Sherlock's decision not to attend Defense Against the Dark Arts classes made Harry and Ron quite envious—they wanted to do the same but didn't dare.
After all, skipping classes would result in warnings, point deductions, or even detention.
Even the mischievous Weasley twins wouldn't dare to openly do such things.
Faced with his two friends' concerns, Sherlock didn't care at all.
It was only one class per week anyway, and he had already gotten through the first lesson by asking for leave.
If Quirrell wanted to deduct points next time, he could earn them back from other professors.
When it really came to being given detention, he still had ways to deal with it.
Compared to the academically selective Sherlock, Hermione Granger was undoubtedly a model student in every teacher's eyes.
Never late, never absent from class.
She would preview every lesson in advance, listen attentively in class, actively answer questions, and complete assignments conscientiously.
This was true even for the tedious History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.
This was how she differed from Sherlock.
However, the two had something in common—they both spent every weekend immersed in the library.
Sherlock researched materials to better understand the wizarding world.
The books in Diagon Alley were simply too expensive, so now that he had free access, he naturally wouldn't let the opportunity pass.
Hermione, on the other hand, was there for her coursework assignments.
The two had known each other before school started, and now with this opportunity, their relationship naturally became closer.
Sherlock even discovered during their time together that Hermione was unexpectedly 'useful'.
Besides discussing academics, Hermione could also help him research materials.
During the Sorting, Sherlock had learned from the Sorting Hat that Ravenclaw had many "knowledge repository" types of talent, but after school started, he had been too absorbed in magic to bother with them.
He never expected that his "knowledge repository" was right beside him.
The most typical example was that he finally learned why Voldemort had targeted Harry.
Hermione had found a piece of gossip.
Voldemort at the time had heard a prophecy.
Although secrecy was required, after Voldemort's death, the prophecy's content still leaked out.
The one who could end the Dark Lord's reign would be born at the end of July to a wizarding family.
Harry was exactly the person who met those conditions.
Although it was just gossip, judging from the results, this prophecy was remarkably accurate.
Besides this, there were other matters that made Sherlock find Hermione increasingly convenient to work with.
These won't be detailed here one by one.
In any case, their approach formed a stark contrast with the other little lions who were immersed in adventures.
This also made people wonder if the Sorting Hat had made a mistake—people like them should have gone to Ravenclaw.
On this day, Hermione, as usual, woke Sherlock from his immersion in the ocean of knowledge:
"Holmes, we have to go. The library is closing."
"Thank you, Miss Granger."
Hermione had originally thought she was a studious person, but after witnessing Holmes, she began to feel inferior.
The other person could hold a book and read for an entire day, never mind eating or using the bathroom—he wouldn't even change his posture.
The two walked out of the library together, side by side.
As they walked, Sherlock suddenly turned to Hermione and said, "Yes."
Hermione was startled: "What did you say? Yes, to what?"
"Don't you have something to ask me? I said yes."
"How did you know..."
Hermione was greatly surprised. She indeed had something she wanted to say to Sherlock.
But she clearly hadn't spoken yet!
"Miss Granger, you may not believe this, but such things are quite obvious to me.
Explanations are just a waste of time, so I suggest you ask directly."
Seeing Sherlock's somewhat impatient appearance, Hermione couldn't help feeling annoyed.
But Sherlock was indeed correct, so she took a deep breath and asked the question that had been troubling her for so long.
"Back then... in the Leaky Cauldron, how did you figure out that my parents were dentists?"
"That's it?"
Seeing Hermione's teeth-gritting expression, Sherlock smiled:
"Well, consider it thanks for reminding me every time that the library is closing.
As you know, I've always developed the habit of making deductions through observation, or rather, this is an ability to analyze things using intuition, so when I reach conclusions, I'm completely unaware of the steps involved in reaching those conclusions.
But when you asked, I realized there are indeed certain steps involved."
Hermione looked at Sherlock seriously, waiting for him to continue:
"First, from your family's dress and appearance, one could deduce that you have a considerable income.
Second, when your parents were discussing the school list, their posture was very particular, indicating they possessed the behavior of medical workers. High income plus this characteristic clearly showed they were both doctors.
Also, when they were talking with my parents, they unconsciously observed my parents' mouths more than once. This professional habit is hard to disguise, so I deduced they should be dentists.
This entire chain of thought took less than a few seconds, which is why I blurted it out. I remember your parents were quite surprised at the time."
After this explanation, Hermione's mouth fell slightly open as she stared at Sherlock in amazement, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Every weekend since school started, she had spent time with Sherlock in the library, and their long interactions had given her some understanding of Sherlock's deductive abilities.
But when she heard Sherlock explain in one breath the process by which he had determined her parents' profession, Hermione was still stunned.
After a long while, she came to her senses and said to Sherlock with admiration:
"Listening to your explanation, it really does seem extraordinarily simple.
When Potter and Weasley mentioned it before, I didn't believe it. I never imagined there could really be people like Dupin from Edgar Allan Poe's stories in the world."
Upon hearing this, Sherlock turned his head and fixed Hermione with a meaningful gaze.
The little girl obviously couldn't handle this sharp look and asked somewhat uncomfortably, "What's wrong?"
"You must think comparing me to Dupin is a compliment."
Sherlock sneered, "But in my view, he's not worthy of praise—always requiring a quarter hour of silence before suddenly revealing his friend's thoughts. Such tricks are truly shallow.
Of course, he does have some analytical ability, but he's certainly not the extraordinary person Edgar Allan Poe imagined him to be."
Hermione: Σ(｀д′*ノ)ノ
Sherlock had hit the mark. She had indeed thought that comparing this first detective in detective fiction history to Sherlock was elevating the latter, but she never expected to be looked down upon instead.
Unconvinced, Hermione couldn't help asking again: "You must have read Agatha's works, right? What's your assessment of Poirot?"
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