Chapter 129: Reserving a Room

Chapter 129: Reserving a Room

When Charms class ended, Harry and the other two didn't leave.

Instead, they leaned against the windowsill, silently watching the orange-red sun slowly set on the horizon.

The sunset was beautiful, but none of them had the heart to appreciate it.

They looked at the cloudless sky, their thoughts complex.

"Does that mean Professor Forrest will never know that he has a Jinxed Mouth?" Harry said.

"Whenever he has doubts or someone reminds him, he just has to test his Jinxed Mouth, and it will always develop as he says. He will never know what his Jinxed Mouth is like when he isn't doubting himself."

Hermione pondered, shaking her head.

"No, this only happens because we reminded Professor Forrest about his Jinxed Mouth. If he starts to doubt it on his own, the outcome could be different, but no one knows what that would be."

Ron was extremely pessimistic.

"Will there ever come a day when the professor realizes something is off with him?"

The three fell silent again, gazing at the brilliant sunset from a distance. They didn't know whether they were mourning the fact that Sherlock might never know the truth or mourning their own future with Sherlock.

The silence lasted for a long time. After a while, Ron suddenly said, "What if we could use the fact that Professor Forrest turns into a Wishing Cup when reminded of his Jinxed Mouth to fulfill some of our own wishes?"

The idea was appealing, and even Harry was tempted.

Seamus's performance in class today had given them boundless confidence, making them believe that Professor Forrest could do anything while in the Wishing Cup state!

However, Hermione poured cold water on their enthusiasm.

"Stop dreaming. Think about the conditions that trigger Professor Forrest's Jinxed Mouth. His thoughts and words must align for it to work. In the Wishing Cup state, it's the same. He has to say it out loud and genuinely believe it."

Hermione looked at them.

"Do you think the wishes you want Professor Forrest to fulfill are things he would genuinely believe?"

Ron and Harry were disappointed again.

Indeed, it was impossible for Professor Forrest to believe that the Weasleys would become rich overnight or that Harry's parents would come back to life.

Moreover, the probability of these things happening was incredibly low, far lower than Seamus performing exceptionally well in a single Charms class. It was practically zero.

Especially for Harry's wish.

The three returned to the dormitory with mixed feelings.

The discovery they made from testing Sherlock seemed to have changed nothing in their lives, yet it felt like something had changed.

Meanwhile, Sherlock, who had just finished grading the last sixth-year exam, stretched his slightly stiff neck and stood up from his chair, jumping a couple of times to loosen his body.

He glanced out the window at the sunset slowly fading into darkness, remembering that Harry and the others had come to him this morning to conduct a Jinxed Mouth test.

He looked at the cloudless sky and muttered to himself, "I knew it was impossible for me to have a toxic blessing. It's complete nonsense."

The week before Halloween arrived.

This weekend was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the semester, and Professor Mcgonagall was collecting parental permission forms from the third-year students.

Only students whose parents had signed and returned the forms could leave the school on the weekend to spend a pleasant day in Hogsmeade.

Ron and Hermione's parents had signed their forms, but Harry's had not.

Considering his summer experience, Aunt Petunia would never sign her name on the form.

At Ron's urging, Harry even tried to plead with Professor Mcgonagall, but the stern professor, of course, did not grant his request, especially with Black on the loose, and no one could guarantee Harry's safety.

"You should go to Professor Forrest and ask him, 'Professor, do you think I can go to Hogsmeade this weekend without a parental permission form?'"

Ron mimicked perfectly.

"Professor would definitely say, 'Oh, Harry, I think it's impossible. Professor Mcgonagall won't bend the school rules for anyone.'"

"Then, with Professor Forrest’s approval, you’ll definitely find a way to go to Hogsmeade with us, maybe through some magic or perhaps Professor Mcgonagall will bend the rules for you!"

Harry’s face fell; he wasn’t swayed by Ron’s plan.

"Don’t get your hopes up. We’ve already done so many experiments with Professor Forrest. I doubt I’ll even get halfway through my questions before he kicks me out and tells me to go play somewhere else."

"But we have to figure something out; we can’t just leave you here alone, can we?"

Hermione frowned as she spoke.

"I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing for Harry to stay at the school. He’s safest within the castle walls."

Due to Hermione’s new pet cat, Crookshanks, showing clear hostility towards Ron’s rat, Scabbers, their relationship had become quite strained.

"During Hogsmeade weekends, the town is swarming with people. Black wouldn’t be stupid enough to try anything against Harry there!" Ron argued. "You never consider anyone else’s feelings! Harry wants to go out just as much as we do!"

While Harry did indeed want to go out, he didn’t want to see his two friends fighting.

In the end, on the Hogsmeade weekend, he stayed at the school alone.

Bored, he wandered the corridors, considering whether to visit Sherlock’s office to see what he was up to when a witch in a black robe, her face half-hidden by a wide hood, swept past him.

Harry froze as he watched her retreating figure.

This was only the second time this semester he had seen this strange witch in the castle, the first being on the first day of school in the Great Hall, when she left with Sherlock.

It was only now that Harry noticed she had emerged from a room on this floor.

That meant she had been living at Hogwarts all along!

However, it had been almost two months into the semester, and Harry had never seen her eat in the Great Hall or even walk around the castle.

His instincts told him there was something odd about this witch, so he instinctively followed her to see where she was going.

From the fifth floor, they descended to the third. Watching her direction, Harry guessed she was heading to Sherlock’s office again.

He recalled Hermione’s words from the first time he saw this witch.

Sherlock had other matters to attend to this semester, and this "other matter" was likely connected to this witch!

Silke had noticed Harry following her from the start but didn’t expose him or take any other action. Instead, she continued straight to Sherlock’s office.

Sherlock was in his office, studying a magic book on the Disappearing Charm. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Silke enter.

"It took you this long to come back. Did they respond to you?"

Silke’s words were as brief as ever.

"The location of the Goblin underground command."

Sherlock stood up from his chair and grabbed his robe from the coat stand.

"Do you think it’s hidden there?"

"Maybe."

They left the office, and Sherlock immediately spotted Harry hurriedly hiding behind a wall.

He instantly knew why Harry was there.

Sherlock sighed in exasperation.

"He was following you?"

Silke nodded slightly.

Sherlock walked to the corner, grabbed Harry by the collar, and pulled him out.

"On a weekend, instead of going to Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione, you decide to play the stalker? What’s the matter with you?"

Hearing this, Harry felt a surge of resentment and said, "No one signed my permission slip, and Professor Mcgonagall won't let me go out."

"So you decided to follow her instead? I see you haven’t changed since you got back to Hogwarts. You’ve forgotten everything I taught you."

Sherlock tapped Harry’s head and shooed him away.

"Go find someone else to play with. Lupin is a good choice; he’s probably in his office trying to figure out how to get a Grindylow for your class."

Harry didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he looked at Silke and then at Sherlock.

"What are you going to do?"

Sherlock glared at him.

"Do we need to report our plans to you? Are you Professor Dumbledore or Minister Fudge?"

Harry finally left with a belly full of curiosity.

He knew there were some things best left unasked, but he just couldn’t help thinking about them. So, he forced himself to follow Sherlock’s advice and went to Lupin’s office to find him.

“He’s very different.”

After Harry left, Silke, who rarely spoke, unexpectedly broke her silence and commented on Harry’s back.

Sherlock shrugged.

“Of course he is. The future of the entire Wizarding World depends on him.”

“Let’s go, then. We should check out that goblin’s underground command center. Hopefully, we’ll find something.”

“Shut up.”

Sherlock sighed as the witch rudely cut him off and walked ahead. He had no choice but to follow from behind.

“Honestly, you people really need to learn some manners. Interrupting someone mid-sentence is very rude, you know?”

They left through the gates of Hogwarts, where Dementors still lingered nearby.

Despite not seeing Black’s presence for two whole months, they remained patient, waiting for him to fall into their trap.

Arriving in Hogsmeade, the town was bustling with students.

Hogsmeade weekends were always the liveliest times in this Wizarding village. The renowned Honeydukes was packed with people, and Sherlock even spotted Ron in the crowded crowd.

At Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, he saw Percy on a date with a girl. Through the window, Sherlock could see the girl he was kissing: Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw Prefect.

They seemed to be in the throes of a passionate romance, inseparable every day.

“You have unique tastes,” Silke remarked out of the blue.

Sherlock was taken aback for a moment before realizing what she meant.

“What are you thinking? Those two are my students!”

As Sherlock tried to clear his name, a surprised female voice interrupted him.

“Professor Forrest?”

Sherlock turned to see Hermione, who was holding a stack of parchment and looking at them with surprise.

“Hermione? You bought a lot of parchment?”

“Yes, Professor. I was going to buy it at the Quill of Acceptance, but that shop had some kind of incident. It’s been sold and renamed Binks Quills, though it still sells stationery. The new owner must have bought it from the neighboring shop.”

As Hermione spoke, her eyes darted between Sherlock and Silke, occasionally glancing at Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, a famous spot for couples.

Sherlock, noticing her skepticism, said with a sigh.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. I’m here on business. This is Madame Silke from the German Ministry of Magic.”

Hermione’s face cleared, and she wasn’t as naive as Harry and Ron. After Sherlock’s brief introduction, she understood and didn’t misinterpret anything.

She bowed her head.

“I won’t disturb you, Professor. I’ll go find Ron. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Today, Hogsmeade was indeed crowded with students. In just a short while, Sherlock had already encountered three familiar faces.

They approached the Hog’s Head, which remained as quiet as ever. No student would choose to come here for a Butterbeer, given the better environment and prices at the Three Broomsticks.

Sherlock didn’t see the large black stray dog anywhere on the Hogsmeade streets. It seemed to have left the Wizarding village and gone elsewhere.

“Why didn’t you bring your two German colleagues this time?” Sherlock asked curiously.

Silke shook her head.

“We’re not colleagues. They have their own missions.”

“So, how do we get into that underground command center? Where’s the entrance?”

Sherlock rubbed his chin, looking at the building in front of them.

Silke silently gazed at the dirty window behind which the grumpy old man was currently wiping glasses with a blackened cloth.

“In the bar’s main hall.”

Sherlock followed her gaze and saw the wooden counter.

“You mean the counter area?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“That’s going to be tricky,” he frowned. “We can’t do it during the day. We’ll have to come back at night, or we could get a room inside.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end