end he even kicked me out."

Harry: "..."

Harry suddenly felt that Sherlock's definition of "willing to cooperate" was also debatable.

It's highly likely that Sherlock spoke a few words to Professor Snape and then used his unique analytical and reasoning abilities to obtain the information he wanted.

Before Professor Snape drove Sherlock away, he was considered "willing to cooperate."

When are you planning to meet Professor Slughorn?

“Before this semester ends,” Sherlock smiled slightly, “I will need your help then, my dear Harry.”

"I?"

Harry pointed to himself in surprise. How did this have to do with him?

Sherlock smiled as he looked at Harry, feeling increasingly satisfied.

The savior of the magical world, how useful!

The next morning, after Sherlock brought Neville back to the dormitory, everyone got up very early.

The entire dormitory crowd around Harry as they went downstairs for breakfast.

They agreed that the fire crossbow needed a ceremonial guard.

When Harry carried the Firebolt into the Great Hall, it marked the first time the Firebolt was seen by everyone in such a public setting.

The students all turned their heads toward the fire arrows, and the auditorium was filled with excited chatter.

The Slytherin members, though they already knew about it, were still completely dumbfounded.

“Did you see his face?” Ron pointed at Draco Malfoy with a displeased expression. “How could he be so calm?”

Harry was a little embarrassed: "Ahem, because he had already seen the Firebolt on the train."

Sherlock chuckled. "Ron, it seems you're planning to teach your nephew a lesson?"

“I don’t have a nephew like that!” Ron said irritably.

Wood was also proud of the brilliance of the Firebolt.

"Put it here, Harry."

As he spoke, he placed the broom in the center of the table and carefully turned it around, deliberately making sure the label faced upwards.

Hermione wasn't in a good mood to begin with, and seeing this, she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

She leaned closer to Sherlock and whispered:
"I couldn't find a single piece of information about the uses of Horcruxes! Not a single one!"

Hermione was clearly shocked that the Hogwarts library had disappointed her for the first time.

"I searched the entire forbidden section with the Flitwick book you gave me, even the most terrifying books, the ones that teach you how to brew the most horrible potions—but I couldn't find it!"

I only found this in the preface of "The Most Poisonous Magic," listen to it:

'Regarding Horcruxes, this most evil magical invention, neither discussion nor instruction will be given here.'

Why bring it up at all?

Hermione slammed the old book shut in annoyance, and the book emitted a ghostly wail.

"Shut up!"

She said irritably as she stuffed it into her schoolbag.

Harry, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

(End of this chapter)