Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts

The troll collapsed straight onto the ground, and an appalling stench instantly filled the air, like an invisible fog, making the surrounding air foul and unbearable.

Harry and Hermione almost simultaneously and reflexively lifted the corners of their robes, tightly covering their noses, their faces filled with pain and disgust.

“Great, it looks like we don't have to fight this troll—”

However, before Harry could finish his words of relief, he and Hermione widened their eyes in surprise.

Sherlock walked up to the troll, squatted down without hesitation, and began to examine it carefully.

His brow furrowed slightly, his sharp eyes scanning back and forth over the troll's wounds like a precise surgical blade.

“There’s a large swelling on the head. Judging by the wound and the blood clotting, the attacker should have left recently, and there's still time.”

Seeing Sherlock's calm demeanor, Harry and Hermione were stunned on the spot.

How could he remain so composed when facing a troll at such close range?

Hermione, standing some distance away from the troll, already had red-rimmed eyes, with tears uncontrollably welling up.

“Sherlock, you—”

As soon as Hermione spoke, a strong stench rushed into her nostrils.

Her face turned pale instantly, and her stomach churned, almost bringing up her breakfast. “Let’s go!”

Sherlock stood up and stepped over the troll's massive body without changing his expression.

Harry and Hermione, watching his back, felt their admiration reach an unprecedented peak at that moment.

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Entering the next room, Harry and Hermione immediately gasped for breath, as if trying to expel all the foul air that had contaminated them.

Harry seized the opportunity and curiously asked the question in his heart: “Sherlock, how did you do it just now?”

Sherlock didn't answer immediately but began to observe.

The new room was exceptionally empty, with only a slightly old table standing quietly in the center.

On it were seven bottles of various shapes, shimmering with a mysterious luster in the dim light.

Compared to the previous rooms, this level seemed somewhat out of place.

But precisely because of this, it made people feel a little worried.

Too abnormal!

Sherlock's gaze swept around the room, and after confirming that there were no other valuable clues, he walked straight towards the table.

At the same time, he replied to Harry: “What do you mean, how did I do it?”

Harry quickened his pace to catch up with Sherlock: “I was almost out of breath! How did you endure that stench?”

Sherlock walked to the table, picked up a roll of parchment next to the bottles, quickly scanned the words on it, and said without looking up:

“Because that stench hasn’t reached the limit of human tolerance yet!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Hermione cautiously crossed the threshold.

Just then, a purple flame rose up behind them with a “whoosh,” like a ferocious dragon, instantly blocking the doorway.

The doorway leading forward was covered in black flames, like a black barrier, trapping them tightly in the room.

Harry and Hermione were startled. “Wh-what is this?”

Sherlock looked up slightly, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes. “Professor Snape’s trap. Interesting.”

Then he lowered his head again, continuing to read the information on the parchment, while still answering Harry's previous question:

“Humans have a certain degree of tolerance for odors. The troll’s smell is, at most, unbearable, but it hasn’t reached the point of being a human olfactory nemesis.

Odors that truly reach that point can even cause physiological harm to the human body, such as hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, cadaverine, and putrescine, etc.

Besides, humans have a strong ability to adapt. As long as you get used to the smell, your sense of smell will become numb, and you’ll get used to it after a while.

This is common sense, my friends.”

Sherlock’s words left Harry and Hermione dumbfounded.

For a moment, the two didn’t know how to respond.

What do you mean, common sense?

This kind of common sense is clearly only known to you, right?

While the two were still in a state of shock, Sherlock had finished reading the contents of the parchment and couldn't help but chuckle:

“Heh, it really fits Professor Snape’s style.”

After saying this, he picked out one of the seven bottles. “Obviously, this bottle contains what we need.”

Before Harry and Hermione could react, Sherlock said again:

“Now it seems that Ron’s decision just now was correct. Quirrell left not long ago; he stayed here for about fifteen minutes.”

After these words, Harry and Hermione were completely stunned.

Under Sherlock’s successive analyses, the two had completely lost track of his thought process.

After a long while, Hermione finally reacted and quickly took the roll of parchment from Sherlock’s hand to read.

Harry, on the other hand, remained motionless.

Since meeting Sherlock, he had found that solving problems with fists and wands was actually quite good.

As for using his brain...

As long as he was with Sherlock, it wasn’t necessary, okay?

So, he didn’t plan to join in the fun with Hermione at all. He would do whatever Sherlock said.

At this moment, Hermione also finished reading the contents of the parchment, and she let out a long sigh:

“Wonderful! This isn’t magic; it’s logical reasoning—many great wizards don’t have the slightest ability for logical reasoning, and they’re doomed to be trapped here forever.”

After saying this, she belatedly looked up at Sherlock in surprise. “You, you’ve already figured it out?”

Judging from Sherlock’s actions just now, it was as if he had just finished reading the information on the parchment and had already come to the answer.

Although she knew that her friend possessed wisdom that was difficult for ordinary people to match, this speed was a bit too fast!

“Give me a minute!”

Hermione looked at Sherlock somewhat unconvinced.

Sherlock wasn’t surprised and made a “please” gesture.

Hermione read the information on the parchment twice more, walked back and forth in front of the bottles, muttering to herself, while pointing at this or that bottle.

Harry, watching this scene, felt a little bored and couldn't help but ask:

“Sherlock, although I think this is very stupid, I still want to ask you.

I'm not surprised that you can quickly find the bottle we need—but how did you deduce the other information?

Even if this level was set up by Professor Snape, how do you know that the note on the table was also left by him?

And how did you deduce Quirrell's departure and the time he stayed?”

Sherlock smiled slightly:

“Professor Snape’s handwriting is the easiest to recognize. As long as you observe carefully, you can see it from the deliberately restrained yet still difficult-to-hide scribbled strokes between the strokes.

It’s also obvious that someone has touched these bottles—this can be judged from the residual dust.

This person is right-handed, and the traces of the dust being disturbed are still very fresh.

The footprints on the ground show that the person was very nervous at the time, with messy steps and hurried movements.

In addition, the traces he left on the bottles are enough for me to determine that he stayed here for about fifteen minutes.

Moreover, I can also deduce the person’s height and weight from the depth and spacing of the footprints, which happens to match our Professor Quirrell, and at the same time confirms my deduction when I observed the blood writing on Halloween.

Look, I haven’t even used the Christmas gift you gave me!

These are as simple as child's play.”

Harry looked at Sherlock admiringly: “This is too incredible! Sherlock, you actually figured it all out in such a short time!”

Hearing his friend’s sincere praise, a clear smile appeared on the corner of Sherlock’s mouth:

“Ah, my dear Harry, these are just some detailed observations and simple logical deductions!

As long as you pay attention to every detail, the truth will be as clear as daylight.”

After saying this, he looked towards Hermione.

Harry also followed his gaze.

Hermione, seeing the two looking over, took a deep breath and pointed to the small bottle that Sherlock had picked out: “It can help us cross the black flames to reach the next room.”

Then she picked up the round, purple bottle. “It can help us pass through the purple flames and return.

Although she did get the correct answer within a minute, Hermione didn’t feel any sense of accomplishment.

Because Sherlock not only got the answer in less time than her but also deduced who wrote the note, who touched the bottles, and how long they stayed.

The gap between the two was too great!

So great that she didn’t even have the desire to catch up.

“Hermione, you don’t have to compete with Sherlock.”

Harry kindly advised: “There are only a few geniuses like him in the world, even if you’re a know-it-all—”

“Thank you, if you can’t comfort me, you don’t have to say anything.”

Harry: (O;)

Okay, no one likes to hear the truth these days.

Seeing that Harry stopped talking, Hermione stared at Sherlock with bright eyes:

“The problem is—the potion in this bottle is only enough for one person to drink—so you want Harry to face Quirrell alone?”

Harry was startled at first, but when he saw that the potion in the small bottle was indeed less than a mouthful, as Hermione said, his gaze gradually became firm.

“Sherlock, how about this? You and Hermione drink the purple potion together, so you can go back and find Ron, and then…”

“And then grab three brooms from another room, cross the trapdoor, and ask the professors for help?”

Sherlock interrupted Harry unceremoniously, staring at him and saying, “As for you, you’ll continue forward and temporarily hold Quirrell back?”

Being interrupted by Sherlock and having his thoughts spoken out, Harry felt a little embarrassed.

But he then insisted:

“Sherlock, this was originally a matter between me and him. You’ve already helped me a lot along the way…—

Even Dumbledore hopes I’ll face him again—don’t worry, since I’ve escaped once by luck before, maybe I’ll be able to turn danger into safety this time…”

“Put away that rhetoric, my dear friend, I’m not Hermione.”

Hermione: (*)

Although she felt offended, she still had to rely on Sherlock to solve the current predicament, so Hermione suppressed the unhappiness in her heart and didn’t refute.

“I remember once telling you that courage is the best spokesperson for stupidity.”

Sherlock said to Harry mercilessly, “You think you’re very brave now, but you’re actually being stupid.”

“But we have no choice now—”

Harry also wanted to face Voldemort with Sherlock.

Every time he was with him, he would have a feeling that this game was stable.

Hermione was also at a loss. “Yes, there’s nothing we can do—”

Sherlock chuckled: “Who said that?”

Hearing Sherlock’s question, Harry and Hermione’s eyes lit up instantly. “You have a way?”