Once the old castle slipped into a routine, life became almost dull. For most, such would have been a blessing- the rumours of chaos that the students carried home each summer were probably true, and a calm year was something that most students must have longed for. But for Sherlock Holmes, boredom was his mind's way of telling him that he was now on self-destruct. Dangerous as it was, he could also have called it entertaining- waiting to see exactly how long he could go without a case, something interesting, a murder.

The students were as he had expected- half hopeless cases, some undecided on whether it was worth trying, and the rest working so hard that even he was slightly impressed. There were the interesting few, of course; Potter and his friends, the Malfoy boy and his cronies- in fact, they were similar. He had yet to initiate conversation with either- Potter was wary of anything, and so Holmes had put off calling him back. Malfoy was less than keen to so much as make eye contact- and while this was fine with Holmes, there was only so much that he could work out about either from observation alone. He hadn't met anyone this secretive for a while- besides himself, of course.

But there was a careful secrecy and a devious secrecy, and Holmes was almost ashamed to admit that he now fit into the latter category. It wasn't by choice- far from it, in fact. But he had taken up the offer, even if grudgingly, and was now sitting around with the guilt.

Not that Sherlock Holmes was one to succumb to guilt. He just didn't appreciate its presence.

He dipped the quill back into the ink, still unsure of what to write. His last letter had yet to yield a response- as expected, but it was no less unnerving to not have a reply. This letter was a little more domestic- in fact, there was hardly any use for the feathered bird, perched in the corner and chirping away. He hated owls. They were useful, yes, but altogether too conspicuous for his liking.

It wasn't that he wanted to write to such a man. Such a man who was clearly an enemy to many, easily likened to his own rival. Both threatening in a sense, to others- not to Holmes, a fairly fearless man. It was out of need that he stared at the parchment, rather than any desire for conversation with this man.

Professor Snape;

Or would Severus be better? No. He hardly knew the man, and really had little desire to do so.

I write this letter in order to inquire on the subject of Mr Potter of Gryffindor house. Should you see it fit, please meet me at the edge of the Forbidden Forest at midnight on the night of the fifth of September.

Yours,

S. Holmes

Letter writing wasn't exactly something that Holmes enjoyed, much less something that he did on a daily basis. In fact, he positively loathed the idea. But somehow it was better than face-to-face communication. Sadly, in a small castle with a lot of students, he was bound to talk to them, when he would have liked nothing more than to sit in his office all day and let them get on with it.

He sent the owl on its way, watching as it flew off to the other side of the castle. At least he was giving the thing exercise, and making use of it- but that was one of many area in which he preferred Muggles and their way of communicating. Pick up a phone, send an email- hide behind a false identity that most people couldn't work out from your typing style alone. But here, everything was out in the open, and that was perhaps what made detective work so difficult- you couldn't play the opposition at their own game. It was frowned upon, even, to pretend to switch sides. Only a few could do that, and it was always in a way initiated by the Ministry or some other organisation. The Order of the Phoenix, even though they worked separately from the Ministry, still held those ideas- to work within a structure. But to also risk anything, to put a life on the line for only the most trivial of reasons.

The Order hadn't been for him. Sadly, he had been the only one holding that view.

Brilliant Sherlock, always knowing the weakness of the enemy. Clever Sherlock, always knowing when the time was right to strike. Not really. It was common knowledge, and nothing was ever approved by the ones with the power. It was a mess, the Order. A friendly mess, somewhere he had genuinely enjoyed being- but it had never offered what the Muggles did. While the Order had given him fifteen minutes of fame, Muggles were always astounded by his deductions, never failing to admire him for it.

It was hard to find somebody in a world of magic who found intelligence- raw, real intelligence- amazing. In a magical world- and an illogical one at that- sit was all about casting spells and protecting the students from the dark forces that lurked outside of the stone walls.

A sad fact, really.

It was then that the owl flew back inside, landing on the desk in front of him. He untied the response from its leg and sent the thing on its way.

Of course. However, you may have more luck, albeit biased, with McGonagall.

S. Snape

So that was set. He had never had much contact with the Slytherin during their school years, much preferring to hide behind a book instead of joining in with the other student's games. Snape had never been very lucky anyway- in fact, it had been common to hear of show James Potter had once again ridiculed the boy out by the lake.

He had never taken sides. As a Ravenclaw, someone of intelligence and wit, he had known exactly what would happen, wherever he stood. One side would love you, the other hate- and that was simply too much attention for either. They were at school to learn, not torment others.

Potter was intriguing. Holmes had known his parents- not too well, but well enough that he could have spoken to them about a great many things- and it seemed that while the boy took after his father in terms of looks, he had his mother's work habits and kind nature. It was an odd combination, but one that worked quite well. And on one side he had Weasley, with his sneers and jokes, while on the other side Granger, who insisted that he work. Holmes had strolled through the library, occasionally overhearing angry mutters of get to work! All from the girl, of course. Still, it would be good to have the three of them pass their OWLs. It wasn't as though they were incapable, but there was certainly something troubling the three of them. It was everywhere, but those three were certainly more concerned than others.

Voldemort.

Holmes didn't like the name, not at all. But for years of living without it, without being scared of his enemies, it was a little trivial to be scared of it. He had said Moriarty's name enough, after all, and the villain that was Voldemort wasn't going to be attacking anyone soon. There was no way that he could get away with it. Even if half the world was in denial, Voldemort was probably pretty conspicuous, and once everyone knew that he was back, there would be a whole lot less that he could get away with.

The Order was trying to make sure of that. Trying to make their voices heard, all while using a fifteen year old boy. A boy who looked insane against those opposing his claims.

Voldemort was a threat. Not to Holmes personally, but to Potter, Dumbledore, and the wider wizarding world. At least the best knew the truth. It was still slightly discouraging that not many else did, but he could liken it to a Muggle case- if no one else had seen it, if the witness wasn't the most credible, then the ruling was unlikely to be in your favour. And Potter hadn't been reported upon well over the course of the past year.

It was late, and Holmes was restless. He dipped the quill into the ink, pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment, and began to write.

Yeah, I have explaining to do. This is ridiculously late because; 1) I am working on two novels right now. 2) The sun finally came out and seeing as I live in Canada, I wasn't about to waste the opportunity. 3) I've been procrastinating. Sorry.

I hope you enjoy this very short, think-y chapter, and I'm sorry that it isn't the best that I've ever done. YOU'LL GET A BETTER ONE NEXT TIME I PROMISE.

Okay bye and THANK YOU ALL 43 PEOPLE FOLLOWING THIS AND ALL 11 WHO HAVE SO FAR REVIEWED IT MAKES ME REALLY HAPPY ^.^