Pieces of a chess game [Sherlock x Harry Potter Crossover] [COMPLETE]

Chapter 25: The Lying Detective, Part III

Hermione burst into Baker Street and raced up the stairs, her heart pounding and Sherlock's name burning in her throat. When she reached the top, panting, it appeared as though she was entering a hoarder's nest. Thousands of photos covered the walls, joined with red threads. In whatever system Sherlock had used, those papers and pictures which had not made it to the wall were scattered over all the surfaces. Standing in the middle of the room were Mrs Hudson and John, both in front of the television. On the screen, Mary's static image was waiting to be played.

'Oh, dear! Thank goodness you're here.' Mrs Hudson pulled Hermione into a hug. Over the woman's shoulder, she watched as John turned his back on them, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see the mess in the kitchen. And no sign of Sherlock on the flat. 'I've been worried sick. I've been trying to call you, but you haven't answered any of my calls.'

Hermione shifted her eyes away, embarrassed, and spoke to John. 'I've come because I've received a video too.' John twisted around, and Hermione pointed at the television.

John frowned. 'You too?'

Hermione nodded. 'This morning, in an email. Mary was saying something about Sherlock being in danger, that she'd done something terrible. I came as soon as I saw him. Where is he?' Hermione peered toward the empty bedroom. 'And what's happened here?

'What do you think has happened?' replied John and gestured around him. 'We're standing in the middle of a meth lab, possibly inhaling toxic fumes judging by those decanters. And not forgetting Sherlock's new obsession,' he added, grabbing some photos of Culverton Smith from the table.

'I've seen it on Twitter, Sirius thinks—'

'Sherlock Holmes has been getting off his tits for weeks,' John continued, cutting Hermione off. 'He's been hallucinating about a woman telling him Culverton Smith is a serial killer, he's slandered him on social media, and earlier today, he's picked up a scalpel and threatened Smith with it. He's lucky he's in a room at the hospital and not on one of Molly's slabs.'

Hermione swallowed hard. Glancing at the kitchen table, she realised she had grossly underestimated the state in which Mary's death and John's behaviour had left Sherlock. She should have seen it coming the last time he saw him. If there was one night of danger that would have pushed Sherlock over the edge, it was the one when John cut him out of her life.

'Is someone with him?'

'Yeah, the police.'

'The police?' asked Hermione. 'At the hospital? Isn't that a bit extreme?'

'He could have hurt Smith. You should have seen him, Hermione. He was out of his mind. He's a danger to himself and others. Sherlock is lucky Smith isn't pressing charges. I was with Greg giving my statement before Mycroft called me here.'

In Hermione's mind, Mycroft had been three weeks late. She couldn't understand how he had let things escalate to that point. He, who had always been so cautious and had protected Sherlock even from himself, had left him to his own devices in his hour of need. But Mycroft was the least of their problems.

Hermione looked back at the television, where the screensaver had replaced Mary's image. In her video, Mary had said that she had pushed Sherlock to do something. Could this situation be that something? And Sirius had been right, anyway. Sherlock's brain functioned independently of drugs. His deductive skills were something he couldn't turn off, even with the strongest psychotropics. Hermione approached John and put a tentative hand on his arm. She felt the muscles tense under the clothing, but he didn't pull away.

'John, I think you need to listen to what Mary said to Sherlock. If what she says in my video has any truth to it, Sherlock may be in serious trouble.'