Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 568 Shutting Her Up Forever
After parting ways with Harry and the others, Sherlock headed towards the Three Broomsticks pub first, followed closely by Hermione and Luna.

The snow underfoot crunched underfoot, leaving a trail of footprints of varying depths.

The wooden door of the Three Brooms Bar seemed to have been warmed up at some point.

As soon as Sherlock pushed open the door, a wave of warm air mixed with the aroma of butterbeer rushed out, instantly dispelling the chill from his body.

The bar was already quite full; the long wooden tables were polished to a shine, and the bronze goblets on them reflected the flickering firelight from the fireplace.

The wizards were clinking glasses together, chanting "One more glass, please."

Mrs. Rosmerta, who was behind the bar, was greeting guests. When she saw them come in, she smiled and nodded at Sherlock.

Luna immediately said, "Sherlock, she seems to know you."

“That’s right.” Sherlock nodded.

He had come here with Hagrid and Flitwick when he was in first grade, so it would be hard for him not to be remembered.

"You guys are here."

At that moment, Gemma's voice came from the corner.

She sat by the window with an untouched glass of butterbeer in front of her.

Sunlight streamed through the glass and fell on her hair, turning her chestnut hair a light gold.

"Let's go, let's go there."

As the three of them approached Gemma, she immediately stood up.

“I asked Mrs. Rosmerta to leave some warmed butterbeer; please wait a moment.”

As she spoke, she reached out and took Hermione's wrist, leading her to a seat next to her, while walking towards the bar.

Hermione was a little overwhelmed by Gemma's enthusiasm.

Sherlock smiled and said, "Sit down first."

Hermione sat down as instructed.

Just as Gemma had said, Sherlock and Luna had just sat down with Hermione when Gemma came over with three steaming cups of butterbeer.

She distributed the wine glasses to the three of them, her gaze sweeping over Hermione with a hint of teasing.

Hermione felt embarrassed when she was looked at like that and remembered the "devil's whisper." She secretly clenched her skirt with her fingertips.

Sherlock's gaze swept across the table, and he quickly noticed that the butterbeer in front of Gemma hadn't been touched:
"Wait for a long time?"

"Not long, only about fifteen minutes."

Gemma picked up her glass and gently swirled the butterbeer inside, causing a little foam to overflow from the rim.

Luna calmly surveyed her surroundings, then asked curiously:

"Gemma, are there always this many people here?"

"As you can see."

Gemma pointed to the bustling crowd, her fingertips lightly tracing the rim of her glass:
"The three brooms are arguably the most popular thing in all of Hogsmeade."

Unless they're particularly busy, almost everyone who comes to the village will have a few drinks here.

Especially on weekends each month, the place becomes exceptionally lively because of the Hogwarts students.

Of course, this is also because the bar itself has outstanding features.

Luna nodded, then thought for a moment and asked, "Is Romania fun?"

Her eyes sparkled, clearly filled with curiosity about the dragon sanctuary where Gemma had once stayed. As for the huge leap between the two topics—it was nothing to her.

"That depends on how you interpret the word 'fun'—in my opinion, it is indeed quite interesting..."

Gemma answered with a smile, and then began to talk about her experience as a dragon trainer in Romania.

Her tone was lively, and when she got to the exciting parts, Luna couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Hermione was somewhat surprised to find that Gemma and Luna were getting along remarkably well.

Luna's curiosity about magical creatures coincided with Gemma's extensive knowledge.

The two chatted back and forth, keeping the conversation flowing.

After finishing the topic of the dragon, Luna brought up the matter of Professor Grappleland teaching in place of Hagrid.

When Gemma heard that Professor Glapland was highly regarded among the students, she nodded, her tone becoming serious:
“Wilmina Grapland, I know this professor.”

She graduated from Ravenclaw College and achieved good results in both the OWL and NEWT exams.

Before Hagrid, the professor of the Conservation of Magical Creatures class was Sylvanus Kettleburn—you didn't take his class, but at that time, Grapland was already Kettleburn's teaching assistant.

Actually, after Professor Kettleburn retired, we all thought Glapland would take over his position.

"I never expected that Hagrid would be the one to take on the role."

Sherlock picked up his butterbeer, took a small sip, and spoke in a calm yet insightful tone:
"That's why Rita Skeeter's report had a certain degree of public support."

"Objectively speaking, Dumbledore's choice of Hagrid was indeed partly due to personal feelings."

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, Gemma pointed out the key point without hesitation:
"Actually, I think Professor Hagrid's knowledge of magical creatures is no less than Professor Grapland's, but when it comes to teaching methods, he is still a bit inferior to her."

"Not some, but far from it."

Sherlock, on the other hand, was more direct, offering a crisp and concise assessment:
"Based on my observations over this period of time, Grapland is knowledgeable and clear-headed, and is far more suitable for this position than Hagrid."

Hermione couldn't help but sigh and put down her wine glass:
"Obviously everyone thinks so. It was thanks to him listening to Sherlock's advice at the beginning of last year that he was exposed long ago."

"I think those cattail fluffy things are quite interesting, it's a pity he's been giving them away very little this year!"

Luna suddenly burst into laughter, her silvery laughter standing out in the noisy bar.

“Yes, that’s why Rita Skeeter said the students were bribed—that wasn’t Hagrid’s intention, but it certainly achieved that effect.”

At this point, Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

Sherlock and Gemma laughed, and the air around them instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

On the other hand, Harry is in a terrible situation.

After parting ways with Sherlock, he took Cho Chang and Ginny on a tour of almost half of Hogsmeade.

It was finally confirmed that Hagrid was not found in any of the shops here.

Fortunately, Cho Chang and Ginny understood his anxiety and were not dissatisfied with his single-minded focus on finding Hagrid.

Not only that, the two girls were even actively giving him advice, which warmed his heart.

It's so great to have a friend like that!

"Could it be that he didn't come at all today? With his size, if he came here, he would definitely attract the attention of other people."

Ginny, biting into a strawberry-flavored candy stick, looked at the wizards passing by on the street and said somewhat dejectedly.

She had originally intended to buy several boxes of Zizi Bee Candy at Honey Duke.

But because Harry was so focused on finding Hagrid, he didn't even have the energy to pick out candy.

Qiu Zhang nodded in agreement, his breath quickly dissipating in the cold air.
"Maybe we should go to the Pig's Head or the Three Broomsticks and wait there? He might be there?"

Harry looked at Cho Chang with some gratitude. Even if Cho Chang hadn't brought it up, he was going to say it anyway.

"Harry, you don't really need to worry so much."

Cho Chang looked at Harry and said softly, "As long as Dumbledore is around, Hagrid will be fine."

“That’s true, but he won’t even see us now.” Harry seemed a little frustrated.

“We’ll go back and look for him again today,” Ginny said, raising an eyebrow. “If he doesn’t open the door, we’ll use magic to blow it up!”

Harry and Cho Chang were immediately amused by Ginny's words.

But after laughing, Harry suddenly realized that it was actually a pretty good idea.

Although breaking and entering a teacher's room sounds outrageous, Harry believed that even if he did, Hagrid wouldn't put him in solitary confinement.

"Who told Hagrid to avoid him first?" Harry thought angrily.

Next, Harry led Cho Chang and Ginny into a quiet alley.

Their destination was Pig Head Bar.

On the one hand, as Qiu Zhang suggested, they should go and see if Hagrid is there.

On the other hand, it was because he had arranged to meet Sirius at the Pighead Bar.

Compared to the lively atmosphere of Three Brooms, the storefront of Pig Head Bar looked much more dilapidated.

The paint on the wooden door was peeling and mottled, and there were several empty wine barrels piled up at the entrance. The cold wind swirled withered leaves around the doorway.

Harry pushed open the heavy wooden door, and a smell of malt liquor, tobacco, and mildew hit him.

The shop was dimly lit, with only a few dim kerosene lamps hanging from the ceiling.

The wizards sat in twos and threes around a table in the corner, most of them wearing hats or scarves that covered most of their faces.

Tall and handsome, Sirius Black, whose face was not yet covered, stood out here.

When he saw Harry and his two companions, he immediately waved to them, his eyes filled with undisguised amusement.

Even if it's just once a month, he never wants to miss it—especially seeing Harry walking with two pretty girls.

"Hello Harry, Cho, and Ginny!"

As the three walked over, Sirius stood up and patted Harry on the shoulder:

"I'm sorry, I can't stay any longer today, I have other things to take care of."

Cho Chang and Ginny sat down on the chairs opposite each other, looking at Sirius with some restraint.

Although I've met Harry's godfather more than once, I'm still drawn to his casual yet sharp demeanor when we meet now.

"It's okay, it's good to see you."

Harry said with a smile, feeling a warmth in his heart.

Sirius Black had things to do, but he still made time to see him, a gesture he cherished greatly.

Sirius picked up the glass on the table, took a sip of beer, and then looked at Harry, his tone full of pride:

"I've heard about the first project from Lu Ping. The three of you performed exceptionally well with the Fire Dragon!"
Especially you, Harry, being able to remain calm in front of the Hungarian Hornet is much better than I was back then.

"If I were your age, my legs would probably go weak the moment I stepped onto the field, and I wouldn't even be able to stand up."

Harry scratched his head a little embarrassedly, and Cho Chang and Ginny laughed along.

The Hogwarts' champions have made a name for themselves in the Triwizard Tournament, and they are very proud of it.

"Oh, and thank you all."

Sirius Black turned to look at Cho Chang and Ginny, his gaze softening considerably:

"Thank you for dancing with Harry at the Christmas ball."

This kid is sometimes too introverted; it's all thanks to you guys.

Qiu Zhang's cheeks flushed slightly, and he whispered, "You're welcome."

Ginny smiled and waved her hand, saying, "We're friends, it's only right."

After exchanging a few lighthearted remarks, Harry's expression gradually turned serious, and he told Sirius everything about Hagrid.

Rita Skeeter's report, from Hagrid's "disappearance" to her purpose in coming to Hogsmeade to find Hagrid.

"I've read that report too."

Sirius's face darkened, and his fingers gripped his wine glass tightly.

"That woman Rita Skeeter still loves to stir up trouble."

"Harry, don't worry, I have a way to make her never dare to write anything recklessly again."

Hearing the harshness in Sirius's tone, Harry was startled, realizing that his godfather was clearly angry.

"no!"

Harry immediately shook his head, his tone firm, "Sherlock said he's already handling it, we just need to wait a little longer."

Sirius had previously said he would use extreme measures, but he was dissuaded, so naturally he didn't want Sirius to choose this path again.

"Sherlock? What could he possibly do?" Sirius asked curiously.

“I don’t know,” Harry sighed, “but he said he’ll soon shut her up forever and she’ll never be able to write this nonsense again.”

"Shut up forever? I like that phrase!"

Sirius's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Since that kid says so, I might as well wait and see!"

Because he successfully handled the matter between her and Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black had a very high level of trust in Sherlock.

"By the way, why are there only three of you? Didn't Sherlock come today?"

"Uh... Gemma invited him and Hermione to the Three Broomsticks pub..."

"Gemma? She's that girl from the Farley family, isn't she!"

Sirius couldn't help but laugh, "So that means he already has three girls by his side!"

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

Sirius was merely stating a fact, but Cho Chang and Ginny exchanged a subtle glance.

Their eyes met briefly before looking away, both of them blushing slightly.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Sirius checked his watch and stood up:
"I should go now. You should also go and meet up with Sherlock and the others as soon as possible."

He picked up the cloak, draped it over his shoulders, and gave Harry a few more instructions to be careful before turning and walking toward the back door of the bar, quickly disappearing into the shadows.

Harry and his two companions stood up and walked towards the door.

"Let's go to the Three Brooms now, maybe we'll run into Hagrid."

Cho Chang and Ginny nodded and followed Harry out of the Hog's Head pub, heading towards the Three Broomsticks.

(End of this chapter)