Chapter 98: The Tomb in the Forbidden Forest
Chapter 98: The Tomb in the Forbidden Forest
After receiving the news from the Centaur, Hagrid quickly made his way to the territory occupied by the Acromantula.
It was just as the Centaur had said—everything had been reduced to a scorched wasteland.
Ash and dust covered the ground, and Hagrid could only find a few burnt-out spiders at the edges of the area.
Stunned, he fell to the ground, muttering to himself.
"How could this happen?"
The Centaur beside him, also filled with anger, said, "We want to know who set the fire! The flames almost spread to our tribe. If the wind hadn't changed direction, our camp would have been destroyed too!"
Hagrid stood in a daze before the ashes of the Acromantula for a long time before he finally came to his senses.
When he returned to his hut, he immediately called Harry and the others over.
It was the first time Harry and the others learned that the Acromantula had all been burned to death.
But then Ron seemed to remember something. He tugged at Harry's sleeve and whispered, "Do you remember what Professor Forrest said when we left the Forbidden Forest?"
Harry thought for a moment and recalled what Sherlock had said.
"The professor said the Centaurs would put out the fire, and he planned to confront the spiders later because their venom could be sold for money."
"Then, now that the Centaurs didn't put out the fire, the spiders are gone, and the professor won't get rich."
Harry and Ron exchanged a look and were speechless.
While there were certainly some unforeseen factors, the main responsibility still lay with Sherlock's jinx.
But the deed was done, and there was nothing they could do to change it.
Given how Aragog had let its offspring attack them that night, Harry and the others felt that the Acromantula being wiped out wasn't such a bad thing.
So, Harry recounted the entire incident to Hagrid, explaining that Sherlock had set the fire to help them escape, but they hadn't anticipated that it would kill the Acromantula.
Hagrid listened, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only sighed and shook his head.
"I don't blame you. This is the retribution Aragog deserved. Besides, if it weren't for you, I would still be blamed and wouldn't have been released by the Ministry of Magic so quickly."
Harry and the others could see how upset Hagrid was. After all, he and Aragog had shared a bond for over fifty years.
But they had never really understood Hagrid's affection for dangerous creatures.
To him, those beings were harmless, but that was only from his perspective.
To others, dangerous creatures were dangerous creatures, and their innate brutality could not be changed.
After the Basilisk crisis was resolved, Professor Sprout's Mandrakes matured quickly.
Snape used them to create the antidote, and the four petrified students were restored to normal.
With less than a month left in the semester, the students of Hogwarts were preparing for their final exams.
Sherlock had already determined the practical content for the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam but still needed to finish writing the theoretical part.
Fortunately, he had completed most of it, so he only needed to spend a little more time to complete the remaining sections.
As a result, he had more free time as the end of the term approached.
Three days before the final exams, Dumbledore had a ghost summon Sherlock to the headmaster's office.
Dumbledore was not alone; there was also a witch in a black robe and hood.
Sherlock didn't get a clear look at her face, but the silver-gray hair peeking out from under her hat revealed that she was a witch.
"Shouldn't you have classes this morning, Sherlock?" Dumbledore asked.
Sherlock nodded.
He was originally scheduled to teach fifth and seventh-year students today, but since these grades had already taken the Wizarding Level Exam organized by the Ministry of Magic, their classes had ended early.
"Then could you please escort Ms. Silke from the German Ministry of Magic? She's here to visit a grave in the Forbidden Forest. Take her to Hagrid, and he'll lead her to the gravesite."
This witch named Silke seemed rather quiet. She didn't speak when Dumbledore introduced her, only standing up from her chair and giving Sherlock a slight nod.
Since Sherlock had nothing else to do today, he agreed. He led Ms. Silke out of the headmaster's office and headed toward Hagrid's hut.
"My name is Sherlock Forrest."
On the way, Sherlock gave a brief introduction, but there was no further conversation between them.
When they arrived at Hagrid's hut, Hagrid, upon seeing them knock and enter, quickly hid something.
Sherlock caught a glimpse of what looked like an animal egg.
Suspicious, he asked, "You're hatching another strange creature, Hagrid?"
Hagrid's face betrayed his attempt to hide something as he stammered, "No, nothing, Sherlock." Then, noticing Silke behind Sherlock, he shifted the topic, "Oh, right, it's time for Ms. Silke's annual visit. Please come in, Ms. Silke. Would you like a cup of tea?"
Ms. Silke shook her head, her voice cool. "Thank you, but no."
"Alright, let me get ready."
Hagrid pulled Sherlock aside, clasping his hands together in a plea. "Please, Sherlock, I have something important to do. Could you take Ms. Silke to the Forbidden Forest to visit the grave? I'll have Fluffy guide you."
Sherlock glanced suspiciously at the witch in the black robe.
"Does she come to Hogwarts every year to visit a grave?"
"Yes, for nearly a decade now."
"Whose grave is it? To have it placed in the Forbidden Forest?"
"It seems to be her father and his friends. I don't know the details, but Dumbledore agreed to have them buried there." Hagrid continued, "Please, Sherlock, I really have other things to do today."
Sherlock looked at Hagrid seriously.
"I know you like these large magical creatures, Hagrid, but I have to remind you that just because you can be friends with them doesn't mean everyone else can."
Hagrid looked guilty. "I'll be careful."
Sherlock couldn't do anything about Hagrid's nature. He agreed to Hagrid's request, took Fluffy, and led the witch from the German Ministry of Magic into the Forbidden Forest.
The gravesite was deep within the forest. Fluffy led them for about forty minutes before they finally reached their destination.
During the journey, Sherlock and the witch had no conversation. She didn't seem to want to talk, and he wasn't in the mood to chat either.
Fluffy led them to a spot where there were indeed two graves, each with a tombstone.
Out of curiosity, Sherlock glanced at the names on the tombstones.
One tombstone read "Eddie Butler", and the other read "John Watson."
Seeing this name, Sherlock couldn't help but silently mock it in his mind. He really hadn't expected to find someone named John Watson in the Wizarding World.
So why wasn't the other tombstone labeled "Sherlock Holmes"?
Silke emerged from somewhere with two bouquets of flowers, which she placed in front of the graves. She then clasped her hands together and silently prayed.
Sherlock tactfully moved away, idly studying a bowtruckle nearby.
Just then, a gust of wind blew off the hood covering Silke's head, and Sherlock inadvertently caught a glimpse of her delicate face, along with the silk bandage covering her eyes.
Silke quietly put her hood back on, and Sherlock casually turned his head away.
They stayed at the gravesite for less than an hour before retracing their steps and leaving the Forbidden Forest.
After tying Fluffy back up in front of Hagrid's hut, Silke bowed slightly to Sherlock.
"Thank you."
Sherlock waved his hand, indicating it was no trouble, and watched as the witch left Hogwarts.
He mumbled to himself as he watched her retreating figure.
"Strange, she doesn't even need to see where she's going."
To Sherlock, this incident was just a minor episode in his daily life. He didn't give it much thought because the final exams for the year were about to begin.
Even though their usual studies were relaxed, the students at Hogwarts became tense as the final exams approached.
On the day of the exam, for the second-year practical test, Sherlock conjured the Cheshire Cat, which they had failed to challenge at the start of the year, as the test content.
Of course, the final scores were based on their specific performances, not whether they could defeat Tom.
After all, defeating Tom was still too difficult for second-year students.
However, during the exam, Hermione gave Sherlock a pleasant surprise.
Although she had missed a few Defense Against the Dark Arts classes while in the Hospital Wing, she managed to defeat Tom using a flexible Transfiguration Spell, becoming the first second-year student to do so.
Sherlock immediately gave her an O grade.
After the fifth-year and seventh-year Wizarding Level Exams, the students were all very excited.
Before the exams, Sherlock had specifically taught them a few guessing classes based on the Ministry of Magic's past exam patterns.
The older students provided feedback that Sherlock's predictions were very accurate, with almost 80% of the questions matching his guesses.
One student even hugged his arm and cried out, saying that his hard work had not been in vain, and he was sure to get an O in the Defense Against the Dark Arts Level Exam, which would be crucial for his future career as an Auror.
After a year of teaching, Sherlock found their performance deeply gratifying.
---
Interlude before the Quidditch Final:
Reporter: "Mr. Li Si, as a long-time fan of League of Legends, what are your thoughts on the S11 finals?"
Sherlock: "Is this even a question? Edg is done for! DK, as the reigning world champions, are unstoppable! They will continue their invincibility, and Edg has no chance of winning. They will be crushed tonight!"
(End of Chapter)
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