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Chapter 141: Treating Someone to a Meal
Chapter 141: Treating Someone to a Meal
The dark golden Pendant Box swayed gently in the sunlight, reflecting a slightly blinding glow.
Sherlock furrowed his brow as he examined it, as if he had noticed something amiss.
"Have you noticed that this thing looks newer than when I first got it?"
Silke, hearing his words, walked over to Sherlock and took the Pendant Box from his hand.
She didn't look at it with her eyes but used a peculiar method to sense it.
Because the Pendant Box couldn't be removed from Sherlock's neck, the two were now very close, and Sherlock could even feel the warmth of Silke's breath. He instinctively leaned back against the chair.
"It has indeed changed somewhat from the beginning."
Silke concluded.
Sherlock also recalled Professor Dumbledore's words.
"Professor Dumbledore said that this thing doesn't seem to be harmful for now, but the unknown is a problem. He could sense that it was slowly repairing or recharging itself."
"If it is repairing itself, then the day it finishes and can be opened might be the day you can take it off."
That was all they knew about the Pendant Box.
After relaying the known information to Sherlock, Silke had to return to the German Ministry of Magic.
She needed to be present for the interrogation of Fidelius. If they could get the evil creature to reveal its intentions for finding the Pendant Box, they might uncover some crucial clues.
"I think your thanks last time wasn't very sincere. Want to try again?"
Before she left, Sherlock raised an eyebrow and opened his arms in a playful manner.
Upon hearing his words, Silke stood still for a moment. To Sherlock's astonishment, she actually walked over and gently embraced him!
This time, she didn't pull away immediately but held him for a long time.
Smelling the faint, fresh scent from her, and feeling the softness of her body, Sherlock felt a bit at a loss. He didn't know where to place his hands and even found it hard to speak.
"I, I was just joking."
"I know."
Silke's voice remained as clear and ethereal as ever. Though she was speaking right next to Sherlock's ear, she seemed distant, yet the warmth of her breath made her presence very real.
"Last time was for helping me catch Fidelius."
Sherlock felt his ears tingling, his heart pounding.
He might talk boldly, but in reality, he had only held a girl's hand once, during a group dance in elementary school, across two lifetimes.
"Th, then what about this time?"
"This time is for your Patronus Charm, for helping me let go of some things."
She said.
The sun slowly moved across the sky, and at that moment, its light shone through the window, illuminating the farthest corner of the room, casting a gentle glow on Sherlock's trembling back and Silke's lips, which curved into a beautiful smile under her hood.
The embrace lasted a long time, so long that Sherlock's legs felt numb.
"Are we done?" Silke seemed to notice that Sherlock was shaking more intensely.
"Y-Yes, we're done."
Silke released Sherlock and turned to leave the room.
"I'll let you know as soon as I have any news about Fidelius. Until then, even if you can open the box, I don't recommend you do it."
Sherlock leaned on the table, watching her leave the office. He then shakily sat down in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling, as if his soul had been drained.
After a long while, his scattered gaze refocused. He raised his hand and lightly slapped his mouth twice.
"Joking, joking, joking."
Harry had no memory of how he returned from Hogsmeade.
He lay numbly on his bed, his mind filled with the conversations he had overheard in the pub.
"Sirius Black and James Potter, inseparable, a great duo!"
"You'd think Black and Potter were brothers!"
"Potter trusted Black more than any other friend. Even when they graduated, they were still close. Black was the best man at James and Lily's wedding, and they made him Harry's godfather."
"Professor Dumbledore offered to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper, but James insisted on using Black."
"Black betrayed them. He grew tired of being a double agent and was ready to declare his support for the Dark Lord!"
"Filthy, stinking traitor!"
"He blew up their other friend, Peter Pettigrew, leaving only a finger!"
Professor Mcgonagall, Professor Flitwick, Hagrid, and Minister Fudge's words echoed in his mind, preventing him from finding a moment's peace.
He thought about the photograph of Black, that handsome, grinning man. His appearance was so different from his heart. Was he already working for Voldemort when the photo was taken? Or was he planning how to kill his parents?
Night slowly descended, and Harry lay in bed, lost in his thoughts. Because of Christmas, he didn't have to go to Sherlock's office to learn the Patronus Charm, so he could stay in the dormitory all day.
Ron returned later, calling out to Harry softly, but Harry pretended to be asleep and ignored him.
In reality, he spent the entire night lost in his thoughts. His body seemed to be filled with a poison called hatred, which kept him wide awake.
He could almost see Black standing before him, laughing maniacally and mocking him for his parents' foolish trust in him.
It wasn't until the sky began to lighten that Harry finally drifted off into a daze.
He slept until noon, by which time the Christmas holidays had begun. Most of the other Gryffindor students had already left for home, leaving only Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the common room.
Harry's face was clearly troubled.
Hermione and Ron exchanged glances and, as they had agreed, began to comfort Harry. However, their words had little effect.
Harry seemed to be completely consumed by his hatred for Black.
His words clearly conveyed his desire for revenge, which worried Ron and Hermione greatly.
To distract him, Hermione and Ron decided to take Harry to see Hagrid. When they arrived at Hagrid's cabin, they found that he was also in trouble.
During the first Care of Magical Creatures class of the term, Buckbeak the hippogriff had scratched Malfoy, and Malfoy's father, Lucius, had complained to the Ministry of Magic. A trial was being planned to determine Buckbeak's fate.
Hagrid was devastated. He knew he had no chance of winning the case, and Buckbeak's ultimate fate would be death.
This successfully diverted Harry's thoughts from his desire for revenge on Black. The three of them began to search for relevant documents to help Hagrid with his case, hoping to save Buckbeak.
They continued doing this until the day before Christmas.
As Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still searching for documents to help Hagrid, Sherlock left the gates of Hogwarts. He was carefully selecting among the Dementors that were guarding the school.
No one could accurately describe how Dementors think.
However, it was clear that there was a hierarchy among them, though the "leaders" only made simple, unified decisions. Their thinking was basic, and they had no sense of a collective.
They gathered together simply because it was easier to get "food" when they were in a group. If one of them was harmed or killed, the others wouldn't care and wouldn't feel any desire for revenge.
This conclusion was drawn by the original owner, who spent a month in Azkaban.
Therefore, if one Dementor suddenly went missing, the others wouldn't react in any special way or even notice.
This gave Sherlock the opportunity to invite one of them to his office.
Yes, he planned to warmly invite a Dementor to the castle for a cup of tea. It was so cold outside, and they had to patrol, which was quite tough.
Sherlock imagined that, being honest creatures, the Dementors would be happy to serve as his experimental subjects and teaching aids for a few days.
With this pleasant scenario in mind, he focused on a lone Dementor that was drifting around in the snow.
Hiding behind a tree, Sherlock quietly drew his wand and whispered the Patronus Charm.
However, no Patronus appeared. Instead, a few thin silver threads emerged from the tip of his wand and, under his control, surrounded the Dementor.
The Dementor stood there, its simple mind unable to understand what was happening.
The silver threads suddenly tightened, and gray smoke began to rise where they touched the Dementor's body.
Meanwhile, Sherlock, like a hunter who had just made a successful catch, jumped out from behind the tree. He pulled out a sack he had prepared in advance and covered the restrained Dementor with it!
Ordinary materials had no effect on such creatures, so the sack only served to obscure the Dementor. The true control came from the silver threads created by Sherlock's Patronus Charm.
He then cast the Bubble-Head Charm on the sack, isolating it and masking its scent.
Dementors have no eyes; they rely on emotions and scents to detect their targets.
With the other Dementors watching, he boldly led the captured Dementor back to Hogwarts Castle.
(End of Chapter)
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