Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 550 The Performance Time Has Arrived

Chapter 550 The Performance Time Has Arrived
"Enough, Poliaco!"

Surprisingly, it was not Sherlock who interrupted Lucas Poliaco, a student of Durmstrang.

It was their principal, Karkarov.

Karkarov stared at Poliaco with a gloomy look, showing no respect whatsoever for the opponent, who was a contestant in the three-way battle for supremacy.

He said coldly, "Don't reveal any more secrets, or this charming lady will find out where we are!"

Upon hearing Karkaroff's words, Dumbledore's eyes behind his half-moon spectacles sparkled.

He glanced at Sherlock almost imperceptibly, then smiled:

"Igor, if you keep this secret so tightly, people will think you don't welcome visitors!"

Karkaroff grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth:
"Dumbledore, we all want to protect our own private property, don't we?"

After saying this, without waiting for Dumbledore's reply, he continued in rapid succession:
"Shouldn't we carefully protect the school halls entrusted to us?"
Shouldn't we be proud that only we know the school's secrets?

Shouldn't we keep these secrets?

“Oh, I would never dare to claim that I myself know all the secrets of Hogwarts, Igor.”

Dumbledore, however, remained quite friendly in the face of Karkaroff's nonsense.
"For example, this morning, I took the wrong turn when I went to the toilet and found myself in a beautifully decorated room that I had never seen before."

The room was filled with all sorts of exquisite and luxurious chamber pots.

But when I went back to investigate carefully, I found that the room had disappeared.

But I must keep a close eye on it. It can probably only get in around 5:30 in the morning.

Or it may only appear during the crescent moon phase.

Of course, it could also be when someone looking for a toilet has a particularly full bladder.

Sherlock, Harry, and Hermione understood each other perfectly.

It is obvious that Dumbledore was referring to the Room of Requirement.

Just as Gemma once said, this room is sometimes there and sometimes it doesn't; it only appears when you really need it.

But whenever it appears, it is always arranged in the way that the user needs it.

When Dumbledore needed to use the toilet, it became a restroom.

However, Dumbledore didn't know the correct way to enter it, so when he went back to look for it, he naturally couldn't find it.

"Once out, they found their boat, and followed the path, marking it at every turn."

Upon arriving at the prefecture, he went to see the prefect and explained the situation.

The prefect immediately sent men to follow him, searching for the path he had marked, but they became lost and could not find the way again.

Just then, Qiu Zhang, moved by something, suddenly murmured a passage to himself.

Harry, who had been secretly smiling at his plate of Hungarian beef stew, was taken aback by Cho Chang's words:
"Qiu, what were you just saying?"

Having overheard Cho Chang talking to her parents before, Harry realized that Cho Chang had just been speaking Chinese.

"This is a story about a fisherman who, one day, got lost and found a secluded place..."

Qiu Zhang first briefly recounted the first half of "The Peach Blossom Spring," and then summarized:
"This place is similar to the room Mr. Dumbledore just described, which has everything people want."

Later, after the fisherman came out, he found his boat and went back along the old route, marking the way at every turn.

Upon arriving in the prefecture, he immediately visited the prefect and reported his experience.

Unfortunately, when the prefect sent men to follow him and find the marks he had made before, they still lost their way and could no longer find the path to Peach Blossom Spring.

Cho Chang was originally only talking to Harry, but when she started telling her story, everyone put down their cutlery and listened attentively.

It's obvious that everyone is very interested in this story.

Karkarov, who had just reprimanded Lucas Poliako, seemed uninterested.

However, seeing the expressions on the faces of the others, he ultimately said nothing.

Despite being stared at by everyone, Qiu Zhang remained completely unfazed and confidently finished telling the entire story.

However, despite Cho Chang's best efforts to explain in a way that Harry could understand, most people still looked completely bewildered after hearing her explanation.

Only a few people, such as Dumbledore, Sherlock, and Hermione, showed thoughtful expressions.

Seeing this, Qiu Zhang simply offered a further explanation:
"The story we just told is called 'The Peach Blossom Spring,' which is the preface to 'The Peach Blossom Spring Poems,' one of the representative works of Tao Yuanming, a writer from the Eastern Jin Dynasty."

This article uses the trail of the fisherman from Wuling as a clue to connect reality and the ideal realm.

Through its depiction of the peaceful, harmonious, free, and egalitarian life in Peach Blossom Spring, the author expresses his ideal of a better life and his dissatisfaction with the realities of his time.

Now everyone finally understood.

Dumbledore immediately smiled and said:

"That mysterious and ancient country, with its profound and long history, always brings surprises to people."

Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Karkaroff, who said, "But what meaning do these things have for us?"

“You are right, Professor Karkarov.”

Qiu Zhang smiled faintly and said this.

However, Harry noticed a fleeting hint of disdain in Cho Chang's eyes.

He immediately realized that Qiu Zhang didn't really think that way.

This surprised him somewhat.

He thought Qiu Zhang had always been very gentle, but he never expected her to be like this.

After that topic ended, everyone started chatting again.

However, Lucas Poliacco did not speak to Cho Chang this time.

One reason is that he had just been reprimanded by his own principal.

On the other hand, Qiu Zhang's words just now made him feel somewhat ashamed.

The person on the other end is just too powerful.

Fleur Delacour is criticizing the decor of Hogwarts.

"This is really nothing."

She glanced at the star-studded walls surrounding the auditorium and said dismissively:

“At Beauxbatons Castle, our chapel is filled with ice sculptures at Christmas.”

Of course, they won't melt... just like giant diamond statues, sparkling in the auditorium.

Furthermore, our food is top-notch.

We also have the Mountain Fairy Choir, who sing serenades for us while we eat.

We don't have any of those ugly suits of armor along the walls. If some prankster ghost wandered into Beauxbatons, it would be kicked out, just like this.

She said this impatiently and slammed her hand on the table.

Cedric frowned upon hearing this.

After Furong finished speaking, he slowly put down the silver fork in his hand, looked at Furong and smiled, saying:

“Miss Delacour, please allow me to share a different perspective.”

Furong was somewhat surprised, seemingly not expecting Cedric to directly refute her.

Cedric's tone was steady, neither offensive nor lacking in strength:
"The ice sculptures and fairy choir at Beauxbatons Castle sound absolutely wonderful; it's undoubtedly a unique magical spectacle. I have complete faith in your school's brilliance, however..."

He glanced around the star-studded auditorium, his gaze sweeping over the magical glow shimmering on the walls:
"The charm of Hogwarts lies in another kind of depth."

Those ugly suits of armor you speak of are actually witnesses to a thousand years of history, silently guarding the stories of countless generations of students.

Although our sky is a man-made magical dome, it faithfully reflects the changing weather outside, allowing us, who are inside the ancient stone walls, to feel the changing seasons, the wind and rain, and the sunshine and gloom.

This close connection to the history of magic, and its resonance with natural magic, is an irreplaceable part of Hogwarts.

Seeing that Furong frowned, he didn't stop, but continued speaking:

"I think rather than comparing which is better or worse, Beauxbatons showcases the exquisite romance and splendor of France, while Hogwarts exudes the antiquity, weight and mystery of Britain."

Each of them has its own captivating charm; they are all precious treasures of the magical world.

Cedric's words were sincere and persuasive, prompting the warriors of Hogwarts and Beauxbatons to nod in agreement.

Just then, a voice that sounded somewhat casual interrupted:
"When it comes to food alone, France certainly has its unique features."

Sherlock pointed at something on his plate with the tip of his fork, his gray eyes sweeping over Hibiscus, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"For example, their baked snails have a wonderfully balanced combination of butter, garlic, and herbs."

Upon hearing this, Furong's body trembled slightly.

As the saying goes, what is said without intention may be taken to heart by the listener.

She had absolutely no idea why Sherlock would bring this up at this time.

Although what Sherlock said was true, she always felt that Sherlock wouldn't speak without reason.

That's why, when Cedric mentioned the comparison between the two schools, she was able to maintain her outward arrogance, even with a hint of disdain in her eyes.

But whenever Sherlock's voice rang out, especially when he mentioned French food, she always felt that he was looking at her with a half-smile.

At that moment, Furong seemed to be instantly pulled back to the scene by the Black Lake where she was ruthlessly exposed.

"Of course, France's culinary expertise is an undeniable art."

After that statement, she stopped commenting on the decor and furnishings of Hogwarts.

Since Harry and Hermione already knew Fleur's secret from Sherlock, they weren't surprised to see her expression like that.

After saying that, Sherlock ignored Fleur and began to look around the hall.

Aside from eating, Krum's eyes were always on Hermione.

Since Hermione told her that Krum had invited her to be his dance partner, she was not at all surprised by his reaction.

Toby Torsen and Lucas Poliaco were talking in hushed tones, occasionally glancing furtively at Cho Chang.

The three women's dance partners were all female students from Durmstrang University, with delicate features and broad shoulders, and they all looked sullen at the moment.

The situation was more normal for Loy Lefan and Philie Laven; both of them were talking quietly with their dance partners.

Their dance partners were from Hogwarts. Sherlock recognized the girl as Ravenclaw and the boy as Hufflepuff.

Besides the table, what attracted his attention most was naturally the big guy, Rupert Hagrid, who was just like Ms. Maxim.

Today he wore that ugly, fuzzy brown suit again.

Since he was not a member of the judging panel, he was sitting at the same faculty table as the other professors.

At that moment, he was looking up at the main table, his gaze fixed solely on Ms. Maxim.

Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Sprout, and they both seemed very happy.

This is only to be expected, as their star pupil was not only selected as a warrior in the Triwizard Tournament, but also won first place in the first event, making a great impression.

Professor Snape was staring coldly at Karkaroff with his sinister gaze, but his reflexes were very sharp.

When Sherlock's gaze swept over him, he almost immediately looked away.

And his gaze met Sherlock's for a fleeting moment before he looked away.

Professor Lupin was the complete opposite of Professor Snape; he always had that gentle demeanor. When he saw Sherlock's gaze, he not only smiled at him but also waved.

As for Professor Flitwick.

Sorry, even Sherlock can only see a pointed hat at this moment.

“He, Hemi-on”.

Just then, Krum finally mustered up his courage and looked at Hermione, as if he was about to say something to her.

"No, my name is Hermione."

Hermione was somewhat surprised, but still spoke very politely.

"Hermione?"

"Never mind, just call me Granger."

Hermione glanced quickly at Sherlock and then said.

However, Krum refused to compromise and continued practicing, so Hermione let him be.

After a while, they finished eating.

Dumbledore stood up and told the students to stand up as well.