Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 488 Living with Hermione
Sirius Black, with his keen eyes, naturally noticed Ron and Ginny's reluctance to part.

He couldn't care less about that brat Ron; the key was Ginny.

As things stand, the beautiful young woman from the East, Cho Chang, has a very good relationship with Harry, and there is a strong possibility that they will become a couple.

Since Cho Chang was assigned to Ravenclaw, it naturally means that she is intelligent and quick-witted, and there is no problem with her intelligence.

As a half-blood wizard, she also possesses ample common sense about the Muggle world.

This makes Harry, who is a pure-blood wizard but was born a Muggle due to his living environment, a perfect match for her.

In addition, she shares a common hobby with Harry—Quidditch. Both are official members of their respective house teams and play the same position—the Seeker.

Of course, the most important thing is that Qiu Zhang is very beautiful.

Sirius had long since realized that his godson was definitely a sucker for good looks.

But so what?
Heart of beauty in everyone.

Besides, my Harry isn't bad-looking either, okay?
Therefore, Sirius Black was happy to see Harry and Cho Chang get together.

But then again.

Ginny is pretty good-looking too!
His godson is Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world, the only nemesis of the Dark Lord, and the boy who survived a great calamity!
What's wrong with a guy as outstanding as him having a few girlfriends?

As a father, I naturally have to create opportunities for my child.

Sure enough, upon hearing Sirius's words, Ginny's face lit up with delight:

"What, is that okay?"

When I came to my senses, I realized that my reaction was a bit too much.

But the words had already been spoken, and there was no point in trying to make amends, so I simply kept quiet.

However, this time Ron surprisingly gave positive feedback:
"Actually, I also think it's good to stay here. After Bill and Charlie came back, the house is still a bit crowded."

It's so close to King's Cross station, it'll be convenient for us to get there when we go to school.

Ginny gave Ron a deep look, thinking to herself that her sixth brother had finally done his job this time.

If both siblings lived here, I wouldn't feel so out of place.

Harry was naturally delighted that Ron and Ginny would stay at Grimmauld Place.

His childhood environment made him yearn to be with his friends.

With a smile on his face, Sirius strode to the fireplace, and amidst the curious gazes of the crowd, grabbed a handful of glittering powder from a bottle on the mantel and tossed it into the flames.

The flames shot up a height instantly.

"Molly!"

Sirius shouted into the fire, "I have something to tell you!"

In less than five seconds, Mrs. Weasley's image was suspended in the middle of the flames.

Flames danced around her, tongues of fire licking her ears, but she spoke without any hindrance:

"You called me Sirius?"

She turned her head and saw her two children, then asked:
"Ron, Ginny, why haven't you come back yet?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Sirius Black pulled Ron and Ginny to his sides, one in each arm, and placed his hands on their shoulders as well.
"Let them stay here until school starts!"

"no!"

Mrs. Weasley immediately shook her head upon hearing this:

“I can’t cause you any more trouble—Fred and George came home and immediately complained to me that I was too strict with them.”

I bet those two are about to tear your ceiling off!

"If the ceiling of the Blake family’s old house could be so easily ripped off, then it wouldn’t need to exist."

But that's not the point—Molly, the way you're talking makes us sound like outsiders.

Don't forget, you're also my cousin and aunt!

Mrs. Weasley was amused by Sirius's words.

But soon, she said again:
“That’s a different matter—Sirius, we really can’t cause you any more trouble…”

What do you mean by causing trouble!
Harry couldn't be happier that these two little ones could stay here! Right, Harry?

Harry realized it was his turn to speak and quickly said:
"Aunt Weasley, please let them stay. It's really lonely for Sirius and me to live in such a big house!"
Besides, I stayed at your place for a whole summer before, so this is really nothing."

“Harry is absolutely right, that’s exactly what reciprocity is all about!”

Sirius smiled and picked up where Harry left off, continuing:
“We’re on the same side, and I’m not afraid of making you angry, so I’ll just say it directly.”

When Bill and Charlie returned, your area was already quite crowded.

"With these two little ones living here, your living conditions will be more comfortable, right?"

"You're really blunt... Oh well, since you've said it..."

Mrs. Weasley shook her head helplessly at Sirius's words, then turned back to Ron and Ginny.

"You two, don't cause trouble for others, do you hear me?"

"That's great, Mom!"

"You are my favorite!"

"You love me, but you won't come home!"

Weasley uttered a symbolic complaint before disappearing from the flames.

Only then did Ron and Ginny breathe a sigh of relief—they were genuinely worried that Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let them stay.

"Actually, there's another reason why I don't want to go back, and that's because of Percy."

Ron said with a hint of exasperation, "Ever since he started working, he always likes to put on an air of mystery at home, which is absolutely annoying."

Ginny didn't say anything more; she was happy enough just to stay here.

This is precisely her greatest advantage over Qiu Zhang.

Sometimes, if you fall behind at one step, you'll fall behind at every step!

Sherlock and Hermione stayed a little longer before leaving Grimmauld Place and returning to Kingsway.

As agreed beforehand, Hermione stayed at Holmes' house during the last week of summer vacation.

Hermione was very satisfied with her week.

Mr. and Mrs. Holmes treated her very well, almost like a daughter.

During this time, he even met Sherlock Holmes, who was also Sherlock's brother, Mycroft Holmes.

Hermione didn't know exactly what Mycroft did for a living, only that he served the Queen's government and was usually very busy.

We only met twice in the past week, and both times were very rushed.

Even so, Mycroft treated her very kindly, almost like a younger sister.

In just one week, their relationship blossomed rapidly—at least that's what Hermione thought. If nothing unexpected happened, she was certain she'd win Gemma's heart when she returned in three years!
Because Kingsway is very close to Grimmauld Place, they would occasionally drop by Harry's place.

From there, they also obtained firsthand information about the magical world.

“Dad and Percy have been very little home this week. Every morning, before the rest of the family has gotten up, they leave home and don’t come back until long after dinner.”

Ron mumbled as he gnawed on a chicken leg.

"You'd better shut up and eat your chicken!"

Ginny said irritably, then explained to Sherlock and Hermione:
"People were frantically sending howling letters to the Ministry of Magic, demanding compensation for the property they had damaged."

Furthermore, Rita Skeeter also discovered Bertha's disappearance, and she seemed to thrive on chaos.

Mom said that ever since the mysterious man lost power, Dad hasn't needed to work overtime on weekends.

But they're going to exhaust him right now..."

Sherlock nodded:
“I’ve read The Daily Prophet, and her words are indeed very sharp and she’s good at stirring up emotions.”

But that's also the Ministry of Magic's fault; sometimes she doesn't need to do anything, and the Ministry will just hand her leverage over her.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "Sherlock, your opinion of the Ministry of Magic seems to be getting worse lately."

"if not?"

Sherlock retorted, "Look at what they've done in this Quidditch World Cup!"

They should be thankful that Barty Crouch Jr.'s affair hasn't been discovered yet, otherwise...

"Otherwise, this would have been enough to make the front page headlines for a whole week."

Ron said with a displeased expression, "Dad has been telling us not to tell anyone about this. I don't like that woman."

"Forget it, these things are none of your business," Sirius laughed. "These are matters for adults."

"But the adults aren't helping!"

Ron said with dissatisfaction.

"Yes, yes, with someone like Fudge as Minister of Magic, it's difficult for the Ministry of Magic to make any effort."

But we're here, my dear Ron, so don't worry about it!

Sirius smiled and said, "Harry, why don't you all go upstairs and check if your luggage is ready?"

Ron, Ginny, Molly said he'll bring your luggage with him when he takes Fred and George to school tomorrow.

"Okay... I hope nothing else happens at school this year..."

Ron couldn't help but start complaining, "I've noticed that every year since the year we started school, something happens at school."

Sirius smiled without saying a word.

When Sherlock and Hermione returned home, Mrs. Holmes also asked them to check their luggage.

The school's notice stated that starting from fourth grade, young wizards would need to prepare formal robes.

The purpose is for use in formal occasions.

Therefore, Mrs. Holmes and Mrs. Granger made preparations well in advance.

"Formal occasions?"

Hermione looked at her light purple-blue dress robe while flipping through the list the school had given them, puzzled.

Unfortunately, nothing was written on it.

She could only turn her gaze to Sherlock. "Sherlock, you should know why it was prepared, right?"

“Yes,” Sherlock said in a relaxed tone, “this year’s Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts.”

"A three-way battle for supremacy?"

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, Hermione couldn't help but exclaim, "Sherlock, are you sure?"

“I’m pretty sure,” Sherlock said, looking at Hermione with a questioning gaze. “I thought you already knew.”

"Ah, why do you think I would know?"

Hermione's gaze was also filled with doubt. "No one has ever told me this before!"

"Too much……"

Sherlock shook his head and began to list them one by one:

"Ludo Bagman mentioned this during the Quidditch World Cup, but he was interrupted by Barty Crouch."

Afterwards, Percy also said, "We at the International Department of Magical Cooperation have so much to do; after the World Cup, we're organizing a major event."

Hermione, prompted by Sherlock, recalled that Percy did indeed mention it.

However, according to Ron and Ginny, Percy has been like this ever since he started working at the Ministry of Magic, as if all his work is top secret.

But in Ron's view, it was most likely just a thick-bottomed crucible exhibition.

It was precisely because Percy spoke of these things with such a serious expression that he didn't attract Hermione's attention.

"Even so, it doesn't mean this is a three-way battle for supremacy."

This event hasn't been held for over a century, how could it suddenly…?

“That’s exactly what I’m wondering about, dear Hermione.”

Sherlock smiled and said, "Do you remember what Mycroft told us yesterday?"

“Mycroft?” Hermione immediately recalled, “But he was only talking about the situation in the Muggle world, what does that have to do with the Triwizard Tournament?”

"My dear friend, the idea that the magical world and the Muggle world are two completely separate worlds is static, one-sided, and isolated."

In fact, the reason this Triwizard Tournament was able to be held smoothly was precisely because of the situation in the Muggle world.

Sherlock paused, then explained seriously:
"It is precisely because of the formal establishment of the European Union that exchanges between member states have become increasingly frequent."

Traditional magical nations, primarily England, France, and Germany, seized this opportunity to revive the event, which had been suspended for over a century.

I thought Mycroft's warning was obvious enough, how come you didn't notice it?

Hermione: "..."

What's so obvious about it?

Without anyone pointing it out, who would associate the formation of the European Union with a three-way power struggle?

Fortunately, after Sherlock's reminder, Hermione's thoughts became clearer:
"I understand, the formal gowns are for the Christmas ball."

This is a traditional part of the three-way competition and a great opportunity for us to interact with foreign guests.

The ball was only open to students in fourth grade and above, which is why the list of dress gowns was included in the school's admission notice.

"That's right!"

Sherlock snapped his fingers and glanced at Hermione's formal robe. "By the way, this robe suits you very well."

Hermione smiled and said, "Thank you, Sherlock."

(End of this chapter)