Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts

Sherlock had excellent observation and memory skills.

He immediately recognized the owl as the same one that had delivered the letter three days ago.

Just like last time, it circled the room a few times and dropped the letter into Sherlock's hand with a soft thud.

Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were instantly stunned:

"Good heavens, Tannan, what am I seeing? An owl that delivers letters?! This must be a hallucination!"

"Oh, Holy Mary, Valita, I'd bet anything it's a messenger from God!"

Watching his wife constantly making the sign of the cross, Mr. Holmes shook his head and said:

"Hey, my sweetheart, you're reacting like a crazy turkey—it's well known that messengers from God only come to earth when the end is near."

"Good heavens, why would you think that? That's a terrible thought, like Aunt Susan's apple pie—if you say that again, I swear I'll make you eat a piece."

Mr. Holmes shrugged, no longer arguing with his wife.

He turned to his son, "Sherlock, do you also think it's a messenger from God?"

"No," Sherlock said coldly, "It's just an owl that's been trained to deliver letters."

As he spoke, he opened the envelope.

The reply was extremely simple:

"I will come to visit at 9 o'clock—Minerva McGonagall."

"Heh."

Sherlock couldn't help but chuckle.

Interesting, it seems that guy is very confident in the actor he hired!

He glanced at the time; it was 8:45.

In a quarter of an hour, this person claiming to be Professor McGonagall would arrive.

"Sherlock, what exactly is going on?"

Faced with his parents' questions, Sherlock gently shook his head: "Let's let this guest explain it."

After all, he was also curious to see this "Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

At exactly 9 o'clock, there was a knock on the door.

"Hello, I am Minerva McGonagall, here to reply to your letter."

A serious-looking woman appeared before the Holmes family.

Five minutes later, Professor Minerva McGonagall and the Holmes family were sitting neatly in the living room.

McGonagall's first impression of Sherlock was good.

Sherlock was taller than others of his age, so he looked slightly thin.

Although his appearance wasn't particularly cute for a young boy, his features were firm and his facial angles were distinct.

Especially his pair of gray eyes, which appeared particularly slender.

Besides his eyes, his long, hooked nose was also quite striking.

In short, Sherlock's appearance gave people a feeling of alertness and decisiveness, very much in line with McGonagall's image of a good student.

After a brief greeting, McGonagall, with her decisive personality, got straight to the point.

Every child with magical talent born in Britain is automatically added to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's admission list.

When these children turn 11, they will receive an acceptance letter delivered by an owl.

If the recipient fails to receive the letter, the owl will continue to deliver it until it is received.

In addition to the acceptance letter, the letter also includes a list of required supplies, including uniforms, textbooks, cauldrons, wands, etc.

For children from wizarding families, this is as common as eating and drinking.

But for some people, they neither know they possess magic nor know of the existence of the magical world.

In such cases, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will send faculty to visit their guardians, explain everything to them, and ensure they receive the message.

However...

"Mr. Holmes is the first to actively request us to come."

Speaking of this, McGonagall's appreciation for Sherlock grew even stronger.

In McGonagall's view, any person with magical talent who doesn't receive a systematic magical education is a waste, even a crime.

People in the Middle Ages were very afraid of magic.

Many wizards, especially witches, were persecuted to varying degrees, some even losing their lives.

Wizards at that time also lacked a complete education system; all wizarding children were taught magic at home by their parents.

It was under these circumstances that Hogwarts came into being.

It has now been around for thousands of years.

Therefore, it is very encouraging that someone like Sherlock Holmes, born into a non-wizarding family, has such a keen interest in understanding the magical world.

You know, every year during school admissions, some non-wizarding families turn pale at the mention of magic, avoiding it like the plague.

Please, it's already 1991!

The magical content in film and television works is based on reality, so why do these people still have this attitude towards magic?

However, McGonagall, who is nearly sixty years old, is also very clear.

Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain, and no matter how hard you try, you can't move it.

Even though the teachers at the magic school repeatedly emphasize that a wizard's magic will increase with age.

If a young wizard still doesn't learn how to control magic by the time they reach the age of enrollment, their magic will surge out of control, and in severe cases, they may even pay with their lives.

But even so, the idea that wizards = evil still exists in some people's minds.

So, after experiencing many setbacks, Hogwarts has established new rules.

If these families, after learning the truth about the magical world, still do not want to enroll, then these children can continue to attend ordinary schools at home.

This is equivalent to leaving life and death to fate, wealth to heaven.

Of course, Hogwarts does not encourage this practice.

This is the last choice in a truly helpless situation.

But judging from Sherlock's own positive attitude, this situation should not occur.

While McGonagall was observing Sherlock, the latter was also observing her.

In fact, before McGonagall finished telling Sherlock and his parents about Hogwarts, Sherlock had already completed his analysis and judgment of McGonagall through observation.

The result greatly surprised him.

Because according to his judgment, the woman claiming to be Professor Minerva McGonagall was not lying.

From a person's fleeting expressions, every twitch of their muscles, and every movement of their eyes, one can infer what they are thinking deep down.

For someone who is well-trained in observation and analysis, doing this is not difficult.

Sherlock himself is precisely this kind of person.

When the other party had just sat down and hadn't even started to get to the point, Sherlock had already judged her personality from her deep green robe without a single wrinkle, her neatly combed black hair tied into a high bun, and the light-reflecting square glasses.

Serious, strict, and meticulous.

If such a person wanted to lie, it would be easier to detect than for an ordinary person.

Because of this, Sherlock began to doubt his previous judgment.

If McGonagall wasn't lying...

Doesn't that mean this wasn't that person's arrangement?

Magic... really exists?

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Sherlock couldn't help but mutter.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Holmes, what did you say?"

McGonagall looked at Sherlock; she didn't hear him clearly.

Sherlock's parents also looked at him curiously.

"No, it's nothing."

Sherlock shook his head, then stared intently at McGonagall.

There was a simplest way to prove whether magic really exists.

"Professor, can you show us magic?"

Hearing Sherlock's request, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes also looked at McGonagall with anticipation.

"Of course."

McGonagall wasn't surprised at all by such a request.

She would have found it strange if the other party hadn't made such a request—mainly because she was too experienced in dealing with such things.

"If you agree."

After receiving a positive answer, McGonagall took out a black wand and waved it elegantly.

In the surprised gazes of the family of three, the teacup in front of Sherlock turned into an adorable little squirrel.

"Oh, my God! Good heavens! Look, what am I seeing?"

"This is so incredible—the teacup... actually turned into a squirrel!"

Compared to his extremely exaggerated parents, Sherlock was much calmer.

"Magic? Hypnosis? Or a trick..."

Even at this moment, Sherlock was still trying to explain everything that was happening from a scientific perspective.

At this moment, the little squirrel that had transformed from the teacup shook its head and jumped into his open palm.

"..."

Sherlock tried to stroke it.

Hmm, very comfortable.

The little fellow even rubbed against Sherlock's hand, the furry sensation instantly feeding back.

The touch was very real.

So... this is real, this is not a dream.

Sherlock raised his head to look at McGonagall, making a final attempt:

"Professor, can you turn it back?"

"Of course."

McGonagall waved her wand again, and the squirrel that was just in Sherlock's hand instantly turned back into a teacup.

The tea was even still warm.

"...When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Sherlock said this sentence for the second time.

This time he was sure.

This world... really has magic!

This fantasy that should have belonged to humans truly exists.

For Sherlock, this was undoubtedly a reconstruction of his worldview.

However, once he accepted this setting, Sherlock's thinking immediately opened up.

The exquisite envelope, the letter-delivering owl, the strange admissions method—all of these now had a reasonable explanation.

This time, he really misunderstood that guy.

"Mr. Holmes, are you willing to enroll in our school?"

For McGonagall, she was already accustomed to the surprised expressions of young wizards and their guardians when they saw magic—the key was whether Sherlock could enroll on time.

Judging from the fact that he replied to her letter, Sherlock himself should have no problems.

Now it depended on what his parents thought.

Noticing McGonagall's gaze, Mr. Holmes thought for a moment and asked, "Professor, does enrollment require boarding?"

"Father, I don't think you would want me to live eight hundred kilometers away in Scotland and have to come home every day."

"Scotland? Oh, dear Sherlock, that's too far away! That way, your mother and I won't be able to take care of you."

"I can take care of myself."

"But..."

"Wait! Just a moment!"

The Holmes family looked at McGonagall in confusion.

They saw her looking at Sherlock with an incredulous expression, "Mr. Holmes, did you just... mention Scotland?"

Sherlock calmly glanced at McGonagall, "Yes, Professor."

"You—how did you know?"

McGonagall was shocked.