HP: I AM SHERLOCK HOLMES

In Harry’s view, the Divination classroom in front of him didn’t look like a classroom at all, but rather resembled a mixture of an attic and an old-fashioned folk witch house.

There were no desks or benches, but instead over twenty small round tables crammed together, surrounded by floral-patterned armchairs and green cushions.

The entire room had its curtains tightly drawn, and almost every lamp was draped with deep red scarves, casting the whole room in a dim, hazy red glow.

Although the weather had turned cool, this classroom was uncomfortably hot.

The circular walls were lined with shelves filled with candle stubs, playing cards, crystal balls, and piles of teacups.

A copper teapot on the fireplace mantel gave off a strong, fragrant scent.

Though it was supposed to be pleasant, the smell made people feel uncomfortable.

”Teaching quality aside, she certainly knows how to create atmosphere,” Sherlock said as he entered the classroom, giving his assessment after scanning the room.

”I think so too,” Hermione agreed, having arrived at the classroom almost alongside Sherlock.

As all the young wizards from their year gathered in the classroom, they couldn’t help but whisper among themselves around Harry and Sherlock, clearly finding everything before them rather novel.

”So where exactly is this professor?” Ron asked, frowning as he looked around.

Sherlock didn’t answer, but his gaze turned toward a shadowy corner of the classroom.

The students familiar with Sherlock immediately caught on and followed his line of sight.

Perhaps sensing she could no longer remain hidden, a soft, dreamy voice spoke up.

”How wonderful to see you in the physical world at last. Welcome, my dear children.”

With these words, Divination professor Sibyll Trelawney finally emerged slowly into everyone’s view.

Harry felt he was being somewhat impolite, but honestly, Professor Trelawney’s first impression reminded him of a giant, glittering insect.

The female professor was extremely thin, yet she wore enormous glasses that made her eyes appear several times their normal size.

Not only that, but she wore a gauzy shawl adorned with many glittering glitters.

Her thin neck was hung with numerous bead chains, and her arms and hands were adorned with many bracelets and rings.

All these accessories, reflected in the firelight, truly made her look like an oversized insect.

While confirming his first impression, Harry also silently apologized to the professor in his mind.

Sibyll Trelawney’s dramatic entrance naturally drew everyone’s attention.

Combined with the special nature of the Divination course, everyone who saw her felt somewhat uneasy.

Of course, this didn’t include Sherlock.

Combining his earlier observations of the classroom with his current analysis of Professor Trelawney herself, after three seconds of careful consideration, Sherlock had already seen through the facade to the truth beneath.

”Sit down, my children, sit down quickly,” Professor Trelawney said as she settled into an armchair before the fireplace.

Everyone looked at each other and gradually took their seats.

As soon as Sherlock sat down, Harry and Hermione immediately took seats on either side of him.

Ron shrugged and sat down as well, the four of them perfectly arranged around the same table.

After everyone was seated, Professor Trelawney began.

”Welcome to Divination. I am Professor Sibyll Trelawney. You probably haven’t seen me before, as I find that descending into the bustling chaos of school life clouds my Inner Eye.”

”Hermione, what’s the Inner Eye?” Harry couldn’t help but whisper.

”The Inner Eye is a term in Divination referring to a seer’s psychic ability. People who possess the ’Inner Eye’ can see the future—it’s a very rare gift that only a few people have,” Hermione recited the textbook answer.

However, after explaining, she looked at Professor Trelawney with somewhat doubtful eyes. This professor seemed rather eccentric—could such a person really possess the Inner Eye?

”I’m delighted you’ve chosen to study Divination, undoubtedly a wise choice—for it is the most profound of all magical arts.”

”Professor McGonagall said the same thing about Transfiguration in our first class,” Ron couldn’t help muttering quietly. ”I’d love to see those two argue about which one is really true.”

”But!” Professor Trelawney suddenly spoke, startling Ron out of his daydream.

”I must warn you at the outset that if you do not possess the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field!”

At these words, at least half the class smiled and looked at Hermione, who looked startled.

Apart from Flying lessons, this was the first time she’d heard that books were of little help in a subject. Even with Flying, after deep discussions with Sherlock, she’d discovered books were still useful—she simply couldn’t understand their contents before mastering certain techniques.

”Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future,” Professor Trelawney continued, picking up Neville’s copy of Unfogging the Future.

”Only a select few possess this gift. Now then, dear, how is your grandmother?”

She set down the textbook and suddenly fixed her enormous eyes on Neville.

Neville hadn’t expected the teacher to suddenly ask about his family and nearly fell off his cushion in fright.

His grandmother had been in good health, but after being asked this way, he suddenly felt uncertain.

”I think... she should be fine,” Neville stammered.

”I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you, dear,” Professor Trelawney shook her head.

Neville gasped in shock. He was terrified.

Professor Trelawney seemed satisfied with this reaction and turned back to address the class.

”This year I will be teaching you the basic methods of Divination. The first term will be devoted to reading tea leaves. Next term we will progress to palmistry. Incidentally,” she suddenly looked at Padma and Parvati Patil, the prettiest twin sisters in their year who, despite being in different houses, had chosen the same courses.

”Dears, you should beware red-haired men.”

The Patil twins immediately looked around in alarm, then spotted Ron sitting not far from them.

Without hesitation, both sisters moved their chairs farther away from him.

Due to the classroom layout, this move brought the twins closer to Sherlock.

This action made both Ron and Hermione frown simultaneously, especially Ron, who felt deeply offended by the rejection.

Professor Trelawney seemed not to notice this and continued in her unhurried tone.

”In the final term, we will progress to crystal balls—if we have finished with fire omens, that is. Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice. And around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever.”

After these words, the entire classroom fell silent.

Almost everyone was frightened by her predictions.

Only Sherlock raised an eyebrow slightly.

Making predictions of this magnitude? Interesting, truly interesting!

Professor Trelawney’s prophecy had clearly terrified the entire class.

So, when she next looked at Lavender Brown, the girl shrank back in her chair, her performance no better than Neville’s earlier. She was mainly afraid that Professor Trelawney would next say something like ”your life is like a candle in the wind.”

Fortunately, no such terrible thing happened.

”Dear, would you pass me the largest silver teacup?”

This request immediately put Lavender at ease.

She stood up without hesitation and, following Professor Trelawney’s instructions, took the largest teacup from the shelf and placed it on the table.

”Thank you very much, dear. Incidentally, that thing you are dreading—it will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October.”

Lavender looked absolutely devastated.

Seeing Lavender’s distress, Ron couldn’t help muttering quietly again. ”Sherlock, why do I feel she’s similar to you? Divination isn’t just the magical world’s version of deduction, is it?”

”Hardly comparable,” Sherlock shook his head. ”Deduction can see through appearances to the truth, but it can’t predict flu outbreaks in February or someone’s departure around Easter.”

”Sherlock, you don’t actually believe her, do you?”

”Dear Hermione, until the box is opened, we never know if the cat is alive—so regarding her two predictions, we’ll have to wait until that time to be certain.”

”I agree with you completely.”

While the four were whispering, Professor Trelawney spoke again.

”Now, I want you to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it!”

Unlike Charms class, Professor Trelawney naturally wouldn’t assign partners like Professor Flitwick did.

So naturally, Hermione paired with Sherlock, while Harry teamed up with Ron.

However, what happened next threw the entire class into great panic.

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