Author's Note:
I call this the exposition chapter.
After leaving Baker Street I had planned on returning home but thoughts kept circulating in my head. I wondered about James and Lily Potter and what fate had befallen their child. Had the child been put into foster care? Had the child had any living relatives to take care of him? My thoughts also turned to the method in which the parents were killed and that line of thought brought me back to the victim I examined earlier. Did the victim have a wife and child? Would anyone mourn the loss of this man?
By the time I reached the street my house was on I decided to find the nearest pub and get a few drinks. I entered the Red Lion Pub and took a seat. I looked at the barkeep and motioned for him to come over. I paid for a beer and proceeded to drink it rather quickly. My intent was to drink enough so that my thoughts wouldn't turn to the darkness of the days events.
As I drank I paid attention to what was going on around me. I saw two lovers engaged in a lovers spat and had to admit that they were pretty entertaining to watch. Apparently he was admiring another woman's assets and she didn't like it. After screaming at him for a few minutes she stomped her foot and prepared to leave the bar. He looked around to his friends for help but they just sniggered at him. He waved his hands in the air and walked over to his girlfriend. The man placed his arms around her and began to whisper in her ear.
Apparently that had been enough because after he was done she chuckled and gave him a long kiss. I continued to drink and was glad that I lived so close by. I was also thankful that the pub had been busy as I was easily distracted observing the patrons. After a few more drinks I decided to call it a night, satisfied that I had drank enough to rid myself of my previous thoughts. I walked a short distance to my home and as soon as I entered I passed out on the couch..
I was awoken the next morning by the telephone. If you have ever been hungover you will know that any noise is too much noise. I got off of the couch and hobbled over to the phone. I picked up the receiver and must have spoken some gibberish as the voice on the other end sounded confused.
"Dr. Watson?"
"Yes?"
"It's Mrs Hudson dear."
"How can I help you?"
After a brief pause Mrs. Hudson continued. "Mr. Holmes has asked that I call you to let you know that Professor Dumbledore should be arriving at the train station shortly and would like for you to meet the Professor there and bring him to Baker Street."
I wasn't surprised that Holmes would ask me to pick up his friend. In fact I had been counting on it. Holmes isn't exactly the greatest host in the world.
"Tell him I will do as he requests,"
"Thank you."
After I had finished my phone call with Mrs. Hudson I went upstairs and got into the shower. The hot water was very welcome after the night I had. It was so welcome that I stayed under for a few more minutes than usual. Once I was done my shower I put my bathrobe on and walked over to my closet. I took out a fresh set of clothes and after getting dressed walked out the door. It took me about ten minutes to reach the the train station.
I took a seat on a nearby bench and began to once again think of the events that transpired the day before. Before I could get too lost in thought a man approached me. He was rather tall with a long gray beard. He was dressed in a suit and was wearing a dark trench coat. He smiled at me and extended his hand.
"You must be Dr. Watson?"
I shook hands with the man and smiled back.
"Professor Dumbledore I presume?"
"Yes. Sherlock has told me much about you."
"I wish I could say the same. He says that you can shed some light on a case we are working on."
Dumbledore winked at me and we began to leave the station.
"I think I can be of some assistance."
"Very good."
We walked to 221B Baker Street and I was surprised by the lack of conversation. Maybe this Dumbledore was waiting until Holmes could be privy to the conversation. Either way we were here now so it mattered little. Mrs. Hudson greeted us and Holmes called down to us from his study.
"Do come up! And please watch your head Dumbledore!"
The old professor laughed and did as Holmes suggested. Once we reached the study I took my usual seat and Dumbledore took the third seat that Holmes had provided just for this meeting. After a few moments of silence I decided to speak first.
"Well?"
Sherlock and Dumbledore exchanged a knowing look and the Professor cleared his throat.
"Exactly how much has Sherlock told you Dr. Watson?"
I looked at Sherlock and shrugged.
"The only piece of information I have is that the deaths of Lily and James Potter are somehow connected to the recent victim. I also know that you are a Professor at some university that might be able to shed some more light on the recent string of events."
"While it's true I am a Professor I must confess that I don't teach at a University."
"Well then. What exactly are you a Professor of?"
Dumbledore smiled.
"I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Forgive my rudeness but are you daft? There's no such thing as magic let alone wizards and witches."
Sherlock gave me a stern look and the Professor waved a hand to dismiss him.
"Your friend Sherlock had the same reaction if I recall correctly."
I looked at my friend Sherlock to see if he had indeed bought the man's claims.
"Have you gone daft as well Holmes?"
Sherlock shook his head and winked at the Headmaster.
"I suggest I give you the same demonstration I gave Sherlock."
Before I could respond Dumbledore got out of his chair, pulled something that resembled a stick out of his suit and cleared his throat again. With a flick of his wrist he called out two simple words.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
At first I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be witnessing but then I looked at the table. My teacup began to levitate off of the table and began to circle around my head.
"Cut this nonsense out Holmes! Show me the device your using to control this! Where are the strings?"
Holmes bowed his head and chuckled. The Headmaster sat down and watched me for a few moments before the teacup made one last circle around my head and landed on the table. I waited for Holmes and Dumbledore to say something but they just looked at me and waited. I assumed that they were giving me time to wrap my head around the concept of magic before we continued our conversation. How could this be happening? I found myself having a new respect for magicians and suspected that while some may use cheap parlor tricks there might be a select few who could actually use magic the way they say. I waited for a few more minutes and took a sip of my tea.
"Holmes?"
My friend looked at me and raised one of his eyebrows.
"Yes Watson?"
"Do you have anything stronger than tea?"
Before Holmes could answer Dumbledore waved his wand once again and a bottle of scotch flew from the cabinet and into my lap.
"That answers that question..of which I have many."
Dumbledore put his wand away and waved his hand motioning me to begin asking.
"Well...I think the first question I should ask is..." I thought for a few more minutes and sighed. "How about you explain how you came to know Sherlock?"
Sherlock shook his head.
"What a simple question Watson? I told you how we met yesterday. You really must pay attention."
Dumbledore laughed and waved his hand dismissively at Holmes.
"It's ok Sherlock. I'm sure he wants to know about the circumstances that led to the deaths of Lily and James Potter."
I nodded my head and waited for the Headmaster to continue.
"To put it simply a Dark Wizard killed them."
"Of course. May I ask why?"
"Certainly. It all has to do with a prophecy."
"A prophecy of what?"
"The Divination Professor at Hogwarts made a prophecy concerning the defeat of the Dark Lord."
"Does this Dark Lord have a name?"
"Yes...Of course he does but in the Wizarding community he is known as He Who Must Not Be Named. This Dark Lord heard of the prophecy and believed it to be about one of two children born shortly after the prophecy was made. One was the child of Lily and James Potter. The other was the child of Frank and Alice Longbottem."
"I saw no records of Frank and Alice Longbottem."
"That's because only Lily and James Potter were killed. The Dark Lord chose to confront the Potters directly and left the Longbottems to one of his closest followers Bellatrix Lestrange. In some ways the Longbottems suffered more than the Potters."
"In what way?"
"The Dark Lord made the deaths of Lily and James quick but Bellatrix Lestrange prefers to torture her prey before killing them. She gets some sadistic pleasure from watching her victims scream in agony knowing that there is no one to help them. She drove Frank and Alice insane with one of the unforgivable curses before finally being locked away in Azkaban."
I thought for a moment and thought of my next question.
"What is Azkaban?"
"It is the Wizarding worlds prison."
"What happened to the children?"
"The Potters son Harry was sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle. The Longbottems son was sent to live with his grandmother."
"So both children survived then?"
"Yes. The Dark Lord attempted to kill Harry but he somehow survived. He is known in the Wizarding world as the boy who lived."
"Fitting name."
Before I could ask anymore questions the phone rang. After a few minutes Mrs. Hudson came into the room and I had a feeling our conversation was going to be cut short.
"Dr. Watson?"
"Yes Mrs. Hudson?"
"Lestrade is on the phone for you."
"Of course he is. If you'll excuse me."
I got out of my chair and followed Mrs. Hudson downstairs. I picked up the phone and sighed.
"Yes Lestrade?"
"We got the toxicology results back."
"And?"
"Our victim wasn't drugged or poisoned."
"Hmmmm...I also ruled out death by gunshot, stabbing and strangulation...Let me think on this for awhile and get Holmes' opinion on it."
"Whatever you say Dr. Watson."
I was glad that the conversation between Lestrade and myself was cut short. I made my way back upstairs and took my seat. After pouring myself another glass of scotch I took a drink before asking my next question.
"Earlier you said that Bellatrix Lestrange was only one of this Dark Lords followers...He had others?"
"Yes. They are called Death Eaters and are some of the most deadly wizards out there. Most are still imprisoned in Azkaban but I fear the day is not far off when they will escape."
"What makes you say that?"
"He Who Must Not Be Named has returned."
"What? How?"
"The Death Eaters that we failed to capture or rather..the ones we knew nothing of performed a spell to bring him back. He returned during out Tri-Wizard Tournament and murdered one of the students."
"How dreadful!"
Sherlock nodded his head and got out of his chair to go over to the window.
"How does this tie into our case?"
"Show Dumbledore the tattoo Watson."
I checked my bag and took out one of the photographs. I passed it to Dumbledore and he looked over it with a solemn expression on his face.
"You were right to call upon me Holmes. This tattoo is a Dark Mark."
"What's a Dark Mark?"
Holmes laughed.
"It's obviously the tattoo Watson! Really..You should be paying more attention!"
Dumbledore handed the picture back to me and sank back into his chair.
"A Dark Mark is the symbol of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. It connects the Death Eaters to their master. By touching the mark they can summon eachother. Touching the mark also causes the marks to burn and change colors."
"So this man was a Death Eater then?"
"Either that or a pretender."
"What do you mean by pretender?"
"Anyone who has seen the mark can decide to get a tattoo of it. The processes are different. In the Muggle world one simply has to go to a tattoo parlor and show the tattoo artist what they want a tattoo of. In the Wizarding world there is a spell that makes the mark appear. We'll know whether or not this victim is a pretender by having the mark tested. If the test comes back as ink then we know the victim was a pretender. If the test comes back with inconclusive results then we know that the victim was a Death Eater. Either way they angered He Who Must Not Be Named."
"Muggle world?"
Dumbledore frowned.
"Sorry Dr. Watson. Us Wizards call non-magic users Muggles."
"Thanks for clearing that up."
"No problem."
"I must say I am glad to have you here. If we didn't have you I'm afraid we would be chasing our tails."
"I'm sorry to say that I must be getting back to Hogwarts. I will however send word to one of my most trusted Professors. I am sure you will find his services most adequate."
"What's this Professors name?"
"His name is Severus Snape and he has first hand knowledge of the Dark Lord and his followers."
"Thank you Professor Dumbledore."
"You are most welcome and I hope that both of you manage to stay safe while working on this case."
"Would you like to use the phone to call this Professor Snape?"
Dumbledore winked and smiled. "Wizards have different ways of communicating."
"How?"
"Owls of course."
I was flabbergasted by this information but only managed to nod my head.
"Of course."
The Headmaster exchanged goodbyes with both myself and Holmes and headed over to the door. He stopped in his tracks and turned around and walked over to the fireplace.
"Did you forget something?"
He smiled and took out a pouch with something in it. He reached his hand in and pulled something out before throwing it on the fire and calling out.
"Hogwarts!"
Dumbledore was gone in a flash and while I was dumbfounded Holmes merely shook his head.
"Showoff. He must have connected my fireplace to the Floo Network before coming here."
He looked at me and snapped his fingers.
"Do pull yourself together Watson! There's more where that came from."
I left shortly after and mulled over most of the conversation. There were a few things I was certain of. One, Magic is real. Two, there is a Dark Lord who has recently returned. Three, I would not be prepared for what would transpire over the course of this investigation. As I made my way home I felt a chill as if someone had walked over my grave. My feeling of foreboding would only increase as I kept looking over my shoulder...
The man called Sherlock Holmes read the last line and sighed. His friend Dr. Watson had once again began to tell a story of their adventures. The past two days had been filled with surprise revelations, at least for Watson. Sherlock, on the other hand, had already accepted that magic was real regardless of whether or not he held any belief in the matter. Yes, Holmes had to admit that it was rather curious that he should believe in magic and knew that it was a case he could never solve. He imagined Watson penning some great adventure called, "The Unsolvable Case." Maybe Watson wouldn't use such a title but the existence of magic was an unsolvable case.
Dr. Watson seemed to be waiting for his friend to make a comment and was pleased when Sherlock handed the notebook back to him. A few seconds passed and Holmes walked over to his cabinet and took out a needle. Using drugs had become something of a ritual to Holmes and regardless of whether or not Dr. Watson approved Sherlock knew he needed them. Dr. Watson stared disapprovingly at Holmes and shook his head.
"So you read that I hate watching you use drugs and what's the first thing you do? Use drugs."
Sherlock laughed and rolled up his sleeve. Dr. Watson found nothing funny in Holmes drug use and if he could, he would have destroyed all of the drugs in the place. After finding a vein in his arm Holmes took the needle and injected himself. Once he had satisfied his latest craving he rolled down his sleeve, put the needle away and took his usual seat near Watson. Watson waited for Holmes to say something. When he realized Holmes was going to say nothing he sighed.
"Care to share your thoughts?"
Holmes thought about it for a few minutes and clapped his hands together.
"What do you want me to say?"
"I just want a general opinion."
"Hmmm..Do you need my approval that much?"
"Of course I do Holmes! These stories are about you."
"Fine. I approve."
Dr. Watson got out of his chair and prepared to leave.
"One day you'll appreciate my stories."
Sherlock got up to stop his friend.
"Now don't be like that Watson. I was merely giving you the approval you wanted."
Watson sat down and took out his pocket watch clearly irritated with his friend but doing his best to hide it.
"So when is this Professor Snape supposed to arrive anyway?"
"I would assume any minute now."
"Will he use the Floo Powder?"
"That's what I mean Watson. How is the public going to react to this strange new case involving magic. All of your other stories haven't been hard to believe but introducing magic into the mix brings all past stories into question..at least as far as the reality of them goes."
"Maybe I won't publish this story then. I at least want to keep a record of this case though."
Sherlock waved his hands in surrender and looked at the clock. He had a feeling that the wait for Professor Snape would be a long one.
Author's Note:
So Chapter 2 is done! So once again here is an author's note describing why I wrote this chapter the way I did.
First, I call this the exposition chapter because there's a ton of exposition in it. Since Watson has no idea magic exists I knew I would need Dumbledore to a) prove to Watson magic exists and b) explain why magic has anything to do with this case. If you've read any of the Harry Potter books than most of this information is not news to you.
Second, my reason for having Sherlock know Dumbledore and not Snape is simple. Snape would have still been under cover as a Death Eater and therefore wouldn't neccesarily be able to go to this Muggle detective and explain things. Dumbledore on the other hand would have been.
Finally, the switch from first person to third person. Shortly after finishing the first chapter I realized that the whole story can't be from Watsons POV otherwise everytime Snape and Sherlock interact Watson would have to be in the room and that would leave me with very few places to actually take the story so I decided that Chapter 1 and a majority of Chapter 2 would be past days events that Watson had already written about and had given to Holmes to read.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review!
Chapter 3 Coming Soon!
