Hermione woke up lying on her side, facing the curtained window. She sat up upon hearing a snore, and spotting the English bulldog sleeping beside her.
She laid back down heavily, turning her head and screaming upon noticing a magnified pair of eyes on the edge of the bed.
"SHHHHHH." Holmes placed his fingers to his lips, an interesting magnifying glass-type invention worn over his eyes, a pair of tweezers in his hand. "Don't move..."
She stayed still, her eyes following the tweezers as they neared her pillow. He quickly pinched the tweezers, retracting his hand and examining the seemingly microscopic beetle.
"What is that?" Hermione asked, sitting up as he retrieved a small jar, placing the small creature inside.
"Sphaeriusidae microsporus." He spoke, holding up the jar to Hermione's view, his face becoming distorted in the glass. "Very rare."
"And more importantly, why are you in here?" Hermione asked, coming to her senses.
"I came to open the windows, the beetles are attracted to natural lighting." He said, standing up upon Doctor Watson entering the room.
"Holmes, just WHAT are you doing in here?" He put his hands on his hips, exasperated.
"For this." Holmes held up the glass container, tapping on the side with his finger. "But now, I'm leaving. Which should make you happy. For once."
"Now, Holmes..." Watson followed the detective out of the bedroom. "A letter came in for you that might be of assistance to Hermione's case."
Hermione leaped out of the bed at that, bolting into the hallway in her night clothes. "May I see it?"
"I thought you would ask." He said, reaching into the pocket of his vest and retrieving the envelope, waving it to her.
She eagerly accepted it, tearing open the wax seal and extracting the folded parchment. She read aloud. "Detective Holmes, I do realize you are most preoccupied with your ongoing investigations, but there is suspicious activity going on. If you had a moment, I would appreciate it if you would stop by the old soap factory on the north side." Hermione began to mumble the rest under her breath, not aware that the detective was peering over her shoulder as she read. "Signed, Oxford County Commissioner."
"Soap factory? You wouldn't suppose they could be taking advantage of the abandoned materials?" Hermione thought out loud.
"Yes..." Holmes drew out his words in a dramatic manner. "Watson, are you aware of the brand they used to produce?"
"The Generic Oxford, I think it was." The doctor responded. "All of the old soap bars had the letters H.M.R."
"What did it stand for?" Hermione spoke up.
"I don't know, it was soap. I never payed attention." Mr. Holmes shrugged. "I'm amazed at myself."
"Well, save your amazement for later, Detective Holmes. You, Hermione and I are going to the library today." Watson announced, straitening out his collar before making his way down to breakfast.
"On sixth street?" Holmes hollered.
The three passengers swayed in their seats as the black carriage rocked along the cobblestone road of sixth street.
Hermione pulled back the miniature curtains so that she could see beyond the window and out at the grey city.
"Holmes tells me you're from London." Watson spoke up, attempting to start a conversation.
"Yes, I am." Hermione sat back, allowing the curtains to fall and cover the window again.
"Where in London, if you don't mind my asking." Dr. Watson inquired.
"Closer to Liverpool. My parents are dentists there." Hermione explained, her hands twiddling with the frilly decorations of her skirt.
"Ah, that explains it." Holmes interrupted. "Your teeth are so strait it puzzled me."
"Now, that's a rare occasion." Dr. Watson chuckled, placing his hat on his head in preparation to exit the carriage.
The carriage came to a gentle stop in the front of a magnificent marble building. The driver then came around the side of the carriage, opening the door.
Hermione stepped out first, lifting up the skirt of her dress as her shoes clicked against the stone street.
Mr. Holmes held open the large wooden door for Hermione, flashing her a smile as she passed. But Holmes' smile faded as Watson passed by, giving him a pointed look.
"What?" Holmes defended, closing the door behind him as they entered the large windowed hall. Watson only sighed, shaking his head in disappointment as he continued into the large room. Long tables ran the length of the room, unlit lanterns waiting by each chair, a pile of books here and there. The bookcases were magnificently tall, at least fifteen feet high. The ceiling met in the center to what was a colorful dome, a gold chandelier in the center.
Hermione went strait to work, searching for the 'local history' section on the right side of the large room.
The two men merely followed behind her, seeing very well that she knew what she was doing. She marched to the back section, scanning over the labeled spines of the books as she went. Stopping suddenly, she snatched up a book from the shelf, placing it in her arm to read at a later time.
Each time she picked up a book or local newspaper, they each got bigger and bigger. Dr. Watson had to even carried a few due to the surprising weight of a few hardcover books.
"Ah, here we are." Holmes cheered, snapping up a newspaper article so quickly that it got Hermione's concerned attention.
"What? What is it?" Hermione approached him with concern.
Detective Holmes was quick on his feet, catching a book as it stumbled out of her arms. He held up the article. "It's me."
She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Please, we're here for a purpose. If you will, stay on task." She turned, walking away and setting the books down on one of the long tables.
Dr. Watson gave Holmes a smug look, walking over to accompany Hermione with her findings.
Pulling out a chair, she sat down. A particularly vibrant red book sat at the top of the pile, which Hermione picked up, placing it in her lap and beginning to skim through the pages.
Holmes sat opposite Hermione, picking up a book and holding it up to his face. A History of Local Businesses.
Holmes' hand slowly lowered, his eyes looking just above the book and at Hermione who seemed entirely engulfed in what she was reading.
Her eyes suddenly blinked up, meeting his for a moment before quickly flicking back to the pages of her book. Slowly, her eyes drifted back up to see his hadn't moved. She resisted a smile, her cheeks fading pink in a blush as she forced herself to pay attention to the book.