I can't believe how long this took and all I can say is I'm really sorry. I don't have a good excuse.
I used a lot of dialogue from the show in this chapter, but next chapter, we're going so far off canon that it should make up for it. Prepare for feels, dear readers, because the fall is coming.
Disclaimer: Direct dialogue is taken from here arianedevere. livejournal 31651. html which is taken from BBC Sherlock, which I do not own. Nor do I own Harry Potter. Pretty straightforward, right?
CHAPTER 20
Remus considered the question. Why not? It would pull him away from the action which might not be great for Sherlock, but it would get Harry out of the line of fire for a weekend. He nodded and attempted a smile. "Alright. Saturday?"
Harry grinned. "Great!"
Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day.
ooo
Keeping Harry out of the limelight proved near impossible over the two days remaining till the weekend, but only parts of him had gotten into the edges of the photographs and thanks to some discreet confoundus charms, the reporters didn't even remember seeing him. After all that though, the long drive in the back of a taxi was a welcome change.
Seeing Harry jumping up and down nervously and bubbling with barely contained joy was just a huge plus. When the cab's door finally opened at the home, Harry bolted out, sprinting all the way through the gates before stopping and looking back nervously, shrugging his shoulders and scuffing the toe of his shoe against the ground as he grinned bashfully.
Remus just shook his head in amusement and followed, extremely glad that he had been able to schedule this with so little notice.
The afternoon went splendidly, with much happy hugging and squealing and joyful shouting when the children first saw each other, followed by the group running off somewhere to play while Remus made idle conversation with some of the staff. Sherlock, of course, was neck-deep in the case and Remus hoped that the detective would be in a patient enough mood to explain some of what he'd accomplished before demanding that he help with something more.
When it was finally time to go home, Remus was exhausted and bored, but Harry was anything but. Being parted from his friends again was the last thing he wanted, but with a sharp look, a promise to come visit again, and the insistence of the staff, the pair were finally bundled back into the returned cab for the ride home.
It was just their luck that they were ambushed by a journalist on the way into the flat, but Remus was tired enough that the befuddlement charm was done with very little of the thought or concern that normally accompanied magic use. Harry had just been fascinated by the spell.
ooo
It was the morning of Friday, the fourth of March, that Remus finally slipped up on his security of Harry.
When aparating them back to the flat, Remus stumbled a bit and ended up landing in the street instead. Right next to a photographer leaning against a wall. He almost fell on the man. Thankfully, he managed to get Harry bundled back inside before the man was able to say anything, but it was too late to stop what happened next. In the Saturday edition paper, there was a full-length article speculating about the young child spotted in the arms of one "previously confirmed bachelor." With black hair and green eyes, was the child an illegitimate heir of Sherlock's? That was the most innocent of the theories.
When Remus didn't leave the flat for work the next morning, too exhausted to move after the oddly rough transformation and too frustrated to be civil to people, only more speculation was raised. It was only through more magic than Remus was at all comfortable using and a long chat with the headmaster that Harry was able to return to school.
The next week, when the trial was held, was... well... a trial. In certainly more ways than one. Harry was sent to school while John went with Sherlock, trying to talk over him well enough to get out a full sentence. "'Intelligent', fine; let's give 'smart-arse' a wide berth."
Sherlock only scoffed. "I'll just be myself."
Needless to say, the message didn't seem to be getting across and Remus was getting more than frustrated as he asked, "Are you listening to me!?" The man really could be dense, considering how much of a genius he was.
None of this was really helped by the reporters shouting questions at them as they entered the building, many about the identity of the mystery child and the nature of Sherlock and John's relationship as well as the expected questions about the trial.
It really shouldn't have been a surprise when Sherlock ended up behind bars for-you guessed it-being a smart-arse. He never listened and it was just that kind of day. Remus' 'I told you so' had no effect and when they got to the flat, all that Sherlock cared to share was that obviously, Moriarty was only ever arrested because he wanted to be.
When the jury pronounced Moriarty 'not guilty' and the consulting criminal walked free against all expectations, Remus simply didn't have time to get to his son. He nearly had a heart attack when he got to the school to find out Harry'd already been taken. When he found out a few minutes later that it had been Mycroft, and not one of Moriaty's henchmen that had taken him, it did surprisingly little to reassure him or make him feel better.
That night, when he heard the tale of Moriarty coming to their flat, he was more than glad that it had happened, because the insane criminal very well could have gone after them in a deadly way instead of taking the time to mock Sherlock as he had.
That wasn't the end of he story though. In response to the quote Sherlock conveyed next, John couldn't help but go white as a sheet. "'Your wolf friend out then? Quite a collection of re-covered books you've got on your shelves here, Sherly. Hiding something? Learning magic, are we? How very unsporting.'"
The "He knows, John," was met with the doctor falling into the nearest chair as his knees completely collapsed.
ooo
The next two months passed without Remus or anyone else giving anything away about Harry but Remus did have to dodge the attentions of more than one curious ministry worker to do it, and in mid-May, he was looking particularly worn down. Sadly, Harry wasn't exactly jumping with joy anymore either, although Sherlock's obsession with Moriarty didn't help the atmosphere of the flat.
He'd just dropped Harry off at school when the irritating car that heralded Mycroft's whim pulled up beside him. What he discovered at the Diogenes club didn't help his mood one bit. Someone trying to paint Sherlock as a fake and assassins moving in all around them. It was like a cheesy nightmare.
The kidnapping thing with all the creepy fairy tale clues hit just a little too close for comfort. Even Sherlock's brilliant deductions couldn't distract him much from the feelings of impending doom and inevitable disaster. If there was any way he knew of to get Harry out without drawing more attention to them, he would've been gone in a shot. As it was, his best hope was prayer, and that didn't seem like much to cling to, given the situation.
And things only got worse from there.
ooo
"Dad?"
"Yeah, Harry?"
"Why—why's Sherlock so distracted? Both out you—you seem really out of it."
Remus grimaced. "Yeah, Harry. It's a tough case. We'll get through it though. A bad guy is trying to make Sherlock look bad and some people are believing him, but Sherlock will make it through. He's brilliant enough, like you, that he always does. Now, homework." Being a parent was an incredible amount of work.
ooo
"But you haven't heard the question!" Lestrade argued. Harry looked up from his book, his eyes traveling between Sherlock and the inspector as they talked.
"You want to take me to the station. Just saving you the trouble of asking."
"Sherlock..."
"The scream?"
"Yeah."
"Who was it? Donovan? I bet it was Donovan. Am I somehow responsible for the kidnapping? Ah, Moriarty is smart. He planted that doubt in her head; that little nagging sensation. You're going to have to be strong to resist. You can't kill an idea, can you? Not once it's made a home," he poked Lestrade in the forehead and Harry raised his eyebrows, "there."
"Will you come?"
"One photograph – that's his next move. Moriarty's game: first the scream, then a photograph of me being taken in for questioning. He wants to destroy me inch by inch."
"Destroy you?" Harry asked softly.
Sherlock ignored him. "It is a game, Lestrade, and not one I'm willing to play. Give my regards to Sergeant Donovan."
Lestrade left and Harry's expression grew from confused to worried.
"They'll be deciding," Sherlock said as Remus came back into the room. Harry was still sitting on the couch, trying to understand what was going on.
"Deciding?" Remus asked.
"Whether to come back with a warrant and arrest me."
"Arrest you?" Harry squeaked. Remus only glanced at him before continuing more quietly. Harry could still hear them though.
"You think?"
"Standard procedure."
"You Should have gone with him. People'll think..."
"I don't care what people think."
"You'd care if they thought you were stupid, or wrong."
"No, that would just make them stupid or wrong."
Remus was getting angry now and his amber eyes were taking on a gold tint around the edges, "Sherlock, I don't want the world believing you're..."
"That I am what?"
"A fraud."
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "You're worried they're right."
"What?"
"You're worried they're right about me."
"No!" Harry yelled out at the same time Remus said the word.
"That's why you're so upset. You can't even entertain the possibility that they might be right. You're afraid that you've been taken in as well."
"No I'm not."
"Moriarty is playing with your mind too. Can't you see what's going on!?"
There was a pause and Harry looked wide-eyed between his dad and Sherlock, scared by what was happening. Sherlock wasn't a liar and he wasn't a bad person and the police were only supposed to arrest the bad people and he simply didn't understand.
"No, I know you're for real," Remus finally said.
"A hundred percent?"
"Of course you're real, Uncle Sherlock!" Harry said. "Dad, of course he is!"
"Nobody could fake being so annoying all the time," Remus admitted.
When the pair would have fallen into silence, Harry put the book aside and scrambled up into his dad's lap. "Dad," he began, "what's happening? Why are the police going to arrest uncle Sherlock?"
Sherlock snorted and Remus glared at him. "The actual bad guy framed Sherlock, but we'll straighten it out, Harry," he said, giving his son a hug. Harry wasn't entirely convinced.
ooo
Sherlock stood staring at the burnt ginger bread man while Remus yelled about warrants downstairs and Harry came over and pulled at his sleeve. "Sherlock..."
Sherlock put the gingerbread man aside and kneeled down beside Harry. "I promise you, Harrison, that I'll be okay. I have a plan. It might take a long time for it to work, but it's a solid plan and it will be successful."
Harry nodded, trying not to cry.
And then Sherlock was arrested and it was only the knowledge that Harry was inside the flat that kept John from punching the superintendent. For a minute.
He took two steps inside the room and looked straight at Harry. "Mrs. Hudson will take care of you," he said, giving his son a kiss on the forehead. Then, he turned right around, walked back ti where he was, and punched the man straight in the face. Then he was arrested too.
Harry really did cry then.
ooo
When Harry saw his dad and Sherlock escape, it didn't do much to help his spirits, because much more than normal children his age, Harry knew that running from the police usually didn't mean something good.
Harry was only left with Mrs. Hudson for about an hour before Mycroft came and fetched him,leaving him in a small room in the diogenes club with instructions to read silently.
When Mycroft saw Remus in his office though, it was certainly a surprise. He thought he'd have to bail the man out of jail later. Harry was the last thing on his mind as he tried to explain things to the incensed werewolf. He didn't think Remus heard the "Harry's safe John" that was whispered as the man stomped out of the office until he turned around, the golden glow obvious in his eyes, despite the time of month.
"What?" he growled.
"Down the hall. I thought it better to get him out of the way of the action." that didn't go over too well and the superintendent from the NSY wasn't the only one sporting a bloody face now.
ooo
"Alone is what I have," Sherlock said, sitting in the lab. "Alone protects me."
Remus looked back at him angrily. "No. Friends protect people. Family."
"Part of the plan," Harry whispered. "Has to be."
ooo
"Hello" Remus said into the phone.
"John."
"Hey, Sherlock, you okay?"
"Turn around and walk back the way you came now."
"No, I'm coming in."
Harry frowned, squeezing his dad's hand for comfort.
"Just do as I ask. Please," Sherlock said.
"Where?" Remus asked, walking back along the road.
"Stop there."
"Sherlock?"
"Okay, look up. I'm on the rooftop."
"Oh Merlin." Remus squeezed Harry's hand tightly and pulled him closer to his side as he looked up at the roof, horrified.
"I ... I ... I can't come down, so we'll ... we'll just have to do it like this."
"What's going on?"
"An apology. It's all true."
"Wh-what?"
"Everything they said about me. I invented Moriarty." Sherlock looked behind him at the dead consulting criminal.
"Why are you saying this?" Remus asked, not quite believing what he was hearing.
"I'm a fake."
"No you're not!" Harry screamed. Remus just pulled Harry closer.
"Sherlock..."
"The newspapers were right all along. I want you to tell Lestrade; I want you to tell Mrs Hudson, and Molly, Harrison... in fact, tell anyone who will listen to you that I created Moriarty for my own purposes."
"Okay, shut up, Sherlock, shut up. The first time we met ... the first time we met, you knew all about Harry, right? Harry senior?"
"Nobody could be that clever."
"You could."
"I researched you. Before we met I discovered everything that I could to impress you. It's a trick. Just a magic trick."
John gasped and took a step forward. "Stop it, Sherlock. You can't be sure."
"No, stay exactly where you are. Don't move."
Remus stopped and backed up, raising hte hand he was holding Harry's in. "All right."
"Keep your eyes fixed on me. Please, will you do this for me?"
"Do what?"
"This phone call – it's, er ... it's my note. It's what people do, don't they – leave a note?"
Remus shook his head. "Leave a note when?"
"Goodbye, John."
"No. Don't!"
Sherlock dropped his phone and Remus lowered his. "No. SHERLOCK!"
Sherlock fell and Remus whispered "Magic trick," a tear falling from his face as he hugged Harry close to him, trying to stop his son from seeing.
He tried to get to the bottom of the building—to Sherlock—as quickly as he could, but with Harry, he coudn't sprint. When he got there, Sherlock was already being lifted onto a stretcher. "Merlin, no. Sherlock..."
Harry's eyes went wide. "Part of the plan," he repeated. "It's part of the plan." His voice shook and he didn't blink, staring at Sherlock.
They were both in shock.
Enjoy!
I'm so sorry, my dear readers. So sorry. Please leave a review to tell me what you think.
Thank you for reading!
-MP