Once they were outside, they all kicked off as soon as there was open air, souring through the skies. John felt, as he always did when flying, that all of his problems were far behind him, left on the ground as he climbed to the clouds. Unfortunately one of his problems was also on a broomstick, right next to him. They did a couple of laps around the castle, racing a few, but John’s broom out flew them all easily. Greg had brought a quaffle, so they took a huge risk by passing it around the towers, knowing that if it went crashing through a window they were going to get in a lot of trouble. But the three of them were skilled quidditch players, even if Mycroft didn’t play. They managed to keep the quaffle in control, sometimes they had to dive down to get it, but other than that there were no problems. By lunch time they were all sweaty and wind beaten, John had no doubts that his hair stuck up in the oddest ways possible. They landed outside of the doors, just in time to meet the lunch rush, students from all the houses walking down to the Great Hall. John looked around, hoping to see Sherlock, but at the moment he wasn’t there. He wondered what Sherlock was up to, and he hoped that he wasn’t breaking any school rules. John and Greg said goodbye to Mycroft (what a shame) and they sat down at the Gryffindor table, loading their plates with food. John wanted to watch the door, just in case Sherlock came, but Sherlock might get the wrong message if he did.
“Sherlock alert.” Greg muttered. That was easy. John looked up, seeing Sherlock walking to the Ravenclaw table, looking nervous still. “What’s his problem?”
“I have no idea, he’s been so nervous around me, it’s like he thinks I’ll never talk to him again because of, you know, that.” John said.
“I see some awkward conversation in your future.” Greg muttered.
“You should replace Trelawney.” John muttered.
“Ya, I bet I’m loads better.” Greg agreed with a laugh. But it wasn’t very funny to John because Greg was right, there would be a lot of awkward conversation. John finished his sandwich as slowly as possible, but he knew there was no avoiding Sherlock, even if Sherlock wanted to avoid him. He said goodbye to Greg, getting up, grabbing his broom from underneath the table, and walking over to Sherlock at the Ravenclaw table. There wasn’t any food on his plate yet again, he was just staring at it.
“Hey.” John said behind him. Sherlock jumped, turning around quickly as if John was about to attack him. John jumped back, almost bumping into the back of a Slytherin seventh year.
“John, sorry, hi.” Sherlock said quickly, looking like he wanted to do something to help but not finding anything to help with.
“You seem a little jumpy today, anything on your mind?” John asked, twirling his broom apprehensively in his hands.
“Um, no, just homework.” Sherlock said with a forced smile that turned into what looked like a grimace.
“Let’s take a walk.” John decided, thinking the unavoidable conversation was best in private. Sherlock nodded, joining John to walk yet again outside onto the lawn. It seemed to be deserted, which made things a bit simpler. John didn’t want to start the conversation, he didn’t even know what he was going to say, but he wanted things to not be awkward between him and Sherlock. The fall air was a lot colder than John had expected, just like last night, which didn’t make anything easier.
“So, um, I have no idea what to say.” John muttered. Sherlock smiled weakly. “Well there’s a million things running through my mind, and I know you probably feel the same way, but I just want to clear things up.” Sherlock nodded, but seemed unable to find any words either. He only took stolen glances at John, concentrating on the landscape and the lake, as if he was scared of looking at John.
 “It might make this easier if you said something.” John pointed out.
“Not for me.” Sherlock said in a small voice.
“You know what I’m talking about right?” John asked. Sherlock nodded again, John imagined, since Sherlock hadn’t been in a relationship before, that it had been prying at his mind ever since it happened.
“I would like to say that there is nothing different between the two of us, nothing that ever happens will break our friendship.” John assured. Sherlock seemed to cheer up just a little bit, or at least John thought he did, he couldn’t see his face.
“What was it?” Sherlock asked finally, using a confident voice that didn’t reflect his appearance at all. He looked like a kid about to hide in a corner. John sighed, that was a difficult question to answer.
“I think it was going to be, a kiss.” John said, practically forcing the last words through the barrier of awkwardness. Sherlock inhaled sharply, as if he had suspected that but now that John had said it, it must be set in stone.
“I understand then why you pulled away.” Sherlock said, his confident voice drifting away.
“No, Sherlock, no, I don’t not want to kiss you it’s just, oh that sounded weird too, the truth is that I started and had to stop myself, I’m not ready for that just yet.” John decided. Once he said it he knew it was true, he wasn’t ready for a relationship with someone like Sherlock. The moment might come eventually, but it was a big step for him, and if he wasn’t 100% sure he wanted it then he knew he would forever doubt his decision.
“I understand, I guess you’re right.” Sherlock agreed.
“But that doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends, best friends even, because I enjoy every second you’re with me, even if you refuse to talk to me.” John said with a little bit of a forced smile, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’m sorry; it’s just a lot to take in.” Sherlock admitted. John agreed with him, he was just accepting this as he said it, and there was no taking it back now.
“I know.” John agreed. He looked at the quidditch pitch and suddenly remembered tryouts, the lineup might be out, he really hoped he made it.
“The next quidditch game is in two weeks on Saturday if you want to come, that is if I make the team.” John said with an inviting smile.
“You’ll make the team, you’re an amazing flyer.” Sherlock pointed out.
“Well, tryouts were Friday, I’m pretty confident, but it’s not definite I guess.” John shrugged.
“I’d love to go.” Sherlock assured, making John smile. “But if I come anywhere near a broomstick I’m out of there.” He added with a small laugh. John’s heart swelled once more at Sherlock’s beautiful laugh, he supposed it was okay to describe him as beautiful now that they were maybe on a waiting list for relationships. Because it was a perfect description for him since that was really what he was, beautiful. Not sexy, not hot, beautiful. His pale skin clashing against his dark curls, his piercing green eyes and cupid bow lips, beautiful. John wondered what Sherlock thought of him; he actually had no idea, but now was not the time to find out, another day, week, century when it would be okay to bring relationships up again.
“So, how’s your life going, I guess?” John asked, searching his head desperately for a conversation that didn’t make him look like a total idiot.
“My life is my life, I don’t even know if it’s good or bad.” Sherlock shrugged.
“Ups and downs, just like anyone.”
“Umbridge.” Sherlock hissed.
“What?” John asked, thinking that was an odd thing to say.
“Umbridge approaching, I don’t know why, walk faster.” Sherlock decided, and they picked up their pace, ignoring the pink spot making its way down the sloping lawns.
“Boys!” she called, but it was faint and they could still ignore it. What they couldn’t avoid though was the sparks flying above their heads, making them turn to see Umbridge pointing her wand at them.
“Meeting in the Great Hall, all students must attend!” she called, and with that she scrambled back up to the castle doors as if she was the one doing the speech.
“This can’t be good then.” John muttered.  They had no choice but to go back up, back to the castle. The Great Hall was packed with students when they got there, everyone talking and looking around, wondering the same thing John and Sherlock were, why where they having a meeting? Hogwarts never had meeting unless something really bad happened, which only made John worry more. The seats were no longer in houses, they were like church pews, all paced to the Head Table, where all the professors were seated, all looking very angry. John noticed Greg and Mycroft waving to them from across the room, so they made their way over to them, where they found two open seats.
“What’s this all about?” John asked, sitting down next to Greg. Sherlock took a seat next to him, closest to the end.
“I have no idea; they just told us it was a meeting.” Greg muttered. Everyone fell silent for some reason, and John could hear the clicking of high heels on the stone floor, meaning the pink toad was present. They stopped talking, John straining his neck to see over the heads of taller kids in the front. There was silence, and to John’s surprise it wasn’t Dumbledore standing at the podium, but Umbridge, wearing a fake death smile.
“As you all know, I have been appointed by Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, to be the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” John hated it when people used Hogwarts’s full name, it sounded way to official. But whatever was following this little speech couldn’t be good, especially from Umbridge.
“I have a couple of new rules to organize some of the major flaws I have found in this school, and I speak for Cornelius as well as myself.” Umbridge waved her wand and a parchment scroll appeared out of thin air, which definitely can’t be good. She opened the list and cleared her throat, sounding like a cat with a hair ball or something.
“First thing first, any students out of bed past curfew, which is 10 o’clock, will be punished for their actions more severely than previously accounted for.” She rambled on for at least twenty minutes about restricting the rules with more force, which John was sure was scars on the backs of everyone’s hands. One of the last ones though, made the four of them want to strangle Umbridge right then and there.
“No homosexual relationships will be tolerated inside or outside of school walls, no exceptions. Anyone caught with having a relationship of the same gender will be punished with anything from loss of house points and on some extremes, expulsion.” Umbridge said. John looked right away to Greg, who had been, until then, holding hands with Mycroft, but pulled his hand away immediately.
“She can’t do that!” John hissed.
“That’s not fair at all!” Mycroft agreed.
“I’ll kill her.” Sherlock decided. Mycroft did a double take at Sherlock, as if he wasn’t aware of how passionate Sherlock was about their relationship, but he didn’t know anything did he? Umbridge kept reading on, but John really didn’t hear, anger was making a buzzing sound in his ears, how dare she prohibit gay couples she had no right, absolutely no right to intervene in that. The Minister could go jump into a dragon pit for all John cared, and he’d be delighted if Umbridge would join him. John wanted to protest, wanted someone to stand up for this awful rule, but saw that all of the teachers were scowling, although they weren’t speaking up. John could guess that they weren’t allowed to speak up, that they could get in trouble by the ministry or Umbridge herself. When the speech was over, the Great Hall flooded out, every student rushing to get out before Umbridge noticed that their hair was crooked or they had something in their teeth and expelled them. John wasn’t anywhere near as angry as Greg was, who was practically fuming when they got to the common room.
“That’s it, I’m, going to Dumbledore she has absolutely no right to meddle in our personal lives.” He growled. Mycroft and Sherlock had come up with them, and for the first time John was happy to see Mycroft, just so if they did need to revolt they had the head boy on their side.
“What gives her permission to make those stupid rules?” Sherlock asked.
“I didn’t know you felt so strongly about them, brother dear.” Mycroft said with a suspicious look. Sherlock cast a quick glance at John and gave Sherlock an innocent smile.
“Anything to get you out of my life.” He said simply.
“What do we lose, house points, not so bad.” Greg shrugged.
“No, that’s probably the smallest thing, when Umbridge tracks us down it’ll be detentions or suspension.” Mycroft said simply.
“She won’t come after us, will she?” Greg asked nervously.
“That witch was watching you two at the Yule Ball, I didn’t know what it meant then, but she knows, and obviously doesn’t support it.” John said with a scowl.
“That’s her problem then.” Mycroft said simply.
“And Cornelius.” Sherlock said with a high pitched impression of Umbridge, making John crack a smile. John collapsed into an armchair like a little kid throwing a tantrum, but he knew there was nothing they could do.
“We could try to get her to leave; if things get so bad then she’ll have to.” Sherlock decided.
“What does she like in the castle?” Greg asked. Sherlock and John, the only two that had been in her office, looked at each other, thinking about the question.
“Well, she likes pink, cat plates, and she’s got a lot of jewelry.” John answered.
“Then we’ll need a mini tornado or something to destroy the place.” Mycroft decided. Sherlock’s face grew into a mischievous smile, as if he knew the perfect thing.
“I think we need a niffler.” He decided. John smiled too, it was perfect. Umbridge had metal everything, as long as the niffler went haywire trying to get to her jewelry and things it will create an enormous mess, making her so angry she might even leave.
“Wonder if she catches us?” Mycroft asked, being the ever so cautious head boy.
“It’ll be at night, if she’s asleep then she can’t catch us, we’ll just slip it into the mail slot or something.” John planned.
“Security cameras?” Greg asked.
“No muggle technology works here, too much magic, it wouldn’t work.” Sherlock pointed out.
“We just need to make sure Hagrid has a niffler left over then.” Greg agreed.
“I’ll go.” John decided.
“It has to be you and Sherlock or Umbridge would crack even more down the antigay law.” Mycroft pointed out.
“It’s not a law, it’s a rule.” Greg pointed out, as if that made all the difference.
“So tonight we have to do it, just so Hagrid doesn’t give them all up.” Sherlock agreed.
“It better be quick.” John said, eyeing the outdoors with caution. It looked cold even from here, but as the sun dropped so will the temperature.
“Nothing is easy for us John, haven’t you already figured that out?” Greg asked, which didn’t improve John’s mood at all.