Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter or Sherlock series.
Chapter 2 Potions and Traps
John stopped Sherlock as he walked to his Potions class.
"Sherlock," he called.
"Watson," he said, a little surprised to hear someone calling his name. "Hello."
"Call me John, please," John replied.
Sherlock looked at him for a moment, not knowing what to say at first.
"All right, then. John," he said.
John could not help at laugh at Sherlock's expression. The poor kid really did not know how to talk to others.
"You don't do this often, do you? John asked.
"Do what?" Sherlock wondered.
"Talk to people," John said.
Sherlock lowered his eyebrows as he thought.
"Not regularly," he admitted.
A very tall Ravenclaw then walked up to the pair of them. John then recognized him as Sherlock's brother.
"Brother of mine. I see you found a little friend," Sherlock's brother commented.
John extended his hand out in greeting.
"I'm John Watson," he said.
Sherlock's brother gave a forced smiled and shook John's hand.
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Mycroft Holmes," he said.
"Nice to meet you," John replied. He left without even saying goodbye. What was up with these Holmes boys and not communicating with other people? "I have Potions now. You?'
"Transfiguration," Sherlock told him.
"Catch you later, then," John said.
They went their separate ways. He sat in the back with Lavender. Their professor, a man with long black hair and a hooked nose walked in.
"I'm Professor Snape, your Potion's teacher," he announced. He began to call roll. Like all the other Professors from the other classes, Professor Snape stopped at Harry's name. "Ah, yes. Harry Potter. Our new celebrity."
John could not help but feel bad for Harry as students in the room, especially Draco Malfoy and his group of Slytherins, began to snicker. Professor Snape was the head of Slytherin House, so John took that into consideration.
"How can Harry deal with this?" John heard Lavender whisper under her breath.
"Potter," Professor Snape yelled. If students were not paying attention then, they sure were now. "What would I get if I added powered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
"I don't know, Sir," Harry answered.
"Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Professor Snape asked.
"I don't know, Sir," Harry answered again.
"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Professor Snape asked.
John could not see Harry's face, but he was sure he was getting annoyed.
"I don't know, I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?" Harry asked.
There was a gasp as Snape walked up in front of Harry.
"For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping draught so powerful it is known as the Draught of the Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the plant, which also goes by the name of aconite," Snape said. He straightened up and looked around the room. "Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"
John knew then that this was not going to be easy class.
xxx
John made sure to confront Sherlock the next morning at breakfast.
"You'd like Granger," he told him.
"Really?" Sherlock asked.
John nodded as he took a piece of toast. He noticed that Sherlock had not eaten a thing.
"Just about as smart as you are," John said. John then noted the article Sherlock was reading in The Daily Prophet. "Gringotts was broken into?"
"Yes, on the thirty-first of July," Sherlock replied. John glanced over at Harry, Ron, and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. They seemed to find the article interesting as well although he could not be sure what article Harry had in front of him. "It had been emptied earlier that same day."
A group of first years were gathered around the message board when John returned to the common room later. They were to have flying lessons that started Thursday with Slytherin.
xxx
It was a clear, breezy day on Thursday for the flying lesson. Twenty broomsticks were lying in neat lines on the ground. Madam Hooch, the flying instructor, walked up to them. John stood beside Neville and Dean. Neville looked the most nervous of all the students there, but the look on Hermione's face had her in a close second.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Madam Hooch asked after clearing her throat to get everyone's attention. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on hurry up. Stick out your right hand over your broom and say 'up'." Harry's broom was the first to come up, followed by John and Malfoy. She showed them how to mount their brooms. "Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. And then come straight back down by teaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three- two-…"
As Madam Hooch blew her whistle, Neville's broom shot up, caring him with it. He came plummeting back down, breaking his wrist. Malfoy got the Remembrall that Neville's grandmother had sent him that morning as Madam Hooch took Neville to the Hospital Wing.
"Give it here," Harry told Draco.
Instead, Draco took off on the broom. Harry followed. There was a collective gasp as Draco threw the sphere. Harry was able to catch it.
"He did it," John said in amazement.
As Harry got back down, Professor McGonagall made her presence known. The next morning, word goes around the school that Harry is made Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. During breakfast, John notices that Draco and two of his friends walk up to Harry and Ron.
xxx
John was trying to sleep when he heard whispers.
"Come on. We're going to be late," Harry whispered.
He followed them out the portrait hole.
"Where are you two going?" John asked.
They turned in shock.
"None of your business, Watson," Ron said. "Go back to take Neville with you. The portrait opened again to reveal Hermione. Ron groaned. "Not you, too."
"You two are going to get Gryffindor into trouble," Hermione said, apparently not noticing John or Neville.
"Please, just go back inside with Neville and John," Harry pleaded.
She gave the pair an accusing look.
"Don't look at us," John said as they turned to the portrait. "I was trying to stop them."
However, that was not entirely true. He would have offered his help if they had let him.
"I just forgot the password when I was released from the Hospital Wing," Neville added.
To their horror, the Fay Lady was gone. There was no way to get back in. Even with the password.
"That can't be good," John said. Hermione began to panic. "Just calm down. We'll just have to go with them."
"You're joking," Neville replied.
They began to walk the corridors when they heard footsteps.
"Quick, in here," Hermione told them.
They ended up in the Trophy room with Harry and Ron.
"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Ron asked.
"Filtch is coming. It's a trap," Hermione said.
"Malfoy must have tipped him off," Harry replied.
They were able to get away. However, they ended up on the third floor corridor that Dumbledore had said was forbidden.
"Alohomora," Hermione said, opening a door that was locked.
They all sighed in relief as Filtch passed the door.
"Filtch thinks it's lock," Ron said.
"Good reason to," Harry replied.
His voice sounded shaky. Hermione gasped when she saw what Harry was looking at. John thought he would have to carry Neville, who looked like he was going to faint. In front of them stood a three headed dog. They screamed and ran out the room. They were gasping for air when they got back to the entrance of Gryffindor tower.
"Pig snout," Harry yelled.
The Fat Lady gave them a disapproving look as the portrait door swung open.
"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" Ron asked.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you? Didn't you see what it was standing on?" she asked.
That sounded like something Sherlock would say, John thought. He then remembered seeing something under the dog.
"A trap door," John said.
She looked at him in astonishment.
"Well, at least one of you were using their eyes," Hermione said.
With that, Hermione retired to the girls' dormitory. John would have to remember to tell Sherlock what had happened.
