A/N: Oh god please don't kill me! This chapter kicked my ass. I had to rewrite it. And I also had to go to my plot guru. He helped me with the over arching plot for this before and now I needed help on how to reveal certain things and we talked for about an hour and I took notes. But I shouldn't have anymore problems and thereby making it easier to update faster. So give a round of applause to KapitanLefty, my plot guru!

Sherlock managed to brew the invisibility potion a couple days later. For something that was suppose to make him disappear, it sure was a murky liquid. But if Sherlock looked at it from the corner of his eye he could have sworn that it shimmered gold. He took it to John and they went to meet Martin's best friend. If anyone would know what his argument with Snape was over it would be Grady Cartwright.

Sherlock told John that he would only have an hour to get the information from the boy. John nodded, he would have to be his most charming. He just hoped that it would work on boys as well as it does on girls.

John watched as his best friend drank the awful looking liquid. Sherlock grimaced.

"It tastes about as good as it looks." Sherlock clutched his sides and about doubled over. John rushed over and just as he touched his friend's shoulder the boy disappeared. If John hadn't been touching him at the time he wouldn't have believed it.

"Are you alright?" John asked. He could hear heavy breathing coming from the direction of of his floating hand.

"I'm fine John. Now let's go find this Grady fellow." Sherlock's voice sounded, well smug.

John knew exactly where to go. He led the way to the quiddich pitch. Sherlock watched as his friend, who was usually carefree and jovial take on this quality of doggedness. His shoulders squared, his back ramrod straight and he walked with a purpose.

John scanned the bleachers and found who he was looking for. Grady was a tall gangly youth with mouse brown hair and eyes. He looked up when John's shadow crossed over him.

"Hey, you're Watson, right? You're our seeker?" he asked.

"Yep that's me. I just wanted come and commiserate. Martin was a good captain."

"He really was. He love the sport. He was even being scouted by the Harpies."

"Wow! I didn't even know. He must have been so excited." Sherlock kicked him. "Ow!"

"You okay?" Grady asked.

"Just a muscle strain I didn't stretch before practice."

"That's no good."

"Yeah, well I was running late this morning, over slept."

"You guys pick a new captain yet?" Sherlock kicked John again.

"Yeah. Jensen. Our new chaser is working out great too."

"That's good but that's not why you're here is it?"

John sighed. "Not really. I just want to catch the guy that did this. And it just seems that the aurors aren't doing enough. They haven't even found his body. I know with magic you can literately do anything to a body to hide it. Change it into something else, make it invisible and dozen other things that I can't even comprehend. I'm not stupid enough to go after the killer myself but I thought that if maybe I could find something they missed I could give it to someone so his parents won't have to worry anymore..."

Grady nodded. "So what do you need from me?"

"I have a couple questions. First off, do you know of anyone who had a grudge against him?"

"A grudge huh? Well there are couple of the Slytherin boys that were nasty but they don't like Gryffindors period. Um... just little shit stuff really nothing I can think of that would warrant killing a mate over."

"Did you know of any problems with was having at school or at home?"

"Home life was good. He was failing a couple of his classes."

"Okay, which classes?" Sherlock watched the exchange with a little bit of awe. John was doing well. Not as well he could have but a silly first year Ravenclaw would be brushed off with a laugh.

"Charms and potions." John looked up sharply and fought the urge to look to where he thought Sherlock was standing.

"God, that new potions master is beast. I almost failed that class."

"More than that I think. I think Snape was failing him deliberately."

"Oh, what makes you say that?" Sherlock rubbed his hands eagerly. Now they were getting to the juicy bits.

"He was doing okay, you know not good or bad sliding along. But Snape kept failing him anyway. They had a big row about a week before Martin went missing. Martin threatened to have his big shot father get him canned. Apparently Snape laughed at him. Called his father a coward and a sneak."

"And this was a week before?" John asked.

"Yeah." He saw the look of concentration on John's face. "Why what's up?"

"He was seen having another row with Prof. Snape mere hours before he disappeared. You think it was about the same thing?"

Grady shrugged. "Could be. Martin knew that he was failing charms no doubt about that but he thought it unfair about Snape's treatment of him. He thought he should be at least skating by."

"Maybe that's the problem."

"What was?" Grady asked confused.

"That he was skating by. Snape seems like the passionate type maybe he thought Martin could do more and was trying to provoke him into doing better. Not the best method I'll grant you but a probable one."

Grady nodded.

"Anything else you can think of let me know, k? I want to catch this guy before he strikes again." John stood up and squeezed the older boy's shoulder. He walked down to the field and looked back up at Grady. The boy's shoulders slumped as though a cloak of exhaustion settled on him. He looked worn and sad.

"Sherlock?" John called out to the air around him. Sherlock looked at his friend a moment before answering.

"I'm here, John. That was well done. Especially the attribution of motive. What on earth made you think of that?"

"Hmm...? Oh... um... it was just something that popped in my head. The man's a bully but he loves potions. I just figured it sounded like something he'd do."

"Well, I have about fifteen minutes before it wears off. Let's head to boys bathroom so that it doesn't look like you are talking to yourself."

John nodded and walked off the direction of the boys bathroom, unsure if his friend followed him. He got inside and watched with an amused grin as the door to one of the stalls opened and closed on its own.

"Alright it's safe to talk now John."

"So what did we learn?"

"That Larson threatened Snape's job. A job that he not only just got but clearly enjoys. But is it enough for murder?"

"Looks like we need more information. When can you take more potion?" John asked through the door.

"Not tell tomorrow. It didn't sit well with me. I'm starting to see why people prefer cloaks to potions for this sort of thing." John nodded sympathetically.

"You do realize that I can't see you nod, right?"

John laughed. "Well clearly you can if you knew I nodded."

"Nonsense John. I just know you too well."

"And how did that happen exactly, you've known me for a little more than two months."

"Tsk, tsk, John. As ever you see but you don't observe."

"And what is that suppose to mean anyway?" Sherlock stepped out of the stall, once again visible to his friend.

"That you look at a person and see the person. I look at person as see that they have calluses on their right hand indicating they are right handed. I see the mud on their shoes that say that it rained this morning on his way to work. I see the smudge on his sleeve that tells me he spilled his tea this morning. I see the flustered way he moves meaning he probably over slept and has had one mishap after another. I can also tell you that he wouldn't break easy in an interrogation." Sherlock smirked.

"Ok, and how would you know that last bit?" John folded his arms in front of him.

"Because the way he stands, holds himself, he may appear flustered but given right down to it, he's a smart man that holds himself superior to everyone else."

"Nice. For a hypothetical man." John teased. Sherlock shoved him.

"You know what I meant." John laughed.

The next day they went to go see probably Quincy's only friend in the whole school. Another third year named Tabitha Greenhall. It wasn't that others didn't try, he was just shy and he'd had known Tabitha since they were kids. Tabitha was more friendly and John turned on the Watson charm to the max.

He found her in the common room, Sherlock his ever companion, invisible yet again. She was sniffling in the corner. John pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her.

"Hey now," he murmured low. She took the handkerchief and nodded her thanks. It had only been a couple weeks since her loss and she was taking harder than Grady did.

"You want to talk about it?" John asked, a small smile gracing his lips. She wiped her tears and nodded.

"What's up?" John's voice was soft and understanding.

"It's just this whole thing with Quincy..." she was on the verge of tears.

"Was he being bullied?" John stayed caring, his voice smooth.

"I guess, a bit. The quiet ones always are." John smiled, thinking of Sherlock.

"Yeah. I've got a friend like that."

"That funny fellow, the one they call 'The Freak'?" she asked. John winced.

"He's not you know. No more than Quincy was." John felt his ire rise and fought it down. Calm down there, Johnny boy. You need to get information out of her.

"Sorry. Sometimes we forget that just because they aren't like us, that that doesn't mean they don't have feelings. Quincy was a good kid."

"Did he have problems at home?" John murmured.

"Not really, not more than the next person I guess."

"I don't know, I'm the next person and even I have problems at home," John laughed. He winked at her and she gave a watery chuckle.

"What? The great Watson, seeker and all around nice guy has family problems? Say it ain't so!" John laughed but behind him he could feel Sherlock bristle at her suppose insult.

"So nothing but the usual teenage angst then?" John pressed.

"Not really. Of course Snape was just awful. I never thanked you for that by the way. I saw how you tried to ask if he was okay."

John blushed. "Oh, it was nothing. Anyone would have done the same." Sherlock smirked.

"And yet you were the only one who did." She smiled at him and he blushed a deeper set of red. Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"How long had he been having troubles with Prof. Snape? I had my own run ins with him and really didn't notice how he dealt with others."

"Since the start of the year. He's dyslexic. Spells are fine because it's how you say them and how you wave your wand. Potions is different, you have to read the instructions. It looks like complete gibberish to him. But Snape thought it was just an excuse not to do the work."

"That's got to be hard. Did Quincy have any enemies? People who would want to hurt him. Especially that viciously?"

"God, I don't know."

"Okay, thanks." John stood up and he turned to leave but he stopped and flashed her a smile. "Hey you want to get a butterbeer together the next time we go into Hogsmead?"

She smiled, "Sure." John flashed her a toothy grin.

"Bye."

He led the way to the boys bathroom practically skipping. Sherlock pushed him and he stumbled into the wall.

"Hey!" John muttered looking around for the culprit. "Sherlock!" he called. He could hear his friend laugh somewhere in front of him. He chased his friend to the bathroom all the while Sherlock laughing in front of him.

"We didn't find out anything new!" Sherlock complained.

"Hey it wasn't a total loss. I got a date out of it." John winked. Sherlock huffed angrily.

"There's nothing for it. We're going to have to bait Snape."

"Bait him how?" John's eyebrows furrowed.

"It seems that pattern is that they are students having trouble in potions. So we use someone that is having trouble in potions to get him to make a mistake."

"Oh and who would that be?" John folded his arms.

Sherlock came into view like a Cheshire cat, grinning a wide toothy grin.

"Why, you, of course."