HP: I AM SHERLOCK HOLMES

On the Hogwarts Express, Ron was dissatisfied with his parents’ behavior:

”It’s all Dad and Mum’s fault! They had to talk for so long, now we can’t even find an empty compartment.”

”No problem, my friend. Your father and brothers already put our luggage in the rear car, and from my observation, that carriage isn’t very crowded.”

Sherlock said this while heading forward down the corridor. Harry and Hermione immediately followed without question.

”Maybe you’re right, but I’m still unhappy,” Ron grumbled, following the three of them.

When they reached the last compartment, all four stopped in their tracks.

As Sherlock had said, there was only one person here.

The problem was, this was an adult man.

As everyone knew, the Hogwarts Express was exclusively for students.

Except for the witch with the food trolley selling magical sweets, they’d never seen any other adults on this train.

Unexpectedly, one had appeared.

The man was leaning against the window, apparently fast asleep.

Sherlock’s eyes lit up after just one glance.

Without hesitation, he entered the compartment and sat by a window.

Seeing this, Hermione immediately followed, sitting beside him.

Harry and Ron were long accustomed to Hermione’s behavior. They exchanged glances and entered the compartment.

Ron sat across from Sherlock, and Harry carefully closed the sliding door, sitting beside Ron.

Hermione carefully observed the man, then quietly asked Sherlock.

”Sherlock, do you think he’s stronger than Professor Lockhart?”

”Most likely.”

”How can you tell?”

”The practicality of his luggage and security awareness, strategic environmental choice, the misleading appearance contrasted with inner substance.”

”But these alone don’t seem convincing enough.”

”That’s why I said ’most likely,’ not ’obviously.’ Oh, and there’s another reason — trust in Dumbledore.

At the end of last term, he believed the curse on this position had been lifted, so he’d probably hire someone with...”

”Wait, hold on!” Ron finally couldn’t stand listening to Sherlock and Hermione’s conversation.

”What are you two talking about?” He looked at the man, then at Sherlock and Hermione, completely bewildered: ”Do you actually know him?”

Sherlock and Hermione couldn’t help but exchange amused glances.

Seeing this, Harry suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

That’s right! When Sherlock and Gemma came to King’s Cross to pick him up, they had worn similar expressions.

This made Harry feel somewhat dazed.

That time, that moment, just like this time, this moment.

So... similar?

”He’s Professor R.J. Lupin, our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this term,” Hermione answered Ron’s question. ”It’s obvious.”

”How is this obvious?” Ron stared wide-eyed. ”And stop copying Sherlock’s way of speaking!”

”I want to!” Hermione pointed to the luggage rack above the man’s head with dissatisfaction. ”Look for yourself and you’ll know.”

Following Hermione’s pointing, Harry and Ron saw a shabby little suitcase there.

The name [Professor R.J. Lupin] was printed in one corner of the case, with some letters already peeling off.

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

At this moment, both simultaneously remembered the scene from two years ago when Sherlock first met Ron.

Ron had been just as surprised then about how Sherlock could immediately call out ”Ronald Weasley.”

Sherlock’s reply had been:

”If you want to hide your name, I advise you not to hang name tags on your suitcase in the future. Or when talking to others, don’t face the tag toward them.”

Sherlock’s words from then still echoed in their ears, making Ron’s face turn as red as his hair.

Was I really that forgetful?

And how had Hermione learned this trick too?

He took a deep breath: ”Even so, how do you know what subject he teaches?”

Hearing Ron’s question, even Harry shook his head. ”Ron, we only have one vacant position.”

Ron: ”...”

He suddenly felt stupid—what was that about?

The new professor could only teach Defense Against the Dark Arts!

Thinking about it this way, it really was obvious!

Harry considered things more deeply than Ron.

He tried to observe this new professor using Sherlock’s methods.

The man wore tattered wizard robes with several patched areas.

He looked quite young, but his light brown hair was already somewhat gray, and he appeared sickly and weak.

The small suitcase with his name on the luggage rack was shabby, but every rope was neatly tied.

Combined with what Sherlock had just told Hermione about ”practicality of luggage and security awareness, strategic environmental choice, misleading appearance contrasted with inner substance,” he understood why Sherlock thought well of Professor Lupin.

Ron was slowest to catch on, but now he followed Sherlock’s reasoning.

Of course, he didn’t think as deeply as Harry, but directly reached a conclusion:

”Although I think he doesn’t look very capable of fighting, honestly, Hermione, I think any professor would be stronger than Lockhart.”

”Professor Lockhart was also strong!” Hermione raised her eyebrows. ”Don’t forget he taught us many skills and fought Professor Snape to a draw.”

”Um, Hermione,” Harry looked at the indignant Hermione and kindly reminded her, ”Dumbledore said that except for Memory Charms, Lockhart had forgotten almost all his abilities. His performance last term was entirely due to being controlled by dark magic.”

Hermione: ”...”

”Thank you for the reminder, Harry,” Hermione said through gritted teeth.

Harry: ”...”

Oops, did I say something wrong?

”Alright, never mind him. Let’s talk about other happy things — this term we can finally go to Hogsmeade too!”

Ron said this with an envious expression. ”Sherlock has already been there twice, but he doesn’t seem interested in the place. He didn’t even visit Honeydukes.”

”Because Sherlock went there twice to investigate cases, not to play around like you,” Hermione first explained for Sherlock, then said:

”But Hogsmeade is indeed an interesting place. There’s a tavern that was headquarters during the 1612 Goblin Rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack is the most haunted house in Britain...”

”Not as good as Honeydukes — they have everything there: Pepper Imps that make you breathe smoke, wonderful Sugar Quills you can suck on in class while others think you’re pondering problems.”

In less than three sentences, Ron had steered the topic to food.

Neither Sherlock nor Harry participated in this discussion.

The former wasn’t interested, and the latter, though interested, still didn’t know if he could go, so his mood was inevitably low.

Hermione and Ron realized this problem and quickly stopped discussing it.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

”Let’s rest a while, everyone’s tired.”

”Good idea — wait, don’t let that thing out!”

Ron had just agreed with Hermione’s suggestion when he immediately complained loudly. But it was too late.

Hermione had opened the strap of the wicker basket beside her, and Crookshanks nimbly jumped out, then with barely a pause, leaped onto Ron’s lap.

Though it only stretched and yawned, the bulge in Ron’s pocket began trembling.

”Get off!” Ron angrily pushed the big cat away, seeing it target Scabbers again.

”Ronald, don’t do that!” Hermione was also angry.

Ron was about to speak when Professor Lupin suddenly moved. Startled, Ron quickly fell silent.

Sherlock had already picked up Crookshanks onto his lap and began stroking it rhythmically.

Crookshanks immediately purred contentedly, seeming to enjoy Sherlock’s petting.

Hermione’s face immediately brightened with a smile.

Ron looked thoroughly displeased.

Sitting across from Hermione and beside Ron, Harry could only smile wryly.

Cat and mouse...

The Hogwarts Express traveled north, and the scenery outside naturally became more desolate.

Due to the unpleasantness caused by Crookshanks, neither Hermione nor Ron felt like talking.

Hermione gradually fell asleep leaning against Sherlock’s shoulder.

Sherlock had long entered that state of transcendent meditation, seemingly oblivious to everything.

Seeing her sleep so peacefully, Ron snorted and turned away.

Harry had seen this scene during the summer holidays, so he wasn’t surprised now.

He curiously watched Crookshanks on Sherlock’s lap, noticing that its squashed face remained turned toward Ron, yellow eyes fixed on Ron’s chest pocket, apparently still not giving up on Scabbers.

Cat and mouse...

Students occasionally ran past their door.

By afternoon, Hermione finally woke up.

Discovering she’d fallen asleep against Sherlock’s shoulder again, Hermione blushed slightly.

But her skin had been tanned, so it wasn’t very noticeable.

Later, some close classmates came to greet them.

However, seeing a professor in the compartment, they all seemed rather restrained.

Like Cho Chang and Ginny, who had originally wanted to chat more with Harry, but speaking under a teacher’s nose felt strange.

Even though this professor had been sleeping the entire time.

”He sure can sleep,” Ron couldn’t help saying. ”I mean, he’s not dead, is he?”

Sherlock, Harry, and Hermione all looked at him helplessly.

You really dared to say anything!

”Sherlock, what’s that sound?”

Just then, a faint, almost inaudible whistling sound suddenly arose, making Hermione sit up straight immediately.

Harry and Ron also began looking around. Ron kept glancing at Professor Lupin, wondering if he had some magical alarm device on him.

He always felt this professor looked frail, as if any capable old witch could take him down—though even so, Ron believed he was still much stronger than Lockhart.

”Your suitcase,” Sherlock said to Harry, as if suddenly awakening from deep thought.

Harry immediately understood, stood up without question, and retrieved his suitcase from overhead.

Times had changed—Harry Potter was no longer the frail little boy who needed Sherlock’s help to get his suitcase into the compartment.

He’d grown taller and stronger.

So, without anyone’s help, he easily retrieved the suitcase and found the source of the sound in the corner.

It was Ron’s birthday gift from Egypt—a Pocket Sneakoscope.

The Sneakoscope was spinning rapidly in Harry’s palm, emitting brilliant light.

You can read more than 40 chapters on:

patreon.com/MikeyMuse