"Very simple deduction," Sherlock explained rapidly when asked by Harry. "There's no accumulated dust here, nor other footprints. Those fresh scratches were obviously produced by moving heavy objects.
The dust distribution around where the mirror is placed has been disturbed, forming a relatively clear area matching the mirror's outline, but other places still have uniform dust coverage. Choosing such an abandoned classroom, plus this casual placement, clearly shows this is just a temporary storage point that will soon be moved elsewhere."
Though he'd been mentally prepared, after Sherlock explained everything, Harry still expressed admiration with genuine awe.
"Sherlock, it's always like this. When you explain your reasoning process, everything becomes so obvious. But before your explanation, I can never figure it out."
Sherlock laughed. "Thank you for the praise, my friend, but I'm afraid I must remind you about the time—if you plan to stay here."
To Sherlock's surprise, Harry shook his head: "Sherlock, shall we go?"
"Go? Not going to take a look?"
Sherlock looked at him with interest.
Harry shook his head: "It's already very late, and—I have a feeling something's not right."
He vaguely sensed this mirror's appearance was somewhat suspicious, as if someone had deliberately placed it here, arranged and waiting for Sherlock and him to discover it.
"Deduction is contagious, my dear friend."
Hearing Harry's words, Sherlock couldn't help but laugh heartily, making Harry worry his laughter might attract Filch.
"Look, you're starting to use it to analyze problems too."
Harry only had a vague feeling, while Sherlock could be certain this mirror was deliberately placed here for them to discover. The people with both motive and capability to do this at Hogwarts could be counted on one hand.
Sherlock deduced almost instantly who it was and their purpose.
"Unfortunately, neither you nor I can leave here."
"What did you say?"
"I'll bet you a Galleon that if we go out now, nine times out of ten we'll encounter Filch or someone else who'll force us back into this room."
Sherlock's words simultaneously stunned both Harry and someone hidden in the shadows.
"If you don't believe me, you can try now."
After hesitating for a long while, Harry's curiosity ultimately overcame everything else. It wasn't that he didn't trust Sherlock; he simply wanted to broaden his horizons.
Sherlock watched with amusement as the Invisibility Cloak-wearing Harry walked toward the door. He was also curious about what method the mastermind would use to stop them.
Harry reached the door and had barely pushed it open a crack when Mrs. Norris's bright, gleaming eyes appeared in his field of vision.
"Meow—!"
Harry stood perfectly still, unsure whether the Invisibility Cloak worked on cats, so he remained motionless.
Fortunately, Mrs. Norris didn't linger long. After it turned and left, Harry immediately closed the door and let out a long breath.
"This time I was wrong—I didn't expect it would be a cat."
Sherlock spoke in a self-mocking tone, then walked straight toward the mirror.
The recent encounter had undoubtedly proven Sherlock's deduction, and Harry was unwilling to try going to the door again. So, seeing Sherlock approach the mirror, he followed.
Sherlock stood before the mirror, his gaze sweeping over the inscription at the top:
Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi
It appeared to be a meaningless sentence.
In less than three seconds, Sherlock had understood the correct way to read it. His face first showed a flash of surprise, then transformed into faint mockery.
At this moment, he understood why this mirror had appeared here today.
That old schemer!
Very well. Since they wanted excitement, they'd see it through to the end.
He stepped forward two more paces, positioning himself directly in front of the mirror. His slender fingers pressed against his chin, gray pupils contracting to pinpoints in the mirror's cold light.
Contrary to Sherlock's expectations, what appeared in the mirror wasn't a maze built of Galleons, nor the streets of Elizabethan London.
It was a diagram precise enough to be terrifying.
Countless silver threads wove into a web in the void, each strand strung with suspended pocket watches, blood-stained daggers, and yellowed case files. A parchment covered in unknown symbols was slowly unfolding, ink forming magical equations he'd never seen before on its surface.
Hogwarts Castle collapsed into a suspended dodecahedron; each facet twisted into the same Gothic letters:
The Final Problem
After watching quietly for several seconds, Sherlock sneered coldly at the scene displayed in the mirror:
"Boring emotional projection tricks. You should show me the one option among all possibilities that doesn't hold true—for instance, the moment I stop thinking."
At this point, Harry also came before the mirror. Hearing Sherlock's words, he asked with confusion: "Sherlock, what are you talking about?"
Sherlock pointed to the line of text atop the mirror.
Harry looked once, twice, then a third time. His only thought: What the heck is this gibberish?
Before Harry could ask, Sherlock had already provided the answer: "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi—a very simple riddle. Just reverse it and re-break the sentence: I show not your face but your heart's desire."
Harry hadn't followed Sherlock's reasoning and asked confusedly: "What does that mean?"
"'I show not your face but your heart's desire,'" Sherlock said flatly. "This mirror can reflect each person's deepest, most urgent desires."
"So magical? Sherlock, what did you see?"
Harry couldn't help but ask curiously.
Sherlock didn't answer but stepped aside.
"Sherlock?"
Harry looked at Sherlock blankly, not grasping his meaning.
"Haven't you always wanted to see your parents?"
Sherlock pointed to where he'd just been standing, indicating Harry should step forward.
Harry's entire body trembled.
My mom and dad!
His gaze turned to the mirror surface as he slowly walked forward. As the distance between him and the mirror decreased, Harry's emotions grew increasingly tense, until he saw a crowd of people reflected in the mirror and nearly cried out.
Fortunately, half a term with Sherlock had improved his composure somewhat, preventing him from screaming.
He looked back once, then again, confirming no one was behind him. He stared directly at the mirror, his face gradually breaking into an entranced smile.
Sherlock noted Harry's abnormal behavior, his brow furrowing.
At this moment, Harry pressed both hands firmly against the mirror frame, his entire body nearly pressed against the mirror.
"Mother?" Harry called softly. "Father?"
Just then, a hand pressed on his shoulder, forcibly turning his body around.
Being forcibly turned away from the mirror by Sherlock, his gaze torn from it, Harry immediately became agitated.
"What are you—ow!"
Sherlock's strong hands held Harry down as the latter struggled desperately, feeling only pain.
"Dear Harry, you need to calm down—I think you saw your parents in the mirror?"
"Not just my parents, but grandpa, grandma—so many people! You know, Sherlock, they all have the same green eyes as me, the same nose. Grandpa even has the same uneven knees as me—"
Harry spoke somewhat illogically.
"I see your longing for family affection is stronger than I imagined."
Sherlock said thoughtfully.
"Sherlock—"
Harry's gaze kept drifting toward the mirror. Realizing he couldn't break free from Sherlock, he could only look at him pleadingly.
Sherlock frowned but ultimately released his restraining grip.
Let him indulge his eyes for now.
After gaining freedom, Harry rushed to the mirror in one bound. This time, he sat down on the floor.
Father, mother, grandfather, grandmother—and many relatives he didn't know how to address. In the mirror, at least ten people stood behind him, smiling and waving.
At this moment, Harry wanted nothing more than to stay here all night with his family. Nothing could stop him. Not even Sherlock!
Sherlock didn't yet know he'd become the biggest obstacle in Harry's mind. He watched with interest as Harry gazed hungrily at the mirror, wishing he could leap into it and be with his relatives.
He was waiting—waiting for that person to appear.
That person didn't keep him waiting long.
"Well then—"
Just as Harry was nearly entering a trance, a peaceful voice came from behind.
Harry instantly felt his internal organs freeze to ice. He stiffly turned his head to see Dumbledore's figure in the doorway.
Sherlock showed no surprise, calmly greeting Dumbledore: "Professor."
"I must say, Sherlock, when I was your age, I didn't possess such keen observational skills as yours."
Dumbledore said with a smile. "As you said, this mirror can indeed show one's deepest desires. It's called the Mirror of Erised."
Seeing Dumbledore's smiling face, Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
Sherlock raised an eyebrow.
Dumbledore continued smiling at Sherlock: "So, can you tell me now what your desire is?"
Sherlock had long deduced that Dumbledore had placed the mirror here. Hearing the question, he immediately replied without hesitation:
"An overly literary clockmaker's nightmare. I suggest Mr. Filch strengthen the castle's pest control work."
Dumbledore: blank stare
Not only Dumbledore, but Harry also looked at Sherlock with surprise. What was he talking about?
Without giving them time to react, Sherlock continued: "Reality and fantasy are sometimes hard to distinguish. In a world with magic, it's even more difficult. So, I don't think placing this mirror here is a good idea."
Dumbledore was slightly taken aback. These were words he'd originally planned to say to Harry, but Sherlock had beaten him to it.
Seeing that Sherlock seemed to have more to say, he immediately coughed and looked at Harry.
"Harry."
"Headmaster."
Being called upon by Dumbledore, Harry immediately tensed.
"I'd prefer you call me sir or professor."
"Yes, sir."
"Your friend is quite right. This mirror teaches us neither knowledge nor truth. People waste away before it, entranced by what they see, even driven mad, because they don't know if what they see in the mirror is real or possible."
Harry lowered his head silently. He recalled how Sherlock had just held him back from continuing to look at the mirror.
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
Harry glanced at Sherlock again.
Sherlock stared at Dumbledore: "I assume this mirror will be removed soon?"
"Remarkably perceptive. As you've deduced, Sherlock, I'll have it moved elsewhere later tonight. I hope you won't go looking for it again."
Though he said "you," Dumbledore was looking at Harry. Obviously, in his view, only Harry had been entranced by the Mirror of Erised.
"I'll advise Harry," Sherlock posed another question. "Sir, what did you see in the mirror?"
Harry also looked curiously at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled: "Me? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."
Sherlock: incredulous look
Harry: shocked expression
Dumbledore ignored their gazes. "Well then, why don't you put on that wonderful Invisibility Cloak and head back to bed?"
Harry nodded. Sherlock said slowly: "One doesn't necessarily need an Invisibility Cloak to become invisible, does one?"
Dumbledore didn't speak, only gave them a kindly smile.
On the return journey, Sherlock still didn't wear the Invisibility Cloak. Under his guidance, Harry moved much faster than on their way there.
When they reached the Gryffindor common room, Harry finally let out a long breath.
"Thank goodness, I thought the professor would deduct points from us."
"He won't," Sherlock said with certainty.
Harry asked curiously: "How do you know?"
"Because he's not Professor Snape."
Sherlock's voice suddenly became serious. "My friend, your performance tonight wasn't good."
Harry felt somewhat ashamed. After seeing the mirror tonight, he'd cast everything else aside. Looking back now, he'd been as if bewitched. He'd even developed an abnormal emotion of "just wanting to be with his family."
Never mind Quirrell, the Philosopher's Stone, or Voldemort—what did it matter if Quirrell really took the Stone?
He'd even forgotten something important: Voldemort was the enemy who had killed his parents.
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