Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 567 The Devil’s Whisper

"Sherlock, are you going to Hogsmeade too?"

Hermione was quite surprised when she heard that Sherlock planned to go to Hogsmeade with the others.

In her memory, unless there were special circumstances that forced him to go, Sherlock never wanted to set foot in that wizard village.

He always commented with a hint of disdain that the only pure wizard village in all of Britain was nothing more than an ordinary place filled with mediocre sweets and boring gossip.

"Just as you guessed, I wasn't planning on going there."

Sherlock saw right through Hermione's thoughts: "If some cases could happen there, it would be quite interesting."

"Then why did you..."

"Because I've been really bored lately."

Sherlock leaned back lazily and began counting on his fingers:

"The secret of the golden egg has been solved, Dumbledore is still searching for clues in old cases, and the regular teaching content has long been completed..."

Gemma just happened to invite me to Hogsmeade Village, so I might as well go and have a look around.

"So it was Gemma who invited me..."

Hermione suddenly realized, and quietly clenched her skirt with her hands hanging by her sides: "Then I won't go. There's no one in the common room, it's quiet, and I can read for a while."

"Why don't you go?" Harry looked up from the wizarding chess board, puzzled. "When is it wrong to read? Didn't you always spend your weekends in the library?"

"You said it yourself, that was before, Lao Ha!"

Ron patted Harry on the shoulder, winked, and lowered his voice:

"Things are different now!"

Whenever Hermione goes into the library, Krum will follow.

As soon as he arrived, the fan club rushed in as well, so how could Hermione concentrate on her reading?
But he couldn't get into the Gryffindor common room.

"Krum still hasn't given up?" Harry's eyes widened even more. "But didn't you already reject him?"

Hermione shook her head slightly, clearly unwilling to discuss the topic further.

Krum is indeed one reason.

But after this person came to the library, he didn't approach her or chat; he just quietly read a book in a corner.

In this situation, Hermione was at a loss—the library was a public place, and Hermione couldn't stop him from coming—she wasn't that unreasonable.

But as Ron said, even if Krum could keep quiet, the girls in the fan club were always chattering and annoying.

Hermione is not yet able to immerse herself in books like Sherlock, oblivious to her surroundings.

However, an even more important reason is Gemma.

Since their return, the other party has consistently acted with generosity and propriety.

She even helped her at the Christmas ball, so she really didn't want to get in the way when Gemma invited Sherlock.

But this idea only lasted for an afternoon.

As evening fell and the setting sun bathed the castle corridors in a warm gold, Gemma suddenly appeared on Hermione's usual route.

"Shall we go to Hogsmeade Village together?"

Hermione stopped in surprise, nearly dropping the book "Forgotten Ancient Magic and Spells" in her hand. "Didn't you already invite Sherlock?"

"If I've invited Sherlock, can't I invite you too?"

Gemma approached with a smile, sunlight falling softly on her chestnut-brown hair.
"Speaking of which, Sherlock came to me a few days ago and asked a question that was relevant to both of us."

"What problem concerns the two of us?"

Hermione blinked, her curiosity instantly piqued.

She didn't think Sherlock would ask about matters of the heart.

Gemma's smile deepened: "It's about Hagrid and Ms. Maxim."

Hermione immediately realized, "Was he asking you if Hagrid saw anyone else while he was talking to Madam Maxim?"

"Indeed, it seems he asked you the same question."

Gemma's voice carried a hint of certainty, "I can sense that Rita Skeeter has angered Sherlock, and she won't be able to keep this up for long."

"As long as he doesn't do anything reckless," Hermione said with a sigh.

However, she still didn't understand why Gemma invited her as well as Sherlock.

“My dear Hermione, love is both selfish and selfless.”

Gemma seemed to read her mind and slowly spoke.

"To love someone is to love all of them."

Her tone was gentle, yet carried an undeniable seriousness.

“Gemma, you might as well be more explicit.” Hermione’s cheeks flushed slightly, and her heart beat a little faster for no apparent reason.

"When a woman can do it, she will not want to share her beloved with others—this is the selfish side of love."

Gemma took a half step forward, lowering her voice even further, "But from another perspective, if it's destined to be impossible, then perhaps..."

Having heard this much, Hermione immediately understood.

Her face flushed instantly, like a ripe apple. She hurriedly interrupted Gemma, her voice tinged with panic.

"I'll go with you, I'll go with you, okay!"

"I knew it! You're so smart, you'd definitely understand what I meant!"

Gemma laughed even harder, and while Hermione was still shy and distracted, she quickly planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

Hermione: (⊙ω⊙)
Dawn came exceptionally early on Saturday.

Before dawn, Hermione, who was lying in bed, suddenly opened her eyes.

Gemma's words from yesterday are still echoing in my ears, especially the phrase "love is both selfish and selfless," which sounds like the whisper of a demon, swirling repeatedly in my mind.

Since she couldn't sleep, she simply sat up straight and looked down.

She feels that she has indeed grown a lot this semester.

In every way.

Even so, Gemma's words yesterday still deeply moved her.

She never expected that a girl as outstanding as Gemma would have such thoughts.

Gemma is a prefect, the student council president, and an outstanding graduate representative; she is the center of attention wherever she goes.

Even someone like Gemma was willing to compromise when facing Sherlock.

Hermione couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

All I can say is that Sherlock Holmes is incredibly charming!

Having lost all sleepiness, Hermione hurried to the Great Hall as soon as dawn broke, wrapped herself tightly in her cloak.

But when she entered the auditorium, she was surprised to find that someone had already arrived before her.

Sherlock, Harry, and Neville were sitting at a long table with hot milk and bread in front of them, clearly having just returned from their morning exercise. "Looks like you've decided to go to Hogsmeade?"

Sherlock's gaze swept over Hermione, his gray eyes revealing his understanding, and he saw right through her thoughts.

Hermione wasn't surprised he could tell. She nodded and said simply, "Gemma contacted me yesterday."

Sherlock's face remained expressionless, as if he had expected this.

But Harry immediately looked up, his face full of confusion. "Gemma wants you to come to Hogsmeade with her?"

After receiving Hermione's affirmative answer, Harry's eyes widened, his mind filled with confusion:
What on earth are these girls doing?
Are they really planning to share Sherlock?
However, he immediately dismissed the thought as soon as it popped into his mind.

Sherlock can definitely handle this; he doesn't need to worry about it.

Unlike Sherlock, Harry had several reasons for wanting to go to Hogsmeade.

On the one hand, Sherlock had already solved the secret of the golden egg.

Just two days ago, Cedric specifically sought them out.

This time, he fully demonstrated his responsibility as captain, saying that he had figured out how to breathe underwater for an hour.

On the other hand, it was for Hagrid.

In the past, when Hagrid was in a bad mood, he always liked to sit on the Three Brooms.

Harry thought he might run into him on his trip to Hogsmeade and try to persuade him to go back to school.

Of course, seeing Sirius Black every time I go to Hogsmeade is also an important reason.

A little while later, Ron, Dean, and the others also arrived at the auditorium.

After breakfast, almost all the students in the third grade and above walked across the cold and damp playground toward the school gate.

But as they passed the Durmstrang ship moored on the lake, they encountered an unexpected person.

Viktor Krum.

Krum walked from the cabin onto the deck, wearing only a pair of black swimming trunks.

He was very thin, but not in a weak way; rather, he was lean and powerful, with every muscle clearly defined, perfectly matching people's imagination of a top Seeker.

He nimbly climbed onto the gunwale, took a deep breath, stretched out his arms, and jumped into the icy lake water with a "plop".

Sherlock raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Winter swimming? Interesting."

“He’s gone mad!” Harry exclaimed, watching Krum’s dark head bobbing in the middle of the lake. “It’s January, the water must be freezing!”

“Dear Harry, I advise you to give up on this idea as soon as possible.” Sherlock turned to look at him.

"What are you thinking? What are you talking about?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"Have you forgotten about the second project?"

Upon hearing this, Harry gasped sharply.

Yes, for the second project, they're going to go underwater too!
"So my suggestion is that we add swimming lessons when we get back from Hogsmeade."

“Don’t say such grand things in such a nonchalant tone!” Harry couldn’t help but say.

Ron's eyes widened in disbelief: "What? You're not kidding, are you?"

“If you still want to win,” Sherlock smiled slightly, but his eyes were serious. “I remember you said that your swimming skills aren’t very good.”

“But the second project doesn’t start until February 24th!” Harry quickly argued. “That’s still more than five weeks away, and the weather won’t be so cold then.”

“And didn’t Cedric say he already had some leads?” Ron added.

Sherlock stopped and slowly turned his head, his gray eyes fixed on the two of them.

Harry and Ron felt uneasy under his gaze and couldn't help but shrink back: "W-what's wrong?"

"People must rely on themselves."

Sherlock's voice slowed down, becoming somewhat serious, "Given the quality Krum is displaying right now, I don't think we can gain an advantage in the second event."

"Demstrand is in Northern Europe, where winters are much colder than here."

Hermione chimed in at just the right moment, her tone tinged with a hint of helplessness, "I think the lake water is still quite warm for him right now."

Harry fell silent.

If he hadn't participated in the competition, it wouldn't have been a problem, but since he did, he genuinely wanted to win.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, raised his head, and his eyes became firm:
“I understand. I’ll learn to swim with you when we get back from Hogsmeade.”

“But there are giant squid in the lake,” Ron said, frowning and unable to contain his worry.

"There's no need to worry about that."

Hermione smiled and shook her head, then, noticing the looks Harry and Ron were giving her, explained:
"Have you forgotten about Dennis?"
That's Colin Creevey's younger brother. He accidentally fell into the Black Lake when school started, got caught by a giant squid, and was pushed back to shore.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, both with thoughtful expressions on their faces.

After passing Filch's inspection, the group arrived at the entrance of Hogsmeade Village and successfully met up with Cho Chang and Luna, who had come from Ravenclaw.

Next, everyone split up and took action.

Even without Sirius, it would still be Sherlock, Hermione, and Luna as a group.

Harry, Cho Chang, and Ginny form a group.

As for Gemma, who had arranged to meet Sherlock and Hermione, she had already gone to the Three Broomsticks to wait for them.

"Harry seems to be looking for someone?"

Hermione watched Harry not far away, as he led Cho Chang and Ginny around the storefronts.

Seeing Harry, who was leading the group, walking hurriedly and not at all looking to shop, I couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Looking for Hagrid."

Sherlock's gaze fell on Harry's retreating figure, and he said calmly, "One of his main purposes in coming to Hogsmeade this time is to find Hagrid."

Luna asked with some confusion, "What happens after we find Hagrid? Does Harry want him to come back and continue teaching us the Magical Creatures class?"

"That's probably what he was thinking."

Hermione sighed softly, her eyes filled with a complex expression.

She genuinely felt that the new Professor Grapland was far more suited to teach the course than Hagrid—both in terms of teaching methods and professional expertise.

However, due to her relationship with Hagrid and Harry's angry gaze, she never dared to say these words to his face.

However, Sherlock and Luna did not have this concern.

Luna frowned, her tone full of confusion:

Why would you do that?

Professor Glapland teaches much better than Professor Hagrid.

Sherlock was even more direct:
"With this experience, this course will probably need to be taught by two teachers in the future."

Hermione looked at the two people beside her and noticed that their undisguised words had formed a subtle understanding at this moment.

Thinking back to what Gemma said yesterday, "Love is both selfish and selfless," I suddenly have a deeper understanding.

(End of this chapter)