Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 594 You don't want to be entangled with an old woman, do you?
Sherlock ultimately failed to kidnap Mrs. Lorris.

The skinny cat that always strutted around the castle with an air of superiority was clearly not in his plans.

No matter what, it was fed with my own cat food.

Both it and its owner Filch have treated me very well in recent years.

Harry didn't bring Colin, who always chased after him with a camera, over either.

Seeing that neither of his two suggestions had come to fruition, Ron devised another plan when one failed.

He called another person for help—Ginny.

Just like Ron said, Colin would do anything for Harry if he asked.

In this respect, Ginny is even better.

This little girl with fiery red hair was willing to give almost everything for Harry.

When she heard Ron make this suggestion, she excitedly hugged her sixth brother for the first time and kissed him on the cheek:
"Well done, brother!"

My sixth brother has finally done something decent.

In a sense, Ginny is a "high-end alternative" to Colin.

She's a beauty—as the saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work.

Even when she was hit by the Coma Curse time and time again, she never uttered a word of complaint.

Not only did he not complain, but he also looked at Harry with admiration and praised his performance highly.

"Harry, you're amazing!"

"It's really amazing!"

It emphasizes maximum emotional value.

Seeing this, Gemma promptly pulled Luna over as well.

Full of curiosity, Luna readily accepted.

With this, the lineup is now completely complete.

"So what exactly did you base your list of names from the library on?"

When Ron saw Gemma holding her wand and patiently instructing Sherlock on the Obstacle Charm—a spell shimmering with silver light shot from the tip of Sherlock's wand, forming a transparent barrier in mid-air—he couldn't help but ask.

Since Ginny joined the training team, Ron has not been as depressed as before.

Harry would only be needed to fill in when Ginny and Cho Chang were both unable to handle him.

So most of the time, he was actually practicing alongside Cedric.

As Hufflepuff's top student and the school's top scorer, Cedric's magical abilities are beyond question.

He cast spells with precision and composure, always controlling the force well.

This made things much easier for Ron, who was the cooperator, as he no longer had to worry about being knocked dizzy by the spell.

"I made this list myself—but I've already secretly had Professor Lu Ping look at it, and it's fine."

Hermione answered without looking up as she organized the spellbook spread out on the stone table.

"Professor Lupine?"

Ron's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to Hermione, his voice filled with disbelief:
"According to the competition rules, the teachers can't help us..."

He found it hard to believe that Hermione, who always adhered to the rules, would actually break the rules on her own initiative.

"Save your breath. According to the competition rules, there should only be Sherlock and his two companions standing here right now!"

Hermione raised her head dismissively, raised an eyebrow, and spoke with a hint of slyness:

"Besides, I found these spells myself in the library, and I only asked Professor Lupin to help correct some details."

Besides, I didn't tell him that this was for a third project.

After hearing this, Ron couldn't help but give Hermione a thumbs up, his eyes full of admiration:

"Yes, that's very assertive."

"And one more thing……"

Hermione paused, her gaze falling on Sherlock, who had just finished a round of practice and was wiping his wand, and couldn't help but ask:
"I heard from Haig that Ms. Maxim recently went to curry favor with him again, trying to get him to reveal what obstacles were in the third project."

"As expected."

Sherlock's lips curled into a knowing smile:

"Hagrid is responsible for releasing the animals in the maze. Knowing the types and habits of these animals in advance will be of great help in the competition."

To be honest, I would have been surprised if Ms. Maxim hadn't done that!

“But Hagrid kept the secret this time,” Hermione said with a hint of surprise in her eyes. “That’s really not easy.”

"That's because Maxim doesn't understand Hagrid."

Gemma chuckled, put down her wand, and joined the conversation:

“I think if she tries a few more different approaches and talks to Hagrid about those magical creatures, Hagrid will eventually tell her the truth.”

A brief silence enveloped everyone; no one refuted Gemma's words.

After all, everyone knows Hagrid's love for magical creatures and his inability to keep secrets.

"So, should we go ask Hagrid too?"

Ron asked tentatively, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

"no!"

Harry, who had just helped Ginny up after she was hit by the Stunning Curse with Cho Chang, overheard their conversation and immediately retorted decisively, his tone unusually firm:
We cannot use Hagrid!

Seeing Harry's fierce opposition, Ron wisely shrugged and spread his hands, saying nothing more.

"Actually, there's absolutely no need for that."

Cedric, seizing the opportune moment, patted Harry on the shoulder and said confidently:

"Sherlock and Harry are progressing very quickly—I dare say that even some older students might not be their match."

We have two weeks to prepare, and by the time the third project officially begins, we will be even stronger than we are now.

Don't forget, we'll be the first group to enter the maze this time, which is a huge advantage in itself.

“Cedric is right.”

Harry nodded quickly in agreement, his fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes. "We could have entered the maze much earlier; there was no need for us to do this!"

During the two weeks of practice, Harry's relationship with Cho Chang and Ginny became increasingly harmonious.

He gradually grew to like the feeling of fighting side by side, and every time he saw them practicing without complaint, he was filled with gratitude.

As Cedric said, barring any unforeseen circumstances, as long as they maintain this pace, they can still take the lead in the third event.

Gemma, a top student who had already graduated, practically took on the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Under her careful guidance, Sherlock and Harry mastered a variety of useful spells:

The Barrier Charm can instantly block incoming enemies, forming a temporary barrier.

The Smash Spell can precisely destroy solid obstacles, clearing a path for progress;
The Orientation Charm keeps the tip of your wand pointing due north, preventing you from getting lost in a maze;

The Ironclad Spell can temporarily form an invisible, impenetrable barrier to resist external attacks...

In short, everyone's spellcasting skills improved by leaps and bounds during this period. Furthermore, Professor Lupin, the true Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, was not idle either.

After a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, he took advantage of a wizard duel practice to give Sherlock and Harry a surprise test.

"Very good, Sherlock, Harry!"

Professor Lu Ping's face beamed with satisfaction, his eyes practically overflowing with approval. He patted the two men on the shoulder:

"Come to think of it, I shouldn't be surprised, right?"

"Why do you say that, Professor?" Harry asked curiously, his mind filled with doubt.

"Because you have all mastered the Guardian Charm!"

Lupin laughed happily, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out:
"That's a difficult spell that even many adult wizards may not be able to master."

Compared to it, the spells you're practicing now are nothing at all.

"So, are they useful in the maze?" Harry asked eagerly, his eyes full of anticipation.

“Dear Harry, I cannot offer you any form of assistance.”

Professor Lu Ping shrugged, his tone tinged with helplessness, yet he remained steadfast in upholding the rules of the competition.

“Oh, sorry…” Harry looked embarrassed. In fact, as soon as he said it, he realized that he had broken the rules.

"However, putting aside the third project, these spells are indeed very useful if you are going to venture into unknown territories on your own after graduation."

Professor Lu Ping then changed the subject and spoke sincerely.

Upon hearing this, Sherlock's lips curled into a knowing smile.

Harry realized what was happening and started laughing too.

Some things don't need to be said; everyone understands.

"Good luck on your third project."

Professor Lupin maintained his impartial stance, adding:

"As a professor, I cannot be biased, so even if I encounter the warriors of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, I will still say the same thing."

Sherlock and Harry exchanged a smile and said nothing more.

"However, as an individual, I also have to thank you."

Professor Lu Ping's tone suddenly became somewhat sentimental.

"Why?" they both asked in unison.

"This year's three-way battle for supremacy has drawn everyone's attention, so it seems that not many people have noticed my absence..."

Lupin sighed softly, a hint of bitterness in his eyes:

"I also have to thank Professor Snape. He not only brewed potions for me but also covered my classes. He worked so hard."

"He would be grateful if you could give him the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

Sherlock suddenly spoke, his tone calm, yet it instantly froze the atmosphere in the air.

Lupin: "..."

Harry: "..."

Sherlock's one sentence killed the conversation instantly.

Professor Lupin's smile froze, and Harry couldn't help but rub his forehead, thinking that Sherlock really dared to say such things.

However, things are generally moving in a positive direction.

If this trend continues, it's almost a certainty that Sherlock, Harry, and Cedric will win the third event.

Hogwarts was also able to win the first Triwizard Tournament, which was restarted after more than a hundred years.

Then, unsurprisingly, something unexpected happened.

The accident originated from Harry.

On this day, when the Divination and Arithmetic Divination classes clashed again, Sherlock chose to go to Arithmetic Divination with Hermione without much hesitation.

For him, logically clear numbers are far more appealing than vague celestial phenomena.

Harry originally wanted to attend the arithmetic and divination class as well.

Although Professor Trelawney has a history of making accurate predictions, his past experience shows that he can occasionally do so.

But those prophecies would only appear when she was in a dazed, half-awake state.

When she is lucid, most of what she says is a deceptive and mysterious act.

He always uses phrases like "ominous signs" and "dark shadows" to scare people—and he always targets Harry.

Only devoted followers of divination, like Lavender Brown and Pavati Petit, would continue to surround her, treating those ethereal prophecies as truth.

Ron didn't want to go to Divination class alone, so he clung to Harry like glue, insisting on dragging him to the Divination classroom in the North Tower.

"Haven't you been getting quite close to Lavender lately?"

Hermione crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow at Ron, and asked with a hint of confusion, "Why didn't you go with her? Why did you have to drag Harry along?"

Upon hearing Hermione suddenly mention Lavender, Ron's cheeks flushed instantly, his eyes became evasive, and his expression was extremely unnatural: "How...how did you know?"

His voice was strained, clearly thinking he had kept his interactions with Lavender a secret, not expecting Hermione to already know.

"Please, Lavender is my roommate."

Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation, her tone carrying a hint of "Are you stupid?"

"She can't keep anything to herself. Every night when she gets back to her dorm, she'll go over and over all the little things that happened between you and me."

For example, if you help her pick up a quill pen or talk to her a few extra words, she can be so excited that she can't sleep at night.

Ron: "..."

He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't utter a single word. He could only awkwardly scratch the back of his head, his ear tips turning bright red.

"Furthermore, even if Lavender doesn't say anything, do you think you can hide your little schemes from Sherlock?"

Hermione added another sentence, glancing at Sherlock, who was standing to the side with his arms crossed, looking at Ron with a half-smile.

Ron: "..."

This time he was completely speechless and could only hang his head dejectedly.

Sherlock's keen observation skills were something he had long ago experienced; his little tricks were completely transparent to the other party.

"So just tell me already, why do you have to drag Harry into this? Stop beating around the bush."

"It's all because of Professor Trelawney!"

Ron said with a helpless look, "If Harry isn't around, she'll focus all her attention on me!"

Last time Harry wasn't around, she said that according to the prophecy of the stars, I would encounter great misfortune. Isn't that absurd?

As he spoke, he grabbed Harry's arm, his eyes full of pleading:

"Old Ha, I've been lying in the stun spell countless times while you've been practicing it. My whole body is practically falling apart. Shouldn't I get my revenge?"

You wouldn't want your best friend to get entangled with that weird old woman, would you?

Harry: (lll￢ω￢)
(End of this chapter)