Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts

“I never try to mystify.”

Sherlock looked at the four Ravenclaw girls and said with considerable regret:

“Although many clues have indeed been erased, the thief overestimated their abilities.

You have already provided enough information, and I have carefully examined the crime scene again.

It would be strange if I still couldn't deduce what happened in this dormitory!”

At that moment, the three girls present simultaneously felt Sherlock's unwavering confidence.

“Firstly, the Ravenclaw common room is unique; anyone who can correctly answer the question posed by the knocker can freely enter and exit.

On the surface, this method seems less secure than the fixed passwords of other houses, but in reality, it is not.

As far as I know, many wizards lack logical reasoning skills.

Therefore, the question-and-answer method of entry maximizes the exclusion of students from other houses.

Even if a student from another house could correctly answer the question and enter Ravenclaw, they might be recognized.

Of course, this is not absolute.

But in this regard, it does strengthen the logic of an internal suspect.

Secondly, before this incident, Ravenclaw students' cabinets were unlocked.”

As Sherlock said this, the girls' expressions became somewhat unpleasant.

It was because of this incident that the phrase “Ravenclaw is absolutely safe” became less absolute.

“Fixed storage locations, unlocked cabinets, and Miss Zhang's regular routine all provided sufficient convenience for the thief.

Through the inspection just now, I also found that the cabinet had no signs of being forced open—of course, there was no need.

If I were Miss Zhang's roommate, there would be at least seven ways to take the sandalwood box without her noticing.

By the time Miss Zhang discovered the theft, there would have been enough time to destroy all the clues.

Even if another version of myself came to investigate at that time, it would be of no use.

In fact, the thief did exactly that.”

Penelope couldn't help but interject:

“Mr. Holmes, do you mean the eyeshadow wasn't lost when Cho went to Potions class in the fall?”

“Of course not.”

Sherlock glanced at Alicia Keys with a smile that was not quite a smile, “If that were the case, this young lady's suspicion could be directly eliminated!”

“What do you mean by that?!”

Alicia Keys stood up abruptly.

“Are you saying I took Cho's eyeshadow?”

Marietta Edgecombe, although not standing, looked at Sherlock with undisguised hostility.

Of course, her words were even more impolite:

“This is slander, blatant slander!

What great detective? Holmes, you are nothing but a fraud!

I think you are just a charlatan!”

“Miss Keys, please calm down.”

Sherlock's tone was as calm as ever.

“Although the eyeshadow had already left the owner's cabinet before you discovered it,

it was your attempt to view it that caused trouble for the thief—after all, she originally thought Cho Chang would not discover this until returning to school after Easter.”

As soon as Sherlock said this, Alicia Keys and Marietta Edgecombe exchanged glances.

Could he please not pause so dramatically?

It made their previous behavior seem very awkward!

Just then, Marietta Edgecombe seemed to have thought of something, and she murmured:

“Could it be—. Impossible, absolutely impossible!”

“Marietta, what's impossible?”

Alicia Keys quickly asked.

“It's nothing; I must be overthinking it.”

Marietta Edgecombe forced a smile, “I heard Lucy muttering before going home for the holidays, 'Why does she have such good things?'

But I think she was probably talking about Gemma Farley's Felix Felicis.

I heard she performed exceptionally well in Professor Snape's Potions class and received a small bottle as a reward; Lucy has always been very envious.

Speaking of which, Professor Snape has always favored Slytherin students; even if we did the same thing as her, we wouldn't get a reward.”

Penelope, Cho Chang, and Keys all nodded.

Edgecombe was right; except for Slytherin students, no one else could expect a reward, no matter how well they performed in Potions class.

If they happened to be Gryffindor, not being deducted points would be considered a great act of kindness from Professor Snape.

Seeing that everyone agreed with her view, Edgecombe smiled slightly.

The seed of suspicion had been quietly planted, waiting for a suitable opportunity to take root and sprout, eventually growing into a towering tree.

But she never expected that this seed would be uprooted along with the soil as soon as it was planted.

“Sherlock!”

Hermione's voice came from the common room door. She was leaning against the doorframe, panting heavily, her chest rising and falling with her breath, clearly exhausted, but her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“My dear friend, it seems you really need to exercise more.”

Sherlock sized Hermione up and smiled, “Looks like you found it?”

Hermione nodded emphatically and took a deep breath, “Just as you predicted.”

“Good! Excellent!”

Sherlock praised, then turned to face the four Ravenclaw girls and said:

“That's enough.”

The four of them looked surprised, and Edgecombe's heart skipped a beat.

Penelope asked in confusion: “Mr. Holmes? What do you mean—enough?”

“Crude acting, pathetic motives, clumsy actions...

I really didn't expect that you would still be resorting to petty tricks even now.”

Sherlock sighed, “Ravenclaw's wisdom is ultimately no match for the thorns growing wildly in your heart. Am I right, Miss Marietta Edgecombe?”

As soon as this was said, Penelope, Cho Chang, and Alicia Keys all gasped.

The three of them looked at Marietta Edgecombe with disbelief.

Facing the gazes of the prefect, her roommates, and her friend, Edgecombe looked bewildered:

“Mr. Holmes, I don't understand what you're saying—”

“Miss Edgecombe, you don't have to put on this innocent act.”

Sherlock seemed a little impatient. As he had said before, he really couldn't stand Marietta Edgecombe's crude acting.

Hermione's arrival had completed the final piece of the puzzle, so he simply decided to reveal everything.

“The moment I first saw you, I knew Miss Zhang's eyeshadow was in your hands.”

“You're spouting nonsense!”

Marietta Edgecombe stood up abruptly.

She looked agitated, with tears in her eyes, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

The three Ravenclaw girls' gazes were more or less filled with doubt, but Hermione, who was standing next to Sherlock, looked disdainful. Through Sherlock's explanation, she knew what kind of person this girl really was.

Sherlock shook his head gently:

“You might not believe it, but before I knew about the magical world, I could deduce a person's inner thoughts from their fleeting expressions, including the movement of their muscles and the rotation of their eyeballs.

I can determine that someone is a software designer from their tie, and I can tell that they are a commercial airline pilot from their left thumb.

Fortunately, when I came to the magical world, I found that my skills still worked.”

As he said this, he met the skeptical gazes of the others, chuckled, did not explain, and continued to look at Edgecombe, saying:

“Even more fortunately, you are not a clever pretender at all.

So, when I saw you for the first time, I knew you were lying, and the thing my client was looking for was in your hands.”

Saying this, Sherlock turned to Penelope, his eyes shining brightly, and said:

“Miss Penelope, I can now formally reply to you—mission accomplished. Marietta Edgecombe, standing next to you, is the thief who took Miss Zhang's eyeshadow.”

Silence.

A long silence.

“Mr. Holmes, I really don't understand.” Penelope finally spoke first.

However, even she, who was known for her wisdom and intelligence in Ravenclaw, was a little confused at this time.

It couldn't be blamed on her; the amount of information Sherlock had just given out was indeed a bit overwhelming.

“It doesn't matter; this small case has come to an end. Next, I welcome any questions you or anyone else may have; I will never refuse to answer.”

Penelope first looked at Edgecombe, who still looked blank, and then took a deep breath:

“You just said you knew Marietta had taken the eyeshadow the moment you saw her?”

“Correct.”

“How did you know?”

“Hmph, the false sympathy on her face was an insult to me.”

Sherlock looked disdainful, “When I questioned her, she pretended to be calm, but her eyes flickered.

Like a cat that had stolen cream, afraid of being discovered.

When I questioned Miss Keys, she repeatedly emphasized that Ravenclaw students would never steal; she doesn't seem like the kind of person who would uphold the honor of the house.

Just now, when I mentioned that there were seven ways to take the eyeshadow, her breathing suddenly became rapid.

This foolish physiological reaction was like announcing to the world that she was a criminal.

She didn't even notice that, until now, her fingers are still unconsciously rubbing her cuffs—a typical sign of anxiety.”

The others followed Sherlock's gaze and saw Marietta quickly put down her right hand.

“Do you think I'm blind, or do you think you're clever enough to fool everyone?”

Sherlock leaned close to Marietta, his voice low and cold, “Your biggest mistake wasn't stealing something—it was thinking you could deceive me.

From the moment you met me, you have been using body language to try your best to tell me one fact:

You are a clumsy thief and an even more failed liar.”

After Sherlock said these words, Marietta Edgecombe's face was already pale.