Chapter 31: You Had Best Keep Your Distance from Potter

When hearing the sounds of Snape heartlessly deducting points from Gryffindor, Neville, who had not yet managed to leave, was past the point of fear.

Why was it that he was the one who had made the mistake, yet it was Sherlock and Harry who were being punished?

The young lions of Gryffindor were left stunned and speechless. This kind of targeting could no longer be called obvious; it was blatantly malicious and utterly unhinged.

Fortunately, as the lesson neared its end, the potion brewed under Sherlock’s guidance turned out to be a success, leaving Snape with no further opportunity to deduct points. Harry and the others let out a collective sigh of relief.

It was finally over.

But just then, Sherlock took the initiative and walked toward Snape.

Harry was startled. "Sherlock, what are you doing?"

Sherlock smiled slightly. "Going to seek counsel from Professor Snape."

At that moment, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and all the Gryffindor lions were screaming in their hearts:

Don't go!

"Holmes..."

Seeing Sherlock approach him of his own accord, Snape’s gaze turned dangerous. "Do you have further business?"

"I have a few questions I would like to ask you, Professor."

Upon hearing this, Snape paused, then squeezed a sentence through his teeth: "If you intend to ask some idiotic question about the language of flowers or something of that sort, you would do well to keep your tiresome mouth shut!"

His cold, icy stare felt tangible, as if it could pierce right through Sherlock. Had Neville been in his shoes, he likely would have burst into tears by now. Harry, Ron, and the others were faring little better. The aura Snape projected at that moment was so oppressive that it felt as if he might draw his wand and cast a hex at any second.

Yet, Sherlock remained completely unfazed. He looked into Snape’s eyes and said calmly, "They are a few questions regarding Potions."

Without waiting for Snape’s permission, he proceeded to state the questions he had summarized.

Hearing Sherlock’s inquiries, Snape’s surprise was even greater than before. For a first-year student, posing such questions was no small feat—it was far more difficult than successfully answering the questions Snape had thrown at them during the lecture. These questions hit precisely upon the key difficulties of first-year Potions, serving as a masterclass in synthesis, logical progression, and summary.

Although Snape had always desired the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, he was, in truth, a master of Potions. Through these few questions, he realized that the boy already possessed a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the subject.

His gaze softened in an instant. This talent was, if anything, even greater than hers had been, and what’s more... she, too, had been a Gryffindor. At the thought of her, a beautiful face with long red hair and green eyes appeared in his mind.

After answering the questions, Snape looked into Sherlock’s grey eyes and said coldly, "Holmes, if you wish to achieve anything in Potions, you would do well to stay away from Potter!"

With that, he swept his gaze over the wall behind Sherlock, turned with a flourish, and strode away like a black bat.

Watching Snape depart, Sherlock said without turning his head, "You can come out now."

The trio emerged from behind the wall, moving sluggishly. Harry looked somewhat awkward. "Sherlock, when did you discover us?"

"From the moment you started following me."

"Huh?" Ron looked astonished. "I thought you only realized it after we hid here."

"I have some confidence in my ability to track and evade being tracked. Incidentally, Professor Snape discovered you long ago."

"I knew it!" Hermione said, somewhat excitedly. "He must have been looking at us when he left, right?"

Sherlock nodded. "Obviously."

Because Hermione had stood up for Sherlock during the Potions lesson, Harry—who had been indifferent to her—and Ron—who had disliked her—both felt their opinions of her improve significantly. Combined with their shared concern for Sherlock, the three had followed him.

Fortunately, Snape had not made things difficult for Sherlock. However, his final remark was grating. What did he mean by "if you want to achieve anything in Potions, you must stay away from Potter"? Harry didn't have Veela blood, so how could he possibly hinder Sherlock’s studies?

Harry felt even worse. In the first week of school, in just one Potions class, Gryffindor had lost four points because of him—as many as Sherlock and Granger combined. Strictly speaking, the reason Sherlock and Granger had lost points was also because of him. This only deepened his melancholy. He truly could not understand why Snape hated him so much.

Just then, a hand was placed on his shoulder.

Harry looked up and met Sherlock’s grey eyes.

"It’s just a few points," Sherlock said calmly. "It’s not an important matter."

He truly did not take the point deduction to heart. Let alone one or two points—even if it were eight, ten, a hundred, or two hundred, he wouldn't even furrow his brow.

Ron, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly. "Exactly! George and Fred are always losing points—don't let something like this get to you. We’re going to see Hagrid soon!"

Hearing Ron mention this, Harry finally perked up.

Sherlock turned to Hermione. "Care to join us?"

Hermione blinked. "Hagrid? Who is that?"

"The large man who brought us to the castle from the train station. So, would you like to come along?"

Having changed his view of Hermione, Ron also offered an explanation. Hermione realized who he meant, but after glancing at the three of them and pondering for a moment, she shook her head in refusal. "No, thank you. I need to go to the library to look up some information."

If it had been just Sherlock, she might have considered it. They both came from Muggle families and had met before the start of term. Judging by this week's classes, he was a student who loved learning just as she did, and they likely had much in common—though his performance in Astronomy was poor, that was acceptable. However, her relationship with Harry and Ron could only be described as that of classmates; they weren't close enough to spend time together yet. Even if he was the savior of the wizarding world.

At three in the afternoon, Sherlock arrived at Hagrid’s hut on time with Harry and Ron. On the way, they encountered the caretaker, Argus Filch, and his cat, Mrs. Norris. Filch tried to find evidence of them breaking school rules, but with Sherlock present, he naturally returned empty-handed.

However, the look he gave them as he left was filled with warning.

*Don't let me catch you!*

That was the gist of it. Sherlock’s gaze remained fixed on Mrs. Norris as she walked away with Filch. If one wanted to explore the school, Peeves and Filch were obstacles that could not be avoided. It was easy to see from Filch’s behavior that he valued Mrs. Norris highly.

Seeing the pet cat—so thin and bony, with dull, grey fur—a bold idea began to form in his mind.