Chapter 13: Farewell to Hermione Granger

After Sherlock finished his deduction in one breath, Harry and Ron were left dumbfounded.

A moment later, it was Harry, who had already witnessed Sherlock’s talents before, who reacted first:

“Brilliant! Sherlock, you’re truly amazing! Listening to you explain it all now, it’s so obvious.”

“See, I knew you’d say that, dear Harry,” Sherlock shrugged, then turned to Ron with a serious suggestion:

“If you can, you should get a new one. It’s okay to use old books and robes, but your wand needs to suit you, otherwise it will affect your spell learning and casting.”

Ron’s face flushed instantly. “It’s fine. Although it’s old, my brother’s wand feels comfortable in my hand.”

Sherlock understood.

No money.

Out of admiration for Sherlock’s skills, Harry and Ron changed the subject and began to seriously ask him questions.

Only then did they learn that Sherlock called this style of reasoning “deductive reasoning.”

It’s a method based on observation, analysis, and logical inference.

By keenly capturing various details and applying knowledge and logical rules, it draws conclusions about events, people, and many other aspects.

To master it requires a wide range of knowledge, meticulous observation, and a combined use of induction and deduction.

Though Sherlock said that anyone could learn it with some training, Harry and Ron just shook their heads repeatedly.

“Come on, that’s obviously a talent—you can’t just learn it!”

But this didn’t dampen their lively discussion.

Just as the atmosphere grew more intense, the compartment door was knocked on.

Two young witches appeared before the three.

Sherlock happened to know both of them.

One was a boy with a round face.

He had been one of Sherlock’s deduction subjects when waiting at the station.

At that time, Sherlock’s conclusion was: [a first-year student, parents absent for unknown reasons, raised by grandmother, forgetful, timid, lacking confidence].

But now, seeing his tear-streaked face, even without Sherlock’s analysis, Harry and Ron could tell he was both sad and aggrieved.

The other was a girl with brown long hair and slightly prominent front teeth, her expression proud.

She was Hermione Granger, whom Sherlock had seen at the door of the Leaky Cauldron before school started.

Unlike Sherlock and the others, Hermione was now wearing a new robe.

“Has anyone seen a toad? Longbottom has lost one.”

Her tone, coupled with that expression, made her seem somewhat arrogant and dismissive.

Harry didn’t mind, but Ron frowned deeply.

At that moment, Hermione heard a familiar voice: “We haven’t seen any toads, Miss Granger.”

Harry and Ron immediately looked at Sherlock in surprise.

Ron couldn’t help but ask:

“Wait! How did you know this time? She didn’t bring a suitcase!”

He tried to observe Hermione like Sherlock, searching for any clue that would reveal her identity.

Naturally, it was futile.

Sherlock shook his head. “We’ve met before.”

So they already knew each other.

This explanation relieved Harry and Ron.

They had almost thought Sherlock, as before, could deduce a girl’s identity from just one glance.

That would be outrageous.

Hermione was also somewhat surprised to see Sherlock again.

Unlike Harry and Ron, she was outgoing by nature, but the stunning first impression Sherlock had left made her a bit shy at first.

Now, after a month, she had returned to her usual self and couldn’t help but exclaim:

“Holmes! What are you doing here?”

After saying this, she sat down in the empty seat beside Sherlock.

Not only Harry and Ron but even Sherlock himself was taken aback by Hermione’s move.

He wondered if they were that close—after all, they had only met once.

But that was just the beginning.

What followed showed Sherlock and the boys what it truly meant to be socially fearless.

“Oh, I meant to call you but forgot when things got busy—have you finished reading those textbooks?”

Faced with Hermione’s friendly greeting, Sherlock nodded, “Yes, I have.”

“I knew it!”

Hermione’s eyes brightened, and she launched into a torrent of words: “Have you tried any spells? I practiced some simple ones at home just for fun, and they worked. Also, I forgot to tell you last time, no one in my family knows magic, so when I got the acceptance letter, I was shocked but very happy—this is supposed to be the best magic school.

Now I’ve memorized all the textbooks, of course, I just hope it’s useful…”

Once she started, she couldn’t stop, talking rapidly.

Just like when they had seen Neville earlier, even without Sherlock’s analysis, Harry and Ron had already formed a clear impression of this girl.

“No matter which house I get sorted into, I don’t want to be in the same one as her,” Ron thought silently.

Unexpectedly, Hermione then turned her gaze to the wand Ron hadn’t yet put away.

“Oh, are you casting a spell? Show us what you can do.”

Ron was immediately at a loss.

His spell had just failed; it was embarrassing in front of Sherlock and Harry, but at least they were “one of us” in his mind.

But in front of Granger and Longbottom…

Looking at the tearful round-faced boy, then at the keen-eyed girl staring at him, he instinctively sought help from Sherlock.

At the same time, Harry also looked at Sherlock with hope.

Help us, please!

Sherlock understood their expressions.

“Ron’s wand has a problem. Let me try.” Sherlock drew his wand and gently waved it at Harry’s glasses. “Restore to original condition.”

A series of intricate sounds followed, and Harry’s broken glasses, held together by tape many times, transformed into a brand-new pair before everyone’s eyes.

Harry was stunned.

He took off the glasses in disbelief and examined them carefully.

Ron came over, and they both realized the glasses looked exactly as they did fresh from the factory—completely renewed.

Hermione also looked at Sherlock in amazement.

The Repairing Charm can restore damaged objects to their original state.

Hermione could do it herself but recognized that Sherlock’s proficiency surpassed hers.

Coupled with the fact that Sherlock had once accurately stated her parents’ professions at the Leaky Cauldron,

this suddenly gave the usually top-performing Hermione a sense of crisis.

Clearing her throat and about to comment on Sherlock’s spellcasting, her eyes suddenly caught the scar on Harry’s forehead after he took off his glasses. She asked in surprise:

“You’re Harry Potter? The boy who defeated Voldemort?”

Harry was momentarily stunned, then answered: “Yes… uh, I mean, that’s me, but Voldemort isn’t dead. He should still be alive…”

Sherlock frowned—this was a gap in his knowledge.

“Harry, you say Voldemort is still alive?”

“Yes, Hagrid told me. Although he’s very weak, he might not be dead.”

And so, Sherlock, Harry, and Hermione began to discuss Voldemort freely and unabashedly, as if no one else were present,

while Ron and Neville stood silently by, trembling nervously.