Author's Note: I totally suck at updating, but now I have some inspiration so hopefully there will be more chapters to come. I have a better idea of where I'm going with this, so that'll help. Comments and criticisms are always welcome as usually, as lot as you say it nicely.
I do not own Harry Potter or Sherlock characters.
Although the prank had taken place at the end of breakfast, news of it spread so quickly that those who did not witness it at breakfast knew by lunchtime. Sherlock and Tom stole glances at each other, grinning every time they heard someone talk about it.
"I heard he inflated like a balloon and drifted all the way to the North Tower!"
"I heard he started sprouting boils, too!"
"I heard that Headmaster Dippet is going to expel whoever did it!"
While their pride was difficult to control, rumors such as expulsion or detention helped both Sherlock and Tom keep their heads down. The only other people that knew that they had been planning something were Tom's Slytherin confidants, and Slytherins were known to be fiercely loyal to their friends. It was general knowledge that Slytherins would rather get detention with Professor Beery collecting Bubotuber pus than rat out their friends- unless perhaps they could get something out of being a tattletale.
Sherlock and Tom both reacted to their success similarly, but for different reasons. Sherlock felt a strong sense of pride, a physical feeling of a balloon that was being inflated in his stomach. For one thing, he felt as though the success over Stratz had proven that brains triumph brawn. He also knew that the potion he and Tom had worked on was extremely difficult, especially for a pair of first years. Sherlock felt as though their plan as a whole was a good example of their smarts and talent.
Tom on the other hand seemed to care less about their strategies and spells and more about the fact that they had managed to get revenge on a bully and got away with it. Tom was proud of the fact that he had been so clever. Slytherins are known for being sneaky to get what they want, but success in the Slytherin House depended on whether they got away with it or not. Tom was clearly disappointed that they could not tell anyone that it was he who had devised the master plan to bring down the bully, but his small followers of Slytherins obviously knew but also knew to keep their mouths shut about it so they never mentioned Tom or Sherlock's involvement.
Sherlock's closeness with Tom made him automatically accepted into Tom's group of friends, although Sherlock was not entirely sure whether they actually liked him or they respected Tom too much to say anything bad about their new companion. Sherlock had an idea it was a mix of both.
For the following days, Sherlock would immediately rush over to talk to Tom after each Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The Slytherins didn't mind sharing their popular Housemate with Sherlock, since he was always able to contribute some witty remark to the conversation. Alec Davitt and Valerie Kaden were obviously displeased with the blooming relationship between Sherlock and Tom, but for the sake of their friendship with Tom they restrained their jealousy. Sherlock did not care for them much anyway, and so he did not count their jealousy as a loss. Many of the Slytherins enjoyed Sherlock's cleverness and could always count on him to point out the stupidity of another student. The Slytherins' favorite target was Gryffindor students, but Sherlock did not join at those times. He never forgot John Watson's kindness, and although they rarely talked outside of Potions class Sherlock decided he would rather not betray John, even if it meant losing points with the Slytherins.
While Sherlock's friendship with Tom grew each day, Tom's friendship was not exclusively Sherlock's. Sherlock occasionally heard stories of someone getting mysteriously hurt- a hex here, a jinx there- and had an inkling that Tom's gang of Slytherins was behind it. While Sherlock felt some envy that Tom had done other pranks without him, deep down he felt glad that Sherlock wasn't involved. Stratz was the only student that Sherlock felt real resentment towards, and Stratz had been taken care of already. As a testament to Tom's shrewdness, each prank was, while simple, cleverly thought out so that no one was caught and held responsible. However, Tom still occasionally asked Sherlock for his opinion on the craftier, more detailed plans and the two of them executed these plans alone. They ranged from getting out of Astronomy early because of a strange smell that happened to put the professor Stelle to sleep (although the students were somehow immune to the smell), a mud swamp in the hall that Professor Flitwick just couldn't figure out how to get rid of, and for a few weeks Headmaster Dippit was convinced that another Poltergeist had joined Peeves in the castle.
It felt wonderfully freeing for Sherlock to have a friend like Tom Riddle. Since he never had a friend before, he did not realize what a burden loneliness had been to him. While Sherlock still interacted with his roommates, Sherlock spent most of his time with Tom and his gang somewhere in the castle, where students from two different Houses could enjoy one another. Still, once the Slytherins got up to go to bed or to get ready for class and headed for the dungeons downstairs, Sherlock could feel a small burden fall on his heart again.
Autumn was becoming more and more evident at Hogwarts as the trees around the castle began to change color and the summer weather slowly left. The trees in the Forbidden Forest became undulated waves of red and orange and gold. Ogg could be seen around the grounds from time to time, grumbling about having to rake up all the leaves by himself.
While the outside of the Hogwarts castle began to transition to the next season, the inside started to transform as well. A number of decorations had started to go up around the castle in anticipation of Halloween, including floating pumpkins near the ceiling, and the floating candles in the Great Hall had been turned orange and black. All of the students grew excited for the Halloween Feast, although Sherlock could not care less.
"Aren't you excited about the Feast, though?" asked John on Halloween as he and Sherlock worked on their potion together in class. Usually students partnered with those from their own House, but for today's assignment John had specifically asked Sherlock to work with him.
"No, not really," said Sherlock as he stirred the brew. "We have food served to us every day. What makes this feast so special?" He finished stirring and began to work on measuring the beetle wings.
"I don't know, I've never been to the Halloween Feast before. I've never been to any wizard party at all," answered John. He picked up the snake rattle that the potion book had called for and began to study it disinterestedly. "What are they like?"
Sherlock leaned over his textbook to study the instructions. "'Add the snake rattle and bring to a low heat. Stir the potion seven times clockwise, then counterclockwise until the potion turns turquoise,'" he read out loud. Ignoring John's question, Sherlock plucked the rattle out of John's hand and dropped it into the cauldron. He lowered the heat and began stirring. He was always very focused when he worked, especially in Potions. Sherlock enjoyed the working process and the challenge of each concoction.
"Sherlock? What's so special about wizard parties?" John tried again, breaking Sherlock out of his concentration. Sherlock looked up from the potion and processed the fact that John had asked him a question.
"Wizard parties? Oh, um… nothing all that special. There might be some magical gifts and decorations. Professor Dippet might book a band to play during the feast, but that's about it," Sherlock answered. He finished stirring seven times clockwise, so he began to stir in the other direction, mentally counting.
Sherlock was apathetic towards the Feast, but John looked excited. "What sort of gifts? What does a wizard band sound like?" he asked.
Sherlock sighed and finished stirring the seventh time, just as the potion began to change from a purple color to a more greenish bluish color. He changed direction again as the brew became more and more turquoise. "Honestly John, I really doubt the Halloween feast will be anything special or more fun than any other meal you've had here at Hogwarts," Sherlock said briskly. "Now you could keep asking questions or you could help with the assignment."
John looked down at his shoes and seemed to blush a little. "That's why I asked you to be my partner, you see."
Sherlock groaned inwardly. Of course John only wanted to be his partner so that Sherlock could do all the work for him. Sherlock usually didn't mind; in fact he often preferred to do the work himself to make sure it was done right. Yet in this case, Sherlock almost felt disappointed that John, whom he had thought was actually a very nice boy, would use him this way.
John continued, "I'm not doing very well at Potions. I mean, I can get along in all my other classes. They're either memorizing facts or waving a wand. But Potions? I mean, it's so difficult and I can never remember what all the ingredients do and I can never focus on the instructions, so I always mess up."
"Potions isn't that hard, all you have to do is follow the instructions, John."
"I know that, Sherlock, but even when I try something always goes wrong. I really need help and I know that you are the best in the class, so I was wondering if you could… I don't know, tutor me or something." John had been looking at Sherlock while he pleaded his case, but when he admitted that he wanted Sherlock's help John dropped his gaze and stared at his shoes again.
Sherlock considered the situation. On one hand, he wouldn't mind spending more time with John. Also, Sherlock detested stupidity more than anything and if there was a way that he could decrease stupidity even in one student's subject, the world would be a better place. However, he did not enjoy the feeling of being used, and although he wanted to believe the best in John he still felt as though John was trying to take advantage of him.
"I could help you with a subject," John offered eagerly after a moment of silence. "I mean, if there is a subject you need help with."
Sherlock wanted to admit that he needed academic help even less than John did, but he had not been receiving high marks in Astronomy lately. To him, Astronomy was a useless subject, so he refused to make room inside his mind for the names of Jupiter's moons or how the movement of the earth affected werewolves. If a potion needed an ingredient picked under a full moon, Sherlock could look out his window easily enough to figure out when that would be.
"Are you any good at Astronomy?" asked Sherlock.
"Oh yes," John nodded enthusiastically, glad for there to be a subject with which he could help. "I studied it in my Muggle school and my parents took me to a planetarium a few times when I was younger."
Sherlock look confused. "What's a planetarium?"
John grinned. "I'll tell you about that later," he said, and then held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?"
Sherlock returned the smile and shook his hand. "Deal."