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Breaking the surface of the lake, John gasps for air, pulling in a much needed breath. Next to him, Sherlock is floating, still unconscious in the icy water. Hands appear above them, grasping at their robes and dragging them onto the platform where the spectators are waiting.
A voice booms out, “And John Watson, Hogwarts champion, is the first to return with his objective, earning him fifty points.”
John rolls over, coughing up lake water, and pushes himself up to look for Sherlock. His vision suddenly fills with a blur of green and silver, and he blinks as cold fingers grab his face.
“John! Merlin, you were under the water for so long, I was beginning to think we had lost you,” Mary yells over the din of the crowd. “I thought I was going to have to find myself a new boyfriend!” She laughs easily.
John’s eyes water in the cold air, and he tries to focus on the face in front of him. He can see the blonde hair and the pink lipstick, but his gaze keeps drifting, searching desperately for a sign of Sherlock.
“Where is he? Where’s Sherlock?” he asks as he finally meets Mary’s eyes. “What happened to him?”
Mary’s brow furrows in confusion, and her hands slip from his cheeks as she sits back on her heels.
“Sherlock is fine, I guess,” she mutters. Glancing behind him she adds, “Still unconscious. He’ll be okay in a couple of minutes. Why are you so worried about him? Are you okay?”
“Hmm, what? Yeah, I’m fine. He’s unconscious?” John pushes himself to his feet, spinning around to look for Sherlock. Spotting a small crowd close by, his eyes finally catch on a mop of dark curly hair lying on the platform. John stumbles over, falling to his knees at Sherlock’s side.
Placing his hands gently on either side of Sherlock’s head, John turns him to look at the unnaturally still face of his friend.
“Sherlock? Come on Sherlock, talk to me, yeah? You’re out of the water now, I’ve got you. You just have to wake up.” His voice starts to shake. “I didn’t rescue you for nothing. I had to swim to the bottom of the lake to get you, you unappreciative prick. This is the thanks I get? Come on, Sherlock!”
John feels Sherlock begin to stir beneath his hands, and inwardly sighs with relief. He releases Sherlock’s face and sits back as the other boy’s eyes open and he tries to sit up. Sherlock’s eyes find John, and a confused look settles upon his face.
“John? Y-you came to save me?”
“Of course I did, you arse. You’re my best friend, what did you expect? I wasn’t going to leave you down there.”
“But why me? The headmistress said that they would take what the champions would miss the most-”
A voice cuts through Sherlock’s explanation, “What?!”
John turns his head to find Mary standing over them, shock and anger written across her face. She crosses her arms. “What. What were you talking about. Explain.”
Sherlock starts reluctantly, eyes flicking back to John, “Well, you see, when the headmistress summoned all of us to her office she explained that we would be used as the goal in the second task, something that each of the champions would sorely miss. More specifically, the person that they’d miss the most. When you told me about the clue, I assumed from my observations, that Mary would be taken from you.” He scowls, “I was apparently wrong. They took me instead.” He looks back at John, a question in his eyes, “But why? Why did they take me? I still don’t understand.”
John swallows and raises his eyes to meet Sherlock’s. He opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, Mary cuts in.
“Alright, you know what? I’m done. This has been lovely and all, but I can’t take it anymore. I’m through with always coming in second to the great Sherlock Holmes. Apparently even the headmistress could see it, it was so obvious. So guess what? I’m done. Goodbye John. I hope you both are sickeningly happy together.”
Mary storms off across the platform, upset and hurt, but not completely surprised. John watches her leave, and turns back to Sherlock, still puzzled. Sherlock is looking down at his hands, avoiding John’s face.
“They must have made a mistake,” he mumbles, “You can go now. I’m perfectly alright.” Sherlock rises to his feet and stalks away, leaving John frozen on the platform.
After several seconds of stunned silence, John springs to his feet and runs after his friend. Reaching him, John grabs Sherlock’s shoulder and spins him so they’re face to face.
“Hold on now, you don’t get to flounce away from me. Do you really think that I don’t care about you? You think that I would have just left you down there? I don’t understand, Sherlock, you need to talk to me.”
“What’s there to talk about? It’s completely obvious. I thought you felt the same way, but I guess you don’t. It’s fine, it won’t make our friendship awkward. I’ll delete the whole thing; I’ve done it before.”
“Feel the same way? Deleting? Why would delete how you feel?”
“Because you don’t love me back!” Sherlock shouts, all of the blood immediately draining from his face as he realizes what he has said.
John stares at him, mouth gaping, unable to form a response. Sherlock begins to leave, but John’s hand catches Sherlock’s and holds fast. Neither of them says a word as they stand there at the edge of the lake, hands intertwined. Sherlock waits for John to break the silence, but there’s no sound, just the clamor of the crowds around them on the platform.
“John, you either need to say something or let me leave. Your silence is worrying me. I’m sorry that Mary left you because of me, but if you hurry, you could probably catch her.”
“Why would I want to catch her?” John murmurs, “I’ve already got what I need.” And with that, John pulls Sherlock closer and crashes their lips together.
It’s not a very successful kiss, and they both break away almost immediately. Sherlock blinks rapidly, trying to process what just happened.
John rubs the back of his neck, blushing, and says, “Wow. Well, that was a lot more violent than I had imagined our first kiss to be.”
Sherlock blinks a few more times, still stuck on the kiss from a few moments before. “So. You do feel the same way?”
John scoffs and answers, “Sherlock, I’m pretty sure I’ve loved you since I met that skinny little first-year on the Hogwarts Express.” He smiles, remembering, “Back when I was still taller than you.”
Sherlock still looks confused, “But what about Mary?”
John looks down, shifting and replies, “I dated Mary because I didn’t ever think you could love me back. I mean, you’re brilliant and-”
Sherlock grasps John’s face, cutting him off, and stares directly into his eyes. “I might be brilliant, but John Watson, you’re amazing.” Leaning down, Sherlock gently presses his lips to John’s in a much more coordinated kiss than their first. They kiss for a few moments until they both become aware that they are standing on a very public platform with a large amount of people watching them.
They break apart and John blushes, smiling warmly as he tugs Sherlock across the platform.
“Come on Sherlock, I want to avoid the reporters,” John whispers as they head towards the castle. “I think we have a lot to talk about, and a lot of time to make up for.”