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Chapter 281: Tip
Chapter 281: Tip
"The commotion in the Wizard's Forbidden Forest in Romania"
Sherlock stroked his chin, as if deep in thought.
"Combining these two things, what else comes to mind?" He looked at Silke.
Without hesitation, Silke uttered a single word.
"Dragon."
Romania is most famous in the wizarding world for housing the world's largest fire dragon research base.
At Hogwarts, becoming a brave dragon handler in Romania is the second most ideal career choice after becoming an Auror at the Ministry of Magic.
So, when combining these two obvious clues, Sherlock and Silke naturally thought of fire dragons.
Clearly, Mad-Eye Moody had already considered this, which was why he mentioned it to Harry in the pub.
"Given the information, there's a significant chance that the first task of the Triwizard Tournament will involve fire dragons. However, I'm still unsure if the hooded figure I saw was a Romanian dragon handler."
Mad-Eye Moody, limping as he walked, didn't accompany Sherlock and Silke any further. After briefing Sherlock on the anomalies he had discovered, he returned to Hogwarts Castle.
As the temporary caretaker of the castle this year, Mad-Eye Moody's primary responsibility was to protect Hogwarts Castle. Even during Hogsmeade weekends, he could only afford a half-day of relaxation.
Sherlock and Silke continued their stroll through the town's streets.
"If the first task really does involve fire dragons, how will they ensure the students' safety?"
Silke's tone was calm, but Sherlock detected a hint of concern in her voice.
After all, she had been a professor at the castle for nearly three months and understood that protecting the students' safety was the primary duty of the school and its teachers.
Sherlock patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"The dragon handlers aren't just there for show; they have the capability to control the fire dragons."
Silke regretted asking the question as soon as she had, but before she could stop Sherlock, he had already finished speaking.
This made Silke frown, annoyed at her own carelessness.
While her initial concern might have been valid, the consequences of Sherlock's statement were unpredictable.
"Let's go back."
She turned and headed toward Hogwarts Castle.
Sherlock looked puzzled.
"It's not even noon yet, and you want to stop exploring?"
Silke didn't look back as she replied.
"Until the first task is over, it's best for us to stay in the castle and keep an eye on the students."
Sherlock followed her reluctantly, secretly muttering to himself that women's moods were as changeable as the British weather.
Back at Hogwarts Castle, they parted ways and returned to their respective offices.
Since this was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the semester, almost all eligible students had left, leaving only the first and second-year young wizards who were too young to participate.
After Sherlock returned to the office, he wasn't completely idle. Whenever he had free time, he would try to communicate with the Fidelius hanging around his neck.
This creature, which had lived for several centuries, naturally had its own independent way of thinking.
When they were still in an adversarial relationship, there had been a brief exchange between them. Now that a magic contract had been signed, their communication was much more seamless.
This communication was no longer limited to words; it was now possible to directly understand each other's thoughts, making the exchange more direct and straightforward.
However, if their relationship were to be quantified, it would undoubtedly be a negative number.
The Straw Golem, unaware that it had been tricked in the contract, had no intention of responding to any of Sherlock's attempts to communicate.
All it wanted was to be left alone, to quietly deal with the faint sadness of facing another 100 years of imprisonment.
But Sherlock, of course, cared more about what he wanted to do, not what the Straw Golem wanted.
He added the requirement that the Straw Golem must converse with and answer Sherlock's questions to the list of "tasks."
If the tasks were not completed to his satisfaction, the duration of the Straw Golem's imprisonment would be extended, as clearly stated in the contract.
Thus, the sorrowful Fidelius was forced to work.
"Hey, Fidelius, you've lived for so long, you must know what you are, right?"
"..."
"What? You don't know what you are?"
"..."
"Anyway, you were already like this when you gained consciousness, huh? Tsk, tsk, tsk, you're not just any ordinary thing!"
"..."
"I'm not insulting you or calling you names; you're just misunderstanding. Also, since you originally came from Azkaban Island, do the Dementors there count as your children or grandchildren?"
"..."
"Playing the silent, deep thinker, huh? If you keep slacking off, I'll extend your imprisonment!"
"..."
Apart from the parts where Sherlock deliberately teased the Straw Golem, he could actually learn a lot of valuable information from this creature, which had lived much longer than the wizarding world's living fossil, Nicolas Flamel.
For example, the special Time-Turner that had taken Sherlock and Snape back in time would have been impossible to find if it hadn't ended up in that underground command post.
So, they chatted about various topics, with Sherlock asking questions and Fidelius reluctantly giving brief answers. This went on for the entire afternoon.
By the time the sky outside had turned completely dark, Sherlock was satisfied with the "friendly" exchange and ended it.
He checked the time and realized it was already 11 PM.
Forget the dinner in the Great Hall; even the castle's curfew had already started. With an empty stomach, Sherlock headed downstairs to see if there was anything to eat in the kitchen.
The house-elves, who were surprised to see him personally asking for a midnight snack, were quite anxious.
In the end, it was Dobby, the special house-elf Sherlock had met before, who served him a not-too-late midnight snack.
As Sherlock, now full and content, left the kitchen and prepared to return to his quarters, his gaze suddenly fixed on a direction outside the castle.
(End of Chapter)
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