Chapter 57: The Holiday Begins
Chapter 57: The Holiday Begins
As expected, Harry and his two friends were ushered out of Professor Mcgonagall's office.
They had completely overlooked the fact that no one would believe them without concrete evidence.
Even they had only confirmed Sherlock's jinxing talent after the initial discoveries and subsequent tests.
Now, they weren't even trying to convince Professor Mcgonagall to believe them; their main concern was how to persuade her to help them verify the facts with Sherlock.
As Harry and his friends left Professor Mcgonagall's office, dejected and worried about what to do next for Hermione, she suddenly perked up and said firmly:
"I can't stay at Hogwarts anymore!"
Harry and Ron turned to look at her, shock evident on their faces.
"I know you're dangerous, Hermione, but it's not bad enough to make you leave Hogwarts, is it?" Harry stammered.
Hermione shook her head.
"I'm not leaving Hogwarts permanently. I just can't stay here for Christmas."
Hearing this, Ron and Harry's eyes lit up, and their previous gloom and despair vanished instantly.
They had been stuck in a rut, assuming that Hermione had to stay at Hogwarts during the Christmas holidays.
But since she had already signed the list to stay, she could still change her mind and return home for the holidays. The Christmas break hadn't started yet, so it was still possible to go to a professor and change her plans.
If Hermione left Hogwarts, even if Sherlock's jinx still had an effect, she wouldn't be at risk of being attacked by the monster in the Chamber of Secrets.
Hermione herself had realized this.
"Exactly! Professor Forrest said to have a good Christmas holiday. As long as you leave Hogwarts for Christmas, you'll be safe during this period!"
Harry said excitedly, and Ron finally broke into a smile.
The three of them felt a sense of relief, as if they had narrowly escaped a dangerous situation.
Harry even thought that facing the Dark Lord to protect the Philosopher's Stone last year hadn't been as thrilling as today.
Professor Forrest was truly terrifying!
That was the only thought in his mind at the moment.
Changing Hermione's plans to go home for the Christmas holiday was relatively easy to resolve.
They found Professor Mcgonagall again, had her remove Hermione's name from the list of students staying at school, and confirmed that Hermione would board the Hogwarts Express to London the day before the holiday began.
After this incident, the three of them didn't dare to test Sherlock anymore in the days leading up to the holiday.
Even when they met him, they were on edge, fearing a sudden greeting or blessing from Sherlock.
Finally, the day before Hermione's departure arrived, and she earnestly instructed Harry and Ron:
"You don't need to do anything extra with the potion in the bathroom. Just make sure the fuel under the cauldron is sufficient every three days. On Christmas Day, remember not to run into Professor Forrest! If you can't avoid it, make sure to interrupt him before he can say his Christmas greeting!"
"If you don't even have time to interrupt, then immediately hide in the common room after being blessed by the professor. Don't come out until the blessing is over. However, you won't be the target of the Heir of Slytherin or the Chamber of Secrets. Based on previous situations, at least there won't be any life-threatening danger."
Hermione gave many instructions, the most important being to warn Harry and the others not to test Sherlock's jinx while she was away from Hogwarts.
They were truly frightened. They had initially thought it was just a fun game, but after Hermione's incident, they realized how terrifying it was to be blessed by Sherlock.
With Hermione's departure, the Christmas holiday officially began.
Sherlock, who had managed to finish the advanced practice books before the holiday, finally had some time to relax.
However, no matter how busy he had been, he never relaxed his surveillance of Neville on the Marauder's Map.
After noticing Neville's unusual behavior, the castle seemed to calm down. There hadn't been any more attacks for two consecutive weeks, and Neville's movements on the Marauder's Map were all normal.
Before the holiday, he had only gone to classes as usual, with no other abnormal actions. After the holiday began, he spent most of his time in the dormitory, only coming out for meals, much more subdued than the other Gryffindors who were always running around the castle.
But the more Neville behaved this way, the more Sherlock's suspicions grew.
After the holiday began, he observed Neville several times during lunch.
He noticed some subtle changes in Neville.
His cold seemed to have healed, and his complexion, which had been abnormally pale, was now rosy.
His overall demeanor had become more relaxed, though he still appeared timid, he no longer gave off the constant impression of a frightened rabbit.
Sherlock could sense that something had happened to Neville, causing this change, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
On Christmas morning, Sherlock woke up to find a pile of various gift boxes at the foot of his bed.
Most of these were from members of the Phoenix Order. As a new member, he naturally received more attention this year.
Sherlock himself only gave one Christmas gift, the annual Christmas candy he sent to Dumbledore.
This was a habit the original owner had maintained for five years after discovering Dumbledore's extraordinary love for sweets.
Sherlock had seen this in the diary and continued the tradition, even adding a small card that read:
Merry Christmas, Professor Dumbledore.
He quickly opened his gifts, most of which were books about magic. Mrs. Weasley had sent a hand-knitted sweater, and Professor Mcgonagall had given him a knitted cap.
Sherlock put the sweater under his robe and wore the deep blue cap, then left his office to help set up some decorative arrangements in the Great Hall.
However, before he reached the first-floor staircase, he saw the white-bearded Dumbledore carefully getting up from the ground, holding onto the stairs.
Sherlock was taken aback for a moment, then realized that Dumbledore must have slipped while coming down the stairs!
(End of Chapter)
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