After the moment of reflection, Hermione turned her gaze to Sherlock.
"Sherlock, do you think Black will really come looking for Harry as Minister Fudge said?"
"Obviously, my friend."
Sherlock gave a definitive answer. "The reason Sirius chose to break out of prison was because he discovered Peter was still alive.
For him, the desire for revenge must be the top priority.
But from the descriptions of several professors and Sirius's various actions after escaping, he's also very concerned about Harry.
That's why he went to see him on the morning Harry left Privet Drive, and came to the Quidditch pitch to watch Harry's match after arriving at Hogwarts.
Given this, after learning this news, he'll definitely come to verify its accuracy.
In this situation, seeking out Harry is a good choice. It seems the Ministry of Magic isn't hopelessly stupid after all—at least some people clearly understand where their foolishness lies."
Listening to Sherlock's merciless mockery of the Ministry, the friends were at a loss for words.
"There's one more thing I don't understand."
Hermione raised another question. "Black stayed in Azkaban for a full twelve years. Why did he only choose to break out this year?"
"Good question. That's because he only learned this year that Peter Pettigrew wasn't dead."
"But how did he know?"
Hermione felt even more puzzled. "He's been in Azkaban the whole time, isolated from the outside world. Theoretically, Black had no way of learning about Peter Pettigrew."
"Hermione, if you think carefully, there's actually only one channel that could allow a prisoner in Azkaban to see news from the outside world, isn't there?"
Sherlock looked at Harry with a smile. "In Harry's description of his conversation with Fudge just now, this point was actually mentioned."
Hermione was clever after all, when it mattered, she caught on immediately.
"You mean—the newspaper!"
"Bingo!"
Sherlock snapped his fingers.
"Fudge said Sirius asked him for the newspaper to do crossword puzzles, but unfortunately he didn't know that it was precisely this newspaper that let Sirius know Peter was still alive."
"He could tell Peter was alive from a crossword puzzle?"
Ron's eyes widened in surprise. "That doesn't make any sense!"
"Of course it's not the crossword puzzle, my dear Ron."
Sherlock looked at Ron and said in an unemotional tone. "Actually, you should have been the first to think of this!"
"Me?"
Ron pointed at himself, his face full of disbelief.
Seeing Ron still hadn't reacted, Sherlock asked again. "Remember the birthday present you gave Harry?"
"Of course I remember. I originally thought that thing was cheap junk, but it turned out to be actually useful. Seems the Egyptian wizards aren't con artists after all."
Ron praised them somewhat emotionally, then asked again with complete confusion, "But what does this have to do with Sirius discovering Peter was still alive?"
Sherlock: .....
Ron Weasley—he raised Gryffindor's average height but lowered its average IQ.
"Ron, it's not the Sneakoscope."
Although Harry's reaction was slower than Hermione's, he'd figured it out by now. Seeing Ron still looking at Sherlock with that clear gaze full of stupidity, he quickly said.
"It's the photograph, that photo in the Daily Prophet."
"What photograph?"
Seeing Ron still looking completely confused, even Ginny couldn't stand it anymore.
"Please, Ron, the birthday present you sent Harry came with a clipping from the Daily Prophet! That was our family photo!"
"I got it!"
Ron finally understood.
"That photo, Scabbers—besides us, Peter Pettigrew transformed into Scabbers was standing on my shoulder at the time!"
Seeing Ron act like he'd discovered a new continent, everyone couldn't bear to watch.
This time it was actually Sherlock who responded first.
"Well said, Ron—others might not recognize him, but Sirius could definitely identify Peter at a glance!
Professor Lupin might not have recognized him at first sight like Sirius, but it would only have been a matter of time.
Unfortunately, Peter Pettigrew in his transformed state as Scabbers hadn't been staying with Ron, so Professor Lupin never saw him before I revealed the truth.
This is why I said that even without that crucial piece of the puzzle, Peter would have been found eventually.
As long as he had an opportunity, he'd ultimately be able to see through appearances to the essence."
After explaining this matter, Sherlock brought the topic back to Sirius.
"In any case, based on my assessment of Sirius's character, he should be able to sort out his thoughts and come find Harry very soon."
No one would question Sherlock's judgment anymore. But even so, no one expected this day would come so suddenly, so quickly.
December 1993, the last day before Christmas holidays.
The Gryffindor third-years only had one Care of Magical Creatures class today.
After this class, they'd be completely free, just waiting to go home tomorrow for the holidays.
Gryffindor Common Room.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny were discussing their plans to go home tomorrow.
"Don't look so glum, come on, have a drink!"
Ron said while handing Harry a Butterbeer.
"I've already written home. Ginny and I are both going back, so you can go to the Muggles' place with peace of mind!"
"Thank you, Ron."
Since drinking it once in Hogsmeade, Harry had grown fond of this beverage.
Compared to the brandy Sherlock preferred, it wasn't as harsh and suited Harry's taste better.
"Wait, did you go to Hogsmeade again?"
After taking a sip, Harry suddenly realized.
"Haha, you didn't know!"
Ron explained with a laugh. "The house-elves in the school kitchen can make this stuff too!
Although it's not quite as good as what Madam Rosmerta makes at the Three Broomsticks, it's pretty good for those of us still at school.
Remember when Neville was looking for Trevor the other day?"
Harry nodded.
This had almost become a regular event for Gryffindor House.
Before every holiday, Neville would search everywhere for his toad pet Trevor.
"In the past, Trevor would at most run around within Gryffindor, but this time somehow he ended up in the Hufflepuff girls' dormitory!"
"What?"
Harry's eyes widened in surprise.
Ginny added with a giggle. "Fortunately, Hannah Abbott recognized him and brought his pet back to Neville."
"I happened to be chatting with Neville about Butterbeer, and guess what?"
Ron continued, not waiting for Harry's answer before providing it himself. "Abbott went to the school kitchen and brought us back several cups. I've been waiting to share it with you!"
"Hannah Abbott?"
This young witch was the first in their year to wear the Sorting Hat.
Like the Longbottom, Weasley, Malfoy, and Black families, the Abbotts were also one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families.
But Harry hadn't realized she was so helpful.
"Harry, have you forgotten? In first year, Sherlock helped her father a great deal!"
Harry suddenly remembered—before Christmas in first year, based on a Ministry investigation report, Sherlock had helped clear Abbott's father's name.
"Hehe, we're Old Sher's best mates, so we benefited from his good reputation this time.
I already asked him, and he said he prefers brandy, so all of these are ours!"
"I see."
Seeing Harry's brow furrow again unconsciously, Ron patted his shoulder.
"Stop worrying, Harry, we already agreed, didn't we—we'll each go to our own homes, find our own moms."
"Yes, Harry, although spending two weeks with Percy is indeed annoying, if you're not at school, it won't be much fun for Ron and me either."
After saying this, even Ginny herself was surprised.
When had she become so bold?
Soon, she realized—probably since Harry and Cho Chang had grown closer recently.
Since Sherlock had exposed Peter Pettigrew, Harry and Cho Chang had been seeing each other more frequently.
On one hand, as a Ravenclaw, Cho Chang was interested in Sherlock's case-solving process.
On the other hand, as Harry's friend, it was perfectly normal for her to show concern for Harry's life.
Although the two weren't exactly dating yet, it made Ginny feel threatened. With encouragement from her friend Luna, she'd also become more proactive.
"But I clearly promised you before that I'd stay at school..."
"Oh, what's there to worry about!"
Ron shook his head vigorously. "If you were going home alone and leaving us at school, feeling a bit guilty would make sense. But now we can go home too, so it really doesn't matter at all!"
"Ron's right!"
Originally, Ginny had felt quite sorry that Harry couldn't stay at school, and had secretly complained that Ron was a useless brother.
However, when she discovered Harry really did want to return to Privet Drive, she let go of those thoughts and joined Ron in urging.
"Harry, you're too kind. Sometimes you need to be more open-minded about things..."
Ginny was agreeing when suddenly her eyes lit up. "What's that?"
Before she could react, a yellow shadow pounced toward the three of them.
"Crookshanks!"
Harry looked at the large cat with bared teeth and claws in surprise. "Scabbers... no, Peter has already been sent to Azkaban. Why are you here again?"
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