Forever Sounds Fair

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The night went just as Molly had expected it to, not much real conversation other than that on the topic of the tournament and classes and whatnot. It turned out that, as predicted, John really had nothing in common with the rest of them. Certainly he was a good conversationalist nonetheless; he seemed to care about all topics even if he really couldn't care less. Molly was also good at this skill; however it was Victor and Sherlock that really struggled. Victor barely said anything at all, and if he did actually open his mouth it was only to say something derogatory or pessimistic, which was always his basic role In most conversations anyway. Needless to say he wasn't making it very easy to appreciate or even tolerate his presence, and it was obvious that John was beginning to feel the vibes from across the room. Sherlock, on the other hand, would, instead of snapping at things he didn't like, simply ignore it, go off thinking about one thing or that other, looking at John, or close his eyes for a moment until someone realized his disinterest. It was a very needy way to go about changing the topics, especially when it would seem that he had no sort of initiative to change anything himself, however it ended up working. John was very nice about that sort of thing, as soon as he would notice Sherlock looking off into the back of his eyelids he would prod him gently and make sure he felt included, whether that be by asking him what he wanted to talk about, kissing him, or simply offering him a flavor from the now nearly empty box of Bertie Bot's. Molly had been watching him eat those things all night, and it would seem that he hadn't even come across a foul one. That was curious of course, because it seemed as though there was usually an even ratio between the good and bad ones, or at least that was what had been claimed. So maybe he had been getting bad ones and just dealing with it, swallowing them so as to not make too much of a scene (like Victor had, of course). When finally things got quiet Molly decided that she would try to start the chain of leaving, announcing that it was time for her to go to bed. She got up and said her farewells; half hoping that John would decide that it was time to take his leave. He was silent, however, staying with Sherlock and joining the chorus of goodnights that came from all about the room. Molly then stared at Victor, as if trying to get him to come and sleep on the couches out in the sitting room or something so as to give the two privacy, however he didn't seem to get the message and so he stayed quiet, kicking his feet against the bed and staring at the couple miserably. He was quiet, and so Molly took her leave, just hoping that when she woke up she found all three of them safe and sound in their beds. 

 Sherlock POV: There was a meeting called for the champions just a month before the third task, a meeting that he could only hope would provide them some clues for what was to come. They were in the dark on this one, at least for the first task Dumbledore had alluded to the skills they would need, and for the second they had gotten the dolls, but for the third task, well what were they supposed to do to prepare? I mean there really wasn't a chance of Sherlock preparing anyway, for he was kind of a procrastinator when it came to that sort of thing. Besides, he was already starting to lose the tournament to Sebastian, so what was the point anymore? Survive, that seemed like a nice goal. John seemed pretty content on trying to win a task of his own, for he had been at an unfair disadvantage during the second task (a disadvantage that the judges had never taken into account), and he was trying to prepare the best he could. He was even going to the library now, and consulting books on defensive and offensive spells to better himself for the mysteries that were going to come in the third task. Sherlock joined him on these trips, not only because he loved the library but because he loved John as well, however John kept insisting that he should probably stay behind. Just because they were together now didn't mean that they weren't competitors, and if Sherlock got a look at John's strategy then he might have some sort of advantage over Sebastian. Sherlock of course suggested they invite Sebastian to their library parties as well; however John saw that as more of a joke than an actual offer and declined with an equally confused voice. Sherlock practiced for the tournament when he was annoyed by Victor, he used all sorts of stunning, binding, and miscellaneous jinxes when Victor got all snarky or mean. Victor has been donning a short fuse for these past couple of weeks, and these days it seemed as though anything could set him off. This morning it was that the bowl of scrambled eggs wasn't in reach, and he made a great big fuss about the nerve of some people, not considering that some people wanted to eat their eggs without having to lean over three other people's plates to ladle them. After dinner Sherlock and John headed down to the room where they were first collected, the night of the selection, down below the staff room. Sebastian was waiting for them when they arrived, sitting forlorn on a chair next to the fire, leaned over on his knees so that he could stare more effectively into the flames. He was alone. 

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