Although Sherlock had told Harry that Arnold Peasegood was a former student of Professor Flitwick who had also helped in Sherlock's solving of the Greek Translator case, with him present, Harry still felt there were many things he couldn't say to Sherlock conveniently.
Moreover, judging by Peasegood's appearance, he himself didn't seem to know that coming to pick them up was due to Mycroft's influence—he thought it was an internal Ministry arrangement.
This made Harry even more reluctant to bring up the matter. However, his attention was soon drawn to other things.
The car sent by the Ministry looked quite ordinary on the outside, but during the journey, it easily passed through several narrow gaps multiple times.
According to Muggle world common sense, this should have been impossible.
Compared to Mr. Weasley's flying Ford Anglia, it had its own merits.
Because of this, they were hardly affected by traffic jams and quickly arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.
However, when preparing to enter Diagon Alley, Peasegood indicated he wouldn't be going in with them.
"It's rare to get out, so naturally I must have a drink!"
Peasegood winked at Sherlock. "Mr. Holmes, I trust you won't mind?"
"Of course not." Sherlock had anticipated this situation and readily gave his promise. "We'll come find you when we're ready to leave."
"But you must promise to stay in Diagon Alley and not go to any dangerous places, all right?"
"You mean Knockturn Alley?"
Harry's gaze suddenly constricted.
"Ahem, Mr. Holmes, you shouldn't always be like this—you'll have no friends in the future..."
"Don't worry, we won't go there."
Peasegood was quite reassured by Sherlock's promise, so he soon went off to drink with Tom.
Harry was also satisfied with this. He and Sherlock walked to the backyard, and he consciously took out his wand, tapping the third brick from the left above the trash bin, then stepped back.
The two watched the archway to Diagon Alley open in the wall, and Harry couldn't help but say softly.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley."
Every time he came here, Harry's mood improved.
This long street paved with small cobblestones, lined on both sides with the world's most fascinating magical shops.
At this moment, even the threat brought by Sirius Black was forgotten.
Sherlock glanced at Harry and knew what he was thinking. "Let's go to Gringotts first."
The two arrived at Gringotts to find they were early, so Sherlock simply accompanied Harry to the underground vaults first, refilling Harry's money bag.
This was also Sherlock's first time witnessing the Potter family's wealth.
All that could be said was that it lived up to its reputation.
When they returned to the Gringotts entrance, while waiting for Hermione and Ron, Harry finally found an opportunity to ask.
"Sherlock, what exactly is going on—why would the Ministry specially send a car to take us to Diagon Alley? Is this also Mycroft's arrangement?"
"Obviously, my friend."
"Mycroft... your brother, is he really that capable?"
"I've already told you—for him, this is effortless."
Even though Sherlock had told him about this in advance, when the facts were laid out before him, Harry still had a feeling of disbelief.
A Muggle could actually influence the Ministry's decisions...
"This—this is simply incredible!"
Just as Harry finished speaking, a clear voice rang out.
"What's incredible?"
"Hermione!"
Just hearing this voice made Harry smile with happiness.
But when he turned to look at the speaker, he was startled.
"Good heavens, how did you burned like toast?"
"What are you talking about!"
Hermione said reproachfully, "I just got a bit tanned."
Harry's description was indeed somewhat exaggerated.
Actually, Hermione's exposed skin had only turned golden colored, it was still quite far from becoming like toast.
It's just that her skin had always been white before, so the contrast with before was obvious, which led to Harry's exclamation.
As she spoke, Hermione looked toward Sherlock, her gaze revealing the joy of a long-awaited reunion.
She stepped forward generously and gave both Sherlock and Harry a hug.
"Hermione, you've learned French romance."
Sherlock said calmly, "The western coast has bright sunshine—I suggest better sun protection next time."
Hearing Sherlock's words, Hermione hesitated somewhat. "Sherlock, do you... prefer fairer skin?"
Sherlock couldn't help but pause.
"No, this isn't a matter of personal preference, just a health suggestion for you. Ultraviolet rays have strong penetrating power and can directly damage skin cells.
If you're exposed to UV rays for long periods without protection, your skin will show symptoms of sunburn like redness, pain, and peeling. This is because UV rays destroy the skin's stratum corneum and epidermal cells, causing the skin's barrier function to be compromised and triggering inflammatory responses."
Hermione: ...
What exactly was I expecting...
Hermione took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her urge to complain, then turned to Harry. "So, what were you saying was incredible?"
"Let's wait until Ron gets here," Sherlock raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise, we'll have to explain it to him again."
Hermione: (╬◣д◢)
So, what's wrong with telling me separately!
Hermione was already fourteen this year, in the bloom of youth.
Ever since Sherlock had rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets again last school year, Sherlock had become the hero in her mind—the one who would come to save her if she just cried out.
After that, Hermione's attitude toward Sherlock had begun to become subtle.
But Sherlock seemed completely oblivious to this.
Although she knew this was just his personality, it inevitably made Hermione feel helpless.
She took another deep breath, suppressing her mixed thoughts, and began talking about her travel experiences.
France had blessed beaches, thanks to its long coastline bordering the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and English Channel.
This time, Hermione's whole family had stayed there for nearly two months, naturally feasting their eyes on the scenery.
Just as she was talking about how the beaches of the Crozon Peninsula were fine and soft, perfect for enjoying sun and sand, Ron appeared at the entrance to Gringotts.
He paid no attention to the atmosphere and interrupted Hermione as soon as he spoke.
"Hi, you're here early!"
Ron, who had returned from Egypt, wasn't tanned, but his freckles were more prominent.
Hermione immediately glared at him furiously.
Ron, don't you know how to read the room? The atmosphere!
Ron naturally had no idea what Hermione was thinking and just felt baffled, then heard Sherlock say. "You're the one who's late. It's now five minutes past ten."
"Come on, Sherlock!"
Ron looked helpless. "We did agree to meet at ten, but there's no need to be precise to the minute, right?"
"You're the one who said we came early."
Ron: "..."
What you're saying makes so much sense, I have no retort.
"All right, I'm late... By the way, our whole family is staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight!"
When mentioning this, Ron became very excited. "Harry, why don't you stay here tonight too? I just asked Tom, and there are still empty rooms here. That way you can come with us to King's Cross Station tomorrow!"
When Harry had written to Ron the day before yesterday, he had already told him he was staying at Sherlock's house.
Because of this, Ron thought it would be troublesome for Harry to make another trip, so he came up with this idea.
"Uh..."
Harry hesitated for a moment, looking at Sherlock. "Maybe we should forget it. I don't want to cause more trouble for the Ministry."
Sherlock nodded. "No need to complicate things."
"Not causing trouble for the Ministry, no need to complicate things?"
Hermione immediately asked upon hearing this. "What exactly is going on? Is this the thing you were talking about earlier?"
"Wait, am I missing something?"
Hearing the three's conversation, Ron immediately caught the scent of gossip.
Harry looked at Sherlock. "Can we talk about it now?"
"Mm, let's find a place to sit down and talk slowly."
The four went to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, ordered four ice cream drinks, and sat down.
Next, Harry recounted exactly what had happened when Mr. Weasley and Minister Fudge had come to see him.
When he finished speaking, Ron was stunned with his mouth wide open, while Hermione covered her mouth with both hands.
After a moment, she finally lowered her hands and said quietly.
"So, Sirius Black escaped to find you? Good heavens, Harry, you must be careful—especially careful. Don't go looking for trouble..."
"I'm not looking for trouble!"
Hearing Hermione say this, Harry couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"Trouble always finds me!"
Hermione also felt somewhat embarrassed hearing this. She looked at Sherlock and found he wasn't particularly tense, which made her breathe a sigh of relief too.
"Sorry... Harry, but I'm sure you won't go looking for a madman who wants to kill you, right?"
"Right, I'll wait—wait until I have the strength to defeat him before I go find him."
Hearing Harry say this, Hermione and Ron relaxed slightly.
Harry had just made it very clear that Sirius Black was formidably strong—the kind of wizard who could fight on equal terms with Snape and Flitwick.
Their abilities went without saying—the former could fight the Voldemort-controlled Lockhart to a draw, while the latter had been a dueling champion in his youth.
Even though Harry was exceptionally talented, reaching their level of strength would require waiting until after he came of age.
By that time, Black might well have been captured already.
After all, this was the first time the magical world had asked Muggles for help—two worlds acting together to find a fugitive showed the unprecedented scale of the manhunt.
"But I never imagined your brother could be so capable."
Hermione looked at Sherlock, finding it incredible. "Before this, I never would have thought a Muggle could influence Ministry decisions."
"Come on, Hermione, that's Sherlock's brother we're talking about!"
Ron didn't find this surprising at all and said carelessly.
"When we lived at Sherlock's house, we saw him. He's even more capable than Sherlock—Sherlock admitted this himself!"
Sherlock nodded. "His observational abilities and mastery of the art of deduction are indeed superior to mine."
The four chatted for a while longer, paid for their ice cream, then crossed the street toward Flourish and Blotts.
Compared to Sherlock and Harry, Hermione and Ron were clearly more worried about Black's threat.
But when they entered the bookstore, they were attracted by the surprising scene before them.
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