As Sherlock and the three girls chatted while walking, they quickly arrived at the Ravenclaw Tower and climbed the spiral staircase to the top floor.
In the shadows of the tower's stairwell, the bronze eagle-shaped knocker glinted coldly in the morning light.
Unlike the other houses, Ravenclaw's common room didn't require a password. Instead, one had to correctly answer the knocker's riddle to gain entry.
Each student only got one chance—if they answered incorrectly, they would lose the right to try again.
Fortunately, in the house known for its wisdom, there was always someone who could come up with the correct answer.
But if everyone was stumped by the same question... well, that could get interesting.
The three young witches didn't know that Sherlock was already quite familiar with this place.
Though this was his first time arriving openly.
The bronze eagle knocker let out a deep voice: "Today's question is—Is logic the reflection of the moon or the essence of the lake?"
Penelope didn't answer right away. Instead, she turned around, looking at Sherlock and Hermione with great interest.
Part of her was curious. She wanted to see how Sherlock Holmes—a Gryffindor known for his intellect—would respond to Ravenclaw's famous riddles.
Part of her intent was also a subtle test. If he couldn't even enter the common room, how could they count on him to catch a thief?
But when she looked at Sherlock, she saw him gazing around idly, seemingly admiring the scenery.
Yet Penelope knew he wasn't dodging the question.
He genuinely wasn't interested.
Given the circumstances, she couldn't force Sherlock to answer, so she turned her gaze to Hermione.
Hermione didn't respond immediately.
She had heard of the Ravenclaw door riddles before.
Though she didn't catch on to Penelope's intent, her pride wouldn't let her be embarrassed in front of Ravenclaws.
After a moment of thought, once she understood the logic behind the question, she replied:
"A reflection needs the lake to exist, but the lake doesn't need the reflection to prove its own existence—just as wisdom does not need logic to prove its permanence."
At that moment, the knocker clicked and the door swung open.
Penelope and Cho Chang both looked astonished.
They could have answered it too, but neither had expected Hermione to solve it so quickly.
"Miss Granger, you really should've been sorted into Ravenclaw!" Penelope said excitedly.
Hermione shook her head.
This question... how should she put it?
Now she understood why Sherlock wasn't interested in answering.
And perhaps, she also vaguely grasped why Sherlock hadn't been sorted into Ravenclaw.
The Ravenclaw common room was similar to Gryffindor's—also a large circular space.
But instead of red and gold, it was decorated in cool shades of blue and bronze, with a more dreamy atmosphere.
Silks in blue and bronze adorned the walls, and the arched windows were draped with flowing curtains.
What drew the most attention was the starry pattern covering the domed ceiling and the deep blue carpet.
One could enjoy a full view of the surrounding mountains and valleys from the windows.
Tables, chairs, and bookshelves were neatly arranged across the floor—everything one might need.
Sherlock looked up and noticed the constellations on the dome slowly revolving.
Visually, it was far more fascinating than stargazing through a telescope in Astronomy class.
After a while, he lowered his gaze.
"Nothing more to see here. Take us to Miss Chang's dormitory."
Penelope nodded. She agreed the common room probably wouldn't hold any clues, and led Sherlock and Hermione toward Cho Chang's dorm.
Their entry into the common room hadn't attracted much attention.
But as they followed Penelope toward the girls' dormitory, someone suddenly appeared.
"Prefect Clearwater!"
"Michael Corner? Didn't you go home for the holidays?" Penelope asked, eyeing the dark-haired boy and recalling his name after a moment.
Michael puffed out his chest, trying to look composed. "No, I stayed to get a head start on all the assignments."
"Very diligent. Commendable spirit—now step aside, we have business to attend to."
"B-but that's the girls' dormitory!" Michael suddenly panicked, pointing at Sherlock. "How can you let a boy go in there?!"
Penelope's gaze sharpened instantly. "Michael Corner, are you questioning my judgment?"
"N-no... just... it's not exactly appropriate for a boy to enter the girls' dorm—"
"Mr. Holmes is here with permission from Professor Flitwick and me. Now move aside. Don't make me repeat myself!"
Michael was, after all, only a first-year student.
Gathering the courage to step forward had taken all he had.
Now, facing Penelope's commanding presence, he could only obediently move aside.
Sherlock and Hermione remained unfazed, following Penelope onward.
Cho offered Michael an apologetic smile before quickly catching up with the others.
Michael stood frozen for a moment, then turned and rushed off.
He was going to report this to the other Ravenclaw prefect!
Since Sherlock carried Flitwick's enchanted letter of permission, they successfully entered the girls' dormitory wing.
Not long after they left, Michael returned with Ravenclaw's other prefect, Robert Hilliard.
Just as they prepared to enter the dormitory, the staircase transformed into a smooth stone slide.
Clearly, they were barred from proceeding.
Robert's face darkened.
"You're certain Penelope brought a Gryffindor boy into the girls' dorm?"
"I saw it with my own eyes! It was that so-called great detective, Holmes!"
"I understand." Robert's expression shifted rapidly. He turned and left.
He needed to find Professor Flitwick and get to the bottom of this.
Back in the dormitory wing, the presence of a boy naturally drew attention.
After all, this was the first time a boy had set foot in Ravenclaw's girls' dormitory.
Not everyone crowded around.
Most Ravenclaws simply glanced at Sherlock out of curiosity before going back to their business.
A few came up to Penelope to ask what was going on, and left satisfied with her explanation.
But a very small number, like Michael, questioned her decision.
Worse still, when they found out Sherlock was invited to help investigate Cho Chang's missing cosmetics, some reacted even more strongly.
Fortunately, Penelope was respected enough as prefect—and with Flitwick's endorsement—they were able to shake off further disruptions.
"This has faced more resistance than expected," Penelope said as she led the way. "Even a first-year dared to question me."
Her meaning was clear—Sherlock had better get results.
"Well, we are Gryffindors," Hermione said wryly. "For a house known for its wisdom to rely on a reckless brute for help... it's a bit ironic, isn't it?"
Penelope and Cho looked at her helplessly.
This Gryffindor really doesn't know how to talk!
That thought had barely formed when Sherlock chimed in—
"Well said, my friend."
Penelope and Cho exchanged a look, completely speechless.
Truly, birds of a feather flock together.
At last, the four of them arrived at Cho's dormitory.
Just as Cho had said, their roommate Lucy had gone home for the break, leaving only Marietta Edgecombe and Alicia Keyes behind.
When they saw Sherlock, their reactions were nearly identical to Michael's.
"Penelope! Cho! Why did you bring a boy in here?"
"Wait—he's not even a Ravenclaw!"
"Marietta, Alicia, calm down," Penelope said, now completely used to handling such situations. With just a few words, she explained their purpose.
The girls reacted differently.
Marietta frowned but said nothing. Alicia muttered, "So now Gryffindors are solving Ravenclaw problems? Honestly..."
"All right, enough," Penelope quickly cut in, worried they might upset Sherlock. She turned to him.
"Holmes, you can star—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Sherlock had already begun.
There was no need for her to prompt him.
Back on Halloween night, Sherlock had investigated the scene before Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell arrived—magnifying glass and tape measure in hand, analyzing the blood writing.
Now, he was back in action for Easter.
This time, the scene was the Ravenclaw girls' dormitory.
And his tools had been upgraded.
Harry's Christmas gift to Sherlock—an enchanted magnifying glass—could detect magical traces, spot special runes, and identify lingering magical fluctuations.
The old measuring tape had been replaced with one from Ollivanders that could automatically gauge distance.
Of course, in the magical world, these were still basic tools.
Against skilled spellcasters or powerful dark objects, they would be insufficient.
But for Sherlock, they perfectly bridged the gap between the Muggle and wizarding worlds—allowing traditional investigative methods to be used in magical contexts.
As Sherlock wandered the room—pausing, crouching, frowning, then smiling—the Ravenclaw girls exchanged confused glances.
They had no idea what he was doing.
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