Holmes away from Home

Re-thinking

Dedication: kittyatherpumpkin

-----------------Izzy's PoV----------------

I lay on my bed, feeling sick to my stomach. I couldn't believe it. I refused to believe it. How could anyone be so... so inhumane. A note pinned up in our room would have been sufficient, but carving words into a dead eleven year - old's chest? That was the work of someone with no conscience left to haunt. So I distracted myself. I sunk deep into the halls of my mind fortress, searching for similar cases. I took a left past miscellaneous facts, down some stairs, a right past dancing and routines, two consecutive lefts past fangirling and etiquette, through the trapdoor to the crime wing and into the interesting cases archive. Let's see... Hangings... Poisonings... Scandalous affairs (a personal favourite)... And eventually came across knife wounds and stabbings. I spent a few hours in there, recovering fond memories and clearing out what I didn't need, but I found nothing even remotely similar to what was going on. Then, I looked at my watch and realised I had been in here for a good few hours, and could 'wake up' now. Cecilia was just waking up next to me as I sat up straight in my bed, yawning and rubbing my eyes to convince her that I had totally been sleeping all night. She raised an eyebrow skeptically at me.

"Stop faking, Izzy Holmes, we both know that you just spent quality time with your thoughts last night."

"What is it that's giving me the feeling that I could say the same for you too, Cecilia Holmes."

"Touché."

We hopped out of bed and put on our robes, then exited the dorm and descended the stairs to the Ravenclaw common room. At breakfast we were cornered by a furious Hannah Moran and Phoenix. She put on a fake smile that didn't reach her eyes and hissed:

"Why is it that I have to hear from the Ministry operatives that someone died last night and you two were on the scene?"

Cecilia's eyes widened slightly, but I doubt Hannah noticed, and the rest of her body language stayed perfectly calm.

"We were going to hold on until we had some actual results. It wouldn't do you any good to know that 'oh, hey Hannah, there was a murder but we know zilch about it! Hope that's helpful!'"

Hannah narrowed her eyes.

"Less of the tone, thank you, or Phoenix might pop in to have words."

Phoenix flashed a stunning grin and pulled a knife a couple of inches out of his pocket before sheathing it again. Hannah flicked her hair over her shoulder.

"Anyway, I want details as soon as they come up, yes? Understood? Excellent. I can eat breakfast then."

I barely heard those last words. My thoughts were on Phoenix's knife. On how it would perfectly fit the carved words on Michael Bane's chest. On how the only person I knew with little enough conscience to do that had just walked away, trailing his blonde employer. On how I knew, in that instance, that Phoenix Malfoy was guilty of first degree murder and theft, and I was going to prove it, whatever the cost. Whatever would stop this.

---------------Cecilia's PoV--------------

I saw it too. That knife, with its lovingly polished blade, with the ever - so - slightly carved handle. With the tiniest little drop of rusty reddish brown on the hilt, as if he hadn't noticed it, and it was lying there, waiting for someone else to. Izzy looked at me with wide eyes, and I could tell that she'd seen it too. We looked at each other for a while, building up our façades of nonchalance, before nodding in approval, and heading to our table. A while after we sat down, we were approached by a small boy wearing a rainbow coloured t-shirt saying 'embrace the rainbow' on it and orange sneakers with his school uniform. He was followed by a slightly taller girl with ginger - y blonde hair who was holding a note pad in one hand and a cupcake in the other. I switched on deduction mode:

Boy: Reporter for the school newspaper, dog lover, Gryffindor, gay as gay gets, currently skipping detention, parents divorced, doesn't like mother's fiancé, very close to girl, from Chelsea.

Girl: Personal intern to boy, has several cupcakes hidden under robe, likes cooking, sugar addiction, Hufflepuff, friends with Astra Longbottom, wait, no, owed money by Astra Longbottom.

The boy spoke up in a posh Chelsea  accent.

"You two are the Holmes sisters correct? I heard about the murder last night, terrible business, simply awful, anyhow, could I possibly get a few statements to print? Reassure the good pupils of Hogwarts?"

He spoke so fast that it was almost impossible to make out individual words. Izzy spoke up.

"I'm sorry, who did you say you were again?"

The boy laughed exaggeratedly, throwing his head back and clutching his stomach.

"I'm Kit Etherton and I'm as gay as the day is long! Also, head reporter for the Hogwarts Newspaper. This chap here-"

He gestured to the cupcake girl.

"- this here's Pippin Henries. She's acting as my Quick Quotes Quill until I can actually afford a proper one. So, any titbits of gossip that you can enlighten us to?"

Izzy looked at me for confirmation before continuing (or should I say, lying through her teeth).

"Oh yes, we have a few suspects on the list, can't tell you who of course. We're narrowing it down slowly but surely. That's all we're allowed to say really, very hush-hush. You know."

It was times like these that Izzy's acting skills really amazed me, that girl could snap between thoughtful and quiet to breezy and confident in 0.82 milliseconds. Kit smiled, showing all his teeth at once. It looked sort of painful really.

"Oh of course. Well, we'll leave you to your detective - ing! Come along Pippin!"

The reporting duo practically skipped off to their respective house tables for a second round of breakfast and publishing. Izzy finished her toast and shouldered her bag, leaving to go to her first lesson. I packed up a few minutes later and left through the gilded doors.

Hey guys!
So sorry, just a bit of a filler chapter really, I have an ending and a few major parts in mind, however, I have very little idea of how to get there. If you have ideas, just comment them and they will be warmly recieved. So yeah.
Carry on my wayward fangirls.

Tiger xx