Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Sherlock, or any of the characters therein. Nor do I make any moneys from the posting of this fanfiction.

Hello! Here we are in the middle of the week. Hope this new chapter makes it a bit more fun. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Please read and review.

…

Chapter Nine

October…

"You do realize that I am going to have to beat you bloody now, don't you?"

Mary spun around to look at Hermione, who was sitting in her and John's sitting room. She had a to-go cup in her hand and was sipping on it, as she stared at the fireplace. Her brown eyes were contemplative and her posture utterly relaxed.

"I'm pregnant," she pointed out to the other woman.

"Oh I know, which is more than likely the reason neither one of us is on the ground bleeding, I'm sure," she sighed. "How are you doing with the morning illness today?"

"It was bad," Mary admitted, rubbing over her stomach in reflex.

"The stress isn't helping it any," Hermione told her, as she stood up. "Don't just stand there. You and I have a mission today."

Mary was looking at her startled. "What?"

"We're going to be making Janine bald."

Mary didn't know what to say to that. "Are you going to need me to hold her down for you to shave her head?"

Hermione shook her head no. "Nothing like that." She pulled out a vial of clear liquid. "Two drops of that into her tea and she'll lose all the hair on her head for two weeks. The entire contents of this could keep her head hair free for a year." She looked over to Mary, saying, "The bitch turned Sherlock's pain medicine lower while I was off to the loo." She pursed her lips. "I figure between what I did to her garden two weeks ago and her upcoming hair free state, I'd feel some sort of satisfaction." She paused. "No, I don't, but I would still like to see how this works and she's the best test subject I can think of."

Mary sniffled, asking, "You don't hate me?"

"Whatever for?" Hermione inquired. "I'm right pissed that you shot Sherlock—that I won't lie about. But you did what you did in order to survive." Her brown eyes went more intense. "Trust me when I say that I comprehend survival better than most."

Mary rushed over to her and gave her a big hug. "Thank you. You've been nothing but grand since I met you."

"You are very welcome," Hermione said, stepping back. "Now hurry up and get dressed! We're on a short clock!"

…

Sherlock frowned at the sight of a new e-mail with a video attached in his inbox. Curious he checked it for worms or viruses, but found none. Now absolutely needing to know, he pulled it up onto his laptop screen and found that it was surveillance footage of Janine at an outdoor café. Sobbing to herself, Sherlock could barely read her lips as she spoke to an older woman that he presumed was an aunt or her mother that her garden had died and everything that she replanted already look to be dying. A waitress came over, served them both more bottled water, removed plates and went on her way back into the café.

John came out of the other room, stopping at the sight on Sherlock's laptop. Frowning he asked, "Isn't that…"

"Janine. Yes."

A large clump of brown hair came out into her hand as she combed her fingers through it, making the woman scream at the sight. This happened over and over again, until Janine was absolutely hysterical.

Smiling slowly, Sherlock breathed, "She did it."

"What? You mean to say that Hermione was the one that did this? How?!" he exclaimed, as he watched Janine pulling her jacket over her rapidly balding head.

Laughing quietly, he stated, "Never doubt it, John. That woman really does have some impressive skills."

…

Hermione and Mary climbed into the back of the cab, laughing like a couple of loons.

"That was fantastic!" Mary crowed. "Where did you get this stuff?" She looked into the vial that Hermione had handed to her to slip into Janine's water glass earlier in the meal.

"Fred and George Weasley, otherwise known as the Weasley twins or the Hades twins depending on if they decide you need their special attention," Hermione told her. "They're notorious tricksters and they came up with this…" She took the vial from her. "…about five years ago. They had wanted to test it on me, but I told them if they wanted children in the future, they best be looking elsewhere for someone to test it on." She sighed heavily. "Poor Neville was bald for half a year."

Mary burst out laughing. "Oh that sounds fantastic. So will she be bald that long?"

"I did calculations for them and was able to come up with the correct dosage. So no, she'll only be without her hair for approximately a week." She grinned wickedly and added, "But it'll grow back a putrid shade of green that she'll have to shave off if she ever wants to get rid of it."

"Oh you are awful!" Mary stated, still laughing.

"I know," she said. "It was horrid of me. I was ready to let it all go, but then I caught sight of the gossip rags she sold her false story to." Hermione's jaw went hard. "I couldn't do so then."

Mary nodded in quiet understanding, but stated, "If you hated what she did, you must loath me."

"I hate what you did to Sherlock," she answered. "I comprehend why you did it and more than likely would have done the same as well. But I would have shot that fucker Magnussen first." Hermione took a deep breath. "Did you know he pissed in our fireplace? Our dog has better manners." She went into deep thought, as she said, "It's clear that I'm not going to be getting rid of this wrath over Sherlock being shot by talking it out."

"Pity," Mary muttered.

Smiling deviously Hermione said, "Want to have fun with the boys?"

Puzzled, Mary asked, "What do you mean?"

"Bait and switch," she told her. "And deception all the way around."

This had Mary smiling. "Do tell."

…

It had taken a couple of days to arrange, but finally, the plan was set. Added to this was the fact that Mary and John were working on their issues. They may not be in the same house, but they were talking daily and that was what mattered.

John seemed tied up with the mystery of how Hermione could have possibly made Janine lose her hair. The good doctor had asked Hermione several times how she had done the deed. She would only smile benignly and tell him every woman has her secrets and that this was only one of hers. Mary would only giggle madly like a child keeping a secret and say nothing about it. Sherlock, on the other hand, would flip the page of the book he was reading, look up from the laptop screen, or exit his mind palace long enough to roll his eyes and went back to whatever it was he was doing before.

On the day of what Mary and Hermione were now referring to as "The Event", John was coming over so that he and Sherlock could deal with something in regards to Magnussen. It wasn't the man himself, but close enough so that neither men wanted the women involved.

"So what would this rate?" Hermione asked him, as she was looking through her jacket.

"What we're doing today?" He thought that over. "It's not important, really, but it might prove helpful later…What are you looking for, woman?"

"Gloves!" She looked over to him. "I could have sworn I had a pair of gloves in here. A very nice pair, in fact." She worried her lower lip and muttered, "I might have accidently left them at the cottage…"

"Wait, what cottage?" John asked her.

"I own a cottage outside of East Anglia," she muttered, as she kept looking and ended up pulling out a book. "Oh, I had no idea this was in there."

Sherlock took it from her, flipping through the pages. "Why waste time reading this? It's nonsense!"

Snatching it back from him, she said, "It's Esperanto, not nonsense! The text itself, now that's utter balderdash."

"That's what I was referring to," Sherlock said dryly.

"Oh sorry," she said, looking over to him. "I'm so accustomed to those around me not having one clue about reading other languages besides English, French and German. True, I know a spattering of individuals that read Spanish and Italian as well. But they, my dear Holmes, are very few and far between. And all of them seem absolutely useless when it comes to Esperanto." She handed the book to him. "We could use it as kindling, don't you think?"

"It would be far better used for such, I dare say," he muttered, putting it by the fireplace. "Would you care to borrow a pair of gloves from me?"

"That would be excellent!" she told him. "I only need them for about five minutes."

"For what?" he asked.

"Oh you'll know it, when you see it," she replied as she followed him to his bedroom.

TBC…

Another chapter has done its swan song! Thank you for joining me for the ride. I hope that you're liking it. Review to let me know. Thanks again and have a smashing good day!