Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 635 Shocking! That man is back!

Shortly after Sherlock's arrival, someone walked through the oak doors at the entrance to the Great Hall again.

The teachers and students, who had been engrossed in their meals, stopped eating and instinctively looked up towards the entrance.

Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore walked at the front.

His dark blue wizard's robe swayed gently with his steps, and the lenses of his crescent-shaped spectacles reflected tiny specks of light under the starlight from the dome.

Her face, as always, wore a gentle smile as warm as a spring breeze, and even the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes looked exceptionally kind.

Beside him stood Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, dressed in a sharp, dark green Ministry of Magic uniform, the silver badge on his collar polished to a gleaming shine, and still wearing his top hat.

However, compared to his glamorous appearance, his expression seemed somewhat stiff.

He not only rubbed his tie knot repeatedly with both hands, but also subconsciously tugged at his collar every two steps, as if the collar was suffocating him.

Ludo Bagman followed at the back, his usual flamboyant smile much less pronounced than usual.

Although he occasionally nodded to the students who passed by, a hint of weariness was hidden in his eyes.

"Why is he here too?"

Harry's tone was full of undisguised disgust.

After experiencing a series of events, including exonerating Sirius Black and resurrecting Voldemort, the Minister of Magic, just like his name, became a synonym for incompetence and escapism in Harry's mind.

Especially when I think about what happened in the principal's office that night, seeing him here again makes me feel nauseous.

"It must be that the Ministry of Magic has finally reached an agreement with Hogwarts."

Gemma glanced at Fudge thoughtfully, her voice so low that only those around her could hear:
"Regarding the follow-up to what happened that night, such as how to inform the public and the plan to track down the Death Eaters."

As a reserve member of the Order of the Phoenix, she naturally knew more about these things than others.

Therefore, seeing Fudge appear at this moment suggests that the Ministry of Magic must have made some compromises in the face of the facts.

The three sat down at the head of the faculty table, ate a little something, and then Dumbledore slowly stood up from beside the table.

This time, he didn't use any magic; he simply raised his right hand slightly and pressed it down with his palm facing down.

The auditorium, which had been filled with whispers, fell completely silent. Even the clinking of silverware disappeared, and everyone's eyes were fixed on him.

Another year has come to an end.

Dumbledore's gaze slowly swept across every face in the Great Hall, his voice gentle yet powerful:
"Tonight is a special day—Minister Cornelius Fudge told me that he has a lot to say to you all."

But before that, please allow me, on behalf of Hogwarts, to extend my deepest gratitude to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's students and teachers who have come to participate in the Triwizard Tournament!

A round of enthusiastic applause rang out.

Dumbledore smiled and waited for the applause to subside before continuing:
"As for the Triwizard Tournament itself, its restart after being suspended for more than a century can be described as a great success."

The warriors from Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts all fully demonstrated the unique qualities of their respective schools…

"What is Durmstrang's unique quality—dark magic?"

Ron couldn't help but lean close to Harry's ear and whisper his complaints in a voice only the two of them could hear.

If it weren't for Durmstrang and Viktor Krum, he really wouldn't have had a good impression of Durmstrang at all.

Harry almost burst out laughing, but thankfully he managed to hold it in.

Dumbledore seemed oblivious to the little commotion in the audience, and continued in his gentle tone:

"...In the end, the three heroes of Hogwarts overcame numerous trials, including the dragon, the rescue at the bottom of the lake, and the maze, and finally won the Triwizard Tournament trophy."

Captain Cedric Diggory is a kind and loyal friend, and a diligent and hardworking student.

He led by example, always at the forefront of every challenge, guiding his two teammates through one difficulty after another, truly deserving of the title of captain.

The students at the Hufflepuff table erupted in thunderous cheers, their yellow scarves tossed high into the air, tracing bright arcs.

Many people excitedly slammed their fists on the table. The little badgers, who usually gave off a peaceful and unassuming vibe, were all blushing and waving their arms vigorously today.

The shouts of "Digori" rose and fell, as if trying to fill the entire auditorium.

See? Even Dumbledore himself acknowledged Cedric's exemplary leadership as captain!

Cedric, sitting in the middle of the crowd, blushed slightly and scratched his head a little embarrassedly, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards Gryffindor.

Sure enough, Dumbledore continued the next moment:

"Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter, their wisdom and courage also played an irreplaceable role along the way."

Sherlock always saw through the traps at crucial moments, while Harry never backed down when facing danger.

Of course, most importantly, the Hogwarts warriors fully demonstrated unity, cooperation, and mutual assistance throughout the entire competition.

When facing the fire dragon, they executed a brilliant tactical combination and obtained the dragon egg;

At the bottom of the lake, they worked together to rescue the kidnapped captain;
In the maze, they reminded each other and avoided danger together...

Dumbledore paused deliberately at this point, his gaze lingering on Sherlock and Harry for a second each.

Sherlock simply nodded slightly, while Harry lowered his head somewhat embarrassed.

Then, Dumbledore smiled and announced:

"Therefore, according to Hogwarts tradition, I will add one hundred points to each of them!"

The lion cubs and badger cubs cheered again, and the entire auditorium seemed to turn red and yellow at that moment.

The cheers and laughter seemed to make even the air feel scorching hot.

The Weasley twins took the opportunity to pull out a few hard-to-pull fireworks from their pockets and quietly lit them.

Colorful sparks shot up to the roof with a "whoosh," exploding against the backdrop of the starry sky and turning into dazzling fireworks, eliciting gasps of amazement from the younger students.

"This means that Gryffindor will still be the winner of this year's College Cup!"

As Dumbledore announced the news in a cheerful voice, the Hogwarts students in the Great Hall all wore bright smiles.

The little lions high-fived each other in celebration, some even hugging each other excitedly, and even the most serious students grinned from ear to ear.

Professor McGonagall pushed up her glasses, her eyes brimming with undisguised satisfaction, and a subtle smile played at the corners of her lips.

Professor Flitwick excitedly stood on tiptoe, raised his mead glass, and gently clinked it against Professor Sprout's glass beside him.

A few drops of wine spilled from the glass, landing on the tablecloth and spreading into small damp patches.

However, Professor Karkarov and Ms. Maxim, on the other side of the faculty table, did not look so pleased. Karkarov's lips were pressed into a tight line, his fingers gripped the tablecloth so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and his eyes were filled with resentment.

Ms. Maxim sighed softly, picked up her glass, took a sip, but found it tasteless.

To put it bluntly, Gryffindor won the House Cup by defeating those two schools and by winning the Triwizard Tournament trophy.

However, I remembered that there was something more important to announce later.

Once that matter is announced, this joyful scene will immediately come to an end.

So let's enjoy ourselves a little longer...

Later, even if you want to be happy, you won't have a chance.

Of course, the expressions of these two headmasters were much better than those of Fudge and Bagman from the Ministry of Magic.

At this moment, Fudge sat next to Dumbledore, his body taut, his hands on his knees, but he kept glancing at Dumbledore who was speaking.

His eyes were full of urgency, and his lips moved as if he wanted to interrupt him but didn't dare to.

Bagman was slightly better, but he no longer had the same level of excitement he had since the start of the Triwizard Tournament.

He kept his head down, his fingers repeatedly tracing the rim of his wine glass, his eyes unfocused, clearly looking preoccupied.

As for the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, who had no other considerations, they had long since come to terms with it.

If you're not as skilled as others, just practice more; there's nothing more to say.

The girls from Beauxbatons had already become friends with the Ravenclaw students around them. They sat together, chattering about the fireworks they had just seen.

Fleur huddled up to Cho Chang and whispered something to him, occasionally glancing in Harry's direction. Cho Chang's cheeks flushed bright red.

The Durmstrang boys chatted and laughed with the Slytherin students.

Krum, who usually had a gloomy expression, was now quite open-minded, discussing Quidditch tactics with several Slytherin students, with a faint smile on his lips.

In a corner of the auditorium, there were still a few tables occupied by the parents of the warriors who had not yet left.

The school specially arranged separate seats for them, with tables laden with exquisite snacks and drinks.

Sirius Holmes and his wife were chatting with the Diggory couple and Mrs. Delacour, introduced by Sirius.

When she heard Dumbledore praising the three warriors of Hogwarts on stage, Mrs. Delacour put down her teacup and said with a smile:

"Holmes and Potter are truly outstanding!"
It's truly remarkable that someone so young has overcome so many difficulties.

Mr. Diggory, who was sitting to the side, cleared his throat hard when he heard this.

Madame de la Course, realizing what was happening, immediately smiled and said:

"Of course, of course, this is also thanks to Cedric's excellent leadership as captain."

Mrs. Diggory tugged at her husband's clothes, trying to salvage the situation:
“Cedric has always known how to take care of others, but he is lucky to be able to work with Sherlock and Harry this time.”

Sirius sat nearby, taking in the entire scene.

He glanced at Mr. Diggory with amusement.

Compared to his calm, generous, and humble son Cedric, Mr. Diggory seemed rather petty, even getting upset when others praised other children.

But this is also human nature.

Parents all over the world are like this.

"Next, I have something else to announce."

As the cheers in the hall gradually subsided, Dumbledore slowly wiped the smile from his face, his eyes turned serious, and his tone became more somber:

"Although the Ministry of Magic did not want me to tell you this at first, they were worried that it would cause panic."

But I believe that, as members of the magical world, you have the right to know the truth, the right to know what kind of situation we are facing.

Fudge, who was sitting next to him, suddenly looked rather unpleasant, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

He abruptly raised his head, looking directly at Dumbledore with a panicked expression, even a hint of pleading.

He hadn't expected Dumbledore to be so direct, leaving the Ministry of Magic no room for maneuver whatsoever.

But then he thought about it again and realized that he really had no right to refute his behavior before going to Little Hangleton that night.

Especially when Dumbledore forcibly took him to Little Hangleton's graveyard and he saw with his own eyes the man whose name he couldn't even mention, resurrected with the basilisk Nagini and surrounded by a group of Death Eaters, he was almost scared to death.

At that moment, no matter how unwilling he was to admit it, he could not deny the cruel truth.

The person whose name can't even be mentioned has really returned!
So even though Dumbledore was essentially publicly humiliating him at this moment, he didn't dare interrupt him anymore and could only sit stiffly in his chair, silently enduring it all.

It can only be said that the more arrogantly he denied the truth back then, the more patheticly he is now bearing the consequences.

"Voldemort is back."

When Dumbledore pronounced the name "Voldemort," he emphasized it.

Each syllable felt like a heavy stone, crashing down on everyone's heart.

The next second, a collective gasp filled the auditorium.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but even the surrounding temperature seems to have changed.

After a collective gasp, a tense murmur immediately filled the auditorium, like the buzzing of boiling water.

"Really? Is the principal joking?"

"The mysterious man...the mysterious man is really back?"

"Did we hear that right? Didn't he disappear a long time ago?"

Similar sounds rose and fell, and almost everyone stared at Dumbledore in horror and disbelief, their faces filled with panic.

Some students stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape enough to fit an egg.

Some students bit their lips tightly, their faces pale.

Some students even instinctively gripped the hands of the people next to them, their fingernails digging into the skin with the force.

However, both the person making the arrest and the person being arrested were completely unaware of what was happening at that moment.

It seemed that only in this way could they alleviate the fear and anxiety in their hearts.

(End of this chapter)