Chapter 62: The Hound of the Baskervilles

Upon hearing Sherlock state that the person trying to harm Harry was Quirrell, Hagrid was startled on the spot.

"No... tell me, why do you all always like to suspect Hogwarts professors?
First it was Snape, and now it's Quirrell...
That's simply impossible..."

Before Hagrid could finish, Sherlock directly interrupted him: "It is Professor Quirrell. The troll on Halloween was released by him."

Hagrid: (o_O)

"As a matter of fact, that night he originally intended to check the mechanisms protecting the Sorcerer's Stone, but Professor Snape stopped him.
Though Professor Snape, whom Ron suspected, almost had his leg bitten off by that big dog of yours."

This time, it wasn't just Hagrid who widened his eyes.
All four people present stared simultaneously:

"What kind of stone did you say?"
"Snape stopped Quirrell?"
"By the galloping Gorgons! How do you know about Fluffy?"
"Sherlock, just how many things are you keeping from us?"

Meeting four pairs of inquiring gazes, Sherlock let out a long sigh.
Seeing this stance, he realized that unless he explained things clearly, the conversation could not continue.

"The Sorcerer's Stone is a substance with special functions, and it is also the main ingredient for the Elixir of Life."

Sherlock said, turning to Harry. "My friend, if you still remember the wizard cards in the Chocolate Frogs, you should recall the introduction about Dumbledore."

"Sorry, I don't remember," Harry said, looking somewhat ashamed.

Sherlock shrugged: "Dumbledore's widely known contributions include: defeating the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and achieving great success in alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel."

Amidst the four stunned gazes, Sherlock recited the passage verbatim.

"Sherlock, how on earth do you remember these..." Harry found it hard to comprehend.

True, he had indeed looked at the wizard cards back then, and the contents recorded about Dumbledore had left a deep impression on him.
Yet, asking him to recite the contents word-for-word after more than two months was simply impossible.

"I remember telling you before, the human brain is like a hard drive.
As long as you choose to toss out useless things, you can naturally remember the information you need. You can do it too."

Facing Sherlock's matter-of-fact explanation, the four looked at each other in dismay, momentarily not knowing what to say.
That kind of feat was probably something only you could accomplish, right?

***

"The success achieved in alchemy with Nicolas Flamel refers to the Sorcerer's Stone."

Sherlock turned back to Hagrid, catching him off guard with a question: "Fluffy is the hound you raised, isn't it?"

Still in shock, Hagrid answered subconsciously: "That's right, Fluffy is very loyal. I bought him from some fellow I met at the pub last year.
That fellow seemed to be called... Baskerville, or something—later on, I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the Sorcerer's Stone..."

His voice cut off abruptly.

"Is this also something you deduced?"

Hagrid could no longer sit still. He sprang to his feet, his eyes wide as copper bells, his voice beginning to tremble faintly.
This first-year little wizard... was simply too terrifying!

"Half of it was deduction, and the other half was what Dumbledore told me."

Sherlock was quite satisfied with Hagrid's honesty. He clasped his hands together, propping up his chin, and looked at him with bright, piercing eyes:
"The Hound of the Baskervilles? Sounds quite interesting."

Hearing that Dumbledore had provided the information to Sherlock, Hagrid let out a slight breath of relief.
Good, oh good. If all this news had been deduced by Sherlock alone, it would have been simply too exaggerated.
Still, come to think of it, for a first-year student to reach this level was already quite remarkable.
And furthermore... why did Dumbledore tell Sherlock everything?

After briefly explaining to Hagrid and the three companions, Sherlock made his concluding remarks:

"From today's actions by Snape and Quirrell, three things can be confirmed:
First, Quirrell is indeed a minion of Voldemort..."

Hearing that name, Hagrid and Ron both sharply sucked in a breath, their bodies trembling slightly.
Harry and Hermione naturally remained indifferent, and Sherlock's expression didn't change either:
"Second, Quirrell—or rather, Voldemort—wants to get his hands on the Sorcerer's Stone. By the way, Hagrid, the person who broke into Gringotts back then was him."

"Ah?"

Hagrid widened his eyes once more. Before he could react, Sherlock explained:
"Harry told me that you met at the Leaky Cauldron."

Before Hagrid could figure out the connection, he heard Sherlock continue:
"Third, Professor Snape is no match for Professor Quirrell."

"Why do you say that?" It was Hermione who raised the question this time.
"Professor Snape is a Potions Master, whereas Quirrell always looks so timid."

"Don't be deceived by appearances, Hermione. Quirrell's strength is much greater than he lets on.
Even while Snape was already in the middle of counter-cursing, Quirrell was still able to control the broomstick through a non-verbal curse.
It wasn't until you interfered with his spellcasting that Professor Snape gained the upper hand.
—Though, of course, destruction is always easier than protection."

After Sherlock finished his speech, everyone in the hut fell silent.

Over two months had passed since the start of term, and even Harry and Hermione, who grew up in the Muggle world, had gained a clear understanding of Voldemort's power.
Now, hearing that even a Hogwarts professor had become his minion, it was naturally hard to accept for the moment.

"Sherlock, you said Professor Dumbledore already knows about this, right?" Hermione suddenly asked.

"Yes."

Seeing Sherlock give an affirmative answer, Hermione immediately smiled:
"Then it doesn't matter. Even during the Wizarding War, Hogwarts was the only safe place.
Everyone says Professor Dumbledore is the only person Voldemort fears."

Hearing Hermione's words, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Right, as long as Dumbledore was at Hogwarts, Quirrell wouldn't dare to act rashly.
As for today's events, wasn't it something Sherlock had discussed with Dumbledore in advance?
Since Quirrell had now surfaced, there was nothing left to worry about.

Once they figured this out, Hagrid's hut was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

With the conclusion of the Quidditch match, Harry's fame skyrocketed.
Having already been the Savior of the wizarding world, he now acquired a new title—a Quidditch genius.

Of course, whether it was the troll in the basement on Halloween or the flying broomstick incident during the Quidditch match, matters concerning Quirrell still had not leaked out.
This resulted in Sherlock's reputation rising significantly alongside Harry's.

Because the version circulating among the teachers and students was that Sherlock had deduced Hermione's location in the girls' lavatory based on Professor Quirrell's behavior on Halloween.
Not only that, but he had also acted at the very first moment, rescuing Hermione from the troll.
Such a valiant act naturally won the admiration of the little lions of Gryffindor.

Moreover, his deductive abilities also drew the attention of the little eagles of Ravenclaw.
Ever since the wizard duel incident, some classmates had already begun consulting Sherlock.
Most of them, however, were from his own house, and the questions they brought were relatively simple.
Yet after this recent affair, figures from other houses gradually began appearing among those seeking out Sherlock.