The moment Sherlock and Harry entered the Great Hall, Ron the hearty eater and Dean the quick-grinning boy immediately stood up and waved enthusiastically.
"Sherlock! Harry! Over here!"
As they made their way over, Ron puffed out his chest proudly. "I saved you both seats!"
"Thanks," Harry said, though he added in a lower voice, "It'd be even better if you didn't shout."
Ron's loud enthusiasm, paired with the mere mention of Harry Potter, immediately made the pair the center of attention in the entire hall.
"Look, over there!"
"Where? Where?"
"Next to the tall boy with the hooked nose!"
"You mean the one with the glasses?"
"Yeah, did you see his face?"
"Did you see the scar?"
As Sherlock and Harry walked to their seats, whispers followed them like a swarm of buzzing pixies, nonstop.
Harry, understandably, was not used to this kind of attention.
Ron noticed it too and rubbed his nose sheepishly. "Sorry about that."
My voice was a bit too loud…
Breakfast, of course, wasn't as extravagant as the Feast of the Term the night before—but it was still plentiful, and most importantly, filling.
That alone made it a godsend for someone like Ron, who always ate like it was his last meal, and for Harry, who had never in his life eaten freely at home.
Sherlock, meanwhile, was multitasking. As he ate, he studied the first-year Gryffindors' class schedule:
Monday:
Morning – History of Magic
Afternoon – Herbology
Tuesday:
Morning – Herbology
Afternoon – Charms, Transfiguration
Wednesday:
Morning – Defense Against the Dark Arts
Afternoon – Herbology
Night – Astronomy
Thursday:
Morning – Transfiguration
Afternoon – Charms
Friday:
Morning – Double Potions
Afternoon – Free
A note at the bottom mentioned that Flying Lessons would begin later in the term and would be added after Thursday afternoon's Charms class.
Clearly, the first-year schedule was quite packed—which made sense, considering they needed to reshape the entire worldview of students just stepping into the magical world.
After breakfast, the group hurried off to class.
For Sherlock, his first week at Hogwarts was both fulfilling and fascinating.
Each subject had its own quirks.
History of Magic was the only class taught by a ghost—and a ghostly class it was, in every sense.
Professor Binns' lessons were pure theory, emphasizing rote memorization. His droning monotone—typical of a ghost who had forgotten how to emote, made the subject even drier.
Most students simply scribbled down names and dates while fighting to stay awake.
All but two.
The first was Hermione Granger, who had already revealed her top-student tendencies on Day One—listening intently, taking thorough notes, and generally being the model student. (Well, except answering questions—because Binns never asked any.)
The second was Sherlock.
Unlike others, Sherlock was genuinely intrigued by the magical world.
He had already read the entire textbook. So attending Binns' class felt more like activating an audiobook for review.
Still, Binns would respond if a student asked a question.
And Sherlock was that student.
Among the drowsy little lions, he stood out like a candle in the fog.
Even Hermione found herself repeatedly glancing in his direction.
He's... kind of like me!
Compared to History of Magic, Herbology was much more engaging.
Having three lessons per week showed how foundational the subject was.
Professor Pomona Sprout, a stout and cheerful witch and the Head of Hufflepuff House, taught the class in the greenhouses behind the castle rather than inside a classroom.
The lessons focused on teaching students how to care for magical plants and fungi, and how to use them safely.
This time, it wasn't just Sherlock raising questions—Hermione joined in too.
Perhaps Sherlock's performance in History of Magic had provoked her competitive spirit, because she even lingered after class trying to ask Professor Sprout more questions.
Unfortunately, the professor had other classes to teach and promised to follow up the next day.
Sure enough, the next morning, Hermione was back at it, a shining example of diligence.
Her impressive participation across two straight classes even earned Gryffindor five points, winning her well-deserved applause.
Sherlock, however, was no longer as enthusiastic.
He simply completed Professor Sprout's tasks efficiently—without asking a single question.
He didn't need to.
He'd already read the entire textbook and asked what he wanted during the first lesson. That had given him all the foundational knowledge he needed to understand the subject in his own way.
That was enough.
Sherlock approached every subject the same way.
Use the first class to raise questions, gauge the subject's scope and usefulness—and then prioritize.
If a class wasn't particularly useful to him, he only aimed to pass the exams.
The time and energy saved would go to subjects that were useful—or interesting.
Soon enough, one such subject arrived.
Charms.
"Granger, Hermione!"
"Holmes, Sherlock!"
"…Potter, Harry—ah!"
The Charms professor was Filius Flitwick, who was also Head of Ravenclaw House.
Flitwick, of part-goblin heritage, was remarkably short—Sherlock estimated he stood barely four feet tall.
He had to stand on a stack of books just to reach the top of his lectern.
As usual, the first class began with roll call. Everything went smoothly—until Flitwick reached one name.
When he called out Harry Potter, he squealed in excitement and promptly toppled off the books and disappeared from view.
That moment once again reminded Sherlock just how much weight the name Harry Potter carried in the wizarding world.
Even a Hogwarts professor—a Head of House, wasn't immune.
It also reinforced Sherlock's belief that forming a partnership with Harry before school started had been an exceptionally wise move.
Even before classes began, Draco Malfoy and his cronies had tried to recruit Harry.
And now, the number of teachers and students paying attention to him only added more opportunities for Sherlock to gather information about the magical world at a faster pace.
What's more, Sherlock had started to realize that Harry wasn't just a convenient pawn—he might actually be useful.
Gradually, he began letting go of the idea of using Harry as a tool.
Maybe… he could be a real friend.
(Of course, that's a story for another time.)
As for Professor Flitwick, he quickly composed himself and got on with the lesson.
Like other subjects, the first Charms class provided a general overview.
They also began learning their first basic spell: the Mending Charm—Reparo.
It was the very spell Sherlock had used on the train to fix Harry's broken glasses.
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