Sherlock was unaware of everything happening at Hogwarts.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Sherlock, having finished his classes for the day, gathered with Professor McGonagall in Dumbledore's office, ready to head to an unknown location.
"I must explain something to you first, Sherlock. Since the Dark Lord's complete downfall, there is no more 'Order of the Phoenix'. We are just a group of friends who occasionally get together; it's not an organization specifically created for a particular purpose."
Professor McGonagall said this with a serious expression in Dumbledore's office.
Sherlock nodded calmly on the surface, indicating that he understood, but inwardly he couldn't help but complain.
He hadn't expected that Professor McGonagall, usually so rigid and upright, would be so flexible in certain matters.
But such emphasis was worse than no emphasis at all. Anyone with a slightly normal brain would know that saying that only further confirmed certain things.
Dumbledore, who was standing up from his chair, heard Professor McGonagall's words and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.
"There's no need for that, Minerva. You can explain these things to him more clearly."
He turned his gaze to Sherlock, his bright, clear blue eyes containing a special meaning.
"When you came to me last time to apply to join, I told you, Sherlock, that the original purpose of the Order of the Phoenix was to fight against him and his followers. We have many partners: wizards, Squibs, Aurors, bartenders, even thieves, but we all share a common ideal, which is to crush his forces."
"You also know what happened after that. He failed, and his forces dissipated. Therefore, some officials in the magical world, especially in the Ministry of Magic, were very worried about the power of the Order of the Phoenix, which they couldn't control. So, to reassure them, I decided to temporarily let the Order of the Phoenix go dormant and fade from people's sight."
"But I didn't disband it. Everyone still comes back from various places every so often to gather, chat, and talk about their lives, so that everyone stays in touch. Until it's necessary, the Order of the Phoenix, which has disappeared from people's eyes, will reappear intact. Do you know why we do this?"
Faced with Dumbledore's question, Sherlock thought for only a moment before coming up with the answer. He spoke softly.
"Because the danger has not truly been eliminated, and Voldemort may still make a comeback."
Dumbledore affirmed his words, but earnestly changed one of them.
"Not may, but will. I don't want the entire magical world to be defenseless at that time, so we need to gather strength."
Sherlock nodded solemnly.
After truly interacting with Dumbledore, his impression of this old man was gradually changing.
Initially, because his first impression came from those film explanations that added personal opinions, he thought that the headmaster of Hogwarts was a very scheming person.
But from this period of time together, although he does have scheming and deep thoughts, he doesn't make people feel disgusted at all.
Undeniably, Dumbledore is an old man with extremely high personal charisma. He will secretly do many things behind your back, but you can completely trust that everything he does will not harm anyone.
At the same time, on some matters that others think should be concealed, he will very trustingly tell you everything, explain the reasons to you, and let you know why he is doing this.
He doesn't hide that he will make some unknown preparations, nor does he hypocritically display his kindness and integrity.
Overall, Sherlock's impression of him was not bad.
Dumbledore extended his arm, and the phoenix that had been perched on the golden branch beside the door spread its fiery red wings and stood on his shoulder.
"Grab my sleeve, Sherlock."
Sherlock and Professor McGonagall stood on Dumbledore's left and right sides, respectively.
They all grabbed his sleeve, and then, accompanied by a long cry from the phoenix Fawkes, golden-red firelight enveloped them.
The next second, in front of a dilapidated and simple house, the figures of Sherlock and the other two reappeared.
As soon as their feet touched the solid ground, they heard a happy voice from afar.
"Hurry up, Arthur, Dumbledore and the others are here, and everyone else is almost here too. Bring out the apple pie I made inside, set the table, and the feast can begin soon."
Even for Sherlock, this voice was very familiar.
Soon, he knew where Dumbledore had brought them—the Weasley family's home, the Burrow.
Mrs. Weasley, who came forward to greet them, had a smile on her face, but when she saw Sherlock, she suddenly froze.
Dumbledore smiled and led Sherlock and Professor McGonagall over.
"What's wrong, Molly? Sherlock Forrest, don't you recognize him anymore?"
Mrs. Weasley then came back to her senses. She looked at Sherlock, then turned her head to look at Dumbledore, her voice even stammering.
"No, no, Dumbledore, we already met in Diagon Alley during the summer, but you said you would bring a new friend today. Is this person Sherlock?"
Her unusual behavior made Sherlock feel a little strange. Based on the enthusiasm Mrs. Weasley had shown him in Diagon Alley, shouldn't she be happy to know that he had joined the Order of the Phoenix?
Dumbledore shook his head gently and patted her shoulder.
"Wait a while. I'll explain the reason to everyone during the dinner party."
Out of absolute trust in Dumbledore, Mrs. Weasley didn't say much. She smiled again, looked at Sherlock, and said:
"This is your first time visiting my home, child. Come and take a look around. Bill has also come back today to prepare for Christmas. I'll have him show you around."
Sherlock could feel that her smile was a little forced, but he didn't ask any more questions at this time. The answer would be revealed when the dinner party started.
Hearing Mrs. Weasley's call, a tall figure with the Weasley family's characteristic red hair walked out of the house, with a long ponytail and an earring in his ear—a cool-looking young wizard.
When the wizard saw Sherlock, a bright smile immediately appeared on his face.
"Long time no see, Sherlock. Although you may not be very familiar with me, can I call you that?"
Sherlock nodded. From Mrs. Weasley's address and the wizard's age, he had already guessed that this was the Weasley family's eldest son—William Arthur Weasley.
However, everyone calls him Bill Weasley.
(TN: Warning- This is my criticism. Skip if you are not interested.
I do not understand why the chapter would end this way. Is it a cliffhanger? I hope not. Chinese fics have a tendency to have what they consider a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter, which is so stupid.)