Chapter Six

Blame the Innocent

The group potions task was an absolute disaster, though John had to admit Sebastian Wilkes wasn't that bad, he could have been stuck with Anderson or Sherlock. Sebastian at least had a vague idea what he was doing, without being obnoxious about it like Sherlock. And John was pretty pleased with how their potion ended up, especially when he considered Carl's blob of a potion that certainly wouldn't do as it was meant to.

From Slughorn's expression, John guessed that he wouldn't be trying that again, as he shooed them out of the classroom at the end of the second class and surveyed the room. Glad to have the bickering mass of first years away from him.

John caught up with Carl halfway up the hall, and fell into step beside him. "That," Carl sighed. "Was a disaster," and John couldn't help but agree. Behind them Donnovan was complaining about Sherlock, though surely the Holmes could hear her as he was almost walking in line with John, who glanced out of the corner of his eye at the Slytherin who rolled his eyes.

"It may have escaped your notice Donnovan, you are as blind as a bat. As seen when you went to add the asphodel instead of the aconite which would have blown the whole thing up in our faces. But I am right in front of you and can hear you." John winced, because he had nearly done the same thing.

The Gryffindor flushed. "That was the point," she said, although it was clear that it hadn't really been.

He turned so that he was facing her as he continued to walk backwards. John privately hoped he'd stumble and make a fool of himself, as the boy seemed so opposed to doing. "Don't take your insecurities out of me."

"I'm not insecure!" she protested.

"It's not my fault your parents and divorced, and you clearly have daddy issues," he spun and strolled off up the hall leaving a spluttering Gryffindor and curious looks. John and Carl exchanged glances and shrugged.

"Freak!" Sally shouted up the hall after Sherlock.

The Slytherin's who had been in the common room when Anderson had said the same thing, waited to see if his reaction would be the same. But he didn't even acknowledge the insult and just kept walking.

It seemed however that they hadn't had enough drama for the day, because when they reached the great hall they found that Sherlock had accosted a second year Slytherin. Demanding his potions book back that had yet again disappeared.

"I don't have your book," she exclaimed, eyeing the boy warily.

"Yes," Sherlock said simply, as if there was absolutely no doubt in the matter. "You do."

"Oh here we go again," Anderson muttered a few people down from John. John was wondering how the book seemed to keep disappearing under Sherlock's nose, he would have thought after the first few times he'd pay more attention to it. He also wondered what they were getting out of stealing his book. Especially when he seemed to figure out who had stolen it and get it back.

"I do not," she protested. "Check my bag if you must."

He did, and to everyone's surprise –as there was quite a group watching by now- including Kitty Riley, Sherlock fished out his potions book and held it triumphantly in her face.

"What…?" she said weakly, her expression very confused. "I didn't-" she protested.

Sherlock's eyes narrowed. "Then who?" he snapped, though it seemed to John that it was more to himself than the befuddled girl.

She shook her head. "I-" she started, but Sherlock had already walked off, frowning deeply, though there was something in his expressions. He didn't look pissed off like John expected he would, after having his book stolen for the half a dozenth time. He looked interested, like there was a puzzle for him to work out.

"He seems to lose that book a lot," murmured a Slytherin boy next to John. John glanced at him, he wasn't too sure who the boy was. He thought his last name started with a M? Or an N. He was in his year, he knew that much. The boy noticed John's look and smiled. "Jim Moriarty, hi!"

"John Watson," John replied.

"Yes." John frowned, reminded of Sherlock in that moment, but the boy grinned cheerily at him. An expression that John had certainly never seen on Sherlock's face. "Hi John," he said as if he hadn't said anything before that. "Come on Seb," he said to another boy next to him, it seemed that Slytherin had two Sebastians in the one year, and the two Slytherins walked off.

Carl glanced at John who merely shrugged.

Christmas came and went.

John and Harriet went back home for the break, and their mother was pleased to see them. John in a way was glad to be back home, Hogwarts was amazing, but it was nice to sit in the sitting room and have stationary paintings staring back at him, to not have to pay attention to every other stair as he went up the staircase. To be with his mother again, and to talk more with Harry.

That had drifted slightly from the beginning of the year, but that was to be expected he supposed.

He bade his mother goodbye at the station, and went to find Mike and Carl. He passed the Holmes family, Mycroft was talking to his mother, whilst Sherlock stood there, tried to sneak away and was called back before he went five paces.

John smirked, and entered the train.

He found Mike and Carl, and it was seemingly going to be an uneventful train ride, until at one point when the three boys were playing a game of exploding snap they heard a scream coming from down the carriage.

"What-" Mike started, as their heads spun to the door.

John leapt to his feet, and yanked the door open, hurrying into the hall. He could still hear the sound of hysteric screaming, as he went down the hall to investigate in front of him a door opened and Sherlock came out. His eyes wide and alert, he had his wand in his hand.

He saw John, acknowledge him with an inclination of his head and faster than John could, as the hallway was now filling up as people heard the sound, he slid between the people and John just about pushed through them.

It seemed the hysteric girl was in a compartment, and forcing his way to the front amongst disgruntled noises at the nerve of a first year he saw a fifth year Gryffindor sitting in the middle of the compartment, she was the one making the hysteric noises, but lying on the ground beside her was Jennifer Wilson, the fifth year Gryffindor prefect.

Cliffhanger! (of sorts)