0152 The Ghoul

With Hermione's Lumos charm, the previously dim attic immediately brightened. In this sudden burst of light, a figure that had been hidden in the shadows appeared in front of the four of them.

Its appearance was exactly like the illustrations in their textbooks—its entire body was covered with a layer of slimy, strangely luminescent skin.

A pair of sharp fangs bulged grotesquely from its yawning mouth, glinting with cold light under the magical illumination, making it a fearsome sight to see.

It was both ugly and terrifying.

The sudden appearance of light also alerted the ghoul to the presence of the four people.

It lifted its head to look at them, its gaze revealing a sinister gleam, while its throat emitted a low, hoarse roar.

Harry was startled by its appearance and sound, instinctively took half a step backward.

"Don't worry, mate!"

Ron noticed Harry's movement and stepped protectively in front of him, placing a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder.

"This fellow's brain is just as simple as those garden gnomes—don't let its fierce appearance fool you. It's all bluster, nothing but impotent rage."

Harry swallowed hard, his gaze still fixed on the ghoul, unable to help asking.

"Does it... does it really eat corpses?"

"Harry, you and Ron should really spend more time with your textbooks!"

Hermione crossed her arms, her face showing exasperation.

"Ghouls are only rated XX in the Ministry's classification of dangerous creatures—the same level as those mischievous garden gnomes, and even less dangerous than the XXX-rated Nifflers we just mentioned.

And although it's called a ghoul, it doesn't eat corpses at all. It normally feeds on spiders and moths."

After hearing Hermione's explanation, the tension in Harry's mind eased somewhat. Unlike Ron's impatience, he didn't mind Hermione's lecturing tone. After thinking for a moment, he asked.

"What level was that troll we encountered before?"

Hermione's expression became serious, like a stern little teacher.

"Trolls are rated XXXX. They're naturally vicious and enjoy eating raw meat, and they're not picky about their prey. Whether it's wild animals or—humans, once they set their sights on something, it could end up as their next meal."

Harry couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath at this revelation.

After hearing Hermione's description and looking at the ghoul before them, he suddenly felt this creature was indeed rather harmless by comparison.

Sherlock had paid no attention throughout his friends exchange. He walked steadily toward the ghoul, each step firm and purposeful.

The ghoul's roaring gradually weakened as Sherlock approached, its voice losing confidence.

"Are you seriously backing away?"

Ron couldn't help but comment as he watched this scene unfold.

Compared to Harry's earlier retreat, the ghoul's backward movement was far more pathetic.

However, Sherlock showed no intention of stopping.

As he pressed forward step by step, the ghoul was forced to retreat until its back hit the cold wall with nowhere left to go.

Its body trembled even more violently, its clouded eyes were filled with terror.

"Leave it alone, Sherlock—"

Ron sighed helplessly. At this moment, he actually felt somewhat sorry for the ghoul.

But Sherlock seemed not to hear him, stroking his chin as he pulled out a magnifying glass from his pocket.

"You've got to be kidding..."

All three friends were stunned.

The next moment, Sherlock bent down slightly and began carefully examining the ghoul with the help of his magnifying glass.

His eyes gleamed with curiosity as he observed every detail.

"Uh—"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron exchanged glances.

This scene reminded them of when Sherlock had examined the troll in the chambers protecting the Philosopher's Stone.

That troll had reeked terribly, and now this ghoul was ugly and disgusting, yet Sherlock seemed completely indifferent to it all.

It appeared that Sherlock had grown in more ways than just age.

Sherlock was naturally unaware of his three friends' thoughts.

He curiously studied this magical creature—its hunched form, rough and cracked skin, sparse and disheveled hair hanging in strands.

Its features were distorted, with a flat and crooked nose, some unidentifiable fluid dripping from the corners of its mouth, and yellowed, blood-stained fangs protruding unevenly.

Its hands were skeletal, with long black fingernails that made bone-chilling scraping sounds against the floor.

No wonder Harry had been frightened earlier.

Judging by appearance alone, it was indeed quite deceptive.

"Interesting."

Sherlock withdrew his gaze and turned to Ron. "I suppose your family treats it rather like a pet?"

Despite having reached his conclusion, he still asked the question.

Ron tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment.

"Well, now that you mention it, that's pretty much right. Though when this fellow thinks the house is too quiet, it bangs on the pipes, which can be rather annoying."

"Let's go!"

Having satisfied his curiosity, Sherlock turned to leave.

He felt somewhat disappointed.

If the Weasley family hadn't treated it as a pet, he might have considered asking for it.

Dissecting it to study its structure would certainly be interesting.

While Harry and Hermione were also interested in magical creatures, their interest wasn't as intense as Sherlock's.

Besides, the creature was rather ugly. As for Ron, there was no need to explain.

If Sherlock hadn't made the request today, he wouldn't have come to the attic to see the ghoul at all.

So, when Sherlock suggested leaving, all three nodded in agreement.

When they returned to Ron's bedroom, Mrs. Weasley had already arranged their accommodations.

Godric's Hollow was still quite a distance away, and they had been traveling all day.

Especially for Mr. Granger, who had been driving, fatigue crept up his limbs like devil's snare.

Though the others didn't feel as exhausted as Mr. Granger, they still felt waves of tiredness washing over them.

So, they accepted Mr. Weasley's suggestion to spend the night here and set off for Potter's ancestral home tomorrow morning after breakfast, when they would be refreshed.

As the only witch among the guests, Hermione naturally shared a room with Ron's sister.

Mr. Holmes and Mr. Granger each had their own bedrooms—originally Bill and Charlie's rooms.

Sherlock and Harry shared Ron's room.

Ron went to stay with his brother Percy.

All the guests readily accepted these sleeping arrangements without any objection.

However, when Mr. Weasley casually mentioned the ghoul during dinner, Mr. Holmes immediately became interested.

Mr. Granger's eyes widened. "A ghoul? What kind of magical creature is that?"

Unsurprisingly, the three grown men hit it off immediately and formed a team to observe the ghoul in the attic.

When they returned from the attic, thoroughly satisfied, their enthusiasm remained high as they continued their animated discussion.

"It was absolutely amazing—it looked so terrifying but was actually so timid! Too bad I didn't bring a magnifying glass, or I could have observed it more closely!"

"But why is it called a ghoul when it doesn't eat corpses? The name is quite misleading—though looking at its teeth, they do match the characteristics of a carnivore."

"Do only wizard households have these creatures? I'd love to catch one to keep! That way, when Mycroft and Sherlock aren't home, Watson and I won't be so bored."

"Well, I'm afraid that's not really possible."

Hearing this, Mr. Weasley's face showed an apologetic smile as he patiently explained to his two guests.

"The Ministry's Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures has a Ghoul Task Force specifically responsible for removing ghouls that have moved into Muggle residences.

You understand—for Muggles who know nothing about the magical world, these creatures are quite troublesome.

According to the Statute of Secrecy, these matters shouldn't really be discussed with Muggles either."

"Is that so? What a shame!"

Mr. Holmes shook his head disappointedly, his face full of regret.

Mr. Granger also sighed, his eyes showing a hint of reluctance.

The three men's behavior left everyone else exchanging glances.

However, this was merely a small interlude, and soon the topic of ghouls drifted away like smoke.

Everyone's attention quickly focused on tomorrow's plan to visit Godric's Hollow.

The main discussion centered on transportation.

"The fastest method would naturally be Apparition."

Hermione said seriously, "But wizards must be at least seventeen years old and pass the Apparition test to legally use this magic within Britain—obviously, none of us three meet those requirements."

Mr. Weasley scratched his head helplessly, saying with a regretful smile.

"Theoretically, I could take you three with me using Side-Along Apparition—"

"Absolutely not! I won't let the children take such a risk."

Before he could finish, Mrs. Weasley stated firmly.

Apparition was too dangerous. If it were just her husband alone, that would be fine, and even bringing Ron along wouldn't be much of a problem.

But there were three young wizards involved.

Moreover, her gaze swept over Mr. Holmes and Mr. Granger.

There were two adult Muggles present.

Under these circumstances, most magical transportation methods—Portkeys, Floo Powder, flying broomsticks, the Knight Bus—were all ruled out.

For a moment, the living room fell silent.

Harry couldn't help but look toward Sherlock.

When in doubt, ask Sherlock.

But before Sherlock could speak, Mr. Weasley suddenly slapped his thigh as if remembering something.

"Drive! We can drive there!"

He said excitedly, beaming with joy. "Our Ford car may be a bit old, but it's not slow, and it can shelter us from wind and rain. Never mind going to Godric's Hollow—it could take us all the way to London without any problem!"

"What a great idea!"

"Dad's absolutely right!"

Watching Mr. Weasley's enthusiastic, lively gestures, Mrs. Weasley suddenly turned around and gave him a dangerous look.

"You've been wanting to do this all along, haven't you, Arthur!"

Mr. Weasley's movements immediately stopped. He coughed once.

"Oh, dear Molly, this is the best solution available, isn't it?"

"Don't think I don't know!"

Mrs. Weasley's eyes blazed with anger. "Just think about it—a wizard buys a rusty old car and tells his wife he only wants to take it apart to see how it works."

She paused here, her chest rising and falling dramatically, clearly quite upset about this matter.

"But what was he really doing? He used magic to turn it into a flying car."

Mr. Weasley was horrified.

'Why? Why did Molly know about this?'

'Who betrayed me!'

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