Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 631 What if there were no Sherlock Holmes in this world?
Inside the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, the portraits of past headmasters hanging on the walls were bathed in a soft glow.

They were snoring softly as usual.

Phoenix Fox stared at Sherlock and Harry, looking surprisingly curious.

Dumbledore sat behind his large oak desk, his fingertips gently stroking the silk robe on his lap, his gaze calmly fixed on Sherlock and Harry across from him.

He knew in his heart that the following conversation concerned Harry's safety and the entire battle against Voldemort, and that every word had to be explained thoroughly.

He slowly stated his deduction:

"In fact, Voldemort had many moments when he experienced strong emotions."

Putting everything else aside, the sheer ecstasy and violence he felt upon regaining his body made it impossible for him to remain calm.

This is clearly evident from his behavior that night.

He paused, then turned his gaze to Harry, his tone becoming increasingly serious.

Looking at this child who had been burdened with the name of "savior" since childhood, Dumbledore felt a pang of pity and was even more worried that he would be in danger because of the secret of his scar.
"But at that time, Harry's scar didn't react at all."

Considering Harry's previous two experiences with excruciating pain from his scars, I am now more inclined to believe that:
For Harry's scars to cause pain, he either needs to be very close to Voldemort—a fact that has been proven time and again.

At this point, Dumbledore leaned forward slightly, his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles sharp and focused. He stared at Harry and said, word by word:

"On the other hand, in addition to Voldemort's intense emotional fluctuations, another key condition needs to be met—that is, Harry's mind must be in a completely relaxed state."

Harry frowned, his fingers unconsciously touching the scar on his forehead, still trying to process the logic in Dumbledore's words.

Sherlock's eyes lit up, and he blurted out:

"For example, when you're dreaming, or when you're dozing off in class?"

Harry: ━━∑(￣□￣*|||━━
Dude, can we not be so blunt with each other?

Dumbledore, unconcerned by Harry's embarrassment, nodded approvingly, his long, white beard swaying gently with the movement.

Sherlock's reactions are always so quick; he can always grasp the crux of the problem instantly.

This made him secretly relieved—thankfully, this calm and perceptive child was by Harry's side.

He said, "That's right, that's why we need Occupational surgery."

Sherlock immediately noticed the blind spot in Dumbledore's statement.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze shifting to Dumbledore:

"You mean... more than the pain from Harry's scars themselves, you're worried that Voldemort might use this mental link to control Harry?"

"Sherlock, what...what did you say?"

Harry jerked his head up, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"How...how could Voldemort possibly control me?"

"I'm not Quirrell, I wasn't possessed by him..."

Sherlock's words involuntarily reminded him of Lockhart, who had been controlled by Voldemort. His voice trembled slightly, and he subconsciously clenched his fists.

“Using the term ‘manipulation’ is actually not accurate.”

Sherlock gave Dumbledore a deep look, then turned back to Harry and said calmly:

"So far, you have seen Voldemort's whereabouts twice in your dreams and sensed his emotions at the time through his scars."

Although he is unaware of the existence of this two-way connection, for a master who has mastered the art of mind control to its fullest extent, discovering it is only a matter of time.

If he had only used his brain a little, he could have deduced that the situation could be reversed.

"in turn?"

Harry frowned even more, his eyes filled with confusion. "How come it's the other way around?"

"That is to say, he can also use this mental connection to perceive what you do when you are emotionally intense, and even to spy on your thoughts."

As soon as Sherlock finished speaking, Harry felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He froze for a moment, his mouth slightly open, his eyes filled with shock.

Voldemort could see himself?
Can you know what you're thinking?
This realization made his heart pound, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

If that's the case, wouldn't their plan to find Horcruxes be exposed at any moment?

"Yes, my dear Harry, that's exactly what you're thinking."

Sherlock continued, his tone still calm and composed:

"In this situation, he would very likely realize that we know the secret of the Horcruxes and are looking for him."

If I were him, I could easily imagine the location where the Horcruxes were hidden in my own mind.

Once you feel this through connection, we will inevitably go to that location to check it out.

Then he can set a trap in advance and wait for the right opportunity to strike.

After giving Harry a moment to process what he had just said, Sherlock paused, then added:

"I think this is one of the reasons why Mr. Dumbledore wanted us to share the Horcruxes with more people."

This way, we can bring more reliable henchmen when we search for Horcruxes.

From this perspective, Horcruxes and Occlumency are indeed the same thing.

Dumbledore's face showed undisguised admiration as he looked at Sherlock with eyes full of satisfaction.

Sherlock's words were almost a perfect replica of what he was thinking, and even clearer and more thorough than his original prepared statement.

At that moment, Dumbledore suddenly felt incredibly fortunate.

Although Sherlock was only fifteen years old, his calm mind and keen insight had already exceeded his expectations.

He tried to imagine a world without Sherlock, and a sense of dread rose in his heart.

Without this young man, someone on our team might have already met with misfortune.

And this is just the beginning; in the dark journey ahead, many more people will likely sacrifice themselves.

Having thought this through, Dumbledore no longer hesitated and directly stated the core purpose of summoning them today:

"Harry, I've found you an excellent teacher."

Starting this holiday, you'll be learning Occlumency from him.

"what?"

Harry jerked his head up, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Sir, aren't you the one who's supposed to teach me?"

He had always believed that such important magic would be taught by Dumbledore himself.

“I’m sorry, Harry, for some special reasons, I can’t teach you myself.”

Dumbledore sighed softly, tugged at his long beard with a hint of distress, and spoke with a touch of apology:
"But I assure you, the teacher I found for you is far more skilled than I am in the art of brain occlusion."

As long as you are willing to learn diligently from him, you will definitely be able to master it quickly.

"You already learned the Patronus Charm in your third year, that's quite advanced magic, so learning Occlumency shouldn't be a problem." Sherlock keenly caught the subtle nuance in Dumbledore's tone, and combining it with the information he already had, he immediately realized:
"Is this teacher Snape?"

“Not bad.” Dumbledore nodded.

Harry's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with disbelief.

Let him learn from Snape?
That Potions professor who was always nitpicking at him and had a cold look in his eyes?
The Slytherin headmaster who makes no attempt to hide his hatred for himself and seizes every opportunity to mock him?
Seeing his surprised expression, Dumbledore explained somewhat helplessly:
"Professor Snape was a master of Occlumency—he was even able to deceive Voldemort, who had mastered Legilimency to its fullest extent."

Therefore, he is the most suitable person to teach you.

Harry, I know you're prejudiced against him, but I hope you can put that prejudice aside and learn properly from Professor Snape.

That's not prejudice...

However, Harry ultimately didn't say those words aloud.

He remained silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously digging into his palm.

Snape's usual cold gaze and sharp words flashed through her mind, along with his actions of silently protecting her at crucial moments.

Finally, he slowly nodded, his tone somewhat complicated: "I understand."

Seeing how sensible Harry was, Dumbledore smiled with satisfaction, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out, and then said:

"Next, let's talk about Horcruxes."

That night, Voldemort said how kind fate had been to him, but actually…

"However, he did not understand that every gift of fate comes with a hidden price."

Before Dumbledore could finish speaking, Sherlock curled his lips into a slight sneer, his tone laced with sarcasm.

Dumbledore: "..."

This statement was indeed quite apt when applied to Voldemort, but it made his prepared follow-up speech seem somewhat awkward.

He paused, raised his hand and coughed lightly to cover up the little incident, and continued:
"Actually, fate has been quite kind to us..."

Harry almost burst out laughing when he heard Dumbledore's slightly abrupt change of direction. He quickly pursed his lips and lowered his head, pretending to straighten his clothes.

"...Maybe...probably...I'm close to finding another Horcrux; there are already some clues."

Dumbledore's tone carried a hint of uncertainty, but more so a sense of certainty.

Upon hearing this, Harry immediately wiped the smile off his face, abruptly looked up, his eyes filled with urgency, and hurriedly asked:

Which one is it this time?
Is it a Hufflepuff cup?

Or is it Slytherin's locket?

Or... have you found a new clue about a Horcrux, sir?

“The locket,” Dumbledore said, turning his gaze to Sherlock, his tone sincere, “I may still need your help then.”

He recalled how he had almost succumbed to temptation and put on Marvologant's ring, nearly making a terrible mistake.

Therefore, he felt he had to bring Sherlock along on this trip to find the locket, just in case.

"of course."

Sherlock agreed without hesitation.

Seeing Sherlock readily agree, Harry became anxious again.

He leaned forward, his eyes full of anticipation:

"Sir, may I come with you this time?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry very intently for a while, his deep blue eyes seeming to see right through him.

After a moment, he slowly said, "I think it's possible."

"I can?"

Harry's eyes widened in surprise, his face filled with disbelief.

He had only asked the question on a whim, but to his surprise, Dumbledore actually agreed, and a surge of joy welled up inside him.

"Oh yes."

Dumbledore smiled slightly, then changed the subject, "However, there is a prerequisite."

Harry's smile faltered slightly, and he immediately realized what was happening, tentatively asking:

"You mean I need to learn Occlumency to go with you?"

"No, no, no, asking someone to 'learn' is asking too much."

Dumbledore gently shook his head, his tone mild:
"I'll agree to take you in as long as you make some progress in this course."

"Uh... well."

Harry nodded with some difficulty, the joy on his face fading slightly.

It wasn't that he lacked confidence, but the thought that his teacher was Severus Snape made him feel a little intimidated.

After learning about Snape's past entanglements with his parents, he understood why Snape always seemed hostile towards him, yet always managed to protect him at crucial moments.

Even after knowing the whole story, he still found it difficult to face this person with a clear conscience.

If it were Dumbledore or Professor Lupin teaching him, he certainly wouldn't be so conflicted.

"Believe in yourself, Harry."

Dumbledore seemed to read his mind and patiently encouraged him:

“Brain Occupation is indeed difficult, but its difficulty mainly stems from its obscurity—there are far too few wizards who actively learn and study it.”

This is completely different from the Guardian Charm. Although there are very few wizards who can use the Guardian Charm skillfully, the reason is simply that it is extremely difficult.

You've mastered the Patronus Charm, so Occlumency is nothing to you—as long as you study diligently and practice consistently.

"I understand, sir."

Harry took a deep breath, his eyes hardening once more.

Since Dumbledore has said so, he naturally has to do his best and not let everyone down.

The search for the Horcruxes is closely related to me, and I should never pass this difficulty on to Sherlock and Dumbledore.

If you have the ability, you must do your best.

"Very good, let's move on to the next topic, which will also be the last one."

Dumbledore gave a mysterious smile, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity:
"Besides the clue from the locket, I think I also know what Voldemort's final Horcrux was."

Sherlock frowned slightly upon hearing this, but ultimately said nothing.

Harry was extremely anxious, leaning forward, his voice tinged with urgency:

"Sir, what was Voldemort's last Horcrux?"

(End of this chapter)