THE MAN WITH THE WATCH!

SEPTEMBER 1977

6th Year

• • • •

""In everybody's life there are hidden chapters which they hope may never be known."" - Sir Agatha Christie, The Moving Finger

Leah Sherlock intimidated people.

She was who every first year - especially Ravenclaws - were always warned about.

She could break someone and have them confess and play right into her hand without even having to lift a finger.

So when she was lied to, she wasn't happy.

Especially when she was so desperate to know the answer.

Leah sat with her usual group at dinner, stabbing at her food with her fork, glaring over at the Gryffindor table, her left pointer finger constantly tapping at the table in irritation.

"Leah, if you stab that chicken any harder, you'll break your plate." Emily told her.

"And turn the chicken into mush." Claudia chuckled.

"The reason you're so... Leah," Warren started, "Isn't because of my portrayal of a ruthless criminal was it? Because if it is, I'm sorry, but I'm weak string bean, not a strong bag of flour like Felix." He said, nodding his head at his best friend.

The Scottish boy turned to the Ravenclaw, "Did you just refer to me as a bag of flour."

"M-Maybe," Warren stuttered, "Please don't hit me."

Leah angrily turned to the the two boys across from her, "Would you two shut up?"

"Leah, what happened?" Claudia asked her softly, only for the girl to keep her gaze on the Gryffindor table.

Following her eyeline, Emily's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Why are you glaring at Potter and his friends."

Moving her gaze back to her stabbed at chicken, Leah mumbled, "Lupin."

"Lupin?" Warren repeated.

"I thought you and Remus' conversation last week was of no significance to us." Claudia said.

"He sat at my table in the library today." Leah sighed, tightening her iconic ponytail.

"Oh no!" Felix sarcastically cried, "Let's put a hit on him."

From across the table, Claudia leaned over and flicked the boy on the forehead.

"Ow!"

"Shut up!" Claudia told him, before turning to Leah, "What happened to make you have a vendetta against your chicken?"

"I asked him about where he disappears to every month." The Sherlock girl said.

"The fact that you even know he disappears every month is concerning." Warren told her.

"In her defence, I noticed and think it's odd." Emily said.

Claudia turned to Felix and said, "You're his friend, why don't you know?"

"Because I spend more time with you four, pretending to be a corpse than I do with people in my own year."

"Anyway," Leah ended their conversation, "He said it was because of family business."

"Well, that makes sense." Emily shrugged.

"There are times where you disappoint me, Emily," Leah sighed, "And this is one of them?"

The Hufflepuff raised an eyebrow, "You think he's lying."

Leah once again glanced over to where the suspicious boy was sitting with his friends, "His answer was short and vague, he was looking everywhere but at me and he was stuttering. My instincts tell me he was lying and when are my instincts ever wrong."

The other four looked at each other, agreeing with their genius friend.

"I'm not hungry," Leah declared, standing up, "I'll see you all tomorrow." She said, before hastily walking out of The Great Hall.

Over at the Gryffindor table, Remus Lupin watched Leah Sherlock leave with a confused expression on his face.

"Oh Moony, you are so sad." Sirius dramatically exclaimed.

The brunette turned to Sirius with a raised eyebrow, "What?"

"You have a crush on Leah Sherlock," James chuckled, "That's what's sad."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come on, Moony," Sirius sighed, "She's a weird, freaky, detective genius - and I mean that in a good way. But she knows everything about everyone. You try and go out with her, then your furry little problem will be spread to the whole school."

Remus glared at Sirius, "First of all, I do not have a crush on her. And second, I actually had a very nice conversation with her in the library earlier. And you're right. She is a genius."

___

A melodic tune of Bach's echoed through the Ravenclaw Common Room, as Claudia slowly opened the door to her and Leah's dormitory, seeing the girl playing the violin. 

Noticing she was there, Leah stopped playing.

"You didn't have to leave dinner early to come and check on me."

Claudia shrugged, sitting down on her bed, "That's not why I left early."

"Yes it is."

The Watson girl laughed, "Yes it is."

Leah let out a small breath of laughter, quickly cleaning her bow, looking out of the window with a clenched jaw.

Claudia watched her best friend's movements.

"This is really annoying you, isn't it?"

Leah nodded with gritted teeth.

"Okay then," Claudia nodded, "Let's find out what Remus Lupin and the rest of The Marauders are hiding."

Leah grinned at her friend, as they shook hands.

Sherlock and Watson were on the case.