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Chapter 357: Water Margin in the Wizarding World
Chapter 357: Water Margin in the Wizarding World
After confirming that Harry had memorized the information on the parchment, the letter spontaneously burst into flames, destroying all the records.
Sherlock then led Harry to the outside of Room 11. He first made sure that there were no idle people around at this time, pretending to look out of his room in a mundane manner, before giving Harry a stern reminder.
"Concentrate on the address you saw on the paper."
As soon as Harry thought of the address, a dilapidated door appeared out of nowhere between numbers 11 and 13. Dirty walls and eerie windows followed, as if an extra house had suddenly expanded, pushing the sides apart!
The sudden appearance of a house in a place with no gaps caused quite a commotion, yet the Muggles in the neighboring rooms seemed completely oblivious to the dramatic changes in the building and the ground.
Sherlock gave Harry a gentle push from behind.
"Go in quickly, there are many people waiting for us inside."
The two of them walked up the broken stone steps. The black paint on the door had peeled off, leaving scratches all over it. The silver door knocker was shaped like a coiled Great Serpent, and there was no keyhole or mailbox.
Sherlock tapped the black door with his wand, and the metallic clanging sound, followed by the clinking of chains, caused the door to creak open.
The room behind the door was pitch black, but as they stepped inside, candlesticks on both sides lit up, casting a dim, yellow glow that illuminated the space.
After passing through the entrance hall, someone seemed to have heard them, and a flurry of footsteps followed, along with excited chatter.
"Move aside, I want to be at the front!"
"Don't you know Forrest, Tonks?"
"I haven't seen Harry that many times! Besides, Sherlock looked so handsome that night! If I didn't have a thing against overly handsome guys, I would have fallen for him!"
The speakers soon appeared before them, and Harry saw about eight or nine people suddenly emerge from the corner, as if they were an audience at a welcome party.
Among these people were a few Harry recognized, and Sherlock seemed to have a good relationship with all of them.
"Ah, Sherlock, if we don't count the incident a few days ago, the last time we met was during the Quidditch World Cup last year."
A black-skinned wizard hugged Sherlock, and Harry knew him as Kingsley.
The loud, violet-haired witch was Tonks, an Animagus.
One of the pale, middle-aged wizards Harry knew well was Remus Lupin, who had been the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts for a year.
There were also three other wizards: Ephraim Doge, Dedalus Diggle, and Sturgis Podmore, as well as two witches, Emmeline Vance and Hestia Jones.
Harry did not recognize these people, and even Sherlock had only met them once at a gathering three years ago when he joined the Order of the Phoenix.
The last person to emerge was Mrs. Weasley, holding a ladle and wearing an apron, as if she had just come from the kitchen.
"You've come at the perfect time, the meeting is just about to start."
Sherlock and Kingsley chatted as they led the group deeper down the corridor. Harry was about to follow them when Mrs. Weasley grabbed his arm.
"No, Harry. Only members of the Order of the Phoenix can attend the meeting. Ron and Hermione are upstairs; you can wait with them until the meeting is over."
Harry could only watch as Sherlock and the other adult Wizards entered a room further down the corridor.
He was full of questions and looked up at Mrs. Weasley, asking, "What is the Order of the Phoenix?"
"Ron and Hermione will explain everything to you, dear. I really need to get going", Mrs. Weasley said, leading Harry upstairs, her voice tinged with worry. "We're here. They're on the second landing, in the second door to the right. I'll come and get you when the meeting is over, and you can come down for something to eat."
By the time Harry had made it upstairs, Sherlock had already entered the meeting room with the others.
The room was large, with a massive crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, illuminating every corner.
In the center of the room was a long table, reminiscent of the four House tables in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The table was already surrounded by many people.
Dumbledore sat at the head of the table. When he saw Sherlock and the others enter, he nodded slightly and gestured to the empty seat on his left.
The chair was clearly reserved for Sherlock, who did not hesitate or show any reluctance as he took his seat.
Once seated, Sherlock had a chance to look around at the dozens of Wizards present. Many of them were familiar faces.
Across from him, sitting at the fourth position to Dumbledore's right, was Snape, his face cold and stern, staring directly at Sherlock.
Professor Mcgonagall was seated directly opposite Sherlock, in the first position to Dumbledore's right.
Next to her was a middle-aged Wizard with a slightly sallow complexion but a handsome face. After a closer look, Sherlock recognized him as Harry's godfather, Sirius Black.
Compared to the last time they met a year ago, Sirius looked much better groomed, which is why Sherlock had initially failed to recognize him.
Mad-Eye Moody was seated across from Sirius, next to Snape. After their eyes met, Moody nodded lightly in acknowledgment.
Others present included Arthur Weasley and his eldest son Bill, Mundungus, who had been responsible for keeping an eye on Harry before Sherlock, and the recently seated Kingsley and Tonks.
While not all members of the Order of the Phoenix were present, most of the key figures had gathered here.
Seeing this scene, Sherlock couldn't help but feel a strange sense of camaraderie, as if they were a group of 108 heroes gathered at Liangshan Marsh, ready to stand up for justice and overthrow the Ministry of Magic to restore order.
Before he could dwell on this peculiar feeling, Dumbledore's calm voice echoed throughout the room.
"Alright, now that everyone who can attend is here, let's begin today's meeting. We'll keep the formalities brief. First, let Sherlock tell us about the situation he encountered while rescuing Harry."
(End of Chapter)
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