Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 617 A Smile That Exudes Confidence
When Sherlock, Harry, and Cedric were in the maze, it was always pitch black all around them.

Only after all three of them cast illumination spells could they barely light up a few feet around them.

Aside from the glow of the wand, only Hinkpunk and the Triwizard Tournament trophy were shining.

But just as Sherlock's fingertips touched the cold metal base of the Triple Cup, a blinding burst of light suddenly erupted.

The stark contrast caused the three of them to instinctively squint.

The darkness vanished instantly, and the light from the wand in my hand dimmed, replaced by a clear night sky.

The dark blue sky was studded with countless stars, shining like scattered diamonds or like countless pearls set in a warm, jade plate.

The evening breeze, carrying the fresh scent of grass, brushed against my face, dispelling the chill of the maze.

The auditory impact followed immediately.

A tidal wave of sound crashed down.

The wizards in the stands could no longer contain their elation. They waved their arms, stood on tiptoe, shouted loudly, hugged each other, jumped around, and their faces were flushed with excitement.

"They're out! They're out!"

Long live Hogwarts!

"Sherlock Holmes! The Lion King!"

"Potter! Savior!"

"Diggory! Badger King!"

"we are the champion!"

The home advantage was fully utilized at this moment.

Amidst the clamor of cheers, commentator Ludobagman's signature booming voice pierced through the crowd, reaching clearly into everyone's ears.

His hands were making exaggerated gestures, and his face was beaming with almost manic excitement:
"As expected, Hogwarts was the first to emerge from the maze!"
Did everyone see that?

What Holmes is holding in his hands is the Triwizard Cup!

According to our competition rules, the Hogwarts team directly wins fifty points and becomes the champion of this Triwizard Tournament!
Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Cedric Diggory!
These three names should be remembered by all wizards in Europe!

Hogwarts won the championship, and the Dursleys in the stands stood up at that moment.

Uncle Vernon's usually tense lips curled into a rare upward smile.

Aunt Penny also straightened her back instinctively.

But when they saw the wizards around them screaming and stomping like madmen, and even Bagman shouting things like "to be remembered by all of Europe," Uncle Vernon couldn't help but feel a little doubtful:
"Is it so exaggerated?"

"Not an exaggeration at all!"

Ron jumped up and down excitedly, his face turning as red as his hair:
"This is a three-way battle for supremacy, the grandest event in all of Europe!"

Hermione, standing next to Mrs. Holmes, nodded and added after hearing their conversation:
“Ron is right, and this is the first time it has reopened after being closed for more than a hundred years—the names of these three people deserve to be remembered.”

"Is that so?"

Uncle Vernon's feelings were still not deep.

"Isn't it like our European Championship plus the Champions League?"

Mr. Holmes said thoughtfully.

Aunt Petunia fell silent, her gaze falling on Harry, her eyes softening with a complex emotion.
"Lily, you've given birth to a wonderful child..."

At that moment, her thoughts seemed to drift back to her distant childhood.

The setting sun painted the grass a warm orange-red, and she and Lily ran around in the yard, their laughter as clear and crisp as wind chimes.

At that moment, she remembered running in the sunset, and her lost youth.

Shortly after the three Hogwarts warriors stood in the center of the arena, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's warriors were forcibly teleported out.

Fleur Delacour's once flowing long hair was now somewhat disheveled, and her skirt was stained with mud and some unknown slime.

Viktor Krum's black robe was torn with a long rip, and his face bore several shallow scratches. His eyes remained gloomy, yet a hint of bewilderment was undeniable.

The other warriors were also in a sorry state, some panting heavily, others still gripping their wands tightly, maintaining their fighting stance.

Compared to the three warriors of Hogwarts, they were clearly still in the dark.

Because before they were teleported out, they were fighting monsters in the maze.

Victory seemed within reach, but an invisible force pulled them away from the battlefield.

When they could see the high stands around them, the crowds moving around, and the dazzling starry sky above, a tidal wave of sound overwhelmed them once again.

The cheers mixed with "Champion" and "Hogwarts" extinguished the flames in their hearts like a bucket of cold water.

Only then did they belatedly realize that they had lost.

A dark mass of people surged toward Sherlock, Harry, and Cedric like a tidal wave.

The excited young wizards stretched out their hands and tossed the three warriors high into the air.

Cheers, applause, and whistles mingled together, creating a deafening roar.

Sherlock squinted slightly in mid-air, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Harry shyly raised his hand to press down his wind-blown hair, a blush spreading across his face.

Cedric spread his arms wide, basking in the glory that belonged to the team.

"In the end, we still lost..."

Furong gently shook her head, a hint of relief in her voice. She turned to her two teammates and shrugged.

"Fortunately, we didn't come in last place."

Krum stood with his arms crossed, his gloomy gaze fixed on the three people who had been thrown into the air, his brows furrowed, and he remained silent.

"Don't do that, Krum, we've done our best."

Toby Tosen's warrior patted him on the shoulder in comfort.

"Yeah, Krum, they're playing at home after all—that guy named Holmes is really something else..."

Lucas Poliacco echoed this sentiment.

Upon hearing his two teammates say this, Krum looked into the crowd and, unsurprisingly, saw Hermione.

She was looking at Sherlock with an adoring gaze.

He let out a long sigh.

Perhaps... it's time to let it go.

After the competition results were announced, the awards ceremony officially began.

Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge hurriedly squeezed through the crowd.

His round hat was askew to one side, his fat face was wrinkled from smiling, his eyes were squinted into slits, and he kept muttering something.

Hogwarts' victory brought pride to the British wizarding community in Europe.

As the Minister of Magic, he was naturally beaming with pride, walking with an air of smug satisfaction.

"Congratulations on winning the Triwizard Tournament! Harry, well done!"

The award ceremony officially began, but Fudge, who was in charge of presenting the awards, seemed not to see Sherlock and Cedric at all, his eyes only on this savior of the magical world.

He pulled a heavy velvet pouch from his large pocket, and when the opening was loosened, a golden light shone through. He shoved the pouch into Harry's hands without saying a word.

“Um… Minister, Cedric is the captain…”

Harry paused for a moment, then instinctively looked at Cedric beside him.

Fudge's smile froze for a moment, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his face.

He suddenly remembered that Cedric's father, Amos, was also an employee of the Ministry of Magic. It was indeed inappropriate to ignore the captain like this.

"Digory..."

He chuckled dryly twice, then was momentarily speechless.

“Just take it, Harry!” Cedric said with a smile. “Don’t worry about the details.”

"That's right!"

Fudge immediately followed up, nodded heavily, and pushed the bag into Harry's hands.

Harry shook his head helplessly and had no choice but to take the bag. Its heavy weight made his wrists sag slightly.

Cedric stood in the center, holding the Triwizard Trophy in both hands, the trophy reflecting a dazzling light under the starlight.

To his left was Harry, holding a bag of gold coins, and to his right was Sherlock, who remained composed despite having empty hands.

When the three stood side by side, the atmosphere reached another climax, and even the evening breeze seemed to be cheering for them.

Did this competition originally have prize money?

Mr. Holmes, standing below the stands, asked with some surprise.

"The three-way battle has always had this tradition."

Hermione immediately chimed in, and seeing Mr. Holmes' interest, she began to explain earnestly:

"However, the reward amount was not this high in the past."

As far as I know, the prize money for the champion more than a hundred years ago was five hundred Galleons.

"So, does this mean that currencies in the magical world also experience inflation?"

Mr. Holmes pressed on with great interest.

"Yes."

Hermione continued, speaking at length:
"Although the magical world is relatively closed and its financial system is relatively stable, it is still subject to inflation and deflation."

The financial system of the magical world is centered around Gringotts Fairy Bank. The fairies have complete control over the financial system of the magical world, and are responsible for currency minting, wealth custody, and cross-border transactions.

The currencies Galleon, Sikor, and Nat were made of pure gold and silver, and thus had intrinsic value, which to some extent helped maintain the stability of the financial market.

Furthermore, since magic cannot conjure currency out of thin air, it prevented economic collapse caused by an unlimited increase in currency.

"Hermione is right. During the Fairy Wars, the magical world experienced a relatively serious inflation."

Gemma added from the side:
"However, since the end of the Fairy War, inflation has remained within a normal and acceptable range."

There was also the Triwizard Tournament from over a hundred years ago, where the format was that only one warrior from each school could participate.

From this perspective, the amount of bonus each person receives has actually decreased.

Ron, who was standing to the side, felt drowsy as he listened to the two girls and Sherlock's father discussing economics.

But Mr. Holmes was becoming increasingly pleased with his son's two girlfriends.

He and his wife exchanged a glance, both feeling that this trip to Hogwarts had been a truly rewarding experience.

Uncle Vernon suddenly perked up when he heard this.

He leaned forward and couldn't help but ask:

How many Galleons can one pound be exchanged for?

Mr. Holmes smiled slightly. "One pound can be exchanged for one-fifth of a gold galleon, one galleon is equal to seventeen silver siecos, and one silver sieco is equal to twenty-nine bronze nats."

Uncle Vernon was immediately confused—the currency conversion rate in this magical world sounded strange.

Just then, Ludobagman came running through the crowd like a gust of wind.

He waved his arms vigorously at them, his face beaming with excitement, and shouted:

"Potter and Holmes' family, what are you all standing there for? Come here!"

He moved nimbly through the crowd, occasionally jumping up and waving, appearing exceptionally lively.

"We want to take pictures! We want to take pictures!"

Bagman rubbed his hands together, his eyes sparkling, just like before the match, he was particularly attentive to the photo shoot:

"All the warriors participating in the competition should take a group photo!"
The heroes from each school must take a group photo!
We need a close-up of the three warriors from the championship team!

And the champion team and their families!

No one is missing!
Come here quickly!

Sirius crossed his arms, a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes.

He didn't like being photographed with the Dursleys.

But seeing Harry's expectant gaze, he finally sighed softly and didn't say anything more.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Penny, however, were exceptionally excited.

They wouldn't miss such an opportunity to be in the public eye.

Uncle Vernon even temporarily forgot his aversion to the magical world, straightening his tie in front of the spotlight not far away, smoothing out the wrinkles on his suit, and quietly wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Aunt Penny also tidied her hair, straightened her back, and tried to make herself look more presentable.

A photographer from The Daily Prophet carried a giant magic camera and walked back and forth across the venue.

He kept adjusting the angle, muttering to himself:

"Smile!"

"confidence!"

"Without a doubt!"

After the organizers finally finished everything, the fans immediately swarmed forward, taking out their cameras or notebooks, wanting to take photos and get autographs from the warriors.

The three Hogwarts champions are naturally the most popular.

In addition, Fleur of Beauxbatons and Krum of Durmstrang are also extremely busy.

Furong's delicate features and elegant temperament have attracted a large number of fans.

As a world-renowned Quidditch player, Krum has a huge fan base.

After all, this was very likely the last time the Hogwarts teachers and students would get together with them.

No one wanted to miss this opportunity to get up close and personal with their idol.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Mrs. Holmes quietly pulled Gemma, Hermione, and Luna aside and led the three girls to her side.

She reached out and gently put her arms around their shoulders, her face beaming with genuine joy.
"Today we are all one family!"

Hermione and Gemma, needless to say, are definitely not to be let go.

As for Luna...

Just now, while watching from the stands, she noticed that this girl's way of thinking was remarkably similar to Sherlock's.

This delighted her, and she naturally wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to him.

Hermione and Gemma instantly understood what Mrs. Holmes meant.

Their cheeks flushed slightly, and they lowered their heads shyly, but did not break free from her arms.

Luna, on the other hand, showed absolutely no shyness.

When Mrs. Holmes invited her, her eyes sparkled as she said:
"Let's take a picture together, okay!"

I've never taken a photo with so many people before!

(End of this chapter)