Chapter 277: Silke's Efforts
Chapter 277: Silke’s Efforts
Skitter finally left in a huff.
Sherlock had indeed been somewhat interested in the female journalist at first, but after being interviewed by her once, he lost all desire to understand her further.
She was just a woman who dug up false news using special means and an incredibly thick skin. She wasn’t worth his time.
After Skitter left, Sherlock put back on the Robe he had taken off not ten minutes ago, hummed a little tune, and walked out of his office in a fairly good mood.
He climbed the stairs and arrived at the door to Silke’s office. He tidied up his attire, then knocked on the door.
"Please come in."
Hearing the familiar voice from inside, he pushed open the door, which wasn’t fully closed, and walked in.
"Ah, the beautiful and generous Miss Silke, the sun is shining brightly today, and the air is fresh. Would you like to take a walk by Black Lake with me?"
Sherlock made a gentlemanly bow as he extended the invitation.
Silke, who was organizing the classroom materials from the days she had been away, couldn’t help but smile slightly at his antics, but her expression remained stern, as if she hadn’t quite forgiven him yet.
"Aren’t you curious about what I’ve been up to these past few days?" she asked.
Sherlock raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn’t be curious if you didn’t bring it up, but now that you have, I am quite interested."
Silke didn’t intend to keep him in suspense and spoke directly.
"I went back to the German Ministry of Magic and met with my former superior."
As she spoke, she pulled out a thick stack of documents from a drawer.
"I told her that Fidelius has been captured by you and requested the research materials on how to fully control Fidelius, which I mentioned to you before."
Sherlock looked at the stack of magical documents that Silke had pushed towards him, initially stunned, then his expression turned complex.
He didn’t reach for the documents immediately but instead asked softly.
"What did they ask for in return?"
Silke replied lightly.
"They have been researching Fidelius for over a century and have already obtained most of the data and information they need. The real challenge now is how to manage it. It has escaped from the Department of Mysteries twice, causing great dissatisfaction among the higher-ups at the German Ministry of Magic. Some have even suggested re-exiling it to Azkaban Island."
"I still have some influence with my former superior. With her support, I managed to get these materials without much resistance."
"Although I’ve obtained them, I must warn you not to attempt this method until you are certain your soul strength surpasses Fidelius’s. Many powerful wizards have died in such experiments."
She spoke casually, but Sherlock knew very well that resolving the matter so smoothly was largely due to her connections with the current head of the Department of Mysteries.
If it were anyone else, even a native German wizard, it wouldn’t have been so easy to obtain experimental materials that cost the lives of over a dozen Silencers.
Sherlock shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Why didn't you call me to go with you? After all, I'm the one who will ultimately use this thing."
Silke looked at him calmly.
"Do I not have the right to help you with things? Or have you always looked down on me, treating me like a mere appendage living under your protection?"
Faced with her question, Sherlock's expression turned serious.
"I have never thought that way. You are a completely independent person, and you should have your own thoughts and decisions."
As he said this, he couldn't help but scratch his head.
"Sometimes, I might interfere with your affairs a bit too much, and that's my fault. But you should understand, when it comes to you, I sometimes subconsciously act like a middle-aged uncle or an elder, and that's a minor flaw, right?"
Seeing the embarrassed smile on his face, which he only showed to her, Silke's previously stern expression slowly relaxed, like the arrival of spring after a long winter.
"I can understand, but knowing your faults means you need to change. You might need time, and I can wait."
Silke ultimately didn't agree to go for a walk by Black Lake with Sherlock. She took three days off, and while the missed classes weren't too many, they still needed time to catch up.
Sybill Trelawney's teaching style, which relied purely on talent, wasn't wrong, but it was severely at odds with Silke's previous teaching plan. Having her substitute for these few classes was actually less effective than letting the students study on their own.
In the end, it was Sherlock who took the materials Silke brought back and returned to the office alone.
The materials seemed extensive, but most of them were data from failed experiments. The truly valuable information was only on the last few pages.
He had no classes in the afternoon, giving him ample time to study these materials.
Of course, there wasn't much left to study.
The German Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries had already explored all the wrong paths. Now, what Sherlock needed to do was to use the Patronus Charm to the fullest extent to weaken Fidelius's soul as much as possible, pushing it to the limit, and then compare his own soul to see if it was stronger.
The person using the Patronus Charm here could only be the Wizard who would ultimately sign the Magic Pact with Fidelius.
The Patronus, when summoned, is a manifestation of the caster's soul. Using the Patronus to weaken Fidelius's soul also makes this monster instinctively fear the Wizard's soul.
If all conditions are met, the demon of fear can be turned into a loyal servant.
After thinking through all the steps, Sherlock began to use the Patronus Charm in stages.
Not only did he have an advantage on the soul level, but the Patronus Charm was also one of his specialties.
Even if he needed to restrain himself and couldn't cast a hundred Patronuses at once, Sherlock could still cast twenty or so at a time, wait for the emotional feedback to diminish, and then cast the next round. This was far more efficient than other Wizards.
In one afternoon, he summoned over a hundred silver ravens to guard the wooden box that contained and divided Fidelius.
Visibly, the occasional trembling that indicated the thing inside was resisting had now stopped.
(End of Chapter)
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