Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 634 What are you doing? Ouch!
The weather is nice today, quite sunny and breezy.

So when Harry walked through the oak doors of the Great Hall, he felt a sudden sense of openness and wonder.

The bright lights gave the floating golden dust in the air a vibrant hue.

The place had long been decorated in Gryffindor's signature red and gold. Scarlet silk shimmered softly under the wall lamps, and golden griffin emblems were carefully hung atop each column. Even the simulated starry sky on the ceiling seemed to favor casting more light toward Gryffindor's long table.

This is perfectly normal; after all, Gryffindor's consecutive House Cup victories were already an open secret.

In the middle of the faculty table, the real Alastormudy sat stiffly.

His magically inlaid prosthetic eye darted rapidly from side to side in its socket, the metal frame reflecting a cold light.

Not only did the magical prosthetic eye that Barty Crouch Jr. had stolen return to him, but so did his wooden leg.

It is now firmly planted on the floor, but every few seconds it will tremble slightly uncontrollably.

The air pressure around him was incredibly low; whenever someone spoke to him, he would suddenly shrug his shoulders as if struck by a spell.

Several times, his upper body almost bounced off the chair, and he only managed to stay upright thanks to Lu Ping's quick reflexes and ability to hold down his elbow.

Lupin's worry deepened with each jump of Moody's.

However, Harry knew in his heart that it was really not his fault.

Mad-Eye Man had become somewhat neurotic after retiring, constantly feeling that Death Eaters were about to ambush him.

But this time, his fears became a bloody reality—he was actually attacked and imprisoned by Barty Crouch Jr. in a dark and gloomy environment for ten whole months.

This trauma undoubtedly made his already tense nerves even more vulnerable, and made his fear of the attack even more deeply ingrained.

Harry thought to himself, anyone who had suffered such an experience would probably have been physically destroyed.

On the other hand, Mad-Eye Moody's ability to still be sitting here at this moment is a testament to his mental fortitude.

Ironically, all his knowledge of Mad-Eye Moody came from Barty Crouch Jr., the Death Eater who was loyal to Voldemort.

As for the real Auror before him, his understanding of him actually came from descriptions by others.

The only time I saw him in person was during the interrogation of Peter Pettigrew.

At the other end of the faculty desk, Durmstrang's principal, Karkaroff, looked as grim as a super-powered version of Krum.

Harry remembered what Lupin and Sirius had said: if Voldemort were to be resurrected, he would definitely run away immediately.

But the fact that he's still here is quite surprising.

In stark contrast was Ms. Maxim beside him.

The headmistress of Beauxbatons sat sideways next to Hagrid, the hem of her exquisite velvet robe brushing lightly against the floor, a gentle smile on her face, and she nodded slightly from time to time.

Hagrid nervously scratched his unkempt beard, his voice extremely low; the two were clearly talking in hushed tones.

With the conclusion of the three-way battle, the previous rift between the two seemed to have completely disappeared.

Harry could only say this:
Respect, blessings, and understanding.

On the other side of the table, Professor McGonagall was quickly jotting something down with a quill pen, her glasses slipping down to the tip of her nose.

Professor Flitwick held a glass of mead, his toes lightly touching the ground, swaying to the invisible melody in the air.

Professor Sprout's fingertips still had a bit of dirt on them, presumably from his recent trip to the greenhouse.

And Snape.

Harry's gaze lingered on Dumbledore's words that he would be learning Occlumency from him for a few more seconds.

Snape seemed to have an innate keen sense of perception; almost the instant Harry cast his gaze, he looked up at Harry.

His eyes held both the usual gloom and disgust, and also a complex emotion that Harry couldn't decipher.

Their eyes met briefly in the air before looking away almost simultaneously.

Harry could feel his heart beat a beat faster for no apparent reason.

On the night Voldemort returned, Snape did not reveal himself or join the fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters until he and Sherlock left the graveyard.

In the past, Harry would definitely have been suspicious of him:
What ulterior motive does he have for doing this?

Who is behind him?

What exactly was his motive?
Even if Dumbledore gave Snape his absolute trust, this doubt would not disappear.

But not anymore.

Because Sherlock also said that Snape had no problem.

At Hogwarts, if a fourth-year student says there's no problem, then there's no problem.

Even so, Harry still had reservations.

He was now beginning to suspect that Snape might have returned to his old ways and infiltrated the enemy ranks once again.

After all, according to Dumbledore, Voldemort had already fallen before Snape even had a chance to reveal his identity.

In this way, he could pretend to still be a member of Voldemort's camp, like Barty Crouch Jr., enduring humiliation and waiting for Voldemort's so-called return as king.

But then again, Voldemort, that ruthless and brutal guy, hardly qualifies as a king...

Harry was lost in thought, even slowing his pace, when suddenly he heard a clear and familiar voice beside him:

"Ali!"

It was Fleur de la Cour, who, as is customary in French, omitted the "H".

She turned to look at Qiu Zhang beside her: "Are you planning to sit here?"

It must be said that even sitting next to the pretty and charming Qiu Zhang, Fu Rong was still so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

She was tall and slender, and her light blue dress made her skin look even whiter than snow.

Her golden hair was smooth as satin, and under the light it seemed to shimmer with a faint silver light, and she always seemed to be shrouded in a hazy halo.

The sight of her holding a sumptuous lunch adds a touch of vivid beauty to the scene.

It was only then that Harry snapped out of his daze.

Unbeknownst to him, he had walked past the Gryffindor table and straight into the Ravenclaw area, just two steps away from Cho Chang.

Upon hearing Furong's words, Qiu Zhang's cheeks flushed bright red, and even his ears turned pink.

She looked up at Harry nervously, her eyes filled with panic.

Harry's performance wasn't much better.

His palms instantly broke out in a cold sweat, and he felt even more nervous than when he faced Voldemort in the cemetery that night.

"How can you be so inconsiderate? Move aside!"

The Ravenclaw hawks immediately sensed the gossip and started laughing and teasing.

The two students next to Qiu Zhang immediately moved aside, and even deliberately cleared their throats exaggeratedly.

"No, no, I... I went to the wrong place, I'm sorry..."

Harry felt all eyes were on him and had no idea how to deal with the situation.

After offering a rambling apology, he turned and fled almost in a panic, quickly heading towards Gryffindor. Immediately behind him came a string of silvery laughter; Harry knew without turning around that it was Lucy and Alicia, Cho Chang's roommates.

He heard words like "interaction," "intimacy," and "joy" mixed in with the laughter.

Harry immediately started walking even faster, almost jogging the whole way.

When Harry stumbled back to the Gryffindor table, his cheeks were still burning red.

Ron grabbed his arm, pulled him to sit down beside him, and asked urgently:
"What are you doing? If you want to strike up a conversation, why choose to do it in front of everyone?"

"No... I was thinking about something and didn't notice I went astray..." Harry hurriedly waved his hands to explain.

Ron waved his hand impatiently, leaned forward eagerly, and asked in a low voice:
"Never mind, that's not important. What did she just say to you?"

"Huh? She didn't say anything!"

Harry stared at Ron in surprise, his eyes wide. Just now, Cho Chang had only looked at him with a red face, without saying a word.

Ron immediately panicked: "You're lying! I clearly saw her smile and say something to you!"

Harry was even more surprised upon hearing this, and his brows furrowed:
"She doesn't... wait, who is this 'she' you're talking about?"

It was only then that he suddenly realized an absurd possibility.

"Who else could it be?" Ron rolled his eyes with a matter-of-fact tone. "It's Fleur, of course! The way she looked at you just now was so sweet!"

Harry: (°ー°〃)
"Ignore him, Harry."

Just then, Ginny kicked Ron without hesitation and said irritably, "We all know he can't get enough of looking at her."

"What nonsense are you talking about! I just... I just... it's all due to the influence of the Mewtwo bloodline!" Ron blushed and hurriedly tried to explain.

What did Dumbledore say to you?

Hermione interrupted Ron in time, looking at Harry and asking, "Why are you the only one who came back? Where's Sherlock?"

Gemma, sitting next to Hermione, also curiously leaned over to look at Harry.

"I do not know either."

Harry shrugged helplessly, spread his hands, and said:
"I came out of Dumbledore's office with him, but when we got halfway there, he disappeared."

"Oh……"

Upon hearing Harry's words, the friends who were familiar with Sherlock's style exchanged knowing smiles, their expressions revealing their understanding.

"Dumbledore told me about Occlumency."

Harry said softly.

Although Dumbledore said that it was time to tell someone he trusted about the Horcruxes, he knew in his heart that the Great Hall was crowded and noisy, and this was clearly not the time to discuss it.

Horcruxes are of utmost importance, and no amount of caution is too much.

On the contrary, since his brain was blocked, several of his friends nearby already knew that he was troubled by nightmares, so there was no harm in telling them.

“Hermione, you’re amazing! Dumbledore’s idea is exactly the same as what you said before, except…” Harry paused, then said hesitantly.

"But what?" Hermione immediately pressed.

“He wants me to learn Occlumency from Snape.” Harry’s voice was even lower.

"What did you say?"

Upon hearing this, Ron exclaimed in surprise, and Hermione and Ginny were also taken aback.

The group instinctively looked toward Snape at the faculty desk, where he was stirring a crucible-shaped cup.

They quickly looked away before he could raise his head.

But... should Harry learn from Snape?
Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?

Who doesn't know Snape's attitude towards Gryffindor... especially Harry Potter?

"Dumbledore wants you to stop having those nightmares about Voldemort, and he doesn't want your scars to hurt as often as they used to."

Hermione quickly realized what was happening.

"Tutoring Snape?"

Ron's voice was filled with undisguised fear, and he gave an exaggerated shiver. "I'd rather have nightmares every day!"

“Harry, you have to try to let go of your prejudice against Professor Snape… well, maybe it shouldn’t be called prejudice.”

Gemma shook her head with a wry smile and said sincerely:

"I know you don't like him, and his temper is indeed unbearable, but there is no denying that he is a top-notch Occlumency surgeon."

Professor Dumbledore, and all of us, hope that you can learn to protect your own mind, so you really must study hard and avoid conflict with him.

"I know."

Harry sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Sherlock and Dumbledore have already told me all this, and I will try my best."

"That's good."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and was about to say something more encouraging when her eyes suddenly lit up. She waved towards the entrance of the Great Hall, "Sherlock!"

Everyone turned to look in the direction of her gaze and saw Sherlock walking in from the entrance of the Great Hall.

Unlike Harry, he wouldn't go to the wrong place. His gaze swept across the Great Hall, and he walked straight towards Gryffindor.
When he reached the long table, Gemma, who had been sitting with Hermione, immediately moved to the other side and said with a smile:

"Sit here."

Sherlock nodded and sat down between the two.

As soon as she sat down, Gemma asked curiously, "Is everything done? Did it go smoothly?"

"It's done."

Sherlock nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crowd without making a sound.

Noticing Harry's still-flushed cheeks and Ron's suppressed laughter, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "What just happened?"

"Did you see it?"

Ron immediately perked up, winking and saying:

"Harry just went to the wrong place, straight to Ravenclaw's table, and almost sat next to Cho Chang—hahaha—"

"What are you doing? Ouch!"

Ron's laughter stopped abruptly, and he looked at Ginny with a puzzled expression.

The latter was retracting his kicking foot and glaring at him fiercely.

"Is it funny?"

Ginny frowned, looking annoyed, and spoke in a cold tone.

"Uh...it's really not funny, hehe, hehe..."

Ron immediately stopped smiling, chuckled dryly, touched his nose, and dared not say another word.

(End of this chapter)