Sherlock Holmes didn't want to be standing in front of a class full of teenagers.
He didn't want to be teaching them the basic principles of magical self-defence.
And he certainly didn't want to have to raise his voice in order to be heard.
Well, he wasn't having to shout, but Holmes was conscious of the lack of interest that the class was displaying. Aside from the usual few- Granger, Potter, and Longbottom being the obvious ones- the class was clearly bored, and they didn't seem to have a problem with telling their teacher that.
Holmes didn't care if they didn't listen, but appearing soft would only mean that he would be open to more jokes, and therefore looked down upon by every other inhabitant of the castle. But it was difficult to make a lesson interesting when a visit to Grimmauld Place was on the horizon.
Dumbledore had persuaded him. It was sad, really, that an old man could persuade him with only a few words and a half-smile, but Holmes had always felt bad about disappointing his teachers. And Dumbledore was still one of those, even if Holmes had long since left the castle. Working hard to impress was what he did, and so if Dumbledore saw Holmes in a better light due to this visit, then the visit had to be made.
Of course, he had strictly enforced the statement of not joining the Order. Holmes had not re-entered the magical world for a fight, although his timing could contradict that. Holmes had come back for protection and a distraction, and that meant no wars, no getting involved, and leaving as soon as he had to. No commitment, no helping others.
Harry Potter was an exception. Some people needed to be helped.
John, for instance, had needed to be helped. He had all but asked for Holmes to take him into his world of crime and running, and Holmes had gladly done just that. John had needed fun and a friend, and while the fun that Holmes had provided was nowhere near the average idea of the word, John had liked it. Holmes had liked it.
But now, Sherlock Holmes didn't have any friends. He didn't have any enemies either, but friends had never been a strong point at school, and none of his classmates had shown any interest. There was Remus, but they were different people. Remus led his own troubled life and didn't get involved in the affairs of others. But Holmes couldn't not. Someone else's life was far more interesting than his own, and if that meant that he was set aside from everyone else and labelled as weird, then so be it.
"Potter, stay behind!" He managed to shout over the noise of the class. He let the rest of them filter out, most likely complaining about a lesson wasted, and then nodded to the boy. "I may have insulted you with today's lesson."
"No sir."
"I get the impression, Mr Potter, that you've learned to defend yourself from outside these castle walls. Or more, taken the advice on how to defend yourself."
"I read a lot, sir."
"Hardly believable. A word of advice, Mr Potter: do not lie to me. I can find out anything that I want by simply looking at you. What you ate for breakfast, how late you were up last night, how much last minute homework you plan on doing this lunch break and, unfortunately for you, I can find out who you were talking to I the Gryffindor common room after hours."
"You're a spy." The boy stated it, as though he was completely solid in his views.
"Anything but. I'm an observer. Mr Potter, what or who is Sirius Black to you?"
The boy flinched, frowning. "Why do you-"
"Just a question. I can't work out everything so easily. That would give me an unfair advantage over everyone else."
"He's… a friend."
So the boy understood. Interesting. Holmes knew, of course, that Sirius Black was more than just a friend to Potter, but his answers were certainly interesting. "I ask you this, Mr Potter, because Sirius Black, as you already know, is a member of the Order of the Phoenix. I imagine that you're interested in joining? I'm not here to dissuade you, just to… ask."
"Um, yes, sir. But I'm not allowed."
He sounded bitter. Of course he was, being denied a role in something he had so large of a part in. Holmes was almost angry- without Potter, the Order would be long gone, and would never have been able to reorganise in light of the new threat. It was illogical to not include Potter in the Order, to leave him out there alone. An easy target, an easy pick. It was foolish really, for anyone to think that it was a good idea.
Of course it was Dumbledore. It had to be.
"I see that we're in very different positions here, Mr Potter. I am being begged to take up a place in the Order, a place that I have no interest in or desire to have. You, on the other hand, are being refused a place that you didn't even need to earn, one that should be handed to you in any case. I'm not speaking ill of authority, but I think it's rather an odd decision."
"They don't want me-"
"Hurt? But that's inevitable. Mr Potter, you of all people know this best; we are on the fringes of a war. Our world, and the world that we disguise ourselves in, is under threat. You are at the very centre of this threat, and the very idea of keeping you out of harm's way will do more bad than good."
"Then why are you reading from the textbook instead of teaching us how to fight?"
"Our friends at the Ministry wouldn't approve. But, Mr Potter, you can teach yourself. You have Mr Black, and criminals are always the best teachers."
"He's not a-"
"Of course he isn't. But in this day and age, we could always use some more disguises."
Sherlock Holmes had never quite gotten used to the sensation that accompanied apparition. He had wanted to avoid the practice altogether, but being in London at this time was dangerous enough- being on public transport in London even more so. And so he had reluctantly allowed himself to briefly suffocate, in order to arrive at Grimmauld Place and argue with its occupants.
He spotted the old house immediately, and, after looking around twice for Muggles, made his way to the front door. Nothing had changed- not that he had expected it to- and when Holmes disappeared inside, he wasn't even surprised. The house was as quiet as ever, minus an odd clicking noise coming from upstairs and the mutterings of the house elf, Kreacher. Holmes was honestly shocked that the elf was still alive and able to serve the Black family- or what was left of it. He wondered, for a brief moment, what Kreacher had done to occupy himself during Sirius Black's imprisonment; but he knew that the elf had probably just spent thirteen long years in a cupboard somewhere.
Others would be here, aside from Sirius and Remus. Not many of the old crowd- those who he had met had either gone off and had children, deciding that the Order wasn't safe for a family, or been killed during the height of Voldemort's reign. He had a feeling that the Weasley's, or at least some of them, would be involved. Quite a few Hogwarts professors, and then pretty much any well-known name from the wizarding world. And then there was Holmes, with his Muggle learning's and strange older brother.
Oh, Mycroft. Holmes hadn't even written to him.
From the kitchen came the sound of chatter, as though a meeting had just ended. Holmes set his hand on the door handle, slightly nervous of what was to come. Not a warm welcome- he had always kept to himself around here. Maybe a few jokes that he wouldn't appreciate. And then a lot of questions. But Holmes had always been a good liar- detectives had to be- and the web that he had created for himself could do with a few more strands.
You could face killers and guns and throw yourself from a rooftop, but not much could top the terror of facing old friends.
And so he opened the door.
I feel so bad because this is short and pretty... meh. I should explain myself:
School has started. My teachers gave me homework on the first day. I'm taking a higher level writing course and two sciences. I also now have a volunteer job. I'm writing the second book in my trilogy, preparing for NaNoWriMo, and working on poetry.
These are no excuses for the long wait AND bad chapter, but rest assured that I have a surprise up my sleeve for Sherlock S3. It concerns the New Beginnings trilogy and possibly also this story. I don't know yet, it's early days.
I'LL ACTUALLY UPDATE PROPERLY NEXT TIME I PROMISE.
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favourited. It really means a lot.