A Study in Gold and Garnet

My first story! It's basically John and Sherlock at Hogwarts a year before the Golden Trio arrive. Therefore, there's no HP plot intertwined...yet. This story's a magic-ified "Study in Pink." I plan to do seven or eight stories, each matching with both a HP book and Sherlock episode. I have this first one typed all the way out. Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Enjoy!


Chapter 1

John Watson waited nervously on Platform 9 ¾, glancing around at the foreign spectacle that surrounded him. He twiddled with the odd stick of wood he had just recently acquired and watched nearby witches and wizards use similar sticks to pull off incredible feats. A tall witch to his left flicked her wand and caused a luggage cart to magically trail her and her daughter. A wizard on his right made a rag scrub his son's face with a few spoken words. Everyone was eagerly shuffling closer to the scarlet train, waiting until it was their turn to board. John felt overwhelmed; his short stature made it hard to see what was going on, and his shaggy blonde hair kept getting in his eyes. John gripped his trolley, which was loaded with strange textbooks and apparel, worriedly. He felt so out of place here. He thought back to the strange circumstances that had led to him standing here.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"John!" his mother called from somewhere in their tiny flat. "John! Have you finished unpacking?"

He responded with some noncommittal grunt and turned back to the cardboard boxes he was supposed to be unpacking. As he stared at the nondescript brown cubes, he felt an inexpressible feeling rise up inside him. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and balled his hands up. Suddenly, the pyramid of boxes toppled over with a loud crash.

"Mum! Mum! He's doing it again!" cried Harry from the small bedroom next door.

John's mum walked into his bedroom and sighed when she saw the destruction that lay around him. "Well, at least you have another therapy session coming up." She walked up to him and gently rested her hands on his shoulders, leaning down to rest her chin on the top of his head. "John, please just tell me what's wrong. I want to help you, but I can't if I don't know what's going on." John just shrugged away from her in reply.

oooooo

A few weeks later, as John's uneventful eleventh birthday was winding down, the Watsons heard a loud knock coming from the front door of their apartment complex, one floor below. John's mother sighed. "Someone must have forgotten their keys again. I'll go let them in." She got up, threw on a coat, and left the flat. A good ten minutes later, she returned, along with an old lady in a long, tartan coat.

"John," his mother said, looking thoroughly confused, "This lady wanted to speak with you." His mother gestured for the lady to take a seat and went to fetch a tea set.

"Hello, John," the lady said, eyes crinkling as she smiled kindly at him. She had a pleasant Scottish accent. "I'm Professor McGonagall, from Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" John questioned.

"The top wizarding school in England."

"I'm sorry, you didn't just say 'wizarding,' did you?"

McGonagall laughed. "As a matter of fact, I did. You're a wizard, John." John just sat there, looking at her with an incredibly skeptical expression on his face. McGonagall sighed, "Look, John, it's true. Have you ever had odd things happen to you? Especially when you experience strong emotions?"

John paused. He had had odd things happen to him. Take the box incident from moving day, for example. He decided to continue listening to the lady with a slightly more open mind.

"There's a whole other world you don't know about, John, and now you're a part of it. Obviously, going to Hogwarts is a choice, but unless you cultivate your magic ability, it may never fully develop."

"Whoa, back up. Magic? It's real? Like, telekinesis? Like, I can wave my hands and make stuff move? Like Doctor Strange?"

McGonagall looked confused. "I don't know this Doctor Strange character, but our magic is more like Merlin. He's one wizard muggles seem to have all heard of."

"You mean Merlin was real?! And what are 'muggles'?"

McGonagall laughed again. "Yes, he was real. And muggles are what we call non-magical people. For example, you'd be called a muggleborn because you come from a non-magical family." At that moment, John's mum returned from the kitchen.

"I'm sorry I took so long. I couldn't find the suga-"

Suddenly, another owl slammed into the window of their flat. John's mum jumped and dropped the tray she had been carrying. McGonagall whipped out a stick she had been concealing in the sleeve of her robe. "Arresto Momentum!" she shouted. The tea set froze in midair. She flicked her wand again and the tea set landed safely on a nearby table. John and his mother were also frozen, with their mouths open. McGonagall laughed yet again as she went to the window. "That wasn't even impressive magic." As she took the letter from the owl that had slammed into their window, she frowned. Opening it up and reading it, she sighed. "I'm being called away prematurely. Seems like there's some sort of incident with wizarding parents petitioning Hogwarts to keep muggleborns out. I wish I could have given you more information on the wizarding world, John, but you won't be too far behind the rest of the muggleborns. Here's your supply list and instructions on how to get to Hogwarts. Now, I'll be off then."

"I can show you out," John's mum offered.

McGonagall smiled and said, "I'll be fine." Removing her wand once again, she held it tightly and disappeared with a pop. John and his mother stood there shocked for a solid minute.

oooooo

Once John and his mum had talked to Harry (with many temper-tantrums being thrown), they decided to buy John's new school stuff. Unfortunately, the supply list said that muggles weren't allowed to go to 'Diagon Alley,' where the supplies were. So, with much hesitation, John's mum sent him off to a pub called the Leaky Cauldron all alone.

Once the barkeeper, Tom, let John into Diagon Alley (through a solid brick wall!), John wisely decided to trade his pounds in for wizarding currency first. He was directed by some kind witch to a large bank called Gringotts, where he exchanged his money with a goblin in return for some 'knuts', sickles', and 'galleons'. He then bought a wand from an odd man named Ollivander, 12 inches, oak and rigid. He bought robes, potion supplies, and textbooks as well. Then, he returned to the flat, odd purchases in tow. Harry was not happy with the odd smelling potion ingredients that now resided in the living room.

oooooo

When September 1st came, John, his mum, and Harry travelled to Kings Cross Station. John's mum hugged him as he prepared to walk through a wall that separated platforms 9 and 10, as the letter had instructed him to do. Harry merely scowled at him. With a breath, he closed his eyes and strode quickly at the wall. When he opened them again, he was on Platform 9 ¾.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

As John was reminiscing on what had led him here, a hand tapped his shoulder. He spun around and came face to face with an old pal. "Mike!"

"John!" Mike Stamford responded enthusiastically. "I didn't know you were a wizard too!"

"Well, I didn't either," he chuckled. He paused for a moment. "Wow, so this is where you went last year."

"Yeah," Mike admitted. "I really wanted to tell you why I was leaving school, but I couldn't."

"I understand," John said. He sighed, "Honestly, Mike, I'm nervous. This is all so mad! And you know I don't make friends that easily."

Mike chuckled. "That's strange. You're the second one to say that to me today."

"Well, who was the first?"

"Here, follow me." Mike started to lead him through the crowd of wizardfolk. "Just to warn you, John, this kid is not everyone's cup of tea."

"What do you mean?" John asked.

"Well, it's not easy to express the inexpressible," Mike replied. John was going to ask for some more information, but at that moment they reached the boarding door of the train and along with it, a boy.

"Mike, can I borrow your wand?" was the boy's only greeting. "I've misplaced mine."

"Oh, sorry," Mike responded, "Mine's packed away."

"Here, use mine," John said, handing his wand to the boy. "I'm John Watson by the way."

"Thank you," he said slowly, looking at John for the first time. He eyed the wand for a second, then waved it, muttered a few words, and caused his luggage to float onto the train behind him. "I'll save a compartment for us." he said, addressing John.

"What?" John exclaimed, "We've only just met, and you want us to sit together for a whole two-hour train ride?"

"Well, what else would you be here for? I've just told Mike that I don't know anyone, then he shows up with a kid I've never met before. One who is clearly muggleborn, lives with his mother, has an older brother who's named Harry whom he's not close with, and has recently lived abroad. By the way, was it Afghanistan or Iraq?"

"What?" John stammered, completely floored.

"Which was it? Afghanistan or Iraq?"

"Umm, Afghanistan."

"I knew it," the boy said, turning to disappear into the train.

"Wait!" John called. "You're just going to leave now? I don't even know who you are or which compartment you'll be in!"

The boy turned slowly. "The name's Sherlock Holmes, and the compartment is 221B." He winked, then walked deeper into the train.

John turned back to Mike and just shook his head a little, too stunned to speak.


Hope you like it so far!