Chapter 122: The Start of a New Semester
Chapter 122: The Start of a New Semester
Sherlock had no objections to Dumbledore's decision.
He was indeed curious about the creature that had traveled from Germany to wreak havoc in the British magical community.
After discussing a few other matters with Dumbledore, Sherlock left the Headmaster's Office.
He made his way to the Fifth Floor, where Dumbledore had informed him that the German Ministry of Magic's Silencer, Silke, was staying in a common room on this floor.
Sherlock knocked on the door, but there was no response. However, the door suddenly opened a crack on its own.
He hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open and stepping inside.
The room was quite dark, and although it was an overcast day, it wasn't dark enough to require lighting inside.
Clearly, the room's occupant had drawn all the curtains to create this deliberately dark atmosphere.
The only source of light in the room was a candlestick on a table in the center, casting a faint glow that illuminated a space of less than half a meter.
Silke, the witch, sat quietly in front of the candlestick, a pale blue teacup in front of her.
Sherlock frowned as he entered the room. Before he could speak, Silke spoke softly.
"Please close the door."
He turned and shut the door firmly, plunging the room back into silence and darkness, with only the candle on the wooden table illuminating Silke's smooth, white chin.
Even in such dim conditions, she still wore her robe hood, revealing only the lower third of her face.
Sherlock approached the wooden table and sat down opposite her.
"Why don't you open the curtains?"
"It's clearer in the dark."
Sherlock noticed that the cup in front of her contained no tea, only a layer of fine tea leaves at the bottom.
Tea Leaf Divination.
One of the most widespread and convenient forms of divination in the Wizarding World, and a required part of the Divination class at Hogwarts.
This woman was clearly a Seer, but she spoke without the usual mystical and vague manner typical of Seers. Instead, she was straightforward, using as few words as possible to convey her message.
Sherlock stared at the tea leaves in her cup for a long time but couldn't make out anything meaningful.
He wasn't unfamiliar with divination, but he had no talent for it. What others saw as the patterns of fate and the paths of the world appeared to him as nothing more than a chaotic jumble.
"What are you divining?"
"Its purpose."
Sherlock narrowed his eyes.
"Can I know what 'it' is?"
Silke seemed to lift her head slightly, though Sherlock could only see the tip of her straight, pale nose, with the rest hidden under the hood. Yet, he felt as if she was looking at him.
"Are you Dumbledore's observer?"
Her words were too direct, making Sherlock cough awkwardly.
"Ah, ah, you misunderstand. I'm here to assist you and make your operations at Hogwarts smoother."
Silke lowered her head again, continuing to look at the tea leaves at the bottom of her cup. Sherlock felt her gaze disappear.
"It feeds on emotions to accumulate power", Silke's voice was cold and ethereal.
"I cannot share its information, but if you are Dumbledore's observer, you can follow me when I seek it out and learn about it yourself."
She spoke straightforwardly, without any pretense, and explained her reasons clearly.
This caught Sherlock off guard, but it also made him relax. He, too, disliked playing games, and since she was being so direct, he decided to be honest as well.
"Alright, if you need to do anything or discover something about it, come to my office on the third floor."
Silke nodded lightly.
Their brief exchange ended there, and Sherlock turned to leave the room.
After he left, Silke continued to stare silently at the tea leaves at the bottom of her cup, motionless, like a statue cast in cement in the darkness.
By evening, a heavy rain had begun to fall.
The Great Hall was already decorated, and the professors had taken their seats on the raised platform, waiting for the students to arrive for the start-of-term feast.
Sherlock sat next to Hagrid, whose large, bearded face was flushed with excitement and anticipation.
This year's Care of Magical Creatures professor, Professor Silvanus Kettleburn, had retired from the school. He was indeed quite old, and his physical disabilities made it difficult for him to continue teaching. When Sherlock first arrived at Hogwarts, he felt a pang of sympathy seeing such a disabled elder still in service.
His replacement was Rubeus Hagrid.
To be honest, Sherlock had reservations about whether Hagrid was truly suited for the role.
Hagrid was generous, kind, and enthusiastic, and he could be the most loyal friend you could have.
He also had an expert's knowledge and experience with magical creatures, which was undeniable.
However, his understanding of certain magical creatures was significantly different from others.
Due to his unique physiology, highly dangerous magical creatures often seemed less threatening to him, leading him to assume that this was true for everyone.
Just like last semester, when he sent Harry and Ron to the Forbidden Forest to find Aragog to uncover the truth of the past.
He thought that once Aragog knew Harry was his friend, he would treat them as he treated him.
However, if not for Sherlock being there, Harry and the others might have died there, becoming spider food.
But Dumbledore was willing to give him a chance, and Sherlock also felt that perhaps Hagrid would understand and change once he became a professor.
Soon, all the students except the first-years arrived at the Great Hall. They were a bit late and looked shaken and uneasy.
During the train ride to Hogwarts, Dementors boarded and conducted an inspection.
These creatures were clearly not very honest during the inspection and couldn't help but touch and prod the students.
Fortunately, Sherlock's assistant this year, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching assistant Remus Lupin, was also on the train.
He used the Patronus Charm to drive back the Dementors, preventing the students from being seriously harmed.
However, when the students arrived at school, Madam Pomfrey hurried over to provide chocolate to the most affected students.
Eating something sweet is the easiest way to alleviate the discomfort caused by Dementors.
Harry fainted on the train again.
This was the second time he had fainted when encountering those ghostly things.
The worst part was that this time it happened in front of so many students, making him feel extremely embarrassed.
Before he even got off the train, Malfoy had already started mocking him.
So, in the hospital wing, he refused Madam Pomfrey's kind offer to stay overnight and insisted on returning to the Great Hall to attend the feast.
After confirming that he was truly fine, Professor Mcgonagall agreed to his request and allowed him to return to the Great Hall for dinner.
When Harry returned to the Great Hall, the Sorting Ceremony had already ended, and the feast was about to begin. He announced a few things first.
First, Dementors would be guarding all the exits of the school this semester to prevent students from sneaking out, even if they were wearing an Invisibility Cloak.
Second, he introduced the two new professors.
"Since your Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Forrest, will be preoccupied with other matters this year, the school has hired an assistant to help share his teaching load. Professor Lupin has generously agreed to assist Professor Forrest in teaching. Starting this semester, he will teach Defense Against the Dark Arts to first to fourth-year students, while Professor Forrest will continue to lead fifth to seventh-year students in preparing for their Wizarding Level Exams."
Lupin's attire was much more modest compared to the other well-dressed professors.
When Dumbledore introduced him, the Great Hall filled with sparse applause, mostly from the students he had protected on the train.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione also clapped, but Harry frowned and asked curiously, "What will Professor Forrest be doing this year? Why is the school giving him a separate assistant?"
Hermione shook her head, looking troubled.
"Professor Forrest won't be teaching us this year, and his classes are the best I've ever had. I wonder how the new Professor Lupin will be. I hope we can learn something valuable from him."
Ron, however, was confident.
"From Professor Lupin's performance on the train, he's definitely not like the first-year's Quirrell, who was just a bookish fraud."
While they were discussing, Dumbledore also announced the second new professor, Hagrid.
Harry and the others were happy for Hagrid, as he had always dreamed of becoming a teacher at Hogwarts.
After the events of the Chamber of Secrets last semester, his name was cleared, and he could now use magic openly and become a teacher at Hogwarts.
After Dumbledore's brief introduction, the feast officially began.
At the High Table, Sherlock finally had a chance to meet his assistant for the year, Remus Lupin.
"Nice to meet you, Professor Lupin."
Sherlock raised his goblet and gently clinked it with Lupin's.
Lupin looked like a down-on-his-luck middle-aged man, and he seemed to be in poor health, with an unusually pale complexion.
However, his smile and words revealed that he was a kind and gentle person.
"This isn't the first time, Sherlock. I can call you that, right? Although you were very young the last time we met and probably don't remember, this is our second meeting."
(End of Chapter)
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