"Miss Granger, is he always like this?"
Penelope couldn't help asking.
"When he gets absorbed in his own world, yes."
Having seen Sherlock in action before, Hermione was far less surprised than the other three girls.
In fact, she had initially tried to imitate Sherlock and search for clues herself—but the moment she took a step, he rudely snapped at her to stay put.
With no other choice, she joined the other Ravenclaw girls, standing silently as they watched Sherlock work.
Even so, standing still gave her a chance to take in the full layout of the dormitory.
This girls' dormitory was located at the top of the western tower. A flowing star chart was embedded in the arched ceiling, and blue and bronze draperies—matching the common room's color scheme—cascaded down from above.
The room's setup was quite similar to Gryffindor's: four-poster beds with hanging flannel curtains.
But rather than scarlet, the color here was a soft sky blue. Starlight filtered in through enchanted glass windows, casting a gentle glow across the beds.
The bedposts were intricately carved with ravens and scrollwork. Bronze wind chimes hung from the headboards, gently chiming with a clear, ethereal sound.
Seeing Hermione tilt her head to listen, Penelope explained,
"They're magical instruments—an enchantment that turns the founder's sayings into musical notes."
In the center of the room sat a round walnut table, its surface carved with graffiti and magical formulae left by past students. A few self-turning spellbooks and a steaming teapot of honey tea rested at the edges.
Cho Chang whispered to Hermione, letting her know that her bed was the second one by the window.
Hermione glanced over and found the bed neatly made.
The pale blue bedsheets were perfectly smooth, and though the blanket wasn't folded military-style, it was still tidy and precise.
On the bedside table was a small magical potted plant. Dewdrops sparkled on the leaves, exuding a fresh, clean scent.
That was everything Hermione could observe.
She tried to analyze it the way Sherlock might.
Her only deduction: Cho Chang was neat, hygienic, and likely cheerful.
And that was it.
She sighed inwardly.
As she expected, when Sherlock said, "It's common sense," "It's obvious," or "It's easy to deduce," those words only applied to him.
She simply wasn't capable of doing the same.
Sherlock was still thoroughly inspecting everything in the room—even the walnut table and the bronze chimes didn't escape his scrutiny.
When he moved on to the beds, he unhesitatingly pulled out his enchanted magnifying glass and examined every detail.
That action alone made Cho and her two roommates blush.
Oddly enough, Sherlock didn't bother to ask which bed belonged to whom.
"Mr. Holmes, do we need to—ah!"
Marietta Edgecombe hadn't finished her question before a sudden shriek cut her off.
Mrs. Norris had silently crept up beneath her feet.
"W-where did it come from?!"
"That's Mrs. Norris! Filch's cat!"
In fact, Mrs. Norris had entered the dormitory before Sherlock and the girls.
While Penelope had been explaining the situation to Cho's roommates, Sherlock had used the girls as cover to slip the cat inside unnoticed.
It was a simple matter for him.
And Mrs. Norris had performed exactly as Sherlock had hoped—remaining unseen until this very moment.
Sherlock glanced at the cat for a few seconds, then turned back to his inspection.
He opened Cho's bedside cabinet, examined it closely, then moved on to the other three.
At that, both Marietta Edgecombe and Alicia Keyes visibly tensed.
But then, Sherlock suddenly stopped.
"Well then, that concludes the on-site investigation. Ladies, would you mind if I asked a few questions?"
He strolled over to Mrs. Norris and picked her up, gently holding the purring cat in his arms.
Cho's two roommates looked to Penelope for permission. When she nodded, they began answering Sherlock's questions.
Their answers were more or less consistent with Cho's.
They admitted seeing Cho use the eyeshadow and had even tried it themselves, along with their fourth roommate, Lucy, who had returned home for the holidays.
They also discovered it missing at the same time as Cho—after their last Potions class on Easter, when they returned to the dorm.
As for anything unusual during that time, none of them had noticed anything out of place.
But when Sherlock asked Alicia Keyes why she'd thought to check the eyeshadow after returning from Potions, her expression suddenly sharpened:
"Mr. Holmes, are you suspecting me?
If I had taken it, why would I draw attention to it at that moment? Wouldn't that only make me look more suspicious?"
"Mr. Holmes, a Ravenclaw would never steal. Especially not anyone in this dormitory!"
Marietta Edgecombe added fiercely.
"Alicia, Marietta, that's not—"
Sherlock raised a hand, stopping Penelope from intervening.
"Ladies, I must say—you're both being a little sensitive."
The two girls huffed in response.
"In fact," Sherlock said calmly, "such behavior might even be an intentional reverse tactic—an attempt to appear so outrageously defensive that it throws off suspicion."
His words stunned the girls.
Did he really just say that?!
To them, it sounded like he'd just pointed a finger and said: You're the culprit.
Alicia's chest heaved with indignation. She pointed at Sherlock.
"Holmes—are you insulting me?!"
"You're not just insulting us—you're insulting Ravenclaw!"
Marietta said coldly, turning to Penelope,
"Prefect, we don't need this person's help!"
"You're both forgetting something," Sherlock replied calmly, unfazed by the accusations.
"This investigation wasn't commissioned by either of you—or even by Miss Chang. It was requested by Prefect Clearwater."
"Holmes, you—!"
Sherlock ignored them and turned to Hermione, beckoning her over.
"My dear Hermione, would you do me a little favor?"
Still confused, Hermione walked over. Sherlock leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
But after a moment's pause, she nodded and quickly ran off.
Penelope couldn't help but ask,
"Mr. Holmes, what are you—?"
"Oh, don't worry about her," Sherlock said, gently stroking Mrs. Norris. "I just asked her to help me with something minor."
Then he added,
"Ladies, if you don't mind, could I ask you all to move to the common room?"
"You're not going to inspect further?"
Penelope asked, surprised.
All three girls looked equally stunned.
Sherlock took note of their expressions, then smiled and shook his head.
"This incident occurred too long ago—many key traces have already vanished.
"And since none of you thought to preserve the crime scene, including Miss Chang's cabinet, the entire room has continued to be used regularly.
"Any valuable clues that may have once existed are now buried under new signs of usage. In this state, reconstructing the full sequence of events is… difficult."
Then, Sherlock's tone shifted.
"But thankfully, I did manage to uncover some useful information. I hope it will prove helpful."
The four girls exchanged glances, eventually all turning to look at Penelope.
Seeing this, Sherlock's lips curled slightly.
---
Ten minutes later, Sherlock and the girls were seated in the Ravenclaw common room.
Sherlock sat in the middle, Mrs. Norris curled contentedly in his lap, purring softly.
The four girls sat across from him, subtly encircling him—
To an outsider, it might look as if he were being interrogated.
But Sherlock remained completely unfazed. Stroking the cat, he looked up and said casually,
"Investigation is always physical work—whether in the Muggle world or the wizarding world.
"Still, I must thank Prefect Clearwater for this opportunity. It's made my Easter holiday far less dull."
At those words, the four girls' expressions shifted.
They were Ravenclaws—intelligent enough to understand what he meant.
Penelope, the most impatient, immediately spoke up:
"Holmes, are you saying… you've solved the case?"
"That depends on your definition of 'solved.'
Is it finding Miss Chang's missing eyeshadow?
Or identifying the thief who took it?
Or… perhaps both?"
As he spoke, Sherlock's gaze briefly rested on someone in the group.
At that, all four girls' faces changed again.
The cool-toned Ravenclaw common room seemed to drop a few degrees colder.
After a tense silence, it was once again Penelope who broke it. Her voice was tight:
"So, it was theft?"
Sherlock couldn't help but chuckle.
"I thought that part was obvious by now. Surely you don't still believe Miss Chang misplaced it somewhere?"
"Very well." Penelope took a deep breath.
"Tell us everything, Mr. Holmes."
"Hold on!"
Alicia suddenly cut in.
"Just a moment ago, you said many of the key clues had vanished—and now you're acting like it's all clear as day?
Are you sure you're not just bluffing?"
---
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