Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 433 My Legendary Father
When Sherlock heard Dumbledore say that some Death Eaters were so loyal to Voldemort that they remained obstinate until the very last moment before being imprisoned in Azkaban, he couldn't help but laugh.

“Interesting. It seems that the noseless guy has some personal charisma and doesn’t just rely on violence and oppression to maintain his rule.”

Although he was praising Voldemort, his tone was still full of sarcasm.

“Sherlock, Riddle wasn’t as arrogant as you think he was at first.”

He possesses a handsome appearance, captivating skills, and formidable strength, which has garnered him a large following of loyal followers.

As for how he ended up looking like that... I think it's related to his study of dark magic and the splitting of his soul while creating Horcruxes.

"Got it, I've made myself into an idiot."

“…You could say that.”

"That being said, since Professor Trelawney is referring to Voldemort's 'most loyal servant,' I don't think Peter Pettigrew fits that description."

"what do you mean……"

"I think Sirius is right. Peter Pettigrew is essentially an opportunist."

I followed Harry's father and Sirius at school because I thought they were leaders among the students.

After graduation, seeing Voldemort's growing power, I almost immediately sided with him.

Once Voldemort disappeared, he transformed into a mouse and went into hiding.

"If it were Bellatrix, whom you just mentioned, they probably would have already made their move on Harry in the last few years."

"So you mean the servant mentioned in the prophecy is someone else?"

"That's quite possible, so I suggest the Ministry of Magic investigate Azkaban to see if anyone has escaped recently."

“I will raise this with the Ministry of Magic, so… what about allies?”

"The possibility is even greater."

Sherlock frowned when this was mentioned:
"If Professor Trelawney's prediction is true, this ally should be the main force that enabled Voldemort's comeback."

So now we can only ask the knowledgeable principal to compile a list to see who meets the criteria.

However, in my opinion, if he is an ally, then he is definitely not a Death Eater.

Even so, it's not an easy task.

After Sherlock finished speaking, all three people in the office fell silent.

Harry's mind was in turmoil.

He heard a commotion somewhere outside the office walls, probably people celebrating the end of all the exams.

It's unbelievable that there are still people in the world laughing, unaware and unconcerned that Voldemort is about to make a comeback.

But he immediately realized that his idea was completely unreasonable.

Since no one knows about this, they naturally won't care.

Besides, even if this were told, probably very few people would believe it.

And Snape.

Despite Dumbledore's statement that he always loved his mother and that protecting her was his duty.

but……

If it weren't for his betrayal, his parents wouldn't have died, and he would still be a child with both parents alive.

“I think there’s one more thing I need to explain to you, Harry.”

As if sensing Harry's thoughts, Dumbledore hesitated before saying:

“I know you have opinions about Severus.”

Actually, when he came to me and confessed everything, I already felt deep contempt for his behavior.

I think he was selfish at the time and didn't consider the safety of others at all, as long as your mother could survive.

He agreed with my opinion and asked me to hide your whole family.

It was at that moment that he switched sides.

Do you remember what I said when Peter Pettigrew was on trial?

Seeing Harry nod, Dumbledore continued:

"Before he came to me, he was indeed a Death Eater through and through."

But for your mother's sake, he chose to repent and completely become one of us.

Thanks to his reminder, your parents would have been safe if it weren't for Peter Pettigrew.

Of course, I have no right to ask you to forgive him.

But I hope that after you know the facts, you can think about it carefully again.

Harry looked up and saw a tear roll down Dumbledore's cheek and fall into his long silver beard.

The next day, the entire castle was empty.

With the hot weather and exams over, everyone from the third year onwards went on vacation to Hogsmeade.

Harry had originally planned to go there as well.

But last night, after learning the whole story in the principal's office, he changed his mind.

Since Harry entered Hogwarts, he has been to the headmaster's office many times.

But last night's stay was undoubtedly the longest.

Harry was very grateful to Sherlock.

It was because of his insistence that Headmaster Dumbledore told him the whole story.

Professor Trelawney's prediction, made more than a decade ago, marked the beginning of everything.

Severus Snape's troubled past changed the course of events.

Dumbledore's protection kept him in the dark the whole time.

Harry didn't know how long Dumbledore would have waited to tell him these things if it weren't for Sherlock.

Fourth grade? Fifth grade? Or even until graduation?
But certainly not now.

So he needed to sort out his chaotic thoughts before his next meeting with Sirius.

Sherlock had never been very interested in Hogsmeade and had decided early on not to go there.

Since Harry wasn't going, I went with him to walk around the empty grounds.

The two sat by the lake, watching the giant squid lazily sway its tentacles on the water's surface.

Harry looked at Sherlock and saw that he was once again lost in thought. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke:
"Sherlock, I..."

Before they finished speaking, a shadow fell on them.

Harry looked up and blurted out:

Hermione, didn't you go to Hogsmeade?

This trip to Hogsmeade is her last chance in her third year, and Hermione keeps saying she wants to buy her parents some local specialties.

So Harry was extremely surprised to see the girl who was supposed to be in Hogsmeade Village standing in front of them.

"I asked Ron to help me sell these products!"

Hermione said, naturally sitting down next to Sherlock, "I think going there now is less useful than comparing exam answers with Sherlock."

Check the answers?
Harry was startled by what he heard.

Hermione, I…

Before he could finish speaking, another shadow fell on him.

Harry looked up and blurted out:

"Ron, aren't you going to Hogsmeade either?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized with a start that he had made a second attempt.

What does "also" mean?

Ron plopped down next to Harry. "If none of you are going, what's the point of me going alone?"

"Ronald, where's what I asked you to bring?"

“Leave it to Neville and Dean—don’t worry, Hermione, they can handle this little thing.”

Hermione snorted, then pulled Sherlock aside to compare answers.

Ron then pulled Harry aside and asked him about what happened in the headmaster's office the previous night.

Actually, Harry had already mentioned it once during breakfast this morning, but Ron asked for more details this time, so he could only avoid the parts he couldn't say and recount the whole story again.

"I don't believe it! You really won't tell us what Dumbledore actually said."

Ron said angrily, "I thought we were friends!"

"Uh……"

Kind-hearted Harry wasn't very good at handling this situation, and instinctively looked towards Sherlock.

Sherlock wouldn't tolerate Ron.

After receiving Harry's pleading look, he said directly and bluntly:
“Ron, whether or not I tell you this has no necessary connection to whether or not we are friends.”

"What did you say?" Ron's eyes widened, looking completely incredulous.

"There's no need to look so surprised."

Sherlock said calmly:

"In this world, even the closest relationships cannot be completely open and without secrets."

This applies to spouses, parents, children, siblings, and so on.

Friends are the same.

"But……"

Ron tried to argue, but Sherlock ruthlessly interrupted him:

"If you think someone isn't a friend just because they won't tell you something, then you might as well not be friends with them."

Ron immediately deflated upon hearing this: "That's not what I meant..."

As the owner of the Time-Turner, Hermione understood Sherlock and Harry's actions quite well.

So she said to Ron in a very serious tone:
Sherlock and Harry assured Headmaster Dumbledore that they would not tell anyone, Ron, and not to cause them any trouble.

"Speaking of which, if you hadn't reminded Mr. Dumbledore last night, he might not even have remembered!"

"I see."

Upon hearing Hermione mention this, Ron immediately lowered his head.

Why do I feel like I'm a clown?
Hermione turned to Harry and noticed he was staring blankly at the giant squid. Thinking he was worried about Professor Trelawney's prophecy, she quickly said:

"Oh, cheer up, Harry!"

"I'm fine!"

Harry was indeed somewhat frustrated, but not because of the prophecy, but because of Snape.

So when he heard that, he quickly said, "I was just thinking about the holiday."

"Haha, I'm thinking about vacation too!"

Upon hearing this, Ron immediately came to his senses and said with a smile:

"Harry, you absolutely have to come and stay at my house."

I'll talk to my parents and let you know when the time comes.

Also, I've finally learned to type in slang—"

"It's a phone call, not a telegram."

Hermione corrected her, "Seriously, Ron, you should learn Muggle studies next year."

Upon hearing this, Ron ignored her and continued speaking to Harry:
"The Quidditch World Cup is happening this summer!"
Hey Harry, why don't you come stay with us? Let's go see it together!
Dad usually provides invoices.

This suggestion immediately cheered Harry up, who had been somewhat depressed because of Snape, and he immediately began to discuss it with Ron.

Hermione, on the other hand, continued to pull Sherlock aside to go over the answers.

Time slips away unnoticed.

For young wizards at Hogwarts, the period from the end of their annual exams until the start of the holidays is the most relaxing.

This year is no exception.

The rumor that Professor Lupin is actually a woman persists—because he recently took another leave of absence, and Professor Snape is once again taking his place in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Harry always had mixed feelings whenever he saw Snape.

The words Dumbledore uttered while weeping kept echoing in his mind:
"I am not in a position to ask you to forgive him, but I hope that after you know the truth, you can think about it more."

Harry took Dumbledore's words to heart.

In fact, he had been thinking about this question repeatedly ever since that day.

It was precisely because of Snape's betrayal that his parents were killed by Voldemort, and he became an orphan.

However, after discovering this, he did his best to remedy the situation, taking a huge risk by switching sides and becoming a spy.

Upon closer reflection, I realized that my parents' deaths were caused by a combination of factors.

Voldemort was undoubtedly the culprit.

After hearing the prophecy, he made up his mind to kill himself.

Next is Peter Pettigrew.

Knowing full well that Voldemort was going to kill them, they still leaked the address, making them nothing less than accomplices.

From Harry's perspective, Peter Pettigrew is even more despicable than Voldemort.

Because Voldemort's stance was opposed to theirs from the very beginning; he was their enemy.

But Peter Pettigrew is a comrade-in-arms, and his parents, Sirius Black, and Lupin's most trusted friend.

As Professor McGonagall had said before, "We suspected many people at the time, Fenwick, Dearburn, Meadows, Vance, but we never suspected him!"
"Lily and James, Pettigrew, how could you do this? How could you do this—!"

Betrayal by close friends and family is more heartbreaking than harm from enemies.

Aside from Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew, the others responsible for James and Lily's deaths were simply innocent bystanders.

Tell Voldemort's Snape this news.

At the last minute, he suggested to James and Lily that they change the Secret Keeper from himself to Sirius Black.

And... James and Lily themselves.

Harry grew up in the Muggle world and knew almost nothing about his parents, relying only on descriptions from others and fragmented memories.

Later, when James entered the wizarding world, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and the Weasleys all described him as a brave, intelligent, and popular wizard, a hero who fought against Voldemort, and even a legend of Hogwarts.

This description instilled in Harry a strong sense of admiration for his father.

He saw his father as a symbol of perfection, the kind of person he wanted to be.

But as Harry entered Hogwarts and learned more about James, especially after developing a sharper mind under Sherlock's influence, Harry gradually discovered a fact.

A fact he was somewhat unwilling to accept.

James Porter may not be the idealized, legendary father he envisioned.

(End of this chapter)