Chapter 146: The Great Detective Sherlock
Chapter 146: The Great Detective Sherlock
Sherlock listened to his story and couldn't help but shake his head.
"Truly a shameful betrayal."
He then furrowed his brow, recalling what Lupin had said earlier.
"You mentioned that they learned a high-level transfiguration to keep you company after discovering you were a Werewolf?"
Lupin didn't immediately answer Sherlock's question. He silently raised his head to look at the full moon hanging high in the night sky outside the shack, remaining silent for a long time. After a while, he finally spoke slowly.
"I've always felt guilty about this, and I've been hesitant to tell Dumbledore. Now that I've told you, even if Dumbledore is disappointed, I will tell him everything after tonight."
Sherlock remained silent, adopting the demeanor of a listener, eager to hear Lupin finish his story.
"James, Sirius Black, and Peter learned a transfiguration called Animagus so they could accompany me when I transformed into a Werewolf. This magic allows a Wizard to transform into an animal. Werewolves are only interested in attacking humans, not animals."
"James and Sirius Black had a natural talent for magic and learned this on their own. Peter, with their help, also mastered Animagus. After learning it, they never reported it to the Ministry of Magic. They would transform and wander around Hogsmeade with me when I was in my Werewolf form."
"At the time, I was young and didn't consider how dangerous this was. It wasn't just the incident with Snape; there were many times we nearly hurt others. Fortunately, I still managed to graduate from Hogwarts safely."
"Sirius Black, being an Animagus, could have easily infiltrated Hogwarts. But I never dared tell Dumbledore. Telling him would mean admitting what I did during my student days. I was afraid he would be disappointed in me!"
Lupin clutched his wolf head, looking pained, but his tone carried a sense of release from finally unburdening himself.
"The students in the castle like me and think I'm a good teacher, but I've been too cowardly to tell the truth."
Sherlock paid no attention to Lupin's current emotional state. Instead, Lupin's words had sparked some thoughts in his mind. He stared intently at the remorseful Werewolf opposite him and asked rapidly.
"Do you remember what form Black's Animagus transformation takes?"
"It's a black dog."
Hearing this, Sherlock suddenly stood up from the ground.
"A large black dog?"
Lupin noticed Sherlock's unusual behavior and looked up, as if guessing something, staring at Sherlock in a daze.
"Yes, it's quite large, about the height of an adult's waist."
Sherlock punched his palm emphatically.
"It's him!"
"You've already met him?" Lupin asked anxiously.
"Not just met, he's been a great help to me!"
Sherlock didn't elaborate on how Black had helped him. He paced back and forth in the Shrieking Shack, as if deep in thought.
"But it doesn't make sense. No one knew he was an Animagus before you told me. He could easily infiltrate Hogwarts and even entered the Gryffindor common room twice. Why hasn't Harry been attacked? Was it just luck?"
He muttered to himself, but Lupin heard him, though he didn't know the answer either.
Sherlock suddenly stopped and stared at Lupin, beginning to analyze the situation step by step.
"The first time I saw him was at the start of the school year. He must have just arrived in Hogsmeade and hadn't found an opportunity to infiltrate Hogwarts yet. The second time was on the first evening of the school year. He was still in Hogsmeade, indicating he hadn't found a way in."
"By Halloween, I went to Hogsmeade again, but Black was no longer there. That night, during the Halloween feast, he forcibly entered the Gryffindor common room, meaning he had successfully infiltrated Hogwarts before Halloween."
"The third time I saw him was during the Dementor attack on the Quidditch match. He was on the highest tier of the Quidditch stands, likely thinking no one would be there. It was a coincidence that I encountered him!"
He paused, and the Shrieking Shack fell into an eerie silence, so quiet that Lupin's heavy breathing was clearly audible.
"This means one thing", Sherlock said slowly.
Lupin stared at him, then asked.
"What does it mean?"
"From the first time he broke into the Gryffindor common room on Halloween, to the Quidditch match where I encountered him, and then to the second break-in a few days ago, he never left Hogwarts during this entire period!"
Lupin was not entirely convinced by Sherlock's conclusion.
"It's impossible. I used the Marauder's Map, and I didn't see his name in any area of Hogwarts."
Sherlock stared into his eyes.
"Does the Marauder's Map really cover the entire range of Hogwarts?"
Lupin replied without hesitation, "Of course!"
"What about the Forbidden Forest?"
Lupin was taken aback!
Yes, the Forbidden Forest was vast. As one of the creators of the Marauder's Map, Lupin knew they had meticulously recorded every corner of Hogwarts, all the secret passages, and all the exits. But the Forbidden Forest was simply too large to be included!
If Black wanted to find a hiding place within Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest would be the best place!
"Right! He could be hiding in the Forbidden Forest!"
Lupin's wolfish face lit up with immense surprise. He now felt that his former superior at the Auror Office was a complete fool for letting such a talented person go. This was undoubtedly the Ministry of Magic's greatest loss!
"We'll go to Dumbledore tomorrow and tell him. Then we'll conduct a thorough search of the Forbidden Forest!" Lupin said excitedly.
Sherlock didn't respond to his suggestion but instead gazed at Lupin with a gleam in his eyes.
"Perhaps we can try tonight."
Lupin was taken aback by Sherlock's words.
"Tonight? We are?"
"Yes, tonight, we are." He said firmly.
"But I'm still in my Werewolf form."
"That's exactly what we need." Sherlock looked at him, "In this state, your hearing, sense of smell, and vision are much stronger than usual, aren't they?"
Lupin hesitated, "That's true, but just the two of us in such a vast area of the Forbidden Forest..."
"I know the chances are slim, but it's worth a try."
In the end, Lupin was convinced.
The two of them returned to the Whomping Willow via the tunnel under the Shrieking Shack. It was around one in the morning, and the only sounds were the chirping of insects and the calls of birds from the Forbidden Forest.
Sherlock and Lupin didn't split up because even if they did, searching such a vast area would be futile. Working together, they could ensure that if they found Black, he wouldn't easily escape.
Once they entered the Forbidden Forest, they searched deeper and deeper. In his Werewolf form, Lupin was undoubtedly one of the top predators in the magical world. The Ministry of Magic officially rated Werewolves as extremely dangerous, on par with fire dragons and Basilisks.
So they didn't have to worry about other magical creatures attacking them. With Lupin around, they would all steer clear.
They walked deeper for about an hour, even reaching the area that had once been the Acromantula's territory, now a desolate wasteland, and still saw no sign of Black.
"It's no use. With just the two of us, it's nearly impossible to find a black dog in such a large area." Lupin shook his head, feeling that this trip was destined to be fruitless.
Sherlock stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Perhaps we're looking in the wrong direction. We assume that since Black is hiding in the Forbidden Forest, he would feel safer the deeper he goes."
"But in his Animagus form, it doesn't really matter where he hides in the forest. Only you know his Animagus form, so if someone saw a black dog, they wouldn't suspect anything."
"Moreover, he needs to keep an eye on Hogwarts. If he hides deep in the forest, it would be harder for him to observe the school."
"So we shouldn't search the depths of the Forbidden Forest. We should search the area near the edge of the forest, closer to Hogwarts!"
Lupin was amazed by Sherlock's reasoning.
Wizards, especially those with pure blood, were naturally weak in logical reasoning. Most magic required strong emotions to cast, so the longer one studied magic, the more they tended to lose their rationality.
But Sherlock's performance was exceptional, combining all the clues to deduce a result that was almost the answer!
They immediately turned back and began searching the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
But even after another hour, as the sky began to lighten with the first hints of dawn, they still found nothing.
Sherlock sighed.
"It seems we won't find him now. We'll tell Dumbledore when we get back to the castle and get more people to search."
Just as Sherlock finished speaking, Lupin suddenly perked up his ears.
"Wait!"
(End of Chapter)
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