Chapter 144: Hermione's Sadness

Chapter 144: Hermione's Sadness

After the Christmas holidays ended, Hogwarts settled back into its usual routine.

Although the danger posed by Black still loomed, this year was far less unsettling compared to the previous one.

At least everyone knew he was a murderer wizard, and more than half the students were aware that his primary target was Harry Potter.

A clearly identified culprit was much more reassuring than the unknown Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry's Patronus Charm training with Sherlock was progressing steadily.

His talent for defensive magic was indeed impressive, just as Sherlock had noted. After the intense encounter with the Dementor, he managed to produce a rudimentary form of the Patronus.

Harry's subsequent spells almost always reached this level, but to fully manifest the Patronus, he needed a significant breakthrough.

This was not something that could be rushed, and the Dementor used in the training was no longer of any use.

After experimenting with a Memory Charm on the incorporeal being, Sherlock kept his promise and released it back into the wild, where it rejoined the ranks of other Dementors.

Its simple and weak thoughts had been thoroughly tormented by Sherlock, and it could only return to a carefree existence, mindlessly feeding on emotions, with no memory of the hellish months it had endured.

By the end of February, Harry asked Sherlock for a two-week leave.

The Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, which would determine the ownership of the House Cup, was approaching, and he needed to focus on practice to secure a win for Gryffindor.

It was good for young people to have their interests, and Sherlock didn't expect Harry to devote all his energy to magic studies. Therefore, he granted him the two-week leave.

Sherlock didn't have the time to watch the Quidditch match, as the end of the term approached, and both the students' and his own workload increased significantly.

He had to grade over two hundred exams each week, prepare lesson plans for the questions on these exams, and plan for practical classes.

Even with Lupin helping him with the first to fourth-year classes, Sherlock remained very busy. Moreover, he had little interest in Quidditch, so he didn't attend the match.

However, he learned the outcome after the game.

Harry, riding his Nimbus 2000 broomstick, which Professor Mcgonagall had inspected and confirmed to be in good condition, led the Gryffindor team to victory.

During the match, the Slytherin team members, led by Malfoy, tried to intimidate Harry by disguising themselves as Dementors. Instead of scaring Harry, they were frightened by his incomplete Patronus Charm.

Professor Mcgonagall, enraged like a furious lioness, deducted fifty points from Slytherin in front of Snape and planned to report the incident to Dumbledore.

The entire Gryffindor House was filled with joy on the day they won the match.

Although Sherlock wasn't particularly interested in Quidditch, the youthful energy and excitement among the students lifted his spirits.

On the afternoon of the match, Sherlock returned from the library with a stack of completed documents, planning to drop them off at his office before heading to the Great Hall for dinner. He inadvertently heard the sound of soft sobs coming from an empty classroom.

He paused and listened carefully, recognizing the voice as a girl's.

After a moment's hesitation, Sherlock gently pushed open the classroom door and stepped inside.

Inside, a girl was sobbing quietly while rapidly writing on a piece of parchment. A stack of books, at least two feet high, stood beside her, indicating she had much more reading to do.

Hermione, startled by the noise, hastily wiped her tears and looked toward the door. Sherlock saw her with red-rimmed eyes.

"Professor Forrest", Hermione sniffled, addressing him.

When Sherlock saw that the person crying secretly here was actually Hermione, he was quite surprised.

However, he didn't immediately show his confusion. Instead, he pulled out a chair and sat down next to Hermione.

"Secretly crying in a classroom doesn't seem like something Miss Granger would do."

Hermione put down her quill, looking as if she was trying to hold back her tears but didn't want to show it in front of Sherlock.

Sherlock rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, placing it on the desk.

"How about some candy? I stole these from Dumbledore's office. Before I left, I even asked the portraits on the wall not to tattle on me. Unfortunately, Dumbledore came back just as I was leaving and caught me, but he still let me take the sweets with me."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at Sherlock's story, and she reached for a tissue to blow her nose.

"You must be lying, Professor."

Sherlock shrugged, neither confirming nor denying. He popped a bean into his mouth.

"So, can you tell me why you're hiding here and feeling so sad? Why didn't you go back to the common room and celebrate with them?"

Hermione's face turned sad again, but this time she wasn't pretending. She spoke with a heavy heart.

"They won't talk to me anymore. Our friendship is over."

Having someone to confide in, Hermione recounted all her grievances to Sherlock.

"Harry received the Firebolt for Christmas, and the gift was unsigned. Ron and he were completely mesmerized by the broom's appearance. At a time like this, it could very well have been sent by Black to harm Harry! I expressed my concerns, but they accused me of overthinking. I had to go to Professor Mcgonagall and tell her about it."

"Professor Mcgonagall took Harry's broom and had it thoroughly checked. They turned against me because of that. Ron called me a troublemaker, and Harry was angry with me too."

"Professor Mcgonagall confirmed that the broom was safe and returned it to Harry the day before yesterday. He was thrilled to get it back. I was happy for them, but Ron was still angry. Harry tried to use this opportunity to make amends, but, but..."

At this point, Hermione couldn't hold back her tears and started crying again. Sherlock didn't interrupt her but handed her a tissue.

Hermione took the tissue and continued, wiping her tears.

"But Ron's pet Scabbers went missing! There was blood on his bed and some of Crookshanks' fur. Ron said Crookshanks ate Scabbers!"

"It's all my fault! They blame me for everything. I know Crookshanks has been acting strange since he came to school. He doesn't listen to me and always tries to catch Scabbers. But it's not fair to blame everything on me."

Hermione's voice began to choke with sobs.

"I don't have time to explain. I have a lot of homework to do. It's better that they ignore me; I don't have time for them either."

Sherlock listened to Hermione's story and understood that it was just a common conflict among three children.

But he didn't take these small conflicts lightly.

Sherlock was a teacher at Hogwarts, and a teacher's responsibility goes beyond just teaching. When students face confusion and troubles in their friendships and lives, it is his duty to help them navigate these issues.

"Avoiding the problem won't solve it, Miss Granger."

Hermione stubbornly replied, "I'm not avoiding it. I really have a lot to do and no time to argue with them!"

"But you know you did nothing wrong, or even if you did, if Crookshanks really did eat Scabbers, they shouldn't treat you like this, right?"

Hermione pouted, though she didn't answer Sherlock's question, it was clear she agreed.

Seeing her reaction, Sherlock smiled.

"From your story, I believe you were right. A stranger sending a broom to Harry, especially during a time when Black is on the loose, is indeed risky. Telling the professor and letting her handle it was the right thing to do. Even if the broom turned out to be safe, Harry and Ron had no right to be angry with you."

Hermione pouted.

"It is."

"But after Ron's pet went missing, you shouldn't have avoided the situation, Hermione."

"They all blamed me", Hermione tried to explain.

"Crookshanks is your pet, and as its owner, you are responsible for its actions", Sherlock said seriously. "If you believe Scabbers' disappearance isn't related to Crookshanks, explain it to them clearly, and then go with Harry and Ron to look for Scabbers. Don't hide here and feel sorry for yourself."

"Don't let the unfairness of the last incident affect you, Hermione. Harry and the others should apologize to you for the broomstick incident, but if Scabbers' disappearance is related to Crookshanks, you should also apologize to Ron."

Hermione fell silent.

Sherlock gave her some time to think, then pushed the box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans toward her, blinking his eyes.

"Life is like this box of Every Flavour Beans. Each person has different experiences and stories. The one we eat now might be a terrible pepper flavor, but when you get a sweet strawberry one next, you won't let the previous pepper flavor ruin its sweetness. Similarly, after a misunderstanding, you shouldn't use it as an excuse to hide your future mistakes."

Sherlock picked out a pink bean and handed it to Hermione. She took it silently and put it in her mouth. It was indeed a sweet strawberry flavor.

Seeing her expression, Sherlock stood up from his seat.

"So find a chance to explain things to Harry and Ron. And don't overwork yourself; there's always more to learn."

Hermione's mood seemed to improve a bit.

"I'll talk to them once I'm done with this."

"Good luck."

"Thank you, Professor."

After Sherlock's comfort, Hermione felt a bit better. She looked at the seemingly endless pile of homework and put it away for the moment.

When she returned to the Gryffindor common room, all the Gryffindor students were celebrating. Fred and George had somehow managed to get a bunch of sweets from Honeydukes.

Hermione, carrying a thick stack of books, avoided the crowd. Harry noticed her at that moment.

"Haven't you been watching the match?" Harry asked her, approaching.

"Of course I did", Hermione replied, her tone somewhat muffled and hesitant. "We won, and I think you did a great job, but I have to finish reading these books by Monday."

"Come on, Hermione, have something to eat", Harry said, glancing at Ron, wondering if he was in a good enough mood to reconcile with Hermione.

"I can't, Harry. I still have four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!" Hermione said, her voice sounding a bit low.

"Besides", she also glanced at Ron, "he doesn't want me to join in."

It was obvious because Ron chose that moment to say loudly, "If Scabbers hadn't been eaten, it could have had a few of these Fudge Flies. It always loved them."

Hermione cried again, and the urge to apologize that she had felt after talking to Sherlock vanished.

Before Harry could say or do anything, she hugged her books and ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, sobbing.

Harry sighed. He had no idea how to mediate between his two friends.

Ron was very attached to Scabbers, and Hermione didn't seem willing to apologize. He was at a loss.

However, the night's events were far from over.

The entire Gryffindor house had a joyous day, but in the middle of the night, Harry was suddenly awakened by Ron's scream.

Ron woke up to find Sirius Black standing by his bed!

When Harry was jolted awake, he heard the door slam shut. They shouted and rushed out of the dormitory, running down the stairs and waking everyone in the common room.

As the Gryffindor students gathered in the common room, Professor Mcgonagall stormed in, looking furious.

"I'm glad Gryffindor won the match, but this is absolutely ridiculous!"

Harry and Ron explained the situation to her, but Professor Mcgonagall didn't believe them, as the portrait of Sir Cadogan at the entrance showed no signs of damage.

It wasn't until they questioned Sir Cadogan that they learned Black had read the correct passwords for the entire week from a note, and Sir Cadogan had let him in.

Recently, Neville had just lost the note where he had written down the password.

That night, the entire castle conducted another thorough search. Sherlock was also called by Professor Flitwick in the middle of the night to search the area near the library.

The search was once again fruitless, and no one found any trace of Black. It seemed he knew the castle like the back of his hand and knew exactly where to escape from.

After that night, the castle's management became even stricter.

Sir Cadogan, who had been temporarily guarding the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, was dismissed. The Fat Lady, after being repaired, returned to her post. This time, her frame included several goblins with clubs, patrolling to protect her.

Neville was also punished. Professor Mcgonagall banned him from visiting Hogsmeade for the rest of the semester and forbid anyone from giving him the password to enter the tower.

Poor Neville had to wait in the common room every night, hoping someone would let him in.

Apart from the increased security in the castle, Black's attack didn't significantly affect the students' lives.

Hagrid also spoke with Harry and Ron, telling them that Hermione had been very upset. However, Ron was still angry about Scabbers and said he wouldn't reconcile with her unless she got rid of her crazy cat.

Hagrid tried his best to mediate their conflict but found it difficult.

Sherlock, on the other hand, didn't pay much attention to the matter. Even during subsequent Patronus Charm lessons with Harry, he didn't ask any more questions, believing that Harry and his friends would eventually sort things out on their own.

Another half-month passed, and in early March, Sherlock found Lupin in his office.

"Any progress? Have you set a date?" he asked, sitting across from Lupin.

Lupin smiled bitterly.

"Are you serious?"

Sherlock shrugged.

"Of course, I'm serious. Do you think I'm joking?"

"But even with the Wolfsbane Potion, there's no guarantee that I'll be safe."

Sherlock waved his hand dismissively.

"How many Stunning Spells can you withstand in Werewolf form?"

Lupin thought for a moment.

"I haven't tested it, but there are records of about a dozen Aurors using Stunning Spells to subdue a Werewolf."

"Only a dozen?" Sherlock said. "Then you have nothing to worry about. Even if you do lose control, you won't hurt me."

Faced with his determination, Lupin had no more reasons to refuse.

A few days earlier, during lunch in the Great Hall, Sherlock had mentioned his desire to observe some of the Werewolf's characteristics up close during Lupin's next transformation.

Lupin had thought Sherlock was just speaking offhandedly, but he was surprised to find that Sherlock was serious.

"If you really want to see, then come with me tonight", he said calmly. "Tonight is the night of my transformation."

While waiting in Lupin's office, Sherlock suddenly noticed a familiar old parchment on his desk.

He asked in surprise, "Did you get this from the Weasley twins?"

Lupin was also surprised by Sherlock's reaction.

"No, I got it from Harry. Do you know this thing?"

Sherlock's expression was strange, but he didn't hide anything and revealed the name of the parchment.

"The Marauder's Map. I took this map from George and Fred at the beginning of last year and returned it to them because they behaved well. I didn't expect it to end up in your hands now."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end