Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 496 Suspicious Vehicle with Evidence
"Sherlock, she must have told you what you were going to do, right?"

Harry and Ron were both puzzled as Hermione left in a flash after finishing her meal.

“She didn’t tell me,” Sherlock shook his head in response to Ron’s question, “but I know.”

"Where did you go?"

"Look up information."

"Looking up information?"

"Yes, look up information related to house-elves."

Under Harry and Ron's surprised gazes, Sherlock said quietly, "I think she'll be able to tell you about the history of house-elves when she stops going to the library."

"..."

Hermione's obsession with house-elves left Harry and Ron speechless.

Sherlock, however, did not care about this.

As long as she doesn't do anything too outrageous, let her be.

In the past, even if Hermione ripped the roof off Hogwarts Castle, Sherlock wouldn't have cared.

But not anymore.

Before the start of this school year, Mrs. Holmes specifically asked him to take care of Hermione at the school.

In fact, Mrs. Holmes had mentioned this before the start of first grade, when she had just met the Grangers.

However, Sherlock didn't pay attention at the time.

But today is different from the past.

Four years have passed, and the relationship between the two families has become far more than just ordinary.

He and Hermione also became good friends.

Taking care of a little girl is troublesome for Sherlock, but taking care of a teenage girl, especially one who is his friend, is a completely different story.

Not to mention that Sherlock was also growing up from age 11 to 14.

Since I promised my mother, I will definitely keep my promise.

When the afternoon school bell rang, Sherlock, Harry, Ron, and the other young wizards who had chosen Divination class headed towards the North Tower.

The divination classroom was different from the other classrooms; it was located at the top of a narrow spiral staircase, with a silver ladder leading to a trapdoor in the ceiling.

Sherlock knew, of course, that Professor Trelawney was doing this on purpose to create an air of mystery.

Upon arriving at the classroom, a familiar, sweet aroma emanating from the fire wafted through the air, instantly making one feel dazed.

This was also part of Professor Trelawney's strategy to create an atmosphere that would make the young wizard's mind go from clear to confused, making it easier for her to listen to her fabrications.

After a summer vacation, the place remains unchanged, with the curtains drawn tightly shut.

The circular room was lit with many lamps, each covered with a scarf or shawl, casting a hazy red glow over the entire room.

"Hello."

The three had just sat down when Professor Trelawney's ethereal and otherworldly voice suddenly came from behind them.

Harry and Ron were both startled.

Sherlock quietly observed the descendant of the famous prophet and said without changing his expression, "Hello, Professor."

Professor Trelawney looked the same as before, wearing huge glasses that made her eyes look frighteningly large on her thin face.

The rosary beads, necklace, and bracelet on her body shimmered in the firelight as always.

His small body seemed to contain immense power.

Feeling awkward under Sherlock's intense gaze, she looked away and then at Harry.

This made Harry feel very uncomfortable.

Because she had a tragic expression on her face—the same expression she always had when she saw Harry.

"You seem troubled, my dear."

She said to Harry sadly:

“My third eye pierced through your brave face and saw your restless soul.”

I regret to inform you that your concerns are not unfounded.

I see that your days ahead are full of hardship...very difficult...

I'm worried that what you're afraid of will really come... maybe sooner than you think..."

Professor Trelawney's voice gradually lowered, eventually becoming a whisper.

Ron couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Harry stared at her expressionlessly.

He had grown accustomed to feeling disgusted by such doomed prophecies, yet he could not escape the professor's sorrowful gaze emanating from behind his enormous glasses.

Just then, Sherlock coughed softly, breaking the silence.

"You had a very fulfilling morning, Professor."

His grey eyes looked calmly at Professor Trelawney, his voice calm yet possessing an undeniable penetrating power, as if it could tear through the hazy, sweet-smelling atmosphere in the classroom.

"You first consulted the original manuscripts of 12th-century astrologer Cassandra in the library, trying to find new evidence to embellish next week's class content."

Unfortunately, those tattered parchments were covered in too much dust—just look at the gray marks on your left cheek and collar.

Afterwards, I hurriedly ate a piece of buttered bread for lunch, and the bread crumbs on the back of my hand were not completely wiped off.

But the most interesting detail is that you also had a small bottle of wine with lunch, right?

I'm guessing it's butterbeer with sherry added?

The scent mingled with your breath, sweet with a hint of alcohol, and when mixed with the sweet aroma of the fireplace in the classroom, it became even more pronounced.

Professor Trelawney froze, her thin face turning deathly pale, her eyes behind her large glasses widening in disbelief and terror.

"I...I didn't..."

She stammered in rebuttal, her voice losing its usual ethereal quality and becoming hoarse and shrill.

Her body, draped in rosary beads and bracelets, trembled slightly, as if Sherlock's words were not a deduction, but a direct exposure of her carefully constructed disguise.

Ron was so surprised that his mouth dropped open. He was leaning against the armrest and almost slipped off the chair.

"Wow!"

He couldn't help but gasp softly, his eyes sparkling with surprise.

"Stop trying to deny it, Professor."

Sherlock remained unmoved, his tone still indifferent, "Your eyelids are red and your pupils are slightly dilated; these are signs of the effects of alcohol."

More importantly, your emotions are too volatile—the anxiety you felt while researching this morning, combined with the excitement from alcohol, has made you so emotionally charged towards Harry.

I suggest you go get a glass of water to clear your head; it will help maintain classroom order.

Professor Trelawney's face flushed red, no longer showing a sorrowful expression, but rather a mixture of embarrassment and panic.

She hurriedly looked away, not daring to look at Harry anymore, and frantically adjusted the sparkling jewelry on her body.

"This...this is complete nonsense!"

She tried to remain calm, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her.

"I...we need to start regular classes today! We can't waste any more time..."

As if being chased by something, she quickly turned around, swept past them, and sat down in a large winged armchair in front of the fire, facing the whole class.

Harry let out a long sigh of relief, his stiff body finally relaxing. He looked at Sherlock, his emerald eyes filled with genuine gratitude.

"Thanks, Sherlock, that's a great help."

Ron then leaned over, nudged Sherlock with his elbow, and grinned, his admiration undisguised.
"My God, Sherlock! This is brilliant!"
I knew it! You're the real prophet—but you think with your brain, not some kind of 'clairvoyant'!

Sherlock merely shrugged slightly, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips, as if it were all a trivial matter.

"Just basic observation and logic, Ron."

He said calmly, "Everything has its reasons. As for Harry—I was just trying to keep an overly stressed, drunk professor out of trouble."

The sweet aroma still lingered in the classroom, but the atmosphere had quieted down.

Lavender Brown and Parvati Petit, who particularly admired Professor Trelawney, sat on cushions very close to her.

“Honey, starting this semester, we’re going to study the stars.”

Professor Trelawney said, "The movements of the planets and the mysterious signs they display can only be deciphered by those who understand the rules of the celestial dance."

Human destiny can be deciphered through the radiation of planets, these lights intertwining…

Soon, Harry's thoughts drifted elsewhere.

The main reason was that the fragrant fire in the stove always made him feel drowsy.

Professor Trelawney kept repeating things about fortune-telling, but it never really captivated him.

However, there were some exceptions at the end of last semester.

She predicted that Voldemort would rise again...

When Harry described the scene to Sherlock, Sherlock immediately deduced that Professor Trelawney's hypnotic state was not feigned.

When they later went to find Professor Dumbledore, they learned an earth-shattering secret from him.

The prophecy that influenced his life back then was actually made by Professor Trelawney!
It was because Snape heard half of the prophecy and told it to Voldemort that he ended up with his tragic life.

To be honest, even now, he still hasn't figured out how to face Snape.

"Old Harry, Harry, Harry!"

Just then, Ron suddenly issued a series of short reminders.

"what's wrong?"

Harry looked around and realized that all his classmates were staring at him.

Clearly, his distraction was discovered.

But you can't blame him; the room was just too hot, and he almost fell asleep.

However, after glancing at Sherlock and seeing the smile on his lips, he felt relieved and quickly sat up straight.

“Honey, I was just saying that you were clearly influenced by Saturn’s ominous influence when you were born.”

Professor Trelawney said, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice.

Harry's behavior clearly indicated that he wasn't paying attention to her lesson.

If she weren't worried about what Sherlock might say next, she would have already made a death prophecy by now.

However, Harry's next words almost broke her: "Excuse me, sir, what did you mean by 'suffered from'—?"

"Saturn, my dear Saturn!"

Professor Trelawney said she was clearly annoyed to see Harry's indifference to the news.

"As I just said, at the moment you were born, Saturn must have been the dominant planet in the sky..."

Your black hair... your slender figure...

And you lost your parents when you were still an infant...

I can assure you, darling, that you were born in winter.

“No,” Harry said expressionlessly, “my birthday is in July.”

Ron almost burst out laughing, but quickly managed to hold it in.

Professor Trelawney did not feel embarrassed by his incorrect assertion.

"Something must have interfered with my judgment, but that's not important..."

Half an hour later, Professor Trelawney handed out a complex circular chart to each person, asking them to fill in the position of the planet at the time of their birth.

Obviously, this is a tedious and boring job, requiring the calculation of many tedious times and angles.

However, for Sherlock, this was much simpler; he simply applied a formula, which was more scientific than subjective divination methods like tea leaves, palmistry, or crystal balls.

But Harry and Ron are different.

Just a moment later, Harry looked at his parchment and frowned. "I have two Neptunes here. That can't be right, can it?"

Harry was asking Sherlock, but Ron started mimicking Professor Trelawney's whispered, mysterious tone:

“Darling, when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it definitely means a little guy wearing glasses is about to be born, Harry…”

Simo and Dean were drawing right next to them when they heard this and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

They immediately realized something was wrong and quickly covered their mouths with their hands.

However, they didn't need to worry at all, because their laughter wasn't even enough to drown out Lavender Brown's excited screams—

"Oh, professor, look!"

I have a planet whose location is uncertain!
"Oh dear, what kind of star is this, Professor?"

"It's Uranus, darling."

Professor Trelawney looked down at the charts and said.

What was originally just a very ordinary teacher-student conversation turned into a fatal mistake by Ron.

He said to Lavender Brown, "Could I also take a look at Uranus, Lavender?"

Lavender's face immediately turned as red as an apple.

Harry and a group of boys nearby stared at Ron in surprise.

Ximo's eyes were filled with shock.

Goodness, last class I was saying Dean was driving, turns out you're the real pro!

“I suspect you’re driving, and I have evidence.”

Unfortunately, Professor Trelawney happened to overhear him.

Perhaps that's why she assigned so much homework to them before the end of get out of class.

“Refer to your respective charts and analyze in detail the planetary movements that will affect you next month.”

She spoke sternly, her voice unlike her usual ethereal and dreamlike self, sounding more like Professor McGonagall's.

"It must be submitted by next Monday, and no excuses are allowed!"

"That annoying old man."

They blended into the flow of people going downstairs. Back in the auditorium for dinner, Ron said bitterly, "We're going to waste the whole weekend, this..."

"It's all your fault."

Harry said irritably.

To be honest, he didn't even realize what Ron was talking about at the time.

It wasn't until he saw Lavender suddenly blush and Simo gave him a timely reminder that he realized what was happening.

(End of this chapter)