Sherlock followed Hermione to an empty table in the Great Hall and sat down. She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking:
"Sherlock… would you teach me how to fly?"
After asking, she looked at him a little nervously.
Had it been the beginning of term, or even half a month ago—perhaps just a week ago—she wouldn't have dared to make such a bold request.
Back then, at most, they were simply acquaintances.
They'd just met earlier than the others, nothing more.
Her relationship with Sherlock certainly wasn't as close as his friendship with Harry—or even Ron, who shared a dorm with him.
But over the past month, she and Sherlock had spent every weekend together in the library.
Especially after last weekend, she felt they had genuinely become friends.
After all, they were now calling each other by their first names, weren't they?
And, deep down, she believed that she and Sherlock were the same kind of people.
Hermione believed her struggles in flying class were psychological more than physical.
Naturally, the first person she thought of for help was Sherlock.
---
When Sherlock returned to the Great Hall, Harry asked curiously, "What did Granger want?"
"She probably wants to join the Quidditch team," Ron said confidently. "Tch, as if anything she learned from a book will actually help her fly."
"You're not wrong—so she asked me to teach her," Sherlock replied.
"I knew it—wait, what?" Ron blinked at him in disbelief.
Even Harry was surprised.
Hermione Granger?
That smug, know-it-all girl?
It was hard to imagine her asking a classmate for help.
But then again, since she asked Sherlock Holmes of all people, Harry quickly understood.
"So, did you say yes?"
"Mm."
Ron's eyes widened further, as if he'd just heard something blasphemous. "You said yes?! Why would you say yes?!"
Sherlock ignored him.
When people he was close to asked for help, Sherlock saw no reason to refuse.
Besides, helping Hermione improve her flying wasn't a big deal—it would barely cost him any effort.
His attention was focused elsewhere.
In the month since arriving at Hogwarts, Sherlock had already mapped out most of the school's layout.
Among the first-years—and honestly, even among the staff and upper-years—few knew the castle's structure as well as he did.
Only Argus Filch and the Weasley twins might surpass him in that regard.
Under normal circumstances, this would be the perfect time to begin exploring.
But…
Magic was a completely new "version" of reality that Sherlock had never encountered before.
And in this version, many things couldn't be explained by his usual logic or scientific methods.
People simply couldn't understand what lay outside the boundaries of their imagination.
That was why he and Hermione were often dubbed the most inquisitive students in their year.
But while Hermione's questions were focused strictly on class content, Sherlock's often extended beyond the curriculum—into deeper questions about the nature of magic itself.
Though both of them were considered exemplary students because of their curiosity, Hermione loved asking and answering questions, while Sherlock mostly just asked.
Of course, whenever a professor did call on him, his answers were always impeccable.
A month in, Sherlock already had his own understanding of the wizarding world.
It was time to begin deeper engagement—with the professors.
Helping Harry get on the Gryffindor Quidditch team was the first step.
---
Friday morning.
As usual, Gryffindor had their morale crushed by Snape during Potions class.
Afterward, Sherlock brought a tense but excited Harry—and a slightly overconfident Ron, to see Professor McGonagall.
"What? You three want to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team?"
Getting a meeting with the Deputy Headmistress as a first-year wasn't easy. But thanks to the name Harry Potter, the three of them managed to get through.
When McGonagall heard their reason for visiting, she couldn't hide her surprise.
"No, only these two," Sherlock clarified, gesturing to Harry and Ron. "I'm just here with them."
"You… must be joking!" McGonagall said, aghast. "First-years who haven't even fully mastered the basics of flying want to try out for the team?
Do you want to break your necks?"
As Deputy Headmistress, Professor McGonagall was known for being both fair and formidable. Among students, her authority often exceeded even that of Dumbledore himself.
The moment she raised her voice, both Harry and Ron flinched.
Not only Harry, who was already nervous—but even Ron, who'd come brimming with confidence, suddenly looked like he wanted to disappear.
The two of them quickly turned hopeful eyes toward Sherlock.
Professor McGonagall, sharp as ever, immediately picked up on it.
"Mr. Holmes, was this your idea?"
Her eyes turned dangerous.
She already had a distinct impression of Sherlock Holmes from before term started—when he'd visited to ask about school procedures in excruciating detail.
Then, at the Sorting Ceremony, he'd become the first "Hatstall" in over fifty years, just like her.
Since the term began, he'd continued to stand out—in a dazzling way.
His grasp of Transfiguration, in particular, exceeded even that of some older students.
Not to mention… his uncanny ability to tame cats.
All in all, Professor McGonagall had marked him as someone to watch—much like Hermione Granger.
But compared to the obedient Hermione, Sherlock was far more problematic.
In some classes, he asked endless questions—even cornering professors after lessons.
In others, he simply attended silently and left the moment class ended.
And for some classes… he didn't show up at all.
Like Professor Quirrell's Defence Against the Dark Arts.
This made McGonagall deeply concerned.
True, Sherlock always managed to earn back the House Points he lost from skipping class.
But over time, that kind of behavior would set a terrible example.
Defence Against the Dark Arts was a core subject, not an elective.
If everyone acted like Sherlock—only going to classes they liked, then Hogwarts would descend into chaos.
Even the mischievous Weasley twins weren't as outrageous as he was.
McGonagall had been looking for a chance to speak with Sherlock about it.
And now he'd conveniently shown up on his own—and even brought Harry and Ron to request Quidditch trials?
It was the perfect chance to set things straight.
While McGonagall pondered this, Sherlock spoke calmly:
"It was my suggestion. I believe Harry's talent is exceptional enough to warrant breaking the rule."
Then, completely unfazed by the pressure that was making Harry and Ron want to sink into the floor, he delivered a blow straight to McGonagall's heart:
"Professor, surely you don't want Gryffindor to stay at the bottom of the rankings forever?"
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