Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 616 We Are the Champions

A massive figure suddenly appeared at the end of the passage ahead, blocking the three people's path.

It was a lion covered in thick brown mane.

Its limbs were thick and powerful, and its huge claws were deeply embedded in the mud, gleaming with a sharp, cold light.

A long yellow tail swept gently behind it, with a tuft of black fur at the tip that was particularly eye-catching.

The most peculiar thing about it is its head.

She has the body of a lion, but she has the face of a woman.

His features were exquisite yet carried a hint of authority; his long, almond-shaped eyes were narrow and deep, calmly watching the three intruders.

This time, even Harry recognized the incredibly strange monster blocking their way.

The Sphinx!
Harry had seen a picture of it in the book of monsters that Hagrid had chosen for them, the one that bites.

Harry didn't know what its characteristics were.

However, below the accompanying image, it was clearly marked that the British Department of Magic classified it as a level ××××.

Damn it! Didn't Sherlock just say that Hagrid could only put magical creatures of level ××× into the dungeon at most?
First of all, Sherlock is definitely not wrong.

It must be those guys at the Ministry of Magic who weren't strict enough in their checks, which is why this high-risk creature managed to sneak in!

Harry couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Thinking of this, Harry almost reflexively raised his wand.

However, he remembered Sherlock's previous instructions and did not launch an attack rashly, but instead watched the Sphinx's every move warily.

However, he remembered Sherlock's previous instructions and did not attack rashly.

Cedric, standing to the side, appeared more composed than Harry.

He lowered his voice and said to the two of them:

"It's a sphinx, a magical creature of the ×××× level, which is very dangerous. We should avoid conflict with it if possible."

"But it's blocking our way..."

Harry responded quietly, his eyes still fixed on the sphinx.

To his surprise, the other party did not crouch down or adopt an aggressive posture while they were talking in hushed tones.

He simply paced back and forth in the middle of the passage, his steps elegant, but his eyes never left them.

"The Sphinx, native to Egypt, has unique habits; it likes to stop people and then pose riddles to them."

Just as Harry was at his wit's end, Sherlock spoke up, reciting the other party's information as if it were a familiar treasure:
"If you answer incorrectly, you will be attacked by it fiercely."

For nearly a thousand years, wizards have often used it to guard precious items or secret passages.

"That's exactly what I wanted to say!"

Cedric was not surprised by Sherlock's erudition, and then added:
"As long as we don't attack first, or turn away now, it won't make a move on its own."

Harry immediately realized: "You mean, we should take another route around here?"

"This is the safest way."

Cedric nodded, then looked at Sherlock with some hesitation:

"Of course, we can also choose to answer its questions."

But once it poses a riddle, we can no longer leave halfway; we must provide the answer to escape, otherwise we will also be attacked.

Having said that, his gaze fell on Sherlock, clearly wanting to hear the final decision of this strategist:
"Sherlock, what do you think?"

Sherlock chuckled and walked straight forward.

Upon seeing someone approach, the female sphinx stopped pacing.

The massive lion leaned forward slightly, and the woman turned her face toward Sherlock, speaking first.

“You are very close to your goal. The fastest way is to go through me.”

Surprisingly, her voice was also deep and hoarse, and it was actually quite pleasant to listen to.

Coupled with that refined yet dignified face, it actually made people temporarily forget their fear.

Harry and Cedric exchanged a glance, a knowing look flashing in their eyes.

Sherlock's earlier judgment was entirely correct; the direction the giant spider came from was the shortcut to the end.

I never expected that there would be a guardian like the Sphinx on this shortcut.

"I don't think you'll let us pass so easily, right?"

Harry couldn't help but ask.

Although it was a question, he and Cedric had almost guessed the answer.

The sphinx slowly nodded, giving an affirmative answer:

"Yes."

She began pacing back and forth in the middle of the passage again, her golden mane swaying gently with each movement, and her massive paws causing the ground to tremble slightly with each step.

"Unless you can answer my riddle."

If you guess right the first time—I'll let you pass.

If I guess wrong—I'll pounce on him;
No answer—I'll let you go, and I won't hurt you.

"what?"

Cedric's face showed obvious surprise.

This is much more tolerant than he imagined!

He originally thought that once he started talking to the Sphinx, there would be no way out and he would have to answer the questions to get away.

I didn't expect there to be an option to "leave without answering".

That makes things much simpler!
Listen to the riddle first; if it's too difficult, you can always turn around and try a different approach.

Anyway, they still have time to try and make mistakes since they are currently in the lead.

Moreover, they had Sherlock by their side.

If even Sherlock couldn't answer the question, then Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's men certainly couldn't either.

Without a doubt, this advantage is on my side!
If even Cedric thought so, Sherlock naturally didn't hesitate at all.

He nodded slightly and said to the sphinx:
"Propose your riddle."

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, the Sphinx stopped its elegant pacing.

A pair of almond-shaped, narrow eyes sharply locked onto Sherlock. He slowly sat down on his hind legs, his massive body completely blocking the passage, leaving the three no possibility of taking a detour.

At the same time, a deep, hoarse female voice rang out again, clearly reaching the ears of the three:

"Think first about what always comes first, the crown of all things."

Tell me again what the starting point of tireless striving is.

The call of the road, the strict constraints.

Finally, tell me that in that blind spot where the white crystal in the old man's body exists, the immortal body of the deceased remains.

Now put them all together and answer me: what animals do you not want to see?

━━∑(￣□￣*|||━━
As soon as the Sphinx riddle was finished, Harry and Cedric froze on the spot.

I can't do it!
I can't do this problem!

too difficult!
Harry had no idea what Cedric was thinking. He hadn't even fully heard every detail of the riddle, only vaguely remembering a few scattered phrases.

The last sentence, "animals you don't want to see," was heard particularly clearly.

But this scope is just too broad!

Anyway, the first thing Harry thought of was the Blasttail that had just left a deep impression on him.

There were also swarms of Billywig worms, eerie and terrifying eight-eyed giant spiders, shrill-screaming evil birds, fire-breathing dragons, and a mad red hat...

These are all animals he doesn't want to see.

Even after listing all the animals he didn't want to see, he still felt that these weren't the answers.

The Sphinx puzzle must contain a clever logical connection.

Cedric was in no better shape; his brow was furrowed, and he muttered the words of the riddle to himself, trying to find clues.

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Those seemingly unrelated descriptions left him completely baffled.

After the sphinx finished telling the riddle, its gaze, which had been fixed on Sherlock, slowly turned to Harry and Cedric, who looked bewildered.

A subtle smile curved her lips: "Your companions seem confused. Should I read it again?"

Is it really that friendly?

Harry and Cedric exchanged another glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

"May I?"

Harry asked quickly.

He did miss a few parts and hopes to hear them again so he can find a breakthrough.

The Sphinx winked mischievously at Harry, its smile deepening.

Then she actually started reciting the riddle poem again, and deliberately slowed down her speech, pronouncing each word very clearly so that the three of them could remember it.

However, just as she read the phrase "the call of the road".

"No need."

A pair of grey eyes looked at the sphinx, and to Harry and Cedric's astonishment, their jaws nearly dropping, Sherlock clearly stated:
"The answer is Thestral."

The sphinx's voice reciting riddles abruptly stopped.

A fleeting look of surprise crossed her exquisite yet dignified face.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable, almost approving expression appeared on her face, which then transformed into a kind and gentle smile, dispelling the previous sense of intimidation.

She gracefully lowered her massive lion body, her forelegs slightly bent, like a guardian of an ancient palace bowing to a distinguished visitor.

After bowing, she slowly stood up.

The massive body moved aside, completely clearing the passage behind it and revealing the path leading into the depths of the maze.

Harry and Cedric were genuinely surprised.

How long has it been since?

It hasn't even been a minute, has it?

They hadn't even had time to memorize the riddle completely—after all, Sherlock had interrupted them halfway through reciting it.

Despite knowing that Sherlock was very powerful, at this moment, the two of them deeply experienced the frustration of being intellectually crushed, feeling that they were not even on the same level as Sherlock.

Especially Cedric.

He found his earlier thought utterly ridiculous.

Are you actually thinking about what would happen if Sherlock couldn't answer the question?
Reflexively following Sherlock's footsteps, the three walked silently for a while longer before Harry finally snapped out of his shock:

"Sherlock, how...how did you guess the answer?"

"It's just a simple combination of letter phrases."

Sherlock spoke in a tone that, while not explicitly boasting, somehow sounded like one.

“I don’t understand,” Harry said bluntly.

“I don’t understand either,” Cedric decisively followed.

Sherlock smiled and pointed ahead: "Are you sure you want me to explain now?"

Following Sherlock's gaze, Harry and Cedric's breathing instantly became heavy, and their eyes suddenly lit up.

Light!
This time it was real light, not the misleading glow emitted by Hinkpunk, who only had one leg.

Because the two of them could see clearly that the Three Strong Cup was on the base a hundred meters away.

That alluring light is what it emits.

At this moment, Harry and Cedric had remarkably similar thoughts:
They seemed to see themselves holding the Triple Crown Cup as they walked out of the maze, with deafening cheers erupting like a tidal wave.

Harry even spotted Cho Chang and Ginny in the crowd.

Their faces shone with admiration, clearer than ever before…

He saw Cho Chang and Ginny running toward him together.

She opened her arms and hugged him, her face burning with passion.

Next, the distance between the two grew closer and closer...

He could even smell Qiu Zhang's pleasant scent...

Qiu Zhang slightly tilted her head back and closed her eyes...

And Ginny too...

"Snapped!"

The next moment, Harry was startled awake by a voice.

Qiu Zhang's shy demeanor was gone, replaced by Cedric's face in the dim light.

Strangely, Harry noticed that he had a look of sudden realization on his face.

It was as if they had just woken up from a dream.

"Snapped!"

The sound rang out again, and Harry realized that it was Sherlock snapping his fingers.

He and Cedric both looked toward Sherlock.

Sherlock watched his two teammates with great interest.

Upon seeing the Three Strong Cup, they all entered a trance-like state.

It's easy to imagine how much this event impacted them.

Especially Harry.

Just by looking at his heavy breathing and flushed face, you could guess what he was thinking.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you, but I think we should take it out of the maze first."

"Ah, you're right!"

Cedric was taken aback at first, then a smile spread across his face.

Harry coughed and nodded—but that hallucination was truly wonderful…

The three of them approached the gleaming trophy.

Cedric instinctively reached out his hand, but stopped abruptly just before touching it.

"what happened?"

Harry looked at Cedric with some surprise, not understanding what he was trying to do.

"Take it, Sherlock."

Cedric shook his head. "You're more like the captain than I am."

Sherlock chuckled. "You are the captain chosen by the Goblet of Fire—I don't think it would get that wrong."

"Take it; this is an honor you deserve."

Cedric stubbornly stated:
"You and Harry told me about dragons."

You came up with the idea of ​​using a summoning spell to get through the first item.

You were the one who unlocked the secret of the golden egg immediately.

You and Harry saved me in the second project.

"Now that you've solved the final riddle, go on your way!"

He glanced at Harry again as he spoke, "Or Harry is fine too, I'm not taking it anyway."

"What's the difference?"

Harry asked, somewhat puzzled, "This is a team competition—whoever takes the trophy, we're all champions."

Sherlock smiled.

Cedric values ​​rituals more than one might imagine.

"Ok."

Sherlock naturally wouldn't argue with Cedric about this, nor did he suggest that the three of them go together to get the trophy.

He has never been a pretentious person.

Since Cedric insisted, he simply reached out and grasped one of the gleaming handles of the Triwizard Cup.

The next moment, something unexpected happened.

(End of this chapter)