Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 80 Sherlock and the Mirror of Erised (1000+ additional chapters)

"It's simple reasoning."

When asked by Harry, Sherlock explained quickly as always:
"There was no accumulation of dust or other footprints, and the fresh scratches were obviously caused by carrying heavy objects.

The original dust distribution around the mirror was disrupted, forming a clearer area that matched the mirror's outline, but there was still a uniform dust coverage elsewhere.

The choice of an abandoned classroom and the casual placement of the items clearly indicate that this is just a temporary storage location and will soon be moved elsewhere."

Although he was mentally prepared, Harry still exclaimed in admiration after Sherlock said all this.

"It's always like this, Sherlock, when you explain your reasoning it all seems so obvious.

But before you explained it, I just couldn’t understand it.”

Sherlock laughed. "Thank you for the compliment, my friend, but I'm afraid I'll have to remind you of the time if you plan to stay here."

To Sherlock's surprise, Harry shook his head: "Sherlock, shall we go?"

"Let's go, don't we go take a look?"

Sherlock watched him with interest.

Harry shook his head: "It's already late, and... I always feel like something is wrong."

He vaguely felt that the appearance of this mirror was a little strange.

It was as if someone had deliberately placed it here, waiting for Sherlock and him.

"Deduction is contagious, my dear friend."

Hearing what Harry said, Sherlock couldn't help but burst out laughing, which made Harry a little worried that his laughter would attract Filch.

"Look, now you're starting to use it to study problems."

Harry only had a vague feeling, but Sherlock was certain that this mirror was deliberately placed there by someone waiting for them to discover it.

There are only a handful of people in all of Hogwarts who have both the motivation and the ability to do this.

Sherlock deduced who it was and why that person did it almost instantly.

"It's a pity that neither you nor I can leave here."

"What did you say?"

"I'll bet you a Galleon that if we go out now, there's a good chance we'll run into Filch or someone else, forcing us back into this room."

Sherlock's words startled both Harry and someone hiding in the dark.

"If you don't believe me, you can try it now."

Harry hesitated for a moment, but curiosity finally got the better of him.

It's not that he doesn't believe Sherlock, he just wants to broaden his horizons.

Sherlock smiled as he watched Harry, wearing the invisibility cloak, walk towards the door.

He also wanted to know what methods the person behind the scenes would use to stop them.

Harry walked to the door and just pushed it open a crack when Mrs. Norris's bright eyes appeared in his sight.

Harry: (☉Д☉)!≡≡≡≡
"Meow--!"

Harry stood there motionless. He didn't know whether the invisibility cloak would work on cats, so he could only stand there motionless.

┬┴┤_`)…(Д)!!
Fortunately, Mrs. Norris did not stay long.

As soon as it turned and left, Harry immediately closed the door and let out a long breath.

"It was my fault this time. I didn't expect it would be a cat."

Sherlock said this in a self-deprecating tone and walked straight towards the mirror.

What had just happened had undoubtedly proven Sherlock's theory, and Harry was unwilling to run to the door and try again.

So when he saw Sherlock had already gone up, he followed him.

Sherlock stood in front of the mirror and glanced at the top of the mirror where a line of words was engraved.

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi

It seems to be a meaningless sentence.

It took Sherlock less than three seconds to understand the correct way to read this sentence.

A hint of surprise first appeared on his face, then turned into a faint mockery.

At this moment, he finally understood why this mirror appeared here today.

This Lao Deng!

well.

If you want to pursue excitement, then go all the way.

He took two more steps forward, so that he was standing completely in front of the mirror.

His bony fingers pressed against his chin, and his gray pupils shrank into needle-like shapes in the cold light of the mirror.

To Sherlock's surprise, what emerged in the mirror was not a maze made of gold galleons, nor the streets of Elizabethan London.

A picture of terrifying precision.

Countless silver threads intertwined into a web in the void, and each thread was strung with a dangling pocket watch, a bloodstained dagger, and yellowed case files.

A piece of parchment covered with unknown symbols was slowly unfolding, and the ink on the paper was winding into a magical equation that he had never seen before.

Hogwarts Castle collapsed into a suspended dodecahedron, each facet distorted into the same Gothic letter:
【The Final Problem】

After watching quietly for a few seconds, Sherlock sneered at the scene in the mirror:
"You're just playing a stupid trick of emotional projection. You should show me the only option that doesn't work out for me—like the moment I stop thinking."

At this time, Harry also came to the mirror. After hearing Sherlock's words, he asked with a puzzled look:

"Sherlock, what are you talking about?"

Sherlock pointed to the words at the top of the mirror.

Harry looked once, and again, and again.

Then an idea:
What, what is this written?
Before Harry could ask, Sherlock had already given the answer:

“Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi—it’s a simple puzzle, just read it backwards and break it down again:
I show not your face but your heart's desire. "

Harry didn't follow Sherlock's train of thought and asked dazedly, "What does that mean?"

"What I show you is not your face, but the desire in your heart."

Sherlock said calmly, "This mirror can reflect the most urgent and strongest desire in everyone's heart."

"It's so amazing? Sherlock, what did you see?"

Harry asked curiously.

Sherlock didn't answer, but stood aside.

"Sherlock?"

Harry looked at Sherlock in confusion, not understanding what he meant.

"Haven't you always wanted to meet your parents?"

Sherlock said as he pointed to where he had just stood, motioning Harry to come forward.

Harry shuddered suddenly.

My mom and dad!

He turned his gaze to the mirror and walked slowly forward.

As the distance between him and the mirror continued to close, Harry became more and more nervous, until...

When he saw a large number of human figures reflected in the mirror, he almost cried out.

Fortunately, after following Sherlock for half a semester, I finally improved my ability to remain calm in emergencies, so I didn't scream.

He turned his head and looked again.

After making sure there was no one behind him, he stared straight at the mirror, and an obsessed smile gradually appeared on his face.

Sherlock noticed Harry's abnormal behavior and couldn't help but frown.

At this moment, Harry pressed the mirror frame tightly with both hands, and his whole body was almost stuck to the mirror.

"Mother?"

Harry called out softly, "Dad?"

At this moment, a hand pressed down on his shoulder and forcibly turned his body around. Harry was immediately anxious when Sherlock forced his body to turn around and took his eyes away from the mirror.

"What are you doing—ouch!"

Sherlock held down Harry with his strong hands. Harry struggled desperately, but could only feel a pain.

"Dear Harry, you need to calm down - I think you saw your parents in the mirror?"

"Not only my parents, but also my grandparents... so many people!

You know, Sherlock, they all have the same green eyes as me, the same nose, and Grandad has the same bumpy knees as me..."

Harry spoke somewhat incoherently.

"It seems that your desire for family affection is stronger than I thought."

Sherlock said thoughtfully.

"Sherlock..."

Harry's eyes continued to look towards the mirror. After realizing that he had no way to get rid of Sherlock, he could only look at him pleadingly.

Sherlock frowned, but finally released his grip.

Let him enjoy the sight for now.

After being freed, Harry rushed to the mirror.

This time, he sat down on the ground.

Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma... and many relatives whose names I don’t know.

In the mirror, there were at least a dozen people standing behind him, waving at him with smiles on their faces.

At this moment, Harry just wanted to stay here all night, with his family, and nothing would stop him.

Not even Sherlock!

Sherlock didn't know that he had become the biggest obstacle in Harry's heart.

He watched with interest as Harry stared longingly into the mirror, wishing he could just dive in and be with his family.

He is waiting.

Waiting for that person to appear.

The man didn't keep him waiting long.

"So……"

When Harry was almost in a trance, a calm voice came from behind.

Harry felt as if his insides had frozen into ice.

He turned his head stiffly and saw Dumbledore appear in the doorway.

Sherlock was not surprised at all. He calmly greeted Dumbledore, "Professor."

"I have to admit, Sherlock, when I was your age, I didn't have your keen observation skills."

Dumbledore smiled and said, "As you said, this mirror can indeed allow people to see their deepest and most pressing desires. It is called the Mirror of Erised."

Harry was relieved to see a smile on Dumbledore's face.

Sherlock raised his eyebrows.

Dumbledore continued to smile and looked at Sherlock: "So, now can you tell me what you desire in your heart?"

Sherlock had long deduced that it was Dumbledore who placed the mirror here, so when he heard him ask, he gave an answer without hesitation.

"An overly literary advertisement for a watchmaker. I suggest Mr. Filch step up his efforts to exterminate the castle's pests."

Dumbledore: (°ー°〃)
Not only Dumbledore, but Harry also looked at Sherlock in surprise.

What is he saying?
Without giving the two time to react, Sherlock continued:

“Reality and fantasy can be hard to distinguish, and in a world with magic, it’s even harder.

—So I don’t think it’s a good idea to put this mirror here.”

Dumbledore was slightly startled.

He had originally intended to say this to Harry...

Unexpectedly, Sherlock got there first.

Seeing that Sherlock seemed to have something to say, he immediately coughed and looked at Harry.

"Harry."

"headmaster."

Harry suddenly became nervous when Dumbledore called his name.

"I would prefer you to call me Mr. or Professor."

"Ok sir."

"Your friend is quite right; this mirror can neither teach us knowledge nor tell us the truth.

People waste their days in front of it, become obsessed with what they see, and are even driven mad by it.

Because they don’t know whether what they see in the mirror is real or possible.”

Harry lowered his head and said nothing.

He recalled that Sherlock had just held him down to prevent him from looking in the mirror.

"It is of no use to dwell on empty dreams and forget about real life."

Harry glanced at Sherlock again.

Sherlock stared at Dumbledore. "I suppose the mirror will be taken away soon?"

"Surprisingly sharp, just as you inferred, Sherlock. I'll have it moved somewhere else later. I hope you won't look for it again."

Although he said "you", Dumbledore was looking at Harry.

Apparently, in his opinion, Harry was the only person captivated by the Mirror of Erised.

"I will advise Harry," Sherlock asked again, "Sir, what do you see in the mirror?"

Harry also looked at Dumbledore curiously.

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "Me? I see myself in the mirror, holding a pair of thick white wool socks."

Sherlock: (_)
Harry: (☉☉)! ?
Dumbledore ignored their glances. "Well, why don't you put on that wonderful Invisibility Cloak and go back to bed?"

Harry nodded, and Sherlock said slowly, "You don't need an Invisibility Cloak to be invisible, do you?"

Dumbledore said nothing, but gave them a kind smile.

On the way back, Sherlock still did not wear the invisibility cloak.

Under his leadership, Harry's speed was much faster than before.

Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief when the two of them arrived at the Gryffindor common room.

"Thank God, I thought the professor would take points off us."

"He won't," Sherlock said firmly.

Harry asked curiously, "How do you know?"

"Because he's not Professor Snape."

Sherlock said, his voice suddenly serious "My friend, you have not behaved well tonight."

Harry felt a little ashamed.

After seeing the magic mirror tonight, he put everything behind him.

Looking back now, it seems like I was possessed by a demon at that time.

I even developed an abnormal emotion of "just being with my family is enough".

Who cares about Quirrell, the Philosopher's Stone, or Voldemort...

So what if Quirrell really took the Philosopher's Stone?
He even overlooked one important thing.

Voldemort... was the enemy who killed his parents.

　I thought two updates would be enough today, but I didn't expect the average subscription to be over 1000w (Д)w
　　The third update is here~
　　Although not many people read novels during the Spring Festival, I will still keep updating twice a day after the novel is put on the shelves, and the time will remain the same.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)