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Chapter 116: Happy Birthday, Harry
Chapter 116: Happy Birthday, Harry
The Wand floating in mid-air seemed to tremble slightly but ultimately did not fall, remaining suspended in place.
Sherlock stroked his chin, sensing that the Advanced Disenchantment had clearly begun to affect the Control Magic, but only marginally.
This was still the Advanced Disenchantment after Sherlock had undergone Soul Stitching, significantly enhancing his spell effects.
If a regular Wizard used Advanced Disenchantment, it would likely have the same effect as Standard Disenchantment, doing little to counter Control Magic.
However, if multiple Wizards combined their efforts to cast Advanced Disenchantment, it might completely neutralize Sherlock's unique Control Magic.
But achieving such a scenario would be extremely difficult.
Before Voldemort was fully resurrected and made a comeback, such large-scale Wizard battles were rare.
Therefore, the "Floating Wand Spellcasting System" centered around Control Magic was entirely viable. This combination of magic was sufficient for Sherlock to handle most situations and ensure his basic self-defense in the Wizarding World.
Sherlock looked satisfactorily at the Wand floating in mid-air. With this method of spell casting, he had already thought of numerous possibilities.
Besides Petrification Charm, Stunning Spell, and Disarming Charm—spells that require hitting the target to take effect—there were also Explosive Charm, which is inherently a ranged offensive spell.
Although using Control Magic to cast spells would reduce their power, who could withstand the barrage of over a hundred Wands?
As Sherlock pondered how to expand the advantages of this casting method and create more possibilities, a novel idea struck him.
If he used Control Magic to cast the Patronus Charm, could it summon multiple Patronuses?
Excited by this thought, he immediately began his experiment.
He manipulated the Wands to float again, recapturing the feeling of successfully casting the Patronus Charm. With two Wands moving in unison in mid-air, Sherlock uttered the incantation.
"Expecto Patronum."
In the next moment, a silvery glow illuminated the study. The tips of both Wands shone with silver light, and two small, compact ravens coalesced from the glow, flapping their wings and landing on Sherlock's shoulders.
Sherlock's eyes widened, and he extended his arm, letting the two small ravens hop onto it. He gazed in amazement at the Patronuses, which seemed to have been split like cells.
He had not expected this to actually work.
Based on his previous speculation, the reduced efficacy of spells cast with Control Magic would most likely prevent the Patronus from forming a physical entity.
However, the Patronus did materialize, just in a smaller form.
The fully summoned Patronus was about the size of a standard A4 sheet of paper, while the current Patronus had shrunk to the size of a palm.
The size reduction was not a problem; the key was that he could summon them.
If two Wands could succeed, then ten, twenty, or a hundred could also work.
Trading a bit of quality for quantity was entirely acceptable.
As the sky approached evening, Sherlock concluded his spell experiments for the day, satisfied. He rustled up a simple dinner in the kitchen to celebrate his achievements and ended his day contentedly.
The next morning, July 31st, Sherlock went for his morning jog and then directed his two Wands—one inside, one outside—to tidy up the already spotless yard.
He had lunch out, then went to a bakery to order a cake and reserved some food from a restaurant for the evening.
Back home, he quickly decorated, conjuring some ribbons and balloons to create a festive atmosphere.
At three in the afternoon, he headed to 4 Privet Drive and knocked on the Dursleys' door.
Vernon, looking glum, opened the door. Clearly, Harry had already informed him that he would be spending his birthday at Sherlock's place.
Upon seeing Sherlock, Vernon said nothing, but bellowed upstairs.
"Get down here, you little brat!"
Sherlock's brow furrowed slightly at his tone but said nothing.
Harry, however, was unfazed by Vernon's hostility, having long grown accustomed to it.
Excited, Harry ran down the stairs. Sherlock nodded at him and smiled, offering his congratulations.
"Happy birthday, Harry."
Harry's smile froze, and his steps, once joyful, grew heavy.
But he quickly reassured himself.
It's okay, it's okay. He had already verified on the highway in Paris that Professor Forrest's Jinxed Mouth was gone, replaced by a Seer!
He said "Happy Birthday" to himself, so he would definitely have a happy birthday!
With that, Harry's smile reappeared on his face.
Vernon watched Harry walk out of the room, his eyes bulging like those of a fat frog.
"Don't forget what I told you! Come back only after midnight! Do you hear me?"
Harry waved his hand dismissively.
"Got it, got it."
Then he followed Sherlock out of Privet Drive.
On the way, Sherlock asked,
"Why did he insist that you stay until midnight?"
"Because Aunt Marge is also staying at my aunt's house for a week", Harry explained. "Aunt Marge is Uncle Vernon's sister, and they force me to call her aunt. She's been here before, and she doesn't like me at all. The last time she came, I was ten years old. She brought a dog to Aunt Petunia's house and let it chase me up a tree. They watched my misery during dinner, only pulling the dog away at midnight."
Harry spoke casually, not showing any signs of sadness.
He had long since grown used to such treatment. There had been worse, like at Dudley's fifth birthday party, when Aunt Marge used her cane to beat Harry's legs to prevent him from winning a music game. At Christmas, she gave Dudley a robot toy, while Harry received a box of dog biscuits, a humiliating gift (these incidents are from the third book).
Harry had long become accustomed to being the least favored at the Dursleys'.
"Aunt Petunia said they thought I wouldn't be back for another week, so they had Aunt Marge come early to avoid her seeing me and getting annoyed. I didn't expect to return early, so they told me not to disturb their dinner and to come back when Aunt Marge was ready to sleep."
Sherlock listened quietly without speaking.
He had grown up in an orphanage in his previous life, but even there, he hadn't been treated this way.
"You're very brave, Harry."
As they walked, Sherlock suddenly spoke up.
Harry paused, a bit embarrassed.
"Everyone calls me the Chosen One, but I know that defeating Voldemort has nothing to do with me."
"I'm not talking about that", Sherlock said earnestly. "I mean that even without the title of the Chosen One, you are still very brave."
With that, he shrugged.
"Of course, sometimes you should be a bit less playful and more focused on your magic studies. That would make you even more impressive."
"Those are the exact words Hermione has been telling me at school."
"That proves she's right. Oh, by the way, do you want to call Ron and Hermione over today? I can go pick them up."
"I already received their gifts today. The Weasleys are on vacation in Egypt, and Hermione is in France. It's a shame I only found out today; otherwise, we might have run into them in France."
As they were talking, a flustered owl suddenly flew over and dropped a letter on their heads.
The letter was addressed to Sherlock.
Sherlock picked it up, puzzled, and quickly read through it.
His brow furrowed deeply as he finished.
"There's been an emergency, Harry."
Harry felt a sense of foreboding, recalling Sherlock's "Happy Birthday" wish just five minutes ago.
"What happened, Professor?"
"I'm sorry, but I might not be able to spend your birthday with you today. A friend of mine needs my help with something very important."
Sherlock said hesitantly, not wanting to break his promise to Harry, but the matter in the letter was serious.
Harry stood there for a moment, then looked at Sherlock with a pleading expression.
"Can I stay at your place until tonight and then go back?"
Sherlock's expression was serious.
"The situation is dangerous for you. I can't leave you alone."
Harry looked extremely downcast but tried to act as if it didn't matter.
"It's okay, Professor. I'm already grateful that you agreed to spend my birthday with me today."
He didn't ask Sherlock for anything more, just turned and walked slowly back toward the Dursleys' house.
In the sunset, his figure looked incredibly lonely.
Sherlock looked at the letter in his hand, rubbed his temples, and hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
"If you don't mind spending your birthday at the Ministry of Magic, I can take you with me."
Harry's face lit up with surprise as he turned around.
"Of course I don't mind! Professor, as long as I'm not at Aunt Petunia's, I don't care where I am!"
Sherlock sighed and instructed Harry.
"I might not have time to keep you company there. Someone needs my help, so you'll have to stay on your own for a while."
Harry didn't mind at all.
"That's fine. I've never been to the Ministry of Magic before!"
"Then let's go. Grab my arm, and I'll Apparate us there."
Harry excitedly grabbed Sherlock's arm. The sudden change of events made him truly believe that Sherlock's Jinxed Mouth was gone, and that he wouldn't face any more misfortune today!
(End of Chapter)
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