The sunset brought a silence over the castle. The sky was painted in brilliant reds, oranges, yellows and violets that reached with long fingers into the creeping navy blue with shimmering stars. John allowed himself to watch the beautiful scene before him for moments more before the quiet that had encased the owlry was interrupted by his Ravenclaw companion.
"Beautiful isn't it?" The deep voice spoke next to his ear, cause John to jump in surprise. He turned to see Sherlock studying the sky with a fond look on his face. John had never known the Ravenclaw to call anything beautiful. Nor had he ever really seen him appreciate something that John had thought he would consider mundane and boring.
"It is. Don't get this view back in London." John sighed, leaning forward on the ledge and watching the sunset once more, trying to remember the last time he'd let himself enjoy the view. In truth, he wasn't allowed outside much back home. And he never really had the energy and strength to drag himself to one of the windows after a particularly bad beating. He was lucky to have survived the more severe 'punishments' that his father had felt like dealing out. Harry tried to take the brunt of the it, making sure her brother was safe. She was six years older then John, a large enough age gap that, under normal circumstances, they would have probably never grown close. Harry's drinking the past three years hadn't helped, and John had felt them drifting apart. He wanted her to be safe, but her decisions were killing her slowly and he wouldn't stand by and watch it happen.
"It will be time to head to the forest soon enough." Sherlock's voice was soft, gentle. He was only ever that way with John. John, the magnificent Gryffindor who didn't run away from his deductions, but actually praised them. John, the only boy to ever stick by Sherlock's side long enough to know what the Ravenclaw was all about. Sherlock would never think himself sentimental. No, family had dictated long ago that sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing side, but he found himself growing protective of his young friend.
"Sherlock, how are we going to get her? She's done terrible things, and she seems pretty sneaky…are you sure we'll be able to catch her?" While John was terribly brave, he also didn't like that fact that they were putting their lives on line to catch a murderer that the Auror's were sure to get soon enough. "Why can't we let the professionals help?"
"John, they'll never catch her. She's extremely clever and good at covering at her tracks. She just never accounted for me." A smug smile made it onto the eleven-year-old's pale face as he twirled, letting his black cloak swirl behind him.
John sighed, moving to follow him without a second thought. If he had thought to reflect upon his decision, his mind would've returned to the rumors that had circulated around school since the beginning. Those rumors had been designed to keep the other kids away from the youngest Holmes, who was more or less worse than his older brother. The older Gryffindor's hated Mycroft.
John himself never had anything to say about the rumors. He didn't believe in anything his housemates said about the tall, raven-haired boy that was now walking ahead of him with a purpose. He marveled at the fact that someone so cold could be so caring towards another human being.
They left the castle without running into any of the prefects or teachers, which John called a blessing as they streaked across the grounds underneath various shadows. The night was silent, and the moon was full overhead. John was again struck at the beauty of the sky out among the castle. Tiny points of light shone against a velvet background, forming shapes. The moon was big, round, and shining down wondrous, pale light, which accented the pale skin of the boy running in front of him.
If John were to stop and think about his favorite thing about this magical school he was so lucky to attend, he'd answer, without hesitation, the sky above his head. It's beauty was not marveled by anything, not even the pale castle which he was leaving behind in this moment to chase after the wonderfully eccentric Ravenclaw.
Sherlock slowed his pace near the tree line, raising one finger to his mouth to indicate that John stay quiet and then turned towards the castle. A shadow was lurking near the doorway, casting back annoyed glances. John thought he'd caught a gleam of silver hair. A tug on his sleeve took his attention away from the scene and John followed Sherlock deeper into the forest, right to the edges of the clearing that Sherlock had indicated earlier that day.
"Might as well get comfortable." Sherlock whispered, throwing a hand at the nearest tree and looking at the Gryffindor expectantly. John looked at the tall tree with weariness. There were several branches at the lowest level that would make it easy for the small Gryffindor to climb up, but he was more worried about height. He'd never been good with heights. John risked a glance at the Ravenclaw, who stood with regal grace, a small smile on his face as he studied the smaller boy.
Heaving a sigh, John began to hoist himself up on the nearest branch and climbed steadily into the tree, until he reached a branch that was wide enough to fit the two of them and easy jumping distance without anybody being able to see them. He heard Sherlock slip onto the branch and settled against the bark with a sigh, staring at the impossible boy next to him. Sherlock was staring back, seeming curious about something, but not willing to voice the question that was burning on his tongue.
"What is it?" John asked after a moment in which the tense air hung between them.
"Why me?" His gray eyes bore into John's blue ones. John cocked his head to the side. He knew what Sherlock meant, though that question could be interpreted in several different ways. He was asking why choose him as a friend, why choose to be around him when there were so many others in the castle to be friends with.
"Because you're different, unique and I dunno. You're brilliant beyond most first year comprehension. And despite what you put off, you care, to some degree." John spoke quietly, keeping his eyes on the clearing below them. "It's hard to explain 'Lock. Why do you want to know?"
"I don't understand." His brow furrowed as he thought about it, eyes wandering to the clearing. John could almost hear the gears turning in his brilliant brain and took pity on him with a smile.
"I am never bored when I'm around you. I can't say as much for the other students. Nobody can bring fun into a sad situation like you can." The smile came back on Sherlock's face as he listened. John shook his head in amusement and stared down at the clearing with new energy.
There was crackling of leaves and the snap of a branch before a face appeared in front of John's, turned upside down. Artemis smiled at the startled Gryffindor and waved. "What's up guys?" She asked, still swinging slightly from when she dropped from a higher branch. John craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Dylan sitting on her legs with his hands gripping her knees uneasily.
"Why didn't we stay at the pool?" He muttered unhappily, wriggling a bit as Artemis swung forward gently.
"There's a pool in Hogwarts?" John frowned. Artemis smirked in amusement and Sherlock just stared at John.
"Hogwarts has everything John." The Ravenclaw stated simply, eyes darting to the clearing as a shadow darted between the parted trees. Artemis twisted awkwardly and stared at Blair hard. Her cousin had tried talking sense into the older Slytherin, though her efforts were half-arsed and not helpful in the slightest.
The Slytherin girl muttered under her breath in a voice that barely drifted to the four first years in the tree. It sounded like an old spell, long and in a language of ancient times, and the clearing glowed with a greenish hue as though a force field had been put in place. The little bubble of light extended well past the students, and stopped right before the clearing that Rioku and his herd were hiding in.
John was starting to feel apprehensive about the whole mission. Something felt off, and the Gryffindor was having a hard time placing it. Blair smiled cruelly as she stood in the middle, her chanting now reaching heights that clearly reached the other's ears.
"Is that Latin?" Artemis whispered in awe, her ears straining to hear more of the beautiful language. John stared at the girl without replying.
"Come out now my darlings. It has been too long." Blair sung and Sherlock watched with his morbid fascination as the dead students filed into the clearing, looking every bit alive except for the glazed over look in their eyes.
"She's raising an army." The Ravenclaw whispered, studying the students as they created a small circle around her. John shivered with the knowledge and his muscles tensed. An army of undead, soulless students with those dead eyes marching around Hogwarts was a terrifying idea.
"We have to do something 'Lock!" John replied, peaking down at Blair again. The Slytherin laughed below them and sung another song in ancient Latin. The corpses turn to stare right at the four first years and start their march, looking grim and tired. Dylan and John freeze in fear, staring at the little army. Sherlock bites his lip and turns to Artemis. The Ravenclaw girl nods her head and moves her legs from underneath Dylan, flipping to right her self on the other two's branch.
"Laters!" She giggles as she jumps to another nearby branch in another tree. Her jumps are quick and light, letting herself lead a pack of the army in her direction. Dylan watches her nimble form with something close to admiration before being spurred into action by Sherlock poking his ribs.
"We need to spilt. Dylan, can you handle some on your own? I'm not sure I can handle the rest of whose left. My magic isn't that advanced." Sherlock muttered, holding John's arm before he can slip down. When Dylan shakes his head sharply left and right, the taller Ravenclaw nods to John with a grim smile and shoves a piece of paper into his hand. "Use this when you get surrounded. Try not to wander off the path too much, but don't head to the grounds. When you've cleared them, determine your way back. Get help from one of the centaurs if necessary." The young Gryffindor nodded back his affirmation and jumped down, hitting the forest ground with a thump. Seven or eight of the remaining army took off in pursuit, ignoring the protest of their master in order to catch their prize.
"Stay here Dylan. I'll take care of the others. When I say run you get back to that path and you run. Got it?" Dylan nods and watches the taller boy jump down, pulling his wand out and gracefully standing in front of six opponents. The Ravenclaw doesn't speak a word as purple and blue lights mix together on the tip of his wand and the approaching two dead students are knocked back. Red tendrils surround them as they struggle to get up before exploding in magnificent fireworks. Dylan found himself watching the other boy so closely he almost didn't understand what Sherlock had yelled at him before he was down and running as fast as he could for the castle.
Dylan comes across John, who utters a single word as the dead students crowd him into a circle and the area explodes in a brilliant light for a span of five seconds before disappearing to show that his opponents had been disintegrated and lay in ash before his feet. The Gryffindor looked at the spell with a wide smile on his face before catching sight of Dylan.
"Hurry! We need to the Headmaster!" Dylan yelled, dashing from the tree line. Artemis giggled as she landed next to them from her sentry post on a nearby branch.
"Where's Sherlock?" John panted, leaning forward to rest his hands on his knees.
"Still fighting. Told me to run as fast as I can. We need to get the Headmaster so he can catch her properly." Dylan replied, panting as well. Artemis looked back into the forest with a thoughtful look before nodding along with her fellow Ravenclaw.
"Come on John. He'll make it." They tug the unwilling Gryffindor along as they trekked their way back to the castle.
"Um…guys, what are we gunna tell him?" John asked as they stopped in front of the gargoyles in front of the Headmaster's office. The other two looked at him questioningly and then at each other. They both shrugged as the staircase swung to reveal itself. This is gunna be a long night. John thought as they climbed into the office of the most powerful person in Hogwarts.