Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 577 The Final Reconnaissance
"What does Professor Sprout want with Cedric, especially at a time like this?"

Harry frowned as Cedric followed Hannah Abbott's figure disappeared into the entrance to the basement.

The torches in the corridor crackled, casting dappled shadows on his face with their orange-red light, making even the tuft of his signature black hair on his forehead seem to twist into a knot.

"Maybe it's for tomorrow's game?"

Neville clutched the book in his arms, "The Amazing Aquatic Plants of the Mediterranean and Their Characteristics."

His knuckles were slightly white, and his voice carried a hint of uncertainty and hesitation: "She...she might want to give Cedric some special guidance?"

"impossible."

Harry immediately shook his head, his tone unusually firm:
"The warriors must complete the competition events independently; they cannot ask their classmates for help, let alone their teachers."

It was precisely because they had taken this into account that they did not go to see Professor Lu Ping again this time.

After all, consulting Lu Ping on the first project was already a trial by fire, and further recklessness would inevitably cause trouble.

Fortunately, compared to their helplessness when facing the fire dragon, they had already made considerable preparations for the second project and were somewhat confident.

Even without asking outsiders for help, it doesn't seem like a big deal.

"Sherlock, what do you think...where is he?"

Harry habitually turned to ask Sherlock's opinion, only to find that the figure that had been standing beside him was gone, leaving only an empty corridor.

He paused, then sighed helplessly, "They ran away again?!"

Although Harry was used to Sherlock's impulsive nature, he still couldn't help feeling a little helpless every time this happened.

Couldn't you have told someone before you left?

If things continue like this, if he really disappears one day, it will probably take them a long time to realize it.

Sherlock did indeed slip away silently.

Hannah Abbott just found Cedric and said that Professor Sprout wants Hannah to take Cedric to Dean Hufflepuff's office immediately.

At that moment, a bold conjecture began to take shape in Sherlock's mind, and now was the perfect time to test it.

As for not greeting Harry and Neville...

There's no need for that; Harry is probably already used to this kind of thing.

After leaving the castle, Sherlock walked straight towards the Forbidden Forest without pausing for a moment.

The cold wind rustled the fallen leaves underfoot, and the outline of the forbidden forest in the distance blurred into a deep indigo in the twilight.

Beauxbatons' carriage, shaped like a giant pumpkin, still stood alone in the woodland clearing, its silver carriage gleaming coldly in the dim light.

Hagrid was standing beside the carriage, talking to Madam Maxim.

The two men moved in similar ways: tall figures standing ramrod straight, hands on their hips, brows furrowed in a frown.

Ms. Maxim's skirt swept across the withered grass on the ground, her face showing an unnatural stiffness.

The atmosphere between the two was not exactly harmonious, but it had obviously eased considerably compared to the previous tense standoff.

However, there is still a long way to go before a true reconciliation is achieved.

Sherlock's gaze lingered on the two of them for a brief moment before he looked away.

Relationships between men and women have always been Harry's area of ​​expertise, and have nothing to do with him.

Moreover, at this moment, he only had that unverified conjecture in his mind.

He quickly noticed that Ms. Maxim remained vigilant.

However, being in Hogwarts territory, with a powerful wizard like Dumbledore by her side, her vigilance eventually relaxed somewhat.

Sherlock seized the opportunity and, while a group of Beauxbatons students were organizing their luggage around the carriage, slipped in unnoticed.

He kept his eyes down, but his ears were always attentive to the conversations around him.

It didn't take long for me to glean the information I wanted from a few fragmented conversations.

Having succeeded, Sherlock showed no hesitation and turned to head towards the Black Lake.

The operation went more smoothly than he had anticipated.

Since he started winter swimming in Black Lake some time ago, he has been appearing at the lakeside frequently.

Even if someone sees him standing by the lake, they will only assume he is going swimming again and will not think much of it.

No one would have expected that Sherlock would use the reeds by the lake as cover to silently sneak up to Durmstrang's large ship moored on the lake.

He moved as nimbly as a cat, his fingertips hooking into the gaps in the boat's wood, darting swiftly through the shadows, and quickly figuring out what was happening on the boat.

As he left, he even deliberately waved leisurely at several Durmstrang students who were adjusting the sails.

The students were stunned, their faces full of confusion, clearly not understanding why this Hogwarts student was there.

When Sherlock returned to the castle, it was just in time for dinner.

Harry and Hermione were sitting in the middle of the Gryffindor table. As soon as they saw him enter the hall, they waved frantically at him. Harry even almost knocked over the pumpkin juice glass next to him.

"Sherlock, where did you just go?"

As soon as Sherlock sat down, Harry couldn't wait to ask.

“Gathering intelligence,” Sherlock said with a smile, “I think I already know what we’ll be facing in tomorrow’s project.”

His words drew attention not only to Harry, who was talking to Sherlock, and Hermione, who had been watching him closely, but even Ron, who was enjoying his meal, couldn't help but look up.

"What did you say!"

He had something in his mouth, so his speech was somewhat slurred.

"Let's talk about it after we finish eating. The organizers did give me a pleasant surprise this time."

Sherlock picked up a spoon and slowly stirred the soup in the bowl, as if waiting for dinner to end.

Seeing that Sherlock was unwilling to say anything more, the three of them could only suppress their curiosity and focus their attention on dinner for the time being.

After dinner, the four of them finally sat down in a relatively quiet corner of the Gryffindor common room.

As the firelight from the fireplace danced on their faces, Harry could no longer contain himself:
"Alright, Sherlock, can you speak now?"

What exactly did you find out?
What are the projects for tomorrow?

Hermione leaned forward, her eyes fixed on Sherlock, fully focused on receiving the information.

Ron swallowed nervously.

Sherlock habitually clasped his hands together to support his chin, his gaze lingering on the leaping flames for a moment, as if sorting out his thoughts.

When he spoke again, his deep and clear voice instantly stunned Harry:
“Dear Harry, I think we’ll need to work together for tomorrow’s project.”

"What?" Harry was stunned.

Hermione frowned: "Something happened to Diggory?"

Ron: "bloody hell!"

"You can say that."

Sherlock then turned to Hermione: "Do you remember the key lines the golden egg sang underwater?"

Hermione immediately began reciting:

Seek us, for where our voices resound, for we cannot sing on the ground.

[Please think carefully before you search] [We've stolen your most beloved treasure]

You have only one hour to find and retrieve the items we took.

[After an hour, all hope vanished; it had completely disappeared and would never reappear.]

“Very accurate, Hermione,” Sherlock nodded approvingly, “not a single word off.”

"Hermione, did you eat that golden egg?" Ron looked at Hermione in shock. "How do you remember it so clearly?"

Hermione ignored him and continued to ask Sherlock, "So now you know what your most beloved treasure is?"

Sherlock did not answer immediately, but smiled slightly:
"Let's start by sorting out the most basic facts and logic. The answer is already obvious; we just need to piece together those seemingly unrelated fragments:"
"First, the golden egg's singing—this is the core clue, but I'll talk about it later."

"Secondly, the unusual timing—Professor Sprout urgently needs to see Cedric at this time."

Harry was right; she couldn't possibly give Cedric any advice about the Triwizard Tournament, especially with less than twelve hours until the second event was about to begin.

With the first project prohibiting professors from helping warriors, and in the tense moment before the second project was about to begin, a dean specially and solemnly summoned the warriors of his academy.

This is by no means ordinary academic guidance or encouragement.

A reasonable inference is that she played some kind of mandatory role related to the rules of the game.

"Thirdly, my investigation and evidence—just now, I went to Beauxbatons' carriage and Durmstrang's big ship."

"what!"

Hermione gasped in shock. "You infiltrated Durmstrang's ship? Sherlock, that's too dangerous!"

"Observation, Hermione, is merely observation and gathering information."

Sherlock said dismissively:

"Just as I expected, not long ago, the captains of both teams, Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum, were taken away by their respective principals."

"What?" This time it was Harry's turn to be surprised.

"Based on these three points, I believe the truth has come to light."

The firelight from the fireplace cast flickering shadows on Sherlock's face as he spoke in a concluding tone:

"The second task for tomorrow is for two brave warriors from each of the three schools to venture into Black Lake within an hour to rescue their most beloved treasure—their respective captains."

He leaned back slightly, his gray eyes sweeping over the three dumbfounded people, and added:
"As for the surprise I mentioned earlier, it was because the organizers made the choice for me."

I wasn't sure what would be the most precious thing to me, but they immediately designated Cedric as the treasure of our team.

This saves me the trouble of guessing, and it's a logical simplification.

After a moment of silence, Hermione was the first to react.

She said as if suddenly realizing something:

“You’re absolutely right, Sherlock!”

The rescue team leader perfectly embodies the team spirit of this three-way competition.

The warriors of each school are carefully selected elites, and the captain is the soul of the team.

For every school's warriors, the captain is indeed their most beloved treasure!
The captains of all three schools were called away at the same time, so your deduction is probably correct!
"Sherlock, you are absolutely brilliant! Truly remarkable!"

Harry and Ron finally realized what was happening.

“Looks like we’ll need to use the head-diving charm and scuba gear,” Harry said with a sense of relief. “Thank goodness for your contingency plan, Sherlock.”

Sherlock slightly curled the corners of his mouth, but said nothing.

Although Harry was still worried about Cedric being captured and taken to the bottom of the Black Lake, he quickly realized that they had already made ample preparations.

He had mastered the incantation of the head-bubbling spell and had his scuba gear checked several times.

Now we even know what we'll encounter underwater—all we have to do is work with Sherlock to rescue Cedric.

As a result, he was no longer as nervous as he had been before the first project.

That night, Harry slept well, which was a rare treat.

He had no nightmares, no worries, and only slowly opened his eyes when the morning sun shone through the window onto his face the next morning.

After breakfast, it quickly came to nine o'clock.

The atmosphere in the castle hall gradually became tense, with students gathering in twos and threes, quietly discussing the second project that was about to begin.

This morning, the organizers finally officially announced the details of the second project.

To be precise, it was the song that was sung after the golden egg was placed in the water, which was repeated word by word.

They also explained in detail what the warriors needed to do.

The three captains from Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, who are participating in the Triwizard Tournament, have been captured by the mermaids and taken to the bottom of the Black Lake.

The remaining two contestants' task is to rescue them within an hour.

Once it exceeds an hour, it's just like that song says.

[After an hour, all hope vanished; it had completely disappeared and would never reappear.]

The students were all taken aback when they learned the details of the second project.

They finally understood why the Triwizard Tournament had been suspended for over a century.

The first project was already risky enough; the second project was even riskier.

If they keep messing around like this, how can there not be a lot of casualties?

In any case, the students of Hogwarts united like never before, crowding around Sherlock and Harry as they walked toward the Black Lake.

"Holmes, Potter, we must save our prefect!"

The Hufflepuff little badgers are shouting loudly here.

"The Lion King will prevail! The Savior will prevail!"

These are the Gryffindor lion cubs cheering on the two of them.

Hermione gripped Sherlock's hand tightly, her palms slightly sweaty, yet she held on firmly, her eyes filled with trust and encouragement.
"Sherlock, I believe in you. You will definitely be able to complete this task."

Cho Chang walked over to Harry and gently took his hand.

Her hands were a little cold, and her body was still trembling slightly.

She was telling Harry not to be nervous, but she herself was more nervous than anyone else.

She looked into Harry's eyes and said earnestly, "Harry, don't be nervous, you can do it—I'll be here waiting for you to come back."

Following the two, Luna and Ginny also expressed their blessings to Sherlock and Harry.

Next, Sherlock and Harry, surrounded by the crowd, crossed the lawn and headed towards the Black Lake.

At this moment, layers upon layers of seats had been set up on the opposite shore of Black Lake—the very same seats that surrounded the Fire Dragon Enclosure last November.

At this point, the audience officially parted ways with the warriors who participated in the three-way battle for supremacy.

The Hogwarts students and teachers were making their way to their seats, carrying binoculars and blankets, their faces filled with anticipation and worry.

As for Sherlock and Harry, they naturally went around the lake and headed towards the referee's group.

(End of this chapter)