Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 614 You two are such a perfect match
After successfully resolving the crisis caused by the exploding snails, the Hogwarts trio, reminded by Sherlock, briefly reviewed their experience.

Simply put, it means that when faced with a problem, one should first observe its weaknesses rather than blindly attacking it.

After setting off again, Cedric was still leading the way.

Based on the previous judgment of direction, turn left, turn right, and then turn left again.

This time they didn't encounter any dangerous creatures, but unfortunately they ended up in dead ends twice in a row.

The tall hedges, like an impenetrable green wall, firmly blocked the way.

The branches and leaves intertwined so tightly that not even a ray of light could penetrate, leaving only a heavy, dark green shadow.

"This situation is quite normal."

Seeing Cedric's anxious expression, Harry kindly comforted him:
"After all, it's such a big magical maze, it's common to get lost."

"We can just go back and take another route; it won't take much time."

Cedric, however, was somewhat impatient and couldn't help but ask:
"Sherlock, do you have a way to find the right path directly?"
This trial-and-error approach is a huge waste of time; Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's people might have already caught up.

"No."

"What? Even you can't do anything about it?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed across Cedric's face.

Sherlock said calmly:

"We were the first team to enter the maze, with no one to follow."

Harry is right. Trial and error is an inevitable part of life, so there's no need to worry too much.

As long as the general direction is correct, we will eventually reach the core.

Harry nodded. Since Sherlock had said so, he naturally wasn't flustered.

However, Cedric always felt a bit of pressure.

Choosing the wrong route twice in a row made him a little uneasy, and he even began to doubt his own navigation skills.

However, since Sherlock had said so, he had no choice but to lead the two back.

But as he stood at the fork in the road, took a deep breath, and was about to step into the right-hand passage, Sherlock suddenly spoke:
"You've gone to the wrong passage. Go through the second passage."

Cedric stopped abruptly, turning back to look at Sherlock with a look of astonishment.

Harry's eyes widened, and he looked incredulous.

Didn't Sherlock just say that he had no one to refer to and couldn't find his way accurately?
Why are you suddenly saying you went to the wrong place?
"We just walked this road."

Before the two could voice their doubts, Sherlock answered them directly.

Harry and Cedric understood immediately.

Especially Cedric.

After a moment's thought, he realized that the passage he had just been about to take was the same dead end he had walked through not long ago.

He must have been distracted by Sherlock's words and made this silly mistake.

How long have we walked that I've already gotten the route mixed up?
Thank goodness for Sherlock!

He immediately changed direction and, following Sherlock's instructions, chose the second passage next to him.

Sure enough, this time the three of them walked a long distance on the winding path without any obstacles and did not encounter any dead ends.

Next, they encountered various traps and spells that Bagman had mentioned earlier, each with its own hidden secrets.

First came a floating golden mist, like flowing gold sand, slowly swirling in the center of the passage.

As soon as the three approached, they immediately felt dizzy, as if the whole world had turned upside down, the ground beneath their feet had become the sky above their heads, and the hedges were hanging upside down above, making them feel dizzy.

Next up was Bogut, whom they had dealt with more than once.

In addition, there is Hinkpunk, who tries to lure them astray with his light.

A large swarm of stinging Billywig bugs.

The wicked bird is so brightly colored it's almost blinding.

And there's the red hat that appeared alongside the devil's vine...

It must be said that Hagrid really put a lot of thought into this maze.

These magical creatures and traps, though not of the highest level, were extremely deceptive and dangerous when combined, causing considerable trouble for the three.

For example, Bogut.

It just so happened to burst out of the passage closest to Harry's direction.

Because the person he was facing was Harry, he naturally became a Dementor.

Harry and Cedric were shocked.

In that instant, they had no idea that this thing would be Bergter.

I thought the Ministry of Magic had gone so far as to bring in real Dementors.

Fortunately, Professor Lu Ping's year-long intensive training last year finally paid off.

The moment Harry saw the Dementors, he instinctively raised his wand.

He strained to recall his first meeting with Sherlock, desperately trying to recapture the joy he felt at that moment, and shouted:
"Call the gods to protect you!"

To Cedric's astonishment, a silver hound sprang from Harry's wand and pounced on the Dementor.

The Dementor stumbled back two steps, tripping over its robe.

Harry had never seen a Dementor fall.

Then he realized that this thing wasn't a Dementor at all, but a Boggart.

As he uttered "funny funny," Boggart exploded with a loud bang, disappearing in a wisp of smoke.

The silver hound also disappeared.

“You did a good job this time.”

Harry blushed slightly upon hearing Sherlock's words.

Both were conditioned reflexes, but the results were vastly different, which surprised even him.

"Harry...did you just use the Patronus Charm?"

Cedric stared at Harry in shock:

"This is a spell that is far more difficult than the OWL exam, and even many adult wizards cannot cast it!"

Despite being in a maze and knowing it wasn't the time to express surprise, Cedric couldn't help but react to Harry's behavior.

It was because the Guardian Angel Spell had such a profound impact on him!

"Uh... Actually, after the Dementors came to the school last year, I specifically asked Professor Lupin to tutor me."

Seeing that Cedric could fit an egg in his mouth, Harry felt a surge of secret delight.

But outwardly, he remained humble, saying, "It is indeed very difficult; I practiced for an entire school year..."

"You're a genius, Harry!"

Ignoring Harry's humble words, Cedric continued excitedly:

"I'm afraid only someone like Dumbledore could successfully use the Patronus Charm at your age!"
I just saw it; your guardian spirit is very clearly depicted—it's a hunting dog!
Harry, you are absolutely amazing!

No wonder he's the mysterious man's only nemesis!

Hey, you've gone way off track.

Cedric's high praise was almost unbearable for Harry.

However, Cedric's words also made him realize something.

This is the first time I've summoned a guardian deity with a clear image! It's of great significance!

It's worth noting that when Boggart was trained last year, his best performance was simply to make him appear as a guardian deity with four legs and a tail.

Although both Dumbledore and Professor Lupin said that this was already quite remarkable.

But everything is afraid of comparison.

Compared to Sherlock, that majestic lion, he always felt he was lacking something.

Of course, he also understood that this was partly because Sherlock was indeed a genius.

On the other hand, it's because he reacts more strongly to Dementors than others—according to Lupin, this is because what he fears most is fear itself.

But in any case, I want to follow Sherlock and keep up with him.

Therefore, he has always been somewhat resentful that he was unable to summon a guardian deity with a clear image.

Unexpectedly, after participating in the Three Kingdoms Tournament this year, I completed a full Guardian Spell for the first time.

"It's nothing really."

Thinking of this, Harry smiled and looked at his older brother:
"If Sherlock had done it, he would have done a much better job than I did."

"what?"

Cedric looked at Sherlock, his surprise deepening.

Harry's meaning is clear: Sherlock also has the Patronus Charm!

Merlin's beard!

What kind of amazing teammates did I get this time?!

I had originally planned to make the most of my role as an adult wizard and set a good example as the captain.

Looking at it now, isn't this a case of winning without lifting a finger?

This is a wizard who can fully cast the Guardian Angel spell at the age of 15!
I wouldn't believe it no matter what if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

Even if this matter has been confirmed, once it gets out, it will definitely be big news that makes the front page of the Daily Prophet!
Harry then told him that he wasn't the only one like him!
He felt a little dizzy, so he quickly took two deep breaths and calmed down.

"Sherlock, what is your guardian angel...?"

"lion."

"lion?"

Cedric was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"A lion and a hound? You two are such a perfect match!"

Harry blushed.

Cedric was right.

Lions and hounds—in a way, their guardian spirits do indeed match Sherlock's guardian spirit quite well!
Could it be that this is because I've always wanted to catch up with Sherlock?
However, I was still a little embarrassed to talk about this topic, so I asked about something else:

"Sherlock, did you know from the beginning that it was a Borgut, which is why you didn't make a move?"

"Obviously, my friend."

Sherlock smiled slightly:
"Although Hagrid was reluctant to let the eight-eyed giant spider in, the elite among the trash in the Ministry of Magic could still be of use."

I think at most they would allow magical creatures of the ××× level to enter the maze.

As for Dementors… that’s simply impossible.”

Although Sherlock described it as "obvious," Harry and Cedric exchanged a glance and felt a pang of shame.

When they first saw the Dementors, they hadn't even considered this possibility.

Besides the Boggart, the most troublesome bird for them is the Wicked Bird.

This is a magical animal of the ××× level, native to Africa.

It has exceptionally vibrant feathers, in a variety of colors, including orange, pink, and dark green...

Even their eggs have distinct patterns, with a colorful black color.

Judging from its appearance alone, it is indeed pleasing to the eye at first glance.

Therefore, the Evil Witch Bird naturally became an ornamental animal, and its price was quite high.

However, their calls are unusually high-pitched and have considerable penetrating power.

However, it is precisely this cry that is the most terrifying aspect of this magical creature.

If someone hears this, they will lose their mind and do things that are worse than animals.

Therefore, although the Evil Witch Bird has good ornamental value, it can only be sold after being cursed with a silent spell.

The Silent Curse on the wicked bird that Hagrid threw into the maze was still there, but it was clearly on the verge of losing its effect.

Fortunately, both Sherlock and Cedric recognized it at a glance.

Without saying a word, Cedric raised his hand and cast a silent spell on the other party.

If they fail to recognize the animal or are unaware of its characteristics.

By the time you hear it cry, things will be beyond repair.

The Billywig bugs also caused them some trouble.

This insect is about half an inch in size, blue all over, and has a lustrous sheen like bright jade.

Its wings are located on both sides of its head, flapping at an extremely fast speed, and its body even rotates while flying.

Like the Evil Witch, this is also a magical animal of the ××× level, native to Australia.

I really don't know where Hagrid found these amazing animals from all over the world.

The greatest threat to the Billie Wigg worm comes from its internal stinger.

After being stung, people will feel dizzy and then float up unsteadily.

Sherlock and Cedric recognized them immediately, just as they always had.

However, they are agile and small in size, making them difficult to deal with.

Furthermore, Hagrid's insanely large number of them made things even more difficult for them.

Fortunately, the three had made sufficient preparations before the competition and had anticipated such a large number of small insect swarms, so they had a countermeasure in place.

With the Explosion Charm, Freeze Charm, and Slow Charm all used together, coupled with the increasingly tacit teamwork honed in actual combat in the maze, they finally managed to defeat these things without serious incident.

"I hate Hagrid!"

Harry almost got stung by a Billywig bug.

"He's trying to kill us!"

"It's not as exaggerated as you say."

Sherlock chuckled:
"It might be a bit difficult to deal with one person, but it's nothing for a trio."

Cedric nodded. "Think about it carefully, they can even handle Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's men."

This is Durmstrang's forte; luckily we arrived before them.

"That's right, the difficulty is still a bit too low. We could actually consider letting in some animals of the ×××× level."

"That has to be a weakened version. Don't be fooled by the fact that the level has only increased by one level; the danger level has increased exponentially."

"What do you mean you can handle even Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's men?"

Harry looked at his two teammates with a hint of helplessness.

That's going too far!

(End of this chapter)