Legilimency

Sherlock proposes to teach Molly Legilimency as she expresses a certain amount of interest in the form a deep bond that is almost unbreakable and when Molly Hooper notices this she hesitates as she realizes she falls deeper and deeper in love with Sherlock Holmes. Molly is in bold and Sherlock is in italics.

Molly bit her lip and sighed in frustration as she closed and put the third book that day that had been recommended to her about the properties of Legilimency back in the shelf. She couldn't remember exactly what or who sparked the interest in it but as she made to turn around she gave a jolt, it was Sherlock her dear friend and the only person to have lasted so long being fancied by herself and she realized it was him that made her want to learn about Legilimency.

She was sitting down all alone under a tree right by a lake pretending to study because there were just days where she couldn't open up a muggle book sent by her mother and father without being bombarded by questions she either didn't know the answers to or didn't take to any of her interest at all.

Sometimes Molly Hooper just needed to be alone and read all alone.

He had startled her when he jumped off the tree complaining about being bored and not being able to read the words on her book. She had asked him what he was doing and how long he had been sitting up in the tree which he ignored and continued on talking about how the muggle world interested him and how he hopes to one day be able to travel there maybe even live there.

Molly had blushed when she realized Sherlock had just revealed something fairly personal about himself to her and told him all that she could about how the muggle people and children would do all kinds of things just to be able to catch a glimpse of the magical world. For the first time someone had made Molly want to talk about being a muggle and coming from the muggle world.

Their conversation had dripped down into almost silence and random mumbling when Sherlock remembered the topic of her book about a woman who could hear other people's thoughts. That was when they had started the topic of Legilimency. Molly had been fascinated by Sherlock's vast knowledge about it and later that day when they had to separate blushing Molly Hooper made it her mission to find out more about Legilimency as she was genuinely interested in its properties and for further interesting conversations with Mr. Holmes.

She had thought it was peculiar of him to strike a conversation with her, he usually would just go about his day and ignore people because they bored him so much except of course when they had done something particularly interesting enough to deduce out loud. Molly Hooper could not recall doing anything interesting enough to catch Sherlock Holmes' attention.

It was always her that put him first whenever their paths crossed. The Ravenclaw and his Gryffindor friend John Watson were quite famous in both houses and across to the rest because of their reputation of trouble-making and yet never getting caught in the act. Their a goldmine of points.

There are many reasons as to why little Hufflepuff Molly Hooper had started to develop a crush on Sherlock Holmes, the statistics of people liking him and not liking him were either measured with the almost hatred Sally Donovan gave him and the almost close to obsession attention Slytherin Jim Moriarty-who she also fancied particularly because people always said he was nothing but full of trouble but Molly Hooper knew better-gave him.

Jim Moriarty was different from all the other Slytherins he shares an interest with Molly in admiring Sherlock Holmes and unlike all the other students said, he was nothing but an undeniably sweet gentleman to her.

And so Molly found that one of the few people that could actually tolerate Sherlock Holmes for being such a meanie at times and yet at the same time will fill you with absolute awe because of his vast knowledge in almost everything was John Watson and-she almost was ashamed to admit, even just to herself, in being found to be conceited enough to think she actually knew Sherlock Holmes the infamous sentimentally constipated student wannabe detective-Molly Hooper.

For that reason Molly had always thought of herself to be too confident when it came to him and at the same time her shaking and sweating betrayed her thoughts and words for Sherlock Holmes' chest was touching the tip of her nose as he reached over her for a book. He smelled so good Molly thought he had bathed in Amortentia, he smelled like everything she ever loved and for a moment she thought that he had bathed in Amortentia.

"Sherlock!" Molly exclaimed in a frantic whisper.

Sherlock gave a smug smile down at her when he retrieved a book not that thick and not that old in looks "You've been looking for and at all the wrong things and places." Sherlock stepped back and flipped through the pages.

He tossed her the book telling her that if she really wanted to learn more about Legilimency then he would teach her. Molly had scoffed as she picked up the book she dropped and told him he seemed a bit too confident about the subject.

"Hurry along Molly, we have much to do."

And in the next week Hufflepuff Hooper and Ravenclaw Holmes would meet up after classes and lunch so much so that rumors had spread all over the houses about their activities spent together. Sherlock would later scoff and laugh at the idea while Molly would blush and deny it.

Instead of the things spread around the houses they would look intently into each others eyes after reading pages over and over again and trying to break the barrier.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this." Molly gushed as they walked down the open halls and towards one of the garden benches where the students would usually spend their time talking but since it was snowing not one soul was present except for Molly and Sherlock.

"I feel in myself a slight tingle of pride for having been able to be learning such a thing as something banned from the school, with you." Molly sat down on the cold stone bench and looked up at Sherlock's eyes what he had said had conjured a shudder from her and an intense stare.

"This may hurt if we fight it." Sherlock read off of the book and Molly nodded.

"Before we do this, Sherlock I have a question."

"Well, then ask away I'm too excited to postpone any further! We've been spending weeks upon weeks reading and doing nothing!" Molly laughed at his exclamation nervously and swallowed.

"Why me?" Molly put her hands on her lap and straightened her back as she stared intensely up at Sherlock and he felt he needed to take a deep breath before answering her question. Why? He didn't know.

"I saw you reading that book remember? I joined in and saw it was about a woma-"

"No." Molly dismissed Sherlock's dismissive answer "Why not John? You could have done it with him. You're already exceptionally close."

Molly's coffee hair was awfully distracting.

"Because Molly Hooper though my friend, my dear friend John Watson is in himself… knowledgeable" Molly smiled her cheeky small smile and that intense gaze still in her eyes it was as if she was daring him to say something he would rather keep unsaid "you… You Molly Hooper are exceptional."

She laughed like a voyeur enjoying his pain.

"That doesn't make any sense at all."

"Why does it matter if in seconds you'll be in my head?" Sherlock asked not quite able to hide the smile hers managed to dig from the depths of his person.

"That's exactly the reason…" she took the book from him and as he stood in front of her sitting on the bench she flipped through the book "We have exercised everything that has been listed."

John Watson of Gryffindor house was scolded by a professor when he was spotted running down the halls, his friends had just been called to Dumbledore's office. Worry made his stomach ache as he panted and joined the rest of the small group of students pulled from a class because of two students. John waved his hand about to catch his best friend's attention and he was shocked to see that Molly Hooper and Sherlock Holmes were actually laughing as they made their way down from the office.

Professor McGonagall stood beside them "Alright, children you are free to go back to your classes now. There is nothing to see here! Back now."

He slipped through the dispersing students and stared expectantly at the two. They stood relatively close to one another and John smiled "So? What happened?" John laughed the question as he walked with the two.

"Honestly John you would think the professors would actually be smart enough to figure out what we've been doing." Sherlock scoffed and Molly laughed.

They had been unusually close these past few weeks and John had suspicions identical to every other student that had been observing them as much as he has. It was almost a trend to guess where they would do it next and he unashamedly had joined the guessing games.

Too many times had he been left out from their inside jokes and from seemingly longing glances from all the way across the great hall. He had taken it as a confirmation of their budding relationship when it had spiked that they had been pulled from a class when Filch had actually seen them sneaking off at one point with sketchy excuses.

"What do you mean? I don't understand." Molly laughed at that and he laughed along with her even though he didn't exactly know why.

"We'll tell you one day John but for now-"

"we're afraid that you're going to have to join the school's ignorance-"

"for a while."

John stopped walking altogether when they finished each other's sentence. He's heard them do that before but what they had just done now seemed too eerily fluent to be normal.

Molly Hooper is walking down the hall to go to her next class when she passes by a group of giggly students and she smiles having thought that their giggles were contagious and she felt happy until she heard the whispers.

The reason as to why the students around her would laugh every time she walked past them, she ended up taking a look back and bumping into a whole Quidditch team. Stammering her apologies she picked up her cauldron that she'd dropped and the boys around her the Gryffindor team walked past her but not without saying a few not so rude things about cupboards and closets and nights up at the astronomy tower.

She stood dumbfounded. Gulping she continued to walk, the crowded halls were a hassle and made her even more uncomfortable than usual because of the continuing remarks she heard from people.

Secret rooms? Secret trips? Secret hideouts? How's Sherlock?

She worried that they may be taking Legilimency into a whole new scandal and tripped when she realized what they really thought she was doing with Sherlock in her free time. She blushed and huffed feeling as though she couldn't breath.

They had thought it was hilarious that the school thought they were doing unspeakable things and at the same time not being able to tell that they were practicing banned magic. Molly regretted not trying to keep it a better secret in using the whole business about sneaking out and snogging and using that as a camouflage for strict Legilimency practices.

She felt his presence before he had even stepped into the same hall and she stood up, he smiled when he saw her.

They exchanged images and thoughts about how their day had been going. It didn't hurt anymore when they would delve into one another's minds. They had managed to map out their minds and had been extremely proud at the feat they'd reached.

Him and her at night sneaking out, kissing.

"Molly?" gasping she stared up at Sherlock, they were having lunch and talking. Why had she thought that?

"Was that?" Sherlock's face screwed and Molly preferred not to see the disgust on his face. It would hurt.

She snapped her head down at her food "I-I… I'm so sorry." She cut the link "It's just I was walking down the hall this morning and people were talking about… us."

Sherlock laughed and she smiled nervously at least he was alright with it all.

"Let them say and think what they want. It won't affect us. Like I've said- er no. Like we've agreed, you know." he gave her a wink and her barriers fell, he was back inside "We're using it as a camouflage. It's working quite well actually."

"Yes…" Molly shoved a chicken leg into her mouth.

It's strange that we can do this so comfortably now.

Like it's normal to always be connected?

Yes! Don't you think we're getting too-

No! I don't think so. My brain seems less bored than usual when you're there.

Molly gulped down a glass of water.

We should start practicing Occlumency.

It would help, since we can already do this without uttering the spell or using wands.

I'm… proud.

I too. What about that next quidditch game though, between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Are you going-

Sherlock holds Molly's hand and cups her face.

"Molly?" Sherlock breathed in at the vivid image in his mind "Are you alright?"

"We should start now." Molly exclaimed as she stood up and knocked her glass over and with a quick Reparo the glass was fixed "Whenever you see me for the next week try to get into my head and I'll block you out. This week is my Occlumency week and you're Legilimency week. Good luck."

Sherlock frowned at Molly's retreating form.

"Sherlock, you just lied to the professor! What are you doing to need pull me out of class like that?"

John dusted off his robes when Sherlock finally stopped dragging him around the corner from his class.

"Molly Hooper." was Sherlock's answer.

John waited for something more to come out of Sherlock's mouth and when nothing came John looked up and pursed his lips "Molly Hooper, yes. Molly Hooper our friend, Molly. Molly. Molly Hooper from Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff Hooper others may call her-"

Sherlock rolled his eyes and continued on walking in circles in the empty echo-y halls of Hogwarts "Have you noticed anything different about her?" Sherlock stopped to ask and continued to pace once more.

John gave a thoughtful look and shook his head mumbling "No. Not at all… But!" Sherlock whipped around "I have noticed that you've been spending time around one another quite a lot." He smirked as he looked up at his friend "Something going on there, Holmes?"

To which the Ravenclaw student sighed in exaggeration and covered his eyes with the palms of his hands "I'm being serious here, John. Something's wrong with our little Molly Hooper." at his words John straightened his back and raised his head.

"What is it? How can I help?" and in another defeated tone Sherlock sighed loudly making his voice echo and stared at his friend.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You know everything."

"She's been avoiding me John."

The Gryffindor licked at his lips "Oh, really? 'cause she hasn't been avoiding me. No… Not avoiding me or Mary. What'd you do?"

"Nothing! I've thought back and not once do I recall doing anything that might have upset her" and raising his finger to stop John from cutting him off Sherlock said "I even looked at everything from your point of view, from her point of view. Nothing."

"You're worried."

"Yes, of course I'm worried." John laughed at his disgruntled friend and Sherlock looked at him incredulously.

"You came all the way here, cut your class, lied to a professor and had the nerve to drag me out of there just for Molly Hooper? Sherlock don't you think that says something?"

Sherlock frowned, hard.

"I don't understand."

"Tell me everything after class, now if you haven't figured it out yet I've got a-"

"Oh" Sherlock said tauntingly "If you didn't have Miss Morstan in there waiting for you, you would have gladly come with me."

John had stopped and not an ounce of offense was visible on his face although an expression of expectancy morphed.

"Sherlock, I'm not going to go and speak out for you-because God knows how much I understand you-but if you were to tell me right now that you don't fancy Molly Hooper I swear, I swear upon my one of a kind wand that you will be be struck by lightning with such severity you would be disintegrated." and with those words John Watson turned around and sauntered into his class leaving his best friend to be looking at the space of air from which he had been standing.

"I fancy Molly Hooper?" Sherlock scrunched his face.

Sherlock had not let even a week pass by with Molly ignoring him and dodging all his attempts and even ignoring the letters he sent to her or passed by hand so far that in one occasion he had gotten caught by the professor and had almost been sent to detention.

Fortunately-or at least he thinks-the professor had seen part of Molly's name in the letter before casting Incendio and had subjected them to cleaning the classroom by hand.

"Molly." Sherlock's deep voice resonated throughout the massive classroom.

"Molly. Molly Hooper." the young boy had stopped sweeping under the desks and was leaning on his broom. He was watching Molly scrub the underside of the tables.

"Molly Hooper from the Hufflepuff house. Molly Hooper my… friend" a twitch, it must be working "Molly. Hooper, Molly. Molly Hooper the Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff Hooper some may call her… Little miss Molly Hooper." Sherlock was rewarded with a quick sly glance of the head and their eyes had met. He fooled himself into thinking she had a small smile on her face from before she turned her head.

"I'm going to talk, okay?"

No response.

"I'm going to talk." Sherlock nodded.

"I am aware that we have agreed at the beginning of this week that we would practic- that I would practice Legilimency and you Occlumency. What I am not aware of is… " Sherlock struggled to find the right words Molly would want him to use to clearly appreciate what he was about to say "What I have done to upset you."

Molly had stopped scrubbing. It was not her intent to hurt him no, only to distance herself from him enough that he would lose interest in their previous activities because of a certain thought running rampant in her mind.

"Sherlock." with a chest filled with guilt Molly stood up to face Sherlock, feeling a part of her crush at the sight of his face.

"You didn't do anything wrong…"

"Then what's the matter?"

Molly pursed her lips and licked them, it was now her turn to struggle with words.

"I… It's not you it's-"

"Spare me that, Molly." she blushed and felt shame come upon her. She felt so embarrassed that she had covered her face with her arm-not wanting the dirt from her hands to transfer on her face. She had blocked everything out and had wanted to be able to Apparate out of there and back in her bed where she could scream all her frustrations out. She was so removed from the current situation that the hand on her shoulder and the breath on her arm coupled with the deep voice of her friend asking her-almost begging-if he could meld with her mind once again.

"Nothing has been the same." Sherlock confessed and in that moment Molly realized the look on his face was not worth the distance of safety she rewarded herself.

"You're my friend." Molly's voice shook as she stared up at him. He had lowered her arm with a gentle grasp and was almost pulling her towards him with the hand on her shoulder.

"You're Sherlock Holmes, my friend. You would understand."

"I will." Sherlock promised "And even if it's hard-like people find my behavior-I promise I'll still try."

The look on both their eyes was so intense Sherlock had to give in and closed his eyes.

Legilimency would be easier if you were looking into the eyes of the person you had selected to penetrate with your mind but the two young Legilimens in the room with their mixed up thoughts and confusing feelings found it more efficient to pull one another close-with their eyes closed-and rested their foreheads upon one another.

"Legilimens."

Sherlock hears her thoughts loud and clear just as clear as she sees his.

There is a warmth in his cheeks that he can feel that are not his and he is back at the great hall. He sees himself talking and another thought comes to, like running into the wrong brick post at King's Cross.

He sees himself cupping her cheeks with a look in his eyes he never thought he could give. A barrage of thoughts and feelings washes over him.

He is worried that Sherlock might think his feelings are ridiculous. He is afraid of rejection. He feels silly. Feels ashamed, feels embarrassed. He wants to apologize but instead walks away with an excuse.

Sherlock feels like he needs to hide. Like he needs to conceal the emotions he feels. And he thinks and finds it hurtful that the emotion is normal to him.

To ignore sentiment is what Molly has been doing, she has been afraid.

Molly finds herself watching herself walk away and feeling distraught. She slides into another memory and it's similar but in a different place, she watches herself walk away. She remembers running away from him.

Molly feels guilty when she hears Sherlock's thoughts when she had run away from him.

I'm sorry. Had I done something wrong? Forgive me.

Please.

A sob escapes her lips as she slides into another memory seeing herself walking down the hall a smile on her face and remembers when he had tried to get into her mind and she had shoved him away. A frown covers her face as she walks passed him once again.

Molly feels hurt and guilty and worried as she watches herself walk away.

All this time she has been walking away from him and all of it has felt like a nightmare.

Sherlock has been pursuing sentiment once again, he has been afraid.

They are back in an instant and it feels like falling from your broom and landing on your feet very hard. They are clutching one another and when they notice they are stilled until she looks up at him with such need that he can do nothing but pull her closer.

"I'm sorry." she sobs out and he can feel the tears in the crook of his neck.

"I'm sorry too." she pulls away but doesn't quite let go and looks incredulously up at him.

"You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I fee like it." and she sobs again at his words. She pulls him close to her and cradles his head as more of comforting him rather than herself. She tangles her hands in his hair and closes her eyes as she revels the feeling of his big hands and long arms around her and holding her tightly and securely.

He doesn't feel like he's about to let go and he doesn't feel like letting go at all.

"You have done nothing wrong to say sorry. I'm sorry for walking away from you. I hadn't thought that you would feel the way you did. I'm sorry, Sherlock. Please forgive me." Sherlock nods as he tries to stop himself from crying as well, he loves the smell of her hair as he lets her cradle him and he buries hi face deeper into her.

She feels like home.

"I'm certain that when we graduate next year you'll be one of the people I will never ever forget." Molly sighs shakily.

Sherlock grins into her and she can feel it "I won't let you." Molly laughs through a runny nose.

"I fancy you, Molly Hooper." suddenly Sherlock is staring at her seriously "I don't know about love and I don't know much about it but if I were to feel love towards someone, I certainly hope it's you." Sherlock closed his eyes as Molly smiled sweetly up at him "No… that's wrong I know it's going to be you. I just don't know yet, not right no-"

"I understand." Molly pressed her forehead on his "So many things we've felt towards one another with that spell but there are just things you've got to say right?"

"Right." Sherlock laughed.

"I understand that they're hard to say to word at times and I also understand that you need time to think. I'll be here." Molly removed herself from his arms and he pulled her back.

"There is one thing you don't understand." she frowned.

"What is it?"

Sherlock held her and she stared intently up at him, waiting, as she'll be for some years.

"I… may not know if I love you now, today… but I know that you… that you…"

"That I love you." he nodded and she mouthed it. I love you.

"I want us to be just that right now… I want us to be us."

"To be in a relationship you mean." they both nodded in understanding.

Molly smiled and tilted her head "Well then I guess it's official. You're my boyfriend."

"I resent that term." Molly laughed and laid her hand on his cheek, she adored him, she admired him but most of all, she loved him.

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the BBC Sherlock world, which was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.

The story I tell here about Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mrs Hudson, Mycroft Holmes, Lestrade, Mary Watson and Molly Hooper is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of BBC's story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line.