Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 440 This is what I learned in Hawaii during my summer vacation.

Time always slips away unnoticed.

More than a month has passed since the summer vacation at Hogwarts began.

On this day, the telephone in the living room of 128 King's Road rang urgently.

Mrs. Holmes happened to come out of the kitchen, wiped her hands, and hurriedly answered the phone:
"Hello, this is the Holmes house... Oh, it's Harry!"

Upon hearing her introduce herself, her voice immediately became cheerful.

"Do you still live on Privet Road?"
What? You're coming today? That's great!
You might not believe it, but my family and I just got back from Hawaii yesterday…

And so, Mrs. Holmes held the telephone and chatted with Harry on the other end for quite a while.

"No problem, I'll tell Sherlock that you can just come over!"

After hanging up the phone, Mrs. Holmes immediately turned excitedly to Sherlock, who was reading in the living room, and said:
"Sherlock, Harry said he's coming to our house today, along with his godfather!"

"Thank you, Mom."

Sherlock had already deduced from Mrs. Holmes's voice that it was Harry on the other end of the phone.

He just didn't expect his mother to talk to Harry for so long.

In the end, he didn't even get to say a single word to Harry.

They really do see Harry as the second son of the Holmes family.

"We just got back, and Harry is already planning to come to our house. What a coincidence!"

"It's not a coincidence."

Sherlock closed the book, shook his head, and said:
“Harry spends a full month on Privet Drive every year, so it’s just the right time for him to come.”

"So that's why you said you were going back to London a few days ago?"

"That's only one aspect; another reason is that I received a letter."

He received a letter a few days earlier while he was in Hawaii.

The parchment now sits on the table in Sherlock's bedroom, with words written on it in thin, crooked handwriting.

Dear Sherlock:

If it's convenient for you, I will pick you and Harry up at 2 p.m. this Friday to visit Horace.

I would be very happy to receive your assistance; we can discuss the details when we meet.

Please entrust this owl to take back the package.

See you on Friday.

Your most loyal Albus Dumbledore.

Sherlock calculated the time and knew that Dumbledore had arrived right on time.

He had just completed his mission in Hawaii, so he wrote back to Dumbledore and then had his parents take him back to London.

Sure enough, Harry called the day after they arrived home.

It is obvious that he also received a letter from Dumbledore.

Sherlock was very well prepared for his meeting with Professor Horace Slughorn.

With Harry as his capable assistant, he was absolutely confident that he could dig out the secret he shared with Voldemort from the other party.

According to Dumbledore, that would be the key to unlocking the secrets of Voldemort and the Horcruxes.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Sirius and Harry arrived as promised.

When the doorbell rang, Mrs. Holmes, who was prepared, immediately opened the door:

"Harry!"

The moment Mrs. Holmes saw Harry, she immediately embraced him tightly.

This made Sirius, who was standing next to him, very happy.

Very well, Sherlock's parents really did treat Harry as the second son of the Holmes family.

Just like Harry's grandparents treated him, they treated him as the second son of the Potter family.

"Mr. Blake, hello, please come in!"

Mrs. Holmes welcomed Harry and Sirius into the house, then turned and called out:

"Tanan, Sherlock, Harry and Mr. Black are here!"

Harry looked at the familiar living room and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

It's no exaggeration to say that, apart from 4 Privet Drive, he was most familiar with 128 King's Drive, not 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Hey Charlotte... Oh my god, how did you turn into Dean!"

Although Harry knew Sherlock had gone to Hawaii a while ago, he was still surprised to see how tanned the man had become after just one month.

"Dean, who is that?"

Sirius asked, puzzled.

"He's a dark-skinned boy in our dorm. He likes to sing, dance, rap, and play basketball."

"So it was Little Blackie."

Sirius looked enlightened, then smiled and turned to Sherlock:
"Long time no see, where have you been?"

"Hawaii".

Sherlock's gaze swept over Harry and Sirius: "Apparate directly from Privet Drive?"

"Yes."

Harry was already used to Sherlock's abilities, so he nodded in agreement.

Sirius looked surprised. "How did you figure that out?"

"This is so easy."

Sherlock seemed too lazy to explain, but still spoke very quickly:

“I noticed that there is a small patch of red mud on the surface of your shoes. As far as I know, this is the soil from the Little Huikin area in Surrey.”

If you want to cover it up next time, remember to use a cleanser to remove the marks beforehand.

Sirius Black, upon hearing this, showed an expression of sudden realization.

After Sherlock put it that way, things did indeed become quite simple.

"There's no need for that, but how did you manage to recognize that this soil comes from the Privet Road area?"

"Mr. Sirius, didn't my dear Harry tell you that this is common sense to me?"

"Common sense? You mean it's common sense to be able to tell at a glance which area of ​​soil on a person's feet belongs to?"

Sirius's eyes widened. "Is it your understanding of common sense that's flawed, or is it my understanding of common sense that's flawed?"
"Any questions?"

Seeing Sherlock's matter-of-fact attitude, Sirius became insecure.

He couldn't help but turn to Harry: "Is this common sense in the Muggle world?"

"It doesn't count in the Muggle world, but it does for Sherlock."

“Dear Harry, thank you for your trust in me.”

Sherlock then took a book from the table and handed it to Harry:

"To my shame, I originally planned to write several monographs this summer."

However, because he needed to learn Barton techniques, he only managed to write this one piece in the end. Harry took it and opened it, and Sirius Black also came over, and then the two of them were both taken aback.

"As you can see, this treatise is titled 'On the Identification of Various Kinds of Ash'."

Sherlock smiled slightly and began to speak eloquently to Harry and Sirius:

"Here, I have listed 140 types of ash from cigars, cigarettes, and pipe tobacco, and I have also used color illustrations to explain the differences between the various types of ash."

You might not believe it, but cigarette ash is a common piece of evidence in criminal trials, and sometimes it can even be the most important clue in the entire case.

For example, if you can determine that the murderer in a murder case smokes Indian cigars, your investigation scope is greatly narrowed.

In the magical world, being able to distinguish different types of ash is also very important.

Many cases in "Crimes in Magic" are related to cigars, but unfortunately the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic are unaware of this.

To a trained person, the difference between the black ash of an Indian cigar and the white ash of a bird's-eye cigar is as clear as the difference between a cabbage and a potato.

Upon hearing this, Harry and Sirius understood.

Sherlock is the "well-trained" man he himself describes.

When discussing this matter, Sherlock was clearly very interested and continued speaking to the two of them:

"Actually, I also plan to write a new short paper to try to explain how a person's profession can affect their hand shape."

Like this monograph, it is accompanied by hand illustrations of stonemasons, sailors, woodcarvers, typesetters, weavers, and diamond grinders.

These techniques have significant practical implications for both scientific and magical detective work.

It is particularly useful in cases involving unidentified bodies and in identifying criminals.

"..."

Seeing Sherlock's enthusiastic expression, Harry and Sirius were speechless.

Harry flipped through a few more pages of "On the Identification of Various Kinds of Ash," but immediately lost interest.

Sirius, on the other hand, took it and read it with great interest.

Mr. Holmes then greeted the two men, and Mrs. Holmes served tea and dessert before leaving with her husband, leaving the living room to Sherlock and the two guests.

Harry, recalling Sherlock's earlier words, couldn't help but ask, "Sherlock, you just said you learned Barton magic?"

"That's right, this is why I'm going to Hawaii this summer."

Sherlock's gaze swept over Harry and Sirius with his usual scrutinizing tone, as if assessing some kind of physical data.

"Barton technique?"

Harry asked curiously, "Is it the same as when we practice boxing in the morning at Hogwarts?"

"They have similarities, but are fundamentally different."

Sherlock shook his head, his tone as if he had just been analyzing the difference between the two types of cigarette ash:
"Practicing boxing during morning exercises is the foundation, focusing more on the coordination of basic physical fitness."

I think you've probably noticed that when I teach you boxing, the movements are very wide and sweeping.

It's primarily focused on stretching muscles and stimulating potential; it's foundational physical training.

"But the punch I threw at Malfoy..."

"He's too weak."

Sherlock said bluntly:

"The idea that wizards should fight with wands is so deeply ingrained in him that he never expected you to teach him a lesson with your fists."

Furthermore, his physical condition isn't as good as yours; his delicate chin naturally couldn't withstand such a blow.

"……All right."

Harry found himself speechless once again.

He walked to a relatively open area of ​​the living room and adjusted his posture.

Harry trained with Sherlock for three years, and now he has developed a good eye for things.

He noticed that Sherlock's center of gravity had lowered, his movements had become exceptionally refined, and he possessed an indescribable sense of power poised to be unleashed.

"The founder of the Patton technique was the Englishman Edward William Patton."

During his time working in Kobe, Japan, Mr. Barton studied Japanese martial arts, including Shinden Fudo-ryu Jujutsu and Kodokan Judo.

In 1898, he returned to England, determined to combine the Eastern and Western martial arts he had learned to create a new fighting style.

He then claimed to have invented a new martial art, which he named Patton after himself, and promoted it in Britain.

The beloved Mr. Barton later dedicated himself to clinical medicine, especially to the improvement and innovation of heat, light and radiation therapy methods.

He later even used the name "Barton" to encompass his various treatments.

After Mr. Patton's high level of refinement, Pattonism can be said to be a fusion of British boxing, grappling, and a unique set of defensive and offensive techniques.

Its emphasis on practicality makes it a highly effective unarmed combat system.

The technical characteristics include striking techniques, weapon skills, and grappling techniques.

The striking techniques include punches from British boxing, such as using both fists to attack the opponent's face and abdomen.

The lead hand punch can also block attacks and control the distance between the opponent and oneself.

The leg technique incorporates various low kicks from the French Savate, especially the signature stomp kick, which can severely damage the opponent's knee.

The roundhouse kick primarily targets the mid-section, with high roundhouse kicks used less frequently to avoid giving the opponent an opening.

Sherlock explained while demonstrating several movements.

"In terms of weapon skills, Pattonism has chosen the French cane technique as the main source of its staff techniques."

This includes striking the opponent's eyes, wrists, or other areas from a distance.

Use the tip of a stick to stab vulnerable areas such as the abdomen and throat.

And using the stick for blocking and defense, and performing grappling techniques.

In addition, there are techniques such as using clothing or handkerchiefs to confuse the other person's gaze.

Speaking of which, my duel with the Slytherin students in the stands during my first year was actually an unconscious use of Neville's Toad, employing the Barton technique.

After saying this, Sherlock returned to his normal standing posture.

"To give an analogy, if the previous boxing techniques were the key to awakening dormant power, then the Barton technique is the precise tool for efficiently utilizing that power."

The instructor from Hawaii is a master in this field; he defeated several average-sized strongmen in three minutes. This training was definitely worthwhile.

Sirius, who was still studying the cigarette ash, suddenly brightened up:
"That sounds even more exciting than the Disarming Charm! When can you teach me a couple of moves?"

"I'm sorry, but with your current physical condition and fighting habits, practicing the Barton technique directly will not only be ineffective, but will also easily lead to sprains."

Sherlock bluntly stated, "In this respect, you're not even as good as Harry. You should start by improving your core strength and joint flexibility."

Sirius Black seemed slightly unconvinced upon hearing this.

But considering Sherlock's consistent keen observation skills, he felt that what the boy said seemed to make some sense, so he shook his head and continued to study the ashes.

Sherlock glanced at Sirius without making it obvious, then sat back down on the sofa and turned to Harry, asking:
"Brother, when did you receive Professor Dumbledore's owl?"

Harry paused for a moment, then nodded:

"The day before yesterday, he said he would take us to see Professor Slughorn today."

I had just finished a month at Aunt Penny's house, so I wrote to my godfather about it, and he came to pick me up.

Sherlock's eyes suddenly sharpened.

(End of this chapter)