"Dear Hermione, you seem fixated on quantifying subjective aesthetics into objective standards.
Remember in first year when you kept asking me whether the Patil twins were the prettiest girls in our year?
Your current inclination follows the exact same logic as back then."
Hermione's face flushed slightly, she hadn't expected Sherlock to still remember that incident.
"Actually, my answer then applies equally to now—judgments of appearance are inherently fleeting and superficial.
Of course, I can tell you definitively that within Hogwarts' current student body, Gemma Farley does indeed belong to the category of remarkable physical attractiveness.
Miss Cho Chang is similarly so."
Cho Chang: "..."
"However, what's more important are the rational thinking, exceptional leadership, and inclusiveness beyond house prejudice that she demonstrates.
To me, these qualities are far more worthy of attention than appearance, which fades with time."
After hearing this statement so characteristic of Sherlock Holmes, no one was surprised in the least.
In summary: Sherlock acknowledged that Gemma was beautiful, but he didn't care about appearances.
Having received the answer she wanted; Hermione finally showed a satisfied smile.
"Sherlock, since that's the case, who do you think is prettier—Gemma or Cho?"
Ginny revealed a mischievous smile, as if fearing the world wasn't chaotic enough, and added another question.
Cho Chang: "..."
'Could you all please not do this?
I'm starting to feel scared!
These people were truly worse than the last!'
Just as she was about to say something, the compartment door slid open once again.
This made her secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Her luck was good today—every time it was her turn to feel awkward, someone appeared just in time to save the situation.
However, when she saw who appeared before them, Cho Chang was slightly stunned.
Not just Cho Chang—everyone in the carriage was greatly surprised.
Because the person who appeared before them was completely unexpected.
Draco Malfoy.
Behind him followed Crabbe and Goyle as usual.
"Is it true?"
Malfoy stared at Harry. "The whole train's been talking about it—saying there's a Firebolt in Harry Potter's compartment."
As he spoke, he'd already spotted the Firebolt on the other table.
The polished broomstick handle reflected a cold and alluring gleam under the compartment lights.
Complex, indecipherable emotions flashed through the eyes of the Slytherin trio—shock, barely concealed envy, jealousy.
The air froze for a moment.
Malfoy's lips tightened, that habitual arrogant sneer almost escaping.
But he ultimately just raised his eyebrows, his gaze fixed on that brand-new Firebolt, his voice carrying a deliberately maintained coldness, yet lacking its former sharp hostility,
"I heard Black gave it to you. You're handling this broom alright, aren't you, Potter?"
The atmosphere in the compartment was subtle.
Ron watched Malfoy and his cronies warily, one hand on the Firebolt, the other quietly gripping his wand.
Hermione pressed her lips together, observing this unusual Malfoy.
Cho Chang and Ginny seemed somewhat nervous.
Sherlock and Luna both watched this scene with interest, their gazes moving between Harry, Malfoy, and the Firebolt.
Harry felt a brief moment of awkwardness.
Seeing Malfoy staring fixedly at the Firebolt, he even instinctively wanted to grab the broom and protect it behind him.
Like protecting anything that belonged to him, anything precious.
But another thought immediately arose.
Not long ago, he'd lost his beloved Nimbus 2000.
A bit earlier than that, Malfoy had lost his prized Nimbus 2001.
Both had been destroyed by the Whomping Willow.
Though this weak empathy born from shared misfortune wasn't enough to erase the accumulated aversion and alienation of the past.
It still changed Harry's attitude toward Malfoy somewhat.
Harry suddenly discovered magically that at this moment, neither hatred nor any impulse toward closeness surged in his heart—only a cold, almost indifferent acceptance.
Was it because he knew he was Malfoy's uncle?
"Yeah."
Harry found his response equally flat, neither boastful nor hostile.
He looked at Malfoy. "I think there probably won't be any problems."
Compared to Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle's reactions were much more direct.
They craned their necks greedily examining the Firebolt, making small gulping sounds in their throats, clearly awed by this top-tier broom.
Malfoy's lips moved. His gaze swept over everyone in the compartment, finally lingering on Sherlock for a moment before speaking again.
"Sirius Black."
His tone still maintained that cold detachment, as if stating a fact unrelated to himself. "He bought you a Firebolt."
After this cryptic statement, Malfoy's gaze remained on the Firebolt for a final half-second, carrying a complex mixture of envy, regret, and stubborn pride.
Then he turned around.
The large Crabbe and Goyle, as if receiving a silent command, hastily and clumsily cleared the doorway.
The sliding door shut with a whoosh, separating the Slytherin trio from those inside the carriage once more.
After a moment of silence, everyone immediately began discussing, talking over each other,
"What was that about? Did he just come in to say something pointless? I was all ready to hit him with a curse!"
"He's definitely different from before—if this were the past and he knew I had a Firebolt, he might have said something like hoping I'd fall off and die."
"Is it possible his apology last time was genuine? Didn't Sherlock analyze that his father took significant losses last year, making another Firebolt nearly impossible to buy? So that envy and sense of being unable to keep up might have overpowered his urge to pick a fight?"
"Hermione, sorry to interrupt, but what do you mean by apology?"
"Oh, right, you, Ginny, and Luna didn't know about this. At the start of third year, Malfoy specifically found Harry and Colin to apologize for his behavior at the Quidditch pitch last year. Come to think of it, since then, Malfoy really hasn't bothered Harry again."
"I see. Penelope didn't mention this to me—Gemma did another good deed."
"Come on! A leopard can't change its spots. I think he just hasn't found the right opportunity! With so many of us here, even with Crabbe and Goyle, that git wouldn't dare provoke us."
"Ron, there are three girls sitting here. Can't you watch your language?"
"Sorry, whenever I think of that guy, I get all worked up. Have you forgotten how he and Dad got into a fight?"
"Of course I remember, but Hermione's right—he really hasn't caused trouble during this time. Maybe he genuinely realized he was wrong."
"I think you're all being too generous. So, what if he apologized? That apology was forced out of him!"
Sherlock and Luna remained silent throughout.
Sherlock's gray eyes continued to gaze thoughtfully at the closed sliding door.
Luna's eyes were slightly unfocused, as if she hadn't heard the discussion at all.
When the friends finished their discussion and all turned to look at Sherlock, Hermione simply asked directly: "Sherlock, what do you think?"
Sherlock chuckled lightly,
"It's actually not that complicated. His feelings are quite simple—envy and jealousy.
By my deduction, his parents bought him a new flying broom this holiday as well.
But he didn't expect Sirius to buy Harry a Firebolt directly.
As for why he deliberately mentioned Sirius's name, that was actually a reminder to himself, without any special meaning.
However, it's precisely this statement that inadvertently revealed a secret."
Hearing Sherlock say this, Ron immediately became interested, "What secret?"
Sherlock glanced at Ron. "He knows about his relationship with you."
Ron was even more curious. "Malfoy's relationship with me? What relationship—nemeses?"
"Family relationship—you're Malfoy's uncle."
"..."
Ron and Ginny looked at each other. "Sherlock, that joke isn't funny at all!"
"I'm not joking, dear Ron. Do you really have no knowledge of people who, like yourself, belong to the Sacred Twenty-Eight?"
"I know the Weasleys and Malfoys are both part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but what does that have to do with what you just said—"
"Narcissa Malfoy. She's Draco Malfoy's mother, Lucius Malfoy's wife. Before marrying Lucius, her name was Narcissa Black."
"What?"
Harry and Hermione had seen the Black family tapestry at 12 Grimmauld Place with their own eyes, so they'd known about this long ago.
But apart from them, everyone else present showed looks of surprise.
Clearly, this information brought them tremendous shock.
Sherlock turned his head: "Hermione, you tell them."
Hearing Sherlock's words, Hermione nodded,
"Pure-blood families are all related to each other—the Weasley family, the Black family, the Malfoy family are all like this.
Ron, Ginny, do you know what your grandmother's name was?"
Ron was still thinking when Ginny answered without hesitation: "Cedrella Weasley."
"But before she married your grandfather, her name was Cedrella Black."
Both Ron and Ginny were stunned.
"Hermione, you—you're not joking, are you?"
Hermione tried hard to suppress her laughter, saying seriously: "Strictly speaking, Malfoy should call Ron 'uncle' and Ginny 'aunt.'"
...
Seeing the siblings' dumbfounded expressions, Hermione decided to go further and give them a little shock:
"Also, your mother and Sirius are cousins by marriage.
Your father is roughly the great-great-nephew of Sirius's uncle's grandfather.
In other words, Ron is both Sirius's nephew and his cousin."
"There's more. The Black family also married into the Potter family, so Sirius isn't just Harry's godfather but also his cousin.
So, calculating it this way, Harry and Malfoy are also cousins, and both of you are their nephew.
If you add Harry being Sirius's godson, then you and Harry—"
"That's enough, Hermione. Really, enough."
Ron, Ginny: (°ロ°)
The two were now like Harry had been at 12 Grimmauld Place—their minds had turned to mush.
The complex, tangled family relationships made them look at Harry differently than before.
Three years as roommates, and he's actually my nephew?
This was simply too absurd.
Ginny kept sneaking glances at Harry.
According to what Hermione just said, she was both Harry's cousin and his aunt—
This relationship was far too complicated!
The two secretly decided they'd have to ask their parents about this when they got back.
They were actually relatives with the Malfoy family?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Perhaps Percy's words had an effect—after the Malfoy trio left, not many people came to see the Firebolt anymore.
Harry simply put it away.
For the rest of the journey, the group, exhausted from half a day's excitement, all began to doze off.
They only woke up when the announcement reminded them they were about to arrive, quickly rising to change into their robes.
Just before getting off, Cho Chang called out to Harry, unable to resist asking,
"Did you really throw five Galleons into the Fountain of Magical Brethren?"
Seeing Harry's surprised look, Cho Chang smiled at him,
"'If Peter's matter can be successfully resolved today, I'll put in one—no, five Galleons—that's what you said before, right?'"
"You actually remember that?"
Harry was greatly surprised.
He hadn't expected Cho Chang to remember something he'd only mentioned casually.
"Yes. Peter's matter was successfully resolved, so did you keep your promise and put five Galleons in?"
Cho Chang tilted her head, gazing curiously at Harry.
Sherlock at her side naturally knew the answer but still watched the two with interest.
Clearly, Cho Chang valued this answer greatly.
Harry shook his head slightly. "I didn't put five Galleons in."
A barely perceptible flash of disappointment crossed Cho Chang's eyes.
But she still smiled and said: "I see—it was just said casually anyway, no need to take it so seriously."
Harry hadn't noticed the change in Cho Chang's expression and continued speaking:
"I poured all the money in my purse into the fountain at that time."
Cho Chang suddenly looked up at Harry, her eyes bursting with light.
The thestral-drawn carriages could accommodate seven people, but that would be somewhat cramped, so after getting off the train, the seven split up.
After returning to school, Neville and Dean asked if Harry could take out the Firebolt again for them to see.
Harry naturally didn't refuse his roommates' request.
Ron also temporarily forgot about the Malfoy family relationship at this time and joined Neville and Dean's Firebolt viewing tour.
Even though he'd played with it extensively during the holiday and on the train, he showed no signs of being tired of it.
So, the Firebolt passed between the three of them, with exclamations constantly arising.
They were completely immersed in their fantasies—riding the Firebolt freely through the sky.
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