Chapter 68: Picking Up Coins
Chapter 68: Picking Up Coins
Even though the search for the students yielded no results, the daily teaching at Hogwarts had to continue.
However, Dumbledore was not entirely unprepared.
After Colin was attacked and Hagrid's chickens were all strangled, Dumbledore had Hagrid purchase a new flock of healthy roosters from outside and house them separately.
These seemingly unremarkable animals were actually the best weapon against the basilisk.
The atmosphere among the students had noticeably changed compared to before.
This time, the sense of unease did not dissipate after a short while but spread throughout the student body.
Sherlock was particularly attuned to this phenomenon.
After finishing his second-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class, he could clearly sense that the students were not as lively after class as they used to be.
He tapped the podium lightly with his book to draw the attention of the young wizards.
"Next class, we will begin discussing snake-related Dark creatures. Those interested can start gathering information and prepare for next week's lesson."
As soon as he finished speaking, a Ravenclaw student raised their hand and asked curiously.
"But Professor, our textbook for this year does not cover snake-related Dark creatures?"
The other students also looked puzzled.
Discussing snake-related Dark creatures was intended to give these children a head start in understanding some of the basilisk's weaknesses and knowledge, in case another attack occurred. This way, the students would at least know how to save their own lives.
This was not just Sherlock's idea; he had consulted with Dumbledore, who agreed with his approach.
Faced with the students' questions, he found an excuse to respond.
"You've all been quite tense lately. We'll take a break from the textbook and explore some interesting knowledge."
The students exchanged glances; they didn't think snakes were particularly interesting magical knowledge.
However, there were no strict rules at Hogwarts about how classes should be taught.
Defense Against the Dark Arts class was Sherlock's domain. Even if he wanted to teach students about nuclear fission, they would have to listen and learn.
As Sherlock was packing up to leave, Harry and his friends suddenly approached him quietly.
Sherlock stopped and glanced at them.
"I heard you were shouting in the Great Hall yesterday, demanding to see me? Is there something else? Not still suspecting me of being the murderer, are you?"
Harry laughed awkwardly and rubbed his hands together.
"No, Professor, we would never suspect you of being the murderer. We just wanted to ask for a small favor."
Hermione quickly handed a piece of parchment to Sherlock and, along with Ron and Harry, looked at him expectantly.
Sherlock gave them a suspicious look before examining the parchment.
It simply read:
'Harry will not pick up a knut at Hogwarts today.'
After reading this, Sherlock's gaze became even more peculiar.
"How do I know if Harry will pick up a coin at Hogwarts today? What are you up to? Some kind of spell that uses words as a medium? You want to curse me?"
It’s more like you, sir, who would curse us!
Harry and the others, of course, didn’t dare to voice their thoughts in front of Sherlock. They had no reason to make Sherlock say that sentence, so they could only keep pleading with him.
"Professor, we’re only thirteen! How could we possibly curse you? We really just need your help, to say that sentence, just say it!"
"Please, Professor! It’s really important to us! Please, Professor!"
"Professor, you should at least give me some credit for all the work I’ve done for you, like collecting homework, borrowing books from the library, and passing messages to other professors. Please, just help us out!"
Sherlock looked at these three students, who seemed to have lost their minds, and seriously doubted how they managed to defeat Voldemort in the end.
Tired of their pestering, he couldn’t just deduct points for this trivial matter, so he reluctantly said,
"Harry won’t find a knut in Hogwarts today. Is that enough? Stop bothering me and go away."
Harry and the others immediately showed signs of delight on their faces.
However, they didn’t leave right away. Instead, they cautiously asked,
"Professor, do you really think Harry could find money in the castle?"
Sherlock was starting to feel drained by their antics.
"How would I know if he can find money in the castle? If I knew that, would I tell you?"
Hearing this, Harry and the others became even more elated. They bowed their heads to thank him and then ran off, skipping with joy.
Sherlock returned to his office to prepare materials on Dark creatures related to snakes. He couldn’t just focus on the basilisk, as that would be too obvious, so he had a lot of work to do.
After getting the jinx prophecy from Sherlock, Harry, Hermione, and Ron spent the rest of their time wandering around the castle.
They kept their eyes glued to the ground, hoping that Harry would find a knut.
At lunchtime, Ginny curiously watched Ron and the others and asked,
"Why are you all staring under the table? I thought you dropped some food."
Having had no luck all morning, Ron was feeling frustrated. He waved Ginny away.
"It’s none of your business."
Ginny pouted and huffed, losing her desire to share her experience from the Headmaster’s Office the previous day.
In the afternoon, Harry and the others had a Charms class, so they couldn’t wander around the castle all day.
But after the class, they resumed their quest to find money.
If Harry found a knut in the castle today, it would mean that Sherlock’s jinx was a miracle, and even an insincere statement could trigger it successfully.
Then Hogwarts would be saved!
But even by the time they finished dinner, they hadn’t seen anything resembling a coin, let alone a knut.
As curfew approached, Harry and the others returned to the Gryffindor common room, utterly disappointed.
"It looks like the jinx can only work if Professor says it sincerely."
Ron said dejectedly.
Although Hermione looked disappointed, she had anticipated this outcome.
"If the professor’s ability could be triggered by any statement he makes, regardless of his intentions, he would be more powerful than all the wizards in the world."
(End of Chapter)
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