Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 457 A Magic School for the Chinese
Regardless of the school, all magic schools follow the principle of recruiting students from the nearest location.

Take Hogwarts for example.

Although it is located in the Scottish Highlands, it recruits not only children born in the UK, but also young wizards from Ireland.

Another example is Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which Mycroft mentioned in his conversation with Sherlock.

Compared to Hogwarts, it has a wider range of students.

Located in Northern Europe, it accepts magic students from the five Nordic countries, as well as students from nearby Germany and Austria.

They are even willing to accept international students from as far away as Bulgaria.

It's worth noting that while Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry isn't as famous as Hogwarts, it's still one of the three largest magic schools in Europe.

Even prestigious schools like these struggle to attract enough international students, let alone other magic schools around the world.

But now, Cho Chang's mother, Zhuge Dali, is telling these British wizards that there are actually seven magic schools in one country in the world.

For them, this was simply unimaginable.

Surprised?

Zhuge Dali laughed, "Actually, if you think about it carefully, you won't find it strange."

Zhang Wei then explained, "I'm afraid only by moving all the magic schools in Europe over there could we accommodate all the young wizards in China."

Those with quick minds already understood upon hearing this.

Yes, that's China!

Its area is 40 times that of the United Kingdom, and almost equal to the size of the whole of Europe.

The population figure is even more staggering, being not only 20 times that of the UK, but also nearly twice the total population of Europe.

Such a size is truly terrifying.

Therefore, even if the proportion of wizards in the total population in China is the same as in Britain, at least double-digit numbers of magic schools would be needed to accommodate all the magic students in the country.

If you count them that way, seven magic schools are actually a bit too few!
When the question was raised, Harry suddenly blurted out:
"Seven is the most magical number."

Upon hearing this, Sherlock immediately realized that the child had thought of Horcruxes again.

Ever since he saw the memory he got from Professor Slughorn, Harry had kept it to himself.

After all, the idea of ​​dividing the soul into seven parts and creating six Horcruxes is simply too sensational.

He had no choice but to take it seriously.

Even now, Harry remains extremely sensitive to the number "seven," the most magical number.

So when he heard people discussing why there are seven magic schools in China, he just blurted it out.

Of course, the Zhang couple were unaware of Harry's thoughts.

However, when Zhang Wei realized that everyone was quite interested in this topic, he decided to say a few more words:

"Perhaps that's part of the reason... but these seven magic schools are not all the same."

The southeastern coast is densely populated, so the magic schools built in that area are larger in scale.

The Northwest inland has a sparse population, so its scale is naturally relatively small.

Besides their size, magic schools in China also differ in nature.

Besides comprehensive schools like Hogwarts, there are also specialized schools like Broomstick Flying School, Charms School, and Magical Animal and Plant School.

Comprehensive magic schools are divided into junior high school and senior high school sections.

After four years of junior high school, the young wizards will need to take the Academic Test for the Junior High School Students.

Abbreviated as Junior High School Entrance Examination.

It is similar to a regular wizarding level exam, and the results are the main basis for determining whether a student has met the graduation standards, as well as an important basis for high school admissions.

Of course, if young wizards from general magic schools are interested in specialized subjects such as Quidditch, Charms, or Zoology, they can apply to these specialized magic schools for further study after completing their middle school entrance exams.

Whether it's a comprehensive university or a junior college, students must take the Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges before graduating.

Abbreviated as Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination).

It's similar to the ultimate wizard exam, and the results will serve as academic credentials for junior wizards when applying for jobs after graduation.

In addition to magic schools, China also has its own Ministry of Magic…

Although Zhang Wei was a complete novice, he knew all about these things very well.

This naturally benefited him by marrying a witch.

From Zhang Wei's description, everyone was surprised to find that the theory of bloodline has almost no market in China.

The wizards in this country don't seem to value secrecy particularly much.

After marrying Zhuge Dali, a Muggle like Zhang Wei easily integrated into the magical world.

In China, you are either a wizard or you are not.

Nobody cares if you're pureblood, mixed-race, or Muggle-born.

The clash between different cultures is a rather novel topic for local wizards.

Zhang Wei was very eloquent, and his descriptions captivated the audience.

However, as the conversation continued, more and more guests arrived at Grimoire Square.

As Mrs. Holmes had said earlier, it would be impolite to leave guests standing around.

So Sirius and Harry, as the hosts, although very interested in the topic, could only leave with some regret to entertain the new guests.

“It’s alright.” Cho Chang noticed Harry’s somewhat reluctant expression and immediately smiled as she said to him:

"If you're interested in these things, I'll tell you about them later."

"Mhm." Harry nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

Upon seeing this, Ginny frowned, a sense of crisis rising within her.

So although she was also very interested in the topic, she still decisively stepped aside and accompanied Harry and Sirius to entertain the guests.

Regarding her relationship with Harry, her two friends Hermione and Luna each offered different advice.

Hermione's advice was for her to get involved in life, try to connect with other people, and relax around Harry.

Because, in the past, whenever Harry was in the house, she would get so nervous that she couldn't even speak.

Therefore, Hermione believes that if she had more of a sense of self, Harry might pay more attention to her.

Ginny accepted most of Hermione's advice.

However, he hesitated when it came to Hermione's "more self-centeredness," which involved trying to attract Harry's attention by interacting with others.

If it weren't for Qiu Zhang, she would think this would be feasible.

But now that we have Cho Chang, wouldn't doing that again be pushing Harry into the arms of humanity?
Moreover, in every respect, Qiu Zhang is in no way inferior to her.

Compared to Hermione's roundabout approach, the insightful Luna suggested a direct approach, confessing her feelings to Harry in a straightforward manner.

However, Ginny was worried that doing so would frighten Harry.

She felt that Harry had always treated her like a younger sister.

Once those words are actually spoken, we might not even be able to remain friends.

Faced with Ginny's predicament, Luna had no choice but to settle for second best and suggest increasing the amount of time she should spend with Harry.

The idea of ​​joining the Quidditch team was hers.

Ultimately, Ginny combined their suggestions, resulting in the current situation.

Immerse yourself in life, relax more around Harry, and increase the amount of time you spend alone with Harry, but don't socialize with other people.

In fact, by 1994, she had already started receiving love letters.

Her physical appearance was indeed outstanding, and many Hogwarts students disliked Asian beauties like Cho Chang.

In another year or two, when she's fully developed, she might become even more popular than Qiu Zhang.

However, this is of no use.

Because Harry doesn't care.

Harry was bewildered by Ginny's initiative to join, while Sirius readily agreed.

The more popular his godson is, the happier he is as a father.

Following Cho Chang's family, the next people to arrive at Grimmauld Place were Sherlock, Harry, and Ron's two other roommates.

Neville Longbottom, with his round face, and Dean, a dark-skinned boy who loves singing, dancing, rapping, and basketball.

A little while later, Ginny's friend Luna Lovegood and her father arrived.

This was something Ginny specifically instructed the Weasleys to do after they received Harry's invitation.

She hoped Harry would invite her best friend from Gryffindor as well.

Harry readily agreed.

Even if Ginny hadn't said anything, he would have extended an invitation to Luna.

This is, of course, for Sherlock.

After all, Luna is one of the very few girls who can have a smooth relationship with Sherlock.

In fact, Harry also invited Gemma Farley.

Unfortunately, Gemma is currently in Romania and unable to attend to other commitments.

However, she still thanked Harry for the invitation and sent him a birthday card and a birthday gift.

And, unsurprisingly, she inquired about Sherlock's recent situation as well.

When Remus Lupin arrived, all the guests for the day were officially present.

"I couldn't go with you to audit the class last year, but I'm glad I was able to this year."

Lupin looked at Sherlock and Harry and smiled gently, "You've both grown taller."

He looked around as he spoke, "Harry, why didn't you invite your cousin's family over? I heard from Bigfoot that you two aren't getting along very well these days?"

"Dali did want to come, but Aunt Penny refused after hearing that everyone here was a wizard."

Harry said with a hint of helplessness.

After learning that Petunia had written to Dumbledore expressing her desire to attend Hogwarts, Harry understood his aunt's mindset quite well.

She longed to enter a magic school back then, but was unable to do so due to her own limitations.

Ultimately, out of jealousy, he severed all ties with the magical world in a fit of anger, even abandoning his own sister.

Although I have recounted this past event and acknowledged the changes in my mindset, how can I so easily let go of a knot in my heart that has remained unresolved for so many years?
Moreover, every corner of number 12 Grimmauld Place is filled with the aura of wizards.

Considering Uncle Vernon's aversion to magic, and due to her own mindset, Aunt Petunia ultimately declined Harry's kind offer.

(End of this chapter)