Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 555 One Man and Three Women

"I don't understand." The deep male voice carried a hint of impatience, like a frozen lake in winter, chilling to the bone.

“Severus, you can’t pretend none of this happened!” Another voice was more urgent, with barely concealed panic, each word seeming to be squeezed out of his throat.

“Igor, why are you making such a fuss?” Snape’s voice carried a hint of sarcasm, as if mocking the other’s impatience.

"Why? You're actually asking me why?"

Karkaroff's voice suddenly rose, then quickly fell back down, as if afraid of being overheard:
“It’s become increasingly obvious over the past few months—I’m very worried now, I can’t deny it—”

"Then let's run away, let's run away—"

In stark contrast to Karkaroff, Snape's voice was as cold as ice: "I will make excuses for you, but I still want to stay at Hogwarts."

Gemma and Qiu Zhang, who were hiding behind the rose bushes, looked at each other in surprise.

They were very clever; as soon as they heard footsteps coming from behind the bushes, they immediately held their breath and stopped talking.

Unexpectedly, they stumbled upon such a secret conversation, and even more unexpectedly, the speakers were Snape and Karkaroff.

One was the Slytherin Potions professor who always had a stern face, and the other was the headmaster of Durmstrang.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the "swish" sound of a wand being waved came from the other end of the path.

Snape and Karkaroff had already turned the corner. Snape held his wand in his hand, the tip of which gleamed coldly. He gently raised it towards the rose bushes blocking their path.

The dense flower branches parted to the sides with a "whoosh," revealing several pairs of students who had been startled behind them.

Snape's face was as hard as an iron plate, his brows furrowed, and his expression was extremely unpleasant.

"Ten points deducted from Ravenclaw, Fawcett!"

A blonde girl ran past him in a panic, Snape said fiercely.

The girl stumbled and almost fell.

Immediately afterward, another brown-haired boy chased after the girl. Snape's gaze swept over them, his tone still icy:
"Hufflepuff also loses ten points, Stebbins!"

The boy's face flushed red instantly, but he didn't dare to argue and could only lower his head and run away hastily.

After dealing with the students, Snape's gaze finally fell on Gemma and Cho Chang on the path ahead.

He frowned, his dark eyes scrutinizing him: "What are you doing here?"

Compared to Snape, Karkaroff seemed much more panicked upon seeing Gemma and Cho Chang.

He nervously reached out to touch his goatee, then twirled it around his fingers.

"It's been a long time, Professor Snape."

Gemma smiled and said, "We felt a bit stuffy in the auditorium, so we came out for a walk. We didn't expect to run into you here."

She deliberately ignored Karkaroff's unusual behavior and made no mention of the conversation she had just overheard.

"Miss Farley, when did you and Miss Zhang become so close?"

Snape's gaze shifted strangely between Gemma and Cho Chang, as if he found it odd that the two had come together.

"As far as I know, you haven't even gone to see the Slytherin prefects since you came back this time."

“They’re not real Slytherins at all,” Gemma said bluntly, her voice laced with disdain. “They’re just a bunch of idiots who cling to the idea of ​​pure-bloodedness. Spending time with them is a waste of time.”

Cho Chang looked at Gemma in surprise, clearly not expecting her to speak so bluntly, especially in front of Snape, the headmaster of Slytherin House.

To her even greater surprise, Snape didn't seem to find anything wrong with Gemma's words; instead, he seemed to tacitly agree and said:

"That's your freedom, Miss Farley. Have a pleasant walk with your friend."

He strode past them as he spoke, his long black robe billowing behind him.

Seeing this, Karkaroff didn't dare linger. He glanced quickly at Gemma and Cho Chang, then hurriedly followed Snape away.

His goatee swayed slightly as he walked so fast.

Only after the two figures had completely disappeared did Qiu Zhang breathe a sigh of relief and ask in a low voice:
"Why does Professor Karkaroff look so worried? It's as if something extremely urgent has happened."

"not only that."

Gemma spoke slowly, a thoughtful look in her eyes, "Did you notice that they were addressing each other by their Christian names?"

This indicates that they knew each other before and had a good relationship, at least more than just ordinary colleagues.

Gemma and Cho Chang exchanged a glance, a knowing look flashing in their eyes.

Actually, if you think about it carefully, it's not surprising that Snape and Karkaroff knew each other.

The magical world is not very big; one of them is a professor at Hogwarts, and the other is the headmaster of Durmstrang.

As faculty members of three of the largest magic schools in Europe, it's understandable that they had previous interactions and even good personal relationships.

"I'll tell Sherlock about this later."

Gemma said softly, with a hint of certainty in her voice, "He always told me that no detail, no matter how insignificant, should be overlooked."

I think that in his view, Snape and Karkaroff's unusual behavior, as well as their personal relationship, should also be considered details worth noting.

As they spoke, the two had already reached the center of the garden.

A huge stone reindeer stands before you, its antlers adorned with silver ribbons that shimmer in the moonlight.

Passing the stone reindeer sculpture, you can see the fountain splashing water not far away.

The water droplets sparkled in the moonlight, like a handful of shattered diamonds, and the splashing water was exceptionally clear in the quiet garden.

Look there.

Gemma suddenly stopped and whispered to Qiu Zhang, gesturing for her to look at the stone bench by the fountain.

Following Gemma's gaze, Qiu Zhang immediately understood.

Two indistinct, enormous figures sat side by side on a stone bench, gazing at the spring water under the moonlight.

Those familiar figures and silhouettes were undoubtedly Hagrid and Ms. Maxim.

"I understood as soon as I saw you."

Just then, Hagrid's voice came over, with an unusual hoarseness, as if he was suppressing some emotion, which was completely different from his usual loud voice.

The two exchanged a glance and immediately saw the burning desire to watch the drama unfold in each other's eyes.

They both knew that Hagrid liked Ms. Maxim.

To be precise, anyone with average attention should be able to notice this.

In their view, there's nothing wrong with this.

The two are indeed a perfect match.

Almost instantly, the two made the same move.

Holding each other's wrists, they quietly slipped into the deeper shadows behind the stone reindeer sculpture, even their breathing became lighter.

That's right, they wanted to eavesdrop!

Judging from Hagrid's words just now, he will most likely say something like, "The moment I saw you, I knew in my heart that you were the one I've been waiting for."

Such a scene is truly a rare and precious opportunity.

Besides them, there was a beetle crawling around on the reindeer's back, but compared to the conversation that followed, the beetle was clearly not as fun.

"What have you figured out, Hagrid?"

Ms. Maxim's voice came through.

She probably thought Hagrid was going to confess his feelings; his deep voice carried a barely perceptible nervousness, mixed with slight hoarse sounds, as if he were adjusting his breathing. However, to the surprise of the two girls hiding in the shadows, Hagrid didn't confess. Instead, he posed a completely unexpected question:

"I understand... I understand now, you're like me... are you your mother or your father?"

“I—I don’t understand what you mean, Hagrid…”

Gemma and Cho Chang exchanged a glance. Not only did Ms. Maxim not understand, but neither did they.

If you don't confess your feelings now, why bring up your parents?

The key is to seize the opportunity and express your feelings!
Both girls had similar emotional experiences, and at this moment they couldn't help but feel anxious for Hagrid, their hands clenching tightly in secret.

"It's my mother."

Hagrid said softly:

"She is one of the few remaining in Britain."

Of course, I don't remember her very well anymore...

She left, you know, when I was about three years old.

To be honest, she doesn't seem like a mother.

Sigh... They don't have maternal instincts by nature, do they?
I don't know what happened to her afterward... As far as I know, she's probably dead..."

Gemma and Cho Chang exchanged another glance; the two girls realized that something was amiss.

They saw Ms. Maxim gazing silently at the silver fountain.

"After Mom left, Dad was heartbroken."

Compared to her, my dad was a short man.

When I was six years old, if he annoyed me, I would lift him up and put him on top of the wardrobe, which always made him laugh out loud…

Hagrid's deep voice grew increasingly choked with emotion:
“My father raised me… but alas, he died right after I started school.”

From then on, I made my own way in the world.

Dumbledore helped me a lot, and honestly, he was very good to me…

Hagrid pulled out a large silk handkerchief printed with polka dots and blew his nose loudly:

"That's it... alright... I've finished explaining my situation."

And you? From which side did you get your genes?

“It’s too cold,” Ms. Maxim suddenly stood up. “I want to go inside.”

She said it was because the weather was too cold, but to Gemma and Cho Chang, her voice was truly icy and chilling, devoid of any warmth, and even carrying a hint of anger.

"Uh?"

Hagrid, however, couldn't figure out where the problem lay. Somewhat puzzled, he said:
"No, don't go! I—I've never met anyone else like this before!"

"Another person? Explain yourself!"

Ms. Maxim's voice suddenly rose, tinged with barely suppressed anger.

The wisest course of action at this point would undoubtedly be to stop there, but Hagrid said in a completely matter-of-fact tone:
"Another half-giant, needless to say!"

Gemma and Cho Chang exchanged another glance, both seeing the end in each other's eyes.

They could almost predict what would happen next.

"You are so brave!"

Sure enough, Ms. Maxim screamed.

She looked at Hagrid, her whole body trembling:
"I have never been insulted like this in my life! A half-blood giant?"
Me? I'm just—I just have a big frame!

At that moment, several pairs of male and female students nearby rushed out from the rose bushes.

Ms. Maxim stormed off, angrily parting the flowers along the way, startling a flock of colorful little fairies who flew into the air.

Hagrid remained seated on the bench, watching her retreating figure.

It was too dark to see his expression.

About a minute later, he stood up and strode away.

However, instead of returning to the castle like Madam Maxim, he headed towards the dark area outside his cottage.

Only after Hagrid's figure had completely disappeared did Gemma and Cho Chang emerge from the shadows behind the stone reindeer sculpture.

The other students nearby had been looking at the two with a mixture of ambiguity and curiosity, but when they realized that the two girls hiding behind them were actually girls, their ambiguous expressions instantly turned into shock.

Gemma and Cho Chang ignored the stares and walked toward the castle, talking in hushed tones:
“Did you know before that Hagrid was a half-giant?” Gemma spoke first.

“I know.” Qiu Zhang nodded.

"I don't know... We're all guessing that he was accidentally cursed with some kind of evil swelling spell when he was a child..."

“It wasn’t him who said it, it was Harry who told me,” Cho Chang explained:
"Later I specifically told him not to tell anyone else about this."

As you know, Harry, although a pure-blood wizard, grew up in a Muggle family.

Therefore, he was unaware of many common facts about the magical world, and also didn't know how sensitive the identity of a giant was in the wizarding world.

"Yeah...maybe Harry thinks giants are just humans who are a bit bigger."

“That’s what he thought… However, Ms. Maxim is rather self-deceiving, saying she has a large frame…”

The two exchanged another glance, and the rest of their words were rather impolite.

How could someone with that build have a large frame?

The only creature larger than her skeleton is probably a dinosaur.

When the two returned to the auditorium, the music from the ball was still playing.

Ginny was sitting with Harry at the edge of the dance floor when she saw Cho Chang return. She immediately went up to him with gratitude and handed Harry back to Cho Chang.

She had already danced with Harry twice, which was an unexpected surprise for her.

Although Harry had never danced before, he performed exceptionally well after Cho Chang's recent coaching.

In fact, even if Harry stomped on her several times like Neville did, she would still feel sweet inside.

Feelings are the most irrational thing ever.

When you like someone, you find even their little clumsiness cute.

This time, Sherlock did not return to the dance floor.

He had a very fruitful night, as he didn't miss any of the three leading ladies.

"Sherlock, there's something you might be interested in."

Seeing that Sherlock and Hermione didn't plan to return to the dance floor for the time being, Gemma recounted her and Cho Chang's encounter in the garden in detail.

This includes overhearing Snape and Karkaroff's conversation, seeing their unusual behavior, the argument between Hagrid and Madam Maxim, and the fact that Hagrid is a half-blood giant.

Hermione and Luna listened quietly from the side.

Luna was still holding a cookie in her hand. When she heard about Hagrid's situation, she stopped chewing and her eyes were full of sympathy.

Hermione frowned, clearly pondering the deeper meaning behind Snape and Karkaroff's conversation.

And so, a boy and three girls sat together, creating a somewhat strange yet quite harmonious scene.

(End of this chapter)