Chapter Text
John Watson shouldered his slightly worn rucksack and slammed the taxi door shut behind him. On the other side of the car Harriet Watson stumbled over her Doc Marten boots and tumbled onto the tarmac. John dropped his holdall and rushed to help his sister. Harriet, or as she preferred to be called, Harry, was sprawled on the ground with a faint ghost of a grin on her face. As he pulled her to her feet John inspected his sister carefully, Harry was pixie like and pale with short dark hair that stuck up wildly at the back and a slightly uneven fringe. With a height of 5"2 and her exceedingly slim frame Harriet Watson could have easily passed as the younger of the two siblings. John stared at his sister with a hint of sadness; the past year had been hard on both of them and they'd both developed self destructive defence mechanisms, he couldn't quite decide whose had been worse, "Harry," John kept his hands around his sister's slim wrists, "please stay safe," Harriet nodded solemnly and pressed her forehead against her brother's.
"John, you're my baby brother, I should be looking after you," she sighed. It was hard to imagine John Watson needing looked after; he looked to be on the cusp of a growth spurt that meant he could easily surpass the height of six feet, his sandy hair flopped to the side in a sort of shaggy fringe, he had the build of a rugby player and eyes that were hardened with wisdom. John laughed but it didn't quite reach his eyes, "I'll be fine, I promise," the two siblings looked up simultaneously at the looming building before them, Reichenbach Academy of Excellence.
John helped to drag Harry's small suitcase up the hill while she carried their bedding in a black bin liner. Harry stopped and rested the liner on the ground. She dug around in the pocket of her duffel coat for a moment before pulling out a crushed piece of paper with a map of the school on the back, "John, it says we have to sign in at reception where someone will show us to our rooms," John shifted his hold on the bags and turned towards the grand oak door set into the stone arch at the front of the large medieval building. They stepped inside the tiled porch and Harry pushed the door open so that the foyer of the school panned into view. If outward appearances were any judge of the interior, Reichenbach academy should have been furnished with coffins, wall brackets complete with flaming torches and stained glass windows. Instead it was quite modern with hard wood floors and dark leather couches in a square formation around a low coffee table and cream shag pile rug. Leaflets about extra curricular activities were spread across the coffee table alongside a fruit bowl, on the other side of the room there was a large desk with the school badge on the front and a tired looking receptionist lazily typing on an iMac. She was an unnatural redhead with flaming red nails and bags under her eyes that suggested a night out in the nearby town, "Um hi?" John asked carefully, the receptionist looked up slowly and rolled her eyes, "I'm John Watson and I'm the year 11 transfer student," he continued.
"Oh yeah, sign the bottom of this form, someone will collect you and take you to your room shortly. Breakfast is between 7 to 8 am and classes start next week," she explained while inspecting her cuticles. John quickly sprawled out John H. Watson and picked up the information pack she'd put out for him. It was a thick booklet with a slightly waxy cover; he took a seat on one of the couches and flicked through the first couple of introductory pages about the history of the school and previous OFSTED inspections, which were all exemplary, apparently. After a couple of pages there was a small section about school rules. John squinted at the small print. It explained how the boarding students had to apply for a night visa if they wished to stay away from school overnight at somewhere other than their home, it also stated that after prep and dinner students were free to wander the grounds and use the facilities such as the pool or gym. Then there were the more serious rules; no students were prohibited to be in another's room after 10pm and strictly no liaisons of an intimate nature within the school grounds.
There was a light cough and John looked up, he hadn't even realised that Harriet had already been shown to her room. A tall athletic looking boy leaned against the door frame, his polished house captain badge gleamed on the lapel of his navy blazer but his shirt was un-tucked and the top button of his white shirt was undone with his green and navy tie loosened slightly. He had short brown hair that was slightly longer on top and stood up in unorganised tufts. "Hey, I'm Greg Lestrade, head of Winchester house, nice to meet you," John nodded and shook Greg's outstretched hand before picking up his holdall and pulling his backpack onto his shoulders.
They came out of the building through the front door and walked across one of the large playing fields towards an old brick building with several turrets. "So are you new to the area?" Greg asked as they walked side by side through the slight drizzle that had started to fall. John shook his head, which caused several droplets of water to fly off. "No I'm from Hampshire originally, but my sister and I have been living with our aunt in Edinburgh for the past year," Greg looked slightly surprised, "our parents died in a car crash last year." John explained weakly.
"My brother died in a crash a couple of years back, he'd just got his license and was coming home from a gig one night, he got hit by drunk divers. My parents sent me here, so I wouldn't have to deal with all that stuff..." Greg trailed off and stared at his shoes. John didn't bother replying, the 'sorry for your loss' speech would be wasted on them both.
Without even realising it, they'd arrived outside Winchester accommodation. Greg glanced at John, who seemed lost in thought, before stepping inside. There was a short but wide entrance hall with male and female toilets at the far end, a door that led into a library to the right and a door that led to the computer suite on the left. There were two staircases leading away from each other on opposite sides of the hall, Greg led John up the one on the left which curved slightly until it finally brought them to the door way of the boys common room. It was cosy with a roaring fire and plush sofas and armchairs. The walls were lined with books and school photographs. Two large bay windows looked out over the fields at the back of the school, at the other end of the room there was another staircase. Greg motioned for John to follow him and they gradually climbed up various staircases until they made it to the very top floor of the building where the ceilings were slightly sloped and there was more room between the oak doors that were numbered with a small silver plaque. "Here you go!" Greg announced as they stopped at the very last door, 221B, "your roommate is Sherlock Holmes, he's a bit odd, I must worn you, but give the kid a chance, okay?" John nodded, feeling slightly nauseous. "I'm right down the hall, come get me if you need anything." with that Greg left John standing outside his new room feeling inexplicably nervous about meeting Sherlock Holmes.