Let Us All Make History

The Token of A Tie

Molly POV: They knew that Sherlock wouldn't return in the night, or at least Molly knew enough not to wait up for him. The question of whether or not he would return until morning was Victor's to answer, for it wasn't like Sherlock would be going to Molly's room when he returned. He would certainly be late, however she had a sneaking hope that he would return before the sun started to poke through the horizon. No it wasn't because she was jealous or anything stupid like that, she didn't want to deprive Sherlock of the experiences most all kids at this age had already had...well it was just that she wanted to think more of him than this. Not that there was anything wrong with people who hooked up on the first semi sort of date, it was just that she had always thought of Sherlock as shy, innocent almost. To think that the moment John showed any interest in him he would just throw himself into his arms was against what Molly had always hoped he would be. And yet she knew that in the end she would be disappointed, for she had no real confidence in Sherlock's self-control. She knew that he had been aching for John to notice him romantically ever since he had met him for the first time in the potions hallway; this really was bound to happen. And yet to think that it was actually happening...well it would seem as though Molly would be the only one who left this trip without leaving something behind, so to speak. First Victor and now Sherlock, well they what were they trying to prove to themselves? Were they taking advantage of never having to see these foreigners again, were they just trying to live before they left it all behind? Or was this just how seventh year was supposed to go? Was Molly the odd one out here, and not the boys? Was she being a prude, or was she being sensible? They were only seventeen, after all, well of course it was perfectly logical to play it safe right now, and besides, they had no risk of any long term issues, like pregnancies and whatnot. How miserable would that be, if Molly arrived home six months pregnant! Well of course that was reason enough to keep herself innocent, and really she had to stop rationalizing from there. Boys will be boys, it would seem, and Molly would be smart. In the end they'd only grow miserable, for their one night Romeos might forget about them when they left, while Molly was growing a lasting, loving relationship with Greg. She was being smart, just as she had always been taught to be, and she could only regret that her friends weren't following her lead. Come morning Molly woke rather early, for she hadn't been able to sleep all that well anyway. Janine was still asleep when Molly pulled on her robes and trudged over to the boy's room, having no hesitations whatsoever to wake them up just to see who was occupying the room. It was Sunday, and so there was no real wake up call, however it was already seven o'clock and so they wouldn't be losing too much sleep if she disturbed them at this hour. Molly crept down the empty, silent hallway to the door and tried the handle. Thankfully it was unlocked, and so when she eased it open she could see the darkened shapes of the beds. One bed was filled, and the Victor sized lump under the covers didn't even budge as the sliver of light from the hallway snuck inside and illuminated him ever so slightly. The other bed, however, was unoccupied. Molly took a deep breath, trying to tell herself that was she had been expecting anyway, before shutting the door as softly as she could and made her way over to the sitting room. There was a little tea tray set out, and so Molly prepared herself a cup and sat on a nice chair facing the window, so as to watch for any approaching figures. It was rather lonely this morning, for she was the only one awake. However Molly couldn't dream of going back to bed now, not when she was so worked up over Sherlock's absence. Of course there were some other reasons as to why Sherlock stayed out all night with the boy he had been in love with...none very plausible but they were possible all the same. Maybe John had taken him into the forbidden forest, and they were trapped somewhere by large creatures that disappeared when the sun rose? That was a possibility! Or they had taken a rowboat out onto the lake without paddles, using their wands for transport before dropping them into the lake and getting stranded...well that was a possibility as well! That or they were somewhere under the quidditch bleachers, lying together on top of their robes while the sun rose, just stirring as they began to twist in the other's arms...oh that was a possibility as well. Molly heaved a great sigh, sipping at her now sour tea (she had added too much lemon) and looked out the window at the sparkling lake, bright with the light of the newly arrived sun. It was bound to be freezing out, for the sky was cloudless and even the windows produced a chill. Molly didn't know much about the weather forecast, however she had a suspicion that snow should be falling any day now. It snowed in France of course, however she had heard that their accumulation was nothing compared to up here in Scotland, and she was looking forward to the first snow fall. It had of course sprinkled a bit since Christmas, and yet there was bound to be a huge storm sooner or later. Oh she shivered just thinking about it! And yet it was exciting all the same. Molly had come here for opportunities, new ones at that, and she wasn't alone! However her new opportunities seemed to be new weather, while Sherlock and Victor seemed to be appreciating everything else these schools had to offer. Oh was she being childish, was she being too nervous, too critical of them? Was she upset that Sherlock was with John just for her own sake, just because now she was the only one that hadn't been with someone in that romantic way? When Victor had first confessed it had seemed obscene, it had seemed completely outlandish and rather disgusting, however now it was almost normalized into their lives, now it seemed as though just something people do. Was it really that simple? Molly's thoughts were interrupted when her picturesque view of the lake began to be interrupted, people stirred near the banks, two figures, walking groggily up towards the sloping lawns very close together. The first one wasn't as easy to identify from afar, but the second was almost undeniably Sherlock, therefore confirming the identity of the other. Sherlock was wearing his blue robes, and the tall, lanky silhouette had a large head of hair visible even from this distance, therefore ensuring that it really was her missing friend after all. What they had been doing near the lake was just as much of a mystery as what they had been doing overall, however Molly had to take a breath and just be thankful that Sherlock was safe as of now. Maybe they really had been stuck in a rowboat after all? As the figures neared the carriage Molly saw them pause for a moment, looking at each other as if saying their final goodbyes until breakfast. For a moment it was awkward, Sherlock was doing his usual rolling back on his heels routine while John said something, and then of course Sherlock leaned in and gave John a farewell kiss, making Molly wince but smile all the same. John returned the kiss, which was all that mattered. She hoped to look away and yet it was over before she could respond, and finally Sherlock started off to the carriage while John waited for a moment, putting his hands into his pockets and watching as Sherlock started away up the hill, watching him as if he still couldn't believe he had scored such a magnificent date. Molly picked up a book as soon as she knew that Sherlock would be coming, switching chair so that he didn't think she had a view of what had just happened, and sipped at her tea innocently until he arrived. At first Sherlock didn't notice her, the door opened and closed softly as Sherlock began to creep off down the hallway towards his room. Molly was almost tempted not to say anything, to just let him be and forget his absence entirely, however just as soon as she began to drop her head and mind her own business Sherlock did a quick glance and spotted her where she sat. Thankfully Sherlock looked happy, for his face lit up with that beautiful smile and he turned to join her on the little sofa near the coffee table. He looked tired yet rejuvenated, with his eyes looking a bit saggy and his lips looking a bit puffy, and Molly noticed now that he had a red and gold tie tucked messily into his collar, almost as if John had given it to him specially.
"Molly! Molly oh what a beautiful morning, what a beautiful day, Molly I think I'm just going to die!" Sherlock exclaimed excitedly, falling onto his own couch so that he could stick his feet off the end of the opposite armrest and still have room to cushion his head.
"Dying doesn't sound like a good thing." Molly concluded, however Sherlock's goofy smile was enough to convince her that he meant it in a purely metaphorical sense.
"It's a wonderful thing...well not dying obviously! But if you could die from happiness, Molly, then begin writing my eulogy." Sherlock warned.
"I'm assuming everything happened just as you predicted it?" Molly wondered with a bit of a stern look, one which Sherlock never noticed as he was too busy staring at the ceiling with a grin.
"Better, it was better. He was just...well I've never been so in love. I don't think it would be possible to have your heart strain more for someone in one moment of time than mine did last night. He was so beautiful, and gentle, and so loving, just the most romantic being I have ever come into contact with." Sherlock muttered in a love sick sort of way, rolling over onto his side and smiling once more at Molly, as if expecting her to start gushing about how happy she was for him. Well she wasn't going to gush, of course, however she did manage a smile.
"I'm happy for you." Molly said with a nod. Sherlock smiled right back, nodding so that his head looked almost ready to fall off of his neck.
"I'm happy for me too. It's been what, five or so months, and it's only just now happened? I've been in love with him from the start...it's been five months." Sherlock breathed.
"You spent the um...spent the night with him I imagined?" Molly presumed.
"You mean did we have..."
"Yes! Don't...please don't say it. That's vulgar." Molly interrupted, hiding her face just in case Sherlock was going to try to mouth it out all the same.
"Apologies. And yes." Sherlock muttered, giggling once more and letting his arms dangle over the couch like a lovesick child. He was just as bad as Victor, maybe even worse, when it came to swooning over your new relationships.
"Oh." Molly muttered. Sherlock paused for a moment, looking up at her as if wondering why she wasn't happy for him.
"Is there something wrong with that? I thought that's what we all knew was going to happen?" Sherlock wondered almost worriedly, looking at Molly as if he was now worried he had somehow disappointed her.
"No, nothing wrong of course. I just...well I'm happy for you." Molly assured.
"You already said that." Sherlock pointed out, straightening up on the couch just so that he could look at Molly a bit more critically. "Molly is everything alright? Oh don't' tell me you're in love with me too? I've had enough from Victor as it is..."
"Oh stop it Sherlock, I'm not in love with you." Molly snapped. "But don't you think you're going a bit...fast?"
"To be fair, Victor didn't even know Sebastian's last name until..."
"Forget about Victor, we've always known he was an idiot." Molly snapped, to which Sherlock just smiled in agreement. "I'm worried about you."
"You've no need to worry about me, Molly I've known John forever now. And you know that this wouldn't have been the first time if he hadn't been so stubborn, we should've kissed ages ago, and it's his fault that we didn't. We're following the same timeline that was created on that quidditch pitch, it's the same order of events it's just we had skipped over a few because of his ignorance. Last night was destiny, Molly, it just so happens to be unprecedented." Sherlock assured with a little shrug. Molly sighed heavily, for she hated how much sense that mad. Sherlock always had a way of making something seem a lot better than it probably was, and this was just another occurrence of how his soothing words could ease her preoccupations with his more nerve wracking actions. As hard as it was to relax Molly seemed to have no other choice, and so instead of complaining to Sherlock about how she was worried he was being irresponsible, well she could only take a deep breath and nod.
"That's a good way to put it." Molly admitted finally, to which Sherlock nodded proudly and stared down at his feet for a moment, a smile reappearing on his face as he gently reached out and touched the tie around his neck. It was obvious that he was waiting for her to comment on it.
"What's the tie about?" Molly asked finally, to which Sherlock sat up tall and displayed it proudly.
"It's a Hogwarts thing, I guess. When you get a new companion you switch ties, and even though I don't have a tie of my own he still gave me his, as a sort of claim I suppose." Sherlock said with a grin.
"That's sweet. Greg never gave me his tie." Molly muttered with a frown, to which Sherlock shrugged almost regretfully.
"Then maybe it's not just a companion thing, maybe it's a morning after present." Sherlock suggested.
"Maybe so." Molly agreed glumly, watching as Sherlock observed the fabric once more and feeling almost like a fool. She was sure that if that was the way things were in Beauxbatons she'd be the only one above year four without someone else's tie, and to think about some of the other girls...well they'd have a collection by now.

"Is Victor awake? I know he probably doesn't want to know...but I want to tell him anyway." Sherlock admitted with a grin, looking behind him as if expecting Victor to have arrived in the short moment that Sherlock had remembered him.
"No he's still asleep, everyone is asleep." Molly admitted with a shrug.
"So why are you up?" Sherlock wondered, leaning over onto his knees so that he could balance his chin on his fists and smile at Molly with a very squished little expression.
"I'm up because I couldn't sleep, I was worried about you." Molly admitted.
"No need to worry about me, Molly. I was quite alright." Sherlock assured. Molly nodded, taking a sip of her ever cooling tea and smiling halfheartedly.
"So what happened last night, other than the obvious? Where did he take you?" Molly wondered, feeling the need to talk about Sherlock's adventures because that was what he was waiting to blab about. He was so excited to share, and obviously Molly's sour mood shouldn't be restricting him from going on and on about how much he loves John Watson.
"Oh it was magical, quite magical. He took me on a walk near the lake, and we talked on the way there you know, just small talk. Then we got on the subject of the potion, and love and that. And I was just talking when finally I guess something snapped in him, and he didn't even let me finish. He kissed me, I kissed back, we ended up in the grass and it all just went from there. I woke up this morning wrapped in his arms..." Sherlock breathed, closing his eyes for a moment as if he was trying to remember back to when he had the honor of feeling John's lungs inflate, feeling his heart beat against his bare chest. Molly smiled softly to herself, knowing that Sherlock was just living for those memories, he was existing for them.
"That's beautiful Sherlock." Molly said truthfully, all while Sherlock smiled proudly.
"Yes it is. He is. Quite beautiful." Sherlock agreed with a happy sigh. Molly hesitated for a moment, trying to sip at her tea so as to prevent herself from saying anything she might ultimately regret.
"You don't think it's odd that I'm...innocent? You don't think I'm being a prude about all this?" Molly wondered in a small voice, almost as if she hoped that Sherlock wouldn't hear the question. However he heard, because he donned that motherly face that Molly was usually the one to wear, the one that literally said 'I love you the way you are' without any words.
"Molly don't even let those thoughts get into your head! Of course you're being perfectly rational! In fact you're the most sane of us all, you're the only one here that practices good relationship skills. Victor and I...well we're guys. And certainly I don't have to tell you about the chemical defects that men have, making it impossible to get within a ten meter radius of someone we're attracted to being we're automatically throwing ourselves on them." Sherlock muttered with a small grin. Molly couldn't help but giggle nervously, shaking her head as if she knew she was being stupid.
"That's true." She agreed. "You just don't think that Greg will be...mad at me?"
"Molly, I say this in all honestly, and you have my honest word. If he gets mad at you for something that's your choice, I will personally hold his head under the Black Lake until he drowns in his own stupidity." Sherlock promised, reaching out so as to pat Molly on the head like a dog. She smiled, she couldn't help it. When Sherlock got all defensive she had to appreciate it, for usually it was the other way around. Sherlock hardly ever got to help Molly with her problems, and yet he always seemed to have a way to ensure her of things that she already knew. Of course he was right; he was always right about these things.
"I suppose you're right." Molly said finally, to which Sherlock let out a nice laugh, a laugh that always had a way of calming her down. She was being stupid, this was Sherlock's morning of triumph and for once she was the one dragging them all down into the mud with her.
"Why don't we go get breakfast, we can sit with the Gryffindors and flirt with our boys." Sherlock suggested, getting to his feet and holding out a hand for Molly to take. She could only smile at him, taking his hand and letting Sherlock lead her out of the carriage and up the slopes to the Great Hall, already anticipating the masses of delicious food and the overabundance of beautiful boys that were awaiting them at the Gryffindor table.