Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 569 Can you give us a favor?

The moment Harry pushed open the door of the Three Broomsticks pub, he was immediately enveloped by a completely different atmosphere.

Compared to the dim and chaotic Pig Head Bar, the liveliness here is almost overflowing.

The oak door creaked shut behind me, and a wave of warm air, a mixture of the sweet aroma of butter and beer and the tantalizing scent of toasted bread, rushed out, instantly dispelling the chill.

The tavern was as crowded as ever, with every wooden table packed full.

The wizards' laughter, the clinking of wine glasses, and the crackling of firewood in the fireplace mingled together, creating a noisy yet warm cacophony.

Harry's eyes swept quickly across every table, from the students sitting around the bar to the adult wizards talking in hushed tones in the corners, not even missing the narrow table by the window.

But he never saw Hagrid's iconic tall figure—after all, such a behemoth would never be easily overlooked in a store.

Just as he was feeling slightly disappointed, a swaying figure caught his attention:
Luna was sitting at a table, raising her arm high and shaking it vigorously at him.

With her help, Harry quickly made out the other members at the table.

First was Sherlock, who was standing next to Luna with her hands raised.

He leaned back in his chair, twirling a half-empty glass of butterbeer casually between his fingers.

Gemma sat opposite Sherlock, sunlight streaming through the glass and falling softly on her chestnut hair.

Hermione sat down beside her, holding a cup, a faint smile on her face.

In fact, when Harry and his two girlfriends walked into the Three Broomsticks pub, Sherlock and his three girlfriends had already been there for over an hour.

Throughout the entire time, the atmosphere at their table remained relaxed and pleasant.

Hermione thought that this was mostly thanks to Gemma.

Whenever the conversation was about to cool down, Gemma could always cleverly bring up a new topic.

For example, they might talk about interesting stories from the Romanian dragon sanctuary or joke about Sherlock's obsession with pointless cases.

She always responded patiently to Luna's occasional off-topic questions, never showing any sign of perfunctoriness.

Her presence made the group of one man and three women, which should have been somewhat awkward, get along exceptionally well under her mediation.

Looking at the scene before her, Hermione suddenly had a bold idea:

If things could continue like this, it wouldn't be so bad.

Just then, Luna suddenly straightened her back, raised her hand high, and called out crisply towards the door, "Here!"

Hermione followed her gaze and saw Harry, Cho Chang, and Ginny walk into the bar.

Hermione followed her gaze and met Harry, Cho Chang, and Ginny.

She couldn't help but look at Luna with some surprise.

This girl, who is often described as "eccentric," always seems to be able to spot her friends immediately, even in noisy environments.

"She is a girl who values ​​friendship very much."

A whisper suddenly reached Hermione's ear.

A soft whisper suddenly reached Hermione's ears, and she turned sharply to look at Gemma beside her.

But Gemma still maintained her smile, her gaze fixed on Harry and his two companions at the door, as if she had never said those words.

Hermione's fingertips gently clenched the hem of her skirt. Just as a question arose in her mind, she saw Harry and the others quicken their pace and walk towards her.

She had no choice but to suppress her questions for the time being and give the three of them a polite smile.

"It's clear you haven't seen Hagrid."

Sherlock's gaze first fell on Harry's slightly drooping shoulders, then swept over his slightly disappointed eyes, before turning to Cho Chang and Ginny.

"Did Sirius go back?"

His tone was flat, as if he were talking about something insignificant.
"That's right... wait!"

Harry stopped abruptly, his eyes widening in surprise:

"How did you know I was looking for Hagrid? And how did you know I just met with Sirius?"

Sherlock raised an eyebrow, stopped swirling his wine glass, and looked at Harry with a half-smile:
Are you sure you want me to explain the process of your deduction?

"Uh, forget it..."

Harry waved his hand, his tone revealing undisguised exhaustion.

Normally, he would definitely ask questions with great interest.

Even though I've long been used to Sherlock's prowess, every time I hear him dissect clues, it always brings new surprises.

But today, the disappointment of not finding Hagrid, coupled with the regret of Sirius's hasty departure, left him utterly dejected.

"After you finish explaining, I'm sure I'll exclaim, 'Wow, it's that simple!'"

“Brother, what you said is absolutely right, but you don’t need to be so discouraged.”

Upon hearing Harry's words, Sherlock immediately understood his thoughts and couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"I can bet you a Galleon."

"What?" Harry blinked, still unable to follow Sherlock's train of thought.

"What I mean is, your dear Professor Hagrid will be back to teach us by next week at the latest."

"W-what?"

The same question was posed, but this time Harry's eyes lit up instantly, like will-o'-the-wisps that had been lit.

"Really?" Qiu Zhang and Jin Ni asked in unison, their faces full of surprise.

"Of course it's true."

Sherlock shrugged. "I've said it more than once: I don't lie in most cases—unless necessary."

"Uh……"

Qiu Zhang and Jin Ni exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

That statement sounds rather shameless.

Who knows when it will actually be necessary?
But Harry, Hermione, Gemma, and Luna's eyes lit up.

They know Sherlock too well; once he says that, the matter is most likely settled.

Without a word, Harry immediately pulled up a chair from the side and slammed it down next to Sherlock, eagerly pressing for answers:
"Quickly, tell me what happened?"

Just then, the wizard who had left the small, empty table next to Sherlock's table, which could only fit two people, saw this and quickly went to that table, pulled out chairs, and sat down.

As they sat down, their bodies involuntarily leaned towards Sherlock.

Both girls pricked up their ears, afraid of missing a single word.

“Brother, you should remember on the first day of school, I said in Herbology class that you wouldn’t be seeing Hagrid, right?” Sherlock looked at Harry.

"I remember."

Harry nodded vigorously. "You said you saw Dumbledore that morning, and he told you that there was a little mishap with Hagrid, but the situation was still under his control."

At this point, his tone couldn't help but carry a hint of resentment.

Hagrid has been missing for almost half a month!
It turned out like this, and there was even a little accident?
He couldn't help but wonder to himself: Could Dumbledore be getting senile?
But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he immediately shook his head, secretly annoyed:
How could I possibly make such assumptions about an elder?
It must be because there have been too many things going on lately, which has messed up my mindset.

At that moment, Sherlock's words completely stunned him:
"What I'm trying to say is that that morning, Dumbledore received many protest letters from parents who were adamant about not having a half-giant as their child's teacher."

Not only that, he also received Hagrid's resignation letter himself. "What?"

Harry and Hermione both gasped in surprise.

Harry's hand clenched tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white.

Hermione stared wide-eyed at Sherlock.

Cho Chang and Ginny stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

Gemma merely raised an eyebrow slightly, as if she had already guessed some of it.

Luna, however, remained bewildered, her eyes showing no surprise whatsoever.

In this respect, he is remarkably similar to Sherlock.

“He actually… how could he be so stupid?” Harry murmured, his voice full of confusion and anxiety.

"If he weren't stupid, he wouldn't have gone around telling everyone he's a half-giant!"

Hermione said with a hint of disappointment.

She put the cup down a little harder, making a soft thud.
"He actually thought of resigning!"
If Dumbledore really agrees, wouldn't that just let Rita Skeeter get her way?

"So Dumbledore did not agree."

Sherlock's voice was calm, yet it exuded a reassuring power.

"He temporarily suppressed those protest letters and told me that he would resolve the matter as soon as possible."

However, it will take some time for both him and Hagrid to completely quell the storm.

So before that, he found a competent teacher to replace Hagrid.

In retrospect, he did a really good job.

Sherlock paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and added:
"The opposition from students' parents did not escalate on a large scale."

Although the Hogwarts students were affected by the reports, their reaction was milder than expected.

As for Professor Glapland, who substituted for the class, she undoubtedly performed the task exceptionally well.

Hearing Sherlock praise Professor Grapple, Harry's cheeks flushed slightly, and his gaze drifted away somewhat awkwardly.

If Hermione had said that, he might have been tempted to retort.

But facing Sherlock, he lacked the confidence to force the man to change his mind with an angry glare, so he could only bite his lip and continue to press:

"Then...why did you say we'd see Hagrid next week?"

"Because Dumbledore has already found a solution."

Harry's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

The others also showed expressions of delight.

Sherlock smiled slightly:
"When we go back today, we can visit Hagrid. You should understand then."

“Oh, that’s such a shame,” Ginny whispered to Cho Chang at the next table. “I won’t have a chance to use a spell to break down the wooden door of Hagrid’s hut.”

Upon hearing this, Qiu Zhang couldn't help but smile. "I should say, worthy of being Gryffindor?"

It's unbelievable that I would feel regret over something like this.

Harry never doubted Sherlock's judgment.

Harry had never doubted Sherlock's judgment, and at this moment, he was filled with nothing but anticipation:

He really wanted to get back to school right away and rush to Hagrid's cabin.

Then knock on that wooden door and see if the giant who always has a kind smile is really alright.

In some ways, he's similar to Luna.

Their childhood lack of love made them cherish their friends all the more, and they treasured every friendship.

Moreover, Hagrid was the first true friend in his life, which made him exceptionally significant.

Sirius had some business to attend to today, so he met with me briefly and then left in a hurry.

After settling Hagrid's matter, Harry remembered to mention Sirius Black, his tone tinged with regret.

He was actually a little embarrassed to say that he wanted to go back to school right now.

We can only come to Hogsmeade once a month, so we can't let his worries spoil everyone's fun.

"Was that person... Mr. Bagman?"

Just then, Ginny from the next table suddenly spoke softly, her finger quietly pointing to the corner of the pub.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it instantly drew everyone's attention: "I remember Dad said he was the Director of the Ministry of Magic, right? Doesn't he need to go to his office?"

Following Ginny's gaze, everyone saw Ludobagman's figure.

He was dressed in a magnificent purple wizard's robe, sitting in a dimly lit corner, with three short goblins sitting opposite him.

Bagman leaned forward, speaking rapidly to the fairies in a low voice.

Not only that, he also gestured with his hands from time to time, as if explaining something.

The fairies, on the other hand, all had their arms crossed, their brows furrowed, and their pointed ears slightly perked up.

Their eyes were full of vigilance and dissatisfaction, and they looked aggressive, as if they were about to attack at any moment.

"That is indeed a bit strange."

Hermione frowned and pondered, "It's the weekend, and there's no Triwizard Tournament event today."

How did he, as the referee, suddenly appear here and end up with the fairies?

Perhaps their gazes were too direct, for they quickly caught the attention of Bagman and the group of fairies.

The fairies merely glanced at them coldly, without reacting.

Bagman, however, seemed to have suddenly grasped at a straw.

His gaze lit up instantly when it swept over Sherlock and Harry, and he immediately stood up from his chair.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!"

He said something stiffly to the fairies, his tone tinged with urgency, and then hurriedly pushed through the crowd and walked this way.

That baby face, which always wore a smile, was now plastered with an unusually warm smile, even the wrinkles at the corners of its eyes were squeezed together.

"Harry, Sherlock!"

He strode to the table and greeted the two men warmly, giving the impression that he knew them very well.

"How are you all? I was hoping to run into you! Is everything alright?"

Sherlock raised an eyebrow but did not answer, though his gaze toward Bagman was scrutinizing.

Harry was somewhat surprised by Bagman's overly familiar manner, but still responded politely, "We're fine, thank you."

"May I have a few words with you two alone?"

Bagman looked eagerly at Sherlock and Harry, then turned to the others: "Could you do us a favor?"

(End of this chapter)