Chapter 234: Courage First!
Chapter 234: Courage First!
Harry always remembered the warning Sherlock had given him, summoning Lily for no more than an hour each day to chat with her.
During his month with the Dursleys, even though Harry had tried to hide it, Lily, being an extremely clever witch, easily picked up on the fact that his life at his aunt's house was far from good.
In fact, it was quite terrible.
Despite this, she did not criticize her sister Petunia in front of Harry. Instead, she looked sorrowful and apologized to him.
She knew that the Dursleys had taken out their resentment towards her and James on Harry, and the two families had completely severed ties even before Harry was born.
Now, the Dursleys were willing to take in Harry despite the risks, and Lily could not bring herself to say anything against them. She blamed herself and James for the situation.
Harry, however, took it in stride. He had long since grown accustomed to the Dursleys' treatment of him.
He even reassured Lily by saying that his life was not so bad, considering he had friends like Ron and Hermione, and caring elders like Professor Forrest and the Weasleys. Now, even his mother could be with him all the time. Harry felt that he was lucky, not unfortunate.
Lily was comforted by Harry's positive outlook. Over the past two months, she had come to understand that despite the harsh environment he grew up in, her son had not become a bitter, self-destructive person.
However, Lily did not let this ease her efforts to guide Harry.
While she recognized his strengths, she also saw his flaws.
In the quiet of the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry lowered his voice and quietly told Lily about the Triwizard Tournament being held this semester. He expressed his envy, wishing he were old enough to enter and have a good chance of being selected.
“I never doubt your abilities, Harry,” Lily said reassuringly, but her tone then became more serious. “But I must remind you that courage is a noble virtue, while recklessness is not. When there is a way to solve a problem without taking unnecessary risks, choosing to take those risks shows a lack of Gryffindor wisdom.”
“Your father was like this at first. I didn’t like him much when we first met because he always sought out meaningless adventures to prove his bravery, but such behavior is not admired.”
“True courage is standing up to unavoidable danger, not retreating. That is the essence of the Gryffindor spirit.”
Harry did not show any signs of impatience. He cherished every word Lily said, knowing how precious these moments were.
Lily's expression softened, and she smiled gently, reaching out to touch Harry's hair. Her ethereal hand passed through his black locks without making contact.
“I’m not telling you to retreat when faced with difficulties. Courage remains the noblest of virtues.”
“I remember when I was a student, one year we won the House Cup. In the Gryffindor common room, during the celebration with Professor Mcgonagall, she asked us all a question.”
Harry blinked and asked.
"What question?"
"She asked us if we knew why Gryffindor students are always the most outstanding and the most noticeable at Hogwarts."
Harry thought for a moment and said.
"Because Gryffindor students are the most active?"
Lily's face was serene, her eyes filled with nostalgia and memories as she spoke softly.
"The professor said, 'Because courage always comes first!'"
Silke's office wasn't far from Sherlock's. Both were on the third floor, separated by two staircases.
On the first day of classes, Sherlock woke up early, prepared everything he needed for class, put on his robe, and placed the items he had prepared in his pocket. After making sure he was presentable, he headed toward Silke's office.
Without knocking, Sherlock leaned against the door, waiting quietly. It didn't take long for Silke, dressed neatly with a black ribbon over her eyes, to push the door open and step out.
The moment she exited, Sherlock naturally bowed and extended a gentlemanly gesture.
"Ah, this beautiful lady, may I have the honor of inviting you to breakfast?"
Silke's lips curled slightly upward involuntarily, but she quickly regained her stern expression. She glanced at Sherlock with a blank face and walked past him toward the stairs.
Sherlock followed her with a smile, continuing to apologize.
"It's been so long, you should have cooled off by now. I know it was my fault, treating you like a child, but it's not something I can change right away."
"Just one night, and you think I've cooled off?"
"Surely your mood has improved a little, even just a little bit."
"Not even a little."
"Alright, I admit my fault, I apologize. Miss Vera is beautiful, graceful, and sensible; someone a year younger than her has no reason to worry. To make amends, I have prepared a gift."
Silke stopped, seeing Sherlock blink and smile as he pulled something out of his pocket.
It was a small glass vial, shaped like a pendant, with a diamond-like form and decorative patterns. The bottle itself was very beautiful, and through the clear glass, one could see a light golden liquid quietly flowing inside.
Silke immediately recognized what it was.
She looked up at Sherlock, her expression not warming, and her tone still cold.
"You still don't trust me."
Sherlock didn't deny it, raising an eyebrow as he said.
"This has nothing to do with treating you like a child. As you said, friends worry about each other's safety. This is a concern between friends, not an elder's distrust of a junior."
Although Silke could tell he was twisting the words and being smooth-talking, even just hearing it made her mood improve, though her face didn't show it. She didn't take the luck potion, still maintaining her stern expression.
"I don't need it, you keep it for yourself."
Sherlock didn't give her a chance to refuse, hanging the luck potion around her neck.
"This was a gift from Professor Slughorn, my mother's closest friend, when I first came to Hogwarts. It's been two years, and I haven't had the chance to use it. If you don't need it, you can just wear it as a pendant. It's certainly more beautiful than those Pendant Boxes sold in Diagon Alley, isn't it?"
(End of Chapter)
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