After the first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson for the fourth-years ended, every student who had attended felt heavy-hearted.
They walked out of the classroom with their minds preoccupied. Looking at the other cheerful young wizards in the castle corridors, they felt as though they had been separated from the rest of the world.
Sherlock did not lecture them afterwards. He simply explained that what they had witnessed was merely one scene from the countless memories of the former Auror, who was now serving as Hogwarts' Castle Guardian.
There were also other memories that were even more unbearable to watch, which he had chosen not to show them.
After assigning their homework, Sherlock reminded them that the next few lessons would follow the same teaching method. He then dismissed the class after they had personally witnessed scenes involving the Imperius Curse and the Killing Curse.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione still left the classroom together, but none of them wanted to speak first. They merely exchanged glances and headed towards the Gryffindor Common Room.
On the way, they ran into Neville, who also looked rather shaken. His face was pale as he silently made his way back alone.
Ron greeted him, and Neville responded with a stutter, behaving no differently from usual.
This prompted Ron to whisper to Harry and Hermione.
"I thought Neville would be scared stiff. He probably didn't dare look at the scene of that wizard being tortured by the Cruciatus Curse, just like those Hufflepuff students."
Meanwhile, after class, Sherlock had barely reached his office door when he noticed Hilke waiting for him outside.
He looked at her suspiciously.
"I thought you had another class after this one. What's happened?"
Hilke's expression was stern.
"Fedetick, who was imprisoned in the Department of Mysteries at the German Ministry of Magic, has escaped again."
Sherlock looked surprised.
"Escaped again? Is your former employer's security really that lax? It simply decided to escape, and then succeeded?"
"Someone used the Imperius Curse to control an Unspeakable and help Fedetick escape from its cell. The German Ministry of Magic hasn't discovered the culprit's identity yet, but my former superior, the Director of the Department of Mysteries, wrote to me. She suspects Fedetick might come looking for us."
Sherlock rubbed his chin before pushing open his office door and entering with Hilke.
"It wants revenge? Isn't that too simple a reason for escaping?"
Hilke shook her head seriously.
"I was responsible for watching it before, so I understand it better than anyone else. It's extremely vindictive. If it had the ability, the first thing it would do after escaping would be to destroy the Department of Mysteries that imprisoned it for hundreds of years. But it clearly doesn't have that ability right now. So, if it's looking for someone to take revenge on, we're probably its first targets."
Sherlock couldn't help twitching his mouth at her words.
"Alright, even if it's desperate for revenge, are we really that easy to deal with? We were the ones chasing it before, which made things complicated. But if it comes knocking on our door this time, how can it be sure it's a match for me?"
"I haven't divined anything," Hilke replied, gently shaking her head, "but this matter is definitely not that simple. The motive of the person who released Fedetick is particularly important. I have a feeling that their actual target is you."
Sherlock's expression froze momentarily before he narrowed his eyes, as though he had thought of something.
"I'm the target? That's rare. I don't have many enemies in the wizarding world."
Hilke didn't stay long. She still had a sixth-year class to teach.
"If it really intends to seek revenge, you'll be its main target. You need to be careful these days."
"Don't worry. I won't leave Hogwarts unless absolutely necessary during this period." Sherlock smiled and waved his hand, reassuring her.
Only after Hilke had left did his expression gradually settle. His eyes grew distant as he contemplated something in silence.
The following days at Hogwarts passed peacefully.
The official start of the Triwizard Tournament was scheduled for a few days before Halloween, at the end of October. The students remained enthusiastic about the upcoming competition, but their studies and daily lives continued as usual.
Harry clearly noticed that George and Fred seemed to be plotting something lately. They rarely sought attention in the Gryffindor Common Room anymore. Instead, the two were constantly whispering over a piece of parchment, deliberately avoiding everyone else.
According to information Ron had secretly gathered, the Weasley twins were currently focused on figuring out how to make themselves a few months older so they could meet the Triwizard Tournament's requirement that only students aged seventeen or above could enter.
Harry thought their chances of success were slim. If students could simply circumvent the rules so easily, the competition would undoubtedly descend into chaos.
After the first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, Sherlock used the same teaching method for two more lessons, covering the Imperius Curse and the Killing Curse. The memories they witnessed still came from Moody's mind.
Now, whenever the fourth-year students saw Moody in the castle, they couldn't help straightening their backs and looking at him with solemn respect. This was a complete reversal of their previous instinct to keep their distance from him.
A few bolder boys, whose greatest ambition was to become Aurors in the Ministry of Magic, even approached Moody to ask him about the Auror Office.
Although Moody appeared rough on the outside, he had a warm heart.
One of his most famous achievements was persuading numerous Aurors who had been wavering between the Ministry of Magic and the Death Eaters to turn over a new leaf. He hadn't accomplished this by pointing his wand at their noses, but through genuine conversation.
He welcomed the Hogwarts students who approached him and was happy to point out their shortcomings in spellwork.
This made the new Castle Guardian quite popular among the students, a stark contrast to the reputation of the other castle administrator, Filch, among the young wizards.
On the first day of October, the start of the Triwizard Tournament drew ever closer.
That evening, as Harry and his friends left the Potions classroom and prepared to return to their Common Room, Harry suddenly stopped at a corner of the underground corridor.
"What is that?"
He looked towards an empty classroom that had remained unused for years. Through the window, he felt as though something was staring at him.
Ron and Hermione followed his gaze but saw nothing. Harry, however, remained unconvinced. He pushed open the door of the empty classroom, and the three of them entered together.
The room was empty. There was no one inside. Only a piece of dry, yellow straw lay on the desk in the middle of the classroom, its presence unexplained. It might have blown in through a window or been left behind by someone.