Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock or harry potter
John was happy with his life. He was happy being unnoticed. No girlfriend, or boyfriend for that matter, no friends at all really but John liked it better that way. He had a generic name and a generic life and he was happy with that. Average grades, beater on the Quiddich team, hufflepuff, school was generally generic. He liked being unnoticed but when two slytherins, Anderson and his sort-of-girlfriend Donovan started sniggering at him during potions he just had to do something. So yeah he ended up punching Anderson and yeah he slapped Donovan too but he really wanted to be left alone. Now he was noticed and instantly sent to Dumbledore's office. He walked up to the door, not knowing what else to do because it was his first time being sent to the headmaster's office. He stopped right outside of the door, hearing voices inside. Not knowing what to do he waited outside the door.
"So you're from Beauxbatons?" Dumbledore asked. Silence. "And what was it that caused you to leave?"
"Dull." A deep voice responded.
"Well if you'll take a seat on this stool we'll have you sorted in a moment." Dumbledore said.
"Oh it's no use. I'll be put into Ravenclaw. Gryffindor is known for bravery, something I have no use for generally. It is my philosophy, if you can't protect yourself you're not worth protecting. Hufflepuff, loyalty, something I have no use for because I have no one to be loyal to. Slytherin is for cunning wit and purebloods. I am cunning and witty but a pureblood I am not. So logically I will be put in Ravenclaw." The deep voice said.
"That may be, but it is tradition." Dumbledore responded. There was an annoyed sigh and then silence. John listened intently, not eavesdropping, just being curious.
"Ravenclaw." The hat said after a long silence. There was a haughty snort and then silence.
"Mister Watson?" Dumbledore called.
"Uh...yessir?" John asked opening the door a crack and sticking his head in.
"Please come here a moment." Dumbledore said with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes which were locked onto John over his half moon spectacles. John stepped into the room timidly, leaving the door open in the event of needing a quick getaway. "You hit Donovan and Anderson?" He asked. John nodded. He had the bruises to prove it. He must have been a sight. He looked at the other boy curiously. Curly black hair and icy cold blue eyes. He was tall and thin and pale. John turned back to Dumbledore. "Don't tell anyone I told you this but they deserved it." Dumbledore whispered. "Although next time I think a vanishing spell on their pants would be a better choice than violence." He said smiling. "Now that that's settled would you please escort Mister Holmes to the great hall for dinner? I'm sure he can find another Ravenclaw there to show him their common rooms." Dumbledore said.
"Ah yessir. So...that's it? I'm not being...punished?" John asked timidly. Dumbledore laughed and shook his head.
"Not this time Mister Watson. Now run along you two." He said. John nodded and waited for Holmes to follow him before walking down the corridor.
"So...Ravenclaw?" John asked trying to make conversation. Silence. "You must be smart." John tried again. Silence. John turned to look at him to make sure he was still there. Cold blue eyes were watching him unnervingly so he turned back to the corridor.
"You punched someone?" Holmes asked at last.
"Yeah. Two someone's." John replied sheepishly. He pointed to his busted lip and bruised cheek grinning before wincing in pain at the smile.
"I take it Slytherin is supposed to be avoided then?" He asked. John blinked thoughtfully. No one had ever said anything about them being Slytherin.
"Yeah...but...how did you know?" John asked curiously.
"The girl slapped you and boy punched you." Holmes said, not answering John's question.
"How did you...?" John tried again.
"More of a large red mark on your cheek. She was wearing a ring I'd guess. That'd cause the broken skin. The punch, more direct, more force, more pinpoint, more anger put behind it so...boy. They ganged up on you something only slytherins would do. Something they're quite notorious for actually." Holmes said. John stopped walking, instead opting to stare at Holmes in amazement.
"That was...brilliant." John murmured. Holmes blinked in confusion.
"Did I...get it all right?" Holmes asked. John thought for a moment, looking at the wall behind Holmes' head before turning resolutely back to him.
"Donovan punched me. Anderson slapped me. He does wear a ring though and she punches with a lot of anger." John said rubbing his tender jaw. Holmes sighed.
"Backwards." He murmured bitterly.
"Still bloody brilliant." John said with a grin. Holmes turned to him with that same confused look. "What?" John asked at last. He couldn't stand that confused face a second longer.
"It's just not what people usually say." Holmes said.
"Oh? And what do they usually say?" John asked, fully prepared to say it, whatever it was.
"Piss off." Holmes responded grinning. John laughed.
"I'm John by the way." John said as they entered the great hall.
"I'm Sherlock." Holmes replied.
"Oh ah...your table...the Ravenclaw table is over there." John said pointing to a table. There were clusters of people at it. People reading or writing mostly.
"Which table're you at?" Sherlock asked. "Just in case I find a slytherin who needs to be punched." He added with another laugh.
"This one." John said nodding as he was dragged down to a seat at the hufflepuff table. He was surrounded by his team mates, all rough and rowdy. He ignored their jeers, keeping a close eye on Sherlock. He watched him go up to one of the clusters and say something. They replied something and he turned and walked off to sit alone. John sighed; he couldn't let him sit alone. It made him a perfect target for slytherins. He got up, much to his team's displeasure. Ignoring them, he went over and sat next to Sherlock.
"Shouldn't you be at your own table?" Sherlock asked bitterly.
"They were getting a bit rowdy." John replied with an easy smile.
"You'd prefer to be there with your real friends. I can tell." Sherlock bit back.
"They're not my real friends." John whispered. "They're my team mates."
"Oh? A dull headed quiddich player then? Oh I'm just dandy in my friend department." Sherlock sneered.
"Well aren't you nice?" John snapped back. "If you don't want to sit with me I'll leave. You just have to ask. You didn't have to be mean about it." There was a long silence as they began eating dinner.
"What position do you play?" Sherlock asked at last.
"Beater. Just in case you didn't think I was enough of an idiot Neanderthal already." John snapped.
"What's a beater do?" Sherlock asked. He was really interested, looking at John with curiosity, not anger or malice. He really wanted to know, to learn. John sighed, why did he want to know? What was it to him? Perhaps it was just the legendary Ravenclaw thirst for knowledge.
"Fly at break neck speeds and hit the bludgers into the hoops." John said grinning proudly.
"Which ones are the bludgers?" Sherlock asked. Damn. He really didn't know anything about quiddich.
"The ones that fly on their own. The quaffle is the biggest and it's just a normal ball. The bludgers are a bit smaller and fly on their own trying to hit players off their brooms." John explained.
"And you hit them into the hoops?" Sherlock asked, making sure he'd gotten it. John nodded grinning.
"AND try to keep them from hitting our players." John added. Sherlock nodded, processing the new information. "Our next game's on Saturday if you want to watch." John offered. Thursday was not much of a heads up for a game on Saturday. He might go home on weekends. Oh stupid! John shouldn't have even asked in the first place.
"Who're you playing against?" Sherlock asked.
"Gryffindor." John said bitterly.
"And that's bad?" Sherlock asked noting the tone of John's voice.
"Well we have no hope of winning." John replied with a sheepish smile.
"Or we could watch tomorrow's game. You can see Slytherin cream Ravenclaw." John said grinning before faltering. Sherlock was Ravenclaw...perhaps he didn't want to see his own team 'creamed' as John so carelessly put it.
"Or I could go to both." Sherlock offered. "Tomorrow with you to learn more about the game and then Saturday to support Hufflepuff." Sherlock said. John grinned and nodded.
"I guess you were put in Ravenclaw for a reason." John said laughing and clapping Sherlock on the back. They laughed until they noticed the shadow over them. Turning around they found John's best and only friend, Greg from Gryffindor.
"Hey Greg." John said patting the seat next to him. "Greg, Sherlock." John said pointing back and forth between them.
"Pleasure." Greg said not even making eye contact before sinking into the seat next to John. "So... we going to prank Donovan and Anderson?" Greg asked as he began picking through the food on his plate.
"No, I don't think so." John said smiling sheepishly. "We already had an...um...altercation today." John said pointing at the bruised parts of his face. Greg looked at it and snorted.
"All the more reason." He said pushing away his plate of food before standing. "Meet me outside the kitchens tonight after curfew." Greg said before walking off.
"Um...wanna come?" John asked looking sideways at Sherlock with a sheepish smile.
"Are they here? Who are they?" Sherlock asked turning around on the bench to look at the slytherin table.
"Um...well Anderson, he's over there with his girlfriend." John said nodding at a boy with brown parted hair and a sickly complexion. He looked annoyed as the girl next to him rambled on about something.
"And by that I take it she's not Donovan?" Sherlock asked.
"No. Donovan's that girl over there." John said nodding to a black girl with a big frizzy frock of black hair who was watching Anderson intently.
"So Anderson cheats on his long time girlfriend with Donovan?" Sherlock asked, knowing he was right.
"Ah...yeah." John said. "It's brilliant how you do that." He added. Sherlock looked at him with a frown.
"You're doing it again." He said causing John to blush and turn back to his food. He hadn't eaten anything, just pushed the food around on his plate. He mumbled and apology and Sherlock's frown deepened. "No...I...its okay. I like it." Sherlock said standing. "And I would like to join you in your prank tonight." Sherlock added. He wanted to punish the people who'd hurt John. His John. He walked off to follow one of the clusters of Ravenclaws as they got up from the table, hoping they were going to the Ravenclaw common room. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the two slytherins John had pointed him to descend on him. Sherlock made a split second decision, find out how to get to his common room or protect his single friend. John could easily protect himself but would he? Would John hit them or cast a spell on them? Would he allow them to attack him? He would be least likely to make the first move meaning he would be injured further than he already was. Sherlock found himself in the middle of the action before he'd even become aware that he'd made up his mind. A fist found his face and one found his stomach causing him to fall backwards, and to land on John's lap. He hadn't even been aware of his feet drawing him towards his John while he was still in the decision making process. He supposed, somewhere in his subconscious, he'd made up his mind before the variables were even all presented. Like an invisible force drawing him back, drawing him closer to his John. Like magic. When had he begun thinking of John as his John? What gave him the right to be possessive over him? He was still thinking about these things as his hand nimbly found his wand, and with a flash of blue the attackers were sent flying across the room. He was unaware of the fact that he was sitting on John's lap. He was also unaware of the painful bruise forming on his ribs and face. All he felt was the static emanating from the tip of his wand. Made from the feather of a white Pegasus concealed in ebony oak, the wood felt warm and smooth under his fingers. He stood at last becoming aware of his awkward situation. Standing hurt. Wincing at the pain of standing hurt too. He put his wand back in his pocket and left the great hall. He remembered the rout they'd taken from Dumbledore's office so he began walking that way. He didn't hear John calling his name, at least that's what he told himself. He told himself that he didn't notice the change of tone in John's voice calling his name from a lighthearted bemused call to a more frantic demand. He kept walking, not stopping as he heard feet pounding after him. He felt a hand on his arm, dragging him somewhere. He felt fingers curl over his mouth as he was pushed against the wall. He felt a body press against his and as his hand instinctively reached for his wand. He was surprised to find it gone. His eyes found his assailant to find that it was John. He had Sherlock's wand in his hand, and was casting a spell. Sherlock had read about people using wands that didn't belong to them. He was surprised at the ease with which John used his wand. He wondered where John's own was but suddenly John's eyes were on his. Surprise and fear were registered in them and that's when Sherlock noticed two things. One, his hands were resting on John's hips. Two, Anderson and Donovan were running by. They kept running as if not seeing them. Was a vanishing spell the use John had required of Sherlock's wand? John's hand released Sherlock's mouth and it moved to rest on his heaving chest instead. Why was it heaving? Was he out of breath? It must have been from the adrenalin. John's hand was wet on his chest; Sherlock had licked it instinctively when it covered his mouth.
"So..." John fell silent as Anderson and Donovan went tearing back down the hall way. "Got a girlfriend?" John whispered as he watched the retreating forms of their dim pursuers. Sherlock blinked at him with a blank stare.
"Not really my area." Sherlock responded turning to look down the hall as John's eyes fell on him.
"Boyfriend then?" John pressed.
"No." Sherlock replied. He felt like his face was on fire. Was he blushing? Was this what blushing felt like? He felt his eyes go wide as John ran his thumb across his cheek gently; with such care and tenderness that Sherlock was sure he was melting into a puddle.
"Sherlock Holmes. I do believe you're blushing." John murmured.
"By this time I'm sure all the other Ravenclaws are up in their common room." Sherlock noted with a convenient topic change. He was desperately trying to think about anything other than John's body pressed against his.
"Oh...ah...um...well...we're still doing the prank." John stammered.
"Yes. It occurred to me that I didn't know where the kitchens were so..." Sherlock trailed off as John stepped back.
"Oh...ah...yeah." John said as he rubbed the back of his neck roughly. "Well...if you want...I mean you don't have to...but...well...you could come with me. To Hufflepuff common room." John offered. "I share a room with three other guys from the team but they'll probably be out with their girlfriends or something."
"Overnight?" Sherlock asked.
"Well you don't have to if you don't want to. I was going to stay up and read anyway so you can have the bed." John said.
"Lead the way. What're you reading?" Sherlock asked.
"Some stupid book on how to pick up a girl. Greg's making me read it because he thinks I'm gay. I mean really. Who cares if I am? It's no big deal." John said.
"Do you have a girl in mind?" Sherlock asked.
"Yeah. One with no tits and a nice big dick." John said grinning. Sherlock looked at him in confusion and amusement.
"You're limping." Sherlock noted. He thought back to earlier that night, and found he'd been limping the whole time.
"For a genius you can be a bit slow." John quipped as he ruffled Sherlock's unruly hair.
"Why?" Sherlock asked.
"Oh come on." John said laughing. "Can't you figure it out?"
"The power of deduction is a strong thing; however, I am not omniscient. Perhaps, if I saw the injury?" Sherlock asked.
"Ah here we are." John said as they arrived at a large portrait of a badger dancing with a giraffe. It was either a small giraffe or a large badger because they looked about even in size. "Gillyweed." John said. The badger turned to them, and winked before the door swung open. "Stay close. I don't want to lose you." John whispered as they walked in. There seemed to be a war of pillows going on in the common room. John ducked and dodged as best he could but eventually took a very hard thrown pillow to his knee. Sherlock put his arm around John to help him back up. They hurried from the room, into the hall leading to the dorms. The air was thick here as a group of kids sat in the windowsill smoking. Once past them they had a clear shot to the dorms. As they entered Sherlock was struck with surprise. Everything was so neat and clean.
"Do the houselves clean here?" Sherlock asked.
"Oh...ah...yeah. I told them I'd do it but they insisted." John said with an easygoing smile. "So..." John said as he sat down on the bed Sherlock assumed was his. He began rolling up the leg of his pants. Sherlock moved closer and then decided to sit next to him. There was a big scar on his upper thigh. Sherlock gently ran his fingers over it. John pulled the robe off one of his shoulders revealing another matching scar.
"Came up in a bad neighborhood. You were left home with your sister a lot. I'm guessing a muggle gang fight broke out and you were hit by two stray bullets. Your sister didn't know what to do so she went to a neighbor's house to get them to call for help. You were taken to a muggle hospital. If it was magically healed there would be much less scarring and no further detriment." Sherlock stated.
"Brilliant." John murmured before blushing and looking away. Sherlock's hand was still on his upper thigh.
"Simple really. I could tell you came up in a bad neighborhood because you always sit facing the door and calculating exit strategies. Home alone because you don't crave attention or proximity to others. Sister because of the picture on your bed side table. These are bullet wounds so it couldn't be a wizard fight. The sister went to the nearest adult, a neighbor, for help. The muggle neighbor would call in an emergency vehicle to take you to a muggle hospital, not even knowing any better." Sherlock said. John was looking at him in awe.
"Amazing." He murmured before once again blushing and looking away.
"Hey Jo-" Mike stopped. His eyes were wide and he slowly turned and left the room. John turned to Sherlock who was watching him. They both burst into laughter. The laughter ended up with Sherlock's hand rising slowly up John's bare leg. John looked down at Sherlock's hand as their laughter died down. Sherlock blushed and pulled his hands away.
"I'd better go see what Mike wanted." John said standing and adjusting his clothes. "You can come with me if you want. Or stay here." John said looking at Sherlock.
"I'll join you." Sherlock said standing. John nodded with a smile before the two left the dorm to find Mike.