Thanks to everyone who has expressed interest in this story so far! Onward and forward to chapter 2 to meet Molly and Lestrade. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own neither Sherlock or Harry Potter, the rights to the characters and settings go to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Stephen Moffat, Mark Gatiss, and J.K. Rowling.
Molly Hooper was enjoying her breakfast in a comfortable silence with Greg Lestrade, as per usual. It was a Monday morning, looked to be of a dreary day if the Great Hall ceiling was anything to go by, and it was back to classes for the week. Going through a mental checklist of the things she had prepared for the day, her thoughts were interrupted by her friend.
"He's doing it again, Molly. I don't like it, what's he playing at?" The Hufflepuff Head Boy was gazing with narrowed eyes past Molly to where a certain curly haired, prat of a Slytherin was intently focused on the back of a certain young Ravenclaw sitting across from him.
Though he was a seventh year and she a fifth year, the two had fallen into a natural friendship during Greg's third year at Hogwarts. An incident (a rather unfortunate one, actually) had forced an abrupt acquaintance between himself and Miss Hooper, though he quickly found that he quite liked her as a person.
Molly looked up from her plate and raised an eyebrow at Greg. "If it's Sherlock you're talking about…"
"Of course I'm talking about Sherlock! He has been checking you out, and very intently I might add, all week." He continued to mumble about the youngest Holmes, of which Molly could pick up on a few choice grumbled words, before he realized his unfortunate choice of phrase before his mate.
'Checking you out' was in somewhat poor taste, knowing of Molly's…situation. In spite of her reddened face she managed to give him a look, or what Greg had dubbed 'that look'.
"Come on, Molly, don't give me that look. He's never treated you right and I don't know why you insist on sticking up for his ungrateful arse." In turn, Greg gave Molly his own look – the one that said, 'Go on, explain that. Tell me I'm wrong, I dare you.' (Though Molly's phrasing had been something more akin to 'Lie to me and I'll throw your arse in detention with Filch for a week.')
"If you must know, Greg, it's because his ungrateful arse is also a rather nice arse." Molly grinned mischievously and stuck out her tongue at the now eye-rolling, gagging Greg Lestrade.
One of the things Molly was most grateful for was the incident (the one none of them talk about anymore) during her first year at Hogwarts, a world so unfamiliar to her as a Muggleborn. It was that event which had brought Greg Lestrade into her life. Though they had been friends for the remainder of that year, it wasn't until midway through the following year that their friendship was truly solidified.
An undeserved, abhorrent break up between Greg and his then girlfriend had ultimately led the two to a deeper understanding and the type of closeness one only shares with a sibling or best mate.
Though more often than not Greg hardly left her side, there was one point of contention between them: Sherlock Holmes. While Greg did begrudging like the Slytherin as a whole - though he'd only ever said it out loud once, to her, perhaps while a little intoxicated, and under extreme pressure (so he claims) - he didn't approve at all of the way Sherlock manipulated Molly (the Slytherin bastard).
Using someone, especially a person as unassumingly kind and genuine as Molly Hooper, and especially when taking advantage of deep set (so what if Sherlock had no clue how deep), uncontrollable emotions was just downright, morally wrong. He just wished that Molly could be as confident as she was with him around Sherlock.
"He just, he doesn't deserve you Molly. Not when he's such a complete bastard."
"You know why I do. Stick up for him, I mean." Molly spoke quietly, angling her head down so she couldn't look her friend in the eye.
Greg sighed. "I know," And he empathized with her, knew exactly what it was like. "I know." He repeated wistfully. Each took a few more bites of food, but with far less enthusiasm than when they had entered the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Come'on, I'll walk you to Charms on my way to the Dungeon." Molly nodded back with a small smile and gathered her things quietly. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw walking side by side was a familiar sight to those around them.
"Double potions today, ugh!" Greg exclaimed as they walked away from the other students eating.
"Hey, I'll switch with you any day!" Molly replied equally miserably as they rounded a corner past the Great Hall. She may be a Ravenclaw with an eager and curious mind, but Molly was quick to find that certain subjects just held little appeal for her. She only hoped that this time around her first lesson of the week would be as embarrassment free as possible as she walked away with Greg.
Molly internally snorted at the thought. Yeah, right. Who was she kidding? Charms was with the Slytherins. She was partners with Sherlock Holmes. It was going to be bloody awful.
