Thank you all for reading, and of course for the follows, favs and reviews :)

(Sarah) Thank you! :) I am glad you liked it.

(HarnGin) It wasn't really deliberate, but they will talk some more in this chapter - hopefully John will get his fact straight this time :) Thank you, I am happy you think so :D

(zeynel) Thanks!

(imkerfuffled) Aww, I am so glad :) And I know... such scene would be fantastic.

(Fluffy-luvr) Thanks.

(KG86) :) I am sure John is on his way to figure some things out.

(Sailor Celaeno) I am really happy to hear that :) Yep, I know, but somehow I didn't think that would deter Sherlock - I foresee pufferfish eyes and stuff stored alongside severed thumbs as soon as he gets his hands on those - poor poor John... Yeah, I thought John might relate and he would be more careful than Sherlock... I think I have no idea how the meeting will go, for they can either get along well, or clash spectacularly, and though I already know when and how they are going to meet, how it will go is still not really clear... Oh, I think there is no doubt that Mycroft would be the ideal Slytherin if he went to Hogwarts, I think he is perfect for that house. Which is also a reason why I think Sherlock would be in Ravenclaw despite having the potential for both houses - he would argue with the hat not to be put in the same house as his brother (despite him not being in the school at the same time). John though is Hufflepuff/Gryffindor hatstall for me and where would I put him usually depends on my mood, not on any actual change in John. Oops... I got a bit carried away, but this would really make a great debate :)

(lulu) Thanks :) I am glad you liked both chapters. Actually I was thinking about sort of a prequel story about Mycroft and Harry (and other wizarding folks) and all the times they met during those 6 years they knew each other, starting with the first meeting, ending with Mycroft asking Harry to meet his brother right before the start of OWaD, and some chapter in between, of course. Though I wanted to ask near the end of this story, as I wouldn't really start with it before I am finished with this. But still, the question remains - is it a good idea? And this is actually a question for everyone....

CHAPTER 18

"And since when do you have a burgling kit?!" asked John. Not only he intervened so the wizard would have a few seconds to calm down – after all, it was Sherlock's fault that they were delayed and yet he still managed to make it sound as if he blamed the ginger – but he was also genuinely interested in the answer.

"Oh, I had it for some time," replied Sherlock smiling slightly, "but I didn't get the chance to use it yet. And I made sure it's up-to-date. All the ordinary burglars would be envious of such a first-class..."

"Okay!" interrupted the Auror. Gushing about a break-in now?! What will be next... Seriously, he was starting to develop a headache from this man - and he thought Mycroft Holmes was difficult. "No need for that. I will open the door!" He took out his wand and wordlessly tapped the lock. There was a click and just like that they were able to enter.

Sherlock peered at the door curiously. "Hmm," he inspected them carefully. The spell must have worked as a key. It wasn't a forced entry as there were no signs of abuse. "Is there a lot of magical burglars?" he asked.

John got a similar idea upon seeing how easy it was to enter a Muggle household. Their house really stood no chance. Hell, too many unwanted people entered Baker Street already, including Moriarty - and he was no wizard (thank goodness for that)! What did that say about their need to have a security update?!

"Not really," said Ron bewildered as they entered the house and closed the door behind them. Sherlock still lingered there, as if trying to find how exactly they got in. "Wizarding houses have wards against this. A simple Alohomora would never work."

"What about Muggles?" asked John. "Because this," he pointed at the door "is just too easy. People would take advantage of that."

"Why would they do that – you have most of your money stored on those small plastic cards nowadays. How would we even use it?" explained the wizard. "Besides it wouldn't be just burglary they would be charged with after they get caught, but a deliberate violation of the International Statute of Secrecy too. It's taken quite seriously. And even if they are successful, taking large amounts of Muggle money to exchange in Gringotts would not make the Goblins terribly happy. They do not like to deal with Muggle currencies much. Lastly, most of the wizarding folks wouldn't even think about it - especially purebloods. They would scoff at the idea of Muggles having something they might want to steal."

"Great, that's terribly nice to know," said John dryly as he finally looked around. The short hall they entered looked nice enough, decorated with modern paintings and plants in the corners, though if it was Milverton's idea or if he rented the house furnished, he had no idea. Sherlock led them straight to the drawing room.

"Honestly," shrugged the wizard, "it should be. It's the best explanation I can offer. And isn't it better that you're overlooked - considering moments ago you were afraid wizards would take advantage of Muggles?"

"Can you two be quiet?" asked Sherlock. Though he was the one who asked the first question, he didn't understand why they took it as an excuse to start a conversation. It was making him irritated. "I know it may be a novel concept for some, but I am trying to think here." His eyes were darting around taking everything the house offered about Milverton. The drawing room looked exactly as the woman described and he managed to locate the door to Milverton's bedroom without any problem - they were the closest ones to the hall.

"Why?" replied John. He had just enough of Sherlock's mood swings and it wasn't even noon yet. "I thought that all you need to do now is to follow Agatha's instructions and it will be a breeze."

"Hilarious," said Sherlock, deadpan. "I'm going to Milverton's study. And I need silence. So either be helpful and shut up or take your mundane chatter somewhere else."

"Fine," said John. "So what should we do?"

Sherlock thought for a moment. "Well the house has quite a few rooms. The drawing room, the master bedroom which is here," he opened the door next to him then continued. "The study is accessible only through the bedroom. That way," he waved towards one of the walls," are the guest rooms. That part of the house only collects dust according to Agatha. Unsurprising - who would visit Milverton and stay? And the last door you see leads to the dining room. Kitchen is that way too. Milverton employed his own chef for the times he didn't eat out. Then there is the garden. You can get there through the unused guest rooms, as well as through his bedroom. There is a greenhouse with exotic plants - one of the few places in this house Milverton visited regularly. Though unimportant for our purposes. Others are of course his bedroom, the study and this room."

"So we should search all three of them?" asked John.

"Indeed," said Sherlock, internally sighing at the obviousness of that statement. "You can search the drawing room, even magically if needed," he added looking at the Auror, "but there is a computer and the safe in the study, so no magic there. I gathered that poking the computer with a wand and expecting any results would be quite disastrous - sadly I think that would be about the only thing you would be able to do with it."

"Look," glared the Auror, "I know I am not the best around the Muggle stuff, but I wouldn't bloody poke the computer, okay?! So you go to the study and do whatever you think is necessary. But that is all. I will check here and in the bedroom. You can join in if you finish sooner than me though. I am not stopping you. Is there anything specific I should be looking for?"

"Why can't I have a look at the bedroom?" argued the detective. "I am going through there! It would make sense for me to stop for a few minutes."

"But wouldn't it be better if we look through those two rooms, while you concentrate on the study?" asked him John. "I mean, he is right, it may take some time to get into Milverton's computer and we will have this searched fairly quickly between the two of us."

"What do you mean 'we'?" asked the Detective frowning. "You're going with me!"

"But I think I would rather help with those two rooms," admitted the doctor. "You said you want silence anyway."

"Yes," said Sherlock slowly, not really sure why were they even discussing this. "And you wouldn't be able to chit-chat when the Auror is in a completely different room. Problem solved."

"Yeah, it is," nodded John, determined not to let Sherlock walk all over him. And goddammit if he wanted to talk to someone, he would! "I will take my mundane chatter elsewhere and you will have your silence - that was the other option, wasn't it?"

"Fine," said the detective again, the frown still on his face. "Look for a black notebook. Agatha said she saw him with it occasionally. Also any documents he may have forgotten here." Then he closed the door with more force than was needed.

"You don't mind, do you?" inquired John after he was left alone with the redhead. "After all, I sort of invited myself here."

"Why would I?" asked the wizard surprised, after all, he had no quarrel with the doctor. "Though, you sure he doesn't need your help? He looked like he wanted you there."

"He will live," replied John carelessly. The truth was he wouldn't be able to help much anyway... what would he do? Offer him guesses on Milverton's password? He had exactly... zero of those. And even if he did think of something, it would probably be miles away from the real thing and Sherlock really didn't appreciate wild guessing anyway. He could manage it faster and better without his presence. That and he really wanted to continue the conversation he'd had with the Auror outside.

"Okay, well, as you said, at least we will cover it faster," said the ginger.

"Are you supposed to be elsewhere?" asked John noticing that the man glanced at his watch once again. And come to think about it, he was trying to hurry things along a lot.

"Not really," said the wizard, which earned him a flat look. "Okay... not yet. But I promised George – that's my brother, that I would go to his shop today. I used to help him a lot. Now it's usually only during Saturdays, but sometimes I need to step by for one reason or another even during the week. He asked if I could spare Friday afternoon for him and I promised before this all happened. But there is still plenty of time."

"Oh," nodded John. That made sense. He was afraid for a while that he was bothered by their presence too much and wanted to get rid of them quickly so he can examine everything by himself – which was ridiculous after what he said earlier and after he allowed Sherlock free reign in the study. "What shop does he have?" he asked.

"A joke shop," smiled Ron, though John thought there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. However he was not really sure. "Well, we should start looking," said the wizard glancing around the drawing room. It had modern and stylish furniture and one of the walls was adorned by a giant screen. "Doubt anything will be here. Otherwise Holmes would have never left this room. The notebook might be in the bedroom though."

The doctor just shrugged, secretly agreeing, but not admitting anything.

The Auror opened the door to the bedroom and took out his wand. He must have done something, because the bedside table started moving towards them. "Okay," the Auror quickly ended whatever spell it was.

"What exactly did you do?" asked John.

"Just tried to summon the notebook. It must be locked in the drawer," replied the man as he stalked towards it. He tapped the bedside table the same way he did the front door and took the notebook out.

"That was quick," commented John, thinking how easy everything was for wizards.

"Yeah," said Weasley, looking at the pages. "But we need to search for everything else manually. I was able to summon this because Holmes told me about it. I don't know what else we shall find or be looking for, so I might be too vague if I tried it now. I mean 'documents' can mean plenty of things - everything under that category would fly towards us."

"Okay, we better not do that," agreed John. It was possible there were a lot of papers in this house. "So what's in the notebook?"

"Hmm," the wizard closed it and put it on the table in the drawing room after they returned there. "Some names, addresses... a lot of them blackened, so I managed to read them only partially, if at all. It's as if he didn't need them anymore. But one of the last notes concerns a woman - Eva Blackwell. He had a meeting scheduled with her yesterday - not the first time they were going to meet."

"Well, it's a good sign we found this," said John.

"I don't know," shrugged the wizard. "She might have nothing to do with this. But it's something. We're not done yet, though. Shall we start with the drawing room?" he asked.

"Okay," agreed the doctor and they started going through the room with care. After a few moments of silent search, John blurted out, "You know how you told me about the troll?" The wizard hummed in affirmation, pausing momentarily. "Did something like that happen often?"

"With trolls?" asked the Auror distractedly. "Nah, it was just once, though we had security trolls for a brief time in third year."

"So trolls are not common?" asked John.

"Oh, they are. They prefer old bridges, mountains or forests though."

"So how did one end up in the school?" asked John exasperated. "I mean even if someone let him in, he would need to take him from some forest... or mountain, or whatever."

"But there is the Forbidden Forest next to the school. It has all sorts of creatures and beings, and while I didn't see any trolls in there, I have no doubts they might be there," said the wizard as if that explained everything.

"You have a forest... that is called Forbidden right next to the school... full of children?!" repeated John, just to be sure he heard right. "Just what kind of school is that?"

"What did you imagine our school is like?" asked the Auror as he levitated the rug to check underneath just to be thorough. "It's a magical castle in Scotland. Of course there will be a forest and a lake too." He said it as if he couldn't even imagine there might be a school without a creepy forest nearby, or that it would be anything else but...

"A castle? Hogwarts is a castle?" asked John.

"Yeah," nodded the wizard. "Harry must have mentioned it since you know the name..."

"He never clarified. Sherlock quickly steered him away from that topic," admitted John. "Not his best moment."

"He has good moments?" asked Ron with raised eyebrows. John shot him a look, so he raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, sorry. It was a joke... mostly... partially... okay it wasn't."

"He really isn't that bad," defended John, knowing well that he wasn't behaving his best either. "And thank you again for not kicking him out. I know you should have stopped him at least a dozen times by now."

"Well... I told you my reasons. And as my knowledge about technology really is sort of limited, I thought I would give him this one," replied the Auror. "It's not like me trying to' poke stuff with wand' would do any good as he pointed out."

"Ah," sighed John. "He meant well, the wording was a bit unfortunate though... but it would be bad if the computer got destroyed. So about the troll..." he trailed off awkwardly, before the wizard decided he really was mad at the detective.

"Is it really such an interesting topic?" asked Ron in honest curiosity.

"Trust me, it is," replied John. "Children roaming a magical school getting into a lot of trouble, battling trolls, sounds like a material for a fantasy novel. And you have me hooked. Though the safety issue is worrying."

The wizard just laughed, he always liked to tell stories, so who was he to stop someone who asked for it. "Okay... so what do you want to know?"

There was no need to ask John twice. "So how tall was the troll? And how exactly did you manage to do something against it? And where were the teachers?"

And thus started the cross-examination that moved (relatively) quickly from the troll to other topics, such as what does Hogwarts look like (It has a ceiling that shows current weather?... Moving stairs?!... Portraits can talk?... A what room? - that's impossible!...) to all the teachers (Head of the House? A cat?! A real CAT?!... Whoa, he sounds great, a half-GIANT you say?... Ghost is a teacher? How did he even grade your papers?... Sounds a bit like Anderson. Really! A forensic scientist, not important. So did the man have Muggle relatives? No, I am being serious!...).

They ended up on the chairs with John listening to every word and Ron gesticulating wildly describing the funny stories from their lessons and free time (from John's reactions to the troll he didn't dare to mention other threatening stuff that happened to them - in their first year. He was not even thinking about the later years).

It was not like they forgot about the search. They finished with both room shortly after they get through the Hogwarts description. It proved to be futile - they didn't find anything else after the notebook. After the Auror asked if they should tell the detective, John assured him that Sherlock would need more time and he would surely let them know when he was done. Until then it made no sense to disturb him, so this was simply a way to kill the time...

Sherlock was not very happy about John leaving. His friend was known to be useful... he helped him on many occasions. His ideas may not always be the greatest, but he liked to hear them anyway, to have a second opinion. And he would be lying if he said that he didn't get used to the honest amazement John displayed every time he did something that moved the cases along, or solved them altogether. Granted, he just pointed out the obvious, but from John's point of view it probably wasn't and he let Sherlock know that - unlike many other people who would rather stitch his mouth together.

But now John decided that he wouldn't accompany him and Sherlock simply couldn't understand why. He was not angry - maybe slightly frustrated, but not angry to the point of avoiding his company. He was familiar with that state and knew he needed to give John his space then. But this was not it. So why did he decide to stay behind? This was bothersome...

Well, maybe hacking (it was laughable to use that term in this conditions, there was no challenge in this) a computer wasn't terribly interesting, but looking at rooms that held (almost) no evidence whatsoever was even worse - because even though he said Milverton spent time there and they should be checked (both true statements, so John cannot accuse him of lying), he didn't believe the man was so stupid as to leave something important in rooms where someone like Agatha Miles could have entered freely. Though, during his time in this room he lowered his opinion about Milverton's intelligence significantly. Well, what else was he supposed to think about a man in such a risky business, whose passwords were his initials followed by his year of birth - he used it on every bloody thing... well, not on his safe, where he left out the middle initial. Idiot.

He already looked through everything - there was nothing of use in the computer, which was surprising. At least until he opened the safe where he found a flash drive lying on a pile of documents. Though he was still left disappointed after he went through it. Oh, it did contain a list of Milverton's victims and information about them - but only the past ones. Maybe it was good John didn't see this. He would be terribly indignant about it. Though Sherlock did mention what Milverton did and to what extremes, it was one thing to vaguely know about it and seeing it detailed with meticulous care. It was obvious he truly enjoyed this and it was not all just for the money.

If the flash drive had only a list of people he no longer needed, then he was sure they definitely needed the notebook he mentioned to John and Weasley. Agatha said he guarded it carefully. So where else would his current victims be listed? It was also the only thing he knew Weasley might be able to find. He actually hoped it would be found. Though there was still a chance it might have been stolen by the murderer or Milverton could have had it on his person when he was taken to the morgue (he would need to keep it in his pyjamas then, so that was unlikely). If they didn't find it, they would be missing a vital lead, just because Milverton used an idiotic system to store his things.

As he went through the papers that were in the safe with the flash drive, he regretted not stopping in the bedroom to search for the notebook before others, but John might have not appreciated that. It appeared the papers in the safe were the blackmailing material - it was a bit old-fashioned to keep it in printed form, but it was better for his sanity not to think about how Milverton kept his things.

He looked around the room one last time. There was nothing else he could find here. He took the flash drive and the papers, closing everything so it seemed like no one was here and went to fetch John. It didn't even take that long, he thought. The thing that stalled him the most was checking the (quite long) list on the flash drive. But there was no mention of anything that could be regarded as magical. Which didn't mean some of those people weren't wizards or witches or didn't have such relatives and friends wishing to avenge them. He remembered that the Aurors had the neighbours checked, so there would be no problem finding out if any of those people fit.

He entered the drawing room and wanted to inform the two of his findings, but stopped short upon seeing John laughing so hard he could barely breath and Weasley doing some weird deep-voiced impression.

"... as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

"No way a teacher said this to a bunch of first years!" cried John. Ron's impression was killing him.

"Not really," admitted the Auror. "I really remember only that dunderhead part. You can disregard the beginning, but he said something similar... maybe. Hey, it was scary - for an eleven year old. Especially the way he stared at you. Like you dare to move in a way he didn't like and he would make a potion ingredient out of you! And he totally had it out for Harry."

"No!" said John. "Harry must have hated that!"

"Oh, yes! Yes he did," replied Ron. "Didn't get why the whole time! Then he did and did everything he could so the man is not remembered only as a hated bastard after his death."

"What?!" asked John. That was something he didn't expect.

"Having fun?" asked Sherlock coldly.

Both men turned towards him.

"Oh, are you done already?" asked John with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Ron was just telling me about Hogwarts. Their school is madly brilliant. Would you believe they have portraits that talk? And a room that can change into anything! And it's a castle! How amazing is that?"

"Fantastic," said Sherlock flatly. "Well, while you were having fun. I found out a list of people Milverton blackmailed." He threw the flash drive at Ron who barely caught it. "Have them checked if they had any relation to the wizarding world - give it to Mycroft or something, just don't destroy it... There is however one person missing, since he 'catalogued' them only after he no longer found them useful. We need the notebook to identify her. Did you even manage to look through the rooms or did you just waste the time?"

"We got the notebook," stated John, pointing at the table. "Milverton was supposed to have a meeting with someone called Eva Blackwell yesterday."

Sherlock's bad mood was lifted. "Brilliant! Was there an address?" He snatched the notebook and looked it up himself. "Well, it looks like we will need a cab," he exclaimed.