Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 575 We seem to have met somewhere before, do you remember?
In an empty classroom at Hogwarts Castle, Sherlock, Hermione, and Fleur are having a secret meeting.

When Hermione heard Fleur finally admit her true intentions, she opened her mouth slightly, showing her surprise.

Sherlock, however, gave a wry smile:
"As expected, this is something he was capable of doing—so, he paid you, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"So you're telling me all this now so you can get me to cooperate with you and split the rewards with me?"

"what?"

"It's a pity, it seems you don't have that idea at the moment."

"Uh……"

"So, the reward he gave you wasn't to have Beauxbatons win the Triwizard Tournament?"

"No, he told me the first time we met that if I wanted to, Hogwarts winning the championship was a sure thing."

"Hehe, my brother has a lot of confidence in me, but it seems you don't believe me."

“I didn’t believe it before, but now I firmly believe it.”

"You've realized this a little too late."

"You're right. I should have realized it sooner. You two brothers are equally smart. How could the three-way competition possibly be a challenge for you?"

"No, in terms of the art of observation and reasoning alone, my dear brother is far more adept than I am."

"Perhaps—"

Furong sighed deeply, thinking to herself that there was no need to compare the two brothers anymore.

She glanced at Sherlock again, and asked, just to try her luck:
"Actually... we met when you were little, do you remember?"

“I don’t remember,” Sherlock said curtly, “but as I said before, I can deduce that based on known facts.”

"I can tell you!"

Furong said quickly:
"When you were four years old, and the other Mr. Holmes was eleven, your whole family went on a trip to France."

Two years later, you returned to England—it was during this time that our two families met.

But I was only seven years old that year…

As she spoke, a look of reminiscence appeared on Furong's face.

"That year, my magic went out of control, and you two brothers saved me by chance."

My parents were very grateful for this, and that's how our two families became acquainted.

However, at that time, you did not know about the existence of magic…

Hearing this, Sherlock frowned slightly.

He really had no recollection of this incident whatsoever.

Of course, Mycroft never said that either.

"Just last year, when the Triwizard Tournament was confirmed to be restarted and hosted by the UK, Mr. Holmes sent someone to me to make this request."

I don't understand either; how did he manage to do that after nearly ten years?

"It couldn't be simpler for him—but I'm more interested in what kind of reward he gave you."

Furong: "..."

"Oh, it seems it's not for you, but for your family."

Seeing that Fleur remained silent, Sherlock snapped his fingers. "He offered a reward that your family couldn't refuse."

The expression on Furong's face froze instantly, then transformed into a mixture of shock and disbelief.

She looked up abruptly, staring intently at Sherlock.

She didn't say anything!

The details of the deal between the Delacour family and Mycroft are kept strictly confidential!

She took a deep breath, trying to calm the shock in her heart.

"You...how could you..."

Furong's voice trembled slightly, and her breathing became a little rapid.

“That’s almost the only reasonable explanation, Miss Delacour.”

Sherlock smiled slightly:
"As a member of an ancient and proud magical family, your ability to be at Mycroft's beck and call and act as his informant cannot be fully explained by personal favors or ordinary monetary benefits alone."

Especially since your contact was so brief—what drives you must be the irresistible interests of the entire Delacour family.

I think your family must be in some kind of predicament.

The essence of this predicament lies in the fact that it is cleverly caught between the magical world and the Muggle world.

It's possible that the key industries you rely on for survival or to accumulate wealth in the Muggle world have encountered a fatal blockade or suppression by Muggle laws or bureaucracy.

Or perhaps it's some ancient prohibition or resource restriction imposed on your family by the Ministry of Magic.

The key to its dismantling unexpectedly involves a crucial link or piece of evidence controlled by the Muggle government.

The key to solving all this lay precisely in the hands of Mycroft, who possessed the power to mobilize the entire British state apparatus.

"It's like you've used Legilimency on me..."

Furong murmured.

At this moment, she finally gave up the last bit of doubt about Sherlock's abilities.

She looked at Sherlock in front of her, and the figure gradually overlapped with the figure from ten years ago when he was only five years old and could already use a magnifying glass to observe the scorched grass after the magic storm.

"Yes, you are right."

Furong sighed deeply, as if resigned to her fate, and said:

“The terms offered by your brother, Mr. Mycroft Holmes, are ones that our family—or rather, my parents—cannot refuse.”

Hermione held her breath upon hearing this.

Sherlock's precise reasoning certainly captivated her, but for someone who knew Sherlock so well, that was secondary.

More importantly, Mycroft, as a Muggle, was able to offer terms that the Delacour family, who were foreign wizards, could not refuse.

What exactly is this energy?
In the case of Sirius and Pettigrew, she had already witnessed Mycroft's prowess firsthand.

In her view, influencing the Ministry of Magic through the Muggle government was already a remarkable achievement.

She had never even thought about this before.

But she never expected that even so, she still underestimated how formidable her older brother Sherlock was.

He can even influence neighboring countries!
Or perhaps it's the magical world of a neighboring country!
Thinking of this, she subconsciously moved a little closer to Sherlock, as if that would give her a sense of security.

"Mycroft Holmes".

As Sherlock read out his brother's full name, a slightly sarcastic smile curled at the corners of his lips.

"My dear brother's job—or perhaps his talent or duty—is to memorize and master all the details of the affairs of the British government."

He himself was a living database of the British government, the very core of that vast bureaucratic machine.

The context of every decision, the underlying strategy of every transaction, and even those unspoken gray areas are all etched into his mind.

in short……"

Sherlock paused, his grey eyes appearing exceptionally deep in the light:

"He is Britain."

“Yes… I understand completely.” The helplessness on Hibiscus’s face grew even more pronounced.
"Before this, I never imagined that a Muggle could control such a terrifying thing in this way..."

"Power?" Hermione asked cautiously from the side.

"It's a given."

Sherlock said with certainty:

"He may not understand magic, but he is an expert in the game of power."

He is adept at using the vast resources and influence of the Muggle world to leverage any fulcrum he desires, including certain key points in the magical world.

So my dear brother doesn't need to wave his wand like we do.

He only needs to extract information from his vast memory palace at the right time, information that can precisely strike at the opponent's vitals.

Or mobilize forces in the Muggle world that even the Ministry of Magic cannot ignore.

If my deduction is correct, he must have demonstrated to your family that he possesses this power and has the ability to apply it to your family instantly.

Sherlock's expression remained unchanged, as if Fleur's confession merely confirmed the logical chain that had already taken shape in his mind.

"Absolutely right—it involves a sum of money..."

Furong carefully considered her words, seemingly weighing which information she could reveal.

“An asset that is of vital importance to our family.”

It was frozen for many years by the complex procedures and restrictions of some magical bureaucrats, which seriously affected the family's livelihood and some important magical research.

We tried many methods, even contacting the International Department of Magical Cooperation, but to no avail.

The bureaucratic system and those outdated regulations are like a thick layer of ice, impossible to break through.

If this industry is lost, the family will suffer a severe blow, and magical research will become unsustainable...

Then, shortly after I became a Beauxbatons Warrior, Mr. Holmes contacted us.

He did not reveal any details about how he learned of our predicament, but he made it clear that he had the ability and the willingness to remove those obstacles.

As you just said, when the people he found first met us, he didn't just make demands.

She paused, a complex light flashing in her eyes—a mixture of worry about her family's predicament and admiration for Mycroft's methods.
"That person showed us a document directly, a crucial document that we couldn't obtain even using all our connections."

What frightens us even more is that less than 24 hours after he left, the Muggle local official who had always been tough on us was transferred from his post.

Instead, a new official showed understanding of our family business history and took the initiative to contact us to renegotiate!
This must be what you meant by a display of power.

At this point, Furong's voice had changed from helplessness to despair:
"He promised that as long as I could complete the task, he would make sure to resolve our family's problems before the end of the competition."

He even hinted that he could facilitate certain business activities of our family in the British Muggle world.

Such compensation is simply too much for us to refuse.

Or rather, we simply cannot bear the consequences of refusing him.

"So, monitoring my every move and recording my every move is the key to your obtaining this reward that even your entire family can't refuse?"

"Yes, he asked me to collect and report to him some of your key movements, action details, and especially your preparation and strategies for the competition while I was at Hogwarts, particularly during the Triwizard Tournament."

“Excellent! My dear brother has used this as leverage to insert a hand into an ancient competition in which he is not directly involved.”

Just to ensure that he could keep track of every detail of the little troubles his restless younger brother was causing in the magical world.
What an amazing older brother!

"That's right, he emphasized to me that your safety is his top priority."

Hibiscus couldn't help but recall Mycroft's calm yet oppressive words.

Even though it was just a conversation with Mycroft's agent, everything still seemed to be happening on his chessboard.

"Safety? Wrong, it's just a comprehensive form of control."

He needs to know every step of my plan, especially those parts that might deviate from the norm or bring surprises.

Sherlock let out a short, sharp laugh, which sounded particularly clear in the empty classroom:

"Of course, this perfectly confirms his stereotypical assessment of me as impulsive and unruly."

To be precise, this is a classic example of his predictive model; he loves seeing his predictions confirmed.

Hermione looked at Sherlock, then at Fleur, and finally couldn't help but ask:
"So, Miss Delacour, why are you telling us this now?"
If you break your promise to your elder brother, the reward he previously agreed to will be for you…

“That’s why I’ve come to find you, Sherlock.”

Fleur looked at Sherlock and said sincerely:
"I came to you not only to tell you this, but also because I can't solve the mystery of the golden egg."

Hermione looked at Fleur Delacour in surprise.

You're asking your competitor for help? That's amazing!

Furong continued:

"With only one week left until the second project, we still have no clue what to do."

With you at Hogwarts, the championship is now a distant dream for us.

But... at least Beauxbatons can't be at the bottom!
This is not only about my personal honor, but also about the dignity of the school and Mrs. Maxim's expectations.

I think you already know that Maxim has spoken to Professor Hagrid.

She looked directly at Sherlock and said in a desperate tone:

I've come to ask for your guidance—even just a hint.

In exchange…

She paused, then lowered her voice even further, but it was incredibly clear:

"I am willing to be your collaborator rather than your monitor."

I will continue to pass messages to your brother, but what to pass on and how to pass them on—that is up to you.

I have only one request: don't put me on the opposite side of him.

The cost of being his enemy is something neither I nor my family can afford.

Hermione was completely stunned.

To be honest, she wasn't really that surprised by this girl.

First, she is French.

Secondly, she was far too arrogant.

But looking at the despair in Fleur's eyes, struggling between family interests, tournament dignity, and fear of Mycroft, Hermione seemed to see a person desperately struggling to grab a lifeline.

She couldn't help but look at Sherlock, wondering how he would react.

A few seconds later, Sherlock slowly spoke:
"The sound of the golden egg changes when it is in water."

Furong's eyes widened suddenly!

Being chosen as a warrior and captain in the Triwizard Tournament, Furong is certainly not stupid.

Considering the recent rumors at school about the Hogwarts trio swimming in the Black Lake with Durmstrang...

The fog that had been troubling her for weeks was instantly dispelled.

To her even greater surprise, the other party actually told her the answer!
But just as ecstasy welled up inside her, Sherlock's next words plunged her into an icy abyss:
"As for cooperation, Miss Delacour, you seem to have overlooked a key point."

Sherlock chuckled:
“You stand here now, confess to me, and seek refuge…”

This in itself puts them on the opposite side of Mycroft.

(End of this chapter)