Sneak Attack
Harry was completely dumbfounded, stuttering as he asked, "P-professor, are yo-..."
But Sherlock interrupted him, saying, "Just do as I say! Remember, if I don't answer immediately, stun me immediately. You still remember how to use it, right? I even taught you during our travels."
Harry sensed that something was wrong and nodded, indicating that he understood. He quickly returned to the car.
After Harry left, Sherlock didn't hesitate and immediately used the Disillusionment Charm on himself. The charm made him gradually blend into his surroundings making him almost transparent, although faint distortions in the air still hinted at his presence.
The Disillusionment Charm allowed wizards to blend into their surroundings, but its effectiveness wasn't as good as an invisibility cloak for the untrained. It was more suitable for use at night, as during the day, a keen observer could still notice some inconsistencies in the air.
Nevertheless, Sherlock didn't need the perfect invisibility effect. He swiftly caught up with the place where Nicolos Flamel had disappeared.
In Flamel's yard, Sherlock searched for a bit but couldn't find any trace of him. The locked door indicated that nobody had been inside the house.
This only confirmed Sherlock's suspicions. But where did "Nicolos Flamel" go?
As Sherlock continued his search, a girl with freckles and holding a wooden box emerged from the bushes in the backyard. Sherlock recognized her as "Marianne Creel," the girl who met with Fleur at the bar yesterday. She wore a playful smile on her face.
Ah, there "he" is.
...
Harry carefully remembered what Sherlock had told him and sat in the car. He recalled Sherlock's serious expression, indicating that something significant had happened.
Feeling a bit nervous, Harry sat in the car, constantly looking around. Just when he was about to stick his head out for the fifth time to see if Sherlock had returned, a familiar figure suddenly appeared from around the corner.
"Harry? Why are you alone in the car? Where's Sherlock?" Fleur asked, puzzled.
Harry's hand holding his wand with a sweaty hand, his gaze remained fixed on the girl. He suddenly asked, "What's your sister's name?"
Fleur was taken aback, not understanding why Harry would suddenly ask such a question. She stammered, "W-what? I just came back after finding the fragments of the Philosopher's Stone. I found three of them, one for each of us..."
"What's your sister's name? Tell me!" Harry pressed on.
Fleur stood there, unsure why Harry was so insistent on the question. "I-I..."
"Stupefy!"
Without hesitation, Harry extended the wand hidden behind the door in the car and shot a red spell at the "Fleur" standing three meters away, who couldn't evade in time.
"Ah!"
"Fleur" was hit by the spell, but instead of falling to the ground, she transformed into a creature with pointed ears and a face like a Goblin!
After reverting to her true form, the fairy made a sound as if whipping through the air and disappeared in the next moment.
With no immediate threat, Harry lowered his wand, letting out a deep breath. He had gambled correctly. The intruder had used Fleur's identity to get close to him, not Sherlock's.
...
Sherlock, on the other hand, had no worries about whether he could handle the situation. He was stealthily following behind Fleur's classmate, "Marianne Creel."
Seeing her enter the forest where Flamel hid the fragments of the Philosopher's Stone, Sherlock followed without making a sound. The forest wasn't as vast as the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, but it was still substantial.
Young wizards searching for the Stone's fragments had been in there for about twenty minutes, with only a few finding anything.
After entering the forest, "Marianne" approached the young wizards searching for the fragments, asking about Fleur's whereabouts. She then followed one wizard's direction to continue deeper into the forest.
About several hundred meters in, they saw Fleur arguing with another witch over a fragment she had found.
Sherlock observed silently from a distance as "Marianne" and Fleur teamed up. He noticed that "Marian" intentionally led Fleur to a particular spot where a bird's nest held two more fragments.
"Look there, Fleur!" "Marianne" pointed excitedly at the discovery.
Fleur was thrilled as well. Finding three fragments of the Philosopher's Stone was no longer a mere dream. With the two newly found fragments, she and "Marian" could each have one.
Unbeknownst to Fleur, "Marian" wore a smile that sent shivers down one's spine.
"Marian" led Fleur to a specific location, where a brilliant red light suddenly shot towards her.
"Stupefy!"
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Editor: #51
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