The air in the room was thick with dust as the brick walls crumbled. A body lay face down in the corner. The Aurors slowly made their way through what was left of the building. Mad-eye was the first to find the man, having seen him with his magical blue eye. His wand was at the ready as he approached, prepared for anything that might happen. As he always said CONSTANT VIGULENCE! As he drew closer Mad-eye could see the distinctive mark on the man's left shoulder. The killing curse. Mad-eye swore as he turned over the body to discover who it was.

"Tonks, Kingsley, get in here! You need to see this." Mad-eye shouted as he looked down on the face off John Watson.

Tonks arrived first, her wand dropping to her side when she saw John. "No! No, it can't be him! It has to be a death eater in disguise or something!" she pleaded.

Kingsley swiftly bent down over John and began checking out the wound. His hands moving very slowly and gently over the point that the curse had hit. He looked to Mad-eye, "It's him" he said sadly.

Tonks knelt down beside John as tears silently rolled down her cheeks. He was the third auror that had been killed this week. Soon there would be none of them left.

"We have to get him out of here, before anyone else shows up." As Mad-eye said this he flicked his wand and a stretcher appeared.

"Get him on to that and we will take him back to Hogwarts" he said gruffly.

McGonagall saw the three aurors walking towards the castle from her office window, but she could not see what they were carrying. She left her office swiftly, stopping only to inform Dumbledore of the Aurors arrival. She and Dumbledore made their way down into the entrance hall, only to be faced by a very grim faced Mad-eye.

"What is it? What's happen?" McGonagall asked as Dumbledore looked at Mad-eye through his half-moon spectacles.

He looked at Dumbledore. "There was nothing we could do." he said. "You knew John, always thought of others before himself. I told him not to go! But did the bloody guy listen? No of course not!"

"What are you saying Alastor?" Said McGonagall.

"Where is he?" Dumbledore said quietly. McGonagall looked at Dumbledore then to Mad-eye as he turned to led them. They followed him to the, now silent, great hall. John Watson was lying on at the end of the Gryffindor table. His eyes were closed, and he looked almost peaceful. Dumbledore moved quickly and quietly to John's side. His hand running over the fatal wound.

"This man is incorrigible!" he chuckled to himself.

John found himself in his old family home. However it wasn't his family home. It was the same but somehow different. The rooms seemed to give of a strange glow. And there was no one around. He sat down at the table and buried his face in his hands.

"You have to go back, honey." John jumped at the voice and looked up to see his mother sitting next to him.

"Mum?" John croaked

"You can't stay here. You have to go back. While you still can." She said again.

"What are you talking about where am I?" John looked into her eyes as the realisation dawned on him. He was in heaven. That's why his mother was there. She had died when John was twelve, a potion gone wrong. She gently took his hands in hers and looked into his blue watery eyes.

"You have to go back my son. I can't have you here, not yet. Go back to where you belong."

As she said this John started to feel as though he as though he was being pulled away. He reached out to his mother as the walls disappeared and turned into nothing. John's surroundings were gone, it was just black.

John awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright before pain ripped through him forcing him to lie down again. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see professor Dumbledore smiling at him.

"My dear Mister Watson, what an extraordinary man you are." He hummed.

"What happen?'

"You were hit in the shoulder by a killing curse. However you seemed to have survived it!" he smiled at John as his eyes twinkled. "Like I said John you are extraordinary man."

"But how? Why? It's not possible!"

"Nothing is impossible my dear friend. You see you were willed back into life somehow. It seems that you were not meant to die today. Fate seems to have other plans for you Mr Watson."

"What could fate possibly have planned for me?"

Voicemail 20:43

"Sherlock its Lestrade call me when you get this I think we're going to need you."

Voicemail 21:12

"Sherlock I know you got my message. Call me I think you will like this one."

Voicemail 22:28

"Fine don't help me catch a serial killer. Whatever you're doing instead better be important!"

Sherlock was lying in his favourite blue silk dressing gown with his hands steepled beneath his chin. His phone lay by the fireplace, unmoved since it was thrown there by him. He had received all of Greg's massages and he was extremely interested by the murders but he couldn't bring himself to leave the flat. He had woken up in a panic this morning, but he didn't know why. He hadn't had a nightmare and there was no case occupying his mind, but he had woken up in cold sweat with a pulling feeling at the pit of his stomach. He had spent the rest of the day sulking around the flat feeling as though he had lost something. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even hear Mrs Hudson come in.

"Look at you! You haven't moved all day. I'll make you a cuppa." Sherlock left his mind palace and returned to the flat to find Mrs Hudson peering down at him. She looked worried.

"Are you alright Sherlock, you don't look well at all." She said softly.

"I am perfectly fine thank you Mrs Hudson. But no tea for me thank you I'm off out."

"What at this time of night?"

"Yes, I've got to go to the morgue, clear my head. I'll be back tomorrow". And with that Sherlock stood up and strode off to his room to get dressed, leaving a curious Mrs Hudson in his wake.

"Why me professor? I'm not special or extraordinary. Why did I get a second chance when countless others before me didn't?" John was sitting in Dumbledore's office looking down at his hands trying not to make eye contact with him.

"I'm not sure how you survived and I don't know why but I do know that there was a reason John. This shouldn't have happened. It's never happened before, you are the first and only person to survive the killing curse. The thing you have to do now is think about what you are going to do ."

John looked up from his hands to see Dumbledore looking at him over his half-moon spectacles. John always had the feeling that those light blue eyes could see right through him.

"Honestly professor, I don't think I can stay here. I don't deserve to stay. I should have died trying to stop the death eaters in that house. As far as the rest of the world is concerned that's what happened. I know that Mad-eye and Tonks and Kingsley will argue but it's the best thing for me." John was looking at Dumbledore trying to find some sort of clue in his face to tell him how he felt about John's decision.

"So you wish to leave the aurors and live in the muggle world?"

"Yes."

"I will let you do this but I will not help you with what you are about to ask for."

"How did you-?" Dumbledore held up his hand and looked at john sternly.

"I will not help you forget what happened John. I will not let you forget who you are and how you got here. You deserve your power." He looked at John again and John quickly swallowed what he was about to say. "As I was saying, you showed everyone that you had a right to go to Hogwarts and become an auror. I will let you leave but do not think for one second that you are not welcome." With that Dumbledore stood and beckoned for John to do the same. He looked at Dumbledore, nodded and then walked out of the office.

He had no idea where he was going but he knew that it would be as far away from magic as possible.