"Sherlock, Cedric seems to have misunderstood you," Harry couldn't help but say to Sherlock as they returned to their dormitory after parting ways with Cedric.
"Misunderstood?" Sherlock tilted his head. "In what respect?"
"About what you just said—that you're interested in Delacour..."
"It's not a misunderstanding. I really am very interested in her."
Sherlock's eyes sparkled as he spoke unrestrainedly. "Bearing one-quarter Veela blood, I wonder if she can transform her face into a bird's head and sprout wings like those at the Quidditch World Cup.
Also, I remain deeply curious about why she seems to know who I am. You see, old chap, problems like these that require mental effort to solve are precisely what I find most interesting. Otherwise, this mundane world would be far too dull."
"You still find things dull..." Harry couldn't resist the retort. "I think these past three years at Hogwarts have been livelier than Azkaban!"
He spoke from genuine feeling. Think about it—as first-year students fresh to the school, they'd confronted the Dark Lord himself at the end of their first term. In their second year, they'd battled the young Voldemort again. By third year, though Voldemort didn't appear, his followers started causing trouble.
Honestly, even Azkaban wasn't this chaotic—except for those two prison breaks by Barty Crouch Jr. and Sirius Black.
"Well said," Sherlock nodded, affirming Harry's assessment. "But all of this is because of you!"
"I..." Harry wanted to object but found he had no grounds for rebuttal, because Sherlock was speaking the plain truth.
"Admit it, my dear Harry. Whenever and wherever, something happens, you're always at the center of the storm. Or rather, it's precisely because you're there that the storm forms in the first place. And this is exactly why I sought you out before school even began. In this city, most people live mundane lives, their eyes seeing only bustling streets and passing crowds. But traveling alongside Harry Potter, I get to witness battlefields."
Harry was speechless.
"Wait... that's not what I was trying to say!" Harry realized the conversation had somehow been diverted and hastily steered it back on course. "I'm talking about you and Delacour—I think Cedric might believe you fancy Fleur and want to pursue her!"
"Pursue?" Sherlock stopped walking and laughed. "Harry, I believe I've told you before that to me, love is a dangerous disadvantage. Romance is an emotional affair, and it's incompatible with the cold rationality I value most highly."
"Sherlock, you..." Harry started to say something but thought better of it. He'd never managed to persuade Sherlock about anything, so he ultimately gave up.
However, he needed to have a proper conversation with Hermione about this. Given Sherlock's personality, perhaps she should consider being more direct?
When they returned to the dormitory, Ron immediately rushed over.
"Well? Well? Did you see Krum and Delacour?"
For Ron, these were the two people among the nine champions he cared about most. His admiration for Krum stemmed from a boy's worship of a superstar in his favorite sport—much like Dean's admiration for Pelé and Maradona.
As for Fleur, that was pure infatuation based on appearance, though Ron himself attributed it partly to her Veela heritage. After all, he hadn't reacted this absurdly when encountering beautiful girls like Gemma Farley, Penelope Clearwater, or Cho Chang.
As for Ginny... please, brothers never think their sisters are attractive, especially when they're only a year apart in age.
"We saw them," Harry sighed heavily and collapsed onto his bed. "You know what? That friend of yours—Fleur Delacour really is part Veela. During the wand inspection today, she personally confirmed that the Veela hair in her wand core belonged to her own grandmother."
"Ha! I knew it!" Ron said excitedly. "What did I tell you? She's definitely got Veela blood!"
"Please, she's not a Veela—she just has Veela ancestry. And that's what Sherlock said, anyway."
"Close enough—what about Krum? Did he say anything to you? Damn it, if Snape hadn't been watching, I really should have had you get his autograph!"
"Uh... you're overthinking it. We didn't actually speak to them..."
Harry paused here. Though Sherlock had said one thing to Fleur and she hadn't responded, that still counted as not having a conversation, right?
"Ah, what a shame," Ron sighed deeply. "Quick, tell me about everything else. What exactly did they call you there for today?"
"Didn't I just say? It was for wand inspection..."
After Harry finished recounting everything, Ron suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh, right—Hedwig brought you a letter, but she wouldn't let me take it. I tried to force the issue, but she pecked me and flew off..."
This was one characteristic of magical world owls—they wouldn't allow anyone except the intended recipient to take the letter.
"What?" Hearing Ron's words, Harry immediately jumped up. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"I forgot."
Harry looked exasperated.
Hedwig was a very intelligent owl. Without waiting for Harry to search the castle for her, she flew back on her own initiative, found Harry, and delivered his letter. She also didn't forget to peck Ron once more.
"Hedwig, have mercy!" Ron pleaded. "I was just trying to save you the trouble!"
Sherlock and Harry watched as Hedwig relentlessly pursued Ron, both secretly amused.
Harry opened the letter Hedwig had brought him and discovered it was from his godfather, Sirius.
The content was straightforward:
"Dear Harry, regarding recent events concerning you, I cannot speak freely in a letter. I believe we need to talk face to face. If you can come to Hogsmeade this Saturday, I will wait for you at the Three Broomsticks. I know better than anyone that you can take care of yourself, and I believe that as long as you're near Dumbledore and Moody, no one can harm you.
Remember to bring Sherlock—having him by your side gives me great peace of mind. However, the Triwizard Tournament itself should not be underestimated. If anything unusual happens, I still hope you'll write to tell me. Please let me know as soon as possible whether you can make it this Saturday.
Also, give my regards to Moony.
With eternal love, Sirius."
Harry was naturally willing to meet with Sirius. In fact, aside from Sherlock, Sirius was the person he trusted most, followed by the "Moony" mentioned in the letter though Professor Lupin had recently fallen ill again, so Harry wouldn't be able to see him for a while.
In his subconscious, Harry had completely come to regard Sirius as a father. He had Hedwig carry a reply to Sirius, confirming he would definitely come to Hogsmeade, and then began looking forward to it.
However, before heading to Hogsmeade village, Harry encountered a troublesome matter that left him utterly depressed.
Rita Skeeter's article about the Triwizard Tournament had been published. In Harry's view, this article was the root of all evil. Rather than being a report on the Triwizard Tournament situation, it was more like an embellished portrayal of Harry's personal life.
First, a large portion of the newspaper's front page was occupied by a photograph of Harry—specifically, the moving photo Harry had been unwilling to cooperate with for Rita Skeeter. Yet when singled out and paired with Rita Skeeter's article content, it reeked heavily of defiant resistance against fate. Very heavily indeed!
Second, the entire article was almost exclusively about Harry. Well, and Sherlock too. The poor Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions' names were squeezed into the very last line of the article—and even misspelled! Cedric Diggory wasn't mentioned at all. Hard to say which fate was worse.
Under Rita Skeeter's pen, Harry somehow had said many things he'd never uttered. The headline alone was extremely attention-grabbing:
Unfortunate Harry Potter—Tears Beneath the Scar and the Secret Whirlpool of Jealousy?
Special correspondent Rita Skeeter reveals the unknown emotional journey of the Hogwarts champions! Exclusive exposé of the human struggles behind the Triwizard Tournament!
That boy whose name has been branded by the era, the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter is caught in an unprecedented vortex of struggle! This youngest champion in history, when the spotlight focuses on his iconic lightning bolt scar, hides beneath his brave mask a loneliness and sorrow beyond ordinary comprehension!
Although someone's crude interference once reduced our exclusive interview to nothing, Rita Skeeter still managed, through her unparalleled warmth and rapport, to touch the fragile, burning heart beneath this young hero's cold exterior!
"I've never been forced to face my fate! I believe they gave me strength... yes, it was my parents who sleep forever beneath the earth..."
During our brief conversation, Potter's strikingly green eyes filled with heart-breaking tears. Fighting back sobs, he confided to this reporter. What moving sincerity! Under someone's almost oppressive shadow, this courage is particularly precious.
"I know... they're watching me from above... proud of me... and bearing the heavy burden this honor brings..."
This attachment to lost family affection is like a wound that never heals, repeatedly tormenting his young soul in the silent depths of night.
"Sometimes in the dead of night, tears still wet my pillow uncontrollably... that pain of losing loved ones has never left."
"Admitting pain is not shameful," this champion whispered (Skeeter's note: Please allow me to shed a tear of sympathy for this). Potter deeply believes that his parents' spirits in heaven form his spiritual shield against all dangers!
"No danger in the competition can truly harm me, because their love has never left—it protects every step I take forward in the unseen place..."
Beyond heavy grief, the castle of Hogwarts has also opened a door to tender affection for this scarred boy! According to Colin Creevey, Potter's most intimate companion and devoted admirer (a passionate young man who enthusiastically uses his camera to capture every moment of his idol), he excitedly revealed:
"Harry simply can't be separated from Cho for even a moment! That's right, Cho Chang of Ravenclaw! Their figures are practically inseparable in every corridor and every corner of the castle!"
Oh! What heart-fluttering youthful affection! This girl of Asian ethnicity with beautiful black hair, and her transcendent beauty and equally impressive academic achievements (perfectly complementing Potter), has become a warm light illuminating the life of the Boy Who Lived.
Clearly, this tender yet passionate first love provides invaluable solace to the burden-bearing Potter!
As for the portions mentioning Sherlock, while second only to Harry in length, they were mercilessly disparaging:
Where There Is Sunlight, There Must Be Shadow
Beside this warm drama of a lonely hero seeking love that is Harry Potter's story, another figure—the self-proclaimed deduction prodigy Sherlock Holmes appears jarringly out of place and even deeply suspicious!
Just as this reporter attempted to conduct an in-depth interview with Harry Potter, his "blood brother" and "close friend" Sherlock Holmes subjected us to unprecedented, almost brutish and forceful rejection! His behavioral purpose was clear: Holmes' jealousy, impossible to conceal and practically overflowing from his eyes!
This youth, unfortunately born a few months earlier than Potter, seems unable to tolerate his name being overshadowed by Potter's legendary brilliance. What a subtle age difference, yet it determined who would claim the Triwizard Tournament's youngest champion halo!
For well-known reasons, whenever appearing in a crowd, Harry Potter naturally becomes the focus of everyone's attention. In fact, as Harry Potter's companion, Sherlock Holmes has long harbored dissatisfaction about this.
A knowledgeable senior Hogwarts professor who requested anonymity out of concern for their position (Skeeter's note: We are duty-bound to protect our sources!) privately revealed to this newspaper a worrying fact:
Holmes is obsessed with spreading an absurd, pretentious pseudo-deduction technique, attempting to divine people's professional privacy and past whereabouts merely from their clothing and behavior! Clear-thinking faculty and students at the school mostly scoff at this, viewing it as tedious self-performance and self-indulgence.
According to reliable intelligence analysis, his initial approach to Potter was a carefully planned, ambiguously motivated, deceptive setup that may conceal dangerous schemes of which even Dumbledore remains unaware!
Oh! Dear readers, beware this lurking shadow!
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