Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 163 A novel writer knows nothing about adventure
"Dear Hermione, you are much more anxious than Harry.

If it were him, he would probably wait until we got to Diagon Alley before asking me."

Sherlock chuckled, then said under Hermione's curious gaze:
"Including this one, I've only met the owner of the Leaky Cauldron three times—actually, my father knew him better."

As Sherlock spoke, he told him that his father often came to the Leaky Cauldron to chat and drink with the owner.

By the way, he mentioned that when he first came here last year, he helped the bar owner point out that the short and fat man wanted to run away with the bill.

"No wonder he said that..."

Hermione showed an expression of sudden realization, and then skillfully used her wand to knock away the fixed wall brick.

While waiting for Diagon Alley to open, she raised a new question:
"Then how did you know he was going to run away?"

Mr. Granger also asked curiously:
"I want to know this too—just now when you were talking to the boss, I was observing him, but I didn't see anything!"

Facing the Grangers' questions, Sherlock showed just the right amount of surprise on his face:

"Actually, this is very simple. Can't you really see it?"

Hermione patted Sherlock lightly: "Hateful! That smug look on your face has betrayed you. Hurry up and tell me!"

Seeing her act of acting like a spoiled child, Mrs. Granger smiled like a loving mother.

Mr. Granger looked unhappy.

But his attention was quickly drawn to Sherlock's next words.

“Okay, I won’t talk about what happened last year.

Since this was the second time I saw him, I deliberately observed him for a while longer.

Then I discovered that the stitching on the third button of his coat was re-sewn inside out - this was an inner pocket originally reserved for magic coins when it was custom-made.

From the muddy boots and the degree of wear and tear under the table, it can be seen that he has walked more than dozens of miles for several consecutive days. However, the uppers of his shoes are polished very clean, which is a typical way for people in financial difficulties to maintain their decency.

He had just been flipping through the vegetarian pie page, and when he saw the steak and kidney pie, his Adam's apple rolled and his salivary glands secreted more than his pupils contracted.

Also, while he pretended to adjust his cufflinks, he glanced more than once at the exit behind the bar and the path leading out from his direction.

Most importantly, I could see he was a hardened thief."

"Habitual thief?"

"Yes, the temperament of this kind of person is as obvious to me as ink on a piece of white paper. It is impossible to hide it at all."

After listening to Sherlock's confident analysis, the Granger family couldn't help but look at each other.

Hermione was fine, after all, she had seen this kind of thing many times, and after the initial shock, she quickly got used to it.

But her parents were different.

Even though Hermione had heard about Sherlock's abilities more than once, including Mr. Granger, who had witnessed it once a month ago.

But at this moment, the two still couldn't help feeling surprised.

"Hermione is absolutely right, dear Sherlock, you are truly amazing!"

Only after she recovered from her shock did Mrs. Granger smile genuinely.

"No wonder you were able to tell our profession the first time you saw us last year."

When Hermione heard her mother praising Sherlock, she puffed out her chest proudly.

"But didn't the boss just say he brought money?"

Mr. Granger asked, his voice slightly defiant, "Even so, do you still think he'll run away with the bill?"

"A habitual thief is often also a liar. Without using magic, he has at least three ways to make the bar owner think he's rich. Once he uses magic..."

Sherlock shook his head and didn't finish his words.

But everyone understood what he meant. With the help of magic, cheating would only be easier.

Judging from the look on Old Tom's face, there was a high probability that he had been fooled.

"Okay, honey, let's go in!"

Seeing that Mr. Granger was about to ask more questions, Mrs. Granger pointed to Diagon Alley which had appeared in front of them and interrupted him directly.

Like the Leaky Cauldron, because it was peak season, Diagon Alley at this time was completely different from the deserted scene when Sherlock came here on Christmas Eve last year.

The streets are bustling with people, and almost every store is occupied.

Popular stores such as Meidiqi Boutique, Li Blotts Bookstore, and Jishu Stationery Store are crowded with people.

The group first came to Gringotts to exchange the currency of the wizarding world.

After entering the second grade, the amount of wizarding world currency that Sherlock and Hermione could exchange each year was increased.

Both families were well-off, so they naturally used up all their credit limits in one go.

In addition, Sherlock exchanged a lot of gold Galleons in the name of Harry and Ron last Christmas, which was more than enough for shopping.

Next comes the familiar shopping process.

As a second-grade student, the necessary supplies I need to buy are much fewer than those in the first grade, and they are mainly textbooks.

After all, most items like wands, scales, cauldrons, and pets can still be used.

Originally, Sherlock had no intention of purchasing anything else.

But Mrs. Granger didn't think so.

"I don't want to wait until you get back and get lectured by Varita."

Mrs. Granger now found Sherlock very lovable. "You and Hermione have grown taller. You must get a new outfit."

At her insistence, the group went to Madam Malkin's robe shop and ordered a new set of robes for Sherlock and Hermione.

In addition to this, since they have been promoted to second grade, this means that the ban that was only in effect for first graders last year has also been lifted.

They could finally bring their own broomsticks to school, and the staff at the Quidditch boutique strongly recommended the latest Nimbus series product, the Nimbus 2001.

This is an upgraded model of Harry's Nimbus 2000, with significant improvements in speed and stability.

Of course, the price has also increased significantly.

The clerk obviously saw that the two little wizards were not short of money, so he spoke eloquently and exaggerated the benefits of it.

Even Mr. and Mrs. Granger were impressed by him at one point.

Unfortunately, neither Sherlock nor Hermione have any plans to do so for the time being.

In the end, the clerk could only watch the family leave with regret.

Afterwards, Sherlock and Hermione stopped by the stationery store next to the Quidditch boutique to buy some quills, ink, and parchment.

Next comes the highlight, textbooks.

Sadly, as Hermione had said, Gilderoy Lockhart's work was not available secondhand.

As a best-selling author, his books are already very popular, and people don't plan to buy them again even after reading them.

Even if there were people who were short of money and wanted to sell their items, they would be sold out immediately.

On the other hand, the fact that his book was used as a textbook in a magic school for the first time further deepened this trend.

This results in them having to buy new books.

However, when they arrived at Flourish and Blotts Bookstore, they were shocked by the spectacular scene before them.

The street outside the store was full of people, and it looked like everyone was trying their best to get in.

The outside of the bookstore is like this, not to mention the grand scene inside.

"What's happening here?"

Mr. Granger, who saw this scene, expressed his incomprehension, "Isn't this a bit too exaggerated?"

"I think that's why."

Sherlock pointed upstairs.

The Grangers followed Sherlock's gaze and saw a huge banner hanging on the second floor of the bookstore.

Gilderoy Lockhart appears and signs and sells copies of his autobiography, "The Magical Me."

It turns out to be the north.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger suddenly realized.

This scene is not uncommon even in the Muggle world.

When some popular stars hold fan meetings, the scenes are even crazier than this.

But if you look closely, it's not hard to see that most of the people in the crowd are witches, about the same age as Mrs. Granger.

Two wizards stood at the door to maintain order. They looked exhausted, and even after using the amplification spell, their voices were still hoarse.

"Ladies, be quiet... don't crowd... don't crowd... be careful with the books... be careful..."

However, this is of no use.

Enthusiastic book fans pushed and jostled him, making them feel like a small boat in the ocean, which could capsize at any time.

Many witches even use their wands to create sounds similar to gongs, drums, and firecrackers.

It is no exaggeration to say that the scene was filled with loud drums and gongs, blasting firecrackers, waving red flags, and huge crowds of people.

It was quite lively.

Hermione was also infected by this scene and couldn't help but shout out:

"Great, we can meet him in person this time!"

When she noticed Sherlock's somewhat surprised look, her voice softened.

"I mean... almost all the books on the list were written by him. It's so rare to meet him!"

"It's not easy."

Sherlock's eyes were thoughtful.

The winding line stretched from the door all the way to the back of the bookstore, and a person in a blue robe could be vaguely seen sitting there.

If nothing unexpected happens, it should be Gilderoy Lockhart himself signing books.

At this moment, Sherlock became interested in this best-selling author.

Just looking at the crowded crowd, his brows furrowed slightly.

"I'm afraid it won't be until the afternoon when it's our turn."

Seeing this situation, Mr. Granger was also very annoyed. "How about we come back in a few days?"

"no!"

"no!"

Mrs. Granger and Hermione spoke at the same time, startling Mr. Granger.

"We finally got to see him, how can we leave now? Mr. Lockhart may not be there in person to sign books next time!"

"Yes, there must be a reason why Mr. Lockhart is so popular—I want to see what he looks like, dear."

Mr. Granger: (ー`ー)
Hearing his wife and daughter say this, Mr. Granger suddenly became furious.

Did something go wrong?
It would be fine if my daughter was like this, but why has my wife changed too?

Gilderoy Lockhart?

He's just a novelist, he knows nothing about adventure!
(End of this chapter)