Chapter 65: The Missing Old Book
Chapter 65: The Missing Old Book
In the office, everyone's gaze turned to Sherlock.
At this moment, Sherlock also came back to his senses, recalling the scene where Mr. Weasley and Malfoy had a scuffle.
"Yes, I was there", he said calmly. "Malfoy was mocking Mr. Weasley's family, and they ended up fighting. I even joined in and landed a punch."
Professor Mcgonagall looked at Sherlock with disbelief, and even Dumbledore and Snape seemed surprised.
"You got into a fight!" Professor Mcgonagall raised her voice.
Sherlock replied calmly, "What he said was really offensive, and he even tried to insult my mother."
Hearing Sherlock's explanation, Professor Mcgonagall, Dumbledore, and Snape all seemed to understand.
Indeed, if they considered the original owner's character, he would never have resorted to violence so easily.
In Hogwarts, the original owner had only gotten into physical altercations twice, both times sending the other party to the Hospital Wing for three days.
Since the conversation was now about him, Sherlock took over and recounted the rest of the events.
"Malfoy was hit pretty hard. After he took a loss, he immediately left the bookstore without staying any longer", Sherlock recalled, "But before he left, he seemed to have slipped a book into Ginny's hand."
As soon as he said this, everyone in the office focused on the key point.
Professor Mcgonagall and Snape held their breaths, and Dumbledore looked at Sherlock with anticipation.
"What happened to that book?"
"That book", Sherlock glanced at Ginny, who blinked and looked back at him.
"I threw it back into the pile of old books at the bookstore. I bought Ginny a new set of textbooks as a gift."
"..."
The entire office fell silent.
Now everyone knew where the problem lay, and even Sherlock realized who was responsible for this entire accident.
Dumbledore, Professor Mcgonagall, and Snape were speechless, and Sherlock himself was equally at a loss.
Who would have thought that a simple act of giving a book would cause such a significant deviation in events?
Dumbledore sighed lightly, and it was clear that he was exhausted.
"The root of the problem lies in the old book that Sherlock put back. Lucius intended to use that book to get revenge on the Weasley family. However, Sherlock's actions caused an unexpected turn of events. The book was left in the bookstore, but someone else bought it and brought it to Hogwarts."
Professor Mcgonagall's face gradually brightened.
"Then this is simple. We just need to inform the students and find out who bought a strange old book. That will solve the problem!"
However, Dumbledore's expression was not as optimistic. He gently tapped his fingers on the desk and said softly,
"We cannot announce the issue with the old book."
Professor Mcgonagall looked at Dumbledore in shock, and Snape's expression was equally puzzled.
Only Sherlock understood the reason behind this decision.
"That old book is likely a sentient object. Since there have already been attacks in the castle, it means a student has been influenced or completely controlled by it. If we announce the issue with the old book now, we won't find it. Instead, we will alert the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets, giving them time to prepare."
After Sherlock finished his analysis, Dumbledore's gaze toward him carried a hint of surprise.
"You see things differently now than you did before", he said approvingly. "I look forward to the changes in you by the end of this school year."
Sherlock bowed his head slightly, as if to indicate that Dumbledore was being too generous.
Seeing that they were still discussing these matters so calmly, Professor Mcgonagall's face darkened. She asked urgently,
"If we can't publicize this, how are we going to find that old book? We can't let things continue like this. No students have died yet, but no one can guarantee that won't happen!"
Dumbledore waved his hand, signaling Professor Mcgonagall to calm down. He then outlined the plan they would implement next.
"Tonight, we will gather all the students in the Great Hall under the pretext of searching for a hidden murderer. Sherlock, Severus, Minerva, and Pomona, the four of you will search the common rooms of the four houses. Make sure the prefects don't get involved."
"Here in the Great Hall, I will have Filius and Filch question the students about their whereabouts during the attack on Malfoy. We need to find that book as soon as possible."
After assigning all the tasks, Sherlock, Professor Mcgonagall, and Snape left the Headmaster's Office.
Professor Mcgonagall's brow was furrowed as she went to arrange for the students to gather in the Great Hall. Sherlock and Snape stood at the door, exchanging a glance.
Since the start of the school year, Sherlock had had little interaction with Snape.
He found it difficult to categorize Snape.
With limited knowledge of the original story, Sherlock couldn't determine whether this potions professor, who clearly wasn't very friendly, was good or bad.
"I'll check the Slytherin and Hufflepuff boys' dormitories; you take Gryffindor and Ravenclaw", Snape said coldly, assigning their tasks.
Sherlock had no objections. It didn't matter to him which dormitories he searched.
Just as they were about to part ways, Snape suddenly asked, "Do you think we'll find the old book today?"
Sherlock paused. Although he didn't know why Snape was asking, he had indeed given it serious thought.
"There's a good chance we will", Sherlock replied, his voice equally indifferent. "The student controlled by the old book just had an attack. They probably haven't had time to hide it in a sufficiently concealed place."
This was indeed what he believed.
However, his confidence stemmed from more than just that.
While his presence had disrupted the original storyline, it also meant that Dumbledore and the Hogwarts professors had more clues about the attack from the beginning.
In the original story, the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was revealed to be a basilisk at the end.
No one knew in advance that everything was caused by an old book.
With all these clues, Dumbledore had acted swiftly, and Sherlock felt that the chances of solving the problem this time were very high.
"I hope it turns out as you say."
Snape turned and left the Headmaster's Office.
(End of Chapter)
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