Chapter 252: The Trio's Self-Rescue
Chapter 252: The Trio's Self-Rescue
In this office, apart from Silke, everyone else was a key figure at Hogwarts and naturally knew about Snape's past.
They understood that the organization he mentioned was the Death Eaters, and the person was Voldemort.
Although there was no direct evidence, his words essentially confirmed Sherlock's initial suspicions.
The person who released Fidelius from the German Ministry of Magic was one of Voldemort's Death Eaters!
During the summer, a Death Eater who survived managed to bring back information about Sherlock's identity and strength. With Voldemort's resurgence already showing signs, he immediately set his sights on Sherlock.
Voldemort didn't send his followers directly but, through some unknown means, released Fidelius, who had a grudge against him. He also provided Fidelius with a dark artifact that could resist the Patronus Charm, giving it the means to seek revenge on Sherlock.
After conferring with Dumbledore, Sherlock had become wary of such a scenario, but he hadn't expected Voldemort's reaction to be so swift.
Snape only knew the source of the crown and was unaware of the specific details of the alchemical artifact. However, even this much information was very helpful to Sherlock.
"We need to wait for me to recover, but don't worry. Even with that crown that counters the Patronus Charm, it's not invulnerable. We'll need the help of the headmasters, and Madam Pomfrey specifically warned me not to use the Patronus Charm so recklessly in the future."
Professor Mcgonagall and the others naturally wouldn't refuse.
Even though Fidelius came to Hogwarts to target Sherlock, he had done a lot to protect the students. As fellow professors and elders at Hogwarts, the headmasters wouldn't stand by and watch Sherlock fight alone.
Professor Mcgonagall then expressed her concern about the students' condition during the night.
Sherlock reassured her in a tone that was far from comforting.
"Don't worry. Despite my current state, it has its own significant problems. I should recover in a couple of days, but whether it can reshape its physical form in that time is uncertain. During this period, it won't be able to absorb the students' energy to regain its strength."
Hearing this, Professor Mcgonagall breathed a sigh of relief. After instructing Sherlock to rest well for the next couple of days, she left with the other headmasters.
Once they were gone, Sherlock reverted to a solid form and lay back on the desk, eyes half-closed, looking as if he was barely breathing, on the verge of death.
Silke didn't leave with the headmasters. Instead, she poured him a cup of tea, trying to help him regain some energy.
But Sherlock didn't even have the strength to reach out and pick up the cup. He used Control Magic to turn a nearby quill into a straw and directed it to suck up the tea.
"How do you plan to deal with it?"
Silke was still worried, fearing that Sherlock might overuse the Patronus Charm again.
"Don't worry. I wasn't just comforting Professor Mcgonagall and the others. I genuinely believe this isn't a big problem. For others, a Straw Golem with that crown might be unsolvable, but for me, it's not that difficult. I just need to find a way to draw its attention without relying solely on myself."
Sherlock’s words today offered no comfort; instead, they made everyone feel as if they wouldn’t survive the night, and Hogwarts would be a graveyard by morning.
But Silke’s trust in Sherlock was absolute. Seeing his confidence, she didn’t ask any more questions.
That night, the students in the castle returned to their dormitories in a state of fear. They were all terrified of the scenes of their loved ones being killed that they had dreamed about the previous night. Even though they knew it was just a dream, they couldn’t shake off the fear.
However, when the young Wizards went to sleep with their uneasy feelings, most of them slept through the night without any nightmares. Only a few students, whose anxiety reached its peak, had dreams that were completely different from the previous night’s.
This led to the topic of discussion at breakfast in the Great Hall the next morning being how Professor Forrest had helped them get rid of their nightmares.
The Gryffindors, who had finally had a good night’s sleep, were in high spirits. They chattered excitedly about the topic from a few days ago—the Triwizard Tournament, which was set to begin in less than two weeks.
At the long table, only Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked gloomy.
After being subjected to Sherlock’s “curse” yesterday, they all believed they had suffered different forms of bad luck.
Harry had a nightmare where he became a cripple like Mad-Eye Moody due to various strange accidents, ending up spending his life in a wheelchair.
Ron, trembling with fear, had reached for his cup to drink water when he accidentally bumped into Neville, causing the cup to shatter.
Hermione, with a mournful expression, said she had memorized the magic history points clearly the previous morning but had forgotten everything by the time she woke up.
They attributed all these misfortunes to Sherlock’s Jinxed Mouth and ate their breakfast without much enthusiasm, discussing Hermione’s idea of how to save themselves.
“Getting Professor Forrest to say something hurtful, especially with genuine intent, is impossible,” Harry said, his face as gloomy as Sherlock’s after drinking a Sadness Potion.
Ron, looking equally despondent, added, “It’s too hard. No matter how much we annoy the professor and make him dislike us, he won’t say such a thing.”
Hermione, deep in thought, waited for Harry and Ron to finish their gloomy remarks before speaking firmly.
“I thought about this carefully last night. Indeed, it’s impossible for Professor Forrest to genuinely curse us. We know his character; he would only bless us with a happy life, never utter such hateful curses.”
“So, we’re really doomed,” Ron and Harry said, looking utterly miserable.
“But! Don’t forget, in another situation, the professor’s Jinxed Mouth can turn into a wish-granting machine! Whatever he genuinely believes and says will definitely come true!”
Hermione looked at Harry and Ron, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
At her reminder, Harry and Ron finally realized what she was suggesting, their eyes widening in amazement.
(End of Chapter)
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