Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 553 I'm afraid Sherlock will misunderstand
When Viktor Krum invited Hermione to dance, only to be firmly rejected, the guy got really upset.

He pointed to Sherlock dancing gracefully with Gemma in the center of the dance floor, his voice tinged with a hint of grievance and urgency:

"If I were your dance partner, I would never leave you behind to dance with other girls unless you asked me to!"

Hermione's face darkened when she heard Krum's words, which implied an accusation against Sherlock.

She frowned slightly, and even her previously polite tone turned colder:

“Mr. Krum, this is between Sherlock and me, it’s none of your business.”

Krum quickly realized he might have touched a nerve with Hermione and hurriedly explained:

“I’m sorry, Hermione, I didn’t… I didn’t mean that, I meant to say…”

"Just call me Granger."

Hermione interrupted him calmly, but the hint of aloofness in her eyes did not disappear:

"It is Sherlock's freedom to dance with others, and it is also my freedom not to accept your invitation."

Hermione's words caused Krum's face to darken, like the sun being obscured by clouds.

Seeing him like this, Hermione couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

She could sense Krum's sincerity.

But she only had the respect of a friend for this boy.

Strictly speaking, we can't even be considered friends now.

However, the other party had already extended an invitation to me before the Christmas ball, that is, before I transformed from an ugly duckling into a swan.

So in the end, he's still different from those superficial guys who only look at appearances.

However, this reluctance lasted only a second before she quickly hardened her heart.

The more this is the case, the less she can give the other person hope.

After all, the longer it drags on, the greater the damage to him will be.

However, Krum refused to give up. With a hint of pleading, he called Hermione's name again in his accented voice:
“Hermi-en…”

"I'm sorry, please don't invite me again," Hermione said, taking a deep breath, but steeling herself. "I'm afraid Sherlock will misunderstand."

Krum: (;Д`)
Hermione's words were like a bolt from the blue for Krum.

His eyes were filled with shock and disappointment; his lips moved, but no sound came out.

A relationship he had secretly longed for for a long time ended completely before it even truly began.

It felt as if something had struck his heart hard, and he immediately cried out in his mind:

"No—Hermione—No—!"

Krum was already a world-class Quidditch superstar, and now he's the Warrior of the Triwizard Tournament and the captain of Durmstrang. Naturally, many people are watching his every move.

Especially members of Krum's fan club.

So when they saw Krum come to invite Hermione, they all cast hateful and jealous glances at Hermione.

After watching Krum leave dejectedly, they felt both relieved and contemptuous.

This mentality is actually easy to understand.

The hatred stemmed from the fact that Hermione had gained Krum's favor.

Jealousy is the wish that person could be yourself.

Thankfully, Hermione rejected Krum.

Disdain stems from the feeling that Hermione is not qualified to do this.

However, in any case, they can only convey their complex emotions through their eyes.

They wouldn't dare to come up and cause trouble for Hermione.

After all, this is the dance partner chosen by a champion of Hogwarts—we can't afford to mess with him!

Watching Krum's dejected figure leave, Luna tilted her head and looked at Hermione, her tone tinged with curiosity:
"Why would Sherlock misunderstand when he invited you?"

Hermione: "..."

She opened her mouth, but found that she didn't know how to explain it to Luna.

These feelings of caring and possessiveness might be too complicated for Luna.

She could only purse her lips helplessly and remain silent.

Just then, another boy walked quickly up to Hermione.

He was wearing a gray tuxedo, his hair was neatly combed, and he had a slightly nervous smile on his face.

Hermione recognized him quickly.

With black hair, brown eyes, and fair skin, he was Michael Corner, a Ravenclaw half-blood wizard in their class.

We often bumped into each other at the library, so we had some recollection of each other, but we were just nodding acquaintances.

"Miss Granger."

Michael's voice was slightly strained. He bowed slightly, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over Hermione's dress:

"Excuse me, may I ask you to dance for me?"

Hermione knew in her heart that this was the boy she had just used to compare with Krum.

He invited me because I was acting so unusually today.

Hermione gave a soft snort in her heart, but on the surface she maintained a polite smile and gently shook her head:

“I’m sorry, Mr. Conner, I don’t want to dance right now. Thank you for the invitation.”

Michael's smile froze instantly.

He paused for a moment, then said somewhat awkwardly, "It's okay," before turning and leaving in a hurry.

Over the next ten minutes or so, several more boys came up and asked Hermione to dance.

There was Seamus Finegan of Gryffindor, Ernie McMillan of Hufflepuff, and several upperclassmen whose names she couldn't recall.

Hermione politely declined them all.

The reasons given were mostly "I don't want to dance" or "I'm waiting for my dance partner".

"You rejected them all because you were worried Sherlock would misunderstand?"

After another older boy left with a disappointed expression, Luna asked again.

She was still playing with the feather-adorned headband in her hand, her eyes full of curiosity.

"That's one aspect."

Hermione sighed and said this.

She felt it was better not to tell Luna about the guys who invited her out because of her looks, which she found superficial.

Otherwise, given Luna's straightforward personality, she might just blurt this out in front of those people one day, and that would make everyone look bad.

"Besides, I only wanted to dance with my partner today."

"It's Sherlock!"

Luna immediately clapped her hands, a "I understand" expression on her face, her eyes sparkling:
"Don't worry, after I finish this dance with him, I'll give him to you!"
Then you can keep dancing and dancing and dancing... until the Christmas ball is over!

“We’re not toads…” Hermione replied, somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Okay, so when does the Christmas ball end again?"

"Midnight."

Despite saying that, Hermione still felt a sweet warmth creep into her heart because of Luna's words.

Just then, the second song by the Quirky Sisters band ended, and the cheerful music gradually subsided.

Gemma took Sherlock's hand and walked towards Hermione and Luna.

Her cheeks were flushed slightly from dancing, and her breathing was a little more rapid than usual, but she still maintained her elegant posture.

“Miss Lovegood,” Gemma said with a gentle smile to Luna, “how about letting Sherlock rest for a while?”
The third piece is even faster-paced than the previous ones; it's a quickstep dance that requires a lot of physical exertion.

"Okay, okay!" Luna clapped her hands immediately in agreement. She looked at Sherlock with anticipation in her eyes: "Will Sherlock have more energy after resting for a while?"

Gemma looked at Luna with interest: "What you mean by 'you're saying it with more fervor'?"

"So, after resting for a while, will you still have the energy to dance the quickstep with me?"

Luna looked at Sherlock with great interest, "Like stepping on those Blasttails that Hagrid cultivated?"

"Of course, Luna."

Sherlock nodded, sat down in the empty seat next to Hermione, and subtly moved his wrists.

Gemma's gaze swept gently over Hermione and Luna, and she casually picked up a glass of water from the small round table next to her and handed it to Sherlock.

"In that case, you need to drink some water—you still have to deal with the 'Bomb Tail Dance' later."

Her actions and words were not deliberately targeted or boastful; they simply conveyed the feeling of caring for her dance partner.

But the familiarity and naturalness she felt after dancing with Sherlock still made Hermione unconsciously tighten her grip on her sleeve.

"Thank you."

Sherlock took the water glass and calmly turned to Hermione. "What happened just now? You turned down so many invitations?"

This single sentence reveals that even while dancing with Gemma, Sherlock did not forget to observe his surroundings.

Hermione had just come to her senses and was about to speak when Luna spoke first.

She spoke in a tone as if she had discovered a new and wondrous creature:

"Oh! A lot of people came up to Hermione wanting to dance just now!"
There's Durmstrang's Krum, and also Conner, Finigan, McMillan... ah, there are quite a few!"

Hermione's cheeks flushed instantly. She glanced at Sherlock in a flustered manner and quickly whispered to Luna:

"Luna!"

"But Hermione refused them all!"

Luna completely missed Hermione's awkwardness; instead, her voice became even clearer.

She tilted her head, amusement on her face, and continued, "That's what Hermione said..."

She mimicked Hermione's tone when she rejected Krum, trying to make her voice sound calm and firm:
“I’m sorry, please don’t invite me again in the future. I’m afraid Sherlock will misunderstand!”

boom!
As soon as Luna finished speaking, Hermione's cheeks instantly turned hot, and her face flushed a bright red.

At this moment, she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, or simply give Luna a tongue-locking and throat-locking spell.

She dared not look at Sherlock's expression at that moment, and could only stare intently at her knees, her fingers twisting tightly together.

Gemma blinked, paused for a moment, then a knowing smile appeared in her sea-blue eyes.

That smile was gentle and open, without any mischievousness, but rather with a hint of understanding of the girl's thoughts.

She glanced at Hermione, who was extremely embarrassed, and then at Sherlock, who remained calm, before a clear smile finally appeared on her face.

At that moment, she couldn't help but recall the words she had said to Hermione when she graduated.

As for Sherlock, he appeared calm, but his hand holding the water glass paused slightly in mid-air.

His gaze swept over Hermione's profile, which was almost buried in her chest in extreme embarrassment, and he nodded slightly.

"I see."

I see?

What does this mean?
Hermione looked up abruptly and saw Sherlock slowly take a sip of water from his glass.

His expression remained completely unreadable, as if Luna had simply recounted tonight's weather.

None of the man and three women continued speaking.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat ambiguous and subtle.

However, this brief, delicate atmosphere did not last long and was soon broken.

It's Luna.

She was completely oblivious to Hermione's embarrassment and Gemma's smile.

Suddenly, she stood up and enthusiastically reached out to pull Sherlock:

"Is five minutes up? Can we go dance now? The quickstep is about to begin!"

"Yes, the timing is perfect."

Sherlock put down his water glass, took Luna's outstretched hand, and used it to stand up.

He looked down at Gemma and Hermione, who were still frozen in place:
"We'll go first."

It was the same response that didn't surprise Gemma and Hermione at all.

His voice was calm and composed, without the slightest hint of emotion, as if he weren't the person who had just been misunderstood.

Hermione nodded somewhat awkwardly.

Gemma smiled gently at Sherlock and Luna.

The two watched as Sherlock took Luna's hand and walked towards the dance floor.

The quirky sisters' upbeat and cheerful fast-paced dance music had already begun playing.

As soon as they entered the dance floor, Luna excitedly pulled Sherlock around and started spinning him around.

Her dance moves were indeed full of unconventional leaps, as if she were stepping on a giant sea snail.

Ron had been tormented by this posture before, when he wasn't in this state, and now it's even worse.

However, Sherlock's performance remained consistently strong.

Not only can it keep up with Luna's pace, but it can also innovate and accurately guide her into the next step.

Even now, Hermione's blush had not completely faded.

She watched Sherlock guiding the exuberant Luna on the dance floor, her eyes swirling with complex emotions.

There was annoyance at Luna's bluntness, and extreme embarrassment at having his thoughts exposed in public.

But deeper still, there was a hidden unease and panic that even she herself had not fully grasped.

Just like the ripples that constantly spread on the calm surface of a lake after a stone has been thrown in.

The phrase Luna had loudly repeated, "I'm afraid Sherlock will misunderstand," echoed repeatedly in her mind, leaving her deeply disturbed.

She glanced at Gemma beside her again, only to see the latter gracefully observing the dance floor, her eyes clear and open, without a trace of gloom or pride.

This only made Hermione's feelings even more complicated and indescribable.

“Gemma, I…”

“My dear Hermione, you don’t need to explain anything.”

Upon hearing Hermione's words, Gemma withdrew her gaze from the dance floor and smiled, saying:

"I think you did the right thing, there's nothing to be ashamed of."

"But……"

"I've always believed that relationships shouldn't be messy or unresolved. In situations like this, you shouldn't give the other person any chance to misunderstand."

Gemma looked at Hermione and said quietly:

“It’s not just you who’s afraid Sherlock will misunderstand; I’m afraid too.”

"What do you mean?"

Gemma smiled and turned her head.

Hermione immediately followed her gaze and was taken aback.

But then they saw several boys walking towards them.

Hermione was all too familiar with that look and posture; all the people who had just come to invite her had been like that.

However, this time the target was Gemma.

(End of this chapter)