0064 Clues and Truth

"Four knocks when knocking—ordinary people only knock twice, three at most."

When Hannah Abbott asked why he knew she was troubled, Sherlock replied thus.

"Holmes, you truly live up to your reputation!" Hannah Abbott exclaimed in amazement.

Indeed, she did have troubles.

"Well then, let's begin as quickly as possible!" Sherlock placed his hands together under his chin, gazing intently at the young witch.

Hannah Abbott nodded, took a deep breath, and began recounting the events.

"My father works at the Ministry of Magic in document management. Recently, while organizing a batch of classified documents, he may have made an error due to momentary carelessness, causing a document to be misplaced.

As a result, someone at the Ministry made a big fuss about it, accusing him of deliberately leaking secrets. Now he faces serious disciplinary action and might even be sent to Azkaban!"

At this point, Hannah Abbott's eyes reddened and her voice trembled.

Sherlock didn't notice this, or perhaps noticed but didn't care. He opened his notebook and continued questioning:

"When your father mentioned this document, did he say anything special about it? Remember, any detail, however seemingly insignificant, could be crucial."

"Father said the document was protected by a special encryption charm that could only be opened with a specific magical key."

"Where was the document kept?"

"Locked in a safe with multiple protective magic wards."

"Are you certain?"

"Certain. Father said the same thing when questioned by the Ministry, but it just suddenly appeared somewhere else."

Hearing this, Sherlock frowned slightly, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. After a moment, he asked further:

"Before the document was discovered, did anything unusual happen at the Ministry?"

"Unusual?" Hannah Abbott didn't quite understand Sherlock's meaning.

"For instance, did anyone frequently enter or leave your father's office, or were any strange magical fluctuations detected?"

Hannah Abbott closed her eyes, frowning as she tried hard to remember. Sherlock didn't interrupt, just quietly watched her.

Hermione looked between Hannah Abbott and Sherlock—the former was deep in thought contrasting sharply with the latter's confident demeanor.

"Oh yes!" Hannah Abbott's eyes suddenly lit up. "Father mentioned that a few days before the document went missing, the protective magical array in his office had a brief, inexplicable fluctuation. But he conducted a thorough inspection at the time, found nothing unusual, and didn't pay much attention to it."

Sherlock nodded and turned to Hermione: "My friend, if someone wanted to use magic to bypass the safe's protection and steal documents, would it cause magical fluctuations?"

"Absolutely," Hermione answered without hesitation, then realized: "You mean..."

"Wait, I have a few more questions."

Interrupted by Sherlock, Hermione wasn't annoyed—she'd long grown accustomed to his manner. This guy was just like that!

Sherlock then began detailed inquiries about the Ministry office layout, document storage locations, and various details of her father's daily work routine.

Abbott had often visited the Ministry to see her father since childhood, so she could basically answer Sherlock's questions, though she wasn't clear on all the details.

But that was fine.

"Mother managed to let me bring the Ministry's investigation report on this matter, plus this letter describing father's account of events."

Abbott produced a stack of materials as she spoke.

Sherlock's eyes brightened—he had been frowning before.

Abbott's description could only serve as reference; this report and her father's testimony were more useful.

He examined them carefully while beginning to sketch in his notebook.

Unfortunately, conditions didn't allow for an on-site investigation at the Ministry. It seemed he'd have to emulate Poirot this time.

Fortunately, the Ministry's report was quite detailed. Though some parts remained unclear, it was sufficient for deducing the truth of this matter.

"I believe... the truth has surfaced."

Under Hermione and Abbott's amazed gazes, Sherlock looked up and spoke.

'This was far too quick!'

"This person is very likely your father's competitor at the Ministry, someone who has long coveted your father's position and seized this opportunity to orchestrate this conspiracy."

"Mr. Holmes, who are you referring to?" Abbott looked confused.

Sherlock's sudden statement left her somewhat unable to process it.

"Wright Blake, Mr. Blake."

"Him?" Hannah immediately showed surprise: "He hasn't had any feud with my father!"

Sherlock shook his head and explained:

"Based on your father's description and the materials provided in this report, this document's encryption method is an extremely rare and complex ancient magical encryption technique. Anyone capable of breaking it must have deep research into ancient magic. Few people meet this criterion, and Mr. Wright Blake happens to be one of them.

Additionally, the safe's protective magic requires simultaneously breaking at least three different types of magical locks to open. This requires not only superior magical ability but also close knowledge of the Ministry's internal security system structure. Wright Blake happens to be responsible for the security system in your father's area, which makes him highly suspicious.

"Furthermore..." Sherlock picked up his notebook, pointing to the sketch he'd drawn and continuing: "From this investigation report, in the week before the document went missing, Mr. Blake entered and exited your father's office more frequently than usual, staying for considerable periods each time. Of course, he claimed this was just to discuss work.

"But your father said those so-called discussion topics were mostly trivial, unimportant matters. This strongly suggests he was likely using these opportunities to find the optimal timing for implementing his plan—your father simply didn't notice.

Also, he has always been jealous of your father's talent—though this is my deduction, I believe it shouldn't be wrong. Because in the recent promotion evaluation, he lost to your father, which undoubtedly became his strong motive for the crime."

After hearing Sherlock's analysis, Abbott was both shocked and delighted.

Hermione gently patted her hand, looking at Sherlock with shining eyes.

"Holmes, you're amazing! So, what should we do now?"

"Don't worry, Miss Abbott. We still need to collect evidence to prove your father's innocence and that person's guilt. Although the Ministry has restricted your father's movements, fortunately your mother can still move freely.

So next, we need her and your father's friends at the Ministry to watch that person's movements, particularly looking for attempts to destroy magical traces related to the document, or any contact with suspicious individuals.

"Also, I suggest you tell Professor Sprout about this—I believe she'll provide considerable help.

Meanwhile, I'll use some methods here to further search for evidence."

At this point, he turned to look at Hermione.

"Hermione, please help by researching materials about ancient magical decryption and Ministry security system vulnerabilities—we might find key clues to his method."

Hermione couldn't help but pause—ancient magical decryption was one thing, but Ministry security system vulnerabilities? Could such things actually be researched?

Hannah Abbott didn't think so much, but began tearfully expressing her gratitude to Sherlock.

Sherlock gave her a reassuring smile: "Miss Abbott, truth will never be buried. As long as we search with dedication, we will surely discover it."

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