A Study in Magic
by Books of Change
Warning/Notes: This is a BBC Sherlock and Harry Potter crossover AU. The HP timeline and BBC Sherlock's timeline has been shifted forwards and backwards to match up. One major BBC Sherlock character's gender has changed for the sake of the plot. The story was planned and written before season 2, but incorporates elements of season 2 as much as possible. Readers beware!
Chapter Seventy Two: A Most Valuable Institution
It took an embarrassing amount of time for Harry to realise something had happened to the short memory-video of his detention with Umbridge, which he had posted on the Magical Mobile Network's bulletin board overnight per Hermione's furious insistence. In the following morning, he was too busy studying the Hogwarts students, most whom which were muttering imprecations against Umbridge over breakfast, which was exactly the reaction he and Hermione had hoped to generate. But then Ron pointed out Umbridge wasn't receiving any Howlers.
"There's no way she wouldn't get any," said Ron quietly so only they would hear. "If any of the parents are like my Mum, they would've sent one the moment they've seen the video."
So Harry turned his attention the head table. Many of his teachers were there, including Umbridge. She looked up from her plate at that same moment, and a wide callous smile spread across her flabby face, which both puzzled and infuriated Harry. It felt as though she holding an ace of trumps, though how Harry had no clue.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville continued to wonder what Umbridge was up to. Then Hermione pulled up Harry's video-post during History of Magic to check the MMN user response. That was when they discovered someone had edited their film. All you could see was Harry's hand writing with a black quill, the back of his hand blurred so one couldn't read the words that were cut into the flesh, though the blurring didn't disguise the fact his hand was being cut. There was no sound, but at the end Umbridge's hands—unmistakable with its size, shape and many ugly rings—held Harry's red and raw hand aloft for the viewers to see.
"Who could've done this?" said Hermione, stunned. "Only the original poster can delete or edit a published video!"
"I have access to everything," Ron reminded her. "But I didn't do it," he added quickly.
"Of course you didn't!" Hermione hissed. "No one who has access would've done it! So the question is, how did—"
She stopped. Everyone stared at her as her expression turned increasingly horrified.
"What is it?" asked Harry.
"…What about Miss Jackie?" Hermione whispered.
"No way," said Harry, Ron and Neville together.
"I didn't mean she did voluntarily," said Hermione. "What if the Ministry forced her to do it? What if someone enchanted her to do it?"
"They wouldn't dare! Grandmaster Shin is going to make them wish he'd just killed them if they did!" Ron whispered furiously.
"I know," said Hermione worriedly. "But if the culprit thought the risk was worthwhile…"
Harry swallowed hard at the implications of this.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville intercepted Julia during lunch break. The five of them went to the Music Chamber to visit Miss Jackie, but found the doors locked. The sign posted on the wall next to the entrance said:
Gone for private business; will return this evening
Jacqueline Shin
"Something's wrong," said Julia, as she turned pale. "Auntie Jack would never leave Hogwarts without telling me why."
"We need to talk to Sherlock, a.s.a.p.," said Harry.
"You do that, I need to talk to grandpa," said Julia before hurrying away.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville went straight to the Room of Requirement. Once it transformed to the secret conference room from before, they contacted Sherlock and told him what had happened.
"I was actually under the impression you edited the film exactly so to obscure your identity," Sherlock said when Harry finished speaking. "But this is interesting. Tell me about the original video."
"I posted the last two minutes of my detention," said Harry. "There was hardly any editing. The original footage didn't show my face, but it did show Umbridge's and you can hear everything she said."
"Would Umbridge be able to tell you were the one in detention from the original?"
"Mmm, actually I don't know," said Harry, as he thought about it. "I don't know if anyone else got detention, and the lines she made me write could've been customized."
Sherlock ran his fingers over his lips, looking pensive.
"Tell me what you think had happened," he said abruptly.
Harry wondered why Sherlock asked him this, even as he gathered his thoughts.
"Umbridge or someone from the Ministry probably spotted the post," said Harry. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're intercepting all the Owls coming to or leaving Hogwarts and scanning all the forums in the MMN to see how the wizarding world is reacting."
Sherlock nodded. "Yes, go on."
"Miss Jackie wouldn't have agreed to edit the post," Harry continued. "So the culprit must've forced her to do it, somehow. But it's strange the culprit wanted her to edit the video, not remove it. This means the culprit wanted to use the film."
"Yes, precisely," said Sherlock. "I suppose you were too busy observing your fellow students to see their reaction to your video-post to read the papers, but this morning's Daily Prophet said Inquisitor Umbridge was tasked to investigate all the Hogwarts teachers in order to find the culprit. Clearly her Ministry allies intend to criminally prosecute whomever they decided is their scapegoat."
Ron swore loudly.
"This is quite a cunning and ingenious move, all things considered," said Sherlock. "One I cannot credit Fudge or even Lucius Malfoy to come up with, but that's not important right now. Umbridge has the power to determine what constitute as evidence and who will be investigated. Knowing what we know, her goal will not be finding someone who best fits the bill, but incriminate the person whose removal will bring the Ministry the most benefit."
"You mean Dumbledore?" said Harry.
"Actually, no," said Sherlock. "Removing Dumbledore as Headmaster while the Triwizard Tournament is taking place will have ramifications on the international scale and not all of it is positive. It is far safer to do it after the Tournament ends, when the entire magical world is no longer scrutinizing the British Ministry of Magic so closely."
"Then who could it be?" said Neville, "One of the teachers?"
"Not the full-time teaching staff," said Sherlock. "The Ministry has two audiences they need to convince in order to pull this off. I've already mentioned the Foreign Magical communities. What is the other?"
"The average witch and wizard in Magical Britain," said Hermione promptly. "The ministry will have a harder time convincing them since the students can see for themselves none of the teachers could've done it. They can also call their parents or post their opinions on the Magical Mobile Network, no matter what the Prophet says."
"Glad you mentioned the MMN," said Sherlock with a twisted smile. "The Magical Mobile Network, if you have not yet guessed it, is a thorn in the Ministry of Magic's side. As a private business, it is almost completely outside of their control. It is also a source of information the public trusts and relies on. Luckily for the Ministry, the owner of the company is part of the Hogwarts' teaching staff."
Harry felt like his heart had stopped.
"You … you mean they've picked Miss Jackie as their …?" he stammered.
"They can't!" wailed Hermione in anguish. "If they send her to Azkaban, she'll die!"
"It is more than possible the Ministry is banking on that," said Sherlock sombrely. "It's absurdly easy for them to do. They may put her in custody as a 'precaution', as they did Hagrid two years ago. Once Azkaban does its job, the Magical Mobile Network will fall into the Ministry of Magic's control."
There was a long moment where everyone was beyond words, they were so outraged. Then Harry noticed something off about the quality of Sherlock's grim face.
"But…?" he said.
"But?" Sherlock repeated.
"Well, you wouldn't be this calm if you didn't have a counter," Harry pointed out.
Sherlock chuckled appreciatively.
"The Ministry made two grave mistakes when they decided to take this course of action," he said. "What are they?"
"They made Mr. Shin their enemy," said Harry.
"Yes, how very foolish of them. And?"
Harry thought hard.
"Miss Jackie put in Umbridge's hands in the final cut. The culprit didn't see that part, or the video wouldn't have shown that."
"Therefore?"
"We can use this!" said Harry, as it all fell into place. "The culprit's hands are there for everyone to see! You can't take it down, it's too late, and the film itself is the Ministry's excuse to open an investigation!"
"Obviously," said Sherlock. "So how can we use this mistake?"
"The MMN televised news can interview Umbridge!" said Ron excitedly while Harry mentally fumbled around for the answer. "She's probably full of herself right now, thinking she'd foiled us! We'll make it look like we want to know what she's doing to catch the culprit at the interview, but what we're really doing is show everyone what her hands look like! We can then post anonymous comments that say her hands look exactly like the hands of the 'teacher' who shows up in the detention film to get the point across!"
"Oh Ron, that's absolutely brilliant!" said Hermione breathlessly.
"Definitely," said Harry, grinning like mad.
"I concur," said Sherlock, smirking. "The press is a most valuable institution if you only know how to use it. Now what are you waiting for?"
"Leave it to me," said Ron savagely. "Eat this, Umbridge…!"
-oo00oo-
Lestrade grimly headed to his first press conference as a Wizard in the Magic World. He found it very difficult to concentrate on his task at hand as Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge kept following after him, huffing and puffing.
"You can't think it was me!" Umbridge gibbered. "My record is above reproach… Minister Fudge would've told you this! And I am not the kind of person who wears so many rings!"
"Oh yeah?" said Lestrade, stopping because his temper finally got the better of him. "Then why do you have ring-shaped tan lines on all your fingers?"
Umbridge impulsively hid her right hand with her left after that remark. The gesture didn't really help because the fingers on her non-dominant hand had ring-shaped tan lines too. After drawing several short breaths, Umbridge pointed a stubby finger at Lestrade.
"You're working against Ministry regulation!" said Umbridge, her voice rising furiously. "As the Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, I rank higher than you! You should be following my lead!"
"I'm the head investigator of the LV rebirth footage scandal," growled Lestrade. "I report to Chief Auror Rufus Scrimgeour and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones. There is no rule or regulation that says a member of the DMLE has to answer to the Minister of Magic's Undersecretary."
"But you're working for Minister Fudge!" Umbridge practically screamed.
"I'm working to find the truth," said Lestrade curtly. "Look, if you're really not the culprit, if you're telling me truth, then you've got nothing to fear."
"Is that a threat!?" shrieked Madam Umbridge. "Yes, you're threatening me, aren't you?! Fudge will hear this, make no mistake!"
"Go ahead," said Lestrade dismissively. "Tell him all you want. In fact, I'll tell him about your complaints myself, to save you trouble."
Umbridge looked taken aback.
"By the way, my father-in-law is absolutely furious at you for what happened to Jacqueline," said Lestrade casually. "He said if your job is to make sure Hogwarts is running properly, then why the hell was someone able to enchant Jack while she was under your watch?"
Umbridge turned purple, then a blotchy shade of oatmeal-porridge. Satisfied, Lestrade turned his back on her and resumed his trek.
The news conference room exploded with puffs of purple smoke and flashes of light when Lestrade finally arrived. Unlike in the normal world, there were only four press agencies present. The camera flashes and the news mongering expressions of the reporters, however, were exactly the same.
Lestrade tried not to scowl or slouch as he walked over to the head table. He sat down and waited for the reporters to take their own seats before he began the easier part of the press release:
"The Ministry has determined how the footage was broadcasted," Lestrade began. "After examining the Magical Mobile Network's phone logs, which record the date and type of usage, we have concluded the footage was sent through the Network while one of the camerapersons for the MMN was at St. Mungo's Hospital of Magical Maladies and Injuries. The cameraperson discovered their phone had gone missing after receiving treatment. This phone, incidentally, was one of the few phones that had the capacity to do this."
There was a lot of furious scribbling.
"So you think the culprit stole the cameraperson's phone to broadcast the footage?" asked the Wizarding World Today's reporter.
"That is the official stance," Lestrade confirmed.
"How do you know the cameraperson didn't broadcast the footage?" asked the Daily Prophet.
"The person had the Tamlane Curse," said Lestrade patiently. "The healer in charge testifies it would've been impossible for this person to have been able to do anything while the footage was being broadcasted, as they were both unconscious and turning into a fiery snake, a firebird and a burning coal, then back over and over."
There was more furious scribbling.
"Has the phone been recovered?" Wizarding World Today's reporter asked, after stabbing her quill on her notepad.
"No," said Lestrade. "But the phone has been disconnected from the Magical Mobile Network since it was reported missing, presumably stolen. Therefore there is no danger of other films being broadcasted through it."
"How can the Magical Mobile Network do this?" asked the Daily Prophet reporter.
"You should ask a Magical Mobile Network customer representative if you want a proper answer to that question," said Lestrade. "I was told the company used the same process through which they disconnect lost or missing phones of their customers—they deactivated the service line through their central information system, which also regulates the user privileges and phone usage."
"Can you tell us anything about the footage itself?" asked the Wizarding World Today.
"It is still under investigation," said Lestrade gravely. "The Ministry does not yet know who is responsible or how the footage was made. However…"
"Yes?" all the reporters said eagerly.
"Grandmaster Shin Jun Hu confirmed the spell and potion featured in the footage are real magic, capable of creating a body for a living, disembodied spirit," said Lestrade.
The human silence that met this declaration was total.
"This does not necessarily mean the footage is a record of a genuine event," said Lestrade. "There are two possible explanations: either the footage is a record of an actual event or the culprit has taken the care to include this detail to make the footage look authentic. As I said before, the investigation into the film's origins and source are still on-going. The Ministry is doing everything we can to gather more information. Until then, I urge you to not speculate."
"What are your thoughts on the matter, Mr. Lestrand?" asked a very eccentric-looking reporter—certainly the oddest wizard Lestrade had ever seen; slightly cross-eyed, with shoulder-length white hair the texture of candyfloss, he wore a white cap whose tassel dangled in front of his nose and robes of an eye-watering shade of egg-yolk yellow. "What is your opinion?"
"I haven't formed one," said Lestrade while trying not to stare too obviously. "There is simply not enough evidence to make a final judgment."
"Are you investigating the second film scandal as well?" asked the Daily Prophet.
"I neither confirm nor deny," said Lestrade.
"Is it true the Ministry is hiding the fact High Inquisitor Umbridge is the one responsible for the detention?!" asked the wizard dressed like an omelet. "Surely you've read the comments on the televised interview of Madam Umbridge! All the users agree her hands look exactly like that of the so-called teacher in the detention video!"
Lestrade drew in a deep breath.
"I neither confirm nor deny," he said regretfully. "That will be all. Thank you."
Fudge called Lestrade to his office within an hour after the press conference.
"Why did you tell them the spell and potion was real magic?" said Fudge furiously. "It will only give Dumbledore more ammunition!"
Yes, exactly, Lestrade didn't say.
"The Dark Force League is planning to release a statement about the footage," said Lestrade calmly. "The statement draft said the spell and potion are both ancient Dark Magic. There's no point hiding something a third party is going to make public. It would only make us look stupid."
"Why wasn't I informed of this?!" Fudge exclaimed.
"I didn't know until the last minute," said Lestrade, trying not to smile. "Someone from Law Enforcement mentioned it to me in passing after my father-in-law told me about the spell, just before the conference started."
"I can't believe the horrible timing," Fudge grumbled. "If I'd have known, I could have convinced the Dark Force League to hold off the announcement."
"That would've been a bad move," Lestrade said. "They're an international group. You'll ruffle a lot of foreign feathers if you try to meddle in their affairs. Anyway, what's done is done. The public will think we know what we're doing. That's not bad, is it?"
Fudge mumbled something he didn't catch, looking thoroughly wrong-footed. Lestrade impishly reached out and patted his shoulder.
"Don't worry, the truth will come out," said Lestrade affably. "I won't leave any stone unturned until I find it."
-oo00oo-
"Seems like Umbridge is leaving Jack alone for now," John remarked as she replied to a text message.
"Wise choice," said Sherlock as he read the Evening Prophet.
"Umbridge cancelled Harry's detentions, too," said John.
"Good," said Sherlock, turning a page.
"You know, you told me only three weeks ago that you're planning to withdraw from the wizarding world," John remarked. "Since then you've been meddling more and more—to the point you're actually trying to manipulate the entire wizarding world. What have I missed?"
"This is just preparation, John," said Sherlock smoothly. "Preparations for our future withdrawal; naturally it takes quite a bit of work to arrange."
"I suppose," said John, smiling. "So what is the next brilliant thing you have pending?"
Sherlock smirked broadly.
"The Ministry will come up with a counter," he said. "LV will make sure that they do. So before they can regroup, we strike."
"How?"
"Seemingly give them what they want," said Sherlock cryptically.
-oo00oo-
Final Notes: Again, trying to find the time to write this fanfic. The first draft of this chapter contained a section that was the ugliest and angriest thing I've ever written. It clashed badly with the rest of the chapter, so I scrapped it and reworked the rest.