Under Hagrid's guidance, Sherlock and his three friends came to the Great Hall.
Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were already decorating for Christmas.
Seeing them arrive, Professor Flitwick immediately greeted them warmly:
"Ah, the last tree has been brought in, Hagrid. Please put it in that corner over there."
Once they finished decorating, the walls were hung with festive garlands of holly and mistletoe, and twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the hall.
Some trees were hung with sparkling icicles, others flickered with hundreds of candles, and still others needed no additional decoration—they were naturally spectacular.
All in all, the entire hall was even more beautiful and magnificent than it had been at Halloween.
"Tomorrow is the official start of the holidays."
Hagrid turned to Harry as he took in the scene. "I heard you're going to Sherlock's house?"
"Yes, Hagrid."
Harry's face was radiant with happiness. "Sherlock invited both Ron and me."
"How wonderful!"
Hagrid was genuinely happy that Harry had found a friend like Sherlock.
He placed his hands on both Sherlock's and Harry's shoulders. "I bet this will be the best Christmas you've ever had."
Harry nodded—he felt the same way.
However, since the news of Sherlock going home for the holidays had spread, there were particularly many young wizards coming to find him during this time.
The situation gave the impression that everyone wanted to squeeze in one last consultation, like getting their fortune told before time ran out.
Under these circumstances, Harry, Hermione, and Ron agreed to meet in an empty classroom.
"Ron, are you sure Sherlock didn't follow us?"
"He shouldn't have—he was called away by that Ravenclaw girl."
"Good. We must settle this matter before leaving school. Harry, you..."
Hermione was about to speak to Harry when she noticed his gaze was still fixed on the back. "Stop looking—Sherlock won't be coming for a while."
"Uh... okay."
Harry blushed and quickly looked away.
"Now let's discuss what Christmas present we should give Sherlock."
"Actually, I still think we should just ask Sherlock directly."
Ron muttered, but when two cold gazes turned toward him, he promptly shut up.
One was the Boy Who Lived, the other was the top student.
Can't afford to mess with them.
"I've been organizing some information in my spare time recently. Take a look and see if there's anything to add."
Hermione pushed a piece of paper in front of the two boys, which read in neat handwriting:
Sherlock Holmes's Range of Knowledge:
Literary knowledge, philosophical knowledge—None Astronomical knowledge—None, slightly improved after studying Astronomy class Political knowledge—Superficial Botanical knowledge—Fragmentary, knows nothing about practical horticulture, but very knowledgeable about poisons and dangerous magical creatures Geographical knowledge—Limited to practical use, can distinguish different soil types at a glance, can determine which part of the campus based on the color and consistency of mud splattered on robes during outdoor walks Chemical knowledge—Deep Anatomical knowledge—Accurate but unsystematic Sensational literature—Extremely well-read, familiar with almost all horrific incidents of the past century Possesses extensive practical knowledge of British law Magical knowledge—Practical focus, familiar with theory and practice of Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, and Herbology, knows only areas of personal interest in History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts ability unknown Plays violin very well, but never plays properly
After reading Hermione's summary, Harry and Ron looked at each other.
"You know Sherlock this well?"
Harry asked first—he genuinely thought Hermione was amazing.
He'd been with Sherlock for so long but had never been able to summarize things so comprehensively.
"Don't worry about those details!" Hermione said impatiently. "Is there anything else to add?"
"Yes!"
Harry said decisively. "Sherlock is skilled with staffs and proficient in swordsmanship and boxing."
(ﾟoﾟ〃)
Hermione and Ron both stared at Harry.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Harry felt somewhat embarrassed under their intense gazes.
"Stop talking nonsense and tell us how you know this!"
Ron punched Harry.
Although Hermione didn't speak, her expression clearly conveyed the same question.
Harry cleared his throat. "Since the first day of school, I've been doing morning exercises with Sherlock every day..."
Ron's eyes widened like copper bells. "Holy hell, why didn't you call me?"
Harry immediately glared back. "I did call you on the first day—you said you couldn't get up!"
"Uh..."
Ron felt a bit embarrassed, but quickly straightened his neck defensively.
"Just because I didn't go the first day doesn't mean I wouldn't go later! Why didn't you call me after that?"
"You..."
Harry was so angry he started jumping, about to retort when Hermione interrupted, "Both of you calm down—Harry, did you learn about Sherlock's skills with staffs and swords during morning exercises?"
"That's right."
Harry nodded. "Actually, before school started, Sherlock had already mentioned that he'd studied boxing and fencing—that time he dealt with Malfoy and his two friends in the compartment..."
"So that's how he 'persuaded' them!"
Hermione's eyebrows immediately shot up.
Seeing this situation, Harry and Ron silently groaned.
Harry quickly said, "Um... let's discuss what present we should give him first!"
Hermione snorted. Business came first, so she stopped discussing past events.
After much discussion, the three finally decided on gifts for Sherlock.
Harry's gift was a magical magnifying glass.
Besides having the functions of a regular magnifying glass, it could also detect magical traces, discover special runes and magical fluctuations on magical objects.
If Hogwarts ever had cases of stolen magical items or traces of magical creatures, this magnifying glass could help Sherlock observe scenes more carefully.
This was inspired by the Hannah Abbott incident.
Not long ago, Hannah Abbott had specifically sought out and thanked Sherlock.
Her father had finally been cleared of suspicion and had his reputation restored.
The process had been somewhat complicated, though.
Even with new evidence, the Ministry of Magic was still reluctant to reopen the case.
Just as Sherlock had predicted, they only needed a result.
Whether that result was actually the truth didn't matter to them.
Fortunately, Abbott's mother had found connections.
This meant that Wright Black would face the full force of the law.
This incident elevated Sherlock's reputation at Hogwarts even further, and even more people came to consult him.
Ron planned to give Sherlock invisible ink and a special quill.
This ink would only appear under specific magical spells or reagents, allowing him to hide important information—another useful tool for investigation.
As for Hermione, she planned to give Sherlock a book.
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