Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 558 Voldemort is nothing special.

Footsteps echoed softly and clearly on the spiral staircase leading to the principal's office.

As Sherlock reached the top, the gargoyle stone beast guarding the entrance immediately raised its head.

When its stone-like eyes swept across Sherlock's face, it didn't hesitate for a moment, decisively jumping aside to clear the way for him to the office.

Sherlock is truly unique in that he can enter and exit the principal's office without using a password.

Dumbledore seemed quite surprised when he saw Sherlock.

He put down the glass jar, wiped his mouth, and looked on with a hint of curiosity.

Keep in mind, it's still the Christmas holiday season.

Sherlock withdrew his gaze from Dumbledore without expression.

He could see clearly that Dumbledore had just taken a live cockroach from a glass jar and put it in his mouth.

Sherlock declined to comment on Dumbledore's penchant for such things.

"I was originally planning to go see Professor Snape."

Sherlock sat down opposite Dumbledore without any hesitation and stated his purpose directly:
"But he left as soon as he saw me; he was deliberately avoiding me."

Dumbledore glanced at Sherlock and thought to himself, "Don't you have any idea why Severus is avoiding you?"
To drive a master of Occlumency to this point is simply...

For a moment, even the battle-hardened and knowledgeable Dumbledore was at a loss for words.

Even at Hogwarts, where everyone has secrets, Severus Snape is no ordinary character.

As we all know, although Voldemort was a great villain, his ability to legitimize was something even Dumbledore admired.

But Severus Snape was able to stay by his side all this time, a truly remarkable ability.

There was something Dumbledore didn't tell anyone.

That is, if Voldemort really makes a comeback, he plans to have Snape return to his old ways and infiltrate Voldemort's side.

Yet, this very person had to avoid a minor wizard for fear that his secret would be seen.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes more than once, Dumbledore would never have believed it.

"Okay, then could you please tell me why you're looking for him?"

Dumbledore gathered his thoughts, leaned forward slightly, and spoke in a serious tone.

Just as he knew what kind of person Snape was, he also knew that Sherlock would never go to Snape without a reason.

They wouldn't come to me to complain just because I'm being avoided; there must be a deeper reason behind it.

"Kakarov."

Sherlock simply stated the name.

Dumbledore, who was initially somewhat exasperated by the matter of Sherlock and Snape, immediately sharpened his gaze: "What do you know?"

"not much."

Sherlock leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on his hands, and began to state his position in a calm tone:
All that is known is that he was once a Death Eater, but was paroled by the Ministry of Magic after betraying too many of his accomplices in order to gain merit.

Later, he went to Durmstrang, became a professor there, and is now the principal.

As he said this, a faint sneer appeared on his lips, his eyes filled with obvious disdain.

Clearly, they were extremely dissatisfied with Durmstrang's approach of "not asking about background, only looking at ability".

In particular, the "ability" is related to black magic.

"Demstrand has always been like this..."

Dumbledore naturally understood what Sherlock was looking down on, and he sighed softly, his tone tinged with helplessness:

“They don’t care about Karkaroff’s past—after all, he is indeed very capable in the study and teaching of black magic, that’s undeniable.”

"Yes, after all, he was a Death Eater. In the field of dark magic, he must be an expert."

Sherlock's tone was full of sarcasm.

Dumbledore shook his head helplessly. "But what does this have to do with Professor Snape?"

“Last night, my friend happened to overhear his conversation with Professor Snape.”

Sherlock said seriously, "My friend doesn't understand the meaning of their conversation, but knowing their past makes it quite interesting."

He then recounted the entire conversation between Snape and Karkaroff.

Dumbledore listened quietly until Sherlock finished speaking, then asked, "Sherlock, what do you think?"

Before Sherlock even mentioned this, he had already anticipated that Dumbledore would ask the same question, so he had already prepared his answer.

"As I just said, if you don't know Professor Snape and Karkaroff's identities, these words will naturally sound incomprehensible, just like my friend."

But knowing their identities, I deduce that Karkaroff's statement about 'it becoming increasingly obvious' likely refers to the Dark Mark on the Death Eater's arm.

The Dark Mark is becoming increasingly clear, meaning Voldemort's power is being restored.

If Voldemort does indeed return as our divination professor predicted, Karkaroff, who gained his freedom by betraying most of the Death Eaters, will inevitably face retribution.

It was precisely because he sensed this that Karkarov was so alarmed.

However, judging from Professor Snape's words, he did indeed have a deep affection for Hogwarts.

Furthermore, he still harbored some affection for Karkaroff.

Dumbledore nodded.

“I agree with you, Sherlock.”

I have complete trust in Professor Snape and can entrust my life to him without worry.

As for his claim of 'exonerating' Karkarov, it stems precisely from Karkarov's initial actions.

You may despise his act of betraying his companions, but for us, the large number of Death Eaters he revealed did objectively avert danger.

That's why Professor Snape was willing to 'exonerate' him.

"So Voldemort's strength is really getting stronger and stronger? Do you know his whereabouts?"

"I'm sorry... Despite my ongoing search for him, Crouch Jr., and the ally Harry dreamt of, I still haven't received any news."

Dumbledore said with a serious look, "The same goes for the Ministry of Magic."

"Forget about the Ministry of Magic, I've never counted on them—a bunch of good-for-nothings who're not even as good as Scotland Yard."

Sherlock said dismissively:

"However, this incident has made me have some doubts about Voldemort."

"What doubts?"

"Voldemort..." Sherlock slowly began, posing a question that would shock the entire wizarding world, "...was he not as powerful as everyone imagined?"

Upon hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Dumbledore's eyes. He frowned slightly, his tone serious: "Sherlock, why would you think that?"

You should know that even now, many people are still afraid to call him by his name directly.

For a very long time, the entire magical world was shrouded in his dark rule.

Countless wizards died at the hands of him and the Death Eaters.

How could you possibly think someone like that isn't powerful?

“I used to think that way too, but now my opinion has changed.”

Sherlock was unaffected by Dumbledore's tone; he clasped his hands together, fingertips lightly touching his chin.

"Through the investigation, I discovered some interesting things."

"interesting?"

"Yes, that's interesting."

Sherlock's eyes sharpened:
Even at the height of Voldemort's power, during the Wizarding Wars, his sphere of influence remained centered on the British mainland, never crossing national borders to establish true transnational rule.

This can be seen from three aspects.

At this point, Sherlock held up three fingers:
"First, Voldemort's core strength is the Death Eaters organization."

However, the Death Eaters are primarily composed of native British wizards, with almost no members from other countries.

The tools he used to control the government—the British Ministry of Magic—and the vehicle for controlling education—Hogwarts—were both purely British magical institutions.

It has no jurisdiction over Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, which are also among the three major magic schools in Europe.

Not to mention the Magical Congress of America (MACUSA), and its overseas organizations in Asia and Africa.

"Secondly, even at the height of Voldemort's power, the magical worlds of other countries only viewed him with caution, not confrontation."

European countries, such as France, Germany, and Italy, only discussed the rumors of Voldemort in private, but never sent Aurors to support Britain.

Karkaroff was indeed a Death Eater, but his fear and compromise were personal actions and did not represent Durmstrang, much less the magical government of his country.

As for the American wizarding world, MACUSA only issued additional scrutiny of British wizards entering the country, without taking any substantial countermeasures.

Needless to say, the magical governments of Asia and Africa didn't even consider Voldemort a Level One threat; they merely viewed him as an internal British problem involving dark wizards.

"Third, Voldemort's own goals were very limited."

What he sought was nothing more than to overthrow the British Ministry of Magic and establish a British magical world ruled by pure-blood wizards.

He never considered expanding his reach to other countries, nor did he have any ambition to conquer the global magical world.

So now it seems that Voldemort was nothing special after all.

His influence in the wizarding world was limited to Britain, and he couldn't even reach the rest of Europe, let alone the world.

In this respect, he's even less capable than some Muggle leaders, at least those Muggles can extend their influence to multiple countries.

Under Dumbledore's increasingly surprised gaze, Sherlock spoke eloquently, explaining his analysis of Voldemort in detail.

Each viewpoint is supported by clear arguments, and the logic is so rigorous that it is impossible to refute.

Finally, he changed the subject, looking at Dumbledore with a rare hint of affirmation in his tone:
"Of course, Your Excellency also deserves great credit for this matter."

"It is precisely because of the Order of the Phoenix, led by you, that Voldemort's power has been firmly contained within Britain, preventing him from having the capacity to expand outwards and do more harm to the wizarding world."

Dumbledore opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.

He never imagined that a fifteen-year-old underage wizard could analyze Voldemort with such calmness, objectivity, and even a somewhat condescending perspective.

He even said things like, "Voldemort is nothing special."

It's important to understand that even adult wizards who have experienced the Wizarding Wars still feel fear when they mention Voldemort.

But Sherlock's tone was purely analytical, without the slightest hint of fear.

It is said that ignorance is bliss, but Sherlock, who knew Voldemort very well, still said such things.

But what surprised him even more was yet to come.

A cold smile curled at the corner of Sherlock's lips, and the mockery in his eyes grew stronger.
"In my opinion, the fundamental reason for Voldemort's failure was that his political program was too narrow."

Calling him a tyrant of the British wizarding world is an understatement.

He fanatically pursued pure-blood supremacy, believing that pure-blood wizards were superior, and dedicated himself to eliminating Muggles and half-blood wizards.

At the same time, he desperately desires immortality and, in order to avoid death, he is willing to tear his soul into pieces to create Horcruxes.

All his goals were based solely on his twisted desires for power, immortality, and pure bloodlines, without any higher aspirations.

His personal strength is indeed formidable, but unfortunately, it's not strong enough to sweep everything aside.

So even without that ancient protective spell that caused his downfall, his reign was destined to be short-lived.

A regime that is maintained solely by fear and violence, and lacks any grand vision, will inevitably collapse sooner or later.

"Sherlock, you really surprise me."

Dumbledore finally regained his voice. He pushed up his half-moon spectacles, his eyes behind the lenses filled with complex emotions.

There was surprise, admiration, and a barely perceptible worry:

Do you know what the consequences will be if what you said today gets out?

Bold, arrogant, and disdainful of everyone...

These negative comments will be immediately pinned on you.

"First of all, I don't think these words will get out today."

Sherlock's smile widened: "Secondly, these assessments are very accurate—that's exactly who I am."

Dumbledore: "..."

He was once again taken aback by Sherlock's bluntness and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

After a brief silence, Sherlock changed the subject and brought up a new topic:
"Actually, compared to Voldemort, I think another Dark Lord—oh no, strictly speaking, he doesn't count as a Dark Lord."

In short, that person's vision was far greater than Voldemort's.

Dumbledore's eyes behind his glasses instantly sharpened.

His previously gentle aura suddenly tightened, and he stared intently at Sherlock, his voice deepening:

"Sherlock, who are you talking about?"

"Who else could it be?"

Sherlock chuckled softly, his tone carrying a hint of knowing, as if he had anticipated Dumbledore's reaction:

"Naturally, it's Gellert Grindelwald, who made a huge contribution to your major achievements on the Chocolate Frog card."

(End of this chapter)