John and Sherlock were walking down the Hogwarts' park towards the Quidditch pitch. They were walking so close to each other that their shoulders, their arms and the backs of their hands brushed at every other step they took. Oddly enough, neither of them seemed to mind. After all, winter was on its way and a little body warmth was not unwelcome.

"Are you sure you want to come and watch the team practice?" John asked, lifting his head a bit to catch his friend's eyes.

"I don't have anything better to do with my time, so I might as well." Sherlock shrugged.

"How nice of you." The Gryffindor replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You know, I could ask Harry to kick you out. Our next game is against Ravenclaw, after all."

John grinned as he saw the corner of Sherlock's lips twitch. "Yes, you could."

The Gryffindor stifled a chuckle. He was glad Sherlock was coming, even if it was just to see Hermione. A little part of him wanted to believe that Sherlock simply wanted to spend more time with him and, no matter how unlikely the whole concept was, it made John's heart swell up in his chest.

However, none of these theories were correct. Sherlock did want to spend more time with John, but more than anything he wanted to be sure that the Gryffindor wouldn't meet another woman at Quidditch practice. The whole 'Sarah incident' – as it had come to be called – had left some unpleasant memories in his brain. Some he was desperate not to experience again.

"Wait, Sherlock! Where did you get that scarf?" John's eyebrows shot up when he noticed the red-and-golden fabric around the Ravenclaw's neck.

Sherlock simply shrugged. "I couldn't find mine, so I stole yours."

"Right." John cleared his throat. "Do you think you lost it?"

Sherlock grinned. "It is the most logical assumption. After all, I can't see any reason why someone would want to steal it."

John felt very flushed all of a sudden; surely anyone in a fifty feet radius would see his cheeks had turned bright red. He hadn't meant to steal Sherlock's scarf, he had just… forgotten to return it. It had been a pretty busy week and, oh good Lord, he really needed to stop thinking of what he'd done with that scarf or Sherlock would mistake him for a radiator. Surely the Ravenclaw could tell something was wrong and John cleared his throat.

"I'm sure it'll turn up eventually."

"It doesn't matter. I'll ask the school for a new one." John looked away smiling as Sherlock buried his nose in his friend's scarf, enjoying the scent that only one word could describe: John. Maybe he would forget to give it back too.

John saw Greg walking back to the castle and let out a quiet breath. He didn't want to hear the word 'scarf' for at least a week, he needed a distraction.

"Hi Greg!" The Hufflepuff blinked a few times before realizing someone had been calling for him. He looked up and gave them a small smile before heading in their direction.

Gregory looked exhausted. He was covered in mud from head to toe and looked as if he hadn't slept in days. Somehow, John felt that something was bothering him. "How was Quidditch practice?"

He shrugged. "Fine. It was fine." He tried a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and sighed. "Look, I'm really tired, I should be off. Good luck with your team."

"Okay." John tried to hide his concern but he couldn't say the gesture had been a success. "See you, then."

"Nice scarf." Greg chuckled, nodding towards Sherlock's neck. John winced, Sherlock grinned and Greg finally walked away.

Trying to regain some composure, John turned towards his friend. "What is wrong with him?"

"It should be fairly easy to deduce." John saw something light up in Sherlock's eyes and couldn't suppress a smile. This was his detective mode. "He had bags under his eyes, probably from lack of sleep, but his eyes were a bit puffy as well. It could be allergies or stress, but he doesn't have any important exams this year, so he's probably been crying."

John raised his eyebrows but Sherlock didn't stop. "Clearly he's upset about something. He's lost five pounds in the last two weeks so obviously he hasn't been eating much. It took him a few seconds to even acknowledge our presence, he was probably worrying over something personal which would explain the lack of focus. He didn't show any signs of his usual post-practice glee, clearly something's been keeping from enjoying this… sport of his."

Sherlock ignored John's groan and took a deep breath. "He's depressed or anxious about something. Stress is an option, but depression seems a more likely alternative."

John stared at his friend, shocked. "Do you really think he's depressed? Do you think it's about Mycroft?"

"It does seem logical to me. Mycroft tends to have that effect on people."

Sherlock couldn't help grinning but John shook his head. "Don't say things like that Sherlock. I think they genuinely care for one another…"

The Ravenclaw nodded. Mycroft had risked what a politician-to-be needed most, only to be with Lestrade: his reputation. And only Sherlock could fully understand what that sacrifice meant to his brother.

"I know." He finally whispered.

"Apparently," John said after a few minutes of silence. "Mycroft almost blackmailed Dumbledore into throwing the Ball. He nearly pushed Greg out of the closet."

"He would." Sherlock sighed.

John looked up at his friend and stood very still, keeping their eyes locked. "Maybe he wasn't ready to tell the world."

"So you think Mycroft should have waited a little longer…"

"I don't know…"

Gregory looked up from his plate the next morning, his eyes searching for a certain seventh year at the Slytherin table. Mycroft locked eyes with him almost immediately and nodded furtively. They both rose up from their respective seats and headed for the doors.

Mycroft offered him his hand and Greg gently took it, a small smile gracing his lips. "Sherlock was wearing John's scarf yesterday."

"Obviously, he had to since John stole his first." Mycroft raised a mocking eyebrow. "I know what you're thinking. Not yet."

"I suppose we'll have to wait until the day John shows up with a Ravenclaw tie around his neck to be certain."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll know way before then. Sherlock might be able to keep up a façade but John certainly isn't. I suspect he'll look like a kid on Boxing Day."

Gregory couldn't help a light chuckle from escaping his lips. "Do you think they'll hide it too?"

Mycroft glanced at him but didn't find any trace of resentment in his lover's features. Odd. "I suppose they'll act much the same way we did. John will want to keep it quiet and Sherlock will end up forcing him out."

Lestrade stopped dead in his tracks and stared up at the Slytherin boy. "You didn't force me out, Mycroft."

"Didn't I?" His eyebrow shot up sarcastically but Gregory could tell how seriously he was taking this conversation.

"No." The Hufflepuff rubbed his thumb across the back of Mycroft's hand and resumed their previous pace. "After all, you could have blackmailed me. Or threatened me. You could have put up those photos on every wall of the castle as posters."

Mycroft chuckled. "They were quite beautiful, but I wouldn't want to share them with anyone."

"And you can't imagine how thankful I am for that touching gesture." Greg answered shaking his head.

"I'm sure you can find a way to repay me."

"We'll see about that."

Mycroft felt Greg tense up and soon understand why. A group of fifth year was walking towards them, most likely to go to breakfast, possibly because they had been waiting for them. He'd soon find out.

A Slytherin boy looked down as he passed them but Mycroft could clearly see his lips moving. These kids had no style whatsoever. "Queers."

The quiet whisper triggered a few chuckles from the group and Mycroft let out a sigh. No elegance. No guts. No originality. So it wasn't planned. These kids didn't even try, it was so tiresome.

"Mr. Anderson. Twenty points from Slytherin." He grinned but didn't even turn back to look at them. "Next time you try to seduce your friend's girlfriend, make sure she isn't wearing this horrid perfume of hers."

They could hear shouting voices dying down in the background as they took the stairs. "How did you know about the girlfriend thing?"

Mycroft was smiling broadly by now. "I didn't."

He turned to the Hufflepuff, expecting a smile but Gregory was looking away. He tightened his grip on the boy's hand and let out a sigh.

He had to do something. He simply couldn't let things go on like this, something was bothering Greg and no matter how much he hated to admit it, he needed outside help. Mycroft swallowed hard and steeled himself as he walked down Hogwarts' grounds.

He had never thought he would need help in that department, but it now seemed like he didn't have much of a choice. He was getting restless himself. Something had to be done.

He walked past the familiar bush and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who we'd been looking for. John had his head propped up on Sherlock's shoulder and looked very comfortable indeed. He raised a cynical eyebrow and cleared his throat, drawing the boy's attention.

"I'm sorry to interrupt such a sweet domestic scene."

John jerked away as if burnt and Sherlock sent him his best glare. "Sod off, Mycroft."

The Slytherin grinned and shook his head. "Always so aggressive, Sherlock."

"What do you want now?" Sherlock's voice was so cold it could have frozen a roaring fire. John rolled his eyes at his friend's tone, however Mycroft looked undisturbed.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm," Sherlock groaned but Mycroft didn't pay him any attention. "however, I simply require a word with John."

Sherlock looked instantly suspicious and John's head snapped up. "No." The Ravenclaw simply stated.

"Now, now Sherlock. I understand how close you two are to each other, but surely, John can answer for himself."

John could almost hear Sherlock's thoughts on the matter and decided to silence them. He placed his hand on the Ravenclaw's arm, effectively calming him. "It's all right, Sherlock."

Mycroft looked at the two of them with growing interest. They didn't need to speak, their expressions were clearer than any words could have been. As Mycroft imagined it, the dialogue went something like this:

"Don't be so stupid John, it's Mycroft!"

"I know, Sherlock. And I can take care of myself."

"Don't take anything he says for granted; he's probably lying through his teeth."

Mycroft could almost hear the quiet sigh John let out. "I know. I've met him before."

The Slytherin cleared his throat and raised a mocking eyebrow, earning two glares at once this time. John turned back to Sherlock and whispered: "I'll be right back."

Sherlock simply nodded in return and sent Mycroft one last glare for good measure. John sighed and got up, following Mycroft towards the lake. "This will only take a minute."

The Gryffindor nodded and stopped five good feet away from Mycroft. "I'm listening."

For the first time in his life John actually remarked that Mycroft was a little embarrassed. He wasn't scratching his head or balancing his weight from one foot to another. To anyone else, he might have seemed like his usual self, but there was something in his smile that didn't seem quite as natural as it usually was.

"First, I must demand the utmost discretion from you, John." Mycroft raised a hand and answered the unspoken question. "No, you can't mention it to Sherlock."

"This will depend on what you have to say." John's experience had taught him never to promise anything to Mycroft until he had read the full contract.

"This is a matter of great importance to me." Mycroft let out a sigh before meeting John's eyes, his gaze suddenly very intense. "Now listen carefully, because you shall never hear those words again."

John frowned a little but found he couldn't quite move or speak. There was something in Mycroft's expression that told him he took this very seriously. "I need your help."

The Gryffindor simply stood there, his mouth half open, for what seemed like an hour. "You… You need my… What? Why?"

Mycroft shook his head in exasperation. "I need you to talk to Gregory. Something is bothering him and I want to know what it is. I need to know what it is, John."

John blinked furiously. "Have you considered asking him?"

Mycroft sent him a don't-be-so-thick look that could have put Sherlock to shame and John berated himself. Of course, he had tried. "He won't talk to me. Not about this."

John couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn Mycroft's voice had sounded a little smaller than before. "All right. I'll talk to him."

This time the relief was apparent on the Slytherin's face and that fact alone disturbed John to no end. "But. I won't tell you anything if Gregory asks me not to."

Mycroft stood very still for a few seconds, his expression perfectly blank. "I understand."

John nodded and the Slytherin started walking away towards the castle. After a few strides, he stopped and turned back. "Thank you John."

"You're welcome." John took a few deep breath, letting the encounter sink in, before walking back to the bench. Sherlock's eyes snapped up as soon as he saw John and the Ravenclaw frowned.

"What did he want?"

"You know he made me promise not to tell you." John chuckled.

"So?" Sherlock almost groaned.

"So I can't tell you." The Gryffindor sighed. "It had nothing to do with you, but…"

"What is it?"

"You know when I told you I thought your brother genuinely cared for Gregory?" Sherlock nodded and John shook his head in disbelief. "I think I was right."

Sherlock frowned for a moment before sitting up, putting his elbows on his knees and his hands under his chin. John let out a deep sigh. Of course Sherlock would try to deduce what Mycroft had told him. Unfortunately for the Ravenclaw, John couldn't let him do that. He felt uncomfortable breaking Mycroft's trust on this issue.

The Gryffindor kicked Sherlock and grabbed his own lunch. "Don't do that. I promised."

"Well, I didn't. And I am at liberty to occupy my own mind as I see fit."

"Not until you've eaten some lunch." John knew his attempt was futile, but it was still worth a shot.

"I don't need it. Besides, I can't eat while I'm thinking, you know that."

"Well, stop thinking then." John grabbed his lunch and almost smashed it on Sherlock's lap. The Ravenclaw simply put it back in his friend's hand, not even looking up.

"Please, Sherlock." John knew he sounded a bit desperate by now. In fact, he was. He looked up at his friend and saw that Sherlock wasn't even paying attention to him. For some reason, this irritated him more than Sherlock trying to discover what Mycroft had told him.

Against what his better judgment would have said if he was still in a position to listen to it, John let go of his lunch bag and roughly settled himself on Sherlock's lap, grasping both of his friend's hands and pulling them apart.

"Sherlock! Listen to me! You haven't eaten in two days!"

"So what?" Sherlock tried to fight John's grip but soon found that the Gryffindor was much stronger than he was.

"You need to eat something. And you need to let this go." John sat up a bit straighter to tower over Sherlock, trying to make his point.

Sherlock tried to get him off, kicking his legs and giving him his best glare but John didn't let go. He moved a bit closer to the Ravenclaw and pinned his hands against the bench. "Oh no, you don't."

Sherlock stopped moving and John realized just how close they were to each other. Their faces were only inches apart from each other, their breath mingling together. John was now staring at his friend, not daring to look down at their hips almost joined together.

He saw Sherlock's eyes flash with something he had never seen before and he forgot to breathe for a few seconds. His eyes dropped to Sherlock's lips and he swallowed hard. They were so full and just a little bit moist.

John looked back into Sherlock's eyes and felt his heart flutter. His usual stern expression was gone, he looked so unguarded… John licked his lips in an unconscious gesture and looked back down at Sherlock's mouth. It was so close to his own, if he could just move a few inches further… He could feel his heart beating in his temple and held his breath. How he wanted to know what Sherlock's lips would taste like, how they would feel against his own. If he could just…

"Oh." Hermione's voice pulled them both out of their trance. John quickly moved back and up on his feet, struggling to keep his balance. He knew Sherlock was avoiding his gaze and that was just as good, he looked away too, wishing the ground would swallow him whole. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

John couldn't tell if Hermione was gleeful or annoyed. And to be honest, he didn't really care. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, not daring to look up. "That's okay. I… I need to speak to Greg anyway."

He walked away, willing his legs not to shake. "See you." He could tell his face was flushed but didn't look up to see Hermione's reaction.

As soon as the Gryffindor girl felt sure that John could no longer hear them she sat next to Sherlock. "I'm so sorry, I never imagined you two would… well… God I'm sorry."

Sherlock let out a hollow laugh. "It doesn't matter. What did you want to tell me?"

Hermione frowned for a minute. "I can't remember." She shook her head, a grin plastered all over her face. "Who cares? I can't believe you two were about to kiss! So what happened?"

"What do you mean? Nothing happened."

Hermione gaped at him. "You've got to be kidding, Sherlock. I saw you. Spill it!"

"There's nothing to say." Sherlock shrugged. "He's not interested in me that way."

"If he's not interested in you, what the hell was that about?"

"He's a teenage boy! I'm sure he would hump a tree if he had to!"

Hermione let out a sigh but Sherlock could tell she was furious about something. But what would she be angry about? It wasn't like… Ow! The Gryffindor had just punched him in the arm. Hard.

"What was that for?"

"For someone so smart you can be really thick sometimes, you know." Sherlock glared at her but Hermione didn't even flinch. "Oh, never mind. You'll find out soon enough. It shouldn't be long now…"

Sherlock shot her a questioning look but she ignored it. Hermione looked positively beaming by now, however, a question kept nagging at the back of his brain: What did she mean?

There you go for today :) Please, take the time to leave me a review, I'd really appreciate it, whatever you have to say :)

One more chapter to go, I'll upload tomorrow, and then it's over ;)