"What questions?"
Hearing that Sherlock actually wanted to ask him something, Ron instantly perked up.
That one sentence gave him a rare feeling of importance—the smart one needs me.
"First, what are the defining traits of the four Houses?
Second, are you aware that the word 'Muggle' might actually carry discriminatory meaning?"
Sherlock pressed his palms together under his chin, staring intently at Ron, clearly expecting a serious explanation.
"W-What?!"
Ron was utterly taken aback. "'Muggle'... a slur? That's impossible!"
He answered the second question first—because to him, it was much more shocking than the first.
Gallopin' Gorgons! I've never used that word as an insult in my life!
His dad, in fact, was fascinated by the Muggle world and treated Muggles with kindness and curiosity.
Which was exactly why families like the Malfoys looked down on them, saying the Weasleys had "tainted" the honor of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
But now Sherlock was saying "Muggle" was derogatory?
Absolutely not. No way!
Harry chimed in to help Ron, "Sherlock, you've got it wrong this time. Even Hagrid uses the word."
Sherlock simply shook his head and asked another question instead.
"How do you spell it?"
"Muggle," Ron muttered, still frowning.
Harry, thinking more clearly, answered out loud, "M-U-G-G-L-E."
Sherlock raised an eyebrow. "And you don't find anything odd about that?"
Ron still looked confused.
Harry didn't see anything unusual either—at first.
But Sherlock's hint made him pause. After a moment of thought, he said, "Wait... you mean the root of the word?"
Sherlock nodded. Seeing Ron still blinking blankly, he couldn't help asking, "Wait—don't wizarding families study vocabulary?"
Ron coughed twice, his ears reddening again. "We do! Of course we do! Just... I never thought about that word."
Sherlock turned to Harry.
Though he wasn't entirely sure why, Harry caught on to Sherlock's gaze.
So he took the initiative to explain: "The root of Muggle is 'mug'…"
"That's a cup, isn't it?" Ron interrupted quickly, trying to cover his own confusion.
Harry sighed. "Yes, but it has another meaning too."
At Sherlock's signal, Harry explained further—how the word mug could also mean a fool or an easy mark.
Ron's jaw dropped. He was stunned silent.
It was the first time he'd ever heard that.
Sherlock hadn't been wrong: children raised in wizarding families really didn't pay much attention to etymology.
Harry, watching Ron's expression, thought silently to himself, He didn't even know that. Sherlock's incredible.
He grew up in the Muggle world, same as me, but he knows so much more—about both worlds. He knows all kinds of things, can fight, fence, and even do magic better than I can.
He's amazing.
Seeing Ron's mood drop, Sherlock gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Don't let it bother you too much. After all, Mug means fool, not Muggle. So using the term isn't exactly wrong.
"But I suspect that whoever first coined the term probably didn't have a very high opinion of non-magical people."
"But still…" Ron looked torn.
Sherlock went on, adding, "Language evolves over time. Words that start as neutral can gain negative connotations."
"Take Negro, for example. It comes from Latin and simply means 'black.' It was commonly used in the U.S. before the 1960s."
"The truly offensive term was n***. But nowadays, Negro has become just as unacceptable."
"And in a few decades, even 'Black people' might become too sensitive to use."
Harry blinked. "So... what should we say then?"
"Who knows," Sherlock said with a dry tone. "Maybe 'African American' will be the safest bet?"
He continued, "Muggle went through the same process. It probably started off as insulting—but over time, it's become normalized."
Both Harry and Ron stared at Sherlock in admiration.
He really understood things.
Just then, the compartment door once again slid open.
Hermione stood there.
"What happened in here?"
She glanced down at the sweets scattered across the floor and looked puzzled.
Harry and Ron both turned to Sherlock.
He shrugged. "Miss Granger, someone tried to take our snacks. But after a bit of reasoning, they chose to leave."
"Did they?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. She'd seen the state Draco Malfoy and his goons were in as they left. That hadn't looked like reasoning.
"You didn't get into a fight, did you? We haven't even arrived yet and you're already causing trouble?"
Her tone, as usual, carried a touch of superiority. Ron frowned and looked like he was about to snap back.
But Sherlock interjected smoothly, "Ron, you still haven't answered the first question."
"Oh—right!"
Only then did Ron remember Sherlock had asked him two things. He felt a bit embarrassed—it seemed like he always came off slow when talking to Sherlock.
Fortunately, coming from a Weasley household meant he knew Hogwarts well, so he began explaining enthusiastically.
At the mention of the four Houses, both Harry and Hermione perked up.
Hermione once again sat down beside Sherlock, listening intently.
Sherlock didn't seem to mind, though as Ron continued, he found the descriptions increasingly biased.
To Ron, Gryffindor was home to brave, righteous heroes—after all, both the current Headmaster and Deputy Head were from Gryffindor, and so were his parents and older brothers.
He was pretty sure he'd be sorted there too.
Ravenclaw, meanwhile, was filled with bookish weirdos who thought they were smarter than everyone else.
Hufflepuff students were basically walking stomachs with no real talents—only good at eating.
But none of that compared to Slytherin, which Ron painted as a den of sneaky, treacherous, backstabbing snakes.
Sherlock, combining this input with what he'd read in books, quickly formed his own impressions.
To the outside world, Gryffindors probably came across as reckless hotheads.
Harry joined in, adding, "Hagrid told me—he'd rather be in Hufflepuff than Slytherin."
"Because Voldemort was a Slytherin?" Sherlock asked matter-of-factly.
At the name, Ron gave another shudder and shot Sherlock a wounded look.
We know you're not afraid, but could you be a little considerate of the rest of us?!
Sherlock, of course, didn't care what others thought. When Harry confirmed it, Sherlock turned back to Ron.
"Is it true Hufflepuff has the most students?"
Ron looked surprised. "How'd you know that?"
"Merlin's beard—you're brilliant!"
Sherlock gave a satisfied nod.
Of course. If all the oddballs end up in the other three Houses, then the ones left, which is good-natured and obedient—naturally get sorted into Hufflepuff.
Just then, a voice echoed through the train:
"Attention, students! We'll be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train—it will be brought to the school separately."
Sherlock immediately got to his feet.
"You're changing now—?" Hermione turned red and quickly stepped out of the compartment.
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