章 51: Chapter 51: Today's Weather Should Be Pleasant

The day following Colin's unexpected attack, a palpable unease had spread throughout Hogwarts. Yet, with the anticipation of the upcoming Christmas holidays in the air, the school prefects were preoccupied, compiling the list of students who had opted to stay at the school throughout the festive period.

Emerging from their morning Potions class with information swirling in their minds, Harry, Ron, and Hermione convened in the relative secrecy of the girls' first-floor bathroom. Ron plunged into the crux of the matter without preamble, "Did you guys see that Malfoy's name was on the Christmas stay-behind list. Seems a bit peculiar, doesn't it?"

Hermione was in the throes of concocting the Polyjuice potion, stirring the bubbling mix inside her cauldron with a focused air. A crucial component of this complex potion was boiling twelve grasshoppers for a precise twenty-one days. "Regardless, we're spending the holidays at Hogwarts too," she pointed out. "So we can keep an eye on whatever he's planning."

However, Harry's current concern wasn't Malfoy. His thoughts were snagged on the test they had proposed for Sherlock the previous day. "We've got Defense Against the Dark Arts later, remember? We can carry out our test on Professor Forester post-class."

Hermione paused in her stirring, glanced up at him, a quizzical look on her face. "And what exactly is your plan?" she queried.

"It's quite simple," Harry supplied, an easy smile playing on his lips. "We merely need to ask Professor Forester his opinion on today's weather."

"And then?" probed Hermione, her eyebrows arching up.

"We monitor the weather changes that follow," Harry replied, peering out the window at the cloudless day. "Given the current weather conditions, any reasonable person would agree it's a sunny day, wouldn't they?"

Despite the lengthy analysis Harry had presented the day prior, Hermione remained skeptical about Sherlock's supposed ability to jinx things, finding it hard to believe. "Professor Forester is undoubtedly a powerful wizard, but he's no deity. He doesn't have the power to shift weather on a whim."

However, Harry and Ron, having personally experienced the ill effects of Sherlock's cursed mouth, were now dubious about whether Sherlock was merely a man or something akin to a deity. "Our beliefs notwithstanding," Harry contended, "we'll know the truth if we just give it a try today."

As the afternoon unfolded, the sky remained a clear, unblemished sweep of blue, the past days of inclement weather seeming to have run its course. During their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Professor Forester moved onto sharing detailed insights about the last Dark creature they needed to learn about for the term.

"I've covered the salient points about Boggarts in today's lesson. After the Christmas break, I'll expect each of you to submit a foot-length piece of parchment with your detailed analysis of a Boggart, its characteristic behaviors, its manifestation causes, and the most effective approach to combat it."

He added with a hint of a tease in his tone, "I've even spotted a Boggart somewhere within the castle. If I manage to locate it before our next class, we'll have a practical session, where you can attempt tackling the Boggart personally."

The students' faces lit up with excitement. They had thoroughly enjoyed their prior practical sessions orchestrated by Sherlock, which had included encounters with mischievous Cornish Pixies and Grindylows confined in a makeshift fish tank — courtesy of Hagrid. Practical classes were a hit among the students, and Sherlock promised to include more in the larger curriculum plan for the upcoming term.

After assigning the homework project and signaling the end of the class, Harry, Ron, and Hermione lingered, waiting for their classmates to leave. As soon as the classroom was empty, they hemmed Sherlock in. "Professor, we have a question we'd like to ask you."

Ever since he had accustomed himself to life at Hogwarts, Sherlock had found such instances common. Whilst the students weren't typically known for their zealous study habits, certain pupils displayed a genuine curiosity for magic and often sought him out for his mentorship.

These interactions allowed Sherlock to deepen his understanding of magical principles, turning out to be a fruitful deal for both parties involved.

"What is this inquiry about? Was there an aspect of today's lesson that you couldn't fully grasp?"

Hearing Sherlock's responses, Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared an unspoken looking of encouragement and teamwork. Finally, with a nod from Hermione and Ron, Harry approached Sherlock. A calm exterior disguised his underlying unease.

"Professor Forester, could I trouble you to share your thoughts on... today's weather?"

Surprised by the unusual question, Sherlock regarded the three intently. "Is this some kind of a joke?" he asked with bemusement etched on his face.

Shaking his head, he started to gather his teaching notes, planning to bid them goodbye and head for his office. "If you're keen to know about the coming weather, Professor Trelawney would be a better person to ask. She might even offer you a surprise prophecy about yourself."

Sherlock's tone hardened, he thought maybe he had been too lenient with the mischievous trio recently, leading them to think he could easily be made the butt of a joke.

Detecting the shift in the Professor's demeanor, the trio hastily tried to explain. "No, Professor! We're not trying to pull a prank or joke. We really do want to know your opinion on today's weather."

They pursued him all the way to his office, with Harry, Hermione, and Ron insisting on receiving a response from the increasingly frustrated professor. Finally, with an exaggerated roll of his eyes, Sherlock glanced at the sky that promised a few days of clear weather, despite the gradually lowering temperature.

Tired of their insistence, he responded, albeit vaguely, " Today's weather should be pleasant. If Quidditch appeals to you, take a broom and enjoy the warmth. But if you have serious questions about Defense Against the Dark Arts, feel free to approach me. Otherwise, don't bother me with these trivial matters, good day."

With those words, he swiftly entered his office, leaving the exuberant trio outside.

"Did we just hear Professor Forester describe the weather as 'pleasant'?" asked Ron, compelling Harry and Hermione to confirm what they had just heard. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"If we adhere to Harry's hypothesis that Professor Forester is a harbinger of misfortune, we should prepare ourselves for some unexpectedly bad weather."

Instead of retiring to their common room or meandering around the castle as usual, the trio stationed themselves at the window of a vacant classroom, their eyes peeled for any changes in the sky above.

Even as their necks started to grow stiff from craning up at the unmoving sky, there was not a sign of the sunny day transforming into a gloomy one. Hermione, starting to massage her aching neck muscles, grumbled a complaint, "I knew this theory was fundamentally faulty. How can a person be a consistently incorrect forecaster of... "

But she never got to complete her sentence, for her voice was drowned mid-complaint by the triumphant shouts of Ron and Harry. "Snow! It's actually snowing! Look, Hogwarts is under a snowfall!"

Hermione's eyes widened in astonishment as she beheld the unexpected scene unfolding before her. The sky above transformed into a dance of snowflakes, each one painting the air with a mesmerizing pattern. Her face betrayed a moment frozen in disbelief, as she realized the implications of this anomaly.