Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 593 I feel terrible all over.

"His final words, 'The maze will tell,' sounded like a declaration of war."

In the Gryffindor common room, Harry recounted word for word the conversation Krum had with Sherlock when they were alone.

His brows furrowed slightly, his tone filled with lingering doubt.

"It's a declaration of war, but also an acknowledgment of the gap."

Sherlock leaned back lazily in his chair, a calm smile playing on his lips, his grey eyes gleaming with knowing light in the firelight:

He understood that Durmstrang was currently at a disadvantage in terms of pure strategy and preparation.

The unknown elements within the maze were the only variable he could pin his hopes on.

"Speaking of mazes..."

Hermione slammed the large book shut, the pages snapping softly.

She temporarily suppressed her dissatisfaction with Ron and dispelled the awkward blush that had risen on her cheeks when Krum was mentioned, turning her attention to the more practical predicament before her.

"The obstacles that Mr. Bagman and Mr. Moody mentioned: including the 'huge array of animals' provided by Hagrid, as well as spells, traps..."

She paused, a hint of anxiety in her voice, "The scope is just too broad; we have no way to prepare."

"Yes, Hagrid's favorite creatures range from blast-tailed snails to hippogriffs, even giant spiders... Good heavens, just thinking about it is terrifying."

Ron unconsciously shrugged as he spoke.

He could almost see countless hairy spiders crawling swiftly across the ground.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but shudder, goosebumps spreading down his arms.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, annoyed.
"An eight-eyed giant spider? What are you thinking? That's a creature of the ××××× level. He couldn't possibly have thrown that thing into the maze!"

"Yes, we all know that, but Hagrid doesn't think so!"

Do you remember that giant eight-eyed spider he raised? Its name was... Ah... what was it again?

Ron turned to look at Harry as he spoke.

Harry immediately understood and added, "Aragog."

"Yes, it's Aragog!"
Not only did he hatch that thing, he even found it a companion!

Do you remember what he said during our last chat?
He said with pride, "That little cutie has now multiplied into a huge family!"

I'll say it again—Hagrid was indeed wrongly expelled, but the act of being expelled itself was absolutely not unjust!

Clearly, Ron became unconsciously agitated when he mentioned the spider because of his special feelings for it.

Harry nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing.

Hagrid has always been like this, harboring a bias against those huge, dangerous, and ferocious magical creatures that others cannot understand.

He had already thought about this when he heard Bagman mention Hagrid.

Hermione opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that she couldn't find a suitable reason for the moment, so she could only silently purse her lips.

"The organizers won't let him do anything reckless."

After a long pause, she spoke in a low voice, her tone carrying a hint of uncertain self-comfort.

"That would be great if that were the case."

Ron rolled his eyes in annoyance and spread his hands:

"I'm afraid the organizers are in cahoots with him—anyway, I feel the third project is the most difficult right now, and nobody knows what Hagrid has prepared for you."

“And talisman traps…” Harry interjected, frowning, his voice full of worry, “Nobody knows what they’ll put in there…”

I thought you would be very confident.

Sherlock's voice rang out at just the right moment, breaking the heavy atmosphere.

"Me?" Harry pointed at himself in surprise, his eyes wide as if he couldn't believe his ears. "Confidence?"

He didn't understand why Sherlock would think that way.

"My dear friend, have you forgotten what happened in first grade so quickly?"

When Sherlock mentioned the keyword "first year," Harry's eyes lit up instantly, as if a fog had suddenly been lifted.

"Sherlock, you mean at the end of the semester..."

"That's right, it's that series of mechanisms that protect the Philosopher's Stone."

Sherlock was quite pleased that Harry was able to follow his train of thought.

"So we've actually seen this kind of thing a lot of times, haven't we?"

Ha Li nodded forcefully.

After all, that was a test set up by several professors working together to protect the Philosopher's Stone:

Cerberus, Devil Vine, Flying Key, Giant Living Piece, Troll, Potion Choice, Mirror of Erised...

From this perspective, he has indeed seen it many times before.

"So that's the key point."

Sherlock's gaze slowly swept over Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

He and Harry weren't the only ones who passed through the mechanism at the time.

Even if the specific obstacles cannot be predicted, the type of obstacle and the principles of dealing with it can be predicted.

The creatures Hagrid provides, regardless of species, mostly exhibit behavior patterns that follow instincts—aggression, territoriality, or responses to specific stimuli.

Charm traps must have triggering mechanisms and deactivation logic.

We've all passed through a series of mechanisms protecting the Philosopher's Stone, so I think you all understand that.

"I don't know."

Ron took a deep breath:

"You might as well put it more clearly."

Sherlock laughed, a particularly relaxed laugh:

"Actually, what we need to do is very simple."

It's not about guessing which blasting snail or curse you'll encounter, but about training your ability to quickly observe, analyze, make decisions, and execute under high pressure.

When faced with an unknown creature, quickly identify its weaknesses.

When faced with unknown traps, calmly seek out their patterns.

This is the key to victory.

Hermione's eyes lit up instantly.

Sherlock was like a key that unlocked her tightly locked door.

She straightened her back abruptly, all her anxiety vanished, and her eyes blazed with fighting spirit:
"You're right, Sherlock!"
Instead of making blind guesses, it's better to improve our response capabilities.

We now need to systematically review the habits of various magical creatures and how to deal with them, as well as the techniques for breaking common spells.

I think you should practice Disarming Charms, Stunning Charms, Freezing Charms... well, it wouldn't hurt to prepare a few evil spells too..."

"And teamwork is also essential!"

Harry immediately added, recalling the importance of teamwork in the previous two projects, his tone particularly firm: "In the maze, the three of us must stay in constant communication and support each other."

"Absolutely right."

Sherlock nodded slowly, his tone steady:

"The maze divides space, but it cannot divide tacit understanding."

Clear instructions, timely support, and accurate assessment of teammates' conditions are more important than individual skill.

Ron scratched his head, the worry on his face easing considerably, replaced by a relieved smile:

"It sounds... like things aren't so hopeless anymore? But the training volume must be huge."

Sherlock didn't speak, but simply turned to look at Hermione.

Amazingly, Hermione understood his meaning instantly—she didn't know why either.

"Time is of the essence."

Hermione immediately got into the zone, quickly pulling out her parchment and quill from her bag. She lightly touched the paper with the quill, and the ink quickly spread.

"There's only one month left until the competition."

We should immediately develop a detailed training plan, including a review of knowledge about magical creatures, practice of combat spells, and team simulation battles…

She spoke rapidly while scribbling furiously on the parchment.

The pen tip made a scratching sound as it glided across the paper, which was particularly clear in the quiet lounge.

Harry looked at Hermione's focused profile, the candlelight casting soft shadows on her long eyelashes.

He looked at Sherlock again, who still had that lazy look on his face.

However, seeing Sherlock's calm gaze, Harry's apprehension about the unknown maze gradually dissipated.

Yes, with Sherlock, Hermione's meticulous plans, and Cedric as a powerful teammate, even if the road ahead is full of thorns and unknown beasts, it is not insurmountable.

The candlelight in the common room flickered warmly, illuminating four young figures and casting long shadows that intertwined on the floor.

Outside the castle, the May night breeze still carried a hint of coolness, blowing through the cracks in the open windows, rustling the edges of the tapestries, and wafting through the silent corridors and towering spires.

In the direction of the Quidditch pitch, the low walls that Hagrid himself laid out were silently growing and spreading under the bright moonlight, like a huge and silent riddle, quietly waiting for the arrival of the warriors.

In the time that followed, Sherlock, Harry, and Cedric raced against time, focusing intently on preparing for their third project.

The disarming spell was somewhat easier, as all three of them were very skilled at it.

Harry, in particular, for some reason, seemed to have an exceptional talent for this spell, and his speed and accuracy in casting it were even better than Sherlock and Cedric.

"Harry, I have a question."

In yet another magical clash, after Cedric's wand was knocked from his hand by Harry's Disarming Charm, he bent down to pick it up, looking at Harry with a puzzled expression:

"Why is it that every time you cast a spell, your movements are always like that... like that..."

He racked his brains but couldn't find a suitable adjective, so he could only wave his hand helplessly:

"In short, it's very complicated, with all sorts of fancy hand gestures. It's beautiful, but isn't it taking up too much time?"

"Are you trying to say it's cool?"

Qiu Zhang, who was standing to the side, smiled and said what Cedric wanted to say but didn't.

“Not bad,” Cedric immediately nodded in agreement, his eyes filled with even more doubt. “It’s so cool. Why are your moves so cool?”

“Lockhart taught it.”

Harry said with a straight face, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, clearly feeling somewhat helpless about the answer.

"Pfft~!"

Hermione, Gemma, and Cho Chang couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, their clear laughter echoing throughout the Room of Requirement.

"I don't know why, but I always feel like I'm living in his shadow."

Harry sighed, spread his hands, and said in a tone full of helplessness:

"Ever since he taught me this spell, I can't cast it successfully unless I do the same movements as him."

This time, not only the three girls, but even Sherlock and Cedric couldn't help but laugh, and the atmosphere in the Room of Request instantly became relaxed.

"This is really..."

Cedric paused, carefully choosing his words, "Impressive."

Can such cool moves really increase the success rate and casting speed?
Cedric looked at Harry, his mind filled with doubt. Otherwise, how could Harry have defeated him in a magical clash after making that move?

"It's a pity that Professor Lockhart is still in a coma, otherwise I would really like to ask him about this issue."

Cedric sighed, his voice full of regret.

“I heard Dumbledore say that he might wake up this year,” Sherlock said quietly.

“Really? That’s fantastic!” Cedric’s eyes lit up, and he said it from the bottom of his heart.

He didn't know what had happened two years ago, so the information he received was the official revised version—Lockhart had power, but he was controlled by dark magic back then.

In addition to the Disarming Charm, Harry also had to focus on practicing the Stunning Charm.

Because he had never used this spell before.

Cedric was already quite skilled at it, and Sherlock had used it before.

This is precisely why the group of friends all came to the House of Requirement.

Using the Stunning Charm always requires someone to make a certain sacrifice.

"Sherlock, could we kidnap Mrs. Lorris?"

After being knocked unconscious and then woken up by Harry for the fifth time, Ron lay sprawled on the floor of the Room of Requirement, saying weakly:
"You can use it to practice."

Or use Colin, Harry—I'd bet a Galleon he'd do anything for you if you asked.

Of course, I'm not complaining...

He carefully pushed himself up from the floor, rubbing his aching back as he grimaced and said:

"But it really hurts, I feel terrible all over..."

"You never fall on the mat!"

Hermione frowned impatiently as she tidied the thick pile of mats they had used to practice their banishing spells, and said:
"You need to fall backwards, find the right spot on the mat!"

"It's impossible to aim that accurately after being knocked unconscious, Hermione!"

Ron raised his voice angrily and retorted, "Why don't you try it yourself?"

"Gemma and I are practicing defensive spells with Sherlock."

Hermione said matter-of-factly, pointing to Sherlock, who was sparring with Gemma not far away.

"And... every time Cho faces Harry, she manages to land precisely on the mat."

Qiu Zhang: (* /ω＼*)
"Of course she can..."

Ron muttered softly, his eyes full of grievance, "But I'm not a girl."

(End of this chapter)