Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 574 Sherlock's Contingency Plan

"The more critical issue is that if the magical effect wears off prematurely underwater due to excessive energy consumption, it could be fatal."

The sunlight slanted down onto the bed in the dormitory, where three sets of silver-gray scuba equipment were neatly arranged, gleaming with a cold, hard metallic luster.

Sherlock's voice was deep, but it was full of power when it reached the ears of his three friends:
"No matter how good Cedric's method is, it's still magic."

All magic is susceptible to failure or interference—especially in unknown environments.

We cannot place our hopes entirely on a single spell, especially one that is likely being used for the first time in actual combat.

No matter how excellent the companions it comes from, we must be prepared.

Ultimately, it all comes down to that one sentence...

Sherlock slightly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Harry, Hermione, and Ron in turn, his grey eyes filled with determination:

"A person must rely on themselves!"

"I understand!"

A brief silence spread through the dormitory, broken only by the occasional chirping of birds outside the window.

Suddenly, Hermione's eyes lit up.

She took a deep breath and immediately said:
"So that's the real reason you bought the scuba gear in advance!"

For us, this is not just an alternative, but a very practical double guarantee!

"The first layer of protection is obvious."

Hermione pointed to the scuba gear, her fingertips slightly red with excitement. She spoke rapidly, but her thoughts were crystal clear:

"Once, like in the first project, you can directly use the Summoning Charm to summon the Water Lungs."

That would mean sending it flying through Muggle villages to Hogwarts in broad daylight.

This is absolutely terrifying!

"so what?"

Ron scratched his messy red hair, frowned, and asked with a hint of confusion:

"Since scuba diving is as useful as you just said, I think you can totally do it like the first project."

"Let's use the Summoning Charm again to get a scuba suit from a nearby Muggle town—that should save a lot of money, right?"

As a member of the Weasley family, he habitually considered issues from an economic perspective.

When my eyes fell on the scuba gear, I started to secretly estimate the price of the equipment—just by looking at it, I knew it must be worth a lot of money.

In critical moments, save where you can.

"How about it?"

Hermione immediately turned her head, staring at Ron with a scrutinizing gaze, and said in a serious tone, word by word:

"Ronald, this clearly violates the International Code of Magical Secrecy!"
Just imagine, when three suits of scuba gear whizzed through the countryside toward Hogwarts, it would be a pipe dream to avoid being seen by Muggles!
At that point, it won't be a big deal if our grades are invalidated.

"You could be disqualified from the competition and held accountable!"

Upon hearing Hermione's words, Ron immediately shrank back, terrified and speechless.

This result is truly terrifying!

Hermione had successfully frightened Ron, then gave a soft snort and continued:

"But Sherlock purchased and mailed the package in advance through the Muggle Post Office, and the circulation of the package in the Muggle world was completely legal, normal, and inconspicuous."

After purchasing the scuba gear, it was handed over by an owl and stored at Hogwarts.

In this way, the goal was perfectly achieved.

Summoning them using the Summoning Spell during the competition is no different from summoning the flying broomsticks in the first event.

No, it's even simpler than that—because we've already had a successful experience with it.

Hermione paused, her gaze sweeping intently over the three sets of equipment in the package, her voice full of admiration:
"More importantly, there's a second layer of protection: time!"

Sherlock bought everyone precious time!

If, as Sherlock suggests, Cedric's method is not perfect in pre-match testing, or risks being less effective under strenuous activity, then...

By the time you come up with other solutions, it will be too late!

Even setting aside the fact that summoning violates the Secret Service Act, even if one were incredibly lucky and managed to get their hands on them without being seen by Muggles—which, of course, I think is completely impossible.

Even if that were the case, aside from Sherlock, Harry and Cedric certainly wouldn't be able to learn how to operate such complex Muggle equipment within the allotted hour.

"But it's different now!"

Hermione's voice rose a few decibels, her shoulders trembling slightly with excitement:
"There's still a little over a week until the second project!"

If Cedric's method is perfect, these scuba tanks are quiet safe havens, and it's best not to use them at all.

But if, just in case... I mean just in case, his method encounters uncertainties or lacks timeliness in high-pressure real-world scenarios, we still have plenty of time!

She emphasized the last few words, her eyes filled with certainty:

"We can find time in advance to conduct several short underwater acclimatization training sessions in a safe and controllable environment, such as a remote corner of Black Lake!"
You don't need to become a diving expert, just learn how to wear the equipment, breathe, move in basic ways, and handle emergencies!
This is a million times more realistic and safer than cramming on the day of the competition!

Seeing Hermione's excited expression, Harry's eyes grew brighter and brighter, his green eyes practically overflowing with affection as he looked at Sherlock.

He certainly didn't consider everything as thoroughly as Hermione.

But now, after hearing Hermione's words, he couldn't help but reach out and touch the equipment on the bed. The cool touch of the metal made him even more awake.

At the same time, an unprecedented sense of security welled up in his heart.

Sherlock is Sherlock! He's truly a master strategist, always planning ahead and leaving no stone unturned. He's absolutely amazing!
Ron's reaction was slower; he was still in a state of confusion but also awe.

"A very accurate summary, Hermione."

Sherlock flicked his fingers, giving a crisp snap, and looked at Hermione with a faint smile:
“Cedric’s research is central, and I have no doubt about his efforts and achievements.”

But my responsibility is to ensure that no matter what happens, we can keep moving forward until we win.

The three sets of scuba gear I purchased were specifically designed to address the potential risk of reduced spell duration due to strenuous activity.

And the need for physical support in case of emergencies, and the physical backup prepared in advance.

Double insurance is necessary; neither can be dispensed with.

At this point, Sherlock paused, then looked at Harry and Hermione again and said:
"Actually, in the Muggle world, there is a more colloquial way to say what I'm doing."

"What statement?"

Harry and Hermione asked at the same time, their eyes full of curiosity.

"Emergency plan".

"Emergency plan?"

"Emergency plan?"

Harry and Ron exchanged glances, clearly having never heard of the word before.

Ron repeated it unconsciously, his brows furrowing even more.

Hermione rested her chin on her hand, blinking thoughtfully as if searching her memory for relevant information. Regardless, Sherlock's actions made them feel exceptionally at ease.

How do you say that?

It would be strange if we couldn't win even with all this!

"Next, we need to invite our captain over to learn the correct way to use a scuba tank."

Given his intense desire for victory, he should be quite happy to accept this contingency plan.

Sherlock looked at Harry and said, "My dear friend, I think you should be able to teach him by following the instructions."

"no problem!"

Harry patted his chest, his gaze fixed on the scuba gear, his eyes resolute and full of confidence.

After the afternoon arithmetic divination class, the corridor was crowded with students coming and going, their footsteps and conversations mingling together.

Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor, while the air still carried the unique scent of numbers.

Hermione tugged at Sherlock's sleeve, her steps light and undisguised, making no attempt to hide her admiration:
"Sherlock, you are so clever!"

You know, when I first heard you talk about the secret of the golden egg, I never even considered using Muggle methods to solve this problem—my first thought was that you guys should transform yourselves.”

"Really? Like turning into a submarine?" Sherlock's lips curled up slightly, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing.

Hermione is very intelligent, there's no doubt about that.

However, she always seems to fall short in terms of the comprehensiveness of her thinking and makes some metaphysical mistakes.

Or she might forget she's a witch and say things like, "But there's no firewood here," when she needs to light a fire.

Or they forget that they are a Muggle-born wizard and forget to fully utilize their initiative to combine magic with knowledge from the Muggle world.

In short, they tend to view things from an isolated, static, and one-sided perspective.

This is commonly referred to as metaphysics.

However, Hermione actually stopped in her tracks upon hearing Sherlock's half-joking remark, thought seriously for a few seconds, then shook her head, her tone grave:

"If we've already practiced human transformation, this is indeed a good idea!"

But we won't cover this topic until sixth grade. If you try to change it without fully understanding it, the consequences could be disastrous..."

"Thinking about it carefully, walking around with a diving telescope perched on your head isn't such a bad option."

Sherlock continued to joke.

"puff!"

Hermione couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, her shoulders shaking slightly, her eyes curving into crescents, and a faint blush rising at the corners of her eyes:

"Only someone like you would think that way!"

By the way, what exactly did Diggory come up with?
With only a week left until the second project, and seeing how confident he is, I'm quite curious...

"Wait, Sherlock, is she here to see you?"

Hermione's gaze fell at the end of the corridor, where Fleur Delacour was standing.

Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, shimmering softly in the sunlight.

She stood tall and proud, her demeanor still haughty, completely out of place among the noisy students around her.

With Sherlock's keen observation skills, he naturally noticed her much earlier than Hermione.

Even the moment his gaze swept over her, he had already deduced her purpose.

"Obviously, my friend."

No sooner had Sherlock finished speaking than Fleur walked straight toward the two of them.

Although she has been at Hogwarts for almost half a year, she still attracts the attention of students wherever she goes.

However, when she stood before Sherlock, she abandoned her usual arrogance.

Her fingers gently clenched the hem of her wizard's robe, a polite smile playing on her lips.
"Mr. Holmes, may we speak alone?"

After saying this, he glanced at Hermione subtly, his eyes carrying a hint of ambiguity.

"Then you two chat..."

Upon seeing this, Hermione immediately released Sherlock's sleeve and turned to leave.

Just then, Sherlock suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly.

"That's not necessary."

Sherlock's fingers gripped Hermione's wrist, the force almost rough.

However, Hermione did not feel offended at all; on the contrary, she was secretly delighted.

His gaze was fixed on Fleur, his tone calm yet brooking no refusal: "She is my friend. Miss Delacour, please speak freely."

“But…” Furong frowned slightly, a troubled look on her face, and even her tone softened a bit, as if she still wanted to try.

"If there's nothing else, please excuse me." Sherlock pulled Hermione along, turned to leave without pausing.

"Wait a minute!"

Furong quickly stepped forward to stop the two of them, her expression shifting between different emotions, eventually revealing a pleading and troubled look.

I have to say, she is absolutely stunning.

Her helplessness at this moment created a stark contrast with her usual arrogant and aloof demeanor, attracting the attention of students passing by.

They looked at Sherlock with suspicion, as if they would all become her protectors and stand up for her if Fleur spoke.

Even Hermione felt a little soft-hearted.

However, Sherlock remained unmoved, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

In the end, Furong relented, nodding slightly, her tone tinged with helplessness:

"Well... let's go somewhere else, it's a bit crowded here."

“Okay.” Sherlock stopped, which made Fleur secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Sherlock then led Hermione and Fleur to an abandoned, empty classroom.

For Sherlock, this was an easy task.

The desks and chairs in the classroom were piled up in a corner, covered with a thin layer of dust. Sunlight slanted in through the window, and tiny dust particles floated slowly in the light.

Furong walked to the center of the classroom, turned around, clasped her hands together in front of her, her fingertips slightly clenched, and spoke with a hint of frankness:

"Mr. Holmes, first of all, I must apologize to you."

"Apologize. For what reason? Are you spying on me?"

"Yes."

At this moment, Furong needed someone's help, and even her words were much more sincere than before:
"Although I don't know how you figured it out, as you said last time, I promised your brother—the other Mr. Holmes—something."

The main task is to monitor your every move during this three-way competition and promptly relay this information to him.

(End of this chapter)