Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 527 I Need Your Help

Hermione wasn't surprised at all by Harry's surprised look.

She then repeated it word for word:
"Hey, have you ever thought about dating Ginny?"

Harry stared at Hermione, stunned for a long moment before he reacted.

"Hermione, you know me."

He said somewhat awkwardly, "Of course I never thought that way. I've always treated Ginny like a little sister."

"Of course."

Hermione smiled and said, "You've always done a great job as a brother, even better than Ron, your own brother, but..."

At this point, Hermione suddenly changed the subject:
"What I mean is, have you ever considered that Ginny doesn't actually want you to be her brother?"

Or rather, she doesn't want you to just be her brother.

Harry finally understood.

However, even though he understood, he quickly began shaking his head frantically:
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

He looked at Hermione and said firmly:

Hermione, I know you've always been very smart.

But you still don't understand when it comes to relationships.

How could Ginny think like that? She's so young!

Hermione couldn't help but laugh when she heard Harry say he didn't understand.

"So you really don't understand..."

You know what? Ginny never really gave up on you.

Hermione looked at Harry and said softly:

"She never truly gave up; she always held onto hope..."

I told her to get involved in life, try to interact with others, and relax a bit around you.

I think you should remember, right? Before, whenever you were in the house, she couldn't even speak.

I think if Ginny had more of a sense of self, you might have noticed her more.

Harry looked at Hermione, and even if he were slow to realize, it was time for him to understand that Hermione wasn't joking.

"Hermione, you..."

“Ginny has actually done a great job. If nothing unexpected happens, she will definitely be able to be with you in the future, and things will fall into place naturally…”

But neither she nor I expected that Qiu Zhang would suddenly appear in your world.

Hermione paused, then continued:

"Did you know that I was involved in the entire process of solving Qiu Zhang's eyeshadow case?"

But when Penelope brought Cho to thank Sherlock, I was worried that Sherlock would end up with her!

At this point, Hermione laughed self-deprecatingly:

"It turns out I was overthinking it."

Sherlock had no such idea whatsoever.

But none of us expected that you and Qiu would hit it off so well and stay together until today.

So Harry, you like Cho, right?

Harry was stumped by Hermione's question.

Do I like autumn or not?
Is that even a question? Of course I like it!

She is not only beautiful, but also brave, upright, and kind...

Harry could hardly find a single flaw in her.

But wouldn't anyone like a girl like that?

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Ginny has become a little different since we went to Hogsmeade that day.”

Harry nodded slightly, recalling Ginny's changes.

Since her return from Hogsmeade, she was no longer so uneasy; instead, she had become more resolute, and her eyes held a brilliance he had never noticed before.

Hermione saw this and a smile of encouragement appeared on her lips:

“You see, Harry, this is why I’m reminding you.”

Ginny doesn't have the same feelings for you as a sister would for a brother; she needs you to treat her like a real girl.

The world of emotions isn't always black and white.

She paused, then continued in a gentle tone:
"Think about it, if Qiu hadn't appeared, what would you have chosen?"

Ginny has always been by your side, silently supporting you, like an undiscovered treasure.

Harry, I think you need to get to know her again, to see her as a girl, not just your sister.

Ginny being given a chance might just be the first step in helping her emerge from the shadows.

Harry looked at Hermione, his mind flashing back and forth between Ginny's image and Cho Chang's radiant smile.

He rubbed his already messy black hair in frustration, his voice low and strained:
Hermione... I understand what you mean.

Even if Ginny's feelings for me... might... actually go beyond just sisterly affection..."

"It's not just possible, it's certain!"

Hermione took a half step forward, her voice unusually urgent, not even noticing that Harry subconsciously shrank back.

"I already confirmed with her this morning!"

Harry frowned, a hint of resistance in his voice: "Even so, I like Cho now, and I can't just give up because of this..."

He didn't understand why Hermione had told him this.

Isn't this just making things difficult for myself?
Now that I know about this, it's true, just like Hermione said, that it's hard to treat her like a sister anymore. And then what?
I can't just give up on Qiu Zhang because of this, can I?
Besides, after Hermione's actions, I'm afraid I'll feel awkward every time I see Ginny in the future.

"I didn't ask you to give up on Qiu!"

Hermione interrupted him at that moment.

However, she paused for a moment before speaking.

Her fingertips unconsciously clenched the hem of her robe, and the tips of her ears turned slightly red, as if she realized that her tone had been too harsh.

But before Harry could reply, she hurriedly continued, avoiding his gaze and looking at the reeds by the lake:
"I'm not trying to force you to treat her like a girl, it's just... don't confine her to the label of 'little sister' anymore."

You may not like her, but at least don't ignore her feelings—that would be too cruel to her.

Her feelings for you are no joke, you should at least…

Hermione, can you please listen to me first?

Harry finally couldn't help but interrupt her, his brows furrowing even more deeply:
“This is confusing me, and... you seem to only be thinking about Ginny.”

Harry's words were like a pebble thrown into water, and Hermione's speech suddenly slowed down.

She opened her mouth, but the reasoning she had prepared suddenly stopped, and the fingers gripping the hem of her robe loosened and tightened again.

After a moment, she took a deep breath, took half a step back, and slowed her speech:
"Feel sorry……"

Her fingertips unconsciously brushed against her forehead, her gaze returning to the crumpled hem of her robe, and her voice softened:

"I just... Ginny has been hiding it for too long. Seeing that she clearly likes you, but can only watch you be nice to others, I got a little anxious... so anxious that I forgot to ask if you wanted to hear it."

The certainty in his tone had diminished considerably, replaced by a hint of uncertainty that he himself was unaware of.

Harry was stunned.

After all, this was the first time he had seen Hermione like this.

A sense of panic lurked beneath her assertiveness, and an apology was hidden within her composure.

But he had to admit that, even so, Hermione's words were like a pebble thrown into calm water, creating unprecedented ripples in his heart.

At least her description of her relationship with Qiu Zhang is objective.

Even though their relationship now seems to be reduced to just a thin veil, but...

If it's not broken through, then it's not broken through.

“However, there’s one thing you haven’t even considered—that’s Ron.” Harry stared at the ripples on the lake, his voice turning somber. “If he finds out…”

Hermione's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she only let out a soft "Oh".

She didn't have time to think about Ron's reaction; her mind was filled with Ginny's grievances.

Harry fell silent as well.

He felt a mix of confusion and helplessness.

Since it was still quite early, there was no one else by the lake besides them.

So all that remained were the faint sounds of breathing and the gentle breeze.

After a long while, Harry seemed to be startled awake and suddenly raised his head.

A complex emotion still lingered in his green eyes, but he no longer wanted to discuss the topic.

He needs to move forward.

"cough!"

Harry cleared his slightly dry throat:

"Alright, Hermione, I understand what you mean..."

I will try my best to be careful; I mean, I will consider it carefully…

"Oh, right! Now it's my turn to tell you something!"

At this point, Harry's voice suddenly became lighter.

He vaguely brushed the topic aside, which made Hermione frown in annoyance.

But seeing Harry change the subject, she realized she couldn't continue.

At this moment, all he could do was silently say to himself, "Ginny, this is all I can do to help you."

"So you're going to tell me what happened last night?"

She was indeed very interested in what happened when Sherlock and Harry went to see Hagrid last night.

After all, the fact that Harry was so eager to explain things to him just now must mean something interesting.

But to Hermione's surprise, Harry's opening line was a bombshell:
“We met Gemma Farley last night!”

Σ(｀д′*ノ)ノ

At that moment, Hermione's eyes changed instantly.

Noticing that Hermione's pupils contracted noticeably, Harry continued:

"That's right, it's Gemma, she's back!"
She looked well, and... well, she even asked about Sherlock.

o(￣皿￣///)
"Harry, did you do this on purpose?"

Hermione gritted her teeth and said each word carefully.

Seeing that his friend was already showing signs of anxiety and frustration, Harry stopped teasing her, but he felt quite relieved.

The two walked along the lake for a long time, and Harry told Hermione everything about the dragon and what Gemma, Hagrid, and Charlie had said.

Harry spoke while carefully observing Hermione's reaction.

At this moment, it seemed he had found a breakthrough to turn the tide, and he deliberately lowered his voice to encourage him:

"That's why I'm saying, it's no use just worrying about me and Ginny, you should also take care of yourself!"
Sherlock is such a blockhead when it comes to emotions, Hermione, you need to take the initiative!

See, Gemma specifically asked about him as soon as she got back; isn't that a perfect opportunity?

"Opportunity? What opportunity?"

This time, it was Hermione's turn to ask Harry to make his point more clear.

Harry smiled slightly: "You'll have to find a way to teach him a lesson, just like you're teaching me one now."

Some feelings need an external push to reveal their true nature.

"Harry, are you kidding me?"

Hermione stared at her best friend, speechless.
"Me, to reprimand Sherlock?"

But then, thinking about the second half of Harry's sentence, Hermione immediately realized that Harry was referring to her!
Sure enough, Harry looked at Hermione and smiled:

"I'm not kidding anymore. You'd better hurry up and find an opportunity to act."

They will meet after the first project is completed.

"Thank you for telling me this, Harry."

You're absolutely right. In this world where tomorrow is increasingly uncertain, we should indeed hold onto some tangible emotions and connections that are within our reach.

Even if... the final answer isn't always the same.

Hermione took a deep breath: "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore—the most important thing right now is to figure out how to deal with the dragon."

Harry was taken aback when he heard this.

Hermione, why does she sound like Sherlock Holmes when she talks?
She adjusted her mindset much faster than she had imagined.

However, Hermione's next words made Harry understand the reason:
"First, make sure you both survive until Tuesday night, then we can think about other things."

By the time Harry and Hermione hurried back to the Great Hall, it was already empty.

They stopped at the door. Hermione instinctively tidied her wind-blown brown curls, while Harry scratched the back of his head.

The two exchanged a brief glance, reached an agreement without much further discussion, and turned to walk towards the library.

Sure enough, they spotted Sherlock sitting in the second-to-last row by the window.

He was laying a thick leather-bound book open on the table, his fingertips holding a quill pen as he quickly wrote something on the parchment.

It was clear that Sherlock's expression was somewhat impatient at this moment.

But he still seemed very happy when he saw Harry and Hermione.

When the two of them came to him, Sherlock's gaze swept over Harry's somewhat messy black hair and then landed on Hermione's face.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear: "I thought you would arrive earlier; I'm getting a little impatient."

"Sherlock, we..."

Harry was about to explain when Sherlock waved his hand:

“I know you’ve already told Hermione about it. You’ve come at the perfect time. Let’s get started now.”

"Start?" Harry stared at Sherlock in surprise, somewhat unable to follow his train of thought.

"To deal with a fire dragon, you must first understand it."

As Sherlock spoke, he reached out and pushed the book on the table toward the two of them. The pages of the book had blurry illustrations of fire dragons. It was a book called "The Man Who Dotes on Fire Dragons".

His fingertip lightly tapped the image, his tone tinged with regret:

Unfortunately, our current knowledge rarely covers this area.

As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes sharpened:
“Harry, go find Cedric and tell him what happened last night, then go find Miss Zhang.”

"Autumn?"

Harry was stunned again.

Having just discussed this issue with Hermione, his brows furrowed unconsciously, and his fingers involuntarily tightened around the hem of his shirt.

"Yes, Ravenclaw has a lot of knowledge base type talents, you need to ask her for help."

Sherlock nodded, then added:

"However, we must remind Cedric and Miss Zhang to keep this a secret, otherwise our big friend will be in trouble."

Harry nodded vigorously immediately.

Both morally and logically, they couldn't let Hagrid get into trouble because of this.

Once Harry had disappeared outside the door, Sherlock turned back to Hermione, his eyes sparkling:

“Dear Hermione, I need your help.”

“I have always done this, dear Sherlock.”

Hermione responded softly, a faint smile playing on her lips.

(End of this chapter)