The Easter holidays lasted from late March to early April.
Just like Christmas, young witches and wizards could choose to either go home or stay at school during the break.
But unlike the relaxing winter holidays, the professors at Hogwarts assigned loads of homework every Easter.
This year was no exception.
Even a top student like Hermione had to spend days in the library just to complete her assignments on time.
As for the average student? Let's not even talk about it.
On top of that, the Quidditch teams of each House took advantage of the break for intensive training, all in preparation for the final phase of the House Cup tournament.
Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor team, found Harry early for that very reason.
"Potter, you're not going home this holiday, are you?"
Harry: "I—"
"Fantastic, I knew you wouldn't!"
"I've already spoken with the rest of the team—this break the weather's good, which means we can fly every day. It's the perfect time to train."
Harry: "Er…"
"You know we've already won two matches! If we beat Ravenclaw in the final game, we'll win the championship!"
At this point, Wood's eyes were practically blazing with wild determination.
His whole demeanor radiated a kind of 'don't-come-near-me' aura, scaring off Seamus and Dean, who had been about to come talk to Harry.
"It's settled then! One week of closed training, one week of intensive drills! I'll let you know the schedule!"
Harry: "…"
As soon as Wood walked off, the Weasley twins strolled over with arms around each other's shoulders.
"Hey, don't worry, Potter—training won't be as brutal as he made it sound."
"Oliver's in fifth year now. He's got O.W.L.s to prep for."
"O.W.L.s?"
Harry blinked, momentarily confused.
"Ordinary Wizarding Levels. The big fifth-year exams."
Just then, Hermione walked over from who knows where.
"They're standardized subject-specific exams overseen by the Wizarding Examinations Authority," she explained. "Your performance on O.W.L.s determines whether you can continue taking that subject the next year."
Hearing Hermione's explanation, the twins gave a genuine round of applause.
"Brilliant as always, Miss Know-It-All! First year and already ahead of the game."
"So relax, Potter. Enjoy the break."
"Anyway, we've gotta run—Lee Jordan thinks he's found a new secret passage that leads out of the castle."
"My bet? It's the one behind the Gregory the Smarmy statue. We found that the first week. Later!"
As the twins swaggered away, Hermione turned to Harry. "Are you going home for the holidays?"
Harry shook his head.
Even though his relationship with the Dursleys had improved slightly thanks to Sherlock, he still wasn't eager to return to Privet Drive.
He couldn't exactly crash at Sherlock's place for Easter either.
"The professors gave so much homework—I figured I'd stay. Plus, Wood just cornered me and scheduled a whole week of extra training."
Hermione nodded. "Same here. I asked Ron too—he's staying as well. By the way, have you seen Sherlock? He wasn't in the library today."
Harry shook his head again.
Even though they shared a dorm, he never quite knew Sherlock's whereabouts.
If he had to describe it: elusive.
Sometimes Harry even suspected that Sherlock had borrowed an Invisibility Cloak to sneak out unnoticed.
Which was exactly why—even if Sherlock had agreed to Mycroft's surveillance request—it would've been impossible to track him.
Unless, of course, Sherlock wanted to be caught.
While Harry and Hermione were scratching their heads, Dean and Seamus, who had been waiting nearby, finally stepped forward.
"Uh, we kinda overheard you talking about Holmes?"
"You know where he is?" Hermione's eyes lit up.
"Yeah, we saw him just a moment ago."
After that, Dean dragged Harry off for a game of wizard chess, while Hermione headed in the direction they pointed out—to the Great Hall.
She didn't have to search long.
Because Sherlock wasn't alone.
"Ravenclaws?"
Hermione frowned slightly at the sight of the two girls sitting beside Sherlock, then quickly walked over.
Once she got close enough, she recognized one of them as the same girl who'd approached Sherlock before Christmas.
Back then, Hermione hadn't known her name.
But now she did.
Cho Chang—one of the few Asian students at Hogwarts, a second-year in Ravenclaw.
And the other…
"Penelope Clearwater?"
Hermione blurted out in surprise when she saw the girl's face clearly.
A fifth-year, and Ravenclaw's prefect.
Her voice caused all three to look up at once.
"Sorry…" Hermione immediately felt a bit awkward for calling her out so directly.
By now, she had a pretty good idea of what was going on—these two were probably here to consult Sherlock, just like Hannah Abbott had before.
"Maybe… I came at the wrong time."
"No, you're just in time," Sherlock replied, glancing at her. "I take it Dean Thomas told you where I was?"
"And Seamus too."
Since Sherlock said so, Hermione simply sat down.
Luckily, she already knew the two Ravenclaw girls, so there was no need for introductions—less awkward that way.
As soon as she sat, she asked, curious, "How did you know it was me coming? Because I was walking from the same direction as Dean and Seamus?"
"And the time," Sherlock said, tapping his fingers on the table. "And your gait—you walked straight here with purpose. That indicates strong intent. But enough of that. Let's move on to the main topic."
He turned to the Ravenclaw girls.
"Now, ladies, please recount everything you told me earlier in full detail for my friend. Hearing it again will help me too."
He glanced at Hermione.
"This might turn out to be an interesting case—or it might not. But I think you'll be intrigued."
"Now then, I'll leave you to it."
Cho and Penelope exchanged glances, both clearly surprised.
In fact, Cho had only managed to get through the introduction before Sherlock had stopped her.
He'd said his friend would be arriving soon—and that she would be helpful.
And now, just minutes later, Hermione Granger had shown up.
If that was all, it might've been chalked up to coincidence.
But from their brief conversation, it was obvious Hermione knew nothing about the case beforehand.
And for Ravenclaws with sharp deductive minds, the implications were stunning.
Cho looked at Penelope again, then—encouraged by her—finally spoke.
"Actually… I didn't really want to bother Mr. Holmes again. It's just a small matter—I didn't want to cause trouble for my House..."
"But Penelope insisted we ask for his help anyway…
"Miss Granger, I'm not very good at telling stories, so I'll just describe everything plainly."
At that, Sherlock leaned forward slightly, fingers steepled under his chin—a clear signal that he was now fully focused.
"Forgive me for being long-winded, but I need to start from last Christmas."
"My father travels a lot for work. Even during the holidays, he wasn't able to come home.
"My mother and I were disappointed, but we understood—his job keeps him busy.
"What we didn't expect was that, even though he couldn't come home, he still sent me a gift."
"It was a set of seven-color enchanted eyeshadows, bought from an ancient magical shop on Hangzhou Old Street. They came in a sandalwood box carved with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums."
"My mother was especially thrilled when we received it.
"She said it was handcrafted by a century-old artisan from Qinghefang, using traditional mineral pigments. Even the porcelain trays were recreated from Longquan kilns."
"Mr. Holmes, Miss Granger—I was stunned when I opened it."
"It truly was exquisite. Seven porcelain dishes, embedded in the carved wood, colors ranging from indigo to soft pink—like all four seasons of the southern rivers captured in a single box."
"After I returned to school, I kept it safely in my vanity box. My friends loved it too. We even made plans to go out together this Easter…"
Here, Cho took a deep breath.
Sherlock and Hermione both watched her closely. It was obvious she was now getting to the heart of the matter.
"…On the last Potions class before the holiday, my friends and I returned to the dorm as usual—only to find the vanity box still in place, but the sandalwood case was missing."
"We searched the entire dorm thoroughly—nothing. We even asked around, and confirmed no one had entered our room."
A bitter smile tugged at her lips. "I guess I could've misplaced it somewhere, but I just can't recall where…"
"I know it's just a box of makeup, so maybe it's not a big deal."
When she finished, Sherlock gave Hermione a sideways glance before leaning back with a thoughtful expression.
After a pause, he said,
"With all due respect, most of your account was cluttered with irrelevant information—and lacked enough of the useful kind."
Cho flushed with embarrassment at the blunt critique.
"Sorry, Mr. Holmes… I wasn't sure what would be helpful to you…"
Sherlock cut her off. "Does that eyeshadow set have any special properties?"
"In terms of colors, yes—they're rich and unique. There's a golden-red one that symbolizes good fortune, and when applied, it gives your eyes a warm, radiant glow."
"The deep blue evokes the starry night sky, adding a mysterious allure."
"The soft pink is like spring cherry blossoms—sweet and gentle."
"These colors weren't made with regular pigments. They contain rare magical herbs and mineral powders."
"So the eyeshadow isn't just cosmetic—it has magical effects."
"If you're anxious, applying the light blue shade can help calm your nerves."
"The shimmering gold is great for social events—it enhances your charm and draws attention."
"In short, each shade carries a unique magical property."
Sherlock patiently listened to her description, then began his next round of questions.
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