Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 570 The Only Problem

When Ludobagman suggested speaking to Sherlock and Harry alone, the friends exchanged bewildered glances.

The atmosphere around the wooden table paused for a moment, and even the crackling of the firewood in the fireplace seemed to become clearer.

Logically speaking, as one of the judges of the Triwizard Tournament, Bagman should have deliberately avoided any appearance of impropriety and tried to refrain from private contact with the contestants during the event.

But he did something quite different. Not only did he initiate a conversation in such a crowded and inconvenient setting as the Three Brooms, but he also directly asked to speak to them alone, which was really illogical.

But what happened next was even more surprising.

"I don't have to."

Sherlock's voice was calm, as if he were talking about something completely unrelated to himself, but his words directly shattered the expectation in Bagman's eyes:
"You can tell Harry what you want to say."

"W-what?!"

Bagman's smile froze instantly.

His round eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting Sherlock to refuse so decisively.

After all, in his view, although this Gryffindor Lion King was unconventional, he was still a student of Hogwarts, and would at least give the Ministry of Magic officials some face.

Especially at this crucial moment in the three-way battle, she shouldn't be acting like this when facing herself, a member of the referee team.

However, he quickly came to his senses and thought about it carefully. He realized that it would be more appropriate to tell Harry what he wanted to say later.

According to information gathered from Hogwarts, this savior was gentle and much easier to persuade than Sherlock.

Moreover, his life and fortune depended on this conversation, and he couldn't afford to make the slightest mistake.

He seemed very nervous.

As Harry followed Bagman toward the corner of the tavern, Gemma's gaze swept over the group of goblins still with their arms crossed, then returned to the table, her fingertips lightly tapping the surface.

"He gives the impression of a debtor being cornered by creditors, his steps even a little unsteady."

Sherlock nodded, his gaze fixed on Bagman's retreating figure: "You're right."

"What?" Gemma looked at him with some surprise, her aquamarine eyes full of curiosity.

“Those fairies are indeed his creditors.”

Sherlock said in a slightly mocking tone:
"It is precisely because he is burdened with enormous debt that he is so eager to come to me and Harry."

Now, we've become his lifeline.

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, the girls immediately perked up and looked at him with great interest, listening to his deductions about Bagman's actions.

Just as Sherlock was trying to figure out Bagman's thoughts, Bagman had already led Harry to a corner away from the bar.

The place was dimly lit, with only a kerosene lamp hanging on the wall emitting a faint light that was just enough to illuminate the two people's faces.

“Harry, first of all, I would like to congratulate you again on your excellent performance in dealing with that Hungarian hornet.”

Bagman looked at Harry and said with both sincerity and enthusiasm:

"You guys are absolutely amazing!"
No one could have imagined that a simple spell could turn a match into a Quidditch game.

Even Viktor Krum doesn't have that, and he's one of the best Seekers in the world!
On the contrary, your match actually inspired him—it's all my fault, I made a serious mistake!

"what?"

Harry stared at him blankly, his brows furrowed slightly.

On the one hand, Bagman's sudden outgoing and familiar manner made him somewhat uncomfortable.

They shouldn't be that close yet, right?

Although Bagman helped the Weasleys get great tickets to the Quidditch World Cup, he wasn't actually a member of the Weasleys.

On the other hand, he really didn't understand the source of Bagman's self-blame.

After all, he was the referee, so you can't really blame him.

"It's all my fault for speaking too loudly while commentating!"

Just then, Bagman immediately showed a look of annoyance.

He patted his thighs with both hands, his tone full of self-reproach:

"The players from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will not be able to see what's happening in the game!"
Viktor Krum must have heard my explanation to understand your tactics and then thought of the same method.

It's all my fault; I was so careless and didn't know my limits!

Harry was taken aback by what he heard and subconsciously pushed up his glasses.

After Bagman thought about it that way, it did seem to make some sense.

The cheers from the sidelines were so loud that if Bagman hadn't used a loud amplification spell, like he did at the Quidditch World Cup, making his commentary exceptionally loud, Krum really wouldn't have been able to execute their tactics.

However, as a commentator, Bagman's passionate style has always been like that.

This is at most a minor issue, far from the "serious mistake" he described.

Harry was about to explain when Bagman changed the subject and continued:

Fortunately, pirated copies are never as good as genuine ones!
Even though he is one of the best Seekers in the world and learned about your tactics through my commentary, he is still no match for you without sufficient preparation!
From my professional perspective, if you were to play Quidditch in the future, your achievements would certainly be no less than Krum's!

No, I should say I'm definitely stronger than him!

"Cough cough..."

Harry, a little embarrassed by Bagman's praise, quickly waved his hand and said:

"Actually, the reason we were able to gain an advantage in the first project was mainly because of Sherlock—it was he who came up with the idea of ​​using a summoning spell to summon the flying broomstick."

Krum's flying skills are far superior to mine. The reason they didn't perform well in their first project was because they weren't as united as we were..."

"None of that matters!"

Bagman waved his hand and said happily, "In short, you did a fantastic job on the first project!"

They successfully showcased the brilliance of Hogwarts—no, the brilliance of all of Britain!

"Thank you, Mr. Bagman."

Harry thanked them again.

But he's not stupid either.

He knew very well that Bagman had more to say than just that.

Otherwise, he could have congratulated Sherlock and himself in front of his friends instead of asking to speak with them alone.

However, Bagman did not seem to be in a hurry to reveal the answer at this time.

He looked toward the fairies at the other end of the bar.

Seeing this, Harry followed his gaze and saw that all the goblins were staring at Bagman and himself with their dark eyes slanted.

"A dream, a nightmare, this was absolutely a nightmare."

Bagman noticed Harry was also looking at the goblins, so he lowered his voice and said...
"Their English isn't good... It feels like being back in the Quidditch World Cup, arguing with those Bulgarians..."

But at least Bulgarians can use gestures to make themselves understood.

These guys kept gurgling in their turkey language...

Unfortunately, I only know one word in Turkeyese.

Bradwa means 'knife, sword'.

I didn't want to use that word, afraid they'd think I was threatening them.

At this point, Bagman gave a low, short laugh.

"So what do they want?"

Harry noticed that the goblins were looking at Bagman with suspicion, as if he might run away at any moment.

When Bagman heard Harry ask this, he suddenly became nervous:

"They...uh...they had a little misunderstanding with me." "A misunderstanding?"

"Yes, it's a misunderstanding, but that's not important."

Bagman lowered his voice again: "You don't need to worry about that. Actually, the main reason I called you and Sherlock here today is to ask how your research on that golden egg is going?"

After saying that, he immediately added, "I've already asked Diggory, and he said he handed the golden egg over to you."

"Uh...it's alright."

Because he wasn't sure what Bagman was up to, Harry didn't tell the truth.

Although Bagman was an official of the British Ministry of Magic, he also showed great favor towards Hogwarts in the first project.

But even now, he still can't believe the other person.

What if he's a spy infiltrated by another country?

Sherlock once said that the British Ministry of Magic was like a ship that was leaking from bow to stern.

Bagman clearly knew that Harry wasn't telling the truth.

“Listen, Harry…”

He lowered his voice even further and spoke as sincerely as possible:

"Actually, I feel very sad about all of this."

"What? Sad?" Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

"Shh... Keep your voice down. What I mean is... Although I don't know why the Goblet of Fire chose you, you and Sherlock are the only two underage wizards among the three academies."

"So what?" Harry looked at Bagman, puzzled.

"I mean, you were forcibly dragged into this competition."

Compared to other contestants, you have learned two to three years less about magic, and you are in the crucial fifth and sixth grades.

"Speaking of which, you guys didn't even pass the OWL exam..."

Seeing Bagman's puzzled expression, Harry gradually realized what was going on.

He stared at Bagman and said, word by word:

“Mr. Bagman, you might as well put it more clearly.”

“Very well, what I mean is, if I can help... I can give you a proper reminder.”

do you understand?

Because I've developed feelings for you and Sherlock.

As the two youngest participants, your bravery in dealing with that dragon has completely robbed me!

So it's okay, just say one word.

Harry looked up in disbelief.

Bagman's round face was rosy, just like Ron's hair.

Those wide-open blue eyes were so clear yet foolish.

"But shouldn't we solve the mystery ourselves?"

Harry tried to make his tone sound casual, so as not to sound like he was accusing the head of the Department of Magical Sports and the Triwizard Tournament referees of breaking the rules.

how to say?

After all, they were just trying to help me, and it was a well-intentioned thing to do.

Or perhaps they're just fishing?
"Oh...yes, yes."

Hearing Harry's words, Bagman seemed a little impatient:
"Don't be silly, Harry—we all want Hogwarts to win the championship, don't we?"

"That's right, that's what we're thinking, but if we do that, it won't be honorable even if we win."

"what?"

Bagman stared at Harry as if he had heard something utterly ridiculous and said:

"Don't be silly, child. History is always written by the victors!"
This applies to nations, countries, and individuals alike!
"Once you truly win, who cares about any of this!"

"I care."

Harry said calmly.

Even he himself didn't fully understand why he rejected Bagman.

One reason he gave Bagman was:
If the referee helps him, even if he wins, it won't be honorable—he wants to win, but he wants to win cleanly.

Another reason is that Sherlock has already solved the mystery of the golden egg, so he doesn't need Bagman's extra help at all.

He had complete faith in his friend's wisdom, and this continued in the subsequent matches.

In fact, having Sherlock participate in the Triwizard Tournament was already considered cheating.

To accept Bagman's "kindness" would be an insult to Sherlock.

correct!

Harry thought about it a step further: Sherlock must have seen through Bagman's intentions beforehand, which was why he didn't bother to come looking for him.

Of course, there was also a darker idea, which was the one I had at the beginning.

Ludo Bagman has been recruited as a spy by Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; he is stinging law enforcement.

If he actually agrees, he will use his position as referee to eliminate the Hogwarts team.

If that were the case, I would become a sinner against Hogwarts.

"Harry, what's wrong with you...?"

Seeing that Harry was completely unmoved, Bagman, who had been smiling, looked a little annoyed.

He hadn't expected this savior to be so difficult to deal with, no different from the lion king who had directly rejected him.

"Thank you, Mr. Bagman, really."

Harry tried to make his voice sound as sincere as possible:
"But I think we'll be able to unlock the secret of the golden egg soon—with Sherlock around, this is no problem at all."

Furthermore, we cannot selfishly place you in an unjust situation just for our own sake.

Seeing Harry's sincere expression, Bagman stared blankly at Harry, somewhat at a loss for words.

What's up with this savior? Is he really that kind?

He must think you're very kind!

After Harry recounted the whole story, Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

Cho Chang and Ginny looked at Harry with doting expressions.

This kindness is precisely why they like Harry.

"I don't care what he thinks!"

Harry said irritably, then turned to Sherlock:
“Sherlock, I only refused him, but I didn’t tell him that you had unlocked the secret of the golden egg, mainly for three reasons…”

He then repeated his deductions.

"Harry, I must say, you've really improved a lot!"

Hearing Harry's reasoning, Sherlock couldn't help but burst into laughter:
"Not only were they able to make inferences, but they even offered three different levels of explanation."

I must say, you've really impressed me!

Upon hearing this, Harry couldn't help but break into a bright smile.

I finally received Sherlock's praise!
However, just as he was feeling pleased with himself, Sherlock suddenly changed the subject:
"The only problem is that your inferences are all wrong."

Harry: '(°ー°〃)
(End of this chapter)