Chapter 24: Hermione, Provoked by Sherlock

Seeing Sherlock and Harry, Ron, the dedicated foodie, and Thomas, the chatterbox, immediately stood up and waved vigorously at them.

"Sherlock, Harry, over here!"

Once they walked over, Ron said proudly, "I saved you seats!"

"Thanks," Harry replied, taking the opportunity to remind him, "It would be even better if you could keep your voice down."

Because of Ron's showiness and the name "Harry," Sherlock and Harry suddenly became the center of attention in the entire hall.

"Right over there, look."

"Where? Where?"

"Over there! Next to that tall boy with the hooked nose."

"You mean the one with the glasses?"

"Yes, did you see his face?"

"Did you see his scar?"

As Sherlock and Harry crossed the Great Hall to reach Ron, the whispering never ceased. Harry felt extremely uncomfortable with this.

Ron clearly noticed the situation and rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Sorry." He blamed himself for being too loud.

Breakfast under normal circumstances was certainly not as extravagant as the opening feast, but it was by no means lacking; most importantly, it was hearty and plentiful. This was a great boon for a foodie like Ron and for Harry, who had never been able to eat his fill at home.

As for Sherlock, multitasking as usual, he focused his attention on the Gryffindor first-year schedule while he ate.

Monday: History of Magic in the morning, Herbology in the afternoon.
Tuesday: Herbology in the morning, Charms and Transfiguration in the afternoon.
Wednesday: Defense Against the Dark Arts in the morning, Herbology in the afternoon, Astronomy at night.
Thursday: Transfiguration in the morning, Charms in the afternoon.
Friday: Double period of Potions in the morning, free time in the afternoon.

There was also a note: once flying lessons began, they would be added after Thursday afternoon’s Charms class.

It was evident that the first-year curriculum was quite demanding—which was understandable, as they were reshaping the worldviews of young wizards who had just stepped into the magical realm.

After eating, they hurried toward the classroom. For Sherlock, the first week at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was both fulfilling and interesting. Each subject had its own unique characteristics. History of Magic was the only course taught by a ghost.

As the saying goes, when a ghost lectures, it’s all ghostly nonsense. It was a purely theoretical course that leaned heavily toward rote memorization. Coupled with Professor Binns reciting from his notes in that uniquely monotonous, droning voice only a ghost could possess, the class became even more dull and tedious. Almost all the students were half-asleep, scribbling down names and dates in a daze.

Only two people were exceptions.

One was Hermione, who had already begun to exhibit the traits of a top student in the very first class: listening intently, taking meticulous notes, and answering questions actively... well, actually, there was none of that, because Professor Binns never asked any questions.

The other was Sherlock. He was brimming with interest in the magical world. He had already read all the textbooks, so listening to this ghost professor was like turning on an audiobook for someone who didn't want to read. However, when a student took the initiative to ask a question, Professor Binns would interact with them. Sherlock was precisely that person. This made him the most conspicuous among the sleepy little lions. Even Hermione, who was also listening intently, couldn't help but cast curious glances at him frequently. *This person... is so much like me!*

Compared to History of Magic, Herbology was much more interesting. The schedule of three classes a week was enough to show that it was a foundational subject. The professor, Pomona Sprout, was a short, plump witch who was also the Head of Hufflepuff House. The classes were held in the greenhouses behind the castle rather than indoors. As for the content, it taught the new students how to cultivate these strange plants and fungi and understand their uses.

This time, in addition to Sherlock, Hermione also joined in on asking questions. Perhaps spurred on by Sherlock’s performance in History of Magic that morning, Hermione even hung around Professor Sprout after class. Unfortunately, the professor had to teach other classes, so those questions had to be saved for tomorrow.

By the next morning, Hermione remained the diligent student who asked questions actively. Her consistently excellent performance over the two lessons even won five points for Gryffindor, earning a round of applause. But Sherlock wasn't as proactive as he had been the day before. He simply completed Professor Sprout's tasks step-by-step without asking a single question.

Sherlock felt it was no longer necessary. Having read the textbooks in advance and combined with his inquiries in the first class, he had already formed his own unique understanding of the subject.

That was enough.

From then on, Sherlock followed the same routine for every subject. He would ask questions in the first lesson to grasp the direction and the big picture of the course, and then perform a screening. For those courses that weren't very useful to him, he only needed to ensure he could pass the exams. He then freed up his energy to focus on the courses that were more useful or more interesting to him.

Soon, such a class arrived: Charms.

"Hermione Granger!"
"Sherlock Holmes!"
"..."
"Harry Potter—ah!"

The Charms professor was Filius Flitwick, who was also the Head of Ravenclaw House. Professor Flitwick had goblin ancestry, so he was unusually short—by Sherlock’s estimation, less than four feet tall, just a little over a meter. During class, he had to stand on a stack of books to reach the lectern.

It was customary to take attendance in the first lesson. It went fine when he called the others, but when he reached the name "Harry Potter," he let out an excited squeak and tumbled off his stack of books, disappearing from sight.

This made Sherlock realize once again the destructive power of the name "Harry Potter" in the wizarding world—even a figure at the level of a Hogwarts House Head was not immune to it. It also confirmed that his choice to pair up with and assist Harry before school started was an incredibly correct decision.

Before school had even begun, the Malfoy trio from Slytherin had already come knocking. After school started, the teachers and students who focused on Harry naturally couldn't escape the eyes of Sherlock, who was always with him, which greatly facilitated the speed at which he learned about the magical world.

At the same time, Sherlock unexpectedly discovered that Harry had the potential to be a great assistant. This led him to gradually abandon the idea of treating Harry as a tool and start viewing him as a friend worth making. Of course, that is a story for another time.

Professor Flitwick possessed strong self-regulation skills; it didn't take long for him to regain his composure and begin the lesson. The content of the first class was similar to others, providing an overall overview of the subject. He also taught a basic charm—the Mending Charm.

It was the very same spell Sherlock had used on Harry’s glasses on the Hogwarts Express.