There's a rumor in the wizarding world.
Since Professor Dumbledore rejected Tom Riddle from taking the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, the position has been cursed.
Though unproven, nearly all witches and wizards agree with this belief.
The reasoning is simple: since that incident, every professor who has taught the subject has left after just one year for various reasons.
Because of this, Hogwarts has had to hire a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor every year.
Ten years ago, even though Lord Voldemort had vanished after the defeat at the hands of the savior, Harry Potter, his curse seemed to have persisted.
The position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor still rotates annually.
The reasons for the professors' departures have been varied: family matters, divorces, feelings of inadequacy, sudden health issues, and so on.
So when Professor Quirrell volunteered to take on the role, Dumbledore and McGonagall agreed without hesitation.
Professor Quirrell, a graduate of Ravenclaw, had been famous for his extraordinary talent as a student. Though he had been teaching Muggle Studies before, his theoretical knowledge was very solid.
After being appointed as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Quirrell, not content with just theory, wanted firsthand practical experience.
So, before the start of the term, he spent some time gaining practical experience in Dark Arts defence.
This approach was understood and supported by other professors.
After all, practical experience is vital in teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts.
However, Quirrell got into trouble when he traveled to the Forbidden Forest.
Though he eventually escaped and returned to school, he seemed like a changed person after that.
Everyone thought he was frightened out of his wits by vampires and witches.
Not only did his speech become stammering, but he also began to fear everything, including his own students. His weakness and helplessness were unmistakable.
Yet it was this very fearful and weak man who was now intently staring at Harry.
His gaze was decisive and cruel, completely at odds with his usual persona.
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, reminiscent of the mocking expression Sherlock once wore when talking about the Scotland Yard.
"Just Snape…"
If he could hold on for a few more seconds, he could knock this boy off his broom.
Even if Snape recited every counter-curse, it would be useless.
This was his confidence as a Ravenclaw, and... the support he had from that person.
He had been hiding his true nature so well that no one, distracted by the match, noticed Quirrell's odd behavior.
And because of that, Quirrell himself didn't notice Hermione nearby.
It wasn't until half a minute later, when a shrill scream rang out, that he realized something had gone wrong.
Damn it, he cursed under his breath and quickly tried to extinguish the fire on his robe.
At the same time, his mind was filled with doubt. Had he been exposed?
Once Quirrell stopped staring, Snape immediately took the upper hand.
With his help, Harry quickly regained control of his broom.
Harry had kept Sherlock's advice in mind—once out of danger, end the match quickly and don't give Quirrell another chance.
Harry's luck was truly on his side.
Almost as soon as he regained his composure, he spotted his target and dived toward the ground.
Before anyone could react, he had already landed.
In the stunned silence of the entire crowd, Harry nimbly leapt off his broom.
He clenched his fist, raised it high, and waved it fiercely.
The whole process was smooth and graceful, a sight to behold.
With Madam Hooch's whistle, the match was over.
Harry instinctively looked toward the banner.
Although he couldn't see it clearly from the distance, he believed Sherlock was certainly watching him.
Unfortunately, he was wrong.
Sherlock's gaze was shifting between Snape and Quirrell.
From the outcome of this encounter, it was clear that Snape was no match for Quirrell.
This confirmed Harry's earlier suspicions.
At that moment, Lee Jordan loudly announced the match result—With Harry catching the Golden Snitch, Gryffindor won 170 to 40.
The match was over, but the scene was still chaotic.
Gryffindor's team believed that Flint's collision had caused Harry's broom to malfunction.
Slytherin, of course, refused to admit it.
Only dark magic could make a broom behave like that, and Flint wasn't skilled enough for that.
Even if Flint had used some trick, they couldn't admit it.
Seeing Gryffindor, whom they had been pressing down for so long, suddenly rising, the Slytherin players were furious.
Words turned into insults, pushing and shoving soon followed.
The expressions of both teams grew more and more sinister, and their words and actions grew increasingly violent until a full-blown conflict erupted.
As the players began fighting, the spectators on the stands couldn't stay put. They jumped down to cheer on their respective houses.
"We're going!"
"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
At Sherlock's signal, Ron, Dean, and Seamus gleamed with excitement as they rushed down with him.
Hermione and Neville hesitated for a moment, then also followed Sherlock into the field.
Unexpectedly, Sherlock didn't join in the brawl.
At his reminder, Hagrid quickly found Harry and led the four of them away.
With Hagrid's giant frame, even amidst the chaos, they managed to pass through smoothly.
"Sherlock, I thought you called us down here to punch those guys!"
"I was already ready to punch Malfoy in the nose."
When they reached Hagrid's hut, Ron grabbed the tea Hagrid handed him and mumbled in dissatisfaction.
"That was pointless."
Sherlock replied calmly, "There are enough professors watching the match, the situation will be under control soon."
"Alright, alright…"
Ron complained instinctively but then brought up another matter after hearing Sherlock's explanation.
"Sherlock, I still think Snape isn't a good guy.
I saw it clearly—he was staring at Harry and muttering spells, he never stopped."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Hagrid, who was typical of blunt thinking, hadn't realized what had been happening nearby.
Upon hearing Ron, he naturally disagreed strongly.
"Why would Professor Snape do that? He has no reason to harm Harry!"
Ron scratched his head. "Maybe because he's Harry's father's rival?"
"Merlin's beard!"
Hagrid stared wide-eyed at Harry, "Harry, who told you this? I'll go beat up the one who's been spreading such rumors!"
"No one told me," Harry replied proudly, "It was Sherlock's deduction."
Sure enough, Sherlock's deduction had once again proven correct.
"Oh, greedy monster—Drippy!"
Hagrid had already witnessed Sherlock's abilities, but hearing this still made him marvel.
He stared at Sherlock for a moment, then slowly said:
"You can see through people's hearts just like Dumbledore, but even so… Snape would never harm Harry."
Sherlock glanced at Ron. "He said it, I didn't."
Ron: (ー`ー)
"Also, according to my deduction, Snape actually wanted to protect Harry just now, but unfortunately, he's no match for Quirrell."
"Who?"
Hagrid suddenly felt his mind wasn't catching up, "Who did you say?"
"Quirrell. The Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."
Sherlock said calmly.
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