Me, Vanessa and John spoke for a while, about nothing much, until the teacher told us to stop and to be quiet.

The book Vanessa suggested I read was actually really good. Fantasy and Magic wasn't really my thing, but this was different, better. I guess everyone gets surprised.

The lesson finally ended and we were allowed to leave.

"It's break time now, right?" Vanessa caught up with me and John on the stairs. "Is it okay if I hang out with you guys?"

"Sure." John nodded, I smiled. "Then Sherlocks' got history." He looked at me, smirking. I groaned.

"Hey, me too!" Vanessa grinned.

I smiled. "Oh thank god. I didn't want to go in there alone, not after last time."

"Yea." Vanessa laughed. "Sir wasn't too happy about your uniform. Oh, there's a spare seat next to me actually, I'm sure Sir won't mind."

I smiled appreciatively. "That would be great."

John sighed. "I've got photography."

"Ah, the world of bold colours and jumbo crayons." Vanessa laughed.

John look at my expression of pure confusion. "Oh, the main History teacher, and yours actually, Mr. Jones, always jokes that Geography is all about colouring in with jumbo crayons." He paused. "It isn't though."

"Just mostly." Vanessa cut in, and John grinned as she laughed. I smiled, having friends like this was nice, but the prospect of a group of friends was just really not pleasant. "Well, our rooms are next to each other remember, so why don't we just head up there now? They're on the other side of the school. You don't want anything to go wrong this time Sherlock."

I nodded. "Well, Mrs. Hudson got me some clean uniform, and we didn't tell Mummy, she would have worried too much."

Vanessa coughed a little on her drink. "Did you say 'Mummy?'" She asked carefully.

"Yes. That's what I've always been brought up to call her, same as Mycroft."

Vanessa nodded. "Right~."

"Why? What's wrong with it?" I asked.

"It's just, well. Most people call their parents Mum and Dad." John explained.

"Oh, I call mine Father." I frowned.

"Don't worry, it's not a problem, just different." John assured me, smirking slightly.

"Good different!" Vanessa chipped in before I could take it badly. I smiled at her.

Vanessa's eyes sparked up suddenly. "Oh, that reminds me. What the hell did you touch to make that dust and burning?"

"I was checking what happened if you put all group 7 chemicals together and added water. I had no idea it made dust and little droplets of pure hell." I shrugged.

John shook his head. "My parents went mental."

"Sorry." I couldn't hold back my grin.

XxXxXxX

We said goodbye to John as he entered geography, cutting his and Vanessa's friendly argument about which lesson (history or Geography) was better. I refused to take a side, declaring both Dull, much to their amusement. John's best argument was how great his teacher was, funny and sarcastic, with loads of stickers and posters and things that were funny and how Mr. Jones could be really strict sometimes. That didn't exactly fill me with joy, but Vanessa told me he was alright really, as long as you don't stay in his bad books. I was already there, so I thought I should be on my best behaviour today.

Vanessa walked in first, and as I followed her I noticed the teacher wasn't there yet, and there were only a few students, the rest were still on their way. At least we weren't late. I took a seat on Vanessa's left, in the middle isle of the three rows of desks stretching from the front of the class towards the back. We were both at the pair of desks just behind the front sets.

I took a few moments to get a look around the room, it looked to be usually a geography room, maps and things around, and a fair amount of maps that had been coloured in. Looks like the Jumbo Crayon theory was at least partly true.

"Oh, Sherlock." Vanessa brought my attention back to her. "I thought I should introduce you to someone else in the class, this is Lydia."

( - A/N: Shameless self-insertion =] - )Lydia looked up from her book – It read 'The Golden Compass' on the bind - smiled happily at me, flicking her straightened but fairly boyish hair out of her eyes with her left hand. The hair was dark brown, and it appeared to be her natural colour, her fringe was just about too long, showing she hadn't been to the hairdressers recently. Her uniform wasn't too neat but neat enough to keep her out of the teacher's radar, like mine. Her smile was welcoming and thankfully not flirtatious, but I could see the curiosity in her eyes.

"Hey." Lydia raised her hand in a casual two-fingered salute before running her hand through her hair, somehow not ruining it much.

"I figured it would be good if someone else here knew you and didn't start judging you or something." Vanessa explained.

"Oh, thanks." I smiled. "Nice to meet you Lydia." I grinned at her, trusting her somehow. Any further conversation was stopped by the person who sits next to Lydia arriving, and starting a conversation about a television series of some kind.

There was a break of a few more minutes, in which Vanessa and I discussed our families – I spoke about Mycroft, she told me about her twin sister Bryony – and I could hear Lydia in the background speaking to her friend about the show, all I caught was 'When he got shot by that astronaut, I seriously thought the world had ended! I mean, how could he die!'.

The conversation cut short as the door opened at Mr. Jones walked in, showing how much authority this guy had over the students, but a few were smiling at him, so I figured Vanessa hadn't been just trying to cheer me up by saying he was pretty funny and happy most of the time.

"Right you crazy lot! Stop chatting!" He looked at the boy in the desk in front of us. "Oh, Jake? You're still here? Didn't those hit-met get you?" He sighed. "God, will I never get rid of you?" The class laughed, and I saw the girl next to Lydia grinning insanely at the boy, even though he was looking away, and deduced she must fancy him or something, they hadn't spoken or exchanged smiles, so it wasn't a friendship.

Sir scanned the room, and his expression cleared as he settled his gaze on me. I felt rather than heard all eyes turn to me, Lydia and Vanessa included, but their expressions, as I glanced over, were more of worry than expectation like the others.

"Ah, Mister Holmes, glad you made the effort to arrive in normal clothes today. Well done!" He grinned, and I let out a breath of relief, seemed I had been forgiven.

"Well, before we begin, you lot. I'd like to let you all know of a little treat. There is a trip going to Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital, the old amputation theatre connected to a church, then the Science Museum, and then you lot can run rampant over Covent Gardens. There are only 30 places, and two classes to cover, so if you'd like to go, collect a letter at the end, and get the money in as soon as possible, okay? It's £15.00, and you'll need spending money, but it's all explained in the letters, which are here." He slammed a hand casually on a pile of white papers in front of him that he'd brought with him and put next to the boy – Jake – in front of us. Jake flinched. Sir just smiled. "Oh, don't worry Jake. If I were aiming at you, I wouldn't have missed." He acted like he was about to strike at Jake but stopped, grinning. "Wait, I can't, Mr Green told me off last time." The class laughed again.

"Right, enough joking!" Mr. Jones clapped his hands. "Time to learn. Lydia, Louis Pasteur!"

"Germ Theory." Lydia shot back.

"Vanessa. John Snow!"

"Cholera in the water." Vanessa stated confidently.

"Good. Romy. Where was the pipe infected with Cholera in London?"

"Broad Street?" Romy offered.

"Yes! Be more confident Romy." Sir looked at me. "Now, Mr Holmes…Miasmatic Theory?"

The class went quiet, and I could tell they were expecting me to get it wrong. I'd already flicked through Vanessa's book on the way here, and caught the words Sir had said as I went, it was on the latest page, along with a quick explanation. I smirked. "The theory that bad air causes disease."

Sir smiled. "Well done. Did they teach you History in your old school?"

"Never been to school, sir." I stated, and realised as the class looked at me that I shouldn't have. "I mean, I was home schooled."

"Oh, did you learn history?"

"No, I just picked it up out of Vanessa's book on the way here." I smiled. Sir grinned. "Well, good work. You'll do well in this class."

And his direction was sent somewhere else.

"Shelby. Spontaneous…" He looked at Lydia's friend next to her.

"Generation."

I heard Lydia mutter 'regeneration' and chuckle to herself, and Vanessa and Shelby smiled.

Seemed like this lesson in itself wasn't so Dull after all, but I knew the writing would be. At least I had the trip to think about. I'd have to ask Mycroft if he could slip in John to go as well, even though it sounded like a history-students-only kind of thing.

XxXxXxX

A/N: Ta-daa! I thought that if I bring in Silver Danger and Sherlock is in the same History as her, and so am I, why not? I might have exaggerated to make myself sound like I hope to, but I hope I stayed close to myself, if that makes sense, Ness, you'll have to let me know.

Um, anyone guess the show I was heard to be discussing? Just wondering…

PLEASE review for me! PLEASE! I'll give you all cookies and stuff, and if you want to be in this, in any way, please let me know, give a name and description – doesn't have to be actually you, if you're web-wise or conscious or whatever, but as long as you KNOW it's you – and what you want to do/say even if it isn't to Sherlock and it's just in the corridor to John or Ness or myself, let me know, yea?