[Hogwarts AU]

[seeagreatergood]

Late January at Hogwarts tends to be a gray, claustrophobic sort of time. The excitement of coming back from Christmas holidays has worn off, Valentine's Day is still a few weeks away, and the weather's terrible. A recent cold snap has kept people indoors more than usual, and a nasty cough has been making its way through the Hufflepuffs.

Tempers are short.

Professor Anderson wanders the halls in the evenings after dinner, keeping an ear out for trouble. It's Hogwarts; the chances that some student, somewhere, is doing something dangerous are practially 100%.

Comments

[calendarofcrime.livejournal.com]

McFarland looks indignant. "She's probably going to murder us all in our sleep!" he protests. Sherlock walks through the door without dignifying this with a response of any kind.

[seeagreatergood]

"Who's murderin' people in their sleep?" barks a female voice.

Anderson stands up straighter, because he is not an idiot. "Good evening, Mistress Weatherwax."

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"Her," says McFarland, pointing at Sherlock and scowling.

Sherlock smiles faintly, which is visible around her eyes even with the handkerchief covering the lower part of her face, and shakes her head once.

[seeagreatergood]

"Hello, Sherlock. Don't stand there bleedin' on my floors, go sit down."

Mistress Weatherwax turns to McFarland, her eyes narrowed, and folds her arms.

"Murder's a very serious charge to be layin', lad. What do you propose we do about it?"

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...McFarland is confused! People usually either know what he's talking about and agree, or think he's overreacting and ask for proof, as if anybody needs proof. Look at her. She's just creepy. And she's in Slytherin, which everone knows is where you get Dark wizards.

"I don't know," he says after a moment, as Sherlock obediently finds herself a seat.

[seeagreatergood]

"You don't know what we should do about someone plannin' on murderin' us in our beds, but you didn't come to anyone to ask for help?"

(Anderson is enjoying this.)

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He opens his mouth. He closes his mouth.

(Sherlock thinks it is entirely worth the delay in getting her nose fixed.)

"Everybody knows about her, though," he tries. "And I didn't... I didn't really mean she'd kill everyone," although the fearful glance he casts her way suggests that he doesn't think it out of the question.

[seeagreatergood]

"No? Pity, that. Knowing someone's plannin' on killing everyone sounds like a damn good reason to break someone's nose to me."

She taps her foot.

"So what is your good reason for breaking her nose?"

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"...it was an accident," he mutters defensively.

Sherlock looks cheerful. In a bleeding sort of way.

[seeagreatergood]

"I hope you aren't prone to accidents, my lad," she replies acidly, glancing sideways at Sherlock. "Go sit down before you collapse."

With McFarland dealt with, she strides toward Sherlock. "And you," she snaps as she passes Anderson, "make yourself useful."

"Yes ma'am."

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Sherlock grins at her, lowering the handkerchief, but says nothing.

[seeagreatergood]

"No need to smirk at me like that," Mistress Weatherwax grunts, pulling out her wand. "Tip your head back."

Anderson, meanwhile, is having a quiet talk with McFarland in which he does most of the talking and McFarland does most of the sulking. He ends with "Thirty points from Gryffindor and a week's detention, then."

[calendarofcrime.livejournal.com]

She laughs and tilts her head back obediently.

Mistress Weatherwax has the distinction of being the only person at Hogwarts whose instructions Sherlock will obey without thinking about it first.

[seeagreatergood]

A broken nose is a fairly easy fix, if Sherlock doesn't mind having a bump there that she didn't start with. A tap of a wand, a tingle of magic, and it's all over except the swelling.

"And why exactly did you let your guard down enough to let that fellow" -- this, with the disdain most people reserve for garden gnomes -- "get the drop on you?"

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"An unexpected handcuff hex at the wrong moment will do that," she says, shrugging. "Thank you."

[seeagreatergood]

"Huh. Didn't think that boy had it in him."

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"He doesn't," Sherlock says mildly. "You have the professor to thank for that part."

[seeagreatergood]

"Who, Anderson?"

Anderson's head comes up, across the room.

Mistress Weatherwax snorts. "I should have known. Damn fool Aurors always think they've got everything more in hand than anyone else."

"Usually we do," Anderson points out meekly, joining them.

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"If I were any other student it would have been a perfectly sensible approach," she says, "but as it transpired I had him secured and then, of course, I didn't."

[seeagreatergood]

Anderson is quiet for a moment. He can feel Mistress Weatherwax watching him.

"Holmes," he says evenly, "I apologize that I misjudged the situation. Now, if you would like to tell me how I should have identified you, or the fact that you had McFarland secured when I could hear the both of you scuffling, I'll welcome the suggestion."

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Sherlock thinks about it.

Because she is thinking about that and not about being polite, she stops making sounds. Which, after a few seconds, occurs to her.

"Is there anyone else in the school who is as quiet as I am?"

She hasn't personally encountered one, but she can't guarantee that she has personally encountered every student.

[seeagreatergood]

He points at Mistress Weatherwax.

(Who looks smug, but only a very little bit.)

[calendarofcrime.livejournal.com]

—She laughs.

"There you have it, then."

[seeagreatergood]

Well, then, the next time I come upon someone fighting a ghost I suppose I'll walk by without seeing anything and leave you to it, since that wouldn't reflect badly on me as a teacher at all and couldn't possibly end with anyone grievously injured or feeling vengeful.

It would be exceedingly unwise to say anything like that, especially in front of Mistress Weatherwax, so he keeps it to himself.

"Very well."

[calendarofcrime.livejournal.com]

"And you could not have known that I had him secured unless you can also predict the future," she adds. "We had not stopped moving yet but there was no possibility of his gaining the upper hand without outside interference. I was trying not to hurt him, since he had only gone for his wand and I did not know what he had been intending to do with it."