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Chapter Text

Chan

• Gryffindor
• 7^th year
• Quidditch captain
• Chaser
• Wolf Patronus
• Half-blood (muggle mom, wizard dad)
  
  

Minho

• Slytherin
• 7^th year
• Beater
• Cat Patronus
• Pureblood
  
  

Changbin

• Slytherin
• 6^th year
• Prefect
• Bunny Patronus
• Pureblood
  
  

Hyunjin

• Slytherin
• 5^th year
• Chaser
• Deer Patronus
• Half-blood (muggle dad, wizard mom)
  
  

Jisung

• Ravenclaw
• 5^th year
• Keeper
• Squirrel Patronus
• Muggle born
  
  

Felix

• Gryffindor
• 5^th year
• Keeper
• Koala Patronus
• Muggle born
  
  

Seungmin

• Ravenclaw
• 5^th year
• Prefect
• Part-time Quidditch announcer
• Racoon Patronus
• Muggle born
  
  

Jeongin

• Hufflepuff
• 4^th year
• Seeker
• Desert Fox Patronus
• Pureblood

Jinwoo

• Hufflepuff
• 7th year
• Head Boy
• Former Keeper but had to stop playing after an accident
• Brown bear Patronus
• Half-blood

Chapter Text

September 1.

Also known as the most stressful day of the school year. Getting to the train station, trying not to be spotted running through the wall that would lead to Platform 9 ¾, towing your luggage onto the train and finding your friends and an empty compartment...

Luckily, Felix and his friend Chan had found each other pretty quickly and the two Gryffindors were now sitting across from each other, exchanging chocolate frog cards and talking about their summer.

"I got Harry Potter again..." Felix said in a disappointed tone. He already owned at least eight cards of 'the boy who lived' which pissed him off because he really wanted to complete his collection. Chan chuckled at Felix' sulky expression and checked his own photocard.

"I got Dumbledore... same old, same old..." he said, albeit way less disappointed.

Felix ate his chocolate frog and looked towards the glass door where three Slytherins were currently passing by, probably searching for an empty compartment. He made eye contact with one of them; Seo Changbin, sixth year prefect and also Felix' long time crush. As usual, he was accompanied by his friends Hwang Hyunjin, who was in Felix' year and Lee Minho, who was in Chan's year.

"You should talk to him," Chan said, following his gaze. Felix blushed. He knew that Chan was fully aware of his feelings for Changbin, which was why he didn't bother denying the fact that he had them in the first place. However, he didn't think he could just go up to the sixth year and ask him out. He'd never even really spoken to Changbin before and he probably never would.

"I can't... you don't like the Slytherins..." Felix answered, a half-assed excuse.

Chan patted his shoulder. "It doesn't really matter what I think of them. Besides, the only one I don't like is Minho," he told the younger, his tone taking on a bitter note when he mentioned his fellow seventh year. "I don't know his friends and if you like Changbin, you should ask him out," he added.

"I don't know... right now, I'm not ready..." Felix said, eager to change the subject.

Luckily, Chan seemed to sense that, since he started talking about something else. "Rumor has it that I'll have Potions with the Slytherins this year." He sounded displeased, but Felix didn't have to ask why. "The mere thought of having to be in a dark dungeon with Lee Minho pisses me off," Chan complained.

Felix chuckled. He knew what Chan thought of Minho and it was kind of funny to see him all fussy about sharing a class with him. "Well, you can always just ignore him..."

The compartment door opened before Chan could answer and a pretty, brunette girl poked her head inside. "Here you are, Captain. Just wanted to let you know that I'm looking forward to try-outs!" Chan smiled at her. Felix knew who this girl was, she was a Gryffindor in her seventh year, going by the name of Son Eunseo.

"Good, we got some Chaser spots to fill! I'll see you there," Chan said. He'd been offered the position as Quidditch team captain at the beginning of last year. Felix couldn't think of anyone who could do the job better than Chan. The older was a really good Chaser and an even better leader.

A boy, another Gryffindor, who Felix knew was Eunseo's boyfriend, appeared next to Eunseo and gently started dragging her away, shouting a "see you at try-outs" over his shoulder before closing the door.

"Try-outs are going to be stressful. We need new Chasers and a Beater," Chan said with a sigh as he leaned back in his seat. Felix was on the team himself, as a Keeper, so he knew what was ahead of them. "God, I'm just not ready for this..." the older Gryffindor sighed.

"That makes two of us..."

~

Jisung was bored out of his mind, since his friends Jeongin, Jinwoo and Seungmin were busy either playing games or studying, so he just watched the pairs and groups of people that passed by his compartment. A boy dragging his girlfriend along – she was really pretty, Jisung thought – while she looked like she was trying to tell him that she could walk on her own, two annoyed Hufflepuff girls, who seemed to be bickering, and three Slytherins, one of which looked right back at him, before stopping in his tracks and opening the door.

"Hey Jisung," he greeted.

The Ravenclaw grinned back at him. "Hi, Hyunjin. How was your summer?" he questioned.

"Pretty alright. Lots of Quidditch practice," Hyunjin answered and Jisung chuckled.

"I can't wait to get back on the field. You guys won't win this year!"

Hyunjin laughed at that. "We'll see about that. Anyway, I'll leave you guys be. Just wanted to say hi," he told the younger.

His friend Minho looked inside, eyes landing on Jinwoo, who was playing a game with Jeongin. He looked up when he felt the Slytherin's gaze on him.

"So, I hear you're head boy now," Minho said with a smirk on his face. Jinwoo rolled his eyes at Minho.

"That would be me..." he confirmed.

"Nice, does that mean you're gonna let me off easy when I act naughty?" Minho asked.

Hyunjin laughed and gently pushed his friend out of the compartment. "Okay, that's enough. We'll see you around," he announced before he closed the glass door and left Jisung, Jinwoo, Jeongin and Seungmin – who still hadn't looked up from his notes once since the train had left King's Cross – alone again.

"Will this guy ever give up," Jinwoo asked, shaking his head, though a smile was tugging on his lips.

"No, not him," Jisung replied with a chuckle. Lee Minho was known to be a flirt along with Hyunjin, but Jisung got along with them well, so he didn't mind what they were doing in their free time. The Ravenclaw leaned back in his seat and heaved a sigh.

"Man, I'm not ready for this year... I'm already stressed out by the mere thoughts of OWLs and all that stuff and we've not even arrived at Hogwarts yet," Jisung said.

His words finally caused Seungmin to speak up. "I get what you mean, I am so underprepared..."

Jisung gave his slightly younger Ravenclaw friend a disbelieving look. "You? Underprepared? From what you told me you've been studying all summer long!" he exclaimed. Seungmin looked down at his notes again and shrugged.

"Well, you never know. I have a lot to catch up on," he murmured.

Jisung shrugged as well. "Anyway, I really can't wait for Quidditch season to start again, at least that'll be some kind of distraction..."

Jeongin, the Hufflepuff fourth year, beamed at Jisung's words. "Me too! I hope I'll make the team this year. I had so much fun filling in for our Seeker last year, I can't wait to try out!" he said excitedly.

Jinwoo looked at him fondly and patted his back. "I'm sure you'll make it!" he assured him as Seungmin got out another book from his backpack.

"How do you feel about being head boy?" Jisung questioned the oldest. Jinwoo made a dismissive noise.

"I'm honored... they offered it to Chan, but he turned them down. He would have been a great head boy. I just don't know if I'm the right guy for it..." the Hufflepuff explained.

"What do you mean?" Jeongin asked.

"I don't know, what if people think I'm too soft? I'm not sure if I have the right amount of authority to hold such a high position," Jinwoo said, slumping his shoulders slightly. Jisung waved off.

"There's no one more suitable for head boy than you! You're nice but people do respect you. You're gonna do a great job!" the younger assured him, causing Jinwoo to smile.

"Thanks, Jisung," he said. "Anyway, Seungmin, we should probably head to the prefects' compartment soon before we start patrolling," he addressed the younger Ravenclaw who shut his book, though a little reluctantly, and nodded.

"We probably should..." he agreed.

Jinwoo and Seungmin got up and headed for the exit. "We'll see you guys later, okay?" Jinwoo told the two remaining boys with a smile.

Jisung gave them a thumbs-up. "Later!”

~

"Finally," Changbin exclaimed and let himself fall down in a seat while Minho closed the door of the empty compartment they had just entered. "I need to relax before I head off to the damn prefects' meeting," the sixth year added. Hyunjin just sprawled himself all over the older's lap, getting comfortable. Changbin looked at his friend but chose not to comment on it. Hyunjin had always been affectionate with him, he'd stopped questioning it a long time ago.

"I am not looking forward to patrolling the train later. Those first years get brattier every year! And the second years are even worse! Being a prefect is stressful!" Changbin complained, absent-mindedly running his hand through Hyunjin's raven hair. Minho snorted as he sat down across from the other two, also used to their level of skinship from five years of hanging out with both of them.

"You know what's really stressful? Rejecting hundreds of people because they think that a new school year means a new chance with me," Hyunjin retorted, sounding whiny.

Changbin rolled his eyes and stopped running his hand through his hair to slightly flick his friend's forehead. "Poor Hyunjin, hoe life must be so exhausting," he teased the younger who pouted at him and replied:

"I'm not a hoe! It really is stressful because I don't want to hurt anyone, but I'm just not interested, and you know how some of them get..."

Hyunjin was a nice guy at heart, so Changbin knew that he meant his words. He dated around a lot, but never with the intention to break hearts. However, some of his dates took the 'break ups' less well than others. Changbin remembered a few ugly situations, cringing at the memories.

"Well, at least you still have options... I feel like I might run out of guys this year," Minho spoke up, followed by a sigh.

"There might be exchange students or, even better, transfer students!" Hyunjin pointed out to him. Minho grinned at the thought.

"Here's a wild thought," Changbin interfered. "Have either of you two ever thought about, you know, a long-term thing?"

He loved his friends a lot, but he couldn't imagine going on so many dates with so many different people when he couldn't even ask one guy out.

"I don't do boyfriends," was Minho's simple answer. He thought about his words, a smirk spreading on his face again. He opened his mouth to add something but Changbin raised his hand.

"Keep it to yourself!" he said. "Maybe you should consider getting a boyfriend!" he suggested.

Hyunjin smirked up at him cheekily. "Why, you interested?" he joked, sticking his tongue out playfully. Changbin rolled his eyes at the younger and just flicked his forehead again while Minho smirked at him deviously.

"I think our Binnie has his eye on a certain Gryffindor," he stated knowingly.

"Oh~" Hyunjin cooed with an equally as devious expression on his face.

Changbin hoped that he didn't blush at Minho's words as he pushed Hyunjin off his lap, causing the younger to fall to the floor ungracefully. He rose from his seat. "I'll go patrol the train!" he lied before awkwardly shuffling out of the compartment, followed by Minho's evil cackle and Hyunjin's disgruntled mumbling about abuse.

The sixth year sighed to himself. This was going to be a long year, and something told Changbin that it was going to be very eventful...

Chapter Text

The first thing people thought of when someone mentioned Park Jinwoo was a cuddly Hufflepuff teddy bear who was friends with practically everyone, regardless of gender, house or blood status. Jinwoo was not only known for being head boy but also for giving the best hugs ever – Hyunjin’s words, not his. The young Slytherin was known as a hoe around Hogwarts but that didn’t stop Jinwoo from cuddling the boy from time to time.

“Jinwoo...” a fellow Hufflepuff, named Jeongin, called out to him one afternoon when Jinwoo was studying in the library. The fourth year let himself fall down on a chair across from him.

“What is it, Jeonginnie?” Jinwoo asked the obviously distressed boy.

“The school year has just started last week and I’m already failing Transfigurations... help me, please?”

Jinwoo chuckled at the younger. “Of course, what exactly don’t you get?” Jeongin breathed a sigh of relief and got his Transfigurations book out of his book bag.

“I have to transform a teacup into a pigeon and I just can’t figure it out,” he complained. The older Hufflepuff took the book and let his eyes skim over the page. “Somehow, I only manage to turn my cup into a frog...” Jeongin said with a pout on his face. Jinwoo smiled at him encouragingly.

“You’re probably not flicking your wand correctly. A little change is enough to mess up the entire spell. I can show you how to do it later,” he offered. The younger’s face brightened up at the head boy’s words.

“Well, well, well... get yourself a man that’s handsome, smart and nice,” another voice spoke up from next to Jinwoo, causing the two Hufflepuffs to look up. Lee Minho, the Beater of Slytherin’s Quidditch team, fellow seventh year and resident playboy smirked at Jinwoo.

“Hi, Minho!” Jeongin greeted him happily.

Minho smiled at him and ruffled his hair. “Hi, Jeongin. Is Quidditch going well?” he asked the younger. Jeongin became Hufflepuff’s Seeker this year, after filling in for the previous one for the last game in his third year, which gained him many new friends on, both, his own and the other teams. The older players were constantly looking out for him.

Everyone was soft for Yang Jeongin.

“Better than Transfigurations,” Jeongin answered with a displeased side look at his schoolbook. “But luckily I have Jinwoo to help me,” he added, beaming at the older Hufflepuff and effectively shifting Minho’s attention back on him.

“Right. You’re lucky to be friends with someone so smart,” Minho said, giving Jinwoo an almost daring look.

The Hufflepuff let out a quiet chuckle. “I’m not that smart, Minho. I just like to help. What are you doing here anyway? You’re not at the library very often, are you?” he pointed out. Minho grinned and rested his hands on their table.

“You’re right. The only times I go to the library are when I... want something,” he agreed. “Maybe you can help me out, too,” he added. Jinwoo didn’t miss the slightly suggestive undertone and the playful glint in the Slytherin’s eyes. The older rolled his eyes and reached up to pat Minho’s cheek.

“Not interested but thanks for the offer,” he told him.

“Anytime, cutie. Maybe you’ll change your mind,” Minho said, seemingly unbothered by Jinwoo’s rejection as he took off, leaving the library again with a short wave at Jeongin and a wink at the older Hufflepuff. This hadn’t been the first time Minho had tried to hit on him in the past two years, but Jinwoo didn’t mind.

Minho was friends with Hyunjin, and he’d been classmates with Jinwoo for years, so he knew that, despite his flirtiness and his tendency to keep his relationships loose, he wasn’t a bad guy.

“Why do you always turn Minho down? Is there something wrong with him?” Jeongin questioned, sounding genuinely curious. “I mean, aside from the fact that he’s a hoe,” the young Hufflepuff added. Jinwoo gasped.

“Language, child!” he half-scolded. Jeongin only gave him a look, silently asking for an answer to his question. “The reason I keep rejecting Minho is simple: he just isn’t my type,” Jinwoo said casually. Jeongin furrowed his brows, like he had expected a more dramatic reason.

“What do you mean, he’s not your type?” he questioned. The older shrugged.

“I just don’t like him that way. I’m straight,” he answered.

Jeongin looked surprised. “You are?” he asked. Jinwoo laughed at the younger’s expression and nodded. “B-but everyone thinks you’re gay because the guys always flirt with you,” Jeongin said, still sounding like he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

“It’s because I’ve never bothered to correct them. I don’t care what people label me as; I know that I’m straight and my girlfriend does, too,” Jinwoo told him with another shrug. Apparently, that just seemed to shock the younger even more. Jinwoo couldn’t help but be amused. He knew that people thought that he was into guys, because of his habit to cuddle his friends, most of which were gay guys.

“Girlfriend? I’ve never seen you with a girlfriend!” Jeongin exclaimed, earning himself a stern look from the librarian.

“We’re not keeping it a secret but we're also not shouting it out to the public. We’ve been together since shortly before summer break. She was actually supposed to meet me here... right about now,” Jinwoo explained.

As if on cue, a dark haired Ravenclaw girl hurried into the library as fast as she could without running. She spotted Jinwoo and came over to their table, sitting down next to him and quickly pecking him on the cheek.

“Sorry, I’m late. Professor McGonagall had something to discuss with me,” she told him. Jinwoo smiled and waved off.

“No worries. I helped Jeongin here with something,” he answered, pointing at the baffled fourth year. “Jeongin, this is my girlfriend, Myoui Mina. I believe you two haven’t officially met yet,” he said with a grin.

“Oh, I saw you play Quidditch last year. You’re really good!” Mina told Jeongin, which finally seemed to snap him out of his trance of confusion.

“Thank you,” he answered.

Mina gave him a little smile before turning back to Jinwoo again. “I can’t stay very long... I have a club meeting in half an hour,” she told him. Jinwoo made a face. She was head girl, so he knew about her duties all too well. That didn't mean he hadn't hoped to spend more time with her, though.

“Alright, I’ll meet you at the lake later,” he replied. Mina nodded and got up again.

“See you later,” she said, kissing Jinwoo on the cheek again before heading out.

Jinwoo turned his focus back onto his book. “She seems nice,” Jeongin stated. Jinwoo chuckled.

“She is,” he agreed. The younger rested his elbows on the table, causing the older to look up again.

“Why don’t you just tell Minho that you have a girlfriend?” Jeongin questioned, sounding suspicious. Jinwoo shrugged. “Could it be that you like being flirted with,” Jeongin teased him, causing Jinwoo to laugh.

“Maybe I do. Anyway, I’ll show you that spell later. You should probably get to class,” he pointed out. Jeongin grinned and packed his book into his bag before getting up.

“Thanks, Jinwoo! You’re the best!”

~

“Head boy, wait up,” a voice called out to Jinwoo when he was on his way to the lake to meet up with Mina. Jinwoo stopped in his tracks and turned around to see Minho jog up to him. The older already knew where this was going, but he wasn’t going to be rude to his kind-of-friend.

“Twice in one day, Lee Minho, you must really like me,” he teased, picking up his steps again. Minho had that playful expression on his face again, as he walked alongside the older.

“Heading to the lake?” the Slytherin questioned. Jinwoo nodded.

“Yeah, I’m kind of meeting someone there,” he said. Minho clasped his hand over his heart in mock-hurt.

“And yet you won’t kind of meet me? I’m hurt, head boy... I am hurt.”

Jinwoo chuckled and patted the younger’s arm. “You’re wasting your time with me, I promise you that,” he told him. Minho hummed in thought.

“It’s because of your friend Chan, right! He doesn’t like me so you two have some kind of bro code going on! It’s okay, Jinwoo. He doesn’t have to know. I can keep a secret if you can,” he suggested.

Jinwoo just downright laughed at that. He was aware that Minho was partly joking but he couldn’t help himself. It was true that Chan didn’t like Minho very much but his friend was mature enough not to let that kind of stuff affect him – at least most of the time. Maybe Jinwoo should just tell the younger why he wouldn’t go out with him.

“I can assure you that it’s not about Chan,” the Hufflepuff said after calming down from his laughing fit. Minho raised his brow.

“Then I don’t see a problem.”

“You’re really persistent,” Jinwoo stated, to which Minho luckily didn’t seem to take offense. Instead, he grinned again.

“I just know what I want.”

Jinwoo stopped walking and faced Minho full-on. “I’m straight, Minho,” he said, trying hard to keep himself from cracking up when the Slytherin looked at him in disbelief.

“You don’t have to lie,” he replied after a few seconds of shocked silence. Jinwoo chuckled.

“I’m not lying. I’m currently on the way to meet my girlfriend. Look, I feel flattered, but I really am not interested,” the Hufflepuff explained calmly.

Minho tilted his head, thinking about his next words. “So, you’re not playing hard to get? You’re just straight?” he questioned.

“Yeah,” Jinwoo replied and laughed. The very next moment Minho’s face broke out into a grin.

“Good, that’s a relief. No gay guy would so stubbornly reject me for such a long time... I should’ve thought of that. But all those rumors...” he trailed off.

Jinwoo rolled his eyes playfully. At least, Minho was confident about himself. “In case you ever want to go out anyway, I’m down, though,” the Slytherin said and slapped the older’s butt before heading in the other direction. Just like that. Jinwoo sighed and slightly shook his head at the hopeless Slytherin but continued to make his way down to the lake. 

Chapter Text

It was common knowledge that Gryffindor and Slytherin didn't always see eye to eye. Though, it had been getting a lot more peaceful between the two houses ever since the battle of Hogwarts, there were still minor occurrences between Slytherins and Gryffindors from time to time.

Minho wasn't quite sure why Gryffindor's Quidditch team captain, Bang Chan, didn't like him. He had never been out with him. He had never had a one-night stand with him - which was kind of a shame because the guy was fine! He hadn't sent any intentional Bludgers in his direction during Quidditch before.

Still, Bang Chan hated him. And even though Minho pretended to be indifferent about it, it bothered him. He'd learned to just hate him back but deep down he still wanted to know what had caused the Gryffindor to dislike him so much.

~

"Okay, so for this project I want you to partner up," Professor Slughorn announced one rainy afternoon in Potions class. Minho groaned. He hated working with others. He sucked at Potions, but he wasn't someone who liked to rely on others.

Professor Slughorn read out the pairings. Minho avoided the eyes of the people who looked in his direction, hoping to be paired with him or shooting him disappointed glances when their names had already been called.

Truthfully, Minho had been out with almost half of the people in this dungeon; the guys mostly, so he wasn't really eager to be paired with anyone he had rejected after the first date.

"Lee Minho and Bang Chan," the professor called out.

"What?" came a bemused shout from the other side of the room.

"You've heard correctly, Mr Bang," Professor Slughorn said knowingly. Everyone was aware of how the two of them felt about each other and knowing their Potions professor he had paired them up for that exact reason.

Minho sighed, somehow wishing he'd been paired up with one of those thirsty hoes after all. Chan wasn't shy when it came to displaying his resentment towards Minho, so he was looking forward to a promising 80 minutes with him...

"Now that you all have your partners, I am going to tell you about the potion. It is similar to Polyjuice potion and allows the drinker to temporarily change forms. The difference is that it doesn't take a month to brew it and it usually wears off more quickly. I advise you to carefully read the instructions. This potion can be quite... tricky," Slughorn explained.

Minho walked over to Chan's desk, determined to only speak to him when he had to. The Gryffindor glared at him but said nothing.

"Alright. You may begin!" Professor Slughorn announced. Chan began gathering the supplies they'd need for their potion while Minho heated up the cauldron.

"I'll crush the lacewing paste for later. You follow the first set of instructions," Chan said without looking at him. Minho raised his eyebrow at his rudeness but chose not to pick a fight while their professor was literally three feet away from them.

Minho carefully followed the instructions, trying not to mess up the potion, but he didn't seem to be doing a particularly good job. It should be a light green by now, but it somehow turned out hot pink. Meanwhile, Chan had finished preparing the paste made of lacewing flies and checked on Minho's progress. His eyes widened at the bubbling mess in his cauldron.

"What the fuck, dude?!" he exclaimed. Minho glared at him.

"What? I followed the instructions. It's not my fault it turned out this way!" he defended himself.

"It's definitely your fault if you can't read!" Chan snapped at him. Minho slammed his wand down on the desk.

"Your cauldron is probably just dirty!"

"Are you really trying to blame this on me?!" Chan asked in disbelief. He shoved Minho aside, seemingly trying to fix their potion. Minho stood next to him, looking over his shoulder. Chan tried adding some of the paste he'd prepared and for a moment it seemed to work. The potion took on a faint green shade.

Judging by the triumphant look on his face, Chan was about to make a snarky comment, regarding Minho's apparent inability to read instructions. Then, suddenly, the cauldron began to rumble, and the potion started throwing huge bubbles. The potion turned from light green to bright orange with smoke rising up in the air.

It hit Minho and Chan full-on before either of them could hold their breath. Minho felt his eyes tear up and his vision go blurry. The next moment, the dungeon faded and was replaced by darkness.

~

Minho woke up in the hospital wing. He felt dizzy and weird as he sat up. Madam Pomfrey rushed over to him. "Ah, good, you're awake. Your friend over there should wake up soon, as well," she said. Minho just nodded, not trusting himself to muster an answer.

"Bro!" a voice came from next to him. Minho looked to his left where an unexpected visitor sat on a chair. Lee Felix, Gryffindor fifth year and 'not-crush' of his best friend Changbin. He'd obviously just woken up from a nap on said chair, if the drool on his chin was anything to go by.

"Um... what are you doing here?" Minho questioned. He had never directly spoken to Felix, so he wasn't quite sure why the younger would sit on an uncomfortable chair and wait for him to wake up, instead of doing literally anything else.

Felix' eyes widened, and he dramatically grabbed Minho's shoulders. "Did you lose your memory?! It's me, Felix! Your best friend! We've known each other for five years. Don't do this to me!" he exclaimed. The kid actually looked close to tears. Minho calmly pried Felix' small hands off him and looked at him with a blank expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Bang Chan! If this is a joke, it's not funny!" Felix cried. It was safe to say that Minho was beyond confused at this point. Did this kid just call him Bang Chan? Was he having some kind of weird dream?

A few beds over a person was sitting up and Madam Pomfrey walked over to him to check on him, effectively blocking Minho's view. Felix was still whining about how he couldn't believe that his best friend didn't recognize him, but Minho paid him no mind. Madam Pomfrey stepped aside and he caught the other patient's eyes.

"Holy shit," they both said unanimously. Minho wasn't looking at just anyone. He was looking at himself. Felix had finally stopped agonizing and was now giving Minho a confused look.

"Give me a mirror or something!" he said to the Gryffindor. Felix looked even more confused but conjured a mirror out of thin air nonetheless.

Minho had heard Changbin swoon (yes, you read that right. Seo Changbin had swooned) over Felix' talent in Charms but he'd never actually seen him in action. He had to admit that he was a little impressed. However, that didn't last very long as he was now taking a look in the mirror.

"You have got to be kidding me," he mumbled. 

He was staring at the reflection of none other than Bang Chan.

"Do you remember now?" Felix asked hopefully. Minho closed his eyes for a second, he felt a migraine coming up.

"Yes, Felix. I remember now. I'm freaking Bang Chan," he complained. Madam Pomfrey walked over to him with a cup in her hand. She gave Felix a look.

"Sorry, dear. You have to leave now. He needs rest," she said to him. Felix pouted but got up nonetheless.

"I'll stop by again later with Jinwoo," he promised before he left the hospital wing. Minho groaned. Why did he have to wake up as Bang Chan of all freaking people in the world?

"So, I'm sure you two realized what happened, right?" Madam Pomfrey addressed both of them.

"Not completely, did we take each other's form? How long will this last?" Chan asked, clearly just as displeased with the situation as Minho.

Madam Pomfrey gave him a look that seemed to be half amusement and half sympathy. "You didn't just take on each other's form. You've switched bodies," she told them.

Quite frankly, Minho wanted to pass out.

"How do we switch them back?" he asked impatiently.

"That's going to be a problem..." Madam Pomfrey said.

"What do you mean by that?" Chan questioned, sounding alarmed. The nurse didn't answer right away. Minho had a feeling that he wasn't going to like where this was going.

"It's going to be complicated," Madam Pomfrey told them. "You two are so out of sync that you won't switch back into your own bodies until you learn to get along," she explained. The two boys shared a bemused look. Getting along with Bang Chan wasn't really that high on Minho's agenda. He couldn't even figure out why the guy hated him so how was he supposed to get along with him?

"Can't you just give us a potion?" Chan asked hopefully. Madam Pomfrey shook her head.

"I'm afraid it's not going to be that easy. For now, you're just going to have to live in each other's bodies. Other than that, you're completely fine and free to go," she said shuffling away to mind her own business.

~

"Just to be clear, this is all your fault," Minho said in an annoyed tone of voice as they left the hospital wing a few minutes later. It was weird to see his own face glare at him.

"How the fuck is this my fault?! You're the one who couldn't read the damn instructions!" Chan snapped at him.

"And you just had to throw in another ingredient without actually knowing what you're doing!" Minho fired back, turning away from the other boy to stomp away to the Slytherin common room. He'd walked about five steps when he realized that he was Bang Chan now; a Gryffindor. He couldn't exactly waltz into the Slytherin common room like that.

He sighed and swung back around. "Give me the password to the Gryffindor common room," he demanded. Chan raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I do that?" he questioned. Minho rolled his eyes.

"Because, genius, I am you now. I can't go to my own common room," he snapped. "We probably shouldn't even be telling people about it, so in order not to get figured out, I need the damn password! Unless, of course, you want me to sleep on the floor and get a backache. It's your back after all," Minho told him. The argument seemed to be convincing enough.

"It's Puffskein," Chan said bitterly.

Minho bowed his head as a mocking gesture of gratitude before turning on his heel, ready to walk away. "Hey, wait! I also need your password!" he heard Chan call out to him. Minho rolled his eyes again. The next moment a grin spread on his lips, as he faced the other once again.

"I'll tell you the password if you tell me something in return," he said. Chan's face (well, technically, Minho's face but you get what I mean) darkened.

"What do you want?" he questioned. Minho decided that this was his chance to get answers from the other boy.

"Why do you hate me so much?" he asked. The Gryffindor rolled his eyes at him.

"You know what, I'll just figure it out myself. You made a good point. If I have to sleep outside, it's your back that'll hurt," Chan said to him and walked away without further words. Minho watched him turn a corner before he let his shoulders slump a little. Why couldn't Chan even tell him the reason he didn't like him?

Minho sighed before making his way to the Gryffindor common room. The walk from the hospital wing wasn't very long and he knew the exact location of it since he had been on a few dates with several Gryffindors before. The thought of having to spend Merlin-knows-how-long there kind of pissed him off, though.

"Puffskein," he said, once he'd reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. She gave him a displeased look, almost as if to silently scold him for disturbing her, but swung open nonetheless. Minho climbed through the portrait hole and looked around. He'd never actually been inside the Gryffindor common room. It was pretty cozy, though, unlike the dark dungeons of the Slytherins. Those held a different kind of comfort.

"Chan!" Felix exclaimed. Minho hadn't seen him sitting over by the fireplace, where he was probably doing his homework. The younger waved him over and Minho complied. "I didn't think you'd be released this early!" Felix told him.

"Well, apparently I'm just fine..." Minho said, resisting the urge to add a sarcastic remark about the unfortunate situation he and Bang Chan were in.

"Good. You really had us worried," Felix said. Minho shrugged.

"It was that idiot's fault," he mumbled. The younger raised his eyebrow.

"You talkin' about Minho?" It felt weird, talking about himself like that, but Minho knew that he couldn't really correct Felix here.

"Yeah..." he replied reluctantly. "You know what, I'm gonna rest a little. I suddenly don't feel too well," Minho told the younger and headed off in the direction of the staircase that seemed to be leading to the dormitories. He hoped that this was all just a dream and that he'd wake up in his own body and his own bed tomorrow morning.

~

Needless to say, Minho got disappointed.

It had been three days and he was still trapped in the body of Bang Chan. Even worse, Gryffindor had a Quidditch game today – against Slytherin. Minho had never played as a Chaser before and he was supposed to be the Gryffindor's team captain. He was also worried about his own body getting hurt in the game. As a Beater he had to deal with Bludgers all the time. What if Chan couldn't handle it and would end up breaking his skull? Minho shuddered at the thought and proceeded to get changed into 'his' Quidditch uniform.

"You look worried, captain," Felix teased him. Minho gave him a half-assed smile.

"I'm fine,” he lied. Felix didn't exactly seem to believe him, but he didn't have time to question him because the game was just about to start. The team stepped onto the Quidditch field and got onto their broomsticks. Minho spotted Chan, looking about as nervous as he felt.

The Golden Snitch was released, and the game began.

When Minho had tried out for Slytherin's Quidditch team in his third year he originally wanted to be a Chaser. However, he had been aware that it was the most popular position and that his chances were pretty slim. Besides, Hyunjin had done way a better job so Minho had ended up with the Beater position, which he was happy about. He was good at it. Now, he had to play on a position he wasn't good at and he had to worry about Chan hitting himself over the head with a bat.

Minho caught the Quaffle from one of his teammates – and then dropped it. The announcer, a fifth year Ravenclaw named Seungmin commented on his mistake immediately. Minho silently cursed to himself for not reacting quickly enough before trying to focus on the game.

"Try not to make an idiot of me, would you?" Chan snapped from a few meters above him. Minho glared at the older.

"You don't need me for that!" he fired back. Chan was about to retaliate when he seemed to see something behind Minho, causing his eyes to widen.

"Watch out!" he called.

Minho didn't question it and dodged the Bludger, that had soared towards him, by a hair. He heard appalled screams from the spectators' area before he could focus his eyes on Bang Chan again. Minho looked around to find out what had caused that sort of reaction when he saw his own body falling towards the ground.

Chan hadn't managed to dodge the bludger, probably attempting to use the bat in his hand to fend it off. Minho didn't waste much time and began chasing after the other boy's falling body on his broomstick. The game was still going on, so he had to zigzag through a few of the other players but, luckily, he managed to catch Chan before he ended up as a pancake on the ground.

Madam Hooch finally blew her whistle to stop the game, but Minho barely heard it. He got off his broomstick and properly lifted the Gryffindor up into his arms before storming off the Quidditch field. A few people tried to talk to him on his way to the hospital wing, but he ignored them all. His arms hurt and the unconscious body of a 17-year-old wasn't exactly easy to carry but Minho didn't stop until he reached the hospital wing.

~

Minho didn't know why he was so determined to stay and wait for Chan to wake up, especially after he got reassurance from Madame Pomfrey that he would be fine and there wasn't going to be any permanent damage. But he was sitting here, next to Chan's bed, staring at his own face, waiting for him to open his eyes.

He was tired and his back hurt from sitting on the uncomfortable chair for so long. It had been about three hours since he had carried Chan all the way from the Quidditch field to the hospital wing. Changbin and Hyunjin had already stopped by to visit him, not knowing that their best friend was actually fine. They didn't pay him any mind as they worried about their friend's well-being. It was touching, really, and he kind of wanted to tell them that he was alright, but he and Chan had agreed not to tell anyone about their body switch incident.

Now he was alone again, apart from Madam Pomfrey occasionally coming over to check on Chan. He was about to drift off when he caught a movement from Chan's direction. Minho sat up straight and looked at Chan who had opened his eyes.

"What happened?" he questioned groggily.

"You were hit in the shoulder by a bludger and fell off your broomstick..." Minho told him. The other's eyes widened.

"And I'm alive?" he asks disbelievingly.

Minho actually chuckled at that. "Yeah, obviously", he said.

Madam Pomfrey came over again once she had noticed that Chan was awake. "You were lucky that this one reacted so quickly, catching you before you hit the ground!" she pointed out, nodding her head in Minho's direction. Minho avoided Chan's eyes when he looked at him for confirmation.

"I did it because I'm attached to my body," he mumbled incoherently.

"Whatever. You're going to be fine. I healed your shoulder already. I just want to keep you here for the night to check on you," Madam Pomfrey said to Chan who nodded. The nurse rushed off to tend to another patient at the far back of the hospital wing. Minho rose from his chair.

"Well, now that you're awake, I might as well go to bed," he said.

"Wait..." Chan called out to him when he was just about to walk away. Minho looked at the other boy who was sitting up in his bed. "Thanks... even if you did it for your own body. I'd be a flounder if it wasn't for you. Who knows if our bodies actually change back if one of us dies...so, thank you," Chan said. He sounded sincere, something Minho wasn't used to from the Gryffindor. Usually, Chan was pissed or annoyed when he spoke to him.

"It's fine," Minho answered. He turned around and left the hospital wing, heading to the Gryffindor common room. He was immediately greeted by Felix. Minho had to admit that he'd warmed up to the young Gryffindor over the past few days. He seemed to genuinely care for Chan, and he got to experience his crush on Changbin first-hand. It was pretty adorable.

"Where were you?" Felix questioned.

"At the hospital wing..." Minho replied. "I was just making sure that Ch – ...I mean Minho would be okay..." he said. Felix raised his eyebrows.

"That's nice of you but... since when do you care so much about him?" he questioned. The older shrugged.

"I don't... I’m tired so I'll wash up and go to bed," Minho told him. He didn't wait for an answer and went to do just that.

~

Minho was still pretty curious to find out why Chan hated him so much, but the Gryffindor still wasn't particularly fond of him, even after he had saved his ass.

Besides, he got a little side-tracked when he noticed how popular Chan actually was among guys. Minho hadn't really seen him with anyone before, so it came as quite the surprise to him.

Minho was used to being approached by guys, so it wasn't much of a change for him, being the natural flirt he was, but the guys who approached him seemed surprised that he didn't turn them down. A Ravenclaw seventh year was just in the middle of asking him out on a date and as weird as it was, considering he wasn't himself, he decided to agree. Chan could thank him later for getting him some action.

Felix seemed confused by Chan's sudden flirtiness, but Minho had too much fun, doing what he was good at, to pay it any mind. He ended up not going on the date with the Ravenclaw because he found someone else to spend his Saturday evening with. The news about Bang Chan's change of attitude seemed to spread like wildfire and he got asked out almost as much as his normal self. (A/N: Just to be clear: Minho doesn't sleep with anyone while he's in Chan's body!)

After his date on Saturday he came back to the Gryffindor common room. Felix was waiting for him as usual, but today he seemed serious. Minho walked over and let himself fall down in the armchair next to his. Felix gave him an expectant look but Minho didn't quite understand what the kid wanted.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he finally asked. Felix looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Why are you suddenly acting like this?" Minho was confused by the younger's question. "You've been preaching how much you hate mindless flirting and casual dating and now, here you are! Did you forget what happened in your fifth year?" Felix continued his rant.

Minho furrowed his brows. "What about my fifth year?" he questioned. He and Chan had been classmates for the past seven years and he hadn't heard of any major occurrence in their fifth year, even though he usually knew what was going on in this castle. Felix let out an exasperated gasp at his friend's question.

"What about it?! Did you forget about your cheating hoe of an ex-boyfriend? Jinwoo and I literally didn't get you out of bed for three weeks because you were crying your eyes out over that Slytherin asshole! Isn't that why you're not going after Changbin's friend? Are you sure you don't have amnesia?" Felix questioned.

Ex-boyfriend? Changbin's friend? It was all a little much to process because Felix tended to talk pretty fast when he was excited. So, Chan had dated someone from his house who'd cheated on him and now he had sworn off all men?

"That's the reason he hates me?" Minho muttered to himself.

"What?" Felix asked. Minho looked at him, fearing that he might have caught on.

"It's nothing..." he said and got up again. Felix looked even more confused now.

"Where are you going?" he questioned.

"Nowhere," Minho replied. He went to climb through the portrait hole again, earning himself a snarky comment from the Fat Lady to "make up his damn mind", but he ignored her.

He knew that the Slytherin Quidditch team was almost done with practice so he waited in the entrance hall until he saw his own figure come in with his broomstick in his hand. Chan looked tired. When he spotted Minho, his face hardened.

"What do you want? Are you done destroying my reputation?" he snapped. Minho looked down at the floor. He hadn't considered that his actions could actually bother Chan, but after finding out about his past, he understood why he would be mad.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking up at the other again. Chan looked surprised, to say the least. He probably wouldn't have expected Minho to apologize. The surprise didn't last long, though. He started looking pissed again and walked past Minho in the direction of the staircase that would lead down to the dungeons and the Slytherin common room. Halfway down the stairs he turned around again.

"How can you live like that? Not giving a shit about other people's feelings?" Chan didn't give Minho a chance to answer or even just to think about it before he continued his way to the common room, leaving the younger behind.

Minho had never felt like shit before, mainly because he really didn't give much of a damn about anyone but his friends and himself, but there was a first time for everything. Chan had every right to be pissed at him. He'd been way out of line.

The least he could do was to figure out a way to make it up to him.

~

Chan returned to the Slytherin common room, ready to just do some late-night studying before going to bed. He went to get his (or rather Minho's) book bag before sitting down on one of the green couches of the dimly lit common room. He felt a few glances of other Slytherin boys on him and he'd be lying if he said that he didn't feel at least a little exposed, even though he was in a different body. He wasn't a stranger to people trying to flirt with him, but he'd made it pretty clear to most of them that he wasn't interested.

Minho was like his polar opposite, though. He casually dated and hooked up with so many people. Chan was met with lots of confusion when he'd started turning people down in Minho's body. He had also encountered three heartbroken ex-one-night stands, or whatever the fuck they were, who had tried to curse him for dumping them. In short, he hated being Minho because the guy was everything he despised in a man.

Sure, he was attractive (there was no denying that) and Chan had admitted to himself and to Felix that he'd had a tiny crush on him before but all that flew out of the window when Minho began to act like a hoe. After what had happened between him and his ex, Chan never wanted anything to do with guys like him again. Somewhere along the way, these feelings had turned into not wanting to have anything to do with guys in general. He still found Minho attractive, but he had dignity, unlike all those thirsty people who practically threw themselves at him.

"Hey, dude," a voice ripped Chan from his thoughts. Hwang Hyunjin, a fifth year and one of Minho's close friends, let himself fall down on the couch next to him. Chan wasn't all that fond of Hyunjin, either, since he was very similar to Minho. However, the kid was pretty nice, so he also didn't hate him. Ever since waking up in Minho's body, he spent most of his time either alone or with Changbin, who had seemed a bit intimidating at first but had turned out to be a cinnamon roll with a huge crush on Felix.

"Hey..." Chan replied. Hyunjin grinned at him.

"Guess who I went out with tonight," he said. Chan just shrugged, not in the mood to talk about this kid's latest conquest. "Na Jaemin," Hyunjin said. "You know; that cute Gryffindor from my year," he added when the older gave him a blank stare. Chan knew who Na Jaemin was, alright. He was on his Quidditch team as a fellow Chaser. "He and I kinda talked after that last Quidditch game and –"

"I don't want to hear it. Just leave him alone, will you?! He’s still suffering from the recent death of his owl! He doesn't need you to mess his life up," Chan snapped and jumped up from his seat. Why was every Slytherin such a scumbag?

He stormed away towards the dormitory, hoping that, if he went to bed now, he'd wake up as himself tomorrow morning. That was the only wish he'd had over the past week and it hadn't come true yet. It was beyond frustrating.

When he entered the boys' dormitory, he was met with yet another headache-inducing scumbag. His ex-boyfriend had made himself comfortable in Minho's bed. Chan stopped dead in his tracks and glared at him. "What are you doing here, you're a sixth year!" he questioned.

"What are you talking about? You were the one who asked me here the other day, did you forget?" his ex replied, looking at him like he was crazy.

"Well, I don't have time for you today or any other day. Get out of here," Chan snapped at him. The other boy got out of Minho's bed, glaring at Chan before storming out of the room.

Chan let out a heavy sigh and fell down on Minho's bed, exhausted to the brink. He couldn't believe that Minho had really asked this guy of all people here for a booty call. It fueled his anger at the Slytherin even more. Despite that, he fell asleep pretty quickly, though.

~

Minho and Felix were on their way to the Great Hall on Monday morning to have breakfast before class when the older boy heard his name.

"Minho was super weird yesterday..."

He turned his head to see two Slytherins coming up the stairs from the dungeon. One of them was the sixth year that had thrown himself at him pathetically shortly before he and Chan had switched bodies. Minho remembered that yesterday was the day they were supposed to meet up.

Felix followed Minho's gaze. He made a face and grabbed his friend's sleeve, dragging him along to the Great Hall. "Don't even pay attention to this guy, he's an ass..." he said. They sat down at the Gryffindor table. Minho's eyes wandered over to the Slytherin table, looking for Chan but he didn't see him anywhere.

He figured, based on Felix' reaction, that this guy must be Chan's ex. He felt even worse than yesterday about giving in to the dude, even though he wasn't interested in him in the slightest. Some of his admirers were a little harder to shake off than others and this guy was definitely one of them.

Minho wanted nothing more than to switch back into his old body and prove Chan that he could be different. He didn't know where the sudden determination to change came from, but maybe it had something to do with how unhappy Chan looked in this current situation. Minho hadn't exactly helped with his behavior, so he wanted Chan to forgive him.

Maybe they could even become friends eventually.

"Aren't you eating?" Felix asked him. Minho finally stopped searching the Slytherin table for Chan and shook his head at the younger's question.

"I'm not hungry..." he said. Felix wasn't having it, though. He put a slice of toast on his plate and gave him an expectant look.

"Eat!" he demanded. Minho rolled his eyes but decided not to argue with Felix.

After breakfast he sat through his morning classes. He had Potions in the afternoon and that's when he saw Chan again. He had lowkey been on the lookout for him all day but hadn't spotted him once. Chan looked about as exhausted as he had yesterday.

Professor Slughorn silenced the class in order to begin with his lesson. "Now, first thing's first. Mr Bang, Mr Lee, since you didn't finish your assignment last week, you're going to have to do it today... would you two please follow me next door. I've prepared a quiet workspace for you," he said.

Minho caught Chan's annoyed expression but the Slytherin didn't feel as annoyed as he did last week. This was an actual chance for him to apologize. They both followed Professor Slughorn into a smaller room right next to the classroom, where they found a table with all the necessary ingredients and a cauldron.

"Just try not to blow up the dungeon..." Professor Slughorn told them before leaving them alone. Chan didn't look at Minho at all, instead, he just opened his potions book and read through the instructions. He fired up the cauldron and began weighing out the ingredients.

"Uh... do you, like, need help or anything?" Minho asked after a few minutes of heavy silence. Chan finally looked at him – only to glare at him.

"Please, just stay as far away from the cauldron as possible!" he said. Minho pouted but didn't argue. Chan was probably right.

"I thought about what you said," Minho spoke up again. Chan just sighed, so Minho continued: "You know... about me not giving a shit –"

"I know what you meant!" Chan interrupted him, sounding royally pissed.

"Right... I just wanted to tell you that you're right. It's wrong to play with other people's feelings and I shouldn't live like this. I want to change," Minho explained.

Chan gave him a surprised look. Minho could imagine that this wasn't really something Chan had expected to hear from him. Eventually, the Gryffindor shrugged, mumbling a barely audible "cool" before getting back to working on the potion.

"Listen, I'm trying to apologize!" Minho said. Chan started crushing the lacewing fly paste without bothering to answer. "What do you want me to say?" the Slytherin asked. Chan threw three measures of boomslang skin into the cauldron, still not acknowledging the other boy. "Alright, I was an ass. I shouldn't have... I don't know, been myself in your body?"

Minho wasn't sure if his eyes worked properly in the dimly lit dungeon, but he thought he saw Chan snicker at his lame attempt to explain himself. "Are you sure you don't need help?" he asked again.

"Mhm."

Minho raised his eyebrow. He was slowly but surely getting frustrated by the lack of response from the other boy.

Lee Minho wasn't necessarily known to solve problems rationally. So, he just decided not to. Chan had his eyes focused on the cauldron, gently stirring the blue liquid. Minho gave in to his impulse and wrapped his arms around the other boy's waist. The Gryffindor stopped dead in his tracks. Minho smirked and leaned in a little closer to whisper in his ear:

"Are you playing hard to get, right now?" He could feel Chan suppress a shudder as his lips ghosted over his pierced earlobe.

Before Chan could say anything, the door opened and Professor Slughorn came in, looking troubled. Minho put a small distance between himself and Chan. "The class is dismissed due to a minor emergency. You two can go," he told them.

"But what about our potion?" Chan questioned. Minho noticed how rosy his cheeks looked and, even if it was his own face he was looking at, he couldn't help but grin.

"Don't worry, you passed. Now go!" the professor said, making a shooing motion with his hands. Minho shrugged it off and left the room. He decided to head to the Great Hall for an early dinner, delighted to see Felix there. He walked over to his friend with a smirk on his face.

"What's gotten into you, bro?" Felix questioned, while stuffing his face with chicken.

"Nothing, I'm just in a good mood," Minho replied. He began loading food onto his plate, the pleased expression never leaving his face.

"You're certainly in a better mood than this morning," Felix stated. The older grinned and noticed Chan walk into the Great Hall, eyes following him all the way to his seat.

Felix nudged him. "You're staring," he pointed out, following his gaze. "...at Lee Minho." The older didn't miss the confused tone in Felix' voice and chuckled as Chan took a seat next to Changbin. Felix got distracted upon seeing his crush, so Minho didn't have to explain himself to him.

"You should make a move on him," he pointed out to the younger. Felix' head snapped in his direction so quickly that Minho was almost worried that he might have pulled a muscle.

"On whom," he asked, sounding absolutely scandalized and causing Minho to laugh.

"On Changbin, you dork. You like him, don't you?"

"I don't..." Felix mumbled, blushing.

"Sweetie, you clearly like him. And I feel like he likes you, too. He's staring at you right now," Minho pointed out. Felix's head whipped around in Changbin's direction and their eyes met, causing both of them to blush and look away. Minho just grinned, focusing his gaze back on Chan.

~

"Are you coming down with something? Your cheeks are kinda red," Hyunjin, who sat across from Changbin, pointed out when Chan joined them at the Slytherin table. Chan just shook his head and hid his face behind a glass of orange juice. "No way... are you blushing?" Hyunjin questioned, an amused grin spreading on his face.

"I'm not..." Chan argued. Changbin chuckled.

"I don't think I've ever seen you blush before," he said.

"I'm not blushing, for fuck's sake!" he insisted. The other two just laughed at him.

Okay, maybe he was blushing.

The moment he had with Minho in the dungeon was still fresh on his mind. Was he just playing around again? Or had he actually meant it when he said that he wanted to change? Why did he have to be so damn charming, even when he wasn't in his own body? Most importantly, should he give Minho a chance to prove himself?

Changbin nudged him. "Bang Chan is looking at you," he pointed out. Chan sneaked a glance in the direction of the Gryffindor table.

"And?" he finally said, pretending not to think about what the other had said to him before Professor Slughorn had saved him from further embarrassment.

Hyunjin chuckled. "There you go again with the blushing. Do you have the hots for captain Bang?" he teased. Chan wanted to slap the smirk right off his face.

"Of course, not," he replied bitterly. He rose from his seat. "I have homework to do," he announced before he all but fled to the library, ignoring Hyunjin's "What the fuck, you never do homework!"

~

The following days were more than confusing for Chan. Not only did he think about Lee Minho all day, the Slytherin also appeared in a few of his dreams. At least, in his dreams he was in his own body. He hadn't seen Minho around much since that afternoon in Potions, so he was practically alone with his thoughts. To be fair, it was pretty hard to forget about someone when you were in their body. He just had to look at his reflection and he was already blushing again.

"Oh my god, why are you everywhere?!" he burst out when he was in the boys' restroom one day and caught his reflection in the mirror again. He turned towards the door to leave when he saw a second year standing in the doorway, giving him a weird look. Chan ignored him and headed to Quidditch practice.

His head definitely wasn't in the game and Minho's teammates seemed to notice that, however they chose not to call him out for it. Eventually, he approached the team captain, Daniel, asking him if he could take a break. He looked displeased that one of his star players was in such terrible shape.

"Just get some rest today, Lee. We can't have you playing against Hufflepuff like this," the captain said. Chan nodded and went to land before heading to the locker room.

He stopped in his tracks when he came in to see Minho waiting for him. The other grinned at him. "You look good in my body," he said. Chan rolled his eyes, though, he couldn't help but chuckle at the lame joke.

"Go away, I'm trying to be mad at you!" he replied. Minho snickered. "Can we talk?" Chan questioned, leaning against one of the lockers.

"Sure, that's what I came here for," Minho agreed.

"Alright, so... I've been thinking about this whole situation. I was pretty harsh on you all this time, even though we're both to blame for the potions accident. Also, I shouldn't really criticize the way you choose to live your life," the Gryffindor began.

"No, you were right. I mean, it's my thing what I do in my own body, but I crossed a line by acting like that in yours..." Minho retorted. "And I meant it when I said that I would try to change. If it means that you'll stop hating me," he added.

"I don't hate you," Chan said. He'd never really hated Minho, now that he thought back. His actions had just always painfully reminded him of his breakup.

"You don't?" Minho looked surprised by Chan's answer.

"Why is it so important to you what I think about you?" the Gryffindor asked. Minho chuckled and looked at his feet, actually looking a little bit flustered.

"I don't know... maybe your opinion just matters to me," he said after a few seconds. "And, of course, us getting along means that we get our own bodies back," he added.

Chan laughed. "Right... so... we cool?" he asked.

Minho grinned at him. "Yeah, we cool," he answered. They stayed quiet for a few seconds, waiting for their bodies to switch back.

But nothing happened.

"Um... why am I still you?" Chan asked, glancing down at himself in Minho's green Slytherin Quidditch uniform.

"I don't know..." Minho replied, looking just as confused. Did they take too long to make up? Were they stuck in each other's bodies forever now?

Minho sighed. "Well... I should get back to the castle... Felix needs my help with his Astronomy homework," he said in a kind of defeated tone.

Chan furrowed his brows. "I suck at Astronomy," he stated. Minho chuckled.

"But I don't," he answered and left the locker room with an "anyways, see you at dinner."

~

At dinner Hyunjin sat next to Chan, shooting him a concerned look. "Are you alright? You left practice so quickly..." he asked. Chan gave him a half-smile. Hyunjin really was a nice guy. Maybe he had been a little quick to judge him.

"I'm okay. I'm just... not really feeling like myself lately," the older answered. "By the way, I'm sorry for snapping at you the other day... you know, about Jaemin. I had a long day that day..." Chan apologized. Hyunjin waved off.

"All forgotten. Jaemin is actually really nice, so we decided to stay friends," he told the older. That worked for Chan. From what he'd seen over the past one and a half weeks, Hyunjin seemed like a good friend. Jaemin was lucky.

"Where's Changbin?" he questioned, noticing that the other Slytherin wasn't around. Hyunjin shrugged.

"I don't know, but do you see Felix anywhere?" he questioned, eyes wandering over to the Gryffindor table. Chan spotted Minho sitting alone but Felix was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe he finally made a move on him," he mumbled.

Hyunjin laughed. "Changbin? Never... he'd die of embarrassment before he could even get three words out." Chan chuckled because Felix would be exactly the same. How were those two ever supposed to hit it off when they were both too shy to even confess?

"Well, anyway, I think I'll head to bed early... captain said to get some rest..." Chan said once he'd finished his plate. Hyunjin nodded and patted his shoulder.

"Feel better," he said encouragingly. Chan smiled at him and got up, leaving the Great Hall and heading to the Slytherin common room.

He was wondering why he and Minho hadn't switched back bodies earlier. What else did it take, other than the two of them making up? Was them being sort of friends not enough? Did they have to be... more? Chan felt his cheeks heat up when he accidently let his mind slip a little bit too far. There was no way, Minho was even interested in him like that. He'd said he wanted to change because he cared about Chan's opinion, but that didn't necessarily have to mean that he wanted to date him!

Chan entered the common room, still blushing at the images that popped up in his head, caused by his ridiculous thoughts. Maybe his crush on Minho from a while ago wasn't as dead as he thought it was...

~

Minho had trouble falling asleep that night. His mind was running wild. He had finally talked things out with Chan, and they were still in each other's bodies. Maybe he should have been bolder. Or maybe he should be bolder tomorrow...

But was Chan even interested in him like that? Minho furrowed his brows. Since when was he unconfident when it came to making someone fall for him? He exhaled.

It was somehow different with Chan. At first, he had just been curious as to why the Gryffindor hated him so much, then he'd found out about his past which made him want to be a better person... for Chan.

Minho wasn't used to being genuinely interested in someone but it seemed like Bang Chan was special.

Eventually, he did drift off into a dreamless sleep. At this point, he was just too tired to rack his brain over the issue any further. He could talk to Chan tomorrow and they could work on figuring out how to switch their bodies back...

~

Minho woke up the next morning, feeling dizzy. He barely opened his eyes as he crawled out of bed and grabbed his things to go and wash up, not taking in his surroundings at all. When he reached the bathroom, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, before looking into the mirror.

He jumped in surprise when he saw not Bang Chan's but his own reflection looking back at him. Minho was back in his own body! He was finally himself again! He was suddenly wide awake, rushing to get ready before all but storming to the Great Hall to find Chan. The Gryffindor was about to head to his table to join Felix when Minho caught up with him.

"Captain Bang," he called out. Chan turned around at the sound of his name. He grinned at Minho who didn't hesitate long before pulling the other into a hug. A few surprised gasps were heard from around them, since it was a well-spread fact that Bang Chan and Lee Minho didn't like each other.

Eventually, they pulled apart, their arms still around each other. Minho was just about to say something, but Chan beat him to it by leaning in and pressing his lips onto his. Minho was sure that that resulted in even more surprised gasps, but he didn't pay attention to anyone else but Chan; his soft lips, his hands playing with a few strands of Minho’s hair.

Minho had kissed many people but he'd never felt quite like this.

Someone cleared their throat behind Chan and the two of them pulled apart, only now remembering that they weren't alone. Felix stood there, his arms crossed over his chest. Minho looked around, noticing that almost all the eyes in the Great Hall were on them. Chan blushed, obviously surprised by what he had just done. Minho couldn't say that he wasn't surprised as well, though. He'd thought about being bold with Chan but the Gryffindor had been faster.

"Care to explain yourself?" Felix questioned. Chan gave him a sheepish look.

"I'll explain later," he told the younger. Felix raised his eyebrows, seemingly not happy with that answer. Before he could retort anything, though. Hyunjin and Changbin walked over.

"Bow down to the kings of PDA, I hope someone covered Jeongin's eyes!" Hyunjin exclaimed teasingly. Minho chuckled at his friend, noticing that Felix and Changbin both had a slightly pink tint on their cheeks. They weren't usually this close to each other, Minho figured.

"So, since when are you two so cozy with each other?" Hyunjin questioned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Since we were inside each other's bodies," Minho answered, only to realize how that must have sounded. Felix' eyes widened, Changbin even averted his gaze from the younger Gryffindor to stare back at Minho and even Hyunjin was left speechless.

Chan, whose face had become beet red by now, waved his hands frantically. "Not like that!" he exclaimed. "Okay, let's not discuss this here..." he added, grabbing Minho's Slytherin tie and dragging him along, out of the Great Hall, through the entrance hall and into the courtyard. Their friends were still confused but followed them nonetheless.

Once they had all gathered by a stone bench, which Changbin and Felix sat on at the same time, before blushing like two tomatoes due to their close proximity, Chan let go of Minho and searched for the right words to explain the past few days.

"Okay, so remember when we had this potions accident the other day?" Felix nodded at the older Gryffindor's question.

"When you got five-minute-amnesia and didn't recognize me!" he said.

"Right... that wasn't me..." Chan said. Felix furrowed his brows in a confused manner.

"That was me," Minho spoke up.

Hyunjin raised his hand in confusion. "Wait, wait, hold up... what are you saying?" he asked, looking from Minho to Chan and back.

"I think they're saying that they... switched bodies?" Changbin suggested. Minho and Chan nodded simultaneously.

"So, you were him... and... he was you?!" Felix asked Chan.

"Exactly," the older agreed.

"And that's why you were suddenly acting like a hoe?"

"Hey!" Minho intercepted.

"Sorry..." Felix mumbled.

Hyunjin looked at Chan with a raised eyebrow. "That means you were the one who got hit with the bludger," he stated and Chan nodded.

"Basically, the only way for us to change back into our old bodies was to get along," Minho explained when he noticed that Felix was going to ask another question about him being Chan. Hyunjin smirked.

"You sure do get along", he teased.

"But how the fuck did you switch bodies?!" Felix suddenly asked. He still looked beyond confused. Hyunjin just laughed. Chan and Minho exchanged a look.

"Doesn't matter. We're fully back to normal now," Chan said, ruffling Felix' hair.

Maybe they weren't completely back to normal, considering they didn't hate each other anymore, Minho thought. He definitely didn't complain, though. His thoughts wandered back to their kiss in the Great Hall and his face broke into a sheepish grin. It seemed like that potions accident was the best thing that could have happened to him.

~

"So, how does it feel to officially be off the market?" Hyunjin asked Minho one evening a few days later when they were just hanging out in the Slytherin common room. Minho grinned. He'd officially asked Bang Chan to be his boyfriend two days ago and despite all the teasing he'd had to endure from his friends, it had been the best 48 hours of his life.

"It's nice. You should try it, too," Minho advised.

Hyunjin chuckled. "Nah, I'm still young so I have to live life to the fullest until I turn into a softie like you. If you wanna play cupid, try setting up Changbin and Felix," the younger said. Minho slightly hit his friend's arm for the softie comment but actually started contemplating the idea.

Felix and Changbin's crushes on each other were painfully obvious to anyone but them. Something needed to be done there. But Minho decided to enjoy his own relationship for a little while longer before he interfered with theirs.

~

"There's a reason you're not a Chaser," Chan laughed at Minho when he dropped the Quaffle for the nth time that afternoon. The two of them were practicing some Quidditch by themselves, mostly playing with the Quaffle, though. Minho pouted.

"That's only because I don't want to be one..." he said. Chan laughed and flew over to him.

"Sure...and I'm actually the world's best Beater," he teased his boyfriend. Minho grinned.

"I'll beat your ass if you don't stop teasing me," he fake-threatened. Chan only stuck his tongue out at him and flew away on his broomstick.

"Catch me if you can," he shouted. Minho shook his head fondly before he flew after Chan, trying to somehow catch up with him.

They chased each other around on their broomsticks for a while before softly crash-landing in the grass. Minho crawled on top of Chan and their eyes met. The Gryffindor's gaze wandered to his lips. Minho smirked, leaning in to let his mouth ghost over Chan's just barely depriving him of what he wanted.

Eventually, Chan had enough of the Slytherin's games and snaked his arms around his neck to pull him down for a kiss. Minho didn't waste any more time, slipping his tongue inside his boyfriend's mouth as Chan's hands ran through his hair. The kiss slowly but surely turned a little too steamy for the outdoors and their need for air kicked in eventually, so they pulled apart, faces still only inches from each other.

"Excuse me!" a voice spoke up from a few feet away. Minho got up and pulled Chan too his feet. The Hufflepuff Quidditch team captain, Lee Minhyuk, looked at them in dismay. "Could you two get a room. My team needs to practice," he scolded them.

"Sorry, we were just leaving," he apologized before snatching his and Minho's broomsticks off the floor.

Minho grinned when he took his broomstick and noticed his boyfriend's flustered expression. He laced their hands together and began dragging him off the field.

"Have a good practice," he said to the still displeased looking Hufflepuff captain. He smiled at their Seeker, Jeongin, in passing before leaving the field and entering the locker rooms with his still red boyfriend.

"You're cute when you blush, captain Bang," he teased him. Chan slightly hit his chest.

"Shut up..." he muttered embarrassedly. They changed back into their uniforms and made their way back to the castle.

Minho reached for Chan's hand, lacing their fingers together. He didn't miss the faint blush tinting the older's cheeks again.

Damn, Minho thought, he could really get used to this relationship thing. 

Chapter Text

There is one thing we need to clear up first:

Seo Changbin did not have crushes!

At least, not usually...

He had a reputation to uphold as Slytherin’s cold, reserved, dark prefect. He had to make sure that he came across as scary-authoritative to his classmates and crushing on Gryffindor’s goofy Keeper with the way too bright smile was not helping, at all!

Changbin didn’t like loud people, so why did he like Felix?

He sighed to himself as he made his way from the Great Hall to the Slytherin common room after dinner.

Why did he like Felix? There was a simple answer to that question. The guy was kind, an amazing Quidditch player, unbelievably talented at Charms... and he may or may not have saved Changbin’s life before.

That was only a little bit exaggerated.

Felix had merely prevented him from falling down the stairs in the Owlery by grabbing his robes and pulling him back to his feet (after being the one that caused Changbin to fall in the first place by bumping into him on his way out, but let’s not focus on the details). Either way, he had saved Changbin from breaking his neck and the older was thankful for that, even though he hadn’t really shown it – if the annoyed “Watch where you’re going” he’d spat at Felix was any indication.  

“Changbin,” a deep voice called out to him when he was just halfway down the stairs to the dungeons. Changbin stopped dead in his tracks. He’d recognize that deep voice anywhere.

He turned around to see none other than Lee Felix standing at the top of the stairs, wearing his Quidditch uniform, broomstick in hand and hair messed up from the cold October wind.

“What?” Changbin snapped. Here we go again with the friendliness. Felix seemed unbothered, though. He came down to where the Slytherin prefect stood with a wide grin on his face.

“Go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend.”

It wasn’t even a question more like a request. Needless to say, Changbin was speechless. Why was this guy asking him to go to Hogsmeade with him all of a sudden?

“W-why would I want to go there with you?” Changbin stammered. And there went his scary-authoritative reputation. All it took was one stupid Gryffindor to turn Changbin into a stammering mess. Felix’ grin widened and he shrugged.

“I’ll meet you here after breakfast on Saturday. See you later, Binnie,” he exclaimed before jumping up the stairs and leaving a perplexed Changbin behind.

Binnie?

“What just happened?” he asked himself. He continued his way to the common room, still thinking about Felix. Should he really meet him on Saturday? Technically, he hadn’t actually agreed. On the other hand, Changbin would be lying if he said that he didn’t want to spend some time with Felix to get to know him a little better.

He let out a frustrated groan as he finally entered the common room. Having a crush on someone was tiring, which was one of the reasons Changbin had stayed out of that bullshit – until Felix came along.

~

Felix clutched his heart, trying to control the wild beating inside his chest. Chan caught up with him when he went up the stairs towards the common room. “I just asked Seo Changbin on a Hogsmeade date,” Felix all but breathed out.

The older’s grin widened. “Did he say yes?” he questioned.

Felix gave him a wide-eyed look. “I... don’t know...” he answered.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Chan questioned. Felix still had a hard time believing that he had actually managed to even speak to Changbin in the first place. Where had that sudden rush of confidence come from?

He summarized his short conversation with Changbin to Chan. They reached their common room and Felix immediately collapsed in one of the armchairs.

“I can’t go through with it... I just can’t,” he muttered. Chan patted his knee comfortingly.

“Of course, you can. Changbin’s a nice guy. He may seem intimidating, but I think he’s interested in you,” he informed his younger friend.

Felix gave him a hopeful look. The thought that Seo Changbin might actually like him back gave him a little bit more confidence. He just hoped that the Slytherin would really show up to their date...

~

Changbin did end up meeting Felix on Saturday, simply because he had nobody else to go to Hogsmeade with and not because he liked the Gryffindor or anything. Minho had ditched him to go on a date with his boyfriend and Hyunjin had gotten himself into detention yesterday.

So, here he was, walking down the road to Hogsmeade with Lee Felix right next to him.

“I didn’t see you at the last Quidditch game,” the younger spoke up.

Changbin shrugged. “I was studying,” he replied. It wasn’t a lie. He’d had a Defense Against the Dark Arts test the next day and he didn’t want to get side-tracked by a strikingly gorgeous Australian fuck on a broomstick. So, he’d just settled on staying at the library and not even Hyunjin or Minho could coax him out of there.

They reached Hogsmeade and Felix suggested heading to Honeydukes first because, apparently, he was running out of sweets. It was crowded as usual, but Felix didn’t seem to mind. He seemed not to be bothered by a lot of things in general. Changbin, though, was glad when Felix had paid for everything he needed, and they were finally outside again.

“Should we get butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks?” Felix offered. “My treat,” he added with his signature grin, which Changbin totally wasn’t weak for, okay?!

“Sure,” the Slytherin agreed before the two of them made their way to the pub. It was silent for a few minutes, in which Changbin felt incredibly awkward.

“So... uh... why did you want to come here with me of all people?” he finally asked. He cringed at his own awkwardness.

Felix chuckled. “Because I like you,” he said – and believe it or not, the guy wasn’t even blushing.

Meanwhile, Changbin choked on air.

“Excuse me?”

They reached the pub before Changbin could say anything else and went inside. Felix ordered two butterbeers for them. He unabashedly reached for Changbin’s hand and dragged him through the crowd to the far back of the room where he’d spotted a vacant table.

“You heard correctly earlier. I asked you to come to Hogsmeade with me because I like you,” Felix told him once they were seated. Changbin was pretty sure that he was the one blushing now. A Slytherin prefect did not blush, for Merlin’s sake. “You’re cute,” the younger added when he saw what kind of impact his words had on Changbin.

“I’m not cute,” he mumbled into his butterbeer before taking a sip. Felix just laughed. “Are you always this straightforward?” Changbin questioned after calming his racing heart down a little.

The younger grinned again. “I know what I want,” he replied. Well, Changbin had to admire the guy’s confidence... along with everything else he already admired about Felix. He probably wasn’t in Gryffindor for nothing. “How are my chances for a second date so far?” Felix asked Changbin who was just taking another sip from his butterbeer.

The older choked on his drink and coughed – rather unattractively – upon hearing Felix’ question.

“You alright?” Felix questioned with a concerned look on his face. After all, this was the second time he’d almost caused Changbin to die.

“D-date?” the Slytherin croaked out once he got most of the butterbeer out of his windpipe. Felix’ grin returned to his face. “I-I mean...I guess you’re doing quite alright so far...” Changbin told him.

“So, that means you’re going to say yes if I ask you out again?” Felix asked. He looked so excited at the thought that Changbin couldn’t help but smile.

“Maybe,” he said.

He knew that he would definitely say yes, but he decided not to tell Felix about that just yet.

~

Changbin started getting less shy and more comfortable around Felix as they talked about everything ranging from Quidditch, to classes and teachers they liked or hated, to their friends. It was surprisingly easy to talk to Felix. He wondered why he hadn’t mustered enough courage to do it earlier.

They had about twenty minutes until dinner started so they decided to make their way back to the castle.

“I had fun today,” Felix said.

Changbin looked at him. “Me too,” he admitted.

Felix’ face brightened up. “Good. I might really ask you out again,” he told Changbin, a cheeky grin spreading on his face as they entered the castle through the main entrance, heading into the Great Hall where dinner was already being served.

“You might?” Changbin questioned. Felix laughed.

“I will,” he promised before he leaned in and pecked Changbin’s cheek. He grinned and walked over to the Gryffindor table, once again leaving Changbin speechless and blushing.

He was greeted by a smirking Hyunjin when he finally walked over to his own table. “Did I just see you get a little kissy from Lee Felix?” he teased. Changbin glared at him and flopped himself down onto the seat next to his younger friend.

“Shut up! How was detention?” he asked, eager to change the subject. Luckily, Hyunjin didn’t pry and instead began telling Changbin how he had to clean the boys’ bathroom on the first floor with a jinxed toothbrush.

Changbin barely listened, though, since he was busy looking across the Great Hall to where Felix sat with his friend Bang Chan, who was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The younger turned his head and caught Changbin’s eyes, sending a smile in his direction.

Maybe Seo Changbin did have a small (read: huge) crush on Lee Felix. And maybe one day, he’d be ready to admit it to someone, other than himself.

Chapter Text

Coward.

That was the word Felix used to describe himself on a daily basis. It had been a week since his first date with Changbin – he still had no idea how he’d mustered up the courage to even ask him out. He definitely wanted to ask him out again, but he didn’t know how.

However, there was another problem besides Felix’ cowardice going by the name of Hwang Hyunjin.

The guy was a Slytherin in Felix’ year and he was also one of Changbin’s friends. The two of them were really close and the Gryffindor would be lying if he said that it didn’t bother him.

Hyunjin was handsome, way more handsome than Felix, at least that’s what he told himself, and he couldn’t really blame Changbin if he was interested in him. Recently, the two Slytherins had been spending more time together on their own, probably because their friend Minho had started dating Felix’ friend Bang Chan. He’d also seen them being flirty with each other before – which may or may not have made him openly glare at Hyunjin from time to time.

In short, if Changbin were to fall for Hyunjin, Felix was convinced that he wouldn’t stand a chance.

~

It was a cloudy but not actually cold October day when Felix finally told himself to grow a pair and just ask Changbin out again. He’d managed to play confident before. He could do it again! He stomped out of the Gryffindor common room confidently, asking some passing students if they had seen Changbin.

“I think I saw him in the Clocktower courtyard a while ago,” a Ravenclaw sixth year told him. Felix thanked the guy and headed straight to the courtyard. He felt nervous but also kind of excited. His last date with Changbin had been awesome and the older seemed like he’d actually had fun.

When Felix stepped out into the courtyard, it wasn’t hard to find Changbin as he was sitting on one of the stone benches.

He wasn’t alone, however.

Minho was hanging out with him, instead of Chan for a change, but Hyunjin was also with them. The youngest of the three Slytherins was lying on the bench, his head placed in Changbin’s lap, half-asleep and seeming incredibly comfortable. On top of that, Changbin was practically cradling his head with that fond expression he always regarded Hyunjin with when he wasn’t looking.

Felix turned around before they could see him and stormed back inside. To say he wasn’t jealous would be a lie! Why were Changbin and Hyunjin always so close? And if Changbin liked Hyunjin so much, why did he even give Felix false hope and went on a date with him in the first place?

He headed to the Great Hall where he found his two closest friends Chan and Jisung playing a game of Wizard’s Chess against each other. He sighed and just let himself fall down in the seat next to Jisung, resting his arms on the table and burying his face in them.

“What’s up with you?” Jisung questioned. Felix let out a displeased grunt but didn’t answer.

“Checkmate!” he heard Chan exclaim, which caused him to look up just in time to see Jisung’s chess figure be smashed into pieces. The Ravenclaw pouted.

“I always lose against you,” he muttered. Chan shrugged with a smug grin before turning his attention to Felix.

“Now, tell us what’s wrong,” he demanded, though it didn’t really sound forceful. Felix sighed dramatically. The image of Hyunjin and Changbin being all cuddly with each other was still fresh on his mind.

“You guys know Hyunjin, right?” he asked in a defeated tone. Chan nodded.

“Sure, I spent some time with him before as you know,” he pointed out. Jisung looked like he thought about something and Felix remembered that he also knew Hyunjin quite a bit.

“Don’t you think he’s like... super handsome?” Felix asked, which earned him two confused looks.

“Um... what’s this about? Weren’t you all over Changbin just five minutes ago? What happened to him being the love of your life?” Jisung questioned, sounding confused.

Felix sighed again. “He still is but as it turns out he might be more interested in Hyunjin than me. And Hyunjin’s all over him...”

Chan laughed; Felix didn’t quite understand what was so funny about his heartbreak. “Felix, they’re just friends!” the older Gryffindor told him.

Felix pouted. “What they were doing didn’t look like just friends...” he muttered. Jisung raised his eyebrow.

“Wait, what were they doing again?” the Ravenclaw questioned.

Felix described what he saw to his friends, trying not to sound bitter every time he said Hyunjin’s name. His friends still didn’t look convinced, but Felix was completely sure that they weren’t just friends.

“What should I do?” he asked desperately.

Jisung seemed to think for a while. Suddenly, his face broke into a smirk.

“You could try making Changbin jealous,” he suggested.

“That’s a terrible idea!” Chan protested.

Felix, however, brightened up at the Ravenclaw’s suggestion.

“That’s brilliant! I guess the Ji in Jisung is for genius!” he exclaimed, causing the two fifth years to crack up.

Chan still seemed concerned, though. “Guys, those kinda actions always go wrong!” the oldest told them, but Felix was having none of it.

“No, this will work! Maybe Changbin will realize what he’s lost when he thinks it’s already gone!” he schemed. He needed someone to help him with the whole thing, though. He turned towards Jisung and made puppy eyes at him. “Jisungie! My bro, my homie, my best friend... can you pretend to be my fake boyfriend for a while?” Felix questioned, trying to sound as cute as possible.

Jisung looked a little skeptical. “I don’t know, bro. I’m probably not the right one for this job,” he said.

Felix pouted. “Fine... I’ll just have to ask Minho then,” he fake-threatened. He wouldn’t do that even if Jisung said no, mainly because he was friends with both Hyunjin and Changbin. “Don’t ask Minho! He’s gonna eat you up!” Jisung warned him, actually seeming a little alarmed.

“Besides, Minho is taken, in case you two idiots forgot!” Chan interfered after a while of just watching his two hopeless friends.

“Doesn’t mean he stopped being a hoe,” Jisung replied with a shrug. Chan looked like he wanted to say something but seemed to decide against it.

“Whatever, I have to go...” he said and got up.

They bid their goodbyes to the older before Jisung faced Felix again.

“Fine, I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend for a while. But if this escalates and Changbin punches me in the face, it’s on you!” he said, pointing an accusing finger at his Gryffindor friend. Felix grinned at him widely.

“You’re the best! Can we start right now?” Jisung rolled his eyes playfully.

“Fine,” he agreed.

The two of them got up, making their way back to the Clocktower courtyard. Felix felt nervous about doing this. What if Changbin didn’t care? If he was really interested in Hyunjin he wouldn’t care what Felix was doing with Jisung, right?

“Maybe you should hold my hand. He won’t get jealous if he thinks we’re just friends,” Jisung told him. Felix nodded and reached for the Ravenclaw’s hand, lacing their fingers together. He couldn’t help but snort. Jisung was his best friend and in their five years of friendship they’d never been like this with each other. “That’s probably the gayest thing I’ve done in a while,” Jisung said with a chuckle.

They reached the Clocktower courtyard; Felix tried to look like it was natural for Jisung to hold his hand when they stepped outside where the three Slytherins were still hanging around. From the short look he shot in their direction, Felix could tell that Hyunjin had sat up and was now next to Changbin, instead of half on top of him.

“Let’s head to the Quidditch field,” Jisung suggested. Felix nodded, trying hard not to look at Changbin as they passed by the three Slytherins.

“Check his reaction,” the Gryffindor whispered. Jisung sneakily turned around to see what Changbin was doing.

“He looks confused,” he told his friend, whose face brightened up a little.

“Good...confused is good...”

~

From that day onwards Jisung and Felix started going everywhere together, holding hands and pretending to be a happy couple. The Ravenclaw joined Felix at the Gryffindor table more often, where they continued doing gross couple stuff like feeding each other, while sneaking glances at the Slytherin table to check Changbin’s reactions.

Jisung saw Changbin give the two of them confused looks before Hyunjin managed to grab his attention by poking his cheek. Felix seemed to have seen the two Slytherins as well, which caused him to glare at Hyunjin.

“Stop glaring, you’re being too obvious!” Jisung hissed at him.

“He’s such a hoe... he’s probably just playing with Changbin anyway!” Felix muttered.

Jisung raised his eyebrow at him. “He’s not a bad person, Lix! Changbin is his friend so even if something was going on between them, Hyunjin wouldn’t hurt him!” he assured the Gryffindor.

“Are you sure about that?” Felix asked, giving the Ravenclaw a daring look.

Jisung seemed to bite back an answer and instead just looked over to the Slytherin table again. Changbin and Hyunjin were talking about something. It seemed to be very funny, judging by the way Changbin laughed and slapped the younger Slytherin’s shoulder in amusement.

“I think it’s time for the second phase!” Felix, who of course, had seen everything again, announced. Jisung had been the one to come up with the idea of making Changbin jealous but he didn’t know anything about a second phase.

“Do I even want to know?” he questioned.

Felix looked at him. “I’m going to ask you on a date once he’s within earshot,” he said, sounding secretive. Jisung began to regret ever bringing this whole jealousy thing up in the first place. He felt like this so-called plan was just bound to go wrong but once Felix had his mind on something there was no going back.

~

The two fifth years left the Great Hall around the same time as Changbin (and Hyunjin, who seemed to be glued to the older, Felix thought bitterly). They walked a little ahead of him and Felix saw that as his opportunity. They stopped walking once they’d reached the entrance hall and Felix reached for Jisung’s hand.

“Hey, should we go to Hogsmeade together on Sunday?” he asked, trying to sound natural. Jisung grinned at him.

“Aw, are you finally going to buy me that birthday present I never got?” he cooed, pinching Felix’ cheeks. The Gryffindor chuckled and began walking again, gently dragging Jisung along.

“I’ll buy you whatever you want,” he told him.

They saw Changbin walk past them, not sparing them a glance and Felix exhaled, releasing Jisung’s hand. “Do you think it worked?” he asked the Ravenclaw. Jisung just shrugged.

“He looked a little pissed. I’m starting to get more and more worried about my face by the day!” He grabbed Felix’ sleeve to stop him from walking again. “Bro, I know this was my idea and everything but I’m starting to think that maybe you should just talk to Changbin about where you two stand. For all we know, you could ruin all your chances with him by pretending to date me,” the Ravenclaw advised him.

“I’m not the one who started being flirty with other guys!” Felix replied stubbornly. He didn’t want to give in so easily. He wanted to know how important he was to Changbin, if at all.

Jisung sighed, mumbling a “whatever, as long as you know what you’re doing,” before heading up the stairs to get to his next class.

~

Changbin was fuming, to say the least. He slammed his Potions book on the table in front of him and crossed his arms over his chest, letting himself fall down on the couch in the Slytherin common room. What the hell was going on with Felix? He’d thought the Gryffindor liked him.

And after their date had gone so well he had really thought that he had an actual chance with him.

“What’s got you so mad?” Hyunjin questioned. He hadn’t even noticed the younger following him.

“Don’t you have class? I should deduct some points from you for skipping!” Changbin snapped at him. Hyunjin seemed unimpressed and just sat down next to him.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on or not?” he asked. “Let me guess... it’s about Felix and Jisung’s suddenly blooming relationship, isn’t it?” Changbin huffed. Why did the smartass have to ask if he already knew the answer anyway? Hyunjin took the older’s silence as a yes. “For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t be too upset about it. There’s something fishy...” he told his friend.

Changbin gave him a look. “What do you mean?” he asked, obviously interested in what Hyunjin might know. The younger shrugged.

“I’m not sure, yet. But I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry. For now, you should pretend that you don’t care about them,” he said.

“I don’t care about them!” Changbin protested. Hyunjin gave him a look, that bespoke that he didn’t believe a single word of that. Changbin rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine, maybe I do care. I mean, why did he have to ask Jisung to go to Hogsmeade with him? Hogsmeade of all places! That was where our first date was... does it mean nothing to him?” he finally burst out.

“Like I said. For now, pretend not to care...” Hyunjin said and patted his friend’s shoulder.

~

“What are you doing here?” Jisung questioned in surprise when he made his way back to the Ravenclaw tower after his last class of the day. He hadn’t expected to see Hyunjin casually leaning against the entrance to the common room, his arms crossed over his chest and a knowing expression on his face.

The Slytherin smirked at him. “So, you and Felix, huh?” he asked.

 Jisung felt himself getting a little defensive because of the look Hyunjin gave him.

“Well... you and Changbin, huh?” he shot back. Hyunjin chuckled and pushed himself off the wall, getting closer to Jisung.

“We both know that there’s nothing going on between me and Changbin. I know what Felix is trying to do but if he keeps this up, he’ll lose Changbin. Right now, he’s still hung up on him but eventually he’ll move on,” the Slytherin said. “He’s too proud to admit that he’s jealous. Call it his fatal flaw, but he’d rather get his heart broken than show someone how vulnerable he is...” he added. He no longer sounded amused but rather serious. 

“This situation will just end up with both of them hurt, so be the responsible guy I know you are and talk Felix out of this.”

Jisung didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected Hyunjin to actually be so sharp. He knew the older wasn’t dense, but to think he’d seen right away that this whole thing had been an act…

“I’ll see what I can do, but he’s stubborn and he thinks you’re a threat,” Jisung finally replied. Before Hyunjin could answer a deep voice spoke up.

“Jisung, there you are, you forgot your History of Magic book –” Felix stopped talking when he noticed Hyunjin still standing pretty close to Jisung.

“What, you want to have him, too?” Felix glared at Hyunjin who seemed completely unimpressed.

“You really need to control your jealousy. Your... boyfriend and I were just talking,” the Slytherin said before walking away. Jisung waited until he was gone before he faced Felix.

“Why are you here?” he questioned.

Felix handed him a book. “You forgot this earlier... I thought I’d try catching up to you,” the Gryffindor answered. “What did Hyunjin want?” he asked, turning around to the spot where they’d last seen Hyunjin before he’d disappeared.

“We were just talking... you know, maybe we should drop the act. Where are you planning on going with this anyway?” Jisung questioned, trying to sound as reasonable as possible.

“I don’t know but we can’t stop now! Tomorrow’s Halloween! I need you to be my date for the party in the Great Hall!” Felix pleaded. Jisung sighed, unsure of how to talk Felix out of this. Hyunjin’s words echoed in his head clearly.

He’d rather get his heart broken than show someone how vulnerable he is.

“Alright... but after tomorrow we’ll stop! This will just end up in a disaster otherwise!” Jisung said. He knew that Felix would be more stubborn if he said no to going to the party with him. Maybe he could use that party to work on getting things right between the two of them tomorrow. Felix hugged him quickly.

“You’re the best! I have Quidditch practice now! See you tomorrow, okay?” he exclaimed, already skipping off.

Jisung sighed and shook his head, turning to face the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower.

~

The Halloween party was the next day and even though Jisung still looked unsure about even coming here but Felix was convinced that the plan would definitely work. He scanned the room for Changbin while leaning against a wall in the far back of the corner.

“Do you see him anywhere?” he asked Jisung, who leaned next to him.

“No,” the Ravenclaw replied.

Felix’ face brightened up the next moment. “There he is!” he exclaimed, nudging Jisung. “He’s looking, pretend you’re whispering in my ear,” he muttered.

Jisung sighed but complied. “I swear to god, Felix, this is the worst idea I’ve ever had!” he hissed. Felix pretended to giggle at his words, or maybe he found the situation funny for real.

“Why? He’s coming over, so maybe he finally snapped!” the Gryffindor said. Jisung looked up to see Changbin striding over with a determined look on his face.

“Oh god, my poor face...” Jisung mumbled. Changbin came to a stop in front of them, glaring at Jisung before shifting his gaze to Felix.

“Can we talk?” he questioned coldly. Felix gave him a daring look.

“Depends if Jisung’s okay with it...” he said.

“I’m okay with it! Please, talk!” Jisung interfered, giving Felix a slight push in Changbin’s direction.

Felix shot him a quick glare before following Changbin out of the Great Hall, which proved to be challenging because of all the dancing couples and mingling students. Once they’d reached the entrance hall, Changbin faced Felix, who just crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrow.

“Okay, what the fuck?!” Changbin exclaimed, not sounding amused, at all.

“What is it?” Felix asked.

“What is it?! Hm, I don’t know, maybe the fact that we went on a date and you wanted to ask me on another one, which never happened! Instead, you start dating Jisung all of a sudden! What happened? What did I do wrong?” Changbin’s tone had changed towards the end from angry to kind of...sad?

Felix began to feel bad about his behavior. He never wanted to make Changbin sad. But then he remembered all the times he’d gotten cuddly with Hyunjin and how he had felt about that. He hadn’t done this whole thing with Jisung only to feel bad now!

“I did what you did to me... I replaced you,” he said, trying to sound surer of himself than he actually felt. Changbin looked confused and sad and also still a little angry at the younger’s words.

“What do you mean?”

“You shouldn’t let Hyunjin wait. I should probably get back to Jisung,” Felix told him.

“Hyunjin? What the– ...we’re just friends! I like you, you idiot!” Changbin said when Felix was just about to turn around and leave him behind. The Gryffindor knew that he should probably be offended that Changbin called him an idiot, but he got a little too distracted by what he’d said before that.

“What?” he asked in complete and utter disbelief, not sure if he had heard it correctly. Changbin frowned.

“You heard me! I like you and seeing you with Jisung hurts! You don’t even look good together!” Felix was still shocked but it seemed as though Changbin was right... he really was an idiot.

He lowered his head in shame. Maybe he had gone too far. He could have avoided hurting Changbin if he had just talked to him.

“I’m sorry...I just wanted to make you jealous. Jisung and I aren’t even together,” he told the Slytherin, not daring to look him in the eye, afraid that his little jealousy stunt had ruined all his chances with Changbin.

“Well, it worked. I’m fucking jealous!” Changbin said. He stepped closer to Felix, causing the younger to look at him. Changbin was shorter than him, which Felix couldn’t help but find cute. He grinned at him shyly. To his relief, Changbin returned his grin and things suddenly seemed pretty okay.

“Okay, if that’s out of the way, can we finally drop this whole act and you ask me out on that second date? Because afterwards, I plan on making you my boyfriend to avoid stuff like that from ever happening again,” Changbin said straightforwardly, obviously impatient.

Felix blushed at his bluntness but smiled. “Alright, then. Seo Changbin, will you do me the honors and go out with me again?” he asked. Changbin pretended to think about it for a few seconds before he grinned again and pecked Felix on the cheek before mumbling a “sure, why not” and disappearing back into the Great Hall and leaving a stunned and blushing Felix behind.

~

“So, are you two officially dating now?” Chan asked two days later when he and Felix sat at the Gryffindor table along with Jisung. Felix grinned widely, a faint blush spreading on his cheeks.

“We are,” he confirmed, thinking back to his second Hogsmeade date with Changbin.

Jisung let out a sigh of relief. “Good, you know I love you, bro. But being your fake-boyfriend is something I don’t ever want to do again,” he told the Gryffindor, who just pouted. “Don’t give me that look, Changbin still looks like he wants to kill me when he sees me!” Jisung protested.

“I told you, this whole thing was a shit idea,” Chan spoke up with a smug grin on his face.

Jisung glared at him half-heartedly. “I know, okay. Let’s just never talk about it again.”

“At least, I got my Prince Changbin in the end,” Felix swooned. Chan and Jisung exchanged a short look before throwing a few peas at Felix, who just kept the whipped grin on his face, completely unbothered.

~

Jisung ran into Hyunjin again when he headed to the classroom for Defense Against the Dark arts. The Slytherin gave him a grin.

“So, I heard you and Felix broke up,” he teased him. Jisung snorted.

“Shut up,” he replied.

Hyunjin just laughed as they casually began walking next to each other.

“We should hang out again. It’s been a while. How about some one on one Quidditch like in old times,” Hyunjin suggested.

Jisung shrugged in response. “Sure, if you want to get your ass kicked again,” the younger said smugly.

Hyunjin shoved him playfully. “It’s definitely on!” he promised. “No, but seriously. My best friends both have boyfriends now and I kinda miss you as a friend,” Hyunjin said more seriously. Jisung gave him a small smile.

“It’s not too late to get a boyfriend as well,” he told the Slytherin who just chuckled.

“Nah, you know how I did last time.”

Jisung did, indeed, remember last time.

“Maybe you just haven’t found the right person, yet. Look at Changbin and Felix, they’re obviously made for each other. And even someone like Minho found someone. I think you shouldn’t give up just yet,” Jisung advised when they reached the classroom. Hyunjin nodded slowly.

“We’ll see...”

Jisung patted the older’s arm before they went to opposite sides of the classroom, Hyunjin to sit with his Slytherin friend Sunwoo and Jisung to sit next to Seungmin, who was nose-deep in a random book about runes.

~

Felix was positively surprised to find Changbin waiting for him after Quidditch practice. He smiled and went to give his boyfriend a hug. “Wanna do something?” Changbin asked. Felix pulled back out of the hug nodded.

“What did you have in mind?” he questioned.

Changbin gave him a secretive look as he intertwined their hands. “You’ll see,” he told the Gryffindor. Felix was curious, but he’d probably follow Changbin anywhere, so he decided to be patient and let himself get dragged along gently.

He smiled to himself. Maybe jealousy wasn’t his best trait, though it was partly the reason he was with Changbin now, so it wasn’t all bad. He still had an uneasy feeling about Hyunjin sometimes, but for now he tried to focus on what he had with his boyfriend.

If Changbin said that they were just friends, he should believe him...

Chapter Text

I am NOT [going to mess this up]

Bang Chan was good at lots of things. Quidditch, Potions, making friends, even cooking. But there was one thing he would never be good at. And that was Astronomy. He had tried everything in his first five years at Hogwarts. He’d stayed up late, practically eating up every Astronomy book the library held, he’d studied with other people from his year and had asked his father – who had published several books about Astronomy – to help him.                                                                               

He had barely made it through his OWLs and he’d looked forward to finally ditching the subject once he’d started his sixth year, but his father had insisted for him to keep it up. So here he was in his seventh year at Hogwarts, one day before one of the biggest tests of the year and he couldn’t do shit.

~

“Hey, you good?” Minho, Chan’s boyfriend questioned when he found the distressed Gryffindor in the library, several open books spread across the table.

“I’m screwed,” Chan said and let his head fall on top of one of the books with a thump. Minho ran a hand through the older’s brown hair and sat down next to him.

“Astronomy?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“I have a test tomorrow...” Chan mumbled, his voice sounding muffled, since he hadn’t bothered to raise his head from the table.

“Why didn’t you say anything? You know I can help you with that,” Minho said in a half-accusing tone.

Chan looked up at him. “You have stuff to do, too. I don’t want to burden you,” he told the Slytherin who just shook his head fondly.

“I’m not that busy. Besides, I can always make time for you,” he replied. He reached for one of the books on the table and studied it. “Well, the best way to study Astronomy is by actually looking at the stars for reference, have you ever tried that?” Minho asked his boyfriend with a smirk. Chan gave him a look.

“How am I supposed to do that? We have a curfew in case you forgot. I can’t just go up to the Astronomy tower whenever I want,” he argued.

Minho laughed, earning himself a sharp glare from the librarian. “Sometimes I forget how much of a good boy you are...” he said to Chan. “Meet me on top of the Astronomy tower tonight at 10. Don’t get caught,” he told his boyfriend.

Chan pouted. “You want me to sneak out?”

“It’s to bring your grades up. I’ll help you ace that test, okay?” Minho promised.

Chan sighed. “Alright... thank you,” he muttered and leaned against the Slytherin’s side. Minho let his eyes wander across the pages of the book Chan had been studying. He grinned to himself, happy that he would be able to help Chan with something he wasn’t good at.

They hadn’t been together for that long and Minho still had to get used to being someone’s boyfriend, but he really liked the Gryffindor a lot, which is why he wanted to be there for him, even if it was about something as trivial as school work.

~

“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that this is a date rather than a study session,” Chan pointed out when he joined Minho on the highest level of the Astronomy tower with his telescope under his arm. The Slytherin had brought several blankets and a few bottles of pumpkin juice, which he’d previously retrieved from the kitchen.

“I just wanted us to be comfortable. It’s much more fun to study when you’re comfortable,” Minho explained himself and patted the space next to him. Chan chuckled at his boyfriend but sat down nonetheless, before starting to set up his telescope.

It was rare for Minho to see Chan in any other clothes than his robes or his Quidditch uniform, but he had to say that he looked adorable wearing casual clothing. In fact, his outfit wasn’t much different from Minho’s but for some reason, he couldn’t stop looking at the Gryffindor. Since it was November, Chan had put on an oversized sweater, which made him look small and cute, along with some black jeans and sneakers. It wasn’t even that cold up here, even though they were out in the open, but it felt like there was some sort of outdoor heater keeping them warm.

“Alright, teach me,” Chan said once he’d finished setting up his telescope, giving Minho a look that was a mix of giddy and expectant, only to catch the Slytherin staring at him. “What?” he asked, sounding a little concerned. Minho snapped out of it and looked Chan in the eyes.

“Nothing... you just look... nice,” he told him.

Chan looked at himself. “You think?” he questioned.

“Stop sounding so doubtful, I mean it!” Minho said with a chuckle. “Now... Astronomy...” he switched subjects, even though he still found it hard to focus. Chan didn’t just look good, he also smelled nice. He tried his best to tutor the Gryffindor, because he knew how important this test was, but he wasn’t exactly known for having lots of self-control.

Besides, the setting was just too nice, like Chan had pointed out; a date under the stars. The Slytherin usually wasn’t that big on romance but somehow everything was different with Chan. Minho trailed off mid-explanation, his hand coming to a rest on his boyfriend’s thigh.

“You look really good tonight...” he muttered.

Chan blushed, not meeting the younger’s gaze. “T-thanks...” he replied quietly.

Minho scooted a little closer to him. “I feel like we could use a study break,” the Slytherin suggested lowly, not missing how Chan’s breath hitched at the proximity or how he shuddered when Minho’s lips were only centimeters away from his neck.

“Maybe... a short one...” Chan said, trying to sound reasonable. Minho knew that this break wasn’t going to be short, but he decided not to argue with the older...

~

“BANG CHAN, LEE MINHO!” a stern, very loud, voice stirred Chan from his sleep. He opened his eyes and looked around, beyond confused when he saw that he wasn’t in his bed at the Gryffindor dorm. He closed his eyes for a second, not wanting to believe this situation. Then, once he figured that this wasn’t just going to go away he looked up.

Professor Vector, also known as the one of the strictest professors at this school, stood there, her arms crossed over her chest and her face anything but amused. The next thing Chan noticed was that the only thing shielding his body from her angry glare was a thin blanket.

“U-um... this isn’t what it looks like,” he stammered. She raised his eyebrow at him, silently telling him that this was exactly what it looked like and that they were in huge trouble.

“Care to wake your friend, Mr Bang?” Professor Vector snapped. Chan didn’t dare to say anything else when he half-turned, to find an equally as naked Minho still fast asleep, seemingly unbothered by the commotion. He made sure that they were both still covered by the blanket when he softly shook the younger awake.

“Five more minutes...” Minho mumbled, and Chan had never wanted to die more.

“Babe, we’re in trouble...” he whispered, hoping that it would be enough to wake Minho. It worked. The Slytherin’s eyes shot open and he propped himself onto his elbows as he looked around. He froze when he saw Professor Vector standing there, tapping her foot against the floor.

“Oh crap...” he muttered.

“Now that you’re both awake, would you mind explaining what you’re doing up here at six in the morning?!” Professor Vector yelled.

Chan looked at Minho, who looked back at him, before he spoke up. “Um... could we maybe get dressed first...” he asked quietly. Professor Vector looked like she was about to explode with rage when she turned around to let Chan and Minho hurriedly gather their clothes to put them on. 

Once they were finished, they were at the mercy of the teacher’s unyielding stare again. “Um... w-we were just going to study for my big Astronomy test today and then we kind of... fell asleep?” Chan tried to explain, though what he said sounded more like a question than anything else.

“Fell asleep...” Professor Vector repeated. “If it were up to me, I’d have both of you expelled immediately! Such inappropriate behavior on school grounds... that’s 50 points each from Slytherin and Gryffindor and detention this weekend! You should be ashamed of yourselves! I will inform the headmaster of this incident and now get out of here!”

Chan and Minho didn’t need to be told twice.

~

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get us into trouble,” Minho apologized once they were way out of earshot. Chan reached for his hand and laced their fingers together.

“I’m not mad at you... though I probably should be, since we barely got any studying done,” he replied. Minho looked truly apologetic.

“Do you want to ditch first period and study a little more?” he offered but Chan shook his head.

“I’m gonna be fine,” the Gryffindor declined. “We should probably get changed and get some breakfast...” he added. He was about to let go of the younger’s hand to head in the direction of his common room when Minho held him back.

“Are you sure, you’re not mad at me? I promised I’d help you, but I only got us detention...” the Slytherin asked. Chan freed his hand from Minho’s grip and cupped his cheeks, giving him a short kiss on the lips.

“I’m not mad at you. It was worth it,” Chan told him. That seemed to be enough to get Minho’s smirk back on his face.

“Oh really?” he asked cheekily.

Chan laughed and gently hit the younger’s arm. “Yes, really... I’ll go change now,” he announced.

“I wish you didn’t...” Minho replied with a pout, playing with the Gryffindor’s sleeve.

“What, you want me to run around in last night’s clothes? I don’t think the teachers would appreciate that,” Chan teased him.

Minho hummed in agreement. “I guess you’re right... maybe you should only dress up for me, then,” he suggested.

“That’s my cue to leave! I’ll see you at breakfast,” the Gryffindor said, giving Minho one last little kiss before leaving him behind.

~

“What’s this rumor about you and Minho getting caught in a ‘compromising situation’ on top of the Astronomy tower?” Jinwoo asked Chan that same evening on the way to their Astronomy lesson. Chan had been too nervous about the test to notice that the school seemed to already know about what had happened this morning, but now he was shooting his friend an alarmed look.  

“Who told you that?” he asked.

“So, it’s true?” Jinwoo questioned, sounding half impressed and half disappointed.

Chan looked at the floor. “Kind of... we studied there and then fell asleep,” he recounted the short version of the story.

Jinwoo snorted. “What did you study for that required you to get naked, Biology?” the older teased, causing Chan to whine and take a swing at his arm, which he missed by a hair. 

“Does that mean everyone knows?” he questioned.

Jinwoo nodded. “Pretty much... but it could be worse,” the Hufflepuff told him.

“Really, how so?” Chan asked, raising his eyebrows.

“I mean...” Jinwoo trailed off, obviously not knowing what to say.

“Thought so,” Chan mumbled.

They reached the Astronomy tower and Chan’s nervousness came back tenfold. Only that he now also had to deal with wolf whistles and wiggling eyebrows from his classmates. How could he not have noticed those all day long? They’d probably held off until they actually had Astronomy to make things more embarrassing for Chan.

“Ignore them,” Jinwoo muttered. Easier said than done, Chan thought to himself. Jinwoo was right, though. He already had enough on his plate. He couldn’t wait to get that damn test over with and get out of here as soon as possible. He sat down in his seat, feeling the stares more than ever.

“If anyone has something to say, at least have the balls to say it to his face. I’ll start deducting points if you keep this up!” Jinwoo spoke up with authority in his voice, effectively shutting the whispers and giggles around them up. Chan shot him a grateful look.

Being friends with the head boy of this school certainly had its perks...

~

The weekend rolled around, and Chan was just on his way to detention – cleaning the trophy room – when he ran into Professor Sinistra. “Chan, a word, please?” she said, sounding a little concerned. Chan just hoped that it didn’t have anything to do with the other day...

“It’s about your test...” she started. Chan breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn’t have known how to explain himself if it had been about the other thing. Luckily, Professor Sinistra didn’t dislike him only because he was shit at Astronomy. She knew that his father had made him keep the subject and she tried to go as easy on him as possible.

“It probably wasn’t good, right?” he asked knowingly. Professor Sinistra nodded.

“With this grade you’d have to ace the next one and the final exam to pass Astronomy this year...” she told him. Chan nodded slowly. He hadn’t expected anything else.

“I’m sorry, Professor. I studied a lot for it, but I just couldn’t get it through my head... and tutoring... didn’t quite work out,” he added before he could stop himself. She looked like she tried to suppress a laugh at his words.

Of course, she knew all about said tutoring.

“Right now, your grade is really bad. I’m afraid I can’t give you anything else but a T. You’d be the only one not to pass...” she said, switching back to serious mode. Chan nodded again. “However, I figured that maybe I could let you retake the test next Friday. And to make sure you get better, I suggested someone to tutor you.”

Chan was more than surprised to hear that. He’ would get a second chance? “Really? Thank you, Professor, I’ll try my best! Who is the tutor?” he questioned.

“Lee Juyeon, he’s a Ravenclaw in his sixth year and the best student of his grade,” Professor Sinistra told him.

Chan knew Juyeon a little bit. He was a nice guy, so maybe he could really help him. “I’ll make sure to meet up with him! Thank you, Professor,” he said excitedly.

She smiled and patted his shoulder. “No problem. Now, go on. From what I hear you got detention,” she said. Chan scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Professor Vector seems to have forgotten about her own youth...” Professor Sinistra mumbled before she took off. Chan decided that he didn’t want to know what she’d meant by that as he continued to make his way to the trophy room.

Minho was already there when he entered. There was no sign of any teacher or Mr Filch, which he definitely wouldn’t complain about.

“Hey,” he greeted Minho, who was busy, scrubbing a Quidditch trophy from 1992. The Slytherin looked up and smiled at the sight of his boyfriend. He set the trophy down and approached Chan to greet him properly, with a kiss.

“How was your test?” he questioned, casually wrapping his arms around the older’s waist.

“Not good. Professor Sinistra just told me that it will most likely be a T,” Chan replied, leaning into the younger’s chest and taking in his calming scent. “But she also said that I could retake the test,” he added.

“Really? Good, this time I can help you for real!” Minho exclaimed happily.

Chan chuckled as he looked up at him. “Thanks, but she actually got me a tutor for this,” he told his boyfriend, who furrowed his brows at the news.

“Who could tutor you better than your genius of a boyfriend?” he questioned. Chan laughed and squished the younger’s cheeks.

“You’re so cute sometimes, you know that? His name is Juyeon,” he answered Minho’s question.

“Lee Juyeon?” the Slytherin asked.

“Yes, he’s really good at Astronomy from what I hear,” Chan replied, softly freeing himself from Minho’s embrace to start working on the trophies. He didn’t miss the younger’s sulkiness, though. He smiled to himself. A few months ago, he’d never thought that this guy had a cute side.

“You know how important this test is for me, right?” he asked him. Minho sighed but nodded nonetheless. “I promise that if I pass the test this time, we’ll spend as much time together as you want, doing whatever you want,” Chan said.

Minho chuckled at that. “Do you never want to see me again?” he teased.

Chan gasped in mock-offense and threw his cleaning rag at him.

~

Luckily, detention wasn’t that bad with just the two of them most of the time. Mr Filch came in to check on them from time to time but other than that, their weekend of detention passed rather smoothly.

Chan would meet Juyeon for the first study session in the library on Monday. Minho was still not entirely happy that it wasn’t him who got to tutor Chan, but he decided not to let it show in front of the older.

The problem wasn’t that he was so eager to give Chan Astronomy lessons. It was just that he knew Lee Juyeon. The guy was a good student and a nice, kind-hearted person who couldn’t hurt a fly. Basically, he was Minho’s polar opposite. Not that Minho was a bad person, it was just that he used to play around a lot before he met Chan, he’d dated half the school before Chan had ‘tamed’ him.

But what if Chan realized that he’d much rather be with someone who hadn’t been with half of the school. It wasn’t that he was jealous... but rather... concerned. He’d never felt like this about anyone before he got to know Chan. The thought of being with anyone that wasn’t him after the past two months just didn’t sit right.

That being said, he respected Chan’s wish to study with Juyeon, especially since his grade was on the line, which was why Minho stayed quiet about it. That didn’t stop his concern, though. Especially, since Chan wouldn’t shut up about how much Juyeon knew about constellations and moons ever since their first study session.

“So, you’re getting along well...” Minho stated at lunch on Wednesday afternoon. Chan had just had his third study session with Juyeon and apparently, they hadn’t only talked about Astronomy but also about how Juyeon liked to play Quidditch. Unfortunately, he hadn’t made it on the team as a Beater this year.

“Yeah, he’s really nice,” Chan told him. “And I kind of get some the stuff he tries to teach me.” Minho gave him a stiff smile.

“Good, then you’ll surely ace this test,” he assured his boyfriend.

~

Minho sighed when he entered the Slytherin common room that same evening. His best friends Changbin and Hyunjin had followed him and now shot him confused looks.

“What’s up with you?” Hyunjin questioned. Minho wasn’t sure if he should tell his friends about his concerns, but he’d been keeping it to himself all week and he wasn’t sure what to do.

“Chan’s studying with this guy who’s like completely different from me and I feel like once he realizes how awesome this dude is, he’ll leave me and start dating him...” Minho blurted out everything on his mind. Changbin and Hyunjin exchanged surprised looks.

“Wait, is this Lee Minho being insecure about losing to another guy?” Changbin asked in disbelief.

Minho sighed again. “I’m serious... I wouldn’t care if it was anyone else but if Chan ever decides to break up with me for whatever reason, I don’t know what I’ll do. And I’m scared because I’ve never felt this way before...” he explained to his friends.

It felt surprisingly good to be honest with them, even though he was a little afraid of being judged. He didn’t often talk about feelings to anyone, not even his best friends. And now that he had all those feelings for Chan, he needed to consult them, so they could help him do the right thing.

Hyunjin raised his eyebrows. “Sounds to me like you’re-”

“Don’t even say it, I’m not there yet...” Minho interrupted him, knowing exactly what the younger was trying to say. “It’s just... I really care about him but I’m still me and my past hasn’t changed. I don’t want to fuck this up,” he told the two younger boys. Changbin leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

“Talk to him, before you end up doing anything stupid. That’s what a relationship is all about... communication. If you can’t talk to him about the stuff that’s bothering you, you’re bound to lose him one day, if not now, then next month or in a year,” the sixth year said in brutal honesty.

Minho knew that he was right. But wouldn’t Chan be offended if he told him about that? He sighed for the third time.

Only one way to find out.

“Fine, I’ll try... tomorrow...” Minho promised, more to himself than to his friends.

~

“Okay, Lee Minho, you can do this. Just be honest...” the Slytherin muttered to himself when he stood in front of the library, where Chan was studying with Juyeon, the next day. He walked inside and looked around. It didn’t take him very long to find them. They sat at a table at the very end of the library, quietly speaking to each other.

Minho walked over to them. Juyeon spotted him first, giving him a friendly smile, which he returned stiffly as he sat down next to Chan and greeted him with a kiss that was probably a little too heated for the public. The Gryffindor pulled back, his cheeks rosy.

“What are you doing?” he mumbled shyly. Minho clung to him.

“Go on, don’t let me bother you...” he said, not answering the older’s question. Juyeon looked amused but continued to tutor a slightly flustered and still confused Chan for thirty more minutes, in which Minho kept practically snuggling the younger.

“Alright, I think you’re good for tomorrow... you’ve improved a lot,” Juyeon told Chan while he started to pack up his things. Minho let go of Chan for the first time in half an hour to see him practically beam in excitement.

“Thanks, Juyeon! I must’ve been a handful...” he replied. Juyeon laughed and waved off.

“It was fun, really. Don’t forget to tell me the results once you get them!” the Ravenclaw said as he got up. “See you around, you two,” he added with a knowing grin in Minho’s direction, before he took off.

Once he was gone, Chan turned to face him, still looking excited but also curious.

“What’s up? Usually, I’m the Koala in this relationship?” he questioned in an amused tone.

Minho lowered his head. “I haven’t seen you all day and I missed you...” he mumbled. Chan faced him entirely and reached for both of his boyfriend’s hands.

“I know it’s more than that. Tell me...” he pleaded, now sounding slightly worried about his boyfriend’s unusual behavior.

Minho took a deep breath. “Do you like Juyeon more than me?” he questioned, carefully looking up at the Gryffindor.

Chan’s eyes went from concerned to confused and back in just two seconds. “What? Why would you think that?” he asked. Minho shrugged but Chan wasn’t going to let him off that easily.

So, Minho explained. He told him everything about his fear of Juyeon being a better match for him than he was and about how he’d never really been with anyone for more than just a few days at most and how Chan deserved so much better than him.

To say Chan was surprised by the younger’s words was an understatement. Minho was always so full of confidence and natural flirtiness, so he really hadn’t seen this coming at all. He reached forward to cup Minho’s cheeks in his hands, making him look at him. 

“I can assure you that I don’t like Juyeon like that. We were just studying together... besides, I don’t think he’s even into guys,” Chan told him. He gently caressed the younger’s squishy cheeks with his thumbs.

“Maybe not but what if you’d rather date someone who hasn’t been out with almost everyone in this school?” Minho asked, still sounding so incredibly insecure.

“I wouldn’t have started dating you in the first place if that were the case. I had my problems with you in the beginning, as you know, but I like you for who you are. And you’re with me now. So, just trust me and don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” he reassured Minho.

The Slytherin nodded, a pout still visible on his face.

“Now, wipe that pout off your face,” Chan warned playfully, but Minho’s pout only deepened. Chan chuckled and rolled his eyes, bringing Minho’s face closer to his own before quickly pecking him on the lips.

“Better?” he asked, their faces still only inches apart. Minho shook his head, still pouting, but Chan could finally see that playful glint in his eyes again. He kissed him again, a little longer this time. “How about now?” he questioned. Minho shook his head again, so Chan took it upon himself to basically attack him with kisses all over his face until the Slytherin laughed out loud.

Unfortunately, that caused a pissed off librarian to come over and kick them out, scolding them about taking their PDA somewhere else and that this was a place to learn quietly.

“Walk me to Quidditch practice?” Minho asked when they walked away from the library, ignoring the still ranting librarian behind them. Chan grinned and nodded.

“I’ll even stay to watch, now that I finally have more time,” he told the younger. Minho’s face brightened up at his words and he quickly went to get his Quidditch uniform from his dorm before taking Chan’s hand and walking to the field with him.

~

“So, how was the test?” Minho asked when Chan joined him at the Slytherin table for dinner with the results a few days later. Professor Sinistra had called Chan to the entrance hall before dinner had started to let him know his grade. Minho was almost more anxious than Chan, especially when he came in with an unreadable expression on his face. The Gryffindor made a dramatic pause, almost causing Minho to go crazy.

“I got an E!” he exclaimed loud enough for half of the Great Hall to hear. Minho jumped up from his chair.

“You got an E!” he repeated, pulling Chan into an excited hug.

“He’s got an E!” a random Ravenclaw shouted, causing the two seventh years to pull apart, laughing along with several other students before Chan sat down next to Minho.

“I’m proud of you,” Minho told him. Chan grinned, reaching for the pumpkin juice.

“I can’t wait to tell my Dad. He’ll probably think that I cheated, though...” he babbled excitedly, which caused Minho to chuckle and take the pumpkin juice from the Gryffindor’s hands before he spilled everything.

“Don’t forget what you promised me,” he reminded the older as he poured him some of the drink. “You said something about doing whatever I wanted. I was thinking... maybe we should have another date up in the Astronomy tower. Last time was pretty nice...” he suggested, luckily only loud enough for him to hear, though. Chan blushed at the memory but managed to control it pretty quickly before Minho’s friends could catch on.

“How about we take a break from everything related to Astronomy for a while... we could go somewhere else, though. Like, the Room of Requirements, to avoid anyone walking in on us...” he replied. Minho smirked.

“Good thinking,” he said. “So, tonight at 10?”

“Tonight at 10.”

Chapter Text

One might think that a Quidditch announcer would notice a drop dead gorgeous Slytherin star Chaser slash classmate earlier.

Well, Kim Seungmin wasn’t really all that interested in the sport or the players. He wasn’t even a real Quidditch announcer. He just filled in for an upperclassman from time to time.

He’d transferred to Hogwarts halfway through his fourth year and most of the time he just focused on his studies to keep up. Now, he was kind of ahead but studying calmed him. That was why he kept doing it.

And that was probably why he’d never really paid attention to Hwang Hyunjin.

All he had heard about the guy was a bunch of unflattering rumors. Seungmin wasn’t interested in rumors, so he never really bothered to find out who Hyunjin even was.

Big mistake.

~

“I don’t get this...” Jeongin, Hufflepuff fourth year and one of Seungmin’s closest friends, declared one snowy December morning when they sat in near the entrance of the Hogwarts library. He slammed the borrowed Transfigurations book shut and crossed his arms, pouting cutely at his lack of understanding for the subject.

Seungmin smiled and patiently opened the book again. “It’s pretty easy, actually. See, you wave your wand like this,” he made a swift motion with his wand, “and you have to be careful to pronounce it correctly and then you’re good...”

Jeongin was still pouting and averted his gaze from the book. His face brightened up when he spotted someone entering the library.

“Hyunjin!” he called out.

Seungmin followed the younger’s gaze – and his heart skipped several beats.

A Slytherin approached their table, looking at Jeongin fondly. He was tall and had luscious black hair. His full lips were stretched into a smile. In short: this guy was nothing short of a god in human form. Maybe he had Veela ancestors.

“Hey,” Hyunjin greeted Jeongin. “Studying for Transfiguration again?” he questioned, though he seemed to already know the answer. Jeongin’s pout returned and he nodded.

“Seungmin here is helping me but I still don’t get it,” he said.

Hyunjin looked at Seungmin and recognition flashed over his face. “Oh, hey, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts together, right?” he addressed him.

Seungmin knew that he had Defense with the Slytherins, but he couldn’t name them if he tried. “I-I suppose...” he stuttered, trying to ignore the fact that this guy was probably the most handsome person he’d ever met.

Needless to say, he was failing. Hyunjin chuckled. “Well, I have to go. I came here to meet someone. Good luck with Transfigurations, little one,” he said, ruffling Jeongin’s hair encouragingly. He gave the two younger boys a short wave before heading down an aisle of books.

Seungmin stared at the spot where Hyunjin had disappeared out of sight for a few seconds longer than necessary. “He seems... nice,” he stated. Jeongin giggled.

“He is. People often misunderstand him because he dates lots of people and is in Slytherin. But he’s a good guy,” the young Hufflepuff assured him.

“How do you know him?” he questioned. He knew most of Jeongin’s friends, but he wouldn’t have expected the boy to be friends with one of the most infamous (and most handsome) Slytherins.

“He protected me from some mean sixth years when I was in second grade... he’s helped me many times,” Jeongin told him. “I’m actually surprised that you don’t know him. He’s in your year after all,” the boy said.

Seungmin shrugged. “I know of him... people don’t really have many nice things to say about him. I never bothered to figure out who exactly he was. I don’t care about gossip but about my studies,” he explained calmly, flipping through the pages of Jeongin’s Transfiguration book.

“You should get to know him. I saw the way you looked at him,” the younger said in a slightly teasing tone.

Seungmin gasped and shot his friend an exasperated look. “I didn‘t look at him in any particular way!” he insisted. Jeongin just grinned knowingly, deciding not to argue, despite being right. Seungmin cleared his throat. “Now, back to the spell!”

Jeongin’s pout returned...

~

Seungmin’s next encounter with Hyunjin was actually because of Jeongin again.

But this time the situation was a little more serious. The Ravenclaw was just rounding a corner, on the way to the Greenhouse for his Herbology class when he saw a tall, muscular guy, who looked like he was in his sixth or seventh year, backing Jeongin up against a wall.

He was about to interfere when Hyunjin suddenly appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the guy’s robes, making him face him. He had a dead serious expression on his face, but the guy didn’t seem too scared as he was about to take a swing. Seungmin reacted impulsively, something he usually never did, and lunged forward to jump on the tall guy’s back effectively distracting him.

“Get off me, you scrawny weasel!” the guy yelled. He flailed around with his arms, almost hitting Hyunjin in the face while Jeongin was still cowering against the wall. Hyunjin was about to punch the bully when an authoritative voice boomed through the corridor.

“Hey! Stop this ridiculous behavior!” Professor Sprout looked at them angrily. Seungmin got off the tall guy’s back, shocked, both at his courage to mess with someone twice his size and at getting caught by a teacher. “Detention for all of you! I want to see you in the entrance hall tomorrow after class!” she said sternly before taking off to the Greenhouses. The tall guy glared daggers at Hyunjin and stormed off without further words. 

The Slytherin put an arm around Jeongin’s shoulders. “Are you okay?” he questioned.

Jeongin’s face broke into a smile. “I’ve never been better! Did you hear that? We got detention! I’ve never gotten detention before!” he exclaimed in a bubbly, excited tone of voice. Hyunjin chuckled, relieved that Jeongin was fine.

Seungmin, on the other hand, was on the verge of freaking out. “D-detention?” he whispered to himself.

“Hey, you good?” Hyunjin questioned. Seungmin looked at him with widened eyes.

“I’ve never once gotten detention in my life! It’s gonna be a permanent stain on my record!” he said, absolutely horrified.

Hyunjin actually had the nerve to laugh at that. “Calm down, cutie. You didn’t commit a felony. Detention isn’t actually as bad as it sounds. We probably have to scrub the trophies in the trophy room or clean some bathrooms,” the Slytherin said amusedly. Seungmin blushed.

Hyunjin had just called him cutie...

“I... I should go to class,” he announced, nearly tripping over himself in an attempt to flee from the scene. He was a little less scared of the whole detention thing, but he had another problem that went by the name of Hwang Hyunjin.

Why did the guy have to be so annoyingly handsome and charming? The way he kept stepping up for Jeongin made him even more admirable. Seungmin should stop thinking about his dazzling smile and his broad figure! The guy was a walking, breathing distraction.

Professor Sprout glared at him when he entered the Greenhouse. He was still on time, but she was probably still thinking about the incident she had just witnessed. Seungmin was a model student and very popular among the teachers so he could only imagine her disappointment in him. He only regretted it a little bit, though, because he was able to protect Jeongin (and maybe even Hyunjin) from getting punched in the face by a human gorilla.

Maybe that was something worth getting detention over.

~

“You’ll be helping Mr Filch today,” Professor Sprout said to Seungmin and Hyunjin the next day when they showed up in the entrance hall. The tall guy was nowhere to be seen and neither was Jeongin. “As you may know, Hagrid is out of the country to visit a dragon convention in Romania. While he’s away, Mr Filch has been pressured–... I mean... he was asked to keep an eye on Hagrid’s dog Fang. However, his cat seems to have scared the dog and he ran into the Forbidden Forest. Your task is to bring him back safely,” the teacher explained.

Seungmin thought he was going to faint. The Forbidden Forest? He’d mentally prepared himself for cleaning tasks but chasing a runaway dog through a creepy forest?! Hyunjin didn’t seem too happy about the turn of events, either.

“Where is Jeongin?” he questioned.

“I spoke to the head boy, Park Jinwoo, and he asked me if Mr Yang’s detention could be helping him with some organizational paperwork. As for Mr Choi, he was taken to the hospital wing after claiming to feel sick. It’s just going to be you two today. Is that a problem, Mr Hwang?” Professor Sprout asked, silently daring Hyunjin to counter.

He didn’t.

They made their way down to the Forbidden Forest, but Professor Sprout left them to go inside alone. Seungmin was not pleased, to say the least. Even in broad daylight, the forest was incredibly dark. Seungmin took a deep breath before following Hyunjin who seemed a little more relaxed than him.

“H-how are we supposed to find the dog in this big forest?” Seungmin asked, after lighting up his wand to light the way.

“I have no idea...” Hyunjin said. They walked around aimlessly for a while, slowly but surely losing their sense of time. Neither of them said a word, mainly focused on finding the dog so that they could return to the castle before they ran into a bloodthirsty creature.

“By the way...” Hyunjin spoke up eventually. “I never thanked you for helping me with that guy yesterday.”

Seungmin blushed when the Slytherin smiled at him. He just hoped that he couldn’t see the color of his face in the dark forest. “I don’t think I was that much help... in the end we both just got in trouble...” he said. Hyunjin chuckled.

“I don’t know about you, but this is just my kind of afternoon,” he joked. Seungmin laughed.

Suddenly, the air turned cold. Seungmin and Hyunjin stopped walking. “Is it just me or is it really cold...” Hyunjin whispered. Seungmin was about to reply that he had a theory of what might have caused the change in temperature, when he saw a big, dark creature float towards them. Hyunjin gasped.

A Dementor. Seungmin’s theory had been correct.

Seungmin tried to stay calm and rational. He had to fend that thing off. Usually the guards of Azkaban didn’t stroll through the Forbidden Forest. No Dementor had stepped on Hogwarts grounds in about 20 years. Who knew what that thing was going to do to them if Seungmin didn’t do something right now.

He tried to think about his happiest memories. The day he’d received the letter to go to his former wizarding school, his opportunity to escape the dull muggle world he grew up in to be who he was.

“Expecto Patronum!”

The figure of a racoon emerged from Seungmin’s wand, immediately charging towards the Dementor. Seungmin had only managed to make a Patronus once before and that had just been practice. Back then, it had resembled shapeless, white smoke.

Now, his Patronus was fighting off a real life-sized Dementor!

Seungmin’s strength left his body and his Patronus dissolved but, luckily the Dementor seemed to be gone. Hyunjin appeared next to him and steadied him, probably concerned that the Ravenclaw might faint. He sat Seungmin down on a nearby tree root and started rummaging through his pockets. Eventually, he found a wrapped chocolate bar and offered it to Seungmin.

“Are you okay?” he asked when the younger took the chocolate bar with shaky hands. Seungmin nodded.

“I’m fine...” he mumbled.

Hyunjin crouched down in front of him. “I guess, I have to thank you again... I don’t think I could have summoned a whole Patronus,” he told Seungmin who blushed and looked away.

“It was nothing...”

“It wasn’t nothing... you’re powerful,” Hyunjin assured him. Seungmin munched on the chocolate, too shy to answer. He felt the energy returning to his body. He was glad that he’d taught himself how to summon a Patronus out of sheer curiosity when he was bored and way too ahead in all his classes. The thought of what could have happened otherwise made a cold shudder run down his spine.

The sound of branches cracking had the two fifth years on high alert again. Despite still feeling a little weak, Seungmin jumped to his feet, wand ready. He just hoped that it wasn’t another Dementor. They heard a whimper. Hyunjin was the first to lower his wand and move towards the noise.

“It’s alright. I found the dog!” he exclaimed, coming back into view holding the black boarhound by its collar. Seungmin let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“Good... let’s head back to the castle then...” he said, relieved that they didn’t have to stay in this forest very much longer.

Luckily, the two of them made it out of the forest without encountering any other dangerous creatures. The dog kept whimpering, probably scared out of his mind as well. Seungmin and Hyunjin didn’t speak, too focused on finding the right way.

When they finally came out of the woods, the sun was gone. They must have been in the forest for longer than they’d realized. Hyunjin led the dog over to Hagrid’s cabin where the janitor, Mr Filch waited for them with his cat sitting on his shoulder. He smirked when he saw the two fifth years approaching.

“Still alive, I see,” he stated. “Poor dog got scared by Mrs Norris...” he added, not actually sounding all that sorry for Fang. Seungmin wondered why the janitor had even offered to watch Fang when it was well-known that he didn’t even like Hagrid or dogs.

It was no wonder that the boarhound ran away first chance he got.

“You know, in my days we still had real punishments!” Filch suddenly exclaimed. Hyunjin rolled his eyes and grabbed Seungmin by the sleeve, dragging him away from the ranting janitor.

“He always does that... talking about how students were literally tortured back in the day and how much he enjoyed it. I’ve listened to that bullshit for years...” he explained to a perplexed Seungmin.

The Slytherin eventually let go of Seungmin’s sleeve and they quietly walked back to the castle. Once they’d reached the entrance hall, Hyunjin faced Seungmin.

“Well, thanks again for saving my life earlier,” he said. Seungmin blushed again, which caused Hyunjin to chuckle. “You’re cute.”

He shot Seungmin one of those smiles that admittedly made the Ravenclaw a little weak in the knees before taking off.

“See you tomorrow,” he shouted over his shoulder as he walked down the stairs to the dungeons. Seungmin clutched his heart, trying to process the fact that Hyunjin had just called him cute for the second time in the past two days...

~

Over the course of the next few days Seungmin suffered several minor heart attacks. Hyunjin would always wave at him and say hi when they saw each other in the hallways. Seungmin could take that (barely) but the Slytherin always smiled at him like he was the actual sun and that, Seungmin could not take at all!

He just hoped that having a crush on one of the most popular Slytherins wasn’t going to affect his studies. He usually didn’t get distracted but Hyunjin made it pretty hard to stay focused. Right now, Seungmin didn’t even pay attention in his Transfiguration class. Luckily, they were only doing stuff he already knew but it was unusual for him to daydream.

Seungmin thought about the way Hyunjin’s eyes curved into half-moons when he smiled, about the way he just seemed to draw everyone in like he put them under a spell. He blushed when he thought about the Slytherin’s luscious lips. He’d never kissed anyone before but that didn’t stop his brain from putting images in his head.

“Dude, are you alright?” Seungmin’s friend Jisung questioned when he covered his face with his hands and let out a small squeal. He looked at the other Ravenclaw, face still slightly red.

“Just fine...” he squeaked.

Jisung tilted his head and gave him a confused look. “Okay, then,” he mumbled.

Class ended shortly after and Seungmin was one of the last students to leave the classroom, planning to head to the library to do some studying.

“Hey cutie!” Seungmin stopped in his tracks and turned around at the sound of Hyunjin’s voice. The smile that had formed on his face dropped when he saw the Slytherin hug one of his Ravenclaw classmates, Renjun.

“Hey babe!” Renjun answered with a smirk.

Babe?

Seungmin didn’t hear much more of their conversation since he decided to finally go to the library. He hadn’t realized that Hyunjin had a boyfriend. Renjun was one of Seungmin’s roommates and he’d never mentioned Hyunjin before. Or maybe he had and Seungmin just hadn’t paid attention. Either way, it kind of hurt. Was Hyunjin only nice to him because he was a flirt in general?

The Ravenclaw reached the library and began getting out his books. He tried to forget the overly happy expression on Hyunjin’s face when he hugged Renjun, but it didn’t quite seem to work. Why did he have to develop a crush on Hyunjin who was beyond popular among guys?

~

Hyunjin pulled out of his hug with Renjun and looked around. He could have sworn that he saw Seungmin standing a few meters away just a second ago. Now, he was nowhere to be seen. He looked at Renjun again.

“So, about that guy you told me the other day...” his friend started with a grin. Hyunjin cast his eyes down at the floor, uncharacteristically shy.

“You said he was in my house, right?” Renjun sounded teasing. It was probably because Hyunjin had never really shown much interest in a particular person before, except that one time, but that was a story for another day. “Are you finally going to tell me who it is?” the Ravenclaw asked excitedly.

Hyunjin shook his head and grinned. “I’ll keep that a secret,” he said secretively.

Renjun pouted. “Fine...I’ll let you go to class now. Let’s do something later,” he suggested, causing Hyunjin to nod. Renjun hugged him goodbye and ran off to catch up with his friends who’d left him behind.

Hyunjin headed inside the Transfigurations classroom and sat down on his seat in the far back. He never really paid much attention in class, though he still managed to get average grades, but today he couldn’t focus even if he tried. His thoughts wandered to Seungmin more times than he was willing to admit. He was intrigued by the Ravenclaw, which was kind of new territory for him since he was usually the one people were intrigued by.

Hyunjin couldn’t quite believe his own thoughts but he liked Seungmin... genuinely liked him. He wanted to get to know him better. Maybe he should consider asking him out on a real date? But he didn’t really know how real dating worked. He’d learnt to play around from Minho, even though the older used to be more ruthless about it; not exactly cruel but once he was done with someone, he’d let them know.

He wasn’t like that anymore, though since he’d started dating Gryffindor’s Quidditch team captain and resident good boy, Bang Chan. Meanwhile, Hyunjin had had his first and only real boyfriend in his third year. Hyunjin sighed. Minho and Chan looked happy together and, despite Hyunjin saying that he’d rather keep open his options, he found himself a little jealous of their relationship.

Transfigurations class ended and Hyunjin made his way to the library, hoping to find Seungmin there. His face broke into a smile when he saw the Ravenclaw sitting at one of the tables, nose practically buried in his book. He walked over and sat down across from him.

Seungmin looked up and jumped slightly at the sight of Hyunjin sitting there. He shut his book and the Slytherin didn’t fail to notice the cute blush on his cheeks. He gave Seungmin his best smile and rested his arms on the table in front of him, leaning in a little closer.

“Hi,” he said.

“H-hi...” Seungmin stammered in return. He didn’t meet Hyunjin’s eyes, too shy to look at him, a thing that Hyunjin found incredibly endearing.

“I knew I’d find you here,” he finally spoke up, after a few seconds of just taking in Seungmin’s cute blushy face.

“U-um... why were you looking for me?” the other finally asked. Hyunjin grinned at the way Seungmin still wouldn’t quite look at him.

“Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime... like, on a date,” he explained. Seungmin’s face got even redder and he finally looked at the Slytherin with widened eyes.

“Uh… w-what...? I-I...uh...” he stammered.

Hyunjin’s smile widened. “You’re just too cute,” he muttered fondly. “What do you say?” he questioned.

“No.”

Hyunjin barely had any time to process the answer before Seungmin already stormed out of the library.

No?

Had Seungmin just... rejected him? Hyunjin was speechless, to say the least, staring at the spot Seungmin had just disappeared at, open-mouthed. He had been under the impression that Seungmin liked him back. How could he say no?

Dazzled, Hyunjin made his way back to the Slytherin common room where he found Changbin sitting on one of the couches. He let himself fall on the couch sprawling his body across the older Slytherin’s lap. Changbin let out a strangled noise at the impact but didn’t question it much further, since it was something he was used to from Hyunjin.

“I think I’ve lost my game...” Hyunjin announced. Changbin looked down at him, furrowing his brows.

“The fuck are you talking about?” he asked. Hyunjin readjusted his position, getting more comfortable.

“I just asked Seungmin out... you know that cute Ravenclaw, I may or may not be crushing on...” Changbin let the name run through his mind before his eyes lit up in recognition.

“He’s friends with Felix... wait... did you say crushing?!”

Hyunjin pouted when he thought about Seungmin running out of the library. “Yeah... I just asked him out on a date... and he said no... and then he ran away,” he explained. Changbin had the nerve to laugh at him. Hyunjin sat up and hit his friend’s shoulder. “This isn’t funny! What do I do now?” he asked in a panicked voice.

Changbin glared at him, rubbing his shoulder where the younger had hit him. “I don’t know. Either you try again, or you get over him!” he said. Hyunjin sighed.

“Why am I even asking you... you don’t know shit about asking people out...” he mumbled. Changbin let out an exasperated gasp.

“Excuse me!? I’m not the one who got rejected!” Changbin exclaimed. Hyunjin took another swing at the older’s arm but this time Changbin dodged.

“Felix practically did all the work! All you had to do was say yes!” the younger said and got up.

“And we’ve been doing fine for over a month now! Stop bitching at me and get your act together! You’re Hwang Hyunjin! Go and, I don’t know, charm the guy, sweep him off his feet... whatever,” Changbin told him.

Hyunjin thought about his friend’s words. “You’re right...” he mumbled. Changbin looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“I am?” Hyunjin’s face lit up.

“Maybe he was just shy! He gets like that sometimes... of course, I haven’t lost my game! I’m Hwang Hyunjin!”

“Yeah... I just said that...” Changbin trailed off.

Hyunjin leaned down and gave Changbin a kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best! Love you!” he said and jumped away to go to dinner, determined to try his luck again when he next saw Seungmin.

~

Seungmin had tried his best to avoid Hyunjin after running out on him. The Slytherin probably hated him now.

The thing was; he hadn’t even intended to say no. His nerves had just gotten the better of him and he’d been sent into gay panic, so he’d just... bailed. Not his finest moment...

It was hard to avoid someone when you had to eat in the same room as them three times a day, but he’d managed to hide just fine. Until today. Youngho, better known as Johnny, a Gryffindor seventh year and Quidditch announcer had gotten himself detention with his friend so Seungmin had to fill in for today’s game.

Slytherin versus Ravenclaw.

Seungmin had filled in for Johnny a few times, so he wasn’t really new to announcing Quidditch games, but Hyunjin was on the Slytherin team and he was one of the best, which meant there was probably a lot to say about him. Jeongin had decided to come along to the announcer’s booth because it was warm inside and Seungmin was kind of thankful for that. Jeongin was good moral support without even having to do anything. He was just too precious.

“Welcome to the third game of the Quidditch season Slytherin versus Ravenclaw. Madam Hooch is going to release the Golden Snitch any second now and the game will begin,” Seungmin said into his magically cranked up wand when all the players had gotten on their broomsticks and were up in the air.

Seungmin spotted Jisung, who was the Keeper of the Ravenclaw team. His eyes landed on Hyunjin next, though and Seungmin blushed furiously at the memory of their last encounter.

Luckily, the Snitch was released, and the game began.

“Ravenclaw is currently in the possession of the Quaffle as Chaser Rosé Park makes her way towards the goal posts. She throws the Quaffle, but Keeper and team captain Daniel Kang catches it and passes it to...” Seungmin trailed off. “H-Hwang Hyunjin... um, Keeper, uh, I mean Chaser of the Slytherin team...” he stammered.

Jeongin gave him a side look, raising his eyebrow at Seungmin’s weird behavior. Seungmin ignored him. “Hwang is now on his way to the opposite side of the field, throwing the Quaffle and...” Seungmin watched the red, volleyball-sized ball fly through the middle post after Hyunjin had tricked Jisung into flying to the right.

“10 points for Slytherin... scored by Hwang Hyunjin...” Seungmin said, trying to ignore how good Hyunjin looked in his Slytherin Quidditch uniform. Or how cute he looked with that excited grin on his face. He felt a nudge on his side and turned to see Jeongin give him a look. Seungmin realized that the game had moved on while he was busy staring at Hyunjin.

“Slytherin just scored another goal,” Jeongin muttered under his breath.

“Oh... right... um that’s 20 points for Slytherin. The Seekers don’t seem to have found any sign of the Golden Snitch yet...” Seungmin said into his wand-mic. He wanted this to be over before he could embarrass himself even more.

Hyunjin seemed to be on a roll after his first goal. He scored 70 more points for the team, much to Seungmin’s dismay, not even because that meant that his team was losing but because he had to speak about him all the time. He kept stumbling over his words and trailing off when his eyes fell on Hyunjin and the Slytherin seemed to know what he was doing if the amused smile was any indication.

Finally, three Ravenclaw goals later, Slytherin’s Seeker, a fifth year called Chaeyoung seemed to have spotted the Snitch. Ravenclaw’s Seeker, Kang Yaebin from a year above Seungmin, caught on and the two of them tried to outfly each other to catch the Snitch.

“It’s a really close battle between the Seekers... who’s going to end this game in their favor? It looks like Yaebin is pushing through!” Seungmin stopped talking to focus on what was going on. Yaebin reached for the Snitch but missed by an inch. Chaeyoung saw her chance and reached out for it as well.

A silence followed, then Chaeyoung held up her hand, the Golden Snitch sitting tightly between her thumb and her index finger.

“And that’s the game. Slytherin caught the Snitch, winning 240-30...” Seungmin said. He could hear the disappointed shouts from Ravenclaws and the booming cheers from the Slytherins. Jeongin patted Seungmin’s shoulder.

“Hyunjin said that there will be a party in the Transfigurations classroom when they win,” he told his friend. Seungmin looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“And?” he asked. Jeongin shrugged.

“We should go,” he said with a knowing grin on his face.

The Ravenclaw’s eyes widened. “No! I made an entire fool out of myself today. I can’t show my face on Slytherin territory!” he protested, causing his friend to laugh.

“Nobody even noticed! Besides, it’s not Slytherin territory, it’s the Transfigurations classroom,” Jeongin pointed out. Seungmin shook his head as he got up from his seat, ready to leave the announcer’s booth. Jeongin was right on his track, though. “Come on~ I’m sure Jisung would want to go too,” the Hufflepuff tried his luck again.

“Go with Jisung then...” Seungmin muttered. Jeongin pouted at him.

“Please...” he pleaded, making big puppy eyes at Seungmin. The older sighed. Jeongin was fully aware that nobody could resist his puppy eyes.

The kid was really learning how to make use of his weapons.

“Fine,” Seungmin finally gave in. Jeongin jumped up and down in excitement. “But! We’re only going to stay for an hour! My team lost, I shouldn’t be partying with the opponent,” he said, even though that was a damn lie. He really didn’t care all that much about Quidditch; the real reason was that he didn’t really intend to run into Hyunjin.

“I can live with that excuse,” Jeongin said knowingly, before he spotted Jinwoo, a fellow Hufflepuff and friend. “I’ll see you at the party!” he added before catching up with Jinwoo. Seungmin sighed.

He really wasn’t up for it but he’d kind of promised Jeongin.

~

Seungmin wasn’t much of a party person. He preferred being by himself in the quiet or hanging out with a few friends in a comfortable place. A packed classroom with mostly Slytherins was not what he considered a comfortable place, though. His mom-friend side wanted to get Jeongin out of here within the first 20 minutes, but he reminded himself of the promise he’d made.

An hour... he could manage one hour, right? At least, he wasn’t alone.

“Hey, party pooper! Drink this!” Jisung said to him and handed him an unbranded bottle. Seungmin eyed it suspiciously.

“What is that?” he questioned.

Jisung grinned widely and shrugged. “No idea, try it!” he said.

Seungmin shook his head and gave the bottle back to Jisung. “I’d rather not...” The other Ravenclaw just laughed and shrugged again before taking a sip of the bottle. He scrunched up his face at the taste. “I’d say that’s Firewhiskey,” he stated, causing Seungmin’s eyes to widen. Jeongin only chuckled at his two friends.

“Don’t drink that!” Seungmin exclaimed when Jisung took another swig from the bottle.

“Oh, come on... we lost the game. I deserve some consolation for doing a terrible job today!” the other announced. Seungmin snatched the bottle from him as he was just about to take yet another sip.

“Getting drunk won’t help! You’ll only get in trouble!” he scolded his friend. “And you’re going to set a bad example for Jeongin!” He and Jisung both looked at their Hufflepuff friend who furrowed his eyebrows.

“You’re acting like I’m 7 years old...” he complained to Seungmin who just ruffled his hair in return.

“We have five minutes left of the promised hour before we’re out of here and you better pray that we won’t run into any teachers who’ll demand for us to be breathalyzed!” Seungmin now addressed Jisung, who seemed completely unbothered by the possibility.

Jeongin pouted again. “Do we really have to leave already?” he questioned. Seungmin looked at him.

“You can stay if you want but I’m out of here!” he told his Hufflepuff friend. He thought about his words and gave Jisung a side look. “On second thought, you’re coming with me! I can’t risk you drinking alcohol as well!” he added. Jeongin’s pout intensified.

“Fine...” he mumbled. Seungmin turned around, ready to head towards the exit.

That was when he saw Hyunjin.

He was practically surrounded by people, teammates and fellow Slytherin’s alike. Hyunjin had scored 90 points for Slytherin today, so Seungmin understood why he seemed like the guest of honor. He watched as Hyunjin got pats on the back and handshakes from all kinds of people. Seungmin also noticed the bright smile on his face and he would be lying if he said that it didn’t make his heart flutter at least a little bit.

Hyunjin met his eyes and Seungmin’s fluttering heart decided to stop functioning altogether. The Slytherin made his way through the crowd over to him and Seungmin wished he could hide behind Jisung. He mentally prepared himself to say something that didn’t make him sound like a complete idiot, but the breath got knocked out of his lungs when Hyunjin stopped right in front of him only slightly lean down and press a quick peck on his cheek.

Seungmin was... shook. There was no word more fitting to describe how he felt. “I guess you were my lucky charm today,” the Slytherin said with a grin. Seungmin was just about to try and muster an answer when a few of his teammates jumped on him and dragged him away, laughing.

“So, that just happened,” Jisung stated. Jeongin grinned at him. “Come on, lucky charm...you wanted to get out of here,” the younger said, grabbing Seungmin’s sleeve and dragging him towards the exit.

Jisung and Seungmin parted ways with Jeongin since they had to go in opposite directions. The two Ravenclaws didn’t speak much on the way back to their common room. The bronze, eagle-shaped door knocker asked its question as the two of them arrived.

“What has a mouth but can never chew?”

Jisung looked at Seungmin, silently asking him if he knew the answer. “A river,” Seungmin replied.

“Correct.”

They entered the common room and went straight upstairs to their dorm. Seungmin was beyond tired and Jisung seemed to feel the same way. He was probably still bummed out because of Ravenclaw’s loss.

“Hey, uh...” Jisung spoke up as Seungmin was just about to go and wash up before heading to bed. “Be careful with Hyunjin,” the other advised. Seungmin furrowed his brows.

“What do you mean?” he questioned. Jisung shrugged and sat down on his bed, looking at his knees.

“It’s just that I know him... we’re friends now but... I’ve seen beyond the rumors and not everything is made up,” he told his slightly younger friend. He put on a smile again the very next second. “Now, go and wash up!” he said. Seungmin was still confused but did as he was told.

What exactly did Jisung mean? He’d seen beyond the rumors...

~

A few days later, Jisung acted like he’d never even warned Seungmin from Hyunjin. Seungmin still got flustered whenever Hyunjin so much as looked into his general direction. He was beginning to get sick of it, not Hyunjin, of course... rather the fact that his damn face would take on the color of a tomato whenever the Slytherin was near.

“Jinwoo... you need to help me,” Seungmin said, letting himself fall onto a chair next to Jeongin at the Hufflepuff table during lunch. It wasn’t the first time he’d eaten at another table, since it generally wasn’t that big of a deal. Jinwoo, also known as the best head boy Hogwarts had ever seen, looked at him, his mouth full of food.

“What do you need?” he questioned. Seungmin rested his arms on the table and gave Jinwoo a determined look.

“Teach me how to be a man!” Jinwoo almost choked on his food. He coughed, causing the Hufflepuff next to him to pat his back. Jeongin snorted at Seungmin’s words but the Ravenclaw paid him no mind.

“I’m not sure what you want me to do...” Jinwoo said, looking beyond confused. Seungmin let out a sigh.

“Okay, so I keep getting super flustered all the time because of... someone...”

“Hwang Hyunjin,” Jeongin threw in. Seungmin glared at him. He made no attempt to deny it, though, mainly because it was true.

“And now I want to know what I can do to stop... getting flustered...” Seungmin continued his explanation.

Jinwoo smiled a gummy smile at him. “That’s so cute,” he pointed out. Seungmin let out a frustrated groan and banged his head on the table.

“That’s exactly the point! I don’t want to be cute anymore! I want to be a real man! I want him to be flustered for once!”

Jinwoo chuckled, taking another big bite, looking at his plate with a content expression. This boy probably cared about food more than he cared about his girlfriend. Jeongin watched the older Hufflepuff with an amused expression.

“You know how in movies people sometimes try to seduce someone by waiting for them in their room,” Jinwoo suddenly said, laughing. “It would be funny if you did that.” S<

eungmin’s eyes widened. Then he thought about it. Maybe that wasn’t the worst idea. What better way to get rid of the cute image than to stop being cute?

Jinwoo seemed to notice the change of expression on Seungmin’s face because he began to frantically wave his hands. “Wait, I was joking! You shouldn’t do that! You’re too young to actually seduce-”

“That’s a brilliant idea!”

Jinwoo facepalmed himself.

Seungmin got up from the table.

“Thanks, Jinwoo! I owe you one!” he exclaimed happily before taking off. He ran into Lee Minho just outside the Grand Hall. He grinned at the Slytherin who just furrowed his brows.

“Um... hello?” Minho said, obviously perplexed. Seungmin’s grin widened.

“Hi. I’m Seungmin! I’m a friend of Felix’, who’s a friend of Chan’s, who’s your boyfriend!” he introduced himself.

Minho chuckled. “I know who you are. We’ve hung out before,” he pointed out. Seungmin laughed.

“Right... um... this might sound crazy, but... uh...” he trailed off. Minho raised an amused eyebrow at the Ravenclaw. “I kind of need the password to the Slytherin common room,” Seungmin finally blurted out. That caused Minho to raise his other eyebrow as well.

“And why would I give it to you?” Minho questioned. Seungmin shrugged.

“As you said, we’ve hung out before! I’m trying to surprise someone... so... it’d be really helpful,” he answered, hoping to sound more casual than he felt. Minho smirked.

“Why don’t you ask Hyunjin for the password? You two seem to be getting along just fine,” he asked knowingly. Seungmin blushed. Dammit. Realization dawned on Minho’s face before he chuckled again. “I get it... he’s the one you want to surprise...” the older stated, not leaving any room for objection.

Seungmin slumped his shoulders. “Never mind, I’ll just ask Changbin...”

“It’s Beansprout,” Minho told him, as he was just about to walk away in defeat. Seungmin gave him a confused look. “The password. It’s Beansprout. Don’t ask... and if somebody catches you, this conversation never happened!” the older warned, only half-joking. His boyfriend, Bang Chan came out of the Great Hall.

“Oh, hey, there you are,” Minho exclaimed and kissed him on the cheek. Chan grinned at him.

“I might have gotten a little distracted by that Vanilla pudding...” he admitted sheepishly. Seungmin couldn’t help but smile at the couple. They were really cute together and he admittedly envied them a little bit.

“Well, I’ll go now... thanks, Minho!” Seungmin said and left for the Ravenclaw common room to mentally and physically prepare for what he was about to do.

(“What was he thanking you for?” Chan asked. Minho just grinned and put an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders.

“Nothing much. Just something about Hyunjin,” he replied. “Let’s head to the Quidditch field, shall we?”

“You say that as if we’d actually go there to practice. You just wanna make out in the dressing room...” Chan said accusingly.

Minho smirked. “You know me too well,” he answered before dragging his boyfriend along.)

~

“Beansprout.”

Seungmin sneaked into the Slytherin common room, praying that everyone was at dinner. If he ran into someone here, it was game over for him. Luck seemed to be on his side, though, because he managed to enter the fifth year boys’ dorm without getting caught.

Finding Hyunjin’s bed wasn’t hard because the Slytherin had put up loads of pictures on his nightstand; silly pictures with Changbin and Minho, photographs of him in his Quidditch uniform. Even one of him and Jisung, which seemed to be from around two years ago, judging by how young they both looked. Jisung had mentioned that they were friends but Seungmin had never really seen them hang out. Then again, he hadn’t really paid much attention to his friends’ social lives.

Seungmin wasn’t quite sure what to do now. He hadn’t exactly thought this through. Should he just hope that Hyunjin was the first one to return to the Slytherin dorms? How exactly should he wait for him? Should he just sit down, or should he go all ‘paint me like one of your French girls’?

Seungmin blushed at the thought.  

He’d just decided on sitting down while leaning against the headboard, when the dormitory door opened. Hyunjin stepped inside, eyes widening in confusion when he found Seungmin sitting there.

“Uh... Minho told me that there was a surprise for me back here,” he explained.

The Ravenclaw tried his best to sound flirty when he spoke up: “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Hyunjin stepped closer, obviously still confused. And Seungmin? He blushed because, god damn, did Hyunjin look good in this dim, slightly green-ish lighting. Shit, he really didn’t think this through.

“What’s next...” he mumbled to himself but the Slytherin seemed to have heard him. He leaned against the bedpost. His confused expression vanished and was replaced by an amused smirk.

“You show up at my dorm, waiting for me in my bed and you seriously don’t know what’s next?” he asked. Seungmin scrambled out of Hyunjin’s bed, face beet red.

“I’m sorry... I don’t know what I was thinking...” he mumbled, trying to storm past Hyunjin but the Slytherin trapped him between himself and the wall.

“Don’t run away again,” he muttered.

Seungmin looked down at his feet. “I just wanted you to stop thinking that I’m cute...” he said. Hyunjin put two fingers under Seungmin’s chin and made the Ravenclaw look at him. He seemed surprised by Seungmin’s explanation.

“But you are cute. You’re the cutest...” he assured him.

“You also think that Renjun is cute,” Seungmin said and looked away again.

Hyunjin didn’t answer for a while. Eventually he chuckled. “Are you jealous?” he asked. Seungmin shook his head stubbornly, still not looking at Hyunjin. “We’re just friends. I’ve known him since we were three,” the Slytherin told Seungmin. “I pretended to be his boyfriend a few times when the guys got too clingy and we’ve kept the pet names, that’s all,” he added.

Seungmin suddenly felt like an idiot.

He’d assumed that Hyunjin had something going on with Renjun based on a few silly pet names. The Slytherin leaned a little closer towards Seungmin. “If you’re not jealous, why–” He didn’t get to finish his sentence.

In a spur of bravery (or idiocy, he would decide on that later), Seungmin had pecked Hyunjin on the corner of his mouth – just barely missing his lips – before ducking under the Slytherin’s arms and fleeing the dorms.

He got a few weird looks from the other Slytherins, who had already returned from dinner, but he just focused on getting out of there as soon as possible.

~

In his rush, Seungmin failed to see how flustered he’d left Hyunjin. He really hadn’t seen this coming. Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile, after getting over his initial shock. “Cute...” he mumbled.

~

“Oh my god, I’m the biggest idiot on the planet!” Seungmin announced the next morning when he, once again, sat down at the Hufflepuff table. Jinwoo looked at him, confused, while munching on a piece of bacon.

“What happened?” he questioned curiously. Seungmin looked around for Jeongin but the young Hufflepuff was nowhere to be seen. “He’s at Quidditch practice,” Jinwoo informed him, apparently sensing who Seungmin was looking for.

“Good... so, I did what you said and tried to seduce Hyunjin–”

“Wait! I didn’t say you should actually do it!” Jinwoo interrupted him with widened eyes. Seungmin buried his face in his hands.

“But I did it anyway... and now I feel like an idiot!”

“Did you at least leave the lingerie in your closet?” Jinwoo asked with a snort. Seungmin blushed and gave the older an exasperated look.

“Not helping!” he exclaimed. Jinwoo cackled.

“I’m sorry... so, why’d you do it in the first place? I mean, what exactly do you want from him?” the Hufflepuff questioned, getting more serious towards the end.

Seungmin was just about to answer when someone must have caught Jinwoo’s eye. The Ravenclaw turned around and almost fell off his seat. Hyunjin was approaching the Hufflepuff table, even worse, he was directly heading for Seungmin.

“Save me!” he whispered to Jinwoo who had already focused his attention back on his food.

Hyunjin came to a stop next to Seungmin and looked at him. “Can you see me outside for a second?” he addressed the Ravenclaw, who just nodded and got up. Seungmin followed Hyunjin outside, hoping that he wasn’t going to yell at him for yesterday. Once they’d reached the entrance hall, the Slytherin faced him and grinned.

“I’ve got to say, you’re more than you’ve originally let on, Kim Seungmin...” Seungmin gave Hyunjin a confused look, but before he could say anything he found himself backed up against the wall again just like yesterday. “Go on a date with me,” Hyunjin said.

Seungmin stared at him wide-eyed. “U-um... o-okay...” he stammered.

Hyunjin smiled and backed off. “Great. Meet me at the boathouse tomorrow after lunch,” he told him.

“B-but it’s winter,” Seungmin replied, giving the Slytherin a confused look.

Hyunjin just grinned at him before going back to the Great Hall.

Jisung cleared his throat from the entrance. Seungmin jumped. He hadn’t seen his friend standing there. “The boathouse, huh...” Jisung said. Seungmin scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“Is there anything wrong with the boathouse?” he asked.

“It’s only the most popular make-out spot in the entire school,” Jisung told him as he stepped a little closer.

Make-out spot?

“I don’t mean to intimidate you or scare you off. I’m just... looking out for you. He’s known for playing around,” Jisung said, looking genuinely concerned. Seungmin lowered his head.

“I know...but I like him...” he answered. Jisung sighed and patted his shoulder.

“Just be careful...” he warned him again before taking off, leaving Seungmin confused and also a little anxious.

Was he really going to doubt Hyunjin again? And what did Jisung have to do with Hyunjin? Seungmin sighed and headed to class, trying to get the whole issue out of his mind for today. Maybe he’d ask Hyunjin about his intentions tomorrow. He snorted at himself at the thought. Like he could ever gather enough courage to do that...

~

It was safe to say that Seungmin barely slept a wink that night. He kept running his mind about what Jisung had told him about the boathouse. While he wouldn’t mind kissing Hyunjin (his cheeks burned up at the mere thought), he didn’t want this to be just a game. It wasn’t a game to Seungmin.

“Jisung...” he whisper-yelled over to the bed next to his.

Surprisingly, Jisung turned to his side to face him. “What is it?” the other Ravenclaw asked.

“What’s the story between you and Hyunjin? You talk about him like...” he trailed off.

“Like an ex...” Jisung finished his sentence for him. “We dated for a while before you transferred here,” he told Seungmin after a few long seconds of silence. Okay, he had not seen that coming.

Jisung and Hyunjin?

“It wasn’t long... we played push and pull for a while because I knew what people said about him going out with guys once before dumping them, kind of like Minho, and I didn’t want to be another conquest. But he was sweet to me and one date turned into another and eventually we got together. I really liked him, and he liked me, no doubt. It’s just that we began to realize that we didn’t like each other that way. I feel slightly more attracted to girls than to boys and he’s just not suitable for dating. So, we broke up but stayed friends... and that’s what we are today,” Jisung explained.

Seungmin sat up in his bed and faced Jisung with his entire body. “Then why are you warning me about him? If you’re still friends, what’s the problem? Do you–... would it not be okay if I started seeing him because you and I are friends?” he asked carefully. Jisung sat up as well.

“No, that’s not it. If you two became a thing, I wouldn’t mind... it’s just that when we broke up, he asked me if I could tell people that he dumped me. To keep up his reputation. He cared more about what people had to say than about what I might have to go through if others thought that he hadn’t been serious about me, after all. I was hurt about that for a little while but eventually, we moved past it. I just don’t want you to go through the same thing. I’m trying to look out for you... Hyunjin isn’t a bad person... but that doesn’t mean that he’s good all the time,” Jisung explained. Seungmin nodded slowly.

“So... are you saying that... I’m better off if I don’t go to the boathouse tomorrow?” he questioned. Jisung shrugged and lay back down.

“I think you should go if you want to... but don’t fall for his charms too easily. I don’t know if he’s serious about you. He sure seems like it. I just don’t want you to get hurt...” he replied.

Seungmin didn’t know what to do with himself for the rest of the night. He already liked Hyunjin way too much to just back out now. And maybe the Slytherin had changed. Maybe Jisung just hadn’t been the right guy for him. Jisung had said himself that he kind of preferred girls. Seungmin sighed.

The only way to find out if Hyunjin was serious about him was to let things play out. He might get hurt or he might end up happy. Seungmin wanted to see where things would go with him and Hyunjin.

He would go to the boathouse tomorrow.

~

Seungmin wished that his determination had stayed overnight. When he woke up the next morning, he felt beyond nervous. He could barely focus on his classes because of last night’s conversation with Jisung. There were still so many questions in his head. Why didn’t Jisung – or anyone else – tell him about their history. Was Hyunjin really, actually interested in him?

It sure seemed like it...

He didn’t see Hyunjin until lunch that day and as usual, he couldn’t look at him without blushing. Jisung sat with him and, again, seemed completely unbothered by what they had talked about the previous night. Meanwhile, Seungmin was back to worrying.

Eventually, he finished his lunch and made his way outside to head down to the boathouse. Some of his determination had returned halfway through eating his pudding. He was going to trust Hyunjin for now, even though his nervousness remained.

“Seungmin,” the Slytherin called out to him when he entered the boathouse. He held up two pairs of ice skates. “Since the lake is frozen and the boats are useless, how do you feel about ice skating?” he questioned with a grin. So, he hadn’t called him here just to make out, that was a good thing, at least...

Seungmin took one of the pairs. “I can’t say I’m good, though,” he replied, mentally thanking himself for not stuttering. Hyunjin chuckled.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m not that good, either.”

Seungmin raised his eyebrows at him. “Is there really something you’re not good at?” He froze, eyes widening. “I just said that out loud, didn’t I?” he asked sheepishly.

Hyunjin grinned. “Sure did. But believe it or not, I’m not good at everything I do. And I’m sure Professor Flitwick agrees,” he told Seungmin.

Seungmin snickered at that statement causing Hyunjin to smile widely.

“Let’s go,” he added softly, took the Ravenclaw by the hand and lead him out of the boathouse. After putting on their skates, the two students carefully stepped onto the frozen lake. Seungmin was impressed by how easy ice skating looked when Hyunjin did it. He watched as the Slytherin already skated towards the middle of the lake and smoothly turned around to look at his date. Was there really anything this boy couldn’t do?

He was so god-like…

“Aren’t you coming?” Hyunjin called waving at the Ravenclaw happily, starting to make his way back to him. “It’s so fun, you should try it!”

Seungmin hadn’t realized how he just stood there motionlessly.

“S-sure, I’m coming,” he announced and tried to smoothly start skating like Hyunjin did. He managed to move forward a little, struggled and eventually slipped causing him to fall. Or so he thought.

Before he could actually hit the ground, he found himself safe and sound in the Slytherin’s arms.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have skated ahead without you,” Hyunjin said quickly examining the flushed Ravenclaw with a worried expression.

“I-I’m fine, t-thank you,” he managed to say before getting back on his own feet.

“Let’s go together!” Hyunjin smiled and took Seungmin’s hand again. He led him back towards the middle of the frozen lake as the younger held on to his arm. “See? I told you it’s fun!” he continued causing the Seungmin to shyly smile as he was now really enjoying himself.

“Y-yeah, it is,” he said still holding on to the older.

“I’m glad…” Hyunjin said now looking right into his date’s eyes. His smile was suddenly replaced by a longing expression. Seungmin couldn’t help but blush even more at how awfully close they had gotten to each other. The older suddenly moved his hands to the Ravenclaw’s waist, gently pulling him even closer to his body. Seungmin’s heart was beating incredibly fast as he gave in to Hyunjin’s intense stare.

He could see their hot breath in the cold winter and couldn’t help but look at the Slytherin’s full lips as their faces were only inches away from each other by now. Hyunjin smiled softly as he noticed the flustered Ravenclaw’s stare and leaned in real close.

Was this it? Was he finally going to experience his first real kiss? With his godly crush on top of that? He decided to just tightly close his eyes and let it happen…

“Oh my god, Hwang Hyunjin!!!”

The two boys jumped apart at the shrill voice of a Gryffindor girl, skating towards them with two of her giggly friends.

“Uh...hi,” Hyunjin said awkwardly. The girl, a brunette fourth year with braided pigtails practically latched herself onto Hyunjin, batting her eyelashes at him.

“We saw you skate from over there. You’re really good,” she complimented him. The Slytherin gave her a small smile.

“Thanks,” he answered, shooting a little side-glance at Seungmin who just stood there awkwardly. His face was still red because of the almost-kiss that had just happened and now that those girls were here he didn’t quite know what to do with himself.

The girl’s companions gave Seungmin a look. “Who’s your fiend?” one of them questioned.

“Uh-” Seungmin didn’t let Hyunjin come up with an answer but chose to speak up himself.

“I have to run… I just remembered that I have a paper due. He’s all yours...” the Ravenclaw announced and skated away. Or, at least, tried to. He was still unstable and threatened to fall over more times than he could count.

Eventually, he managed to get off the ice, though. When he turned around, he saw Hyunjin still swarmed by the Gryffindor girls. He took off his skates and slipped back into the shoes he had left at the shore, before taking the long set of stairs from the boathouse back up to the castle.

Seungmin ate a quick early dinner when he got back before making his way to the Ravenclaw common room. He found Jisung sitting on the carpeted floor in front of the fireplace with a book on his lap, reading glasses sitting on his nose. The other Ravenclaw looked at him when he sat down next to him and heaved a sigh.

“How’d the date go?” Jisung questioned, closing his book and putting it on the floor next to him. Seungmin shrugged.

“It was alright...” he muttered, bringing his knees to his chest. He didn’t have to look at his friend to know that he was raising his eyebrow.

“Just alright?” Jisung probed into it.

“We got interrupted by a few fangirls... I left pretty quickly...”

Jisung laughed. “Fangirls? That’s new. One might think that the girls around here know that Hyunjin isn’t into them...” Seungmin lowered his head a little.

“I just left him there... he probably thinks I’m mad at him,” he said in a worried tone of voice.

“Are you?” Jisung asked him.

“No...” Seungmin answered. “I think I was just a little, I don’t know... awkward? Overwhelmed? Like, he’s so popular that he even has girls chasing after him.” Jisung hummed, not quite seeming to know what to say to his friend to cheer him up. Seungmin got back to his feet, brushing some imaginary dust off his robes.

“Whatever... I’ll just go to bed,” the younger Ravenclaw announced. It wasn’t that late yet, but he probably wouldn’t sleep much anyway, mainly because he was still a little shaken up by how close he had been to kissing Hyunjin today. Jisung nodded and got up from the floor as well.

“I think I’ll head to the Great Hall for dinner. You have eaten, right?” Seungmin replied to his friend’s question with a nod and they parted ways.

~

Hyunjin waited in front of the Great Hall the next morning. He was determined to apologize to the cute Ravenclaw, hoping that he wasn’t too mad at him. His face brightened up when he saw Seungmin come down the stairs and head in his direction. He met him halfway and looked at him apologetically.

“I’m really sorry about how things played out yesterday,” he cut straight to the point. “I should have told them right away that I was on a date and-”

“It’s okay...” Seungmin cut him off in a quiet tone of voice. He lowered his head, looking at his feet. “I shouldn’t have run off like I did. I’m the one who should apologize,” the Ravenclaw said.

Hyunjin reached for both his hands, making Seungmin look up at him. “Then how about you make it up to me by eating breakfast with me?” he offered smoothly, a wide grin spreading on his face. Seungmin blushed, probably because of the physical contact but nodded his head. “Great,” Hyunjin exclaimed, already dragging him along to the Slytherin table excitedly.

Changbin raised his eyebrows at the two fifth years when he saw them approach. He chose not to say anything, though. Seungmin let go of Hyunjin’s hand when he saw the older Slytherin look at them. Hyunjin pouted but didn’t make another attempt to reach for his hand. They sat down next to each other and started filling their plates.

Seungmin flinched when their hands brushed together as they both reached for the pumpkin juice at the same time. Hyunjin chuckled, looking at a flustered Seungmin.

“Why are you always so shy around me?” he asked him. Seungmin’s face flushed a deep shade of red at the question.

He stared at his plate as he mumbled a barely coherent answer: “You’re just too handsome...”

Hyunjin hadn’t seen that kind of reply coming at all. He usually wasn’t one to get flustered, but everything meant so much more when Seungmin said it. Changbin dropped his fork in an exasperated fashion, leaning in closer to look at Hyunjin’s face.

“Am I seeing this right? Is Hwang Hyunjin... blushing?” he exclaimed. A few Slytherins turned their heads in Hyunjin’s direction. The younger just glared at Changbin. “My hoe friends are getting softer by the day. First Minho and now you, too,” the sixth year continued, completely unbothered by his friend’s expression.

Hyunjin heard a giggle coming from next to him. He looked at Seungmin, who still had slightly rosy cheeks from embarrassment; other than that, the Ravenclaw looked happy with himself.

After breakfast (and lots of teasing from Changbin) Hyunjin and Seungmin made their way to the first class of the day. Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hyunjin reached for the younger’s hand again. He’d liked the feeling of Seungmin’s slightly smaller hand in his. And he may or may not have taken a liking to making Seungmin blush.

“So... since our date was cut short yesterday, what do you think about trying again? Maybe without interruptions,” he suggested. Seungmin, who stared at their intertwined hands, looked a little startled when Hyunjin suddenly addressed him.

“U-um... sure, I’d like that,” the Ravenclaw answered. “But, if you don’t mind, this time I’d like to choose what we’re doing,” he added.

Hyunjin raised an amused eyebrow. “Enlighten me.”

Seungmin actually grinned a little. “I’d rather show you,” he murmured.

Hyunjin smiled at the Ravenclaw. “Alright, then. How about tomorrow? I have an unofficial Quidditch practice with Felix and Jisung later,” he told him. Seungmin nodded at the suggestion and that’s when Hyunjin got an idea. “Hey, why don’t you join us later?”

The Ravenclaw’s eyes widened. “For Quidditch? Uh... I’d rather not. I’m not really that good when it comes to flying,” he assured Hyunjin, who waved off.

“Come on, it’s just for fun.”

Seungmin seemed to play with the thought. Eventually, he sighed and gave in. “Fine... but don’t expect too much from me,” he said. Hyunjin grinned and gave the younger’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

~

Seungmin walked onto the Quidditch field where Jisung and Felix were already up in the air, chasing each other around the goal posts. Hyunjin didn’t seem to be here yet. He got onto his borrowed broomstick and joined his friends. He wasn’t exactly the best flyer, but he could handle himself better than he had on the lake.

“Hey, Seungmin!” Jisung called out. Seungmin furrowed his brows at the fellow Ravenclaw.

“Um, do you always fly with your reading glasses on?” he questioned, confused. Jisung’s eyes widened and his hand flew to his face, pulling the pair of reading glasses off his nose before looking at Felix.

“You really could have said something!” he exclaimed accusingly.

Felix raised his hands in defeat. “I thought you might need them, considering how bad you were during your last game,” the Gryffindor joked. Jisung clutched his chest with one of his hands, mock-offended.

“You’ll see how bad I’ll be next month when we play against each other!” Seungmin chuckled, following his friends’ banter amusedly.

“Is it such a good idea to practice together then? You might reveal your strategies to each other,” he pointed out. The two Keepers looked at him.

“He’s got a point...” Felix agreed.

Jisung laughed. “Hyunjin’s just going to throw some Quaffles at us, I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a special strategy to block them,” he answered.

“Speaking of... Hyunjin should be here soon. Seungmin, my best friend, my pal! Could you be a darling and take my glasses back to the changing room, please?” Jisung addressed his friend.

“Sure, hand them over,” Seungmin answered and stretched out his hand, admittedly, a little wobbly on his broomstick. Jisung grinned at him and handed him his glasses.

Seungmin took them before landing and heading to the locker room. The Ravenclaw left his broomstick by the door since he was going to pick it back up in a minute anyway and entered the changing room.

Startled, he almost dropped Jisung’s glasses. He had expected to enter an empty and peaceful locker room but instead, he was greeted by a person changing. But not just any person. It was none other than Slytherin’s Chaser Hwang Hyunjin.

Shirtless.

Seungmin’s cheeks flushed red instantly, as he realized that he had walked in on Hyunjin changing for Quidditch practice. The half-naked Slytherin turned around in surprise, but his expression turned into a knowing smirk, when he saw the troubled Ravenclaw standing in the doorway.

Seungmin couldn’t stop his eyes from quickly scanning the older’s exposed upper body before nervously covering his eyes with both hands.

“O-oh my, I am so sorry, I didn’t know– I mean, I mean, I accidentally– I-I didn’t mean to w-walk in on you!” he stammered. Hyunjin just chuckled at the flustered boy and put down the shirt he had just taken off.

“It’s alright, I have nothing to hide,” he said in a low tone, gradually moving closer to the younger. The Ravenclaw still had his eyes covered, but he felt Hyunjin’s presence move closer to him, so he panicked and tried to quickly flee through the door. The Slytherin, however, blocked him before he could do so, slowly backing him up against the locker room wall.

He gently took both of the younger’s wrists and removed them from his eyes, forcing Seungmin to look at him before trapping him between the wall and his body. The younger’s heart skipped several beats. He liked being this close to the Slytherin, but it was doing serious things to his health. Hyunjin slowly slid his hands down the wall right next to the Ravenclaw’s waist, so he wouldn’t be able to duck under his arms and leave him like he had once before.

Seungmin blushed even more, as his heart was beating at full speed and his body was rapidly heating up. “W-what do you want...?” he asked quietly, not daring to open his eyes, since he didn’t know where to look, as he wanted to avoid looking at the older’s naked torso or making eye contact with him.

“Look at me, Kim Seungmin,” Hyunjin whispered. Seungmin slowly opened his eyes and looked deep into the Slytherin’s eyes, causing his heart to beat so loud that he was afraid it was audible. “I want a kiss,” the older whispered and slowly leaned in closer.

“H-here?” the younger whispered back innocently. Hyunjin just bit his lip and nodded, without ever breaking the intense eye contact.

Seungmin felt like he was going to melt under the Slytherin’s stare. As Hyunjin slowly closed his eyes and moved in even closer, the younger instinctively put his hands on the Slytherin’s chest in a weak attempt to push him away, but Hyunjin was stronger.

It was not because Seungmin didn't want to kiss him, but because he was just so flustered. His first kiss might happen right here in this very locker room.

“Please... just once,” the older whispered gently, his eyes still closed and leaning in so close that the Ravenclaw could feel his breath against his skin.

The younger stole another sneak-peek at the Slytherin’s soft-looking lips and couldn’t stop himself from wondering about how they would feel pressed against his.

How did Hyunjin always manage to make him so weak and irresponsible? Why did he have to be so god-like?

The Ravenclaw’s thoughts trailed off. Seungmin now closed his eyes; stopped trying to softly push Hyunjin off him and instead snaked his arms around the older’s exposed upper body, pulling him closer in a moment of bravery. The tension in the air was unbelievable, their faces were only inches apart and their lips were about to touch as the locker room door swung open.

“Seungmin, what’s taking you so damn lo– oh my Lord,” Felix gasped in shock as he entered the boys’ changing room and saw Seungmin and Hyunjin standing there, practically engulfed in each other, way too far up in each other’s grill. The Gryffindor covered his eyes, even though Seungmin had already jumped away from Hyunjin, back now pressed flat against the wall again.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to... interrupt,” he said and stormed back outside – not without running into the doorframe, though.

“Wait, this isn’t what it looks like!” the Ravenclaw called after him. Hyunjin only chuckled. Seungmin’s face felt hot and he didn’t dare to look at the other.

“Please put on a shirt, for the love of Merlin...” he muttered shyly.

Hyunjin burst out laughing but did as he was told, pulling his Quidditch uniform over his head. “You’re so cute when you’re flustered,” the Slytherin said fondly.

Seungmin rolled his eyes, although with no actual malice. “There you go with that word again,” he pointed out. Hyunjin once again reached for Seungmin’s hand. Next thing Seungmin knew was the feeling of soft lips on his cheek, before he was dragged out of the changing room.

“Well, well, well, look who decided to join us,” Jisung exclaimed once the two others had joined him and Felix up in the air again. Seungmin didn’t look at his friends and Hyunjin seemed unbothered.

“N-now what about that practice...” Seungmin stammered and luckily, his friends seemed to think that they’d already wasted enough time, as they started practicing shortly after.

~

It was yet another sleepless night for Seungmin. The Ravenclaw had trouble getting the image of shirtless Hyunjin out of his head. He covered his burning cheeks with his hands when he thought back to how close he had been to kissing Hyunjin – if only Felix hadn’t walked in.

Another thing that kept Seungmin up was the fact that he and Hyunjin were going on a date tomorrow. He’d already thought about where to take the Slytherin but that didn’t mean he wasn’t nervous. He was always nervous when it came to Hyunjin. He’d caught himself thinking that, if things worked out between them, they could go to the Christmas dance together.

Seungmin forced himself to close his eyes and get some sleep. He couldn’t meet up with Hyunjin, looking like a sleep-deprived zombie. The Ravenclaw smiled giddily at the thought of seeing Hyunjin.

~

In the end, he did manage to get a little bit of sleep. It wasn’t much, but he still got through his classes okay. Felix sat next to him in Potions and kept making comments about yesterday’s locker room incident. Seungmin got over the shyness at some point and was this close to throwing Felix into his own cauldron.

“Felix! Let it die, please! It wasn’t like that,” he snapped at his friend, trying to keep his voice as low as possible, in case Professor Slughorn was near. Felix grinned.

“Come on, we all go a little wild sometimes. I was wondering when you’d snap,” the Gryffindor teased.

Jisung spoke up from Seungmin’s other side, before Seungmin could think of a way to hex Felix into the last century: “You seem to know a lot about going wild.”

The meaningful look he gave the Gryffindor seemed to shut him up. Seungmin looked from him to Jisung and back, not quite understanding what the other Ravenclaw meant. On second thought, he didn’t really want to know anything about Lee Felix’ wild adventures, anyway...

He was just glad when Potions was over and the last thing he had to sit through was Herbology. Luckily, time seemed to pass rather quickly and before he knew it, he was off to meet Hyunjin in front of the Herbology classroom.

“So, what did you want to do today?” Hyunjin asked curiously. Seungmin surprised both, himself and the Slytherin, when he took Hyunjin’s hand and gently dragged him along.

“I figured we could stay inside today. And to make sure, we’re not getting interrupted...” Seungmin trailed off. The two fifth years came to a stop in front of a big wooden door.

Hyunjin gave Seungmin a knowing smile. “The Room of Requirements, smart thinking,” he said.

Seungmin opened the door and led Hyunjin inside, face brightening up at how well the room had worked its magic.

“What did you wish for? Where are we?” Hyunjin questioned.

The Ravenclaw looked around with a fond expression. “It’s my room at home. Come on,” he replied and brought the other over to a small blue couch – he figured he’d wish for that, instead of a bed, since he wouldn’t be needing that

“Is that a game console?!” Hyunjin exclaimed excitedly when he spotted a PS4 and a TV standing across from them Seungmin grinned and nodded his head. “I’ve read about those in Muggle Studies. I thought technology didn’t work in Hogwarts,” the Slytherin continued, looking at Seungmin. He looked like a child on Christmas morning.

“You just need to know where to go...” the younger pointed out.

“Can we play?” Hyunjin questioned.

“Sure, let me just...” Seungmin trailed off, getting up to start everything.

He felt unusually relaxed around the other. “How come, you took Muggle Studies?” he asked, realized that he barely knew anything about Hyunjin. He sat back down, handing Hyunjin a controller, which he eyed curiously.

“My Dad’s a Muggle, but I barely know anything about his world,” the Slytherin answered. “He left us when I was three, so I grew up not knowing anything about what they’re actually like. I took Muggle Studies as soon as I got the chance...”

“It’s kind of opposite for me. Both my parents are Muggles, so I only found out about this world when I got the letter from my former school,” Seungmin told him. This was probably the longest verbal exchange he’d ever had with Hyunjin without stuttering or getting flustered.

Maybe it was because he felt like he was in the comfort of his own room.

“Right, where did you go to school before anyway?” Hyunjin questioned.

“I went to a day school in Japan. My family’s lived there for a while,” the younger replied.

“Does that mean you speak Japanese?” Hyunjin asked him with a smirk.

Seungmin averted his gaze shyly and picked up his own controller. “Kind of... um... should we play now?” he questioned, eager to change subjects before the Slytherin could make him blush even more.

Seungmin quickly explained the game to Hyunjin. He’d picked a simple car racing game. Hyunjin was getting the hang of it pretty fast, but Seungmin clearly had an advantage thanks to his experience.

“Aw, you beat me again,” Hyunjin exclaimed with a pout.

Seungmin giggled. “Let’s try again, then,” he offered bringing the smile back to the older’s face instantly. Seungmin would deny it, if anyone ever asked, but he didn’t put much effort into the next round. Partly, because he wanted Hyunjin to win and partly, because he was busy sneaking glances at the Slytherin’s face from time to time.

As expected, the older did win that round, throwing his hands up in joy and smiling his gorgeous smile.

“Congrats,” the Ravenclaw smiled as he watched him happily.

“You were staring,” Hyunjin chuckled, smirking at the younger.

“N-no, I wasn’t...” Seungmin stuttered, blushing, as usual.

“You are so cute, Kim Seungmin,” the Slytherin commented, now looking straight into his eyes. Seungmin’s heart started to beat faster every time Hyunjin called him by his full name like that. At the same time, however, he was a little bemused by the fact that he was still considering him as ‘cute’.

He wanted to be a tough man in front of him, after all!

“Am I still not tough to you, Hyunjin?” the Ravenclaw asked seriously. “Do you still only see me as cute?”

The older set down the controller, a little taken aback by the sudden seriousness of Seungmin, and moved closer to him, placing a hand on his flushed cheek.

“Don’t you get it? I’ve been looking at you as tough ever since you saved me back in the forest,” he answered, still looking deeply into the younger’s eyes.

“But you always call me cute...” the Ravenclaw insisted quietly. Hyunjin chuckled.

“Because you are the cutest guy I’ve ever laid my eyes on. That’s what I... like the most about you...” he explained softly.

Seungmin blushed even harder. Did he hear that correctly?

“You l-like m-me?” he stuttered; his heart was now beating at full speed. Hyunjin didn’t answer, as he was now blushing himself. He didn’t plan to confess to Seungmin so suddenly.

It had just... happened.

He suddenly started leaning in closer to the Ravenclaw, without ever breaking the intense eye contact with him. He saw how Seungmin lowered his eyes a little to look at the Slytherin’s lips, causing Hyunjin to bite his lower lip, eager to finally connect them with Seungmin’s.

He put his second hand on the younger’s other cheek, gently pulling his face closer to his own. Seungmin’s hand reached up to Hyunjin’s, as he closed his eyes tightly, his heart racing in nervousness.

“Don’t run away now...” the Slytherin whispered, his lips brushing Seungmin’s as he spoke.

The Ravenclaw gave in to the overwhelming feelings Hyunjin caused in him as their lips finally touched for the first time. Seungmin closed his eyes as Hyunjin slowly started to move his full lips against his.

The Slytherin eventually wrapped his arms around the Ravenclaw, gently pulling his body closer to his own. Seungmin felt like the world around them completely disappeared, along with his nervousness. He felt comfortable and safe around Hyunjin and never wanted this moment to end. His hands moved up from the older’s waist to play with his hair as the kiss continued.

After another few seconds, Hyunjin softly broke the kiss and slowly opened his eyes.

He had kissed a lot of guys before, but none of them had ever made him like that first real kiss he had just shared with Seungmin. His heart was pounding against his chest and his whole body felt hot. The Ravenclaw still had his eyes closed tightly, too scared to look at him after what had just happened.

“Yes, I like you,” he answered the question from earlier, “more than I want to admit...”

Seungmin covered his face with both of his hands in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. “I- I like you, t-too, H-Hwang Hyunjin,” he confessed internally cursing himself for not being able to say it straightforwardly like the older.

Hyunjin just smiled in satisfaction and quickly gave the Ravenclaw another peck on the lips before getting up from the couch. “It’s getting pretty late. Thank you for showing me your room and letting me play video games for the first time. I really enjoyed myself today. I’ll see you tomorrow, Kim Seungmin,” he winked, before exiting the Room of Requirements, leaving one mess of a boy behind.

Seungmin let himself fall back on the couch he was sitting on, reaching up to touch his lips. He could still feel the Slytherin’s soft lips against his. His heart was still beating fast and he must’ve looked like a gay tomato.

~

Seungmin came back to the common room smiling like an idiot. He was feeling giggly and couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. Entering the bedroom, he shared with 5 other Ravenclaws, he spotted Jisung sitting on his bed doing his homework. Seungmin giggled quietly as he threw himself on his own bed kicking his feet in excitement.

Jisung didn’t seem to notice and just groaned at his homework in frustration. “Bro, did you finish that assignment for Defense Against the Dark Arts? I’m not making any progress here…” he said ruffling his hair.

The younger frowned, not sure which assignment he was talking about. His thoughts had been with Hyunjin all week.

“Which one?” Seungmin questioned.

“Don’t you remember? The one about a Dementor’s kiss,” Jisung answered still hovering over the scattered papers on his bed.

The younger stopped, immediately reminded of the kiss from earlier. “Oh, y-yeah, that one…” he said blushing. He handed him the assignment he had, of course, already finished.

“Thanks!” Jisung said, sounding relieved.

Seungmin gave him a smile and went to the bathroom to wash up and get ready to go to bed. He actually fell asleep pretty quickly that night.

A certain Slytherin even appeared in his dreams…

~

The next day, Hyunjin waited for Seungmin in front of the Ravenclaw common room around lunchtime. It was Saturday, there were no classes, so Seungmin had spent the morning in his room doing homework. The Slytherin didn’t seem to mind all the other Ravenclaw students passing by him with either curious or confused looks as he was just standing there, waiting for Seungmin to come out. The Slytherin gave him the brightest smile when he finally saw the younger leaving the common room. Seungmin blushed immediately when he spotted the older.

“Hi,” Hyunjin said smirking at the blushing Ravenclaw in front of him.

“H-hi, Hyunjin,” Seungmin answered quietly. The Slytherin chuckled at his shyness, took the younger’s hand, pulled him closer and smoothly give him a peck on the cheek.

“Let’s go eat lunch together,” he suggested.

“Okay,” Seungmin smiled shyly as he was holding on to the Slytherin’s hand in front of all his housemates.

At lunch, Hyunjin invited Seungmin over to the Slytherin table again and the Ravenclaw actually got to get to know Hyunjin’s friends, Changbin and Minho a little better. They had fun talking about this and that until he suddenly realized that he had left his wand back in the common room.

“Do you want to go get it? We’ll wait for you here,” Hyunjin said smiling at him reassuringly.

“I’ll be right back,” the Ravenclaw replied getting up from the bench and leaving the Great Hall.

Seungmin had almost reached the Ravenclaw common room when he was stopped by a tall and muscular guy. In fact, that guy seemed quite familiar. It was the same student who had tried to bully Jeongin and had gotten Seungmin, Hyunjin, Jeongin and himself into detention. He blocked the Ravenclaw’s way and gave him an intimidating look.

“Oh, if it isn’t our little prefect, Kim Seungmin,” he growled taking a few steps towards the younger.

“W-what do you want from me?” Seungmin replied clearly intimidated by the upperclassman.

The Ravenclaw was no coward or anything, he was a prefect after all, he was just pretty defenseless against the bully. He had no wand on him, and the bully was clearly stronger than him, physically.

“I want you to pay up for getting me in trouble two weeks ago,” the upperclassman spoke in a dangerous sounding voice as he backed Seungmin into a corner.

“B-but it was you who-”

“Did I not make myself clear? Give me your money, you little mudblood,” the bully barked loudly, making his heart beat in panic. There was nobody here, everyone was at lunch and the Ravenclaw was backed into a corner, defenseless. The obnoxious upperclassman started to become impatient and harshly shoved the younger against the wall knocking the air out of his body before lifting his arm to punch him.

Seungmin closed his eyes, preparing for pain to kick in as he expected to be punched in the face by a much taller and super muscular dude. But he didn’t feel anything. He just heard a dull sound and a groan.

The Ravenclaw opened his eyes and saw a pained bully laying on the floor and an angry Hwang Hyunjin standing in front of him.

“Seungmin, are you okay?” the Slytherin asked in a worried tone as he quickly checked the younger’s body for any injuries.

“I’m alright but Hyunjin… your hand is bleeding,” he pointed out.

The older just smiled. “Ah, that’s nothing, I’m glad you’re okay,” Hyunjin said before turning to the bully he had knocked down a few moments ago. “You. I already can’t tolerate you bullying innocent students, but don’t you ever threaten my boyfriend. I went easy on you this time. Now, scram,” he said in a low and dangerous sounding voice that Seungmin had never heard him use before. The bully got up from the floor and ran off cursing under his breath. The older sighed.

“B-boyfriend…?” the Ravenclaw questioned blushing hard.

Hyunjin just smiled widely before softly kissing him on the lips. “Can’t I call you that?” he asked smirking. That’s when Seungmin suddenly smiled and pulled the Slytherin in a hug, before thanking him for saving him.

“Now let’s take care of your hand, it’s still bleeding,” he suggested pulling his boyfriend towards the Ravenclaw common room to nurse his bruised hand.

Once that hand was taken care of with a simple healing spell, and Seungmin had finally grabbed his wand, the two fifth years made their way back to the entrance hall where Minho and Changbin waited for them. The original plan was to take another shot at ice skating but Seungmin thought about his last public embarrassment on the lake.

They stepped outside into the courtyard. The Ravenclaw sneakily got out his wand and made three snowballs, letting each of them fly towards one of the Slytherins walking a few steps in front of him. They turned around, obviously confused only to find Seungmin covering his mouth, giggling at their baffled faces.

Hyunjin smirked and raised his eyebrow at the younger. “Bad idea,” was all he said. Seungmin responded with another flick of his wand and another snowball hitting Hyunjin right in the face. He stuck his tongue out and ran for his life, trying to find a place to hide but he felt several snowballs hit his back.

Next thing Seungmin knew, a snowball fight had broken out between the four of them. Other students gave them weird looks and tried to stay out of their way but Changbin made sure to throw snowballs at everyone who wasn’t quick enough to hide. Soon enough, their robes were soaked but they didn’t particularly mind.

Seungmin was currently hiding behind a gargoyle when he felt someone’s presence behind him. “Is this how a prefect should be acting?” Hyunjin whispered into his ear, causing Seungmin to shudder.

He turned around to face the Slytherin with a grin. The older’s face was way too close to his own.

“Um... do I want to know what you guys are doing?” a confused and dry Chan suddenly spoke up, causing Seungmin to blush and distance himself from Hyunjin a little, getting back into view. Chan was wearing his Quidditch uniform and seemed to be on the way to the field.

Minho grinned and picked up a snowball.

“Wanna join?” he asked.

Chan’s eyes widened as he shook his head. “I have to get to practice. Put on some dry clothes or you’ll get sick!” the older scolded. Minho pouted but got his wand out nonetheless. The next moment, the three Slytherins and Seungmin were all back in their dry robes.

“I’ll walk you to practice,” Minho announced and reached for his boyfriend’s hand. Changbin shot him a betrayed look.

“What happened to bros over hoes, man,” he asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

“If you stuck to that, you wouldn’t be hanging out with Hyunjin anymore,” the older Slytherin shot back.

“Hey!” Hyunjin exclaimed with a fake pout.

“And Changbin; call my boyfriend a hoe again and I’ll transform yours into a toad!” Minho playfully warned Changbin. Chan didn’t seem to mind the bickering, instead he regarded his boyfriend with a giddy smile.

“Don’t call my boyfriend a hoe, then...” Seungmin muttered as the couple made its way to the Quidditch field. Hyunjin chuckled and placed an arm around the Ravenclaw’s shoulders.

Changbin stared at them wide-eyed. “Wait, wait, did I hear that correctly? Did you just call Hyunjin your boyfriend?” he asked. Seungmin blushed and nodded, not making eye-contact with anyone. “So, are you two, like, a thing now? Hwang Hyunjin got himself a boyfriend? First Minho and now you too? I think I need to sit down!”

Hyunjin laughed at his friend’s antics and removed his arm from around Seungmin to link their hands together.

“Bye Changbin,” he exclaimed and began lead the Ravenclaw back inside, leaving a speechless Slytherin prefect. “I figured you’d rather not go to the lake,” Hyunjin pointed out. Seungmin shook his head. “What do you want to do instead?” the Slytherin questioned.

Seungmin thought about the question for a while. “I mean... I usually study on Saturdays...” he pointed out, slightly embarrassed. What if Hyunjin thought that studying on Saturdays was lame. “Do you want to do anything?” he asked the older.

Hyunjin shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll find a way to kill some time,” he replied, giving Seungmin’s hand a squeeze.

~

They did end up passing the time hanging out in different spots around the castle, just talking and getting to know each other a little more.

The next day, they headed back to the Room of Requirements where Seungmin had prepared yet another technological surprise for Hyunjin. He’d wished for a huge movie screen and his favorite movie.

However, the two of them didn’t really catch a lot of the movie.

Seungmin lost interest pretty quickly, since he’d seen it a million times and Hyunjin was just too distracting. The Slytherin caught him staring and in the end, they spent more time making out than actually watching the movie.

Hyunjin walked Seungmin back to his common room in the evening. As they approached the common room the two students slowed down their steps swinging their intertwined hands back and forth.

“Here we are…” Seungmin stated reluctant to go in and leave his boyfriend behind yet. Hyunjin seemed to feel the same way as he pouted at the Ravenclaw and took both of his hands in his.

“Are you sure you wanna go in yet?” the older whined and continued to swing their arms playfully. “Can’t we hang out some more?” he suggested.

Seungmin chuckled. “Curfew starts in 10 minutes, you should really return to your own dorm,” he said.

“Fine, Mr Prefect…” the Slytherin replied whining playfully and pulled the younger closer to him. “Do I at least get a good night kiss?” he whispered smirking.

The Ravenclaw looked around checking the area for any lingering students before softly connecting his lips with Hyunjin’s.

The older seemed surprised at first but still returned the kiss, slowly moving his lips against Seungmin’s. The Ravenclaw broke the kiss before anyone could spot them but Hyunjin still didn’t seem to want to leave.

“You go first,” he said smiling.

“Nah, you go first,” Seungmin responded playfully and the Slytherin shook his head grinning.

The continued that little game for a while longer until Hyunjin finally gave up.

“Fine, I’ll leave,” he smiled. Seungmin waved at him as the Slytherin slowly walked away backwards, almost falling down the stairs as he didn’t want to take his eyes off the Ravenclaw who just chuckled at his idiot boyfriend before finally entering the common room.

~

Seungmin woke up with a giddy smile on his face the next morning. He was sure that Jisung would tease him about it, but his fellow Ravenclaw friend currently wasn’t here, since he had to leave yesterday for his sister’s wedding in the Muggle world.

Seungmin got out of bed and decided to do some reading before he had to go to class.

Since he wasn’t very hungry, he headed straight to the courtyard near the Transfigurations classroom where he’d be having his first class of the day. He didn’t mind the cold. In fact, he appreciated the fact that it was too cold for most students to be outside, so he could read in peace.

He’d just gotten fairly comfortable on one of the stone benches, nose already buried in his book, when he heard someone approaching him. Seungmin looked up and his face brightened up.

“Hyunjin!” he exclaimed. The Slytherin came to a stop in front of him, his eyes cast down to the floor. Seungmin shut his book and rose from the bench. “What’s wrong, are you okay?” he questioned.

Usually Hyunjin wore a bright smile on his face whenever Seungmin saw him, but right now he was quiet and reserved with a frown on his face. The fact that Hyunjin wasn’t looking at him at all concerned him even more. He went to reach for the Slytherin’s hand, but he pulled away.

“We have to break up,” Hyunjin said, finally looking at Seungmin. His gaze was blank, like he hadn’t just dropped a major bomb on Seungmin.

The Ravenclaw’s eyes widened at Hyunjin’s words. “W-what do you mean?”

“I mean... this thing we had...it’s over,” the older told him. His tone was cold and caused Seungmin to take a step back in astonishment.

“But why?” his voice was barely above a whisper. He didn’t understand at all. Yesterday, everything had been just fine and today, the first thing Hyunjin did was to break up with him? Hyunjin exhaled and turned away from Seungmin.

“See you around...” he said and walked away, not answering the Ravenclaw’s question.

Seungmin stared after his disappearing figure, still in complete disbelief. He felt tears welling up in his eyes when reality hit him.

Hyunjin had really just broken up with him. He grabbed his book and took off in the opposite direction, heading straight for the library, where Jeongin sat at their usual table.

Right, he had a free period on Monday mornings...

The Ravenclaw stopped in his tracks and turned around again. He didn’t want Jeongin to see him like this; tears running over his face while he was trying to keep his pathetic sobs in. He wanted to be alone and cry his eyes out, but the younger called out to him before he could take another step.

“Seungmin!”

The Ravenclaw wiped at his face, trying to make himself look more presentable but they were immediately replaced by new ones. Jeongin had gotten up from the table he’d sat at and approached him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder when he noticed the state his friend was in.

“Hey, why are you crying?” he asked as quietly as possible, trying not to alarm the librarian.

Seungmin let out a sob and hugged Jeongin, now full-on crying on his shoulder. Jeongin was confused, to say the least, but that didn’t stop him from rubbing comforting circles on his friend’s back.

Unfortunately, Seungmin’s crying did alarm the librarian in the end and they were asked to leave.

Seungmin was still a mess when Jeongin led him to a set of stairs where they sat down. “What happened, Seungmin?” the Hufflepuff asked carefully. Seungmin sniffled and tried to wipe his tears again, though, to no avail.

“Hy-Hyunjin j-just broke up with m-me...” he stammered out. Jeongin’s eyes widened, just like Seungmin’s had.

“What? Did he say why?” the younger questioned. Seungmin shook his head and buried his face in his hands. “But... Hyunjin wouldn’t... he’s...” Jeongin trailed off. “I’ll talk to him!” he promised.

Seungmin looked at him again. “Don’t! Just... let him be. I don’t want to seem desperate...” he said. Jeongin looked like he wanted to protest, but the look on Seungmin’s face seemed to make him shut up. Seungmin got to his feet and looked at the young Hufflepuff.

“You should probably get to class soon...” he pointed out to which Jeongin nodded.

“Are you going?” the younger questioned.

Seungmin shook his head, sniffling hard. “Not today...” he replied in a defeated tone and made one last attempt to wipe the tears off his face.

Jeongin patted his shoulder and gave him a quick hug. “It’s going to be alright. I’m sure there’s an explanation,” he assured Seungmin.

The Ravenclaw doubted that things were going to be alright, but he appreciated his friend’s tries to make him feel better. He watched Jeongin walk away to his classes before heading to his common room, hoping not to run into any teachers on the way.

He tried to come up with his own explanation as to why Hyunjin had suddenly broken up with him. Was he sick of Seungmin already? The Slytherin wasn’t exactly known for long-term-relationships. But it had seemed like Hyunjin genuinely liked him. Seungmin exhaled and entered the common room after answering the doorknob’s question.

He should have listened to Jisung, he thought when he sat down near at the fireplace. Last weekend had been amazing but now he was left feeling like crap, only because he hadn’t taken his friend’s advice.

‘ Be careful with Hyunjin’

Seungmin sighed. Once Jisung returned from his sister’s wedding, he was going to ask his friend to punch him in the face for being so stupid and give him a well-deserved ‘I told you so’.

And to think that Seungmin might have had a date for the Christmas dance...

Seungmin hadn’t realized that he was crying again until he felt a tear drop hit the back of his hand. Luckily, the common room was empty since everyone went to class, otherwise he would have felt even more stupid than he already did, crying over someone who probably wouldn’t even waste another thought on him.

~

The next day, Seungmin decided to skip classes again, since he had Defense against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins later. He really didn’t want to run into Hyunjin today – or any other given day. He also hadn’t eaten anything all day because he was avoiding the Great Hall as well.

The only place, he felt like he could be alone (aside from the dormitory) was the library. It’s where he didn’t have to talk to people, and it was less likely for him to run into Hyunjin or one of his friends here. The only problem was that he couldn’t focus, at all. His thoughts kept wandering back to Hyunjin’s blank expression and his cold tone, compared to the times he had been so incredibly sweet to him.

He didn’t want to cry in public, especially not if the librarian could throw him out again, like she had yesterday, but keeping in his tears wasn’t really that easy when Hyunjin was all he could think about.

Seungmin rested his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands.

~

“Hyunjin!” Jeongin called out to the older after lunch. The Slytherin stopped in his tracks and turned to face his friend who looked beyond disappointed. Hyunjin figured that he had probably heard about him breaking up with Seungmin. “I had to comfort a crying Seungmin yesterday because you broke up with him! How could you do this to him without a reason?” the Hufflepuff questioned.

“I have a reason, Jeongin,” Hyunjin replied, trying to sound as calm as possible.

“Enlighten me, then!” Jeongin snapped, crossing his arms over his chest expectantly.

“I can’t talk about this right now,” the Slytherin said. He turned around and walked away.

Changbin had asked him to grab a book from the library for him, so he decided to head there before heading to his common room. He didn’t feel like going to class this afternoon. He sucked at Charms anyway and he wasn’t in the mood to put up with Professor Flitwick criticizing him.

Hyunjin arrived at the library and was just about to start looking for the book when he heard a faint sniffle coming from one of the tables to his left. He turned his head and froze immediately. Seungmin had his face buried in his hands, obviously crying.

Hyunjin balled his hands into fists, trying his best not to go over there. The Ravenclaw probably didn’t want to see him anyway. He knew that he was responsible for Seungmin’s tears and he’d be lying if he said that it didn’t cause his insides to clench together painfully.

He looked for Changbin’s book, trying not to attract too much attention but he was approached by a fellow Slytherin, a sixth year going by the name of Ju Haknyeon.

“Hyunjin,” the older exclaimed. Hyunjin could practically feel Seungmin look up and stare at him. Haknyeon grinned at him and leaned against the bookshelf he was currently going through.

“So, I see you’ve dumped that Ravenclaw,” the older pointed out. Hyunjin gave him a forced smile, trying not to look over at where he knew said Ravenclaw sat.

“Yeah...” he answered.

Haknyeon’s grin widened. “I was wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out sometime,” he suggested.

Hyunjin couldn’t resist anymore. He looked over to Seungmin’s table to find the Ravenclaw looking right at him, his eyes red and puffy. Hyunjin looked back at Haknyeon, trying to ignore the clear look of hurt he saw on Seungmin’s face.

“I can’t... I have lots of homework to catch up on...” Hyunjin told the older. Haknyeon raised his eyebrows.

“Homework?” he questioned, like he didn’t quite believe the excuse.

Hyunjin nodded and pointed at the bookshelf. “That’s what I’m here for...” he lied. Haknyeon seemed to accept that.

“I’m sure you’ll need a break, eventually. If you’re up for it, we could go to Hogsmeade this weekend. Just let me know,” the sixth year told him. He winked at Hyunjin before taking off. Hyunjin leaned back against the bookshelf and let out an exhausted sigh. When he looked over at Seungmin’s table again, he saw that the younger was gone.

Hyunjin ruffled his own hair in frustration and went to look for the book again.

~

“What’s this rumor about you and Seungmin breaking up?” Minho asked that same evening in the common room. Changbin sat on the floor, his homework sprawled out all around him. The mention of Hyunjin’s and Seungmin’s breakup caused him to look up, though.

“It just didn’t work out,” Hyunjin answered, his eyes cast down at the floor. Minho raised his eyebrows, clearly not believing a word the younger said.

“I’ve never seen you like this with literally anyone and you’re going to give me that ‘it didn’t work out’ bullshit?”

“Well, shit, Minho! Not everyone can be like you and Chan, okay? I broke up with Seungmin before he got attached and that’s that!” Hyunjin snapped. Changbin looked at him. The younger knew that his friends could practically see right through him.

There was another reason behind the break-up, and they knew it.

“You know you can tell us what’s going on, right?” Changbin stated.

Hyunjin tried his best to glare at his friends. “Nothing’s going on, alright? I’m going to bed...” he told them and got up from his seat on the couch, taking off towards the dormitories before either of them could say anything.

He headed straight for his bed, letting himself fall down face-first.

“You okay?” his classmate and friend Sunwoo asked him.

“Fine...” Hyunjin mumbled into his pillow before sitting up again and closing the curtains around his bed. He was still in his robes, but he didn’t really have any intention to go to sleep any time soon.

Seungmin’s tear-stained face from earlier was still on his mind.

It was his doing. He was responsible for making Seungmin cry. Hyunjin exhaled. He couldn’t deny the fact that he missed the Ravenclaw. Their weekend together had been the greatest experience of Hyunjin’s life, and he’d made an awful mistake by ending things. He wanted Seungmin back, but it wasn’t going to be easy for several reasons, the most important one being that the younger probably never wanted to speak to him again.

Hyunjin sighed and opened his curtains again to get a scroll of parchment and a quill out of his nightstand drawer. If he wanted Seungmin back, he needed to get the other big problem out of the way first.

~

Hyunjin approached Jeongin in front of the Greenhouses the next day. The Hufflepuff didn’t seem as excited to see him as usual and Hyunjin couldn’t blame him. He had broken up with one of his closest friends and then didn’t even explain himself.

It just wasn’t that easy to explain.

“I need your help...” Hyunjin said to the younger. Jeongin looked at him, crossing his arms over his chest like he had yesterday. If the boy wasn’t so adorable, Hyunjin probably would have been intimidated by the look of expectation on his face.

“What do you need my help with?” he questioned.

“I want to make it up to Seungmin... I want to apologize to him, but I know that he probably won’t listen to me,” Hyunjin explained.

Jeongin raised his eyebrows so much that they almost disappeared into his hairline. “Why should I trust you with my friend again after what you did to him?”

Hyunjin lowered his head. “Because... I really like your friend and I messed up... I can’t explain what happened, but I need you to trust me with this,” the Slytherin said in a small voice.

“You really hurt him...” Jeongin stated. Hyunjin didn’t answer, so the two of them stood in silence for a few seconds before Jeongin rolled his eyes and sighed.  

“Fine...” he said in defeat. “You know how we have that Christmas dance coming up? You should ask him to go there with you,” Jeongin suggested.

Hyunjin looked at him. “He probably doesn’t even want to talk to me, what makes you think he’s going to say yes to me?” the Slytherin asked.

Jeongin shrugged. “It’s the first thing that came to mind, I don’t know much about relationships,” he pointed out. “All I know is that this boy just needs a little romance and he’ll be swept off his feet. If you’re really serious about him, he’ll forgive you eventually... now, I have to get to class... you better fix this. I never want to see Seungmin cry again!” Jeongin added before leaving Hyunjin behind and heading inside Greenhouse number 2.

Now, Hwang Hyunjin was big on flirting or charming his way into getting whoever he wanted. That wasn’t going to work with Seungmin, though, and he knew that he needed to do something more special if he wanted the Ravenclaw to hear him out. On the other hand, he didn’t want it to be too big; too special, because Seungmin might not like the attention.

In short, Hyunjin needed something simple but effective.

~

Seungmin had spent the past three days skipping classes, which was something he had never done before. He also would have been skipping meals if it hadn’t been for Jeongin sneaking him into the kitchen and practically forcing him to eat something, which he was grateful for.

After he had seen Hyunjin flirting with Ju Haknyeon, Seungmin was bitterly and painfully reminded that he had been nothing but a mere conquest to the older. He wished Jisung was here, since he spent his nights crying himself to sleep and he could really use the comfort, but his friend wouldn’t be back until sometime tomorrow morning.

The Ravenclaw felt more stupid than he ever had in his entire life.

He’d fallen for Hyunjin too hard, too fast and now he’d been left in the dust while the older had already moved on and was probably on a date right this minute.

Seungmin was too exhausted to cry at this point.

He'd barely slept that night and he had already set his mind on another day of skipping breakfast and not going to class but Jisung would come back today and he’d ask questions. Seungmin wanted to tell his friend about what had happened, but he didn’t want to look like a complete mess when he did so he dragged himself out of bed and went to wash up before heading to the Great Hall.

Jisung joined him halfway through his toast, taking the seat next to him. Seungmin gave him a forced smile.

“Hey... how was your sister’s wedding?” he questioned, trying to sound more enthusiastic than he felt.

Jisung smiled. “It was alright. I’m not exactly a family gatherings type of guy but it was really good to see her again...” Seungmin nodded in understanding.

“What have you been up to these past few days? You and Hyunjin were probably all over each other, right? It’s good to see that he changed...” Jisung changed subjects. Seungmin looked at his plate. He was just about to tell the other Ravenclaw about what went down between them when someone cleared his throat behind them.

Seungmin turned around and froze. Hyunjin stood there, right in front of him with a gorgeous red rose in his hands. He looked more nervous than Seungmin had ever seen him, but he was determined not to look at him for too long.

Instead, he stared at the rose the older was holding.

“I came here to say that I’m sorry for what I did... I never meant to hurt you and I want to explain everything to you. Kim Seungmin, will you go to the Christmas dance with me?” Hyunjin finally spoke up after a few seconds.

A silence followed. It felt like the entire Great Hall had their attention focused on the two of them. Seungmin was speechless to say the least. A week ago, he would have blushed and probably said yes to Hyunjin’s proposal but after the week he’d had so far, he wouldn’t have dreamed of anything like this happening.

“No,” he answered and turned back around.

He heard a few shocked gasps from the people around him, but he didn’t care. He didn’t move until he heard Hyunjin’s footsteps disappear.

Jisung looked at him wide-eyed. “What the heck just happened?” he asked. “Why did you say no? What did I miss?”

Seungmin let out a shaky breath. He was confused himself. What had just happened? Why did Hyunjin suddenly want to go to the dance with him? Was this some kind of a sick joke? He wouldn’t have thought of Hyunjin as cruel enough to play these kinds of tricks on him after he’d already ripped his heart out.

“He dumped me the other day and he didn’t even tell me why. I have no clue why he just did that,” Seungmin finally told Jisung in a quiet voice. He didn’t want to start crying again, not when there were still way too many curious glances on him. It probably didn’t happen every day that Hwang Hyunjin got rejected.

“Oh, hell no!” Jisung exclaimed and before Seungmin even knew it, the other Ravenclaw had jumped up from his seat and practically chased after Hyunjin, who had long since left the Great Hall. Seungmin figured that he should probably stop him, but he really didn’t have the energy to do so.

He slowly got up and prepared to go to class, still followed by stares.

~

Hyunjin was already halfway down the corridor to the Slytherin common room, the rose he'd tried to give Seungmin clutched to his chest tightly, when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

“Hyunjin!”

The Slytherin turned around and gave his friend a defeated look. “Not right now, Jisung...”

The Ravenclaw stopped in front of him, face hardened, and arms crossed over his chest. It didn't take a genius to see that he was angry. And he sure was scarier than Jeongin.

“Oh yes, right now! How dare you play with Seungmin's heart like that? Is this a joke to you?” he yelled at Hyunjin. Han Jisung never got mad, so Hyunjin was taken aback at his friend’s tone.

“No, I–”

“I watched that kid fall head over heels for you! I tried so hard to believe that you were finally serious about something! And, of course, you had to go and fuck it up! You need to stop playing with people's hearts like that, especially if it's my best friend's heart!” Jisung interrupted the older, who tried to explain himself.

“Can you please hear me out?” Hyunjin pleaded. He really didn't want Jisung to be mad at him, too. Though, Hyunjin knew that he probably deserved worse than being yelled at for breaking up with Seungmin.

“Why? So you can make excuses again? Listen, Hyunjin, we're friends and we've both moved on from the past, but this is the exact reason why I warned Seungmin from getting too attached to you! You play too much, and you don't care about other people's feelings!”

Hyunjin lowered his eyes. He tried to fight the tears that were forming in his eyes, but Jisung’s words hit him hard. Was this really his thing? Hurting people? He had never intentionally wanted to hurt anyone but here his ex-boyfriend and friend was, telling him that apparently this was all he'd been doing.

“I'm sorry...” he said quietly.

Jisung, who had just looked like he didn't want to stop yelling anytime soon, furrowed his brows. “You're... sorry?”

Hyunjin threw the rose to the floor leaned against the stone wall. He let himself sink down to the floor, a tear running down his face, as he brought his knees to his chest and covered his face with his hands. He could hear Jisung approach him carefully, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor before he felt him sit down next to him.

Hyunjin sniffled, starting to wipe at his eyes. “I never wanted this...” he finally spoke up. His voice sounded a little choked up from crying. “I am serious about Seungmin… but I didn't have a choice,” Hyunjin added, looking at his friend, who had started to look less angry and more confused.

“What do you mean?” Jisung questioned. At least, he wasn't yelling anymore.

“My Mom heard about me dating around. She told me that I was bringing shame upon our family and that she'd take me out of Hogwarts if I didn't stop. She gave me a dating ban. You've met my mother, she wasn’t kidding... so I had to break up with Seungmin. Believe me, it hurt me just as much as it hurt him…” Hyunjin explained.

Thinking about how things had turned out didn’t exactly help him stop crying either.

Jisung, being the kind-hearted person he was, placed an arm around Hyunjin's shoulder and gave him comforting pats as the Slytherin tried to bite back his sobs.

“Then why are you trying to win him back?” Jisung asked. Hyunjin sniffled again and wiped his face on his robes.

“Because I wrote a letter to my mother and told her that I found someone I wanted to be with and that none of her threats could make me stop dating the first guy I’ve ever had genuine feelings for...” Hyunjin paused, shooting an uneasy look at Jisung. “No offense...” he muttered.

The younger waved off.

“But... Jisung, did you really think I didn't care about your feelings back then?” the Slytherin questioned, still sniffling from time to time.

Jisung looked at his knees and shrugged. “I mean, you wanted people to think that you dumped me to uphold your reputation... you didn't think about how that might make me feel…” Jisung said; his voice getting a little quieter towards the end.

Hyunjin furrowed his brows in confusion. “Wait, is that what you thought? I didn’t do this for my reputation! I couldn’t care less about what people have to say about me. Back then, I cared about what people might do to you when they heard that you were the one who suggested breaking up. I’ve had some crazy admirers in the past... I didn’t want anyone to go after you because they’re overprotective when it comes to me...” Hyunjin cleared up.

Jisung's eyes widened a little at the revelation. “I'm sorry if it came out wrong. I should have explained myself... no wonder you think I'm a jerk...” the older said, lowering his head again.

Jisung slightly nudged his friend’s shoulder. “You're not a jerk... I should have talked to you back then... but that’s not important anymore. Right now, we need to focus on fixing this thing between you and Seungmin!” he exclaimed, wiping the remainders of Hyunjin’s tears, before rising back to his feet and pulling Hyunjin up as well.

The Slytherin hadn't realized how much he needed a hug until Jisung wrapped his arms around him. They stayed like this for a while until Hyunjin could trust himself not to break down again.

“I'm sorry, I yelled at you...” the Ravenclaw muttered as they pulled back. Hyunjin shook his head, looking at his shoes.

“It’s okay. I deserve to be yelled at for letting Seungmin go...” he admitted.

“You really like him, don't you?” Jisung stated knowingly. Hyunjin didn’t answer; he didn't have to. “Well, let's get you two back together, then!”

“How? He’s never going to forgive me...” Hyunjin argued, sounding defeated again when he thought back to Seungmin's rejection back in the Great Hall.

“Lucky for you, I have a plan...” Jisung said secretively. He sounded sure of himself. Hyunjin was willing to try anything to get Seungmin to at least hear him out.

With Jisung on his side, things felt a little less hopeless than before.

~

“I talked to Hyunjin...” Jisung told Seungmin the same evening while the slightly younger Ravenclaw was getting ready for bed.

“And?” he said monotonously.

“I feel like maybe you should talk to him...” Jisung stated carefully. Seungmin stopped in his tracks to look at him.

“He broke up with me, what else is there to talk about?”

“I’m just saying... maybe once you know the reason, you can forgive–”

“I can’t talk about this right now...” Seungmin interrupted him and closed the curtains before he hid under his blanket. He could hear Jisung sigh but luckily, the older decided not to press it any further.

For once, he managed to fall asleep relatively quickly. His dreams were practically full of Hyunjin, though. No matter how much Seungmin tried to distract himself at night, his subconscious wouldn’t put any other images in his head.

“Seungmin,” dream Hyunjin said. He stepped closer and began to softly shake his shoulder. “Seungmin!” he repeated with a little more vigor.

The Ravenclaw woke up with a start. Someone really was shaking his shoulder and calling his name. Seungmin turned around sleepily, reaching for his glasses on his nightstand (he usually wore contacts, but he used the glasses once he’d taken them out for the day).

“Hyunjin?!” he whisper-yelled. Either his mind was playing tricks on him, or his ex-boyfriend was really crouching right next to his bed.

“I want to talk to you... please...” the older answered, also whispering. Seungmin sat up and looked around in the dark common room.

“Not here! Everyone’s sleeping!” he finally told the Slytherin and got out of bed, slipping his feet into a pair of bunny slippers next to his bed.

He thought he could hear Hyunjin mumble “cute,” but he decided not to let his sleepy mind put things in his head. Instead, he led Hyunjin to the Ravenclaw common room.

It was dark since the fire in the fireplace was out and everyone was asleep. The only thing that slightly illuminated the common room was the moon shining through one of the windows. “How the heck did you get in here?” Seungmin asked, his voice only barely above a whisper. He didn’t want to wake the other prefects. That would mean a lot of explaining.

“The question at the entrance wasn’t that hard to answer...” Hyunjin mumbled back in reply.

Seungmin rolled his eyes. “Great to know that anyone can just come here at any given time!” he snapped. Hyunjin stepped forward and put both his hands on his shoulders, similarly to how he had done it in Seungmin’s dream just now.

“Can you please let me explain?” the Slytherin pleaded. Seungmin freed himself from Hyunjin’s soft grip and brought a little distance between them.

“I don’t want to hear it, Hyunjin. Breaking in here doesn’t change the fact that you hurt me!” he told the older.

“I didn’t want to hurt you. I just–”

“Is this what you do after you’re done with someone? You just try to use your charm so that your reputation won’t be too damaged? Well, it won’t work on me. I don’t want to hear your excuses! You better get the hell out of here before I call a teacher,” Seungmin interrupted Hyunjin before turning around on his heel and all but storming back to his dorm.

He crouched down at the door, bringing his knees to his chest. Hyunjin really had some nerve, showing up here in the middle of the night, trying to sneak his way back into Seungmin’s heart. Why did he so desperately want Seungmin to forgive him all of a sudden?

It was confusing, to say the least.

This whole thing tonight had probably been Jisung’s idea, though. And if Jisung thought that Hyunjin’s reason to break up with him was valid enough to help him with a crazy stunt like this... maybe Seungmin had been too harsh on him?

He wasn’t exactly eager to find out why Hyunjin had called it quits after only two days but at the same time, the Slytherin seemed to really want to explain himself. Seungmin got up again and left his dormitory, going back downstairs to the common room...

It was empty.

Hyunjin must have already left after Seungmin had threatened to call a teacher and rat him out. The Ravenclaw sunk down in an armchair. He was a fool. Hyunjin had probably really just tried to lull Seungmin in enough to keep his reputation in check, otherwise he wouldn’t have given up so soon.

Seungmin felt hot tears running over his cheeks. He missed Hyunjin like crazy, he wanted to get back what they had before the start of this week, before the Slytherin had apparently gotten sick of him. The Ravenclaw had always been invested in his studies more than his social life, so he’d never really experienced the kind of feelings he (still) had for Hyunjin.

He wanted to forgive him, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Hyunjin only tried to apologize to calm his conscience and that he didn’t really want him back. Seungmin would end up staying hurt either way, so maybe being stubborn and not forgiving him was the quickest way to get over his feelings.

In the end, Seungmin fell asleep in his uncomfortable position on his armchair in the middle of the Ravenclaw common room.

He could still try to figure things out tomorrow...

~

The Christmas dance came closer and closer and Seungmin had started attending his classes again. On the outside, it seemed like he finally began to get over Hyunjin but on the inside, Seungmin was still a confused, heartbroken mess. Hyunjin hadn’t tried to approach him again but he’d caught the older looking in his direction during mealtimes.

Jisung looked like he wanted to tell Seungmin something, but he stayed quiet, apart from an occasional “maybe you should go talk to him,” which was always shut down by Seungmin. One thing, Jisung could convince him of was getting him to come to the dance.

“You could be my date. Like... as friends. I have nobody to go with and neither do you, so let’s go together,” the other offered when they were on the way to the Quidditch field where Jisung had practice. Seungmin sighed.

“Fine... although, I don’t understand why you can’t just go with Jeongin...” he muttered. Jisung’s face brightened up at his confirmation.

“Jeongin isn’t sure if he’s going yet. And I want to go with you because you should at least try to have some fun,” the Keeper told him.

Seungmin rolled his eyes. “I actually don’t really feel like having fun. I’m doing this for you,” he pointed out. Jisung grinned widely and put an arm around his friend’s shoulders. Seungmin was glad to have him.

At least, Jisung could make him feel a tiny bit better, even if his mind kept repeating the question of what could have happened if he and Hyunjin were still together.

They would probably have gone to the dance together. Seungmin would stress over what to wear and he’d die because of Hyunjin looking extremely gorgeous in dress robes.

His next thought was that he would probably see the Slytherin there. Despite everything that had happened, Seungmin was probably still going to die because of Hyunjin looking extremely gorgeous in dress robes.

Seungmin reminded himself to mentally prepare for a long evening. Especially, if Jisung got his hands on Firewhiskey again.

Maybe this time he’d even have a sip as well...

~

“Maybe I shouldn’t go to the Christmas dance next week...” Hyunjin thought aloud at the Slytherin table during breakfast. He had just watched Seungmin and Jisung leave the Great Hall to head to the Quidditch field.

Minho almost dropped his croissant. “Why the fuck would you not want to go?” he questioned in pure and utter disbelief. Hyunjin shrugged, avoiding eye contact with both of his friends.

“I don’t feel like it,” he lied.

Well, technically it wasn’t a complete lie. He really didn’t feel like going there without Seungmin. “And besides, I don’t even have a date.”

Changbin snorted. “That’s the least of your problems.” Hyunjin glared at him but the sixth year remained unbothered. Minho raised one of his eyebrows and looked from Hyunjin to Changbin and back.

“Is your pride still hurt because Seungmin rejected you?” the oldest of the three questioned.

“It has nothing to do with pride! I could ask literally anyone, and they’d be thrilled to go there with me. I just don’t want to!” Hyunjin snapped, now focusing his glare on Minho, who only smirked.

“So, you’re whipped for Seungmin after all,” he pointed out. Hyunjin opened his mouth to bite back with another pissed off reply but the words wouldn’t quite come out. Minho was kind of right. Kind of, because Hyunjin wasn’t just whipped.

It was way beyond that...

Unfortunately, Hyunjin hadn’t realized just how much he liked Seungmin until he’d let him go. He hadn’t received a reply from his mother since he’d told her that he’d found someone he was serious about.

“I think you should go. Felix told me that Seungmin’s going with Jisung, so maybe you’ll get a chance to apologize to him,” Changbin spoke up when Hyunjin started picking around in his food again.

“He doesn’t want an apology. I’ve tried that before...” Hyunjin answered without looking up.

“If you’d just tell us, your best pals, what the hell you even did, we might be able to offer our help,” the oldest pointed out before taking a bite from his croissant. Hyunjin sighed but gave in nonetheless, telling his friends about the letter from his mom and how everything had gone downhill from there.

“I told Jisung not to tell Seungmin about the letter because I want to explain everything to him myself. I need him to believe me when I tell him that I didn’t do it because I stopped liking him or anything...” Hyunjin explained.

Luckily, his friends listened to him without interrupting or judging him, which made the whole thing a little easier.

“You should definitely go to that dance,” Minho said determinedly. Hyunjin gave him a confused look.

“What?”

Minho grinned, something Hyunjin couldn’t really take comfort in. “Have you never seen a romantic comedy before?” Minho asked, rolling his eyes at his clueless friend. Hyunjin furrowed his brows. The only movie he’d ever seen had been an action movie and he couldn’t even really recall anything because he’d been too focused on Seungmin.

“I think the more important question is: when have you ever seen a romantic comedy?” Changbin asked Minho, whose grin widened as he glanced over at the Gryffindor table where Chan sat, chatting with Felix.

“Channie is lowkey obsessed with them. He always cries at the happy endings... he’s so cute... but that’s beside the point! What I’m saying is that you need to do something that has to make him forgive you... or at least hear you out...” the oldest explained secretively. “Like a grand romantic gesture!”

Hyunjin couldn’t say that he wasn’t at least a little bit curious as to what his friend would come up with...

~

The Christmas dance had approached faster than Seungmin would have liked but Jisung wouldn’t let him back out, insisting that he needed to ‘get out there and get a little loose.’

“Okay, can you at least pretend to have some fun? I must seem like the worst date ever,” Jisung half-scolded Seungmin while handing him a cup of an ominous-looking punch. Seungmin inspected the green liquid before taking a careful sip. He scrunched up his face at the taste.

“This is spiked...” he croaked out, trying not to cough at the burning sensation that went down his throat.

“That’s kind of the point... how else are you going to loosen up,” Jisung told him with a grin. Seungmin handed the cup back to Jisung who just shrugged and downed first his and then Seungmin’s cup.

“You know as a prefect I could get you in trouble for that, right?” the younger Ravenclaw pointed out with a half-amused, half-judging expression.

Jisung grinned at him. “Yeah, but as my friend who loves me, you won’t get me in trouble, right?” he questioned, trying to sound cute. Seungmin rolled his eyes and shook his head with a light chuckle.

“Whatever...” he muttered. Jisung looked past him, seemingly making eye contact with someone on the other side of the Great Hall. Seungmin turned around, trying to see who Jisung was looking at but he didn’t spot anyone in particular, since it was getting kind of crowded in here.

“I think the live acts will start playing soon,” Jisung pointed out. Seungmin nodded in agreement and turned towards the stage, which the two of them stood pretty close to. He just hoped that the bands weren’t terrible. He didn’t need a headache to add to the sleepless nights.

Suddenly, as if on cue, a student climbed up on stage and took the microphone from the holder. A magical spotlight turned on him and Seungmin’s eyes widened at the sight of none other than Hwang Hyunjin.

“Uh... hey everyone...” Hyunjin spoke up. Confused mumbles went through the Great Hall as the general attention focused on him. “Most of you know who I am, so I’m going to skip the introduction...” His eyes landed on Seungmin as he spoke. The Ravenclaw figured that it must have been him Jisung had spotted across the hall earlier.

“I have something to say to Kim Seungmin,” Hyunjin announced. Seungmin’s heart stopped for a few seconds. He felt numerous pairs of eyes on him when the older spoke his name. Another spotlight appeared, shining right down on him.

“I’ve treated you pretty badly. The other day I made a very big mistake. I understand if you don’t want me back but if you could just listen to what I have to say and maybe consider giving me another chance... I promise to make it up to you. You’re all I want,” Hyunjin explained, eyes never leaving Seungmin’s.

The entire Great Hall had gone silent, everyone seemingly anticipating Seungmin’s response. The Ravenclaw wasn’t quite sure what to say. Hyunjin had really gone all out, completely willing to potentially make a fool out of himself, only to get Seungmin to hear him out?

And... he even wanted him back?

Jisung nudged him, silently encouraging him to answer. Seungmin felt a blush creep on his cheeks.

“Fine... I’ll listen to what you have to say... but only if you get off that stage...” he told the older just loud enough for him to hear him all the way up on that stage. Hyunjin’s face brightened up the tiniest bit and he got off the stage faster than Seungmin could register.

They left the Great Hall, heading towards the dungeons to have a quiet and private place to talk about things. Hyunjin looked at Seungmin nervously almost as if recalling his previous attempts of apologizing to him.

“So… first off, I’m really sorry for how I treated you. I should have explained myself...” the Slytherin began. He reached into his dress robes and got out a folded piece of parchment which he handed to Seungmin. “I got this from my mother that morning. She’s in the Ministry’s education department so she has eyes and ears everywhere...” Hyunjin trailed off.

Seungmin’s eyes wandered over the letter, his eyes widening more with each sentence.

“I respect my mother a lot, especially since she’s my only parent, so I thought I could just stop dating for a while and get on her good side again,” the older continued, once Seungmin was done reading. He put the letter back into his robes before taking a careful step closer to Seungmin.

“After I broke up with you, I felt awful. I hated the fact that I hurt you and made you cry... so I wrote a letter to my mother, telling her that, yes, I’ll stop dating around but only because I found somebody I want to be with...”

He reached for one of Seungmin’s hands and looked him in the eyes.

“I’ve never felt anything like this before and I’m really new to this. I know I don’t really deserve a second chance, but I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that I’m completely serious. I’m crazy about you, Kim Seungmin...”

Seungmin looked back at him, unable to say anything. His heart was pounding at such a rapid pace, he was almost scared to get a heart attack. Hyunjin seemed like he was close to tears, probably taking the younger’s silence as rejection.

“I-I... forgive you...” Seungmin finally said, giving Hyunjin’s hand the slightest of squeezes. He was, no doubt, blushing by now but he didn’t break eye contact. “I mean... you could have just showed me the letter and we could have figured this out together but what’s done is done and I... I’ve just really missed you...”

Hyunjin hugged him tightly without warning. “I’ve missed you, too!” he replied, sounding beyond relieved. Seungmin’s hands clawed into the back on Hyunjin’s robes as he hugged back. They stayed like this for a while, neither of them saying a word, just taking in each other’s presence.

Eventually, Seungmin pulled back, remembering something. “I’m sorry, too, by the way!” he told Hyunjin, who just gave him a confused look in return. “For rejecting you in front of everyone and for not hearing you out. I was being unnecessarily stubborn. I just want to put this behind us...”

Hyunjin chuckled and cupped the younger’s cheeks in his hands. “You’re so cute... you have nothing to apologize for...”

Seungmin pouted at the older’s words. “I’m not cute...” he protested quietly, causing the Slytherin to laugh out loud for the first time in days.

“I love you,” Hyunjin blurted out, before he could stop himself. He froze, eyes widening in realization. (He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. He’d just gotten the younger back; he couldn’t afford to lose him again by scaring him off.)

Seungmin knew that his own face was beet red, but he wasn’t the only one. Once again, Hwang Hyunjin was flustered because of him, Kim Seungmin. Before the Ravenclaw could answer anything, though, Hyunjin reached for his hand again, cheeks still rosy.

“Um, I have a surprise for you...” he muttered and gently dragged Seungmin along. They went outside, through the courtyard and all the way down to the boathouse where they had met for their very first date. It wasn’t that long ago, yet it seemed that way to Seungmin.

They had gone through so much in such a short period of time.

“What are we doing down here?” Seungmin asked curiously (and hyperaware of their still intertwined hands). Hyunjin just grinned and motioned for him to wait there. He left the boathouse again, but only for a few seconds before he came back and led Seungmin outside to the lake shore where they had first stepped on the ice back then.

“Look up,” Hyunjin instructed. Seungmin was still confused but did as he was told. A few seconds later, he heard a boom and red, yellow and orange specs lit up the night sky, followed by explosions of green, pink and purple and so many other different colors.

“A firework? When did you even prepare this?” Seungmin questioned, unable to take his eyes off it. The fireworks were beginning to form different animal shapes in the sky and Seungmin couldn’t help but think that this was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for him.

“I’ve had some help... I wanted to prepare something special in case you forgave me...” Hyunjin explained, sounding a lot shyer than usual. Seungmin turned to look at him and their eyes met. Hyunjin’s face was illuminated by the colored lights, making him look extremely gorgeous, even more so than usual.

“I love it. Thank you,” Seungmin said. Hyunjin’s lips curved into a smile. The younger stared at them for a few seconds, subconsciously leaning closer to the Slytherin, who did the rest, closing the remaining distance and letting their lips meet in a short, chaste kiss.

Seungmin’s cheeks felt extremely hot when they pulled back and he looked up at Hyunjin.

“And I love you, too...” he added in a small voice.

Hyunjin’s face lit up brighter than the fireworks before reconnecting his lips with Seungmin’s, the two of them practically melting into each other.

It must have looked like a scene out of a romantic comedy, the two students standing at the lake, engulfed in each other paying attention to no one but each other while fireworks lit up the night sky.

Definitely a story to tell the grandkids, Seungmin thought.

Chapter Text

People said that old habits die hard.

Minho agreed with that.

He used to be known as one of the biggest flirts in Hogwarts – or a hoe, but Minho preferred the term flirt – for around two years. Then, at the beginning of his seventh year, he had started dating Bang Chan, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, which he didn’t regret one bit. He loved spending time with Chan and just being someone’s boyfriend. He had grown to like depending on someone who also depended on him.

It was just that, despite being Chan’s boyfriend, he was also still himself.

In Minho’s defense, he was a natural flirt. He always had been. Most of the time he didn’t even realize it right away. So, when he started falling back into habit and subconsciously flirting with other guys, it took him a while to realize that his boyfriend wasn’t exactly happy about it.

~

“Good practice today, Minho,” a random Slytherin called out to him when he came into the entrance hall with Chan, who had waited for him after Quidditch practice.

“Thanks,” Minho replied with a wink.

Chan gave him a look and waited until the guy disappeared before speaking up. “Are you serious? This is the third guy you’ve winked at in the past 10 minutes,” he pointed out. He didn’t sound amused, not at all.

Minho thought about his words. The third? He hadn’t even noticed. Though that was probably not what he should say to calm him.

“I’m sorry, Channie... it’s a reflex,” he apologized, trying his award-winning smile on the older, who didn’t even budge.

“Those guys think they have a chance with you if you keep doing that. You know I’m not possessive, but I also don’t want to lose you to one of those thirsty dudes,” he muttered in a displeased tone.

The Slytherin stopped walking and reached for his boyfriend’s sleeve to hold him back as well. “You’re not going to! I’m sorry, okay? I’ll work on it, I promise...” he assured the older. He didn’t want Chan to be mad at him. Luckily, his apology seemed to have worked because Chan nodded, and his features softened a little bit.

Minho had meant his words. He was really going to work on his habit. He wasn’t even interested in all those other guys, and sometimes girls, who threw themselves at him; he never had been in the first place. They had mostly served as a way to pass the time before he’d started dating Chan.

The older was the first guy he’d ever actually been with and he liked him too much to jeopardize that.

“Do you want to go to Hogsmeade this weekend?” Chan switched subjects. Minho was glad that his boyfriend wasn’t holding any grudges and the atmosphere between them had already gone back to normal. He interlaced their hands.

“I’d much rather have you to myself. Hogsmeade is always so crowded. We could do something alone,” he suggested.

Chan chuckled. “Why does everything you say automatically sound more suggestive than it probably is?” he joked. Minho grinned, happy to have made Chan smile.

God, he was whipped for this guy.

They ended up really staying in that weekend, deciding that this was probably the best time to have some alone time in the prefect’s bathroom. Neither of them was a prefect but Chan was a Quidditch captain and Minho knew the password from Changbin, who had only reluctantly given it to his friend, knowing that he probably wouldn’t use it alone...

~

Working on himself to get rid of his old habits was easier said than done.

He caught himself getting a little too close to flirting with guys that weren’t Chan but once he noticed, he immediately let them know that he wasn’t interested. As for the winking, he’d mostly toned it down. It only happened occasionally, luckily mostly when Chan wasn’t around to see it and he mentally scolded himself right afterwards.

Today, though, he had unintentionally winked at one of his former hook-ups. A Ravenclaw sixth year going by the name of Kang Minjae he’d had a short thing with last year. The wink was more to tease him than to flirt with him. The younger just smirked at him and whispered something to his Hufflepuff friend.

Minho didn’t pay it any further mind, as he made his way to whatever class he had next. He couldn’t wait for lunch when he’d meet up with Chan before they’d ditch afternoon classes and spend their evening together.

~

“It was just a matter of time, to be honest.”

“Yeah, I’m surprised he even lasted that long...”

“Do you think Bang Chan knows?”

Chan stopped in his tracks when he heard his name being whispered. He turned around to see a small group of girls from different houses huddled together in the courtyard he was just passing through. He usually didn’t pay attention to gossip, but since it seemed to be about him, he was a little curious.

The things he’d heard them say left an unsettling feeling in his gut, but he wasn’t going to let that show as he approached the girls. They didn’t seem to notice him and kept talking excitedly.

“Do I know what?” he questioned, effectively startling the gossiping bunch. The girls looked at each other, seemingly troubled, not having expected to get caught.

“Um... maybe you shouldn’t hear this from us,” one of them, a tall, blonde Hufflepuff girl said sheepishly.

Chan raised his brow at her, which seemed to intimidate her. “You were so ready to share your news about me with your friends and now you’re gonna leave me out?” he asked in faked offense.

A Gryffindor girl Chan had seen around before sighed and spoke up: “It’s not directly about you... it’s about your boyfriend...”

~

Minho rose from his seat with a groan. “Holy shit, that was the longest History of Magic class I ever had to sit through. Do ghosts never retire?” his classmate, a girl from his house named Jung Eunwoo, protested.

Minho nodded in agreement. “Seriously, one might think he gets sick of teaching the same shit for centuries...” he mumbled. “I should have just skipped.”

The slightly older girl chuckled. “You already skipped first period to do Merlin knows what!” she told him.

“I prefer taking naps over forcing myself through Charms class. I only got up to meet Chan. I’m sure Flitwick would understand!” Minho informed her. She just snorted.

Eunwoo walked alongside him to the Great Hall, since it was finally time for lunch. She grinned at him. “So, are things going well between you and the Gryffindor?” she questioned teasingly.

“The Gryffindor has a name. And yes, it’s going pretty well... surprisingly well, actually,” he replied with a chuckle.

“Good to hear that the lion tamed the snake,” she said overdramatically, causing both of them to crack up.

“Shut up,” Minho muttered. They kept joking around until they reached the entrance to the Great Hall where Minho was supposed to wait for Chan. Eunwoo didn’t stick around, since she was meeting her girlfriend at the Slytherin table.  

Minho leaned against the wall next to the door and waited for Chan to show up. He smiled to himself when he thought about what they could do together all evening. Sometimes Chan told him about muggle stuff he grew up with due to his mother being one, sometimes they just talked about Quidditch or practiced together, sometimes they just got cuddly somewhere.

Whatever they did together, Minho always found himself enjoying Chan’s presence. He’d feel all warm and fuzzy inside and he’d not want to let Chan go back to his common room at the end of the night until the older practically had to pry himself off him, laughing at he’d become almost clingier than Chan himself over the past few months.

Chan came down through the main entrance and Minho pushed himself off the wall, ready to greet his boyfriend with a kiss. What he didn’t expect, though, was for the Gryffindor to angrily push at his chest, causing his back to hit the wall again. He gave Chan a confused look, about to ask what the hell was going on, but the older cut him to it.

“We’re over!” he hissed before practically running off, up the stairs probably to the Gryffindor common room, ignoring the Slytherin’s cut off “wait, wha–”.

It took Minho a few seconds to process what had just happened. Did Chan just break up with him? More importantly, why? He had seemed angry and Minho was 98% sure that he had done nothing wrong to explain that anger.

He stayed where he was for a solid two minutes, half hoping that Chan had pulled some kind of awful prank on him and that he’d come back and laugh and hug him. But that didn’t happen. Minho was still confused but he figured that it was probably best to head to his own common room right now.

He definitely wasn’t hungry anymore.

On the way to the dungeons, the Slytherin kept asking himself what could have caused Chan to be so upset with him, but everything had been fine at breakfast and they hadn’t seen each other since, so what was it? Minho reached the Slytherin common room and flopped onto a couch, just staring ahead of him, unable to wrap his head around the situation.

He didn’t know how long he sat there when his friends showed up in the common room. They looked at him and Minho noticed that they both had... disappointed looks on their faces.

Could this day get any more confusing?

“Not cool, bro,” Changbin said, shaking his head at him. Minho sat up straight.

“What did I do?” he asked his friends in desperation. “Chan just broke up with me!” Hyunjin sat on the couch across from him, the disappointed expression still on his face. Changbin stayed where he was, his arms crossed over his chest and Minho felt like a child that got caught doing something wrong.

“Kang Minjae? Really?! We thought you and Chan were serious. How could you do this to him?” Hyunjin questioned, speaking up for the first time since he and Changbin had entered the common room. Minho furrowed his brows in utter confusion. Kang Minjae? He hadn’t even properly spoken to that guy this school year.

“We are serious! Would you two please tell me what’s going on?” Minho questioned. By now he wasn’t even sure he wanted to know. If Kang Minjae was involved it probably wasn’t pretty. Changbin rolled his eyes, like he didn’t believe Minho’s cluelessness – which kinda hurt. They had been friends for years so he would have expected Changbin to have some trust in him.

“That little ferret is telling everyone that you two got it on in the prefect’s bathroom during first period!” Changbin finally told him. Minho’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

“What?! But that’s not true!” he exclaimed.

“Oh really? Cause apparently you skipped first period and I didn’t see him in Care of Magical Creatures either!” Changbin replied.

Minho jumped to his feet. “I took a nap here! I would never cheat on Chan!” he almost yelled.

He would kill Kang Minjae once he found him.

“Whatever, you better fix this!” the sixth year muttered before disappearing back through the portrait hole. Minho was still in shock. Chan thought he’d cheated on him and Changbin didn’t believe him when he told him that he didn’t.

“You believe me, right?” he asked Hyunjin who had been biting his lower lip absent-mindedly. The younger Slytherin looked at him for a few seconds, studying his friend’s desperate features before nodding.

“I believe you...” he confirmed.

That was at least a small relief for Minho.

~

Chan felt like he was going to die. His heart felt like someone was squeezing it painfully as his body was shaking with sobs. Felix sat on his bedside, trying to calm him by running his hand through his brown locks while mumbling soft words of comfort, but nothing helped.

He couldn’t believe that Minho would do this to him. After his last boyfriend had cheated on him, he’d taken ages to finally trust someone again, enough to date them and that person had just walked all over it.

He should have known... weren’t things bound to go wrong with someone like Minho?

It was his own fault too, though. He had wanted to believe that Minho would truly change for him, but old habits truly did die hard...

Now, here he was, crying his eyes out over Lee Minho. He couldn’t forget how the younger had seriously tried to pretend like nothing was wrong when he’d see him earlier.

Had this even been the first time he’d cheated on him?

The door opened, and someone came in, causing Chan to bury his face in his pillow. Felix stopped running his hand through his hair as he greeted the visitor.

“Jinwoo...” Chan heard the younger say.

“Sangyeon told me he was here... what’s this rumor I heard about Minho?” Chan tried to calm down his sobbing, but to no avail. He felt the bed dip next to him and a calming hand rub circles on his back. “Do you want me to beat him up, because I will!” Jinwoo said. He sounded dead serious, causing Chan to finally look up again, shaking his head.

He probably looked like absolute shit, with puffy red eyes and tearstains all over his face.

He sat up wiping his face off with his sleeve – which didn’t do much since the tears were still streaming – before looking at his friends.

“I-I’ll be fine...” he said, cringing at the hoarseness of his own voice.

“I’m sorry, but I kind of have a hard time believing that,” Jinwoo said, completely unconvinced. Chan sniffled unattractively, once again attempting to wipe his face off.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the heaviness of the situation came back full force and he only began sobbing again instead. Jinwoo pulled him into a hug, gently rocking his best friend back and forth like a little kid.

“I’m gonna kill him...” he muttered under his breath.

“And I’ll help!” Felix said.

“Don’t... y-you’ll only g-get yourselves in trouble...” Chan interfered. He just wished that he could finally get himself back under control. He pulled out of Jinwoo’s hug and leaned against the headboard, bringing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

Jinwoo had a dark look on his face.

“Just look at yourself, Channie! It’s just like last time... I’m not going to just sit here and watch you cry your eyes out over this jerk! Not again!” he exclaimed. Chan stared at his knees, not answering. He remembered the last time he’d been through this, but he felt like this time was way worse.

Why was he so trusting when it came to other people?

He wanted to hate Minho for giving him the best three months of his life and then ruining everything, he really wanted to... but somehow, he just felt... devastated. For some reason, despite being angry, he couldn’t hate the Slytherin, not after all the good times they’d had together.

He took a deep breath, finally managing to calm his breathing and the occasional sobs a little bit.

“I appreciate you wanting to defend my honor, Jinjin... but right now I just need to process everything... alone...” he told his two friends, who exchanged unsure looks. “I promise, I’ll be okay... I just don’t want to be around people, right now...” he reassured them.

The two others still didn’t look too convinced, but got up nonetheless, leaving Chan alone to think.

~

Minho didn’t want to go to the Great Hall to have dinner. He didn’t want to see anyone looking at him or hear anyone talking about the rumor of him cheating on one of the nicest, most precious people of this school.

Unfortunately, Hyunjin wasn’t going to let him skip any more meals, so his plan to stay inside his dorm for the rest of the day was flushed down the toilet.

Luckily, the Great Hall wasn’t that full anymore since dinner was almost over but, as expected, several heads turned in his direction when he entered, some people gave him looks of hope, now that he was no longer with Chan, others glared at him and shook their heads in disbelief.

Hyunjin dragged Minho along by his sleeve. “Just ignore them...” he said under his breath.

They had almost reached the Slytherin table when Minho was spun around forcefully, finding himself face to face with Park Jinwoo, who looked anything but happy to see him. Before he could attempt to explain himself, the Hufflepuff placed a solid punch in his face, causing him to fall to the floor.

“Jinwoo!” a female voice exclaimed in a shocked tone.

When Minho looked up, he saw the head girl, Myoui Mina, who also happened to be Jinwoo’s girlfriend, run up to them, helping Hyunjin, who had shown quick reactions by holding Jinwoo back before he could punch Minho again. She grabbed his arm and looked at Minho who wiped some blood from his lip.

“How dare you even show your face here? Do you realize that my best friend is in his dorm, crying his eyes out because of you?!” Jinwoo yelled at Minho, trying to fight off his girlfriend and Hyunjin.

“Let’s not do this here!” Hyunjin tried to reason with him, as Minho got to his feet again.

“I didn’t fucking–”

“That’s enough! Mr Kim, Mr Lee, what is this commotion?” Professor McGonagall who had just walked into the Great Hall questioned, effectively cutting Minho off mid-sentence.

“Nothing... I tripped and fell,” Minho lied weakly before walking past everyone and leaving the Great Hall.

He made his way upstairs to the Gryffindor common room, determined to speak to Chan and explain himself to him. He hid near the Portrait of the Fat Lady, waiting until a Gryffindor said the password that would grant him entrance.

Fortunately, it didn’t take very long. A girl that looked like she could be like in her second year came to a stop in front of the Portrait and said the password loud and clear.

“Lion Heart!”

The portrait swung to the side and the girl climbed inside. Minho waited for a few more minutes before he showed himself to the Fat Lady, who gave him a displeased look.

“What do you want, Slytherin?” she asked coldly. Minho decided not to give her an answer and just told her the password. She swung aside reluctantly, mumbling things under her breath that sounded like very bad words, Minho wasn’t going to repeat.

He climbed through the Portrait hole and immediately found himself face to face with Felix, along with several pairs of shocked Gryffindor eyes staring at him, due to the intrusion.

“Get out of here!” Felix all but growled. Minho wasn’t scared of the younger. He knew that the Gryffindor couldn’t hurt a fly.

At least, not usually.

“I just want to talk to Chan,” Minho half-pleaded.

Felix raised his eyebrows. “He has nothing to say to you. Now leave!” he warned the Slytherin.

“Please, Felix. I–”

The fifth year pulled his wand from his robes and pointed it straight at Minho’s face.

“Don’t make me say it again!” he warned. “I won’t go easy on you for making Chan like this, so you better leave before I lose my temper!” Minho slumped his shoulders. He wasn’t going to get anywhere with this.

“Fine... but I want Chan to know that I didn’t cheat on him with Kang Minjae!” he said.

Felix snorted before motioning for him to leave again. Minho sighed but complied. He knew how good Felix was when it came to Charms and that kind of stuff. Maybe he was the same with curses. He did not want to find out by being on the receiving end of his wrath.

Outside, he ruffled his own hair in pure frustration. How could he get Chan to talk to him? And more importantly, how could he make him believe that he didn’t cheat on him? Obviously, nobody except Hyunjin believed him. Not even Changbin.

This situation was hopeless...

~

Minho went to class reluctantly the next day. He hoped to see Chan in Potions class that afternoon, which was the only reason he even bothered to get out of bed. His first class of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts where he sat down next to Eunwoo, who looked at him accusingly.

“I take it you’ve heard the rumors...” he said in a defeated tone. She just nodded. “Well, they’re not true...” he informed her.

Eunwoo looked surprised. “They’re not?” she questioned. Minho shook his head and rested his arms on the table in front of him. “I take it that bruise on your face is...”

“From Jinwoo...” Minho finished the sentence for her. “Chan’s friends won’t let me talk to him. Apparently, he refused to come out of his dorm yesterday,” he said. Eunwoo only hummed in thought. “I just don’t know what to do. Everyone believes that I hooked up with Kang Minjae...”

Eunwoo gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm, obviously not knowing what to tell him. Class started shortly after, but Minho didn’t pay attention at all. He tried thinking of a way to get Bang Chan to talk to him again, preferably without his friends ready to curse him.

Needless to say, Chan didn’t show up to Potions this afternoon. Minho excused himself 10 minutes into the lecture, claiming that he wasn’t feeling well and that he would head to the hospital wing. Maybe this was his chance to talk to Chan. Hopefully, Felix was in class, so he could sneak into the older Gryffindor’s dorm without a wand being pointed at his face.

He all but sprinted up the stairs up to the Gryffindor tower, coming to a screeching halt in front of the Fat Lady’s portrait.

“Lion Heart,” he coughed out.

She raised her eyebrows at him. “The password has been changed. This is the Gryffindor common room and I had to let random Slytherins and Hufflepuffs in yesterday. Do you really think I’m that easy?” she suddenly began to rant.

“Please, I need to talk to someone in there. It’s important,” Minho pleaded, starting to become desperate again.

“No password, no entry. Now get lost, pretty boy, before I report you to the headmaster!” the Fat Lady said coldly. Minho slumped his shoulders in defeat before he turned around and trotted back down the stairs.

He had reached his wit’s end.

Fate obviously wasn’t on his side regarding Chan. He didn’t want to give up but there wasn’t much he could do. Nobody was on his side, everyone just believed Kang Minjae. Maybe he really should kill the guy. That would probably prove that he wasn’t into him.

However, Minho thought, that probably also would get him expelled.

He sighed in resignation and headed back to the Slytherin common room, figuring that going back to Potions class made no sense. And he wasn’t up for it anyway, not without Chan. He ran into Hyunjin and Changbin on his way down to the dungeons.

“Hey...” he said.

“Hey, you okay?” Hyunjin questioned.

“Not really. I’ve been trying to get to Chan, but it didn’t go well,” Minho told him. Changbin huffed. “What’s your problem? Are you so whipped for Felix that you don’t even believe your best friend when he said he did nothing wrong?” Minho snapped at him.

He was done; done with this entire day, done with people not believing him and done with others choosing Chan’s side over his.

It still hurt the most when Changbin did it, though.

“Leave Felix out of this!” Changbin threatened.

They faced each other, ready to attack at any given minute.

“Okay, okay, stop it, you two! Bin, if Minho says he didn’t cheat on Chan then he didn’t, okay?! Stop pissing into his butterbeer if you don’t even have proof! You two are friends for Merlin’s sake!” Hyunjin suddenly exploded, stepping between his friends.

A tense silence broke over them in which Minho and Changbin stared each other down. Hyunjin remained standing between them, ready to hold them back if they really were to attack each other.

Eventually, Changbin’s features softened a little bit. “You really didn’t cheat on him?” he questioned.

Minho shook his head. “Never even thought about it,” he replied to the younger.

Changbin backed off a little bit, looking down at the floor. He seemed a little ashamed. “I’m sorry...” he muttered.

“It’s okay. I guess, I see why it’s so easy for everyone to believe that I did it. I just didn’t expect you to be among everyone,” Minho replied.

Hyunjin’s face brightened up. “Here we go. Now hug it out!” he demanded.

Minho and Changbin both looked at him, but Hyunjin didn’t seem to be joking.

The two older Slytherin’s hugged briefly.

“Satisfied?” Changbin asked Hyunjin, who grinned and nodded. “Alright. I have to go. Prefect duties.” With that Changbin took off.

Minho’s shoulders slumped again. “I don’t know what do about Chan...” he admitted. Hyunjin patted his back sympathetically, as they continued their way to the common room.

“I’m afraid, I can’t really help you there... unless you want me to try talking to Jinwoo?” the younger offered.

Minho shook his head. “No... he made it very clear that he doesn’t believe me. I don’t want you to get in trouble with your friend because of me. If I could just talk to Chan. But I can’t get into the common room and even if I could, every time I get close to him, Felix shows up out of nowhere...”

“Well, I don’t know... don’t they have Quidditch practice this week? If he’s there, you could try talking to him there. I know, Felix will be there, too... but I think it’s worth a try, don’t you think?” Hyunjin suggested.

Minho nodded slowly. “That could work...” he said. He’d definitely try.

He just hoped that Chan would actually show up to practice.

~

Chan had contemplated whether he should just cancel Quidditch practice on Saturday. He felt like staying in his dorm forever, only sneaking out at night to get food from the kitchen occasionally.

However, they had to be prepared for the big game against Ravenclaw this month and he couldn’t let his team down. It took him some willpower and Felix, to get out of bed and get ready.

His team members eyed him with sympathy, and he wanted to tell them that they should stop and that he was fine, but he couldn’t bring himself to mention the topic. He knew they’d ask questions.

“Alright... you guys,” he started, glad that the endless crying had stopped a few days ago and his voice was back under his control. “As you know, one of our Chasers had to quit the team because he wanted to focus on passing his OWLs. Which is why Eunseo, who also did really well at try-outs, will be filling in for him for the rest of the year...” Chan told them, pointing at Son Eunseo, a seventh year girl who waved brightly at the rest of the team.

“Well, let’s practice, then!”

~

Practice went well and Chan was happy to see that Eunseo seemed to have no trouble fitting into the team. With her as a Chaser, Chan was actually confident about winning the Quidditch season this year. His team was doing great this year. He was also grateful that practice caused him to forget about the whole Minho thing for a while.

However, that feeling didn’t last long. Once Chan had finished changing – he was last as usual – he grabbed his broomstick and was about to head back to the castle. He froze when he saw Minho waiting for him just outside of the changing rooms.

The younger’s face lit up when he saw him, but Chan just picked up his steps again.

“Wait, can’t you at least hear me out?” he called after the Gryffindor, but Chan ignored him. He knew how persistent Minho could be, though, which is why he wasn’t surprised when the younger caught up with him and tried to reach for his arm to stop him. Chan wheeled around, glaring at him.

“Don’t touch me! I don’t want to hear it!”

With that he left Minho behind, glad to see that the Slytherin didn’t follow him this time. He didn’t stop until he was back at his dorm, taking deep breaths and trying to calm himself down. Chan couldn’t believe that Minho still had the nerve to even try talking to him. He didn’t want to hear what kind of lame excuse he came up with. He was done being lied to.

On the other hand, Chan couldn’t deny that he missed Minho. They had spent so much of their time together over the last three months and, even though, a year ago, Chan would have never believed it, he liked the Slytherin way too much for his own good.

Getting over him wasn’t going to be easy.

~

Minho watched Chan storm off, unable to move or say anything.

Even before the two of them had started dating, back when Chan still didn’t like him, he hadn’t seen the older this angry. He exhaled. Chan probably really believed those rumors about Kang Minjae...

To be completely honest, Minho couldn’t even blame him. Sure, he would have preferred it if Chan had let him speak and explain himself, but he had been cheated on before. Maybe he thought that avoiding Minho was the easiest way for him to get over him. But Minho didn’t want Chan to get over him.

How could he prove that he was innocent?

Minho finally started to make his way back to the castle and into the Great Hall where dinner was currently being served. He thought about Chan again. The older looked pale and a little skinnier than usual, meaning, he probably wasn’t eating and sleeping properly.

The Slytherin sighed, feeling guilty that he was the reason for Chan not in a very good condition.

He felt like crying, but he wasn’t going to do that in the middle of the Great Hall with hundreds of students present.

~

Needless to say, Minho barely slept that following night. Yesterday had been the first time he had actually seen Chan since the break-up and he just couldn’t forget how exhausted he had looked. He hated being the cause of Chan’s unhappiness, so he was more determined than ever to show him that he would never do anything to hurt him.

The question was how?

Chan hadn’t been to class in a few days and he knew that he had no chance getting into the Gryffindor common room unnoticed. Minho kept racking his brain, trying to think of another way on his way to class the next morning. He made a little detour to the bathroom, though, to mentally prepare himself for another long day.

The bathroom was empty, except for one person washing his hands. Minho let the door fall shut behind himself, causing the other guy to look up.

It was Chan.

Not that Minho hadn’t recognized him before.

The Gryffindor looked like he wanted to flee the room again when he spotted Minho, but this time he wasn’t going to let him get away.

“Get out of my way...” Chan said, though his voice broke towards the end.

“No, not until you let me say what I have to say!” Minho answered. Chan tried to push him aside, but Minho trapped him between himself and the tiled wall of the bathroom, grabbing the older’s wrists and pinning them next to his head on each side.

“I don’t want to hear it!”

“I didn’t cheat on you!” they said at the same time.

Chan didn’t look at him, trying to avoid his piercing gaze at all cost. Minho carefully let go of the slightly shorter boy’s hands, hoping that he wouldn’t run off again.

He didn’t.

“Channie, please... you have to believe me! I did have something going on with Kang Minjae in the past, but I haven’t thought about anyone but you in the past three months! I don’t know why he’s making this stuff up, but I swear that I did not cheat on you!” Minho explained, putting all of his sincerity into his words, hoping that it was enough to convince Chan to believe him.

A few tears ran over the Gryffindor’s face and Minho fought the urge to wipe them away.

“Why should I trust you?” Chan asked, still not looking at him. Minho had a million reasons he could give the older, but he decided to choose the sincerest one. He gently put his hand on the older’s cheek, happy when he didn’t slap it away, and turned his face to make him look at him.

“Because I love you.”

He acted impulsively, as he always did, and just captured Chan's lips before the older could say anything. He felt the older's hands on his chest and for a split second he feared that Chan would push him off. But then the Gryffindor's hands clawed into the fabric of Minho's robes and he kissed back.

Minho cupped the older's other cheek with his second hand as he deepened the kiss. Chan had always been the only one who could make Minho forget absolutely everything around him. Every time they kissed, he felt like it was in a completely different world.

Suddenly, Chan’s grip loosened, and he pushed Minho off. He gave him a brief look, long enough for the Slytherin to notice his flushed cheeks and his puffed breath before he stormed out of the bathroom without another word.

Minho leaned his forehead against the cold, tiled wall in resignation. If that still didn’t convince Chan, he had no idea what would. He let out a shaky sigh.

Maybe he'd just lost Chan for good…

He didn't go to class. He just couldn't. The only thing he wanted to do now was to cry, but he wasn't going to have a breakdown in the boy's bathroom.

Minho ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath, before leaving the bathroom to go hide in the Room of Requirements.

~

Chan ended up not going to class after all, he would explain himself to his friends and teachers later. For now, he was too confused and too scared to run into Minho again. He had to clear his head before he was ready to go anywhere....

He was at least a little bit relieved when he reached the common room without anyone trying to talk to him. The Gryffindor all but rushed to his dorm before burying himself under his blankets. His lips still felt tingly from that kiss and his face still felt hot because of what Minho had said to him.

Was the Slytherin telling the truth?

Had Chan just overreacted?

But why would that Kang Minjae guy randomly make up a rumor like that?

Chan was confused and hurt and angry, but at the same time he still had all those feelings for Minho, that not even his past behavior managed to erase. The past three months had just intensified those feelings.

What was he supposed to do now?

~

“Are you going to class today, Channie?” his roommate and classmate Sangyeon asked him the next morning after he’d spent the entire previous day either thinking about Minho, contemplating whether he’d told the truth or sleeping – which resulted in dreaming about Minho.

Chan got out of bed, groggily wiping the sleep out of his eyes. “I think so... it’s time for me to get back on my feet. Besides... I want to talk to Minho,” he muttered. Sangyeon looked surprised at those news.

“You do?” he questioned in slight disbelief.

Chan sighed; did he really want to? Kind of. But what if Minho had just told him a well-practiced lie? Would he really be that cruel, though? Telling him that he loved him only to make him believe...

Chan shook his head to get the negative thoughts out of his head. This was Minho he was thinking about. The Slytherin wasn’t a cruel person. Actually from what Chan had gathered over the past few months, he was kind of like a kitten; cuddly, playful and adorable with a hint of mischievousness (also, his hair was really fluffy).

“Dude,” Sangyeon’s voice interrupted his thoughts about his ex-boyfriend. “You just completely spaced out on me!” he said when Chan gave him a perplexed look.

The younger smiled sheepishly. “Sorry... I was just... thinking...” he apologized. Sangyeon grinned.

“Well, you should think while getting ready, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts and you need to get some breakfast first! You look thin as fuck, my dude,” he explained.

Chan rolled his eyes but proceeded to get ready. Sangyeon was exaggerating, but he wasn’t completely wrong. Chan had barely eaten anything in the past few days. It had been the last thing on his mind, which worried all his friends, since he usually lived for food.

He met up with Felix in the common room and went down to the Great Hall with him.

“Are you feeling better?” Felix questioned. Chan didn’t miss how carefully he worded the question, like he was afraid to trigger him.

“I’m fine, Felix...” the older replied. The younger seemed like he didn’t quite believe him, but chose not to say anything, which Chan was grateful for.

They had breakfast together and Chan ate properly for the first time since the breakup, which seemed to calm Jinwoo a little bit. The Hufflepuff had joined them at their table to check on his best friend. Chan found himself searching the Slytherin table for Minho, but he didn’t see him anywhere.

“If he bothers you, I’ll be happy to give him another taste of my fist!” Jinwoo whispered, as if he’d read Chan’s thoughts about Minho.

The younger looked at him. “You hit him?” he questioned.

Jinwoo shrugged. “Deserved it...” he muttered under his breath.

Chan let his eyes wander along the Slytherin table again. He spotted Hyunjin and Changbin, but Minho was nowhere to be seen.

“I’ll be okay, Jinwoo. Don’t get yourself in trouble because of me,” he finally told his friend, who only raised his eyebrow at him. Chan rose from his seat. “I’ll head to class...” he announced. Jinwoo and Felix eyed him a little worriedly but nodded.

Chan left the great hall, not without looking in the direction of the Slytherin table one last time, though.

He decided to stop by at a bathroom before class, just to brace himself. Maybe it was also partly because he hoped to run into Minho again, like yesterday.

He heard voices when he entered the bathroom but didn’t think much of it, since it wasn’t unusual for people to be in here.

However, he stopped in his tracks when he caught on to what they were saying. They seemed to be in the stalls, not noticing that he had entered.

“His boyfriend broke up with him. What are you going to do now?” one of them questioned.

“Well, I thought I had to try even harder, but his idiot boyfriend already believed it. I let Minho heal for a while. It’s time to make my move,” the other one replied. Chan froze. They were talking about him and Minho.

“Isn’t it too early?” the first one asked.

“If I wait too long, I might miss my chance,” the other one, Kang Minjae, as Chan assumed asked. Chan’s blood was boiling, and he contemplated waiting for them to come out only to give them a piece of his mind, but the next moment he realized something; Minho had actually told him the truth!

He needed to find him!

Chan stormed back out of the bathroom and headed for the greenhouses where Minho was supposed to have Herbology right now. He got a weird look from the professor when he practically burst into the greenhouse, looking for Minho. He didn’t seem to be here. Ignoring the professor’s question what he was doing here, Chan stormed back outside.

If Minho skipped classes, he might be at the common room. Chan all but sprinted through the castle, stopping by at the Great Hall to see if he could find Changbin, who, if he remembered correctly, had a free period right now. He saw the younger sitting at the Slytherin table with another sixth year, seemingly studying.

Changbin jumped in surprise when Chan suddenly appeared next to him, panting violently. “Do you know where Minho is?”

Changbin looked surprised by that question. “No, I haven’t seen him all day yesterday...” he finally replied once he got over his initial shock.

“He wasn’t in class...” Chan mumbled.

“I don’t think he returned to the common room yesterday,” the other Slytherin spoke up.

Chan furrowed his brows. If Minho wasn’t in class and not at the common room... then where the hell was he?

“Maybe he’s practicing. Wouldn’t be the first time he skipped classes for Quidditch,” Changbin offered.

Chan nodded slowly. “You’re right... thanks,” he said, leaving the younger boy be.

He left the Great Hall once again, making his way down to the Quidditch field. It was raining heavily, so he wasn’t sure if Minho would really be out here.

Turns out, he wasn’t.

Chan checked the dressing rooms as well as the field itself. Minho wasn’t here either. The Gryffindor took a break, sitting down on one of the wooden benches in the dressing room, running his hands through his damp hair. He was slowly but surely getting a little worried.

He thought about how awful he’d been to Minho, because he’d believed those rumors. Jinwoo had even punched him. The younger must feel like the whole world was against him. He must feel like Chan had betrayed him.

And, if the Gryffindor was honest with himself, he wasn’t all that wrong about that...

~

Minho woke up feeling groggy.

He had no idea what time it was or how long he‘d been here. The Slytherin sat up and looked around, taking in the familiar surroundings of his home bedroom. He sighed, almost wishing that he was really at home. He’d cried himself to sleep after Chan had walked out on him, and that was something that he’d never done before.

Minho sighed and got out of his bed, heading for the door.

When he left the Room of Requirements, he noticed that it was dark outside. How long had he been in there? He proceeded to sneak back to the common room, hoping that the patrolling prefects wouldn’t catch him.

“Hey!” a voice called after him. Minho stopped in his tracks, squeezing his eyes shut and mentally scolding himself for getting caught. He turned around.

“There you are, I haven’t seen you in almost two days! You had us super worried!” Minho breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the prefect who’d caught him was only Changbin.

“I was in the Room of Requirements. Must’ve fallen asleep there...” the older said. Changbin nodded in acknowledgement.

“Well, you should get back to your own bed. I’ll let you off easy this time,” he told his friend. Minho nodded and turned around to continue making his way to the common room.

Since he’d just woken up, he couldn’t really fall back asleep, which is why he just settled on staying up all night reading. He barely noticed the time passing since the sun never really reached the windows of the Slytherin common room. It was only when the first early risers came out of their dormitories that he shut his book and went to wash up and get some breakfast.

~

Chan hadn’t slept a wink that night.

He had no explanation as to where Minho could be. Some of the most horrid explanations were running through his mind. He was close to just searching the whole castle again, but he didn’t even know where to start. He just couldn’t believe that he had been so stupid. How could he just have believed a dumb rumor which he’d picked up from a bunch of gossiping girls?

If something had happened to Minho, it would be his fault...

“Hey, you okay?” Sangyeon questioned quietly when Chan sat up in his bed and ruffled his hair in frustration. He must have stirred awake from Chan’s constant tossing and turning.

“Yeah...”

“By the way... I didn’t see you in class all day. I meant to ask, but you seemed kinda off...” Sangyeon said. Chan looked over at him. He didn’t really want to discuss his stupidity in the middle of the night when they were supposed to be sleeping.

“It was nothing. I just had something to take care of. Nothing serious...” he lied. He couldn’t see properly, but he felt like Sangyeon might be raising his eyebrows at him. “I’ll get some sleep now...” Chan announced and lay back down. Sangyeon didn’t comment.

Chan tried, but he really couldn’t fall asleep, so he had no other choice but to wait until the sun rose. He got out of bed and washed up, ready to get breakfast before searching for Minho again until he found him.

He stopped in his tracks when he reached the entrance hall and saw none other than Lee Minho standing there. Though, he wasn’t alone. Kang Minjae, that little rat was talking to him. He tried to snake his arms around Minho’s neck but the Slytherin smacked his arms away and turned away from him.

That was when their eyes met. Minho looked panicked, probably thinking that Chan had misread the situation again, so the Gryffindor finally unfroze from his spot and approached him. Minho met him halfway, the panicked expression never leaving his face.

“I promise this isn’t what it looks like–” he began but Chan cut him off.

“It’s okay, I already know,” he muttered, grabbing the younger by the collar and pulling him closer for a kiss. Minho seemed surprised by Chan’s sudden change of attitude towards him, but that didn’t stop him from tightly wrapping his arms around the older’s waist. Chan couldn’t help but be reminded of their first kiss which had also been very public and very unexpected.

Eventually, Chan broke the kiss and looked at Kang Minjae who had a sour expression on his face.

“Mess with my relationship again and I’ll hex you into another dimension!” he told the Ravenclaw, even surprising himself with how serious he sounded. “Pass it on to the other thirsty hoes while you’re at it!” he added. Minjae glared at him and took off without another word.

Minho looked at Chan, still shocked. “You believe me?”

The Gryffindor reached for Minho’s hands. “It’s a little late, but I do. I tried looking for you yesterday, but I couldn’t find you. I’m sorry it took me so long,” Chan apologized, lowering his head in shame.

Instead of answering, Minho settled for just pulling him into a hug.

They stayed like this for a while, just enjoying each other’s presence after being apart for so long. Eventually, they pulled apart just as Jinwoo stepped into the entrance hall, looking at the two of them, obviously confused. Minho looked at him warily, probably to see if the Hufflepuff would punch him again.

Chan liked their hands together and gave Jinwoo a look. “It’s okay... I’ll explain later,” he told his friend, who raised one eyebrow, but shrugged nonetheless before proceeding to head to breakfast. Minho exhaled in relief, causing the Gryffindor to chuckle.

“I’m sorry, he punched you... he can get a little protective sometimes,” he apologized on Jinwoo’s behalf.

Minho looked at the slightly shorter boy. “It’s okay... I probably would have punched me too if I had been in his shoes...” he replied.

The bruise seemed to have healed by now, but Chan was very well aware that Jinwoo could lay a pretty good punch if he wanted to.

They went into the Great Hall to get breakfast, still holding hands, causing lots of students to stare at them in surprise. Gossip travelled way too fast in this school, so of course everyone had heard about the two of them breaking up.

“We should talk after class,” Chan muttered once they’d found a seat at the far end of the Slytherin table.

“We can skip class and talk now...” Minho offered.

The older smiled but shook his head. “I haven’t been to class in days... I should probably catch up,” he explained.

Minho tried not to feel guilty about the fact that he was the reason for Chan feeling too bad to go to class. His true feelings must’ve shown on his face, though, since Chan put down his slice of toast and reached out to put his hand over Minho’s.

“It’s not your fault...” he tried to assure the younger.

Minho lowered his head. “Really, because last time I checked you were miserable because of me...” he muttered but Chan heard him anyway.

“I’m okay now, though, because of you,” the older replied. “Let’s talk about all of this after class, okay?” he continued.

“Alright...”

~

Minho received stares and glares alike when he walked through the hallways to his first class of the morning. He didn’t mind, though. All he cared about was that Chan was talking to him again. The others didn’t even know half of the story, probably still believing the rumors Kang Minjae had fed them.

Screw them.

Classes dragged on forever, at least that’s what it felt like to Minho. He just wanted to properly talk to Chan in private and get this issue sorted out once and for all so they could go back to being the way they were before all of this.

“Hey, you look like shit,” Eunwoo, who was once again sitting next to him mumbled under her breath.

“Thanks,” Minho replied half-heartedly. He knew that he didn’t look his best since he’d cried himself to sleep, was asleep for over a day, woken up in the middle of the night and had practically stayed up until breakfast.

“Seriously, though, you okay?” she questioned.

 Minho nodded. “I’m fine now,” he told her with a small smile which she returned.

“That’s good to hear.”

~

Finally, classes ended, and Minho went to meet Chan on top of the Astronomy tower to talk in private.

Minho couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

What if they couldn’t go back to the way they were?

Besides, Minho had told Chan that he loved him and he hadn’t said it back yet. Then again, the timing might have been just a little bit off.

Minho paced around on the highest level of the Astronomy tower, nervously waiting for Chan to arrive. He wanted nothing more than to get officially back together with him, but his mind just started going through every possible bad scenario.

Had he been dreaming this morning?

Had Chan maybe changed his mind and decided that he couldn’t trust him after all?

Did he simply not return Minho’s love?

“If you keep doing that, you’ll get dizzy,” Chan’s voice interrupted Minho’s trail of anxious thoughts. He was referring to Minho walking around in circles, trying to get his mind back under control and only achieving the opposite. He stopped when he saw Chan standing there, looking gorgeous as always, with his Gryffindor robes and his slightly messy brown curls.

Another thing Minho really liked about Chan was his smile, so he couldn’t help but feel a little relieved when the older smiled at him, before stepping a little closer.

“Where were you yesterday? I looked everywhere for you...” Chan spoke up after a few seconds of silence.

“I fell asleep at the Room of Requirements after we met in the bathroom... I slept through the entire day...” Minho explained honestly.

“I was worried about you... I overheard Kang Minjae talking to a friend, telling him that the thing about you and him was a lie, so I wanted to find you and apologize...” the older said. Minho lowered his head.

“You don’t have to apologize for that. I can see why it’s so easy to believe that I’d actually cheat on you...” he admitted.

Chan stepped even closer and took both of Minho’s hands. “Don’t say that. You’re not a cheater. I know that now. I already should have believed you when you told me in that bathroom...” he trailed off. Minho carefully looked up again and their eyes met.

A few more moments passed before the Gryffindor spoke up again.

“About... what you said in there...”

“I meant it. And that’s why I’m even more sorry about all of this. I’ve... I’ve never really felt like this about anyone before and it kind of scares me. I thought I was just something like a natural flirt, but I think I was just... subconsciously trying to shield myself from all those feelings I have for you. I think in reality... I’m just really scared of getting hurt. But I ended up hurting you which I never wanted,” Minho explained himself.

It was rare for him to openly discuss his feelings like that, but he wanted Chan to know what was going on inside of him. He trusted him.

“You know, I shouldn’t have been so quick to believe those rumors. Even if you did flirt around before. You tried to explain yourself and I just shut you down...”

“I’m not mad at you for that... my past makes me untrustworthy; I know that–”

“I trust you! I know now that your past is just that... the past. But now to where I was actually going with this... I love you too,” Chan said, and Minho felt like he might die on the spot.

Chan loved him back?

He pulled the older into a hug, causing him to chuckle and wrap his arms around the Slytherin’s neck. Minho felt like a heavy weight was lifted off his chest now that he knew that Chan believed him and that he returned his feelings, too. He still had a lot to work on, regarding himself, but he knew he could do it with Chan by his side.

The Gryffindor was the first to pull out of his hug, but it was only to press their lips together in a chaste kiss.

“I’ve missed you...” the younger admitted. Their faces were still only inches apart from each other, their arms still wrapped around each other. And Minho knew it was sappy, but he found himself never wanting to let go again.

“I’ve missed you, too,” Chan replied and the look he gave Minho made his stomach do backflips.

So that’s what being in love felt like. He had first started to think about the possibility that he could actually be in love with Chan back in November when he had been afraid of losing him to someone else who might fit him better.

Back then, he hadn’t been ready to admit it to himself. Now, he wanted to shout it off the Astronomy tower to let everyone know.

~

“So... I practically punched you for nothing?” Jinwoo said that same evening at dinner after Chan and Minho had explained the whole thing to their friends who had all gathered at the Slytherin table.

“It’s alright... just next time maybe avoid the face,” Minho answered, only half-joking.

The Slytherin caught Felix’ gaze, who wasn’t in his own world with Changbin for a change. The kid looked truly apologetic. “I guess, I should apologize for being so rude to you,” he said. Minho waved off.

“You were being protective. Channie’s lucky to have you guys as his friends,” he retorted, addressing both, Felix and Jinwoo.

It had been frustrating to try and convince Chan’s friends that he had done nothing wrong. But now, that everything was alright between the two of them, he was actually pretty glad that Chan had so many people who would look out for him. He was relieved that he could sort things out with his and Chan’s friends.

He just hoped that this incident had taught them how serious he was about the Gryffindor. Chan reached for his hand underneath the table as the conversation carried on to more basic topics.

~

“For the record...” Minho started as he and Chan left the Great Hall. He had insisted on walking the older back to his common room, mainly because he wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. “...the only person I’d ever get it on with in the prefect’s bathroom is you,” he said flat out.

Chan looked at him with a raised brow. “Is that like a promise or...?” he trailed off.

Minho couldn’t stop the cat-like grin from spreading on his face. “I mean, we do know the password...” he told his boyfriend who stopped walking, causing Minho to do the same. It wouldn’t be the first time the two of them had sneaked into the prefects’ bathroom to be alone.

“I guess a little bath couldn’t hurt before going to bed, could it?” Chan thought aloud.

Minho chuckled and gently dragged the older along. “I think you’re absolutely right...” he agreed.

Luckily, the prefects’ bathroom was only one short-cut away...

Chapter Text

[set in 00 line's third year in Hogwarts]

Hwang Hyunjin was currently hanging out at the lake, trying to study for a Charms test when loud laughter caught his attention. The third year looked up and saw his classmate from Ravenclaw, Han Jisung with his friend Lee Felix from Gryffindor. The latter must have said something funny because Jisung was clutching his stomach, laughing.

Hyunjin kept looking over until the younger caught his eye.

Jisung scoffed and focused his eyes back on Felix. Recently, Hyunjin had started going on dates with lots of different people, almost every day. Some people called him a one-date-wonder, while others had even less flattering names for him.

Hyunjin figured that Jisung was probably aware of the things people said about him.

That didn’t stop him from being intrigued, though.

Hyunjin and Jisung had been classmates for the past three years but he’d never really seen him in that light before. Maybe it was because they were getting older, but Jisung seemed more... handsome than he had last year.

Sure, he had always been kind of cute with his squirrel cheeks and everything, but now he was downright gorgeous.

Hyunjin tried to study for a little while longer, occasionally shooting a few glances at Jisung, before he eventually packed his books away and made his way back to the castle. He had been with many guys, but he’d never really had a real crush on anyone. He knew that most of the people he went out with, were only interested in him because of his looks. Not that he minded, since he wasn’t actually interested in any of them, at all.

However, Jisung was someone who got stuck in his mind.

Maybe he should try asking him out.

~

“Uh... why are you sitting next to me?” Jisung asked the next day in Transfigurations, when Hyunjin let himself sink on the seat next to the Ravenclaw.

“Is this seat taken?” Hyunjin questioned with one of his most dazzling smiles. Jisung raised his eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed.

“It’s not. I’m just surprised because we’ve barely ever spoken two words to each other,” he pointed out.

Hyunjin chuckled and got out his book. “Well, maybe I just felt like sitting next to you,” the Slytherin replied.

Jisung didn’t blush, which – without trying to brag – wasn’t really something that Hyunjin was used to when he talked to other guys. He knew that he looked good enough to even make straight guys flustered. Somehow, it made Jisung even more intriguing. 

“I am flattered,” the Ravenclaw said, sounding almost sarcastic. Hyunjin grinned and rested one elbow on the desk in front of him, looking at Jisung. They locked eyes for several seconds before Jisung looked away, getting out his own book and putting it on his table.

“Are you good at Transfigurations?” Hyunjin questioned casually.

Jisung looked back at him and smirked. “I manage,” he answered. There was something about his answer that made Hyunjin think that Jisung definitely knew what he was doing. Hyunjin liked how the younger held himself with confidence.

“Maybe you could tutor me,” he suggested, returning the smirk. Jisung seemed amused, letting out a chuckle.

“I’m pretty sure you don’t need me to tutor you,” he answered. And he was right. Hyunjin wasn’t exactly good at Transfigurations, but his friends helped him as best as they could. Either way, he had seen an opportunity to try to get closer to Jisung without seeming too forward.

Class began shortly after and Hyunjin had to settle on just sneaking occasional glances at Jisung.

After class, the younger met up with Felix outside the classroom and the two of them walked off laughing and joking around. Hyunjin went in the opposite direction, not wanting to seem like he was stalking Jisung, when someone caught up with him.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to flirt yourself into Han Jisung’s heart.”

It was Renjun, one of Hyunjin’s childhood friends, who was in Ravenclaw just like Jisung.

“I have no idea what you mean,” Hyunjin replied, innocently but he wasn’t even really trying to deny it.

Not that Renjun would have bought his lies anyway.

“Where are you going with this?” the Ravenclaw asked, sounding a little more serious than before.

“Jisung’s an interesting guy. I just want to get to know him,” Hyunjin answered. Renjun raised his eyebrows. He looked like he wanted to say something but seemed to decide against it. Hyunjin didn’t quite know what it was about Jisung or what exactly he wanted from him, but he was determined to get closer to him.

“Should we eat lunch together?” Renjun suggested, as they made their way to the Great Hall. The Ravenclaw looked a little uneasy all of a sudden, causing Hyunjin to reach for his arm and stop him from walking any further.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Renjun sighed and looked up at the ceiling to avoid eye contact with his friend.

“There’s this guy in my house, who can’t take no for an answer. I told him multiple times that I’m not interested in him, but he just wouldn’t let it go... I don’t want to sit alone at lunch...” he explained.

Hyunjin frowned. How long had this guy been harassing Renjun already?

“Do you want me to tell him off?” Hyunjin offered but Renjun shook his head.

“I’ll be alright... just sit with me at lunch,” he said, sounding almost pleading. The Slytherin gave him an encouraging smile and nodded, wrapping an arm around his shoulders once they started walking again.

They were intercepted right in front of the Great Hall. A tall Ravenclaw, looking like he was in his fourth or fifth year, approached them and looked at Renjun. Judging by the uneasiness on Renjun’s face, this was the guy he had just told Hyunjin about.

“Hey, um... I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade next weekend...” the guy addressed Renjun who rolled his eyes.

“I’ve told you before: I don’t want to go with you. Not next weekend, not ever!”

The guy grinned, like he thought Renjun was only playing hard to get. Hyunjin knew the difference between hard to get and not interested. Renjun was definitely the latter.

“Excuse me, I don’t think I’m okay with you trying to ask my boyfriend out on a date,” Hyunjin spoke up, before the older Ravenclaw could say anything.

The guy looked at him like he had just noticed him. “Your boyfriend?” he asked, sounding surprised. “Aren’t you Hwang Hyunjin? The one-date-wonder? I don’t believe this for a second,” he added, giving Hyunjin a once-over.

“I don’t care if you believe me or not. The details of our relationship are none of your business. Back off!” the Slytherin said threateningly, even moving his hand to where he kept his wand in his robes.

Renjun giggled. “Let’s go babe,” he said. The guy stared after them speechlessly when they entered the Great Hall. “Thanks... I hope he leaves me alone after this. But... my boyfriend, really? You’re such a hoe, I’m not surprised he didn’t believe you,” the Ravenclaw stated once they’d both sat down at his table.

Hyunjin chuckled and looked towards the entrance of the Great Hall where he could see the Ravenclaw guy trot over to his friends with a sour expression. “Like I said, it doesn’t matter. If he bothers you again, I’ll just curse him,” the Slytherin said with a shrug.

“I appreciate it,” Renjun told him.

“Anything for my cutie of a boyfriend,” Hyunjin joked, giving the Ravenclaw a playful wink.

“Ew,” Renjun said.

Both of them burst out laughing before starting to eat.

~

Hyunjin didn’t really see much of Jisung until their next Transfigurations lesson.

Unfortunately, he was late, so he ended up not sitting next to him this time. He found himself sneaking several glances at the Ravenclaw throughout classes. Jisung’s side profile was really nice. His features were sharp and squishy at the same time.

After class, he caught up with the younger outside. Jisung only raised an eyebrow at him when Hyunjin started casually walking next to him like they were best friends, but he decided not to say anything. Hyunjin noticed that he was taller than the Ravenclaw, which kind of delighted him a little.

“I was thinking...” Hyunjin suddenly spoke up.

“Really, now,” Jisung replied indifferently.

He didn’t sound cold or annoyed, so Hyunjin kept talking. “Yeah, I think you and I should hang out sometime,” he said.

Jisung looked at him with a half-smirk. “Is that so...” was all he replied, though.

“I could take you out to Hogsmeade next weekend. I’m very fun to be around, you know,” Hyunjin told him confidently. The younger chuckled.

“I bet you are,” Jisung answered.

The Slytherin smirked. “Go out with me.”

It was pretty straightforward but Hyunjin didn’t often beat around the bush.

“So you can write me down in your little book of conquests? Nah, I think I’ll pass,” Jisung answered, before apparently spotting his friend Felix and leaving Hyunjin behind.

For some reason, Hyunjin wasn’t too bummed about the rejection. It only made him want to get closer to Jisung more. He’d never really had to chase anyone like that before and he knew that the Ravenclaw wasn’t completely uninterested.

~

“What’s gotten into you? You usually only smirk like that when you just gotten a straight guy to turn into a tomato,” Hyunjin’s Slytherin friend, a fourth year named Changbin, stated when the younger joined him and their other friend Minho at lunch.

“You’re definitely on to something,” Minho pointed out.

Hyunjin only chuckled, deciding not to fill his friends in on his current situation with Jisung. “I’m just looking forward to the game against Ravenclaw tomorrow,” he half-lied. Minho raised his eyebrows at him. The fifth year was on the Quidditch team as a Beater. They’d both only made the team this year and Hyunjin had become a star Chaser almost instantly.

“Any particular reason for that?” Minho asked him knowingly. Hyunjin shook his head innocently and his friends decided to drop the matter for now. It hadn’t been a complete lie, since Jisung was on Ravenclaw’s Quidditch team as a Keeper.

Hyunjin was definitely looking forward to playing against him for the first time.

~

“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the hottest game of the year, the ultimate showdown – Slytherin against Ravenclaw!” the Quidditch announcer, a guy named Johnny, whom Hyunjin believed was in Gryffindor, bellowed through the stadium. It was exaggerated, of course, it wasn’t even that big of a game, but Johnny liked to make his commentary sound interesting.

Hyunjin couldn’t wait to be up in the air. He loved Quidditch; always had. He’d always dreamed of being a Chaser which was why he had been extremely happy when he’d made the team this year. It was one of the things that had gotten him all the attention he got from his admirers.

Everyone loved a good-looking star Chaser who also knew what he was doing.

The game began and soon enough Hyunjin had acquired the Quaffle and was racing towards the goal posts, guarded by none other than Han Jisung. The Ravenclaw Keeper caught the Quaffle before it could go through one of the three goal posts and threw it to one of the Ravenclaw Chasers. He made eye contact with Hyunjin and even had the nerve to smirk and wink at him before focusing back on the ball.

Hyunjin grinned and decided to get his head back in the game for now. He managed to get the Quaffle back in his possession, throwing it to one of his teammates, who scored a goal shortly after. He dodged a Bludger and chased after one of his rivals in an attempt to snatch the Quaffle out of his grip, which he did.

He made his way towards Jisung, shooting him a playful grin, as he came to a stop a few meters in front of the goal posts.

“Suggestion,” he shouted over the loud wind that blew in their ears. Jisung raised his eyebrows. “If I get this one in, you got to go on a date with me,” Hyunjin said, grin widening as he casually threw the Quaffle from one hand into the other.

Jisung rolled his eyes at him. “Just throw the damn Quaffle,” he shouted back.

Hyunjin smirked. “Say you’ll go out with me,” he demanded playfully. The Ravenclaw tried to look annoyed but Hyunjin could see the hints of a smile on his face.

“Fine, if you don’t fuck this one up, I’ll go out with you...” he finally agreed. Hyunjin’s confidence was boosted even more and he made intense eye contact with Jisung for a few more seconds, before throwing the Quaffle.

To be fair, Jisung missed it by a hair but a deal was a deal.

Hyunjin smirked and returned Jisung’s wink from earlier.

~

“Damn, Hwang, you played like you were on fire today!” the team captain Daniel Kang complimented him after the game, which they had won by 10 points. Hyunjin received several more or less hard pats on the back from his teammates since he had scored the most points before their Seeker had caught the Snitch.

“Thanks,” he said, though quickly excusing himself afterwards.

He saw Jisung making his way back up to the castle, alone. Hyunjin jogged up to him and grinned.

“You played well today,” he complimented him; and he meant it. Jisung had only been added to Ravenclaw’s team this year after their last Keeper had graduated the year before, but he was really good.

“So did you,” Jisung answered.

Hyunjin had to admit that he was a little surprised by that response, since the Ravenclaw had never been this sincere with him before. But then again, Hyunjin was nothing but flirty with him either, so it was probably not that surprising.

“Thanks. Now, about that date. My offer about Hogsmeade this Saturday still stands if you’re interested,” Hyunjin told him.

Jisung gave him a short side-look, rolling his eyes playfully. “Alright. Might as well get this over with. I’m a man of my word, after all,” he replied.

Hyunjin chuckled. “That’s good to hear... I’ll meet you in the entrance hall around 11, okay?” Jisung nodded and Hyunjin took off with one more smile in his direction.

~

“What’s your deal with Jisung?” Changbin questioned as soon as Hyunjin entered the Slytherin common room. The younger let himself fall down on one of the couches, resting his feet on the coffee table.

“Whatever do you mean?” Hyunjin asked innocently. Changbin crossed his arms over his chest and gave the younger a look. “We’re going out this Saturday,” Hyunjin admitted with a shrug.

Changbin raised both his eyebrows. “Since when are you interested in him?” he questioned. Hyunjin shrugged again, not answering the question. Minho came in and sat down next to the youngest.

“Hyunjin is going out with Jisung this weekend,” Changbin told him right away. Hyunjin gave him an exasperated look. Minho snorted.

“I didn’t realize Han Jisung was into guys like Hyunjin,” he commented. Hyunjin regarded the older with the same look.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I didn’t realize Han Jisung was into guys at all,” Changbin mumbled.

“Well, he did have this boyfriend a few months ago... what was his name again? Lee Jeno, I think,” Minho told them.

“That Gryffindor from my year?” Hyunjin asked with a pout. “What does he see in that guy?” he mumbled to himself, earning himself four raised eyebrows.

“Apparently nothing anymore, seeing as they broke up... are you jealous?” Changbin questioned.

Hyunjin huffed. “Of course not... Lee Jeno is a lousy Quidditch player... and... he’s–”

“He’s not that bad, actually. And he’s a nice guy,” Minho pointed out.

“Cute, too,” Changbin added.

The youngest made an unhappy face. “I’m nice and cute...” He saw Minho and Changbin exchange a look but rose from his seat before either of them could tease him about being jealous. “I’m going to bed...” he announced and walked off towards his dorm. He didn’t wipe the pout off his face for the rest of the evening.

Maybe he was a little jealous. Jeno obviously wasn’t a lousy Quidditch player, considering he’d made it into Gryffindor’s team as a Beater in his very first year. And he was very nice to everyone. Hyunjin wondered why he and Jisung broke up.

“Bro, you look like you’re about to glare a hole into the ceiling,” his friend Sunwoo pointed out. Hyunjin just groaned and hid under his blanket.

“Am I better-looking than Lee Jeno?” he asked, voice sounding muffled through the cloth.

He heard Sunwoo snort. “Sure, I guess,” came his reply.

“Good, I have someone to woo,” Hyunjin said determinedly, shaking his blanket off again.

Sunwoo snorted once again. “Alright then...”

~

Saturday came faster than expected and before he knew it, he was waiting for Jisung in the entrance hall, dressed in casual clothing and determined to make this date go well. Jisung was punctual, also dressed casually and even offering Hyunjin a little smile which he returned brightly.

“So, what do you want to do?” Hyunjin questioned on their way to the village.

Jisung grinned. “How about getting something to drink first? I’m craving a butterbeer,” he suggested. Hyunjin nodded in agreement.

“Three Broomsticks, then?”

“I’d prefer the Hog’s Head Inn, to be honest. It’s quieter, since most people go to the Three Broomsticks because of Madame Rosmerta,” Jisung explained.

Hyunjin raised his eyebrows in mild amusement. “Don’t like her?” he questioned.

Jisung frowned. “The old hag tried to poison me after Felix and I pranked her,” he told the Slytherin who couldn’t help but laugh at Jisung’s sour expression.

“Hog’s Head Inn it is, then,” Hyunjin said. He’d never been there before, but he’d heard that the place had been run by Albus Dumbledore’s brother up until a few years ago.

Hogsmeade was crowded as always; students were heading to Honeydukes, Zonko’s joke shop and some were exploring the side alleys that would lead to more deserted places like the Hog’s Head Inn or Madame Paddifoot’s tea shop.

Jisung led the way to the Hogs’s Head Inn, the two of them not speaking very much, though, the silence wasn’t awkward.

When they reached the Inn, the first thing Hyunjin noticed was a goat standing near the counter. A man with a shaggy, brown beard was washing a few glasses with flying rugs. He gave the two third years a curious look as the Ravenclaw made his way over to a booth, closely followed by Hyunjin. They sat down and about two minutes later the guy came over to them, giving them an expectant look.

“I’ll have a butterbeer, please,” Hyunjin said, looking over at Jisung.

“Me too,” the younger told the beard guy, who just grunted in acknowledgement and walked off. Jisung leaned back in his seat, looking at Hyunjin still watching him.

“What?” the Ravenclaw asked.

Hyunjin grinned and shrugged. “Nothing,” he replied innocently. “This place is... cozy,” he stated, looking around. Jisung chuckled.

“It’s shabby but the atmosphere is nice. It really is a lot quieter than at the Three Broomsticks,” the Slytherin continued.

The bearded guy came back with their drinks and wordlessly set them down, before leaving again.

“So, what do you usually do when you come to Hogsmeade?” Jisung questioned.

Hyunjin took a sip of his butterbeer before answering: “Typical stuff. I buy sweets, or I get a drink... I often hang out at the Quidditch store.”

Jisung hummed in acknowledgement.

“I usually don’t really take my dates to Hogsmeade. At least, not on my own accord,” Hyunjin said.

“Wow, I feel so special,” the Ravenclaw retorted sarcastically, luckily, he didn’t seem annoyed by that statement, though. Hyunjin chuckled.

“You know, I like how you’re so...”

“Not starstruck by Hwang Hyunjin?” Jisung offered.

Hyunjin nodded with a small laugh. “I’m not that big of a deal but people treat me like I won the Quidditch World Cup sometimes. I like the fact that you’re not impressed by those things,” he explained.

“I am impressed by your talent. You’re an amazing Chaser. It’s just not all it takes to impress me,” Jisung clarified, not sounding sarcastic for a change. Hyunjin rested his elbows on the table and cupped his own face, looking at Jisung.

“Then what does it take? What are you looking for?” he asked, genuinely interested.

“I like honesty, to begin with. Don’t feed me bullshit and we’re going to be just fine. I like people who are down to earth, and I absolutely hate shallowness,” Jisung told him straightforwardly.

Hyunjin had to say that he was the one who was impressed right now.

Jisung was his age – even a little younger – but he knew exactly what he wanted. That was way more than the Slytherin could say about himself.

“So, how am I doing so far?” Hyunjin questioned. Jisung smirked and took a long sip from his butterbeer.

“Better than expected,” he answered.

Hyunjin returned the smirk. “That’s good to hear...”

They finished their butterbeers while talking about Quidditch and school, before Hyunjin paid for both of them and they left the almost empty pub. They bought some sweets at Honeydukes and Jisung wanted to stop by at Zonko’s to get some stuff to prank Felix with.

Jisung was fun to be around, Hyunjin noticed. He laughed a lot when he wasn’t as careful and reserved or hiding behind his cockiness. Hyunjin caught himself staring at him more often than he was willing to admit. The two of them had warmed up to each other a lot over the past two hours.

Eventually, it was time to head back to the castle for dinner. Hyunjin wasn’t exactly hungry, though, since he’d stuffed his face with chocolate frogs and other sweets from Honeydukes. The two of them could already hear excited chatter and the clanking of silverware on plates when they stepped into the entrance hall.

Jisung turned to face Hyunjin, looking up at the taller boy.

“Well, I guess today was fun,” he told the Slytherin, who grinned at him.

“You guess?” he teased.

Jisung rolled his eyes at him and they both laughed. Hyunjin caught Jisung’s eyes wander to his lips, but before he could comment on it, the younger pulled him closer by his tie and kissed him.

It was unexpected, but not unwelcome so Hyunjin responded by letting his hands come to a rest on Jisung’s waist and pulling him closer, as the younger moved his lips against his. Unfortunately, Jisung pulled back eventually, giving Hyunjin a smirk.

“Maybe this way, I’ll leave a lasting impression,” he muttered before winking and walking off into the Great Hall.

Hyunjin stayed back, speechless and feeling kind of tingly from that kiss. He wouldn’t have thought that Jisung would take the initiative, though he couldn’t particularly say he minded. He wasn’t sure how long he remained standing there with a dumb grin on his face before finally heading into the Great Hall as well...

~

Jisung was more than just a little surprised when Hyunjin sat down across from him at the Ravenclaw table the next morning, looking straight at him.

“What does a guy need to do to get a second date with Han Jisung?” the Slytherin questioned.

The younger got over his surprise pretty quickly, his face breaking into an amused expression. “I’m not the one with a one-date-policy... that would be you,” he retorted, causing Hyunjin to grin.

“Well, I kinda like you, so... go out with me again?” he asked.

Jisung raised both his eyebrows. “Did I leave that much of an impression last night?”A few Ravenclaws within earshot looked at Jisung weirdly and he realized how wrong his words must have sounded out of context. “Not like that, you pervs!” he scolded his housemates, some of which just snickered before focusing their attention back on their breakfast.

Hyunjin laughed – Jisung noticed how cute he looked when he did that – and stole a grape from Jisung’s plate. He looked at him somewhat challengingly before speaking up again: “So, will you go out with me again or what?” Jisung rolled his eyes, mostly to hide his actual excitement.

“Alright... meet me at the Quidditch field at 6,” he said.

“What, you wanna play one on one?” Hyunjin asked him, a smirk etching across his face.

“Why not, Mister Star Chaser,” Jisung replied with a smirk on his own. Hyunjin rose from his seat after stealing another one of Jisung’s grapes.

“It’s a date, then. See you tonight,” the Slytherin said and winked as he took off towards his own table.

~

“What was that all about?” Changbin questioned when Hyunjin came over to the Slytherin table with a satisfied smirk.

“Just asked Jisung out again,” he answered. Minho, who had been busy flirting with another Slytherin, who sat next to him, looked over at Hyunjin.

“A second date?” Hyunjin nodded and poured himself some pumpkin juice.

“Since when do you do second dates?” Changbin chimed in. Hyunjin gave both his friends a look but didn’t answer the fourth year’s question. “Are your days as a hoe numbered? Is Han Jisung really that great?”

“Bin, could you stop interrogating me? I’m trying to eat breakfast!” Hyunjin finally said. “And I’m not a hoe!” he added with a pout. Minho grinned at him.

“You didn’t answer the other question,” he pointed out. Hyunjin rolled his eyes at his inquisitive friends.

“Yes, Han Jisung is really that great, happy?!”

He sighed and rolled his eyes again when he saw Changbin and Minho exchange knowing looks. He should definitely go and find himself a new set of friends, he thought to himself.

~

After a long, stressful school day, Hyunjin was really looking forward to spending some time on the Quidditch field – with Jisung. For some reason, Hyunjin hadn’t been able to get the Ravenclaw off his mind all day and he couldn‘t help but smile at the memory of their kiss.

He made his way to the Quidditch field around a quarter to six since he didn’t want to be late. Jisung was already there, when he stepped into the changing rooms, though, tying his shoelaces with a double knot. He looked up when Hyunjin entered the dressing room.

“Oh, hi,” he said.

“Hey,” the Slytherin replied. Since Hyunjin had already changed into his practice clothes at the dorm, they made their way outside once Jisung was finished, getting on their broomsticks right away. Call him whipped, but Jisung looked really good in his Quidditch uniform. He was a born Keeper, guarding his goal posts with a certain look of pride and responsibility.

“Now, you can show me what you got when it’s just the two of us, since my awesomeness distracted you during our last game,” Hyunjin joked. Jisung snorted but kept any possible sarcastic remark to himself. Hyunjin tossed the Quaffle around between his hands before heading towards the guarded goal posts. He smirked at Jisung and threw the volleyball-sized ball.

Jisung reacted quickly, dashing to his left and catching the Quaffle with one hand. He grinned triumphantly and tossed the ball back to Hyunjin.

“Not bad, Han,” the Slytherin said. The younger just grinned.

“How about we make things more interesting,” Jisung suggested.

Hyunjin raised his eyebrows, clearly interested. “How so?” he questioned, flying a little closer towards Jisung to prevent the younger having to shout.

“You get ten tries... if you score more than five, I’ll grant you a wish,” Jisung suggested.

The Slytherin smirked. “What kind of wish?”

“Anything reasonable,” the Ravenclaw clarified. Good enough for Hyunjin.

“Alright. If you hold more than five, I’ll grant you a wish,” he agreed. Jisung nodded.

“Deal,” the Keeper said confidently. Hyunjin got ready to throw the Quaffle. He made eye contact with Jisung, trying to somewhat control him. He’d figured that eye contact often confused his opponents and made it easier to trick them.

He threw the Quaffle right through the middle ring after making Jisung believe that he’d throw through the left one.

“That’s one!” he stated. Jisung retrieved the red ball and tossed it back over to Hyunjin.

“Don’t get too cocky. This is far from over!” Jisung warned him playfully.

Hyunjin replied with a grin and got ready again. Jisung held that one. And the one after that as well. Hyunjin wasn’t going to get demotivated, though. He scored two more. Jisung shot him a grin when he caught the sixth shot with ease. He held the next one as well but missed the one after that.

“A tie,” the Ravenclaw stated after two more throws.

Hyunjin grinned. “Alright then... game point, the next shot determines the winner,” he said.

Jisung clapped his hands together once. “Alright, then. Show me what you got, Hwang!” he exclaimed determinedly.

Hyunjin smirked and winked but then focused on the goal posts. He thought about how granting Jisung a wish wouldn’t be the worst outcome, but his Slytherin pride wouldn’t let him go in that direction just yet. He threw the Quaffle, aiming for the goal posts on Jisung’s right...

...and Jisung missed it by a hair.

“I guess... that’s it,” the younger said. Hyunjin flew over to him.

“Good game,” he told the Ravenclaw, who gave him a genuine smile in return.

“You too,” he said. “What’s your wish?” he questioned.

“I don’t have one, yet. But I’m sure I’ll come up with something,” Hyunjin promised with a confident grin.

They continued flying around for a while, mindlessly throwing the Quaffle around or playing on each other’s positions, before they noticed how late it had already gotten. They landed and headed back to the castle without bothering to change first.

“Seems like we’ve missed dinner...” Hyunjin pointed out when they arrived at the empty Great Hall.

Jisung nodded and looked around. “We probably shouldn’t be here. A teacher might catch us and give us detention...” he said. Hyunjin nodded in agreement and reached for Jisung’s hand, dragging him along towards what the younger believed was the direction of the Hufflepuff common room.

“What are you doing?” Jisung questioned. Hyunjin came to a stop in front of a fruit bowl portrait and did something Jisung couldn’t quite see, since he was standing behind him. The portrait swung to the side and revealed the Hogwarts kitchen.

“I can’t let you go to bed with an empty stomach, now can I,” Hyunjin told the Ravenclaw, grinning widely. Jisung took a look around the kitchen.

“Seems like nobody’s here,” he stated while following Hyunjin to one of the countless stoves that dragged themselves along the long stone wall.

“House elves have fair work schedules nowadays, it isn’t necessary for them to be here all night,” the Slytherin explained.

Jisung sat down on one of the long tables in the middle of the room. “You talk like you know them,” he said. The older put a pot on the stove and went to look for something to cook.

“I do. I’m friends with some of them,” he told him. “No need for History of Magic when you got these guys,” he continued while carrying random stuff over to the table Jisung sat at. “Many of them fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. They told me the wildest stories while teaching me how to cook,” he explained.

“Do you want ramen or Mac n Cheese?” he switched subjects.

Jisung looked at the food choices. “I’d kill for a bowl of ramen,” he said. Hyunjin smiled and went over to begin preparing their dinner. “I didn’t know you liked to cook,” Jisung said.

Hyunjin turned around with a playful smirk on his lips. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he answered. Jisung huffed out a laugh.

“I guess that’s true... but, I mean, you could always tell me more about yourself,” he suggested.

“What do you want to know?” Hyunjin questioned, while focusing his attention back on the stove.

Jisung leaned back on the table, resting his weight on his hands. “Hm... were you always into Quidditch?”

“Yeah, pretty much... my Mom once told me that my first ever birthday wish was a broomstick. I’ve always dreamed of being a Chaser,” Hyunjin explained. “What about you?” he asked as he put the noodles in the pot.

“Well, I grew up with muggles, so I had never heard about Quidditch until I got here. I’ve always wanted to fly, though. I tried out for the Ravenclaw team in my first year, but I lacked practice, so my friend Chan helped me and Felix a lot and this year, we both made it,” Jisung told him, smiling fondly at the memories of long flight training sessions with the two Gryffindors.

Hyunjin hummed in acknowledgement as he carried over the pot and set it down on the table next to Jisung before sitting down as well before they began to eat.

“Ravenclaw got themselves a pretty good Keeper then. I liked playing against you,” Hyunjin told him.

“I guess playing against you wasn’t too bad either. Even though, we lost,” Jisung replied.

Hyunjin nudged him playfully.

“It’s kind of what got you here, isn’t it,” the Slytherin pointed out, causing Jisung to chuckle.

“I guess you could say that...” he admitted.

~

They finished eating and proceeded to clean up together. “You know, I really kind of like you... maybe we should do this more often,” Hyunjin said as they were about to sneak out of the kitchen. Jisung leaned against the back of the portrait at the entrance, raising his eyebrows.

“Wow, Hwang Hyunjin, two dates and you’re still not sick of me? Are you perhaps... whipped?!” he teased overdramatically. Hyunjin laughed and reached for his hand.

“Maybe,” he answered.

They held hands all the way to the Ravenclaw tower. Luckily, none of the ghosts or teachers caught them on their way. Jisung would never admit this, even if someone tortured him, but his heartbeat had sped up a little bit, because of their intertwined hands.

Hyunjin was nothing like the cold-hearted jerk the rumors described him as. Well, Jisung had known Hyunjin enough to know that he wasn’t cold-hearted, but he had never gotten himself to trust him very much before.

He actually wasn’t a jerk at all.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room and came to a stop there. “Let me get one thing straight. I don’t want to be played with. So, if I say yes to another date...” Jisung began, facing Hyunjin, however not letting go of his hand. “...it’s because we’re exclusive. If you can’t handle that, it’s best you walk away and find yourself a new boy toy,” the younger clarified. 

He liked Hyunjin, he was sure of it. Maybe he had been too forward, but if Jisung was going to throw himself into what this might become, he wanted to do it on his own terms.

Hyunjin grinned and pulled Jisung a little closer.

“Okay...” he said, his tone dropping, though Jisung wasn’t sure if it was because of the fact that it was already a quarter to midnight or because of their proximity. “But only if I get another good night kiss...” the older continued. Jisung rolled his eyes playfully, but complied nonetheless...

He’d thought a lot about his first kiss with Hyunjin and he’d be lying to himself if he said that he didn’t want to do it again. When his lips met Hyunjin’s he couldn’t help but smile a little into the kiss. He liked kissing Hyunjin; he liked the way his hands rested on his waist and how soft and full his lips were. Jisung could definitely get used to this...

“There you go... now go back to your common room before you get in trouble,” he warned the older after he’d pulled back.

Hyunjin chuckled, leaning down to give Jisung another short peck on his lips. “I guess, I’ll see you tomorrow,” the Slytherin said.

“I guess,” Jisung answered teasingly.

He watched Hyunjin walk away until he couldn’t see him anymore before he answered the Ravenclaw doorknob’s question and headed to his dorm with a soft smile on his face. 

~

“You look like you just won a million Galleons...” Changbin pointed out when Hyunjin came into the common room with a wide smile on his face. His two friends sat on the couch, looking like parents who awaited their son’s return.

“What are you two still doing up?” he questioned.

Minho smirked. “Studying. But you know, we could ask you the same thing. We didn’t see you at dinner. Were you out with Jisung until now?” Hyunjin raised his hands in a surrendering motion.

“Damn, Mom, I didn’t realize that I just walked right into an interrogation room,” the youngest said. “But yes, Jisung and I were out until now. And we’ll be going out again,” he added. Changbin looked beyond surprised.

“Did I hear that right? Did Han Jisung give you, like, a love potion or something?” he questioned suspiciously.

Hyunjin just laughed. “No, I just like him, that’s all. No potion needed,” he replied, before adding a cheerful “good night” and disappearing to his dorm before his friends could ask more questions.

~

Things with Jisung were a pretty relaxing mixture of casual and committed. They went on a few more dates over the course of the next week and Hyunjin found it surprisingly easy to get used to calling Han Jisung his boyfriend. Others weren’t so quick to understand, though.

The school’s one-date-wonder had really gotten himself a boyfriend.

Changbin seemed, both, shocked and impressed that Hyunjin had started exclusively dating someone. (“I’m glad you came to your senses before Minho’s ways completely rubbed off on you.”

“That’s the respect I get as your senior? Wow...”)

Today, the third-year students of Ravenclaw and Slytherin had Transfigurations together.

Hyunjin was well-aware of the fact that more than half of their class was staring at him when he sat down next to Jisung and kissed his cheek, mumbling a little “Hi,” but he didn’t care about the others.

“Do you want to study together later? We could go to the lake, since the weather’s so nice,” Hyunjin suggested.

Jisung nodded with a small smile on his lips. “Sounds good,” he replied. Hyunjin grinned and got his book out, as class was about to start. He didn’t pay much attention, as usual, mainly because he was busy staring at Jisung or poking his squishy cheeks.

“You’re gonna get in trouble if you keep this up,” Jisung mumbled fake-threatening. Hyunjin smirked at him.

“What are you gonna do?” he asked. Jisung returned the smirk and leaned closer to the Slytherin’s ear.

“It’s not me you should be worried about, but I’ll have you know that McGonagall has been shooting death glares at you for the past 10 minutes,” he pointed out. “It’s only a matter of time until she transforms you into a toad.”

Hyunjin chuckled but a little glance in Professor McGonagall’s direction told him that the Ravenclaw was right. It probably wasn’t a good idea to keep provoking her, so he settled on just holding Jisung’s hand under the table, which didn’t seem to bother the younger one bit.

~

“Jesus Christ, get a room!” Felix exclaimed when he saw Jisung openly making out with Hyunjin in the middle of the entrance hall. Jisung pulled back and looked at his friend, who was dramatically covering his eyes. Hungry students passed by them into the Great Hall where Jisung and Hyunjin had planned to go before they had gotten... sidetracked.

“You’re just jealous...” the Ravenclaw teased his friend.

“Nah, I’m good. Are we still on for practice after lunch?” Felix asked, not really looking at Hyunjin, who had placed an arm around Jisung’s shoulders, leaning against the wall next to him.

“Sure,” Jisung replied. Felix nodded in acknowledgement before heading into the Great Hall.

“I’m starving...” the younger said. “I’ll go eat with Felix, alright? I don’t want your friends to hate me for stealing you from them,” he added with a grin. Hyunjin snorted.

“They probably wouldn’t even notice. Minho’s too busy flirting with anyone within reach and Changbin’s too busy staring at–” he cut himself off. Jisung raised his eyebrows, slightly curious.

“Who’s he staring at?”

Hyunjin chuckled. “I’m not sure if I should pass on this information but let me tell you that he’s had his eye on a Gryffindor for a while,” he told Jisung secretively.

“Anyway, if you wanna eat with Felix, that’s fine. I’ll see you later,” Hyunjin added, quickly pecking Jisung’s cheek, before heading off to the Slytherin table.

Jisung sighed and leaned against the wall for a few more seconds before joining Felix and Chan at their table. When he reached the two of them, Felix was telling Chan something while making wild gestures with his hands, while the fifth year looked concerned for his friend’s pumpkin juice.

Jisung sat down next to Chan, nodding in his direction as a greeting. “...and then his potion just splashed all over the dungeon. The people who couldn’t duck in time started growing humongous beaks! It was the best Potions lesson ever...” Felix closed his story.

Chan laughed at his excited friend while Jisung wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear the details.

“So, Jisung,” Felix suddenly started with a grin. “You and Hyunjin seem pretty close,” he pointed out. Jisung snorted.

“We’re dating, Felix, what do you expect us to be?” he retorted. Chan rested one of his elbows on the table and looked at him.

“Right, how are things going between you two anyway?” he questioned. Felix wagged his eyebrows at the Ravenclaw.

“Good... everything’s good,” Jisung said, while scooping some mashed potatoes onto his plate.

“That doesn’t sound very enthusiastic, considering you just had your tongue down his throat,” the younger Gryffindor stated, causing Jisung to almost choke on air at his wording.

“Excuse me, I did not have my tongue down his throat! And it wasn’t supposed to sound like anything. Things are good between us,” Jisung clarified.

“I still wonder how you did it. Hyunjin’s not really the type to get a boyfriend,” Chan stated.

“Neither is that fourth year you’re dating and look at you!” Jisung snapped unintentionally. Chan only raised his eyebrows at him. “Sorry... I didn’t mean to...” the younger apologized.

“I just hate that people have this certain image of Hyunjin when he’s really not like that. He might have been a player before we started dating but when he’s with me, there’s only me. He’s never looked at anyone else when we’re hanging out. It’s just...” Jisung trailed off.

“Just what?” Chan asked, luckily, not mad about Jisung’s little outburst.

“I just don’t know if it’ll last, you know. Like, right now, it’s great and I like him but... what if that’s not enough?” he questioned.

“Slow down first. You’re still young. You don’t have to get married anytime soon. And maybe it will last. Feelings can grow,” Chan assured him.

“Or disappear...” Felix spoke up, earning himself a glare from the older Gryffindor.

Jisung sighed. He did like Hyunjin; he liked hanging out with him and he really wasn’t a bad kisser, but something was missing. Something just hadn’t clicked inside Jisung’s heart, yet.

“We’ll see how things will turn out. Right now, you should enjoy what you two have,” Chan told him. Jisung just nodded and began to eat his potatoes while Felix came up with another story to tell.

~

“I hate Charms...” Hyunjin said and threw his open book in the grass next to himself. Jisung, whose head was resting in the Slytherin’s lap, just laughed.

“I like Charms. It’s fun” he replied.

Hyunjin pouted. “It’s no fun if Professor Flitwick is always around to criticize you when you fuck up a spell.”

Jisung sat up and reached for the Slytherin’s Charms book. “Alright, let’s see...” he said, eyes skipping over the pages. “Cheering charms... they’re not that hard, I can help you if you want,” he offered.

Hyunjin’s face brightened up at the younger’s words. “Could you? I really suck at that kind of stuff...” he said desperately.

“I guess we could give it a try,” Jisung told him with a chuckle.

Hyunjin spent hours with Jisung, trying to get the spell right. He got better at it with the Ravenclaw’s help but he still wasn’t that confident about actually doing well in class. He just wasn’t good at Charms and the constant nagging he got from Professor Flitwick didn’t really help him with his confidence.

“I have a better idea... we could just do something else,” Hyunjin told Jisung when he finally had enough.

The Ravenclaw raised his eyebrows. “Like what?” he questioned. Hyunjin shrugged and reached for his hand, playing with the younger’s fingers.

“Anything. I don’t want to touch a Charms book until I absolutely have to!”

Jisung grinned. “Alright...then how about we do something a little more fun,” he suggested. Hyunjin raised his eyebrows.

“What did you have in mind?” the older asked. Jisung began dragging him along, a slightly mischievous look on his squishy face.

“We’re gonna pull a prank on our dear teachers...” the Ravenclaw finally said. Hyunjin’s eyes widened.

“That’s going to get us in so much trouble!” Jisung laughed.

“That’s how you know you were successful!” he told his boyfriend.

Hyunjin chuckled. “You’re wild,” the Slytherin said, but followed along nonetheless.

~

“I can’t believe you got us into this,” Hyunjin said with a laugh as he swiped over the lens of the telescope, he was currently cleaning in the supply room of the Astronomy tower. It was punishment for the prank he and his boyfriend had pulled on the faculty of Hogwarts. Jisung chuckled.

“It was worth it, don’t you think?”

Hyunjin nodded. “It really was... but where the hell did you even get a stink bomb that yells insults?” he questioned the younger.

Jisung just grinned secretively, not answering the question. “I have my ways. Felix is going to have a hard time living up to that one,” he said. He put his telescope down and picked up a new one. Hyunjin did the same. He figured that telescope cleaning wasn’t the worst punishment they could get, especially if he could hang out with Jisung while he was at it.

“You know, I never expected a Ravenclaw to be such a troublemaker,” Hyunjin pointed out. Jisung looked at him in mock-exasperation.

“I am more than an average Ravenclaw, Hwang,” he pointed out. “Besides, I don’t think being a troublemaker is a trait that gets you sorted in a certain house,” he added.

Hyunjin hummed in agreement. “I guess you’re right.”

Eventually, the two of them finished cleaning the telescopes. It was too early for dinner, so they decided to just hang around the Astronomy tower for a little while longer. They sat on the floor on the highest level, looking over the grounds of Hogwarts.

Jisung looked at Hyunjin. He looked gorgeous in the orange light of the setting sun, wind softly breezing through his jet-black hair. Jisung knew that he liked being with Hyunjin, he liked having someone who gave him attention and affection. He knew that Hyunjin was an amazing boyfriend, not that he had that much experience, seeing as he was only the second boyfriend in Jisung’s life.

He wanted to feel so much more for Hyunjin than he actually did. He wanted his stomach to do backflips when they kissed, and he wanted his skin to tingle when Hyunjin touched him.

All he could hope for was that it would happen eventually, because he liked it when Hyunjin kissed or touched him.

But that was about it.

He just liked it...

~

Hyunjin had never felt more awful in his life. The past week with Jisung had been as amazing as the ones before – even the day they got detention because of Jisung’s idea to prank the teachers.

Lately, however, he found himself thinking of their dates as just hanging out with a friend. A friend he made out with, occasionally, but a friend nonetheless. He was comfortable around Jisung, like he could just be himself and tell him anything.

Besides, as much as he liked spending time with Jisung, he missed going on dates with different people. Of course, he didn’t want to break the younger’s heart with these kinds of thoughts, but he had thought about ending things with him. He was reluctant to do it because he didn’t want to lose the Ravenclaw.

He was currently sitting under his usual tree at the lake alone, studying for his finals even though they were still a good two months away. Jisung was supposed to meet him here in about 10 minutes. Hyunjin sighed, taking some notes for Transfiguration.

He looked up just in time to see Jisung approach him with a half-smile. He let himself fall into the grass across from the older.

“Hey...” he mumbled. Hyunjin shut his book and looked at Jisung.

“Hi,” he replied.

He wasn’t sure if he saw it right, but Jisung looked a little uneasy.

~

“I need to talk to you,” Jisung said after a few minutes of silence.

Hyunjin furrowed his brows. “Sure, what is it?” he replied, putting his notes aside. Jisung took a deep breath. He had thought about doing this for a few days now, since their detention date on the Astronomy tower, yet he wasn’t sure how things would turn out if he actually went through with it.

“Um... first off, I want to say that I like you. But...” he cut himself off and exhaled. “I just... don’t see us working out. I can’t picture ever falling in love with you... which is why I think we should break up,” he finally said, though his eyes closed towards the end, afraid of Hyunjin’s reaction.

“Oh...” was all the Slytherin said at first. Jisung slowly dared to look at Hyunjin again. He didn’t look mad. “I’ve been thinking about that as well...” Hyunjin told him, scratching the back of his head, like he always did when he felt sheepish. Jisung couldn’t help but feel a little relieved. That would hopefully make things easier

“I didn’t want to hurt you by suggesting to break up because I’d really like to stay friends, even if it’s cliché...” Hyunjin said, but Jisung’s face lit up.

“No, staying friends is exactly what I want!” he exclaimed. He liked spending time with Hyunjin and, even though, he would kind of miss those lips, he felt like they were better off as friends.

Hyunjin chuckled. “Look at us...” he muttered.

“Excited to break up,” Jisung added, also chuckling.

The Slytherin leaned over to kiss Jisung on the cheek one last time before getting up. “I should get back to the castle. I have practice tonight...” he told the younger who nodded and rose to his feet as well.

Hyunjin smiled at him, ready to walk away when he seemed to remember something. “Oh right... one last thing... I feel like we should tell people that I was the one who broke up with you... take it as my wish from our second date,” the Slytherin said.

Jisung furrowed his brows in confusion.

Why would Hyunjin request such a thing?

“Um... okay, sure... sounds like a reasonable enough wish...” Jisung answered.

Hyunjin grinned at him brightly before taking off, leaving a confused Ravenclaw behind. Jisung couldn’t help but feel a little hurt over the older’s request. Was his reputation really that important to him? Was it really such a disgrace to be dumped for once?

Jisung exhaled, shrugging it off. Maybe he’d ask Hyunjin about it later. Or maybe he’d let it die and just deal with it. It was Hyunjin’s wish and Jisung hadn’t been lying when he’d told the older that he was a man of his word.

In the end, it didn’t really matter anyway.

~

Hyunjin hadn’t expected to feel a little bummed after Jisung broke up with him. He knew that his feelings for the younger weren’t of romantic nature, but the time they’d spent as a couple had been pretty awesome.

He just hoped that things wouldn’t become awkward for them from now on.

After Quidditch practice he made his way back to the Slytherin common room. He sat down on one of the couches, getting lost in his own thoughts.

“Hey,” Changbin’s voice interrupted him. He looked at the older who sat down next to him. “I heard you and Jisung broke up,” he said.

“I don’t even want to know how you found out about that it just happened a few hours ago,” Hyunjin replied.

Changbin raised his eyebrows. “He looked kind of upset earlier. Fe–... I mean his Gryffindor friend seemed to be comforting him...”

Hyunjin furrowed his brows at the news. It had been Jisung’s suggestion to break up... but maybe the feeling was the same as Hyunjin’s.

They’d had a pretty good time together, after all.

He looked at Changbin again, only to see that the older Slytherin looked a little pissed. “You know, for once I thought you were serious about someone. Why’d you break up with him?” he questioned. Hyunjin wanted to tell him that it had been mutual, but he’d asked Jisung to tell people that it had been him who ended things, so that’s what he was going to stick by.

“I was serious about him. I’m just not the one for him... and I think he feels the same. Now, I would be thankful if you would stay out of my business,” Hyunjin said sharply, not giving Changbin a chance to answer. Instead, he got up and went to his dorm where he could be alone.

~

A few days later, Hyunjin found himself sitting next to Jisung in Transfigurations. It had been unintentional since the seat next to Jisung had been the only unoccupied one. Hyunjin hadn’t seen Jisung around a lot since their breakup, only during mealtime.

“Hey, are we good?” he asked carefully.

Jisung gave him a side look before getting his books out of his bag. “Of course...” he replied. Hyunjin faced him completely.

“Are you sure? Because I don’t want us to be awkward or anything... I thought we were cool,” the Slytherin said.

Jisung looked at him, also fully facing him. “And we are. Everything’s fine!” he reassured the older. Hyunjin studied his features. He didn’t seem to be lying.

“So, we’re good?” Hyunjin questioned again, just to be sure.

Jisung chuckled and lightly hit his arm. “Yes, and now stop asking!” he said.

~

Over the next two weeks Hyunjin and Jisung got rid of the last bit of awkwardness between them. Even though, Jisung still didn’t quite understand why Hyunjin insisted on making people believe that he was the one who had dumped him, he decided to just let it go. Hyunjin finally stopped making sure if they were really okay and by the end of the year, the two of them were actually really good friends.

Hyunjin picked up his old dating habits again, reclaiming his title as one-date-wonder, while Jisung rekindled his romance with Lee Jeno, which went on and off for a while over summer break until a few weeks into their fourth year before they decided to break it off for good.

Hyunjin figured that the two of them had yet to find the right one... 

Chapter Text

Jisung would say that he was a pretty good Keeper.

Focused, fast and skilled. He’d joined the Ravenclaw Quidditch team in his third year after long years of endless training with Chan. When he had come to Hogwarts he had known absolutely nothing about Quidditch, since he descended from muggles, but his passion for flying was something he had been born with.

He had been over the moon when he’d learned about the wizards’ sport, determined to become an outstanding player.

This year, the Quidditch season didn’t seem to go well for Ravenclaw, though. First, they’d lost the game against Slytherin last month and now things weren’t looking good against Gryffindor. It was January, meaning that Jisung’s eyesight was slightly compromised due to the snow that was falling onto the Quidditch pitch.

Gryffindor was leading with thirty points and Jisung couldn’t help but ask himself how their Keeper, his best friend, Lee Felix, could hold as many Quaffles as he did.

One thing, or rather, one person, that had caught Jisung’s eye despite the bad weather was one of Gryffindor’s Chasers. She had scored most of Gryffindor’s goals and as much as he’d like to blame it on the weather, he couldn’t really deny that he was a tiny bit awestruck by this girl’s beauty.

“Jisung, for Merlin’s sake! Would you stop daydreaming?!” his team captain Momo yelled at him over the wind.

“Sorry!” he replied, trying to focus on the game, but his eyes always trailed back to that Chaser girl. She was probably new on the team since he’d never seen her in a previous game before.

There hadn’t been a female Chaser when he had last played against Gryffindor.

She was fully in her element, though. That girl belonged on a Quidditch field. Her long brown hair was flying in the wind, and though it was damp because of the snow, she still looked amazing.

Jisung simply had to find out who she was.

~

Needless to say, Gryffindor won the game.

Their Seeker, Kwon Soonyoung, a seventh year, had caught the snitch and thankfully ended Jisung’s embarrassment, shortly after Gryffindor started leading with sixty points. He apologized to his teammates for doing a terrible job, but they just patted his shoulder and told him that it probably just hadn’t been his day.

He knew better, though. He could have played better, but he had been too distracted and impressed by the new Gryffindor Chaser.

He walked back to the castle after changing back into his robes when Felix caught up with him. “Hey, you alright?” the Gryffindor asked.

Jisung nodded. “Not my best game, but I’m fine. Congrats on the win,” he replied honestly. Felix grinned.

“Thanks... Binnie told me that he’d give me a present if we won, so I played with extra determination.”

Jisung made a face. “Keep the dirty details to yourself, please,” he joked, cackling when Felix blushed and mumbled something among the lines of “it’s not like that”.

They entered the entrance hall.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you from Binnie any longer!”

Felix fake-glared at him and swatted at his arm. Jisung dodged, laughing again. Felix was about to take off when the Ravenclaw remembered something.

“Oh right! Who was that girl? Your new Chaser?” he questioned, trying not to sound too interested. Felix raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Her name is Son Eunseo. She joined recently after Yoon Sanha quit the team to focus on his OWLs. She’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen, but she didn’t make the team for some reason,” he explained. “Why are you asking?” Jisung shrugged, trying to look indifferent.

Felix’ face lit up in realization and he stepped closer to Jisung again. “Don’t say you like her,” he exclaimed in disbelief.

Jisung felt his cheeks burn up. “I-I mean, I don’t know her...”

“Dude, I hate to say this, but she’s way out of your league! She’s a seventh year, first of all... and I’d be surprised if she weren’t dating anyone!”

Jisung’s ears practically perked up at the thought. “Can you ask her?” he questioned, successfully ignoring the fact that she might be out of his league.

“I can’t! Changbin might get the wrong idea!” Felix protested.

“Please, you’re the jealous one in this relationship!” Jisung argued.

“May I remind you of our pretend-relationship! Changbin was very jealous!” Felix said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“First of all, let’s never talk about that again. I still have nightmares of Changbin smashing my face in with Minho’s bat. And second, those were completely different circumstances!” the Ravenclaw protested.

Felix rolled his eyes. “Well, if you want to know if she has a boyfriend you can ask her yourself! Be a man, Han Jisung!” he said in a tone that was probably supposed to be uplifting.

Jisung didn’t know if he could look the pretty girl in the eye after his failure as a Keeper today. Felix patted his shoulder.

“You got this! Now, as much as I’d love to help you with your love life, I actually really have to meet my boyfriend now,” he told him.

Jisung sighed. “Fine, fine... I’ll ask her myself.”

~

Jisung decided to wait for Eunseo to come back from the Quidditch pitch. He paced around in the entrance hall, nervously whipping around every time the door opened and practically deflating like a balloon, each time it wasn’t her.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes the door opened, and a brunette girl stepped inside with Ravenclaw’s Seeker Kang Yaebin. They were laughing about something when Jisung approached them. He was a little embarrassed to do this in front of his teammate, but he felt like he would chicken out if he didn’t do it now.

“Hey, Eunseo?” he tried to sound confident, but her name came out as more of a question than anything else.

She looked at him, with question on her face. “Oh, you’re Ravenclaw’s Keeper, right? Jisan?”

Yaebin snorted.

“Jisung, actually... I just wanted to say, you’re a really good player.” He wanted to hit himself. That wasn’t what he’d wanted to tell her at all. But he felt somewhat outnumbered with Yaebin there, so asking her if she had a boyfriend seemed a little too bold for a first conversation.

Eunseo smiled at him. “Thank you, so are you! Don’t be too bummed about today,” she said in a friendly tone. Jisung’s heartbeat picked up at, both, her words and her smile. He had to play it cool, though.

“Right, next time I won’t let you off so easily,” he replied. She chuckled.

“We’ll see about that,” she answered.

Yaebin watched their exchange with a raised eyebrow. “We gotta go, Eunseo. You wanted to help me with my Potions essay before dinner...” she reminded the other girl.

“Yeah, right... well, see you around, Jisung,” she addressed the younger boy, before she walked off with Yaebin. He turned around just in time to see his fellow Ravenclaw grin at Eunseo and heard her say “what was that?” Eunseo shrugged.

And Jisung’s heart went crazy.

He hadn’t figured out if she had a boyfriend today, and it had seemed like she hadn’t taken him completely seriously, probably because he was younger than her but he was determined to get to know her a little better.

~

Hyunjin grinned at Jisung when he sat down next to him in Defense Against the Dark Arts the next day.

“What?” the Ravenclaw questioned, not really sure if he wanted to know.

“Changbin told me that Felix told him that you have a crush on Son Eunseo, aka Gryffindor Quidditch legend aka way out of your league,” Hyunjin said, the teasing grin never leaving his face.

Jisung rolled his eyes.

“Felix needs to learn how to shut his mouth,” was all he answered. Hyunjin chuckled and rested his elbow on the table.

“I guess it’s safe to say that you have a thing for Chasers,” he teased. Jisung gave him a look, but he couldn’t help but grin a little bit.

“Maybe, but this time I’m the chaser,” he replied, causing Hyunjin to just downright laugh at him.

“Good luck. If you chase women like you chase a Quaffle I wouldn’t put my hopes too high. She has a boyfriend,” Hyunjin informed him, making his friend’s face fall.

“She does?” he questioned.

Hyunjin nodded; at least he had the decency to look somewhat sympathetic. “His name’s Jung Jaewon... he’s–”

“Gryffindor’s Beater... I know him. But... what does she see in him?”

“Um, have you seen the guy? He’s all broad shoulders and dimples. He could hit me with his bat, and I’d say thank you,” Hyunjin swooned.

Seungmin, who sat at the table in front of them, turned to his boyfriend, eyebrows raised. “Excuse me?”

Hyunjin grinned sheepishly. “I didn’t mean it like that, baby, you know I only have eyes for you,” he told the younger Ravenclaw, who just turned back around with a “thought so” and a satisfied smile on his face.

Jisung playfully rolled his eyes at the couple. They were so cute with each other but seeing them together just painfully reminded Jisung of how single he was. It had been a while since he had even been on a date because he’d just put most of his focus on Quidditch.

Class started soon after, but Jisung spent most of his time thinking about Eunseo, instead of paying attention.

Why did she have to have a boyfriend? Why Jaewon?

But then again, it wasn’t really that much of a surprise for her to date someone, considering how gorgeous and talented she was.

At that point, he should have probably given up, but Han Jisung was not a quitter. If he couldn’t romance her, he would just have to get closer to her as a friend.

~

The next time, Jisung saw Eunseo she was alone. She was looking for something in her bag, so Jisung did what every man in his situation would have done.

He pretended to bump into her.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best approach, but he didn’t know what else to do.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you!” he apologized to Eunseo, who just looked at him, recognition flashing across her face.

“It’s alright, Jisung,” she replied.

Jisung tried not to be too happy about her remembering his name. “Are you looking for something?” he questioned casually as she had begun rummaging around in her bag again.

“My bracelet. I had it before Quidditch practice and now I can’t find it anywhere,” Eunseo said absent-mindedly.

“Did you check back at the dressing rooms?” Jisung asked.

“Yeah, I’ve searched everywhere, retraced all my steps and tried every spell I could think of...” Eunseo replied, finally giving up and slinging the bag over her shoulder.

“Well, what does it look like? I’ll keep my eye out for it,” Jisung offered.

Eunseo gave him a small smile. “Thanks, it’s a golden bracelet with a heart-shaped pendant. It’s simple, but it means a lot to me...” she told him.

Jisung nodded in understanding. “I’ll let you know if I find it,” he replied.

Eunseo thanked him again before she took off in another direction. Jisung clutched his heart for a second, silently praising himself for not being too awkward around her. He also made it his duty to find her bracelet at all cost!

~

After a day of fruitless searching for a golden bracelet he’d never seen before in a huge castle, Jisung decided to declare defeat for now. He was starving, and dinner was about to start. He decided to sit at the Gryffindor table with Chan and Felix. Of course, his fellow fifth year was grinning at him and wagging his eyebrows.

“How’s your crush going?” he questioned teasingly.

Jisung glared at him. “Is there anyone you haven’t told?”

Felix chuckled, knowing that Jisung wasn’t actually mad at him. He knew that his friend would never spread those kinds of news to anyone but his closest friends. Chan grinned at him.

“I guess I have your crush to thank for my team’s victory, then,” he teased.

Jisung groaned in annoyance. He probably should have just sat with Jinwoo and Jeongin at the Hufflepuff table.

“Can we just eat, please?” he questioned in desperation, much to the amusement of his so-called friends. He was just in the middle of scooping some food onto his plate when he heard a familiar voice near him.

“...it’s really important to me, Jaewon.”

It was Eunseo’s voice. She seemed to be talking to her boyfriend about her lost bracelet. Jisung tried not to be too obvious about eavesdropping.

“It’s just a bracelet, babe, I’ll buy you a new one,” Jaewon answered. Jisung made a face.

What a douchebag.

“You don’t understand! It’s the last present I ever got from my grandmother. I don’t want a new one! It’s like a lucky charm... when I wasn’t wearing it last year before Quidditch try-outs I got sick and couldn’t participate!” Eunseo told her boyfriend.

“Babe, come on... you don’t seriously think that was because of a stupid bracelet, do you?”

Eunseo didn’t say anything for a few seconds, causing Jisung to look over at where she sat across from Jung Jaewon. She looked at him with an unreadable expression before she got up and stormed out of the Great Hall, ignoring her boyfriend’s call for her to come back.

“Jaewon has the tact of the silver spoon he was born with...” Jisung muttered under his breath.

Chan raised his eyebrows. “Damn,” he commented as Jisung bitterly watched Jaewon get up as well to follow his girlfriend out of the Great Hall.

“Someone’s whipped,” Felix said.

“You’re one to talk,” Jisung replied. Felix just grinned and shrugged.

The rest of the dinner remained uneventful, even if Jisung wanted nothing more than to check on Eunseo himself or much rather, punch Jung Jaewon in the face for making her upset. Maybe he was whipped. But if the bracelet was really that important to her, he wanted her to get it back as soon as possible.

~

Jisung had made it a habit to write a letter to his family about once or twice every month to let them know how he was doing in Hogwarts. He usually wrote one to his mother, one to his father – since his parents were divorced and another one to his older sister and her husband.

He had just finished writing the letter to his sister and currently made his way to the Owlery to borrow one of the school owls. Once he had picked an owl, he tied the letters to its leg and sent it off.

Jisung was just about to turn around and get back to the common room when he saw something shimmering lying around on the floor. He had almost stepped on it, but he saw it just in time and picked it up.

It was a golden bracelet with a heart pendant on it.

Jisung’s face broke into a grin. He had really just found Eunseo’s bracelet! But he figured just giving it back to her wouldn’t be fun. He got an idea and started to rummage through his bag, getting a piece of parchment and an envelope. He placed the parchment on the windowsill and looked at it, trying to think of a message that didn’t sound lame.

In the end, he decided to go for a simple ‘Wanna hang out sometime?’ and he even dared to draw a tiny heart. It probably wasn’t the most creative thing Jisung could have written, but maybe it was the way to slowly win her over. He put the note and the bracelet into the envelope, sealing it with a spell before getting another owl and tying it to its foot.

Jisung left the owlery with a satisfied grin and a spark of hope.

~

Breakfast couldn’t come quick enough for Jisung. He had never waited for the mail as impatiently as today. Having Hyunjin sit at the Ravenclaw table and teasing him about his impatience wasn’t making things easier at all.

Couldn’t he just go back to being cute with Seungmin and leave him alone?

Once again, he found himself thinking that he needed new friends.

Finally, the owls flew into the Great Hall and Jisung perked up. Hyunjin got distracted by a package he just barely caught before he began to open it with Seungmin. Jisung had already spotted Eunseo at the Gryffindor table. He saw her catch the envelope, looking at it questioningly, but opening it nonetheless.

Her eyes widened when she fished out her bracelet. She looked at it in disbelief for a few seconds before her face brightened up and she slipped it on. Then she looked at the note. Jisung figured he probably should have signed it.

What if she thought that it was from Jaewon? Then again it would be kind of weird for her boyfriend to ask her to hang out sometime.

Eunseo looked up, coincidentally looking in his direction and their eyes met. She smiled at him, looking like she understood. Jisung returned the smile, feeling giddy. Eunseo looked happy about getting her lucky charm bracelet back and seeing her happy made Jisung feel incredibly soft.

“Wow, you are so lucky that Jaewon doesn’t seem to be here right now,” Hyunjin, who had finished opening his package, pointed out when he saw the staring contest between his friend and Eunseo.

Jisung broke eye contact with her and looked at Hyunjin with a bitter face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Hyunjin shrugged. “I’m just saying, with the way you look at her it’s pretty obvious that you like her. And look at her, giving you heart eyes,” he said.

Jisung stole another glance in Eunseo’s direction. “She’s not even looking here anymore!” he argued.

Hyunjin chuckled. “Just be careful. Jaewon seems to be the type to punch you first and ask questions after.”

Jisung hated to admit it, but Hyunjin was probably right. Jaewon seemed like the type of idiot who’d pick a fight with any guy that so much as looked at his girl. He wasn’t particularly scared of Jaewon, though. He had simply returned Eunseo’s bracelet, something he didn’t even seem to care about. 

He looked at Eunseo again, a little longer this time. She seemed to feel his eyes on her, since she looked up in his direction again, a small smile grazing her lips.

However, this time, Jaewon – speak of the fucking devil – appeared, sat down next to her and kissed her, effectively distracting her.

He turned to his friends, ready to rant to them about how Jaewon probably wasn’t even a good kisser. What he didn’t expect to see was Hyunjin and Seungmin just all up in each other’s face, casually making out at the breakfast table. Jisung made a face and focused back on his food.

Why was everyone around him in in a relationship?

~

“Jisung,” Eunseo’s voice called out to him when the Ravenclaw left the Great Hall to head to class. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to see her approach him, smiling at him again. He could get used to that sight. Her smile was gorgeous, even more so when it was directed at him.

“I wanted to thank you. I almost gave up on ever getting my bracelet back,” she said once she came to a halt in front of him. Jisung waved off, pretending not to let his chest swell with pride.

“It was a mere coincidence,” he told her. Eunseo looked at her wrist where her bracelet was shimmering in all its golden glory.

“Coincidence or not, thank you!” she said sincerely.

Jisung saw his chance to ask her about the note. “So, about hanging out...” he trailed off.

Eunseo chuckled. “Sure, I’d love that,” she said. “I have to get to class now, but maybe you could practice down at the Quidditch pitch with me later? I’m still pretty new on the team, after all,” she suggested.

“Yeah, sure! Though, with your talent I don’t think you need much practice,” Jisung said in a spur of confidence. Eunseo grinned.

“How do you think I got this good?” she joked and winked, leaving Jisung weak in the knees. “I’ll see you later, okay. Let’s say four? I’ll meet you there”

“Y-yeah, four’s good...” Jisung answered.

She beamed and took off with a ‘see you then’.

Jisung was pretty sure he’d forgotten how to breathe. He was really going to hang out with Eunseo later! He all but floated to his classes, the slightly dumb grin on his face never quite vanishing.

Seungmin gave him a weird look when he sat down next to him in Transfigurations but chose not to comment on his friend’s behavior.

~

4pm came a little too quickly for Jisung’s nerves. He was constantly praying that he wouldn’t make a fool out of himself in front of Eunseo. This was his chance to impress her after his absolute embarrassment during the last game.

He made his way down to the Quidditch pitch, already dressed in his practice robes. 

Eunseo already waited for him when he reached the field. She was dressed in her red and gold Quidditch robes, her long brown hair falling over her left shoulder in a braided ponytail. She gave him one of those gorgeous smiles which always made him weak.

“Hi,” he greeted her, mentally cursing himself for sounding so shy.

“Hey,” she replied. They looked at each other awkwardly for a while. “Um, I’ve never really practiced one on one with anyone...” Eunseo said.

“Oh, um... I guess you’ll just throw Quaffles at me and I’ll try to hold them...” Jisung answered, helpfully.

She chuckled. “Okay, then.”

They got on their broomsticks and Jisung took the familiar position in front of the goal posts. He always felt more confident in the air.

Quidditch was his thing, he was good at it. But something about the way Eunseo held herself in the air gracefully like a goddess kind of turned him into an absolute idiot.

Eunseo had retrieved the Quaffle beforehand and was now throwing it around in her hands seemingly getting ready. He tried to focus on the volleyball-sized ball. This was his chance to prove himself to her and make up for his awful Quidditch season this year.

~

After a while of playing, and Jisung surprisingly not making a complete idiot of himself, they decided to fly over to the spectators’ area and sit down for a bit. One thing Jisung noticed was that playing Quidditch together wasn’t the best way to get to know each other, so he was thankful for getting the opportunity now.

“So, that bracelet of yours...” Jisung trailed off, sneaking a glance at the older girl’s wrist. She followed his gaze with a fond smile.

“My grandma gave it to me for my 16^th birthday. It’s kind of been my lucky charm ever since I got it. Like, I’m usually not superstitious, but every time I don’t wear it something weird happens. If I had lost it for good, I don’t think I ever would have forgiven myself...” she explained.

She seemed to really care about the bracelet a lot, which was understandable, since Jisung had overheard her say that it was her grandmother’s last gift to her. It was only natural for her to treasure it.

“Where did you find it anyway?” she questioned looking at Jisung.

“In the Owlery... I saw it lying around on the floor,” Jisung answered.

He smiled at the memory of her face lighting up when she’d opened the envelope at the breakfast table. Eunseo chuckled.

“I guess that explains your way of giving it back to me... I didn’t even notice that I lost it there,” she said. “But seriously, I can’t thank you enough for finding it!”

“I’m just glad I could make you smile,” Jisung told her before he could stop himself. He wasn’t sure if it was due to the cold or his words, but her cheeks seemed to tint a faint shade of pink.

“We should probably get back to the castle. It’s getting dark,” Eunseo said. Jisung grinned at her flustered tone but rose to his feet alongside her nonetheless.

“I had fun practicing with you, Jisung. I meant what I said after the game. You’re good,” she told him as they casually walked back to the castle.

“I’m not just a keeper when it comes to Quidditch,” he half-joked.

She laughed. “You’re adorable.”

Jisung wasn’t really going for adorable but he had to start somewhere.

“We should do stuff together more often,” she suggested. “I liked hanging out with you.”

Jisung’s heart almost stopped beating. She wanted to hang out again? Like a date? No, of course not... she had her stupid boyfriend. Well, for now, Jisung guessed, he should just be her friend... it was better than pining after her from afar.

“Sure, I’d like that too,” he finally replied.

~

Over the course of the next week, Jisung and Eunseo spent quite a lot of time together.

They would either head back to the Quidditch pitch to practice – sometimes with other players like Chan or Felix – or they’d stay inside playing wizard’s chess or talking about the muggle world. She was muggle born like him, which delighted both of them since they could talk about the crazy stuff that had happened to them in the muggle world without having to explain typical muggle things to each other.

Eunseo told him that Jaewon wasn’t too interested in the muggle world since he grew up with wizards surrounding him. According to her, he had called her weird on numerous occasions. Jisung couldn’t understand how Jaewon wasn’t eager to listen to her excitedly going on about her hometown and her parents and all the stuff she’d gone through in elementary school when she hadn’t been aware of her magical powers yet.

Jisung was almost content with just being her friend. He’d grown closer to her in just a week than he’d even dared to imagine, and he loved every second he spent with her, but there was just this slight ache in his heart whenever she mentioned Jaewon. Or whenever he would suddenly pop up out of nowhere and kiss her right in front of him. He’d give anything to be with her.

If only he knew how to get past the “adorable” stage with her.

He would try to lowkey flirt with her occasionally and get her flustered by making compliments, but he wasn’t sure if it worked even as he grew more and more confident around her. She laughed about his stupid jokes and reacted to his silly actions, sometimes subtly touching his arm, which gave him confidence.

~

Jisung sighed for the nth time that morning. Why did he have to tag along to Hogsmeade with Hyunjin and Seungmin? He felt like a third wheel, having to watch them hold hands and walk close to each other because of the cold.

Why the heck were all his friends in a relationship?

Everyone else seemed to have someone to go to Hogsmeade with.

“Guys, I’ll stop by at Spintwitches. I need a new pair of Quidditch gloves. I’ll meet you back at the castle,” he finally said.

Seungmin looked at him. “Do you want us to come with you?” he questioned.

Jisung waved off and shook his head. “No, you two go, have fun. I’ll be fine on my own.”

Hyunjin and Seungmin exchanged a look before agreeing. Jisung walked off, leaving the couple be.

He considered really going to Spintwitches Sporting Needs, but since he didn’t actually need new gloves, he figured that he’d just spend his money on unnecessary stuff there. So, he just walked around aimlessly, not really in the mood to go to Honeydukes or buy something at Zonko’s. He wasn’t particularly thirsty either, which kept him from entering the side alleys and heading to the Hog’s Head Inn, since he preferred the pub over the Three Broomsticks.

Jisung thought about just heading back to the castle when someone called out for him. He turned around and saw Eunseo, wrapped in a Gryffindor scarf, her open hair flying in the January breeze. His entire day seemed to brighten up at the mere sight of her.

“Hey,” he said giddily. His shyness from a week ago had completely vanished. “Where’s your boyfriend,” he added, trying not to sound bitter. Eunseo rolled her eyes.

“Busy with Quidditch practice. I would have joined him, but he said it was just a casual practice between him and the boys,” she explained. “I’m here on my own.”

Jisung didn’t miss the displeased tone in her voice.

“So am I... kind of. I third-wheeled on my friends’ date so I bailed,” he told her with a chuckle.

“We could walk around together for a bit,” Eunseo suggested. She didn’t have to ask Jisung twice. He wanted nothing more than to spend time with her, but he wasn’t going to show her just how excited her offer had made him.

Instead, he extended his arm in a cool fashion, inviting her to link her own arm through his. She chuckled and followed the silent request.

“What’s your favorite place around here?” Jisung asked her when they just started casually walking around the small village without any kind of destination on their minds. Eunseo hummed in thought.

“Well, I like Tomes and Scroll, the bookstore. It’s really quiet in there, so it’s a great place for when I just have to get away, you know. Jaewon doesn’t like it there. He says the smell of books reminds him of homework,” she told him.

“You don’t seem to have very much in common with him,” Jisung pointed out against his better judgement.

Eunseo shrugged. “He’s a nice guy, so I mostly see past that. Besides, there’s always Quidditch to talk about...” she trailed off, not sounding too enthusiastic, but maybe it was just part of Jisung’s imagination. He wanted her to dump him. If she wanted to spend all day at Tomes and Scroll enjoying the quiet atmosphere and getting lost in the books around there, he’d gladly keep her company.

They didn’t talk very much more after that. However, the silence was a comfortable one. Eunseo walked a little bit closer to him every time the wind would blow particularly hard and it took every ounce of Jisung’s willpower not to put an arm around her shoulders and pull her into his side to keep her warmer.

They ended up at the Shrieking Shack eventually. Jisung couldn’t say that he’d been here very often. He’d heard all kinds of spooky stories about the place; about werewolves and vampires and whatnot, but he wasn’t sure which parts were true. They were still a good walk away from the actual building which was separated from them by a half-assed wire fence – not that Jisung had any intentions of getting closer to the Shack.

He and Eunseo spent some time just standing there by the fence, looking at the Shrieking Shack, still in that comfortable silence. That is, until Eunseo decided to break said silence by facing him fully.

“You know, Jisung... this might seem out of the blue...” she trailed off. Jisung looked at her, his interest piqued, “...but I always have such a good time when I’m with you...” she finished.

It didn’t seem like that was what she actually wanted to say. He reached for her gloved hand, feeling adventurous today. This time he was sure that the blush that spread on her cheeks was because of him and it made him feel beyond euphoric. He also noticed their proximity. Eunseo was the tiniest bit shorter than him, a thing he’d never really noticed before.

She was also really pretty up close.

While Jisung admired the girl’s beauty, he noticed her eyes travel to his lips. Next thing he knew, she put her fluffy-gloved hands on the Ravenclaw’s cheeks, softly pulling him closer to her face. The younger closed his eyes as their lips touched and it felt like a sudden summer had broken out. The cold air Jisung had felt on his skin before suddenly felt like a warm flush.

Instinctively, Jisung put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer to his warm body.

It felt like a movie.

They stayed like this for a few seconds; Jisung found himself enjoying every single one. Eunseo, however, broke the kiss just as Jisung figured that he could get used to this. She took a step away from him, trying to calm her breathing. Jisung could see her breath in the cold air.

“I can’t, Jisung... I have a boyfriend...” she said, looking anywhere but his face.

He reached for her hands. “But you like me. I know you do,” he told her.

He was sure of it. She had been the one to initiate the kiss, after all.

You didn’t just kiss somebody like that if you had no feelings for them.

“Even if I do... I can’t just dump Jae. I’m not like that,” Eunseo finally said after a few seconds of silence.

“Well, it’s either me or him. You can’t have both of us,” he told her.

She took half a step back, gently freeing her hands from Jisung’s, muttering a barely audible “I’m sorry...”

Jisung stood up straight, taking another step back from her, before speaking up, his tone cold: “I guess I should go, then. Don’t worry, I won’t bother you anymore.” With that he took off, ignoring her when she called after him.

He just wanted to get away from her.

He scoffed at himself for his stupidity. He had seriously believed that Eunseo would choose him over Jung Jaewon. Even if the guy was insensitive and they had literally nothing in common aside from Quidditch, she still preferred him over Jisung. Why? Probably because he was older and more handsome than him.

Still, it hurt. For just a second, he was able to pretend that Eunseo liked him back. He’d played himself, but he also felt played by her. She made him feel like he had a chance with her.

He walked through the crowded streets of Hogsmeade. He even spotted Seungmin and Hyunjin in front of the windows of Honeydukes, but he wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone right now so he just made his way back to the castle with quick steps, ignoring everyone and everything.

~

“Hey, are you okay? I was looking for you at dinner,” Seungmin told him, when he entered the Ravenclaw boys’ dorm and found Jisung lying around on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

“I didn’t want to disturb your couple time with Hyunjin,” Jisung answered monotonously.

Seungmin raised his eyebrows. “What? You know that you’re never disturbin–”

“Just leave me alone, would you?” Jisung interrupted him. He really wasn’t in the mood to talk to his friends. He just wanted to feel sorry for himself about falling for a taken girl.

“Damn, who shat into your pudding?” Seungmin muttered, walking over to his own bed and getting his pajamas, before leaving Jisung behind to change.

He felt a little bad for taking his bad mood out on Seungmin. It wasn’t his fault that Jisung couldn’t seem to find a proper girlfriend or boyfriend. He decided to apologize to his slightly younger friend once he’d returned from the bathroom.

However, sleep rolled over him before Seungmin returned.

~

The next morning, Jisung woke up late. Since it was Sunday, that wasn’t a big deal, but it also meant that Seungmin was already gone, probably studying at the library or spending time with Hyunjin. He still wanted to apologize to him for his behavior the previous evening, so he went downstairs in order to find him.

He got lucky at his first stop, the Great Hall. Seungmin was sitting at the almost empty Ravenclaw table with his History of Magic book in front of him. Jisung sat down across from him, waiting for him to look up.

He didn’t.

“I’m sorry about yesterday. I wasn’t in the best mood and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you,” Jisung spoke up. Seungmin didn’t react for a few seconds. Then, eventually, he shut his book and looked up. “I’m not mad at you. I figured that something must have happened... do you want to talk about it?” he questioned. Jisung shook his head, glad that Seungmin didn’t seem to hold a grudge.

“It’ll just drag me down again,” he muttered. Seungmin eyed him with a concerned expression, so he just did his best to give him a reassuring grin. “I’m okay, I promise,” he said.

The younger didn’t seem to believe him, but he knew better than to press it further. Jisung would talk to him once he was ready.

“Where’s Hyunjin?” Jisung questioned, dying to change topics and divert the attention from himself.

“I don’t know, we don’t always stick together,” Seungmin answered with a shrug.

“Could’ve fooled me,” the other Ravenclaw said teasingly. Seungmin fake-glared at him, but his friend didn’t miss the slight blush on his cheeks. Jisung chuckled. As alone as he felt with all his friends in committed relationships, he couldn’t deny how cute Seungmin was when it came to Hyunjin. Those two were really made for each other.

“Do you want to study together? OWLs aren’t that far away, you know,” Seungmin suggested.

Jisung scrunched up his nose. “Nah, I’ll study for OWLs another time... I’ll be okay,” he waved off.

Seungmin raised his eyebrows in slight disbelief. “How can you be so casual about that?”

“I just don’t like to stress myself out,” Jisung answered.

He’d always gotten through school with only studying as much as he absolutely needed to, and it had been working just fine so far. Seungmin was naturally good at anything, but he had the habit to study more than he needed to. Sure, he had outstanding grades, but Jisung was fine with just being average.

“Anyways, I think I’ll find something more fun to do than studying. I’ll see you at the common room or something,” Jisung said and rose from his seat. He was kind of hungry, but breakfast was already over, and he didn’t feel like heading down to the kitchen to get something.

Lunch wasn’t that far away anyway...

~

Over the next week, Jisung tried his best to avoid and get over Eunseo. He kept telling himself that she wasn’t that great anyway and that she should just stay with Jaewon if it made her so much happier. However, those attempts were fruitless.

He was already in too deep... he already liked her too much.

His friends knew that something was up, and that it most definitely regarded his crush, but whenever they asked him about it, he shut them down. He didn’t want to seem pitiful to them; the guy who had to fall for a taken girl.

On top of that, he was late for Quidditch practice today of all days. Momo had told them to be on time today, since they were going to discuss some new strategies for the next game that would show if they would come in last this season or at least managed a third place. He practically sprinted to the pitch, changing as fast as he could, before running onto the field, ready to get an earful from her.

Momo gave him a disapproving look but chose not to scold him in front of the whole team, which he was thankful for. He could barely focus on practice, though, his mind constantly flashing back to the time he and Eunseo had played Quidditch together. He barely listened to Momo at all.

She took him aside after finally calling it a day. His teammates swarmed to the dressing rooms, a few of them sending him sympathetic glances.

“What’s up with you today?” Momo asked him once she’d made sure that all their teammates were out of earshot. Jisung lowered his gaze.

“I’m just unfocused, is all... I’m sorry,” he apologized.

Momo placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not just about the game, Jisung. I care about the well-being of my teammates... are you alright?” she questioned.

Jisung just nodded, not feeling like getting into it. He hadn’t even really spoken to his friends about it. Not that he didn’t consider Momo a friend as well.

“I’ll do better next time,” he promised, hoping that it would be enough for her.

It didn’t seem to be, but she let him off with a sigh and an “alright, go change...” Jisung did as he was told, ready to head back to the castle and just get to his dorm and stare at the ceiling all day.

What he didn’t expect, was someone waiting for him outside of the dressing rooms. Eunseo still looked as gorgeous as ever, which made sense, since Jisung had last seen her a week ago. He tightened his lips into a straight line and proceeded to walk past her.

“Jisung, wait...” Eunseo called out to him. Jisung stopped in his tracks and looked at her.

“Why? So you can kiss me again only to tell me that you don’t want me?” he snapped. Eunseo at least had the decency to look apologetic.

“I’m sorry about that...” she said. “I-I told Jaewon about the kiss...” she added. Jisung raised his eyebrow. “He broke up with me.”

“And now you need a rebound?” the Ravenclaw asked.

Eunseo waved her hands around frantically. “That’s not why I’m here,” she clarified. “After you left that day in Hogsmeade, I did some thinking. And I realized that the best parts of my day are the ones I spend with you. I told Jaewon that I kissed someone else because I wanted it to end...” she exclaimed. Jisung didn’t quite know what to feel.

Was she serious? Or was she just confused?

“Somehow, I’m worried about my face now...” he finally said after a few seconds of silence. “If your boyfriend broke up with you because of me, I’m sure he doesn’t like me very much right now.”

Eunseo half-smiled. “Well, he’s not a violent person, so there’s not much to worry about... besides, I didn’t tell him that it was you,” she reassured him. Jisung didn’t really know if he should take her word for that.

“Just to be clear... I’m not a rebound?” he asked again, carefully.

She took a step towards him. “Not at all. But you could be my date tonight if you want to...” the Gryffindor suggested. Jisung’s heart stopped.

Had Eunseo really just asked him on a date?

“A-a date?” he stammered.

Eunseo nodded. “Yeah, I was thinking that maybe you’d like to sneak into the kitchen with me after dinner. This way we could eat and talk more comfortably...” she suggested. There wasn’t much to do around Hogwarts, so going to the kitchen to have a private dinner with her, sounded pretty nice.

But he still wasn’t entirely sure whether he should trust her yet.

“Suggestion, I’ll let you think about it and just wait for you there. If you don’t want to, I’ll leave you alone,” Eunseo spoke up again when Jisung didn’t answer after a minute. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. She looked like she wanted to say something but decided against it. Eunseo slightly squeezed his shoulder before turning around and walking back to the castle.

Jisung leaned against the nearby wall, trying to process what had just happened. What was he supposed to do now? Did he really want to risk falling even harder for her only to get his heart broken again? He already liked her a lot, though... and if she was serious this might turn into something great.

He had a decision to make...

~

Jisung had spent the following few hours after his conversation with Eunseo thinking about whether he should meet her for dinner or not. Was he ready to forgive her for choosing Jaewon over him? Was he ready to face Jaewon’s wrath if he and Eunseo were to start dating?

He ran a hand through his hair nervously before reaching out to tickle the pear on the fruit bowl portrait that would lead to the kitchen. It had been a while since he’d been here, but nothing had changed. There were no house elves around, but since dinner at the Great Hall was already over, he figured that there was no reason for them to be here anymore.

Eunseo sat at the table that stood in the middle of the kitchen. It was set for two and the food already seemed to be ready as well, if the bowl of chicken that sat in the middle of it was anything to go by. Eunseo’s face brightened up when Jisung entered and she got up to meet him halfway.

“You’re here!” she exclaimed, reaching for his hands and gently dragging him along to the table.

“Yeah... I wasn’t sure at first, but I figured that you deserve a second chance...” Jisung explained.

She smiled at his words. “I’m glad to hear that. I made a mistake by letting you go that day...” she told him with a slight blush on her cheeks. Jisung felt his own cheeks burn at her words. He hadn’t expected her to be this straightforward with him. Before Jisung could answer, though, Eunseo pointed to the food. “Let’s eat, shall we?” she said. Jisung nodded and sat down across from her.

“I asked the house elves to prepare this...” Eunseo told him when he inspected the chicken. “I don’t know about you, but I love chicken,” she added.

Jisung chuckled. “So do I,” he replied.

They began to eat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying their food and each other’s presence.

Eventually, though the Gryffindor broke the silence. “Can I be honest with you again?” Jisung looked at her, nodding carefully. “When we first met, I thought you were gay,” she admitted with a chuckle. Jisung shrugged with a slight grin. “Well, I did date guys before... I guess I’m just not into labels...” he admitted. “I hope that’s okay for you...”

Eunseo nodded her head. “Of course, it is. You like who you like, right?”

“Yeah, and right now I like you,” Jisung retorted smoothly. This time he was the straightforward one, effectively making her blush.

“I like you too,” Eunseo said, sounding unusually shy.

“You know, for a long time I felt like there was no spark left between me and Jaewon. Like you said before, we didn’t have much in common. I just figured that since he was my first boyfriend, I should try to make it work at all cost...” she explained. “But I feel like the first time I really noticed all that was when I started spending time with you.” She reached for his hand across the table. “I’m really glad you decided to show up tonight.”

“I would have regretted it if I hadn’t,” Jisung told her honestly.

~

It got pretty late, so the two of them decided to leave the kitchen to sneak back to their common rooms. Jisung decided to walk Eunseo to the Gryffindor tower – which was basically just an excuse to spend just a little more time with her. They had almost reached the portrait of the Fat Lady when they saw a flicker of light from around the corner.

Jisung didn’t think very long and pulled Eunseo behind the next best gargoyle. He was glad that those things were so huge as they were hidden from plain sight. Eunseo looked shocked for a second, suddenly standing so close to Jisung, but he just put a finger on his lips, signaling her to be quiet.

A teacher patrolled down the hallway. The two students held their breaths, waiting for them to pass. Jisung couldn’t see who it was, but it wasn’t important. He just hoped that they wouldn’t suspect anything and check for students behind the gargoyles.

Finally, the teacher rounded another corner and the tension in Jisung’s shoulders relaxed. He took a small step back when he finally noticed just how close they were standing together. Eunseo grinned and peeked into the hallway before reaching for Jisung’s hand and continuing their way to the Gryffindor common room.

“That was fun,” she whispered.

Jisung gave her a side-look. “If you count me almost having a heart attack fun, I guess,” he joked.

Eunseo chuckled. “You’re so cute,” she mumbled as they reached the portrait.

“Excuse you, I’m not cute,” he argued.

Eunseo only laughed. “You are cute. Like a baby squirrel,” she told him.

Jisung pouted mock-offended. He didn’t actually mind if she found him cute. He also didn’t mind being called a baby squirrel. Eunseo kept laughing at his expression and Jisung couldn’t help but join in eventually until the Fat Lady told them to either enter or be quiet.

Eunseo pulled him away from the portrait and looked at him. “Tonight was really fun,” she said.

“It was,” Jisung agreed.

Eunseo looked a little sheepish. “I know Jaewon and I just broke up... but I really like you, Jisung. I’d like to spend more time with you... as more than friends.”

Jisung smiled, his heartbeat picking up in speed. Instead of answering he took both of her hands in his and pulled her closer. He connected their lips shortly but softly. They both smiled into the kiss but had to pull away soon because both of them knew that Jisung had to get back to his own dorm.

“I feel like we should keep this lowkey at first, though. At least, until things have calmed down between you and Jaewon,” Jisung said. She nodded.

“That’s probably a good idea...” she agreed. “I guess I’ll go inside now before a teacher catches us after all,” she told him with a chuckle. Jisung nodded, only reluctantly letting go of her hand.

“Good night,” he muttered.

She smiled and turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady. “Dragon egg,” she said, and the portrait swung aside. Eunseo climbed through and turned around to give Jisung a last smile and a little “good night” before the Fat Lady shut the entrance again.

“You better go to your own common room, lover boy, before I tell on you,” she snarled.

“You’re a bitter old lady, you know that?” Jisung retorted, turning to leave and ignoring her exasperated gasps.

He made his way back to the Ravenclaw tower, feeling like the happiest guy alive. He had definitely made the right decision by giving Eunseo another chance.

~

“Do I want to know why you’re showing up here at 1am looking like you just won the Quidditch Cup?” Seungmin questioned when Jisung entered the dorm. The slightly younger boy was sitting on his bed with a book, the glasses he only wore at the dorm almost slipping off his nose.

“I had a date,” Jisung answered honestly.

Seungmin raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t think you’d get over Eunseo so quickly,” he stated.

Jisung just grinned as he flopped down on his bed. Seungmin made a noise of realization.

“It was with Eunseo, wasn’t it? I thought you two had a fight, considering how you were so down all week. Are you finally going to tell me what happened between you two?” Seungmin babbled. He shut his book and all but jumped onto Jisung’s bed.

“Oh my god, can you be quiet. I don’t want you to wake the others!” Jisung whisper-snapped at him.

Seungmin just giggled. “I’ll be quiet if you give me the details,” he said. Jisung rolled his eyes playfully, actually excited to tell Seungmin about everything.

“Alright, I’ll tell you, but you cannot tell anyone! We’re still kind of keeping it a secret,” he gave in.

Seungmin looked even more excited at that. “A secret romance? My poor heart,” he swooned.

Jisung slightly hit his arm with a chuckle before proceeding to tell Seungmin all about their kiss followed by their fight, Eunseo’s apology and today’s events. He couldn’t wipe the giddy smile off his face the entire time and Seungmin made sure to tease him about it frequently. Eventually they both fell asleep in Jisung’s bed, since Seungmin was too tired to move over to his own bed which was only a few feet away.

~

“So, you and Eunseo, huh?” was the very first thing Hyunjin said when Jisung saw him the next day at lunch. Jisung raised his eyebrow and looked at Seungmin who raised his hands in surrender.

“I only told him; I swear! You know, I can’t keep stuff from him,” he explained himself.

Hyunjin looked from him to Jisung and back. “Um, I didn’t know it was a secret,” he muttered. “I may or may not have mentioned it to Minho and Changbin...” he added.

Jisung sighed. “That means Chan and Felix know as well...” the Ravenclaw said in a defeated tone.

“I’m sorry, Jisungie,” Seungmin apologized, sounding like he’d just ran over his puppy.

Jisung sighed again. “It’s okay... just as long as Jaewon doesn’t find out. I’m not prepared to die yet...”

Unfortunately, Jisung’s hopes were shattered a mere hour later. He saw Eunseo on the way to her next class and pulled her aside to tell her that their plans to keep their thing a secret hadn’t quite worked out. She didn’t seem too concerned. But then again, it wasn’t going to be her face that was going to get smashed in by Jung Jaewon.

“It’s going to be fine, Jisung. I told you, Jaewon and I are through... he’s probably just as glad that this is over as I am,” Eunseo tried to assure him, caressing his arm slightly in order to calm him down.

“I’m not worried about Jaewon,” he lied. He wasn’t going to look like a coward in front of his girlfriend.

She raised her eyebrow, seeming not to fully believe him. “Great, then we might as well have dinner together later. Now that the cat’s out of the bag anyway,” she suggested.

Jisung nodded. “Why not,” he replied, trying to sound confident.

“See you later then,” Eunseo said. She quickly kissed him on the cheek before taking off.

Jisung ruffled his hair in desperation. He wasn’t scared of Jaewon per say, but he’d also never been the reason someone broke up with their boyfriend.

“Han!” somebody roared through the hallway just as Jisung was about to head to his common room, since he had no more classes this afternoon. He froze, not daring to turn around. “I know you heard me, coward!” the voice called out. Jisung squeezed his eyes shut for a second before turning around. A few students stopped to watch the action that was about to unfold.

Jung Jaewon was approaching Jisung, looking anything but happy. “So, you’re the one who stole my girl!” the older said. Jisung scoffed involuntarily, his slight fear getting replaced by anger.

“She’s not your property, you dumbfuck!” he told Jaewon in a moment of bravery.

“Just you wait! I will crush you like a mosquito for ever getting in my way!” Jaewon answered, pushing past him, not without making sure to bump into Jisung, hard.

“If I recall correctly you were the one who broke up with her,” the Ravenclaw pointed out. In hindsight, he probably should have shut his mouth, but something about the way he talked about Eunseo got his blood boiling.

“If I recall correctly,” Jaewon imitated him mockingly as he turned back around, “she kissed you while I was still with her!”

“And why do you think that happened?!” Jisung retorted, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. He really expected Jaewon to punch him so hard he’d fly all the way to the other side of the castle but instead the Gryffindor just got all up in his face, face red with anger.

“I’ll end you!” he growled, before storming off and Jisung swore there were fumes coming from his head.

He was screwed.

~

Jisung had promised to have dinner with Eunseo and he was going to keep that promise. However, he did not miss the death glares Jung Jaewon would shoot him across the room. Even one table and about fifty students away, Jisung could still see an angry vein that popped out of his forehead. He shuddered and focused his attention back to Eunseo who sat across from him, talking to Seungmin and Hyunjin.

“So, how’s that gonna go?” Hyunjin asked just when Jisung had tuned back into their conversation.

“How’s what gonna go?” Jisung questioned.

Eunseo chuckled. “The friendly match between our houses this weekend,” the Gryffindor enlightened him.

“We’re worried that your ego might get bruised beyond repair when you get crushed by your girlfriend’s team,” Hyunjin teased him.

Jisung glared at him. “That won’t happen,” he promised. He might get crushed by Gryffindor’s Beater alone, but he wasn’t going to tell his friends that.

~

The good news; Jisung was finally back on track after two of his greatest Quidditch humiliations of the year. The bad news; Jaewon really had it out for him. As a Keeper, he had never had to dodge that many bludgers before. 

The friendly match between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor didn’t look too friendly in Jisung’s eyes. The first bludger might have been an accident, as those little shits tended to do whatever the fuck they wanted. After the sixth bludger, though, Jisung looked around and found Jaewon glaring at him, probably seeing him as an easy target, since he couldn’t really go anywhere if he wanted to protect his goal posts.

Jisung wouldn’t go down easily, though. If Jaewon wanted to play, so be it. He dodged the next bludger and smirked in Jaewon’s direction. He gave him a challenging look, silently asking him ‘is that all you can do?’ That seemed to piss him off even more. For some reason, the angrier Jaewon got, the more he wanted to anger him.

Jaewon tried to hit him from a closer distance. Even Seungmin, who was narrating the game, had picked up on the Gryffindor Beater’s antics. “Gryffindor’s Beater seems to have a personal problem with Ravenclaw’s Keeper since all his bludgers seem to be aimed at him.” Jisung chuckled at the comment, while Jaewon looked like he was about to explode. 

“Alright, you rat! Get off your broomstick we’re handling this like real men,” Jaewon shouted eventually. Eunseo flew over after Seungmin had pointed out the little battle going on between Jisung and Jaewon.

“Would you cut it out!” Jisung heard her shout.

“What do you want with this little kid, Eunseo?” Jaewon replied.

“Um, it seems like the game has involuntarily been interrupted, since the players are getting too caught up in the drama that’s unfolding near Ravenclaw’s goal posts,” Seungmin announced. It was true. None of the players seemed to be focused on the game anymore.

“It’s none of your business who I date!” Eunseo shouted back.

“This weasel’s all talk and no game. If your ‘boyfriend’ is really that great, I want him to prove how real of a man he is!” Jaewon said in a challenging tone, before shifting his attention to Jisung again. “I challenge you to a duel tonight at 9 in the Paved Courtyard,” he announced.

“Come on that’s stupid! This isn’t the middle ages,” Eunseo protested.

“No, if he wants to have a duel, we’ll have a duel,” Jisung stepped in.

Eunseo looked like she wanted to strangle both of them. “Fine, have your barbaric duel. But right now, we’re going to finish this damn game,” she said and flew off, snatching the Quaffle from Chan who had just watched the whole scene, too dumbfounded to even react.

The game kind of went back to normal after that. Jaewon had finally stopped sending Bludgers his way (at least most of the time) and Jisung was able to focus on the game. He noticed that Eunseo seemed to throw the Quaffles with extra fervor, but that anger made it easier for Jisung to see through her and hold them.

In the end, Yaebin, Ravenclaw’s Seeker caught the Snitch, ending the game with a score of 220-50 in Ravenclaw’s favor.

Jisung was quick to get off his broomstick and change back into his clothes. He half-heartedly listened to his teammates’ praise on how good of a job he’d done out there.

He caught up with Eunseo halfway up to the castle. “Are you mad at me?” he questioned.

“No, I’m not... I’m mad at Jaewon for acting like that. “A real man” what the fuck does that even mean...” the older girl complained. “He just completely embarrassed me and the entire team in front of the whole school. I get that he feels wronged, but he broke up with me and that’s that.”

Jisung reached for her hand, getting her to stop walking. “I’ll be fine during that duel,” he assured her.

“I still think that it’s a stupid idea...” Eunseo told him honestly. “But I guess, there’s no talking you out of it, is there...” she added. Jisung shook his head apologetically. “Fine... then I’ll see you tonight...”

Eunseo said, gently slipping her hand from Jisung’s grip and leaving him behind. Jisung sighed. He knew that this whole duel thing wasn’t really what she wanted but he wasn’t a coward.

Maybe, this was the only way to get Jaewon off their backs, if he won, that is.

~

Chan and Felix waved Jisung over during dinner. It was 7pm, two hours before the battle. Jisung walked over to their table and slumped down next to Felix.

“That was quite the scene at the game,” Chan pointed out.

“I guess...” Jisung answered.

Felix pouted. “I missed everything, cause I had to stay over at the goal posts,” he muttered.

“Are you really going to duel Jaewon?” Chan questioned, ignoring Felix’ protest.

Jisung shrugged. “Sure... he’s a prick...” he answered.

“He’s also twice your size,” the younger Gryffindor pointed out.

Jisung gave him a ‘thank-you-for-reminding-me’ look.

“Are you sure that’s the way to go, though, Jisung? Battling your girlfriend’s ex?”

Chan seemed genuinely concerned about Jisung’s well-being which he appreciated, but it wasn’t like he could just walk over to Jaewon and go like “hey, sorry man, but I’ve changed my mind about the duel.” That was exactly what he told Chan as well.

“I’m gonna do this. And I’m gonna win,” he said with way more confidence than he actually felt.

~

Jisung hadn’t expected the courtyard to be packed with curious students. He found Eunseo sitting on one of the steps that led to the entrance, her arms crossed, and still looking completely unamused. The rest of her Quidditch team seemed to be there as well as the Ravenclaw team.

“So, you actually showed up,” Jaewon mocked him. “I figured we could make this more fun... no wands, no magic. Just man on man combat,” the Gryffindor announced, pulling his wand out of his robes and handing it to one of the guys near him who took it with a smirk. Jisung couldn’t say that he had been prepared for this, but this was not the time to back out.

He also pulled the wand out of his robes, glad to see Felix jogging up to him and taking it. He sneaked a short glance at Eunseo, who had started to look slightly more alarmed by the turn of events.

“Now, this is how you muggles do it, right?” Jaewon questioned, stepping closer to him. Jisung clenched his fists.

“Only the ones with the brain of a Neanderthal, but that seems to fit you just fine,” he answered, his jaw tightened in anger. Jaewon’s face reddened again and before Jisung knew it, the older had placed a punch right across said jaw.

He stumbled backwards, trying to ignore the pounding in his head. Jaewon smirked triumphantly, while most of the crowd began to boo at the unfair start. Jisung surged forward, managing to place a punch himself. Jaewon cursed, clutching his eye, seeming to get madder by the second.

Jisung tried his best, blocking the following punches sent to his face and stomach, but Felix hadn’t been wrong when he’d pointed out that Jung Jaewon was twice his size. Besides, Jisung may have grown up in the muggle world, but he’d never been involved in any kind of fist fight.

He fell to the floor when Jaewon landed a particularly hard punch to his stomach. His whole body felt like it was on fire. He rolled onto his back, seeing Jaewon stand over him.

“Maybe now you’ll stay away from things that are out of your league!” the Gryffindor spat before walking away from the scene.

Jisung just remained lying on the floor, feeling beaten and ashamed as the crowd dispersed. Felix tried to help him up after handing him his wand, but he’d waved him off. Eunseo was nowhere to be seen. She had probably seen how much of a weakling her boyfriend was and decided to go back to Jaewon.

The Ravenclaw had no idea how long he had been lying there, but eventually he chose to get up, pain shooting up every inch of his body. He couldn’t face the other students yet, so he took the path down to the boathouse. He just wanted to be alone for a while.

Jisung had lost the fight and he’d most likely lost his first girlfriend too, so he wasn’t in any rush to get back to the castle.

He sat down, leaning against the cool stone wall of the boathouse. How could he have agreed to get his ass beaten in front of the whole school? He should have fucking known that things would turn out like this. He should have known that Eunseo wouldn’t settle for him for long. He was just a weak little Ravenclaw that couldn’t even win a tiny little fist fight.

“Hey...” a female voice spoke up, effectively startling Jisung.

It was Eunseo standing in the doorway.

She stepped inside and sat down across from him, placing a bag next to her on the floor. She leaned forward, inspecting the bruises on Jisung’s face, which proved to be a challenge in the dim lighting.

“Shouldn’t you be with him?” the Ravenclaw asked.

“Who, Jaewon?” she asked, reaching to open the bag and pulling a wet wipe out, carefully cleaning the drying blood off the younger’s face. “I’m not choosing my boyfriend based on a barbaric fist fight. I left to get this and when I came back the fight was over, and you were nowhere to be seen,” she told him, referring to her little med bag.

“So you knew I’d lose,” Jisung said.

Eunseo gave him a look. “I did witness the first few minutes of it. But I could have told you that. He’s built like a Beater... I’ve just never seen him get violent,” she mumbled the last part. “What were you thinking, Jisung?”

The Ravenclaw lowered his head in shame. “I just wanted to prove to you that I can fight for you. I’m younger than you, so you probably see me as a baby. Felix was right... and so was Jaewon. You’re out of my league,” he told her, voice sounding small, but still echoing in the small boathouse.

Eunseo started tending to his wounds again. “That’s ridiculous,” she said. “You’re my baby squirrel, yes. But you’re also more of a man than Jaewon will ever be,” she reassured him, pressing a little kiss to his nose, after she’d finished cleaning the wounds on his face.

Jisung couldn’t help but smile a little at her words. “Do you mean that?” he questioned. Eunseo nodded.

“Of course, I do... that’s why I’m here. To tell you that you don’t have to fight any battles to make sure that I’ll stay. I’m not going anywhere...” She was about to continue treating his wounds, but he stopped her, by grabbing her wrist and pulling her in for a hug.

He already felt a thousand times better just by having her close to him.

“I’m sorry for getting into that fight,” he muttered.

She pulled back and looked at him, gently running a hand through his hair. “It was dumb. But on the other hand, it was also kind of sweet how you tried to fight for me. You really know how to make a girl feel appreciated. Just... please don’t do it more often,” she pleaded.

Jisung smiled, but it was cut short by a wince, when his busted lip protested.

Eunseo rose to her feet, helping Jisung up along with her. “Come on... we should get you to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey can handle this way better than me...” she said.

Jisung still felt like three cars had run him over, but Eunseo by his side did help ease the pain, as cheesy as it sounded.

Jisung sneaked several side glances at her. He found himself mentally thanking Chan for adding her to Gryffindor’s Quidditch team. Who knew how things would have turned out if that former Chaser had decided to stay? He shook his head gently, not eager to find out.

He was bruised and beaten, but for the first time in his life, he felt like he might have found someone he could fall madly in love with.

Chapter Text

I am NOT [your Valentine]

Changbin wouldn’t say that he was into holidays.

He wasn’t into searching for Easter eggs and Christmas was only good because he usually got many presents.

The one holiday Changbin despised the most, though, was Valentine’s Day.

It was all overpriced chocolate and sickeningly sweet couples giving each other presents and showering each other with cheesy affection.

This year, though, Changbin might not hate Valentine’s Day as much as usual. He figured that his boyfriend, Felix, was just the kind of guy who was into those cheesy things. For some weird inexplicable reason, Changbin found himself looking forward to what the younger might have planned for the day.

When he woke up on February 14^th, he felt weirdly giddy.

Seo Changbin never felt giddy (unless he was around Felix, but that was a completely different topic, okay?!)

He got ready and met up with Hyunjin to head to the Great Hall with him. The younger told him all about his oh-so-romantic plans with his boyfriend Seungmin. Changbin only listened with half an ear, though, since he was too excited to see what Felix had come up with. Hyunjin parted ways with him at the entrance of the Great Hall to all but float over to Seungmin, who sat at the Ravenclaw table.

Changbin scanned his eyes over the Gryffindor table, but he couldn’t spot Felix anywhere.

He shrugged, figuring that the younger was probably just sleeping in, as it was Sunday today and sat down at his own table. Minho was nowhere to be seen (and neither was Chan now that he thought about it). He didn’t even want to know what the older and his boyfriend were up to on this “very special” day.

Changbin was just about to help himself to some toast when a pair of small hands covered his eyes. He jumped in surprise, but couldn’t hold back a grin, especially when a low voice whispered.

“Who is it?”

Changbin pretended to think. “Hm... I wonder who it could be...”

Felix chuckled and took his hands away before sitting down next to Changbin and greeting him with a good morning kiss. The Slytherin tried to subtly check Felix for any sorts of presents he might be hiding, but the younger just looked at him with a wide smile.

“Um... you good?” Changbin asked.

Felix nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, yeah... everything’s just fine. I’m just happy to see you,” he replied.

“Okay... any... special reason for that?” the older questioned carefully, hoping that he wasn’t giving himself away.

Felix tilted his head. “No, not that I know of. I’m always happy to see you. I don’t need a special reason,” he answered, pressing a little kiss on Changbin’s cheek before helping himself to some breakfast, missing the way his boyfriend frowned in confusion.

Had Felix forgotten about Valentine’s Day?

“Do you have anything you want to do today?” Changbin asked carefully. Felix gave him a look, seeming to think, before shaking his head.

“Nope, nothing much... Chan cancelled practice today. Why, do you want to go to Hogsmeade or something?”

“Nah... I think I’ll just stay here...” the older said in a resigned tone.

It seemed like Felix had truly forgotten...

~

“...and it’s not that I care about Valentine’s Day or anything. You’d just think he’d be the type of guy to celebrate it, right?” Changbin complained to Hyunjin, who was just on his way back to the Slytherin common room.

The younger didn’t seem to be fully listening, as he just walked next to his friend with a grin on his face. Changbin silently cursed the Valentine’s Day atmosphere that seemed to lull everyone into a dreamy state of love sickness.

“I even asked him if he had anything he wanted to do today and he just...” he trailed off, still in disbelief. Hyunjin stopped walking and faced him.

“Binnie... if you care that much about Valentine’s Day, why don’t you just do something for him?” he suddenly asked.

Changbin crossed his arms over his chest defensively. “I don’t care! I just thought he might...” he said.

Hyunjin chuckled. “Well, maybe he’s just like you. Pretending not to care, thinking that you’d remember and waiting for you to get him something nice,” the younger Slytherin pointed out.

Changbin’s eyes widened. “Shit! I didn’t even think to get him anything!” he exclaimed. Hyunjin had the audacity to laugh at him. “Stop laughing, you Wurst! I need a present for my boyfriend, this is about life and death! Please help me!”

“Calm down! You could always steal some chocolate cake for him from the kitchen. That one’s always gone first during the Valentine’s meals. I’m sure he’d appreciate it,” Hyunjin advised the older, still laughing a bit.

Changbin thought about it for a while.

Would that really be enough?

It definitely would be better than nothing. He nodded to himself.

Hyunjin only chuckled at his determined expression before continuing his way to the common room.

~

“Okay, but how do I do this? I suck at romance!” Changbin exclaimed a good few hours later during lunch.

Felix was sitting at the Hufflepuff table with Jeongin, so the Slytherin used the opportunity to ask his friends for advice. Minho and Hyunjin exchanged a look.

“We don’t know either,” was Minho’s simple reply.

Changbin whined. “What do you mean, you don’t know either?!” he questioned. He began to regret asking his friends.

The two of them hadn’t exactly been big on romance either up until this year. Changbin must have been crazy to think that they’d know anything about how he could make Valentine’s Day special – for Felix, of course, not for himself.

Hyunjin chuckled, kind of like he knew what Changbin had been thinking about. “What Minho means is that we don’t know Felix as well as you do. Maybe you should just... I don’t know... head up to the Gryffindor common room tonight and surprise him,” he suggested casually.

Changbin nodded slowly. “But what’s next? What do we do?” he asked.

“That’s completely up to you,” Minho told him with a grin. “I mean, I could tell you what I have planned for Chan, but you’re all children here, so you’ll have to come with something more PG,” he added, making the two younger Slytherins roll their eyes.

~

Changbin wouldn’t say that he was nervous.

Okay, maybe he was extremely nervous. Here he stood, in front of his boyfriend’s common room with two plates in his hand, each with a piece chocolate cake. The Fat Lady looked down on him expectantly. This was his chance to back out and forget all about the stress of Valentine’s Day.

“Are you gonna say the damn password or not, cause I have a date and I’m already late,” the Fat Lady ripped him from his thoughts.

“Oh, right... um,” Changbin blushed.

He had gotten the password from Chan earlier and he’d dreaded saying it to the Fat Lady.

“Be my Valentine,” he mumbled shyly, hoping that nobody was around to hear him.

The Fat Lady laughed and swung open with a “You’re not quite my type, sweetie.”

Changbin huffed and stepped inside the common room. He’d never been in here before, but he definitely hadn’t expected it to be so... empty. Dinner was long over, so where was everyone?

It was hardly possible that everyone was on a date tonight, right?

“Binnie,” a familiar voice spoke up from one of the armchairs. He hadn’t even seen Felix there. The younger got up and walked over to him. “

Um... h-hi?” he said, sounding a little unsure of himself. Felix chuckled, his gaze wandering to the cake in Changbin’s hands.

“You saved me some cake?” he questioned in excitement. Changbin smiled.

“Yeah, I did... um... happy Valentine’s Day...” he said awkwardly.

Felix’ face lit up even more. “You remembered!”

Changbin furrowed his brows at the reply. The Gryffindor just took the cake from his boyfriend and walked back over to the couches and armchairs where he set them down on a small book table.

“What do you mean, I remembered?” Changbin asked, still confused as he followed Felix. The younger chuckled.

“Well, I figured that you might not be too big on Valentine’s Day, so I figured I could surprise you. I wanted to make it as subtle as possible. I asked Hyunjin to get you to come here and Chan helped me clear out the common room,” Felix explained.

Hyunjin had been in on this?

Was that why he’d laughed at his desperation earlier?

Changbin wasn’t sure if he wanted to kill the younger or thank him.

Felix pulled something from his robes. “I have a surprise for you,” he muttered, pulling out a small box and opening it. Changbin’s eyes widened at the sight of a simple silver ring sitting on top of red satin inside the box. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” the younger said.

“Are you proposing to me?” the Slytherin questioned, eyes still glued on the ring.

Felix laughed, his cheeks tinting a soft shade of pink. “No, not yet,” he answered, causing Changbin to blush as well. “It’s a promise ring. In the muggle world, couples often wear those as a symbol of love and commitment,” Felix explained. He reached inside the collar of his robes, for a chain that hung around his neck. “I have the other one,” he told his boyfriend.

Changbin liked the idea of those rings. It wasn’t as much of a burden as an engagement ring. As much as he loved Felix, they were a bit too young to get engaged right now. Maybe someday in the future. The thought caused his cheeks to burn, but it also made him smile.

He took the ring, watching as Felix flicked his wand and made a chain appear for him to put it on. Changbin let the younger put it around his neck, turning his back to him. Felix feather-like touch made him get goosebumps all over. Once he was done, Changbin turned back around and the two of them looked at each other with giddy smiles on their faces.

Changbin took the younger by his small hands and pulled his body closer to his own, still smiling. He then cupped Felix cheeks, leaned in and kissed him slowly and passionately. Felix closed his eyes, smiled into the kiss and placed his hands on the Slytherin’s hips, pulling his boyfriend closer.

The older couldn’t help but feel the familiar butterflies erupt in his stomach from all the love and sincerity they were expressing through this passionate kiss. He even moved his hands from the younger’s cheeks to his hair, playing with the locks on the back of his head and pulling him deeper into the kiss.

After a few more minutes of, well, making out the two boys pulled away, catching their breath. Changbin still had his hands in Felix now messed up hair as Felix was still holding onto Changbin’s hips.

The Gryffindor leaned his forehead against the older’s as they were still wordlessly smiling and enjoying each other’s presence.

So, maybe Changbin did care about Valentine’s Day, after all.

Or maybe he just cared about Felix.

Chapter Text

Most people would say that Hwang Hyunjin had everything he needed.

He was handsome; his Quidditch skills were outstanding, making him the best Chaser of his age and on top of that he was popular.

Now, Hyunjin agreed with those people. But not for the same reasons. Looks and popularity had never been important to him, though he had made good use of both those traits before. Everything Hyunjin really needed, as cheesy as it sounded, was just to be with his boyfriend Kim Seungmin.

The two of them had been dating for almost two months now and Hyunjin had never been happier in his life.

Right now, he was on his way to the Great Hall to meet Seungmin for breakfast. He had spent lots of time at the Ravenclaw table lately, except for the times when Seungmin decided to join him at the Slytherin table.

He spotted Seungmin sitting on the far end of the Ravenclaw table along with his best friend Jisung and his girlfriend Eunseo. He grinned and walked over to join them, sitting down next to his boyfriend and kissing him on the cheek.

“Hi,” he greeted him softly. Seungmin smiled.

“Hey.”

“Wow, it’s like we’re not even here,” Jisung spoke up, effectively ripping Hyunjin and Seungmin out of their own little world.

“What, do you want a kiss too, Jisung?” Hyunjin teased with a sly smirk.

Jisung scoffed and shifted his attention back to Eunseo.

“We were just talking about the new student that arrived here this morning,” Seungmin informed his boyfriend.

“New student? It’s already February, why would he transfer here now?” Hyunjin questioned. Seungmin shrugged and reached for the grape juice across the table.

“I don’t know, but I could ask him since he’s in our year and apparently got sorted into Ravenclaw,” the younger told him.

Hyunjin raised his eyebrow at that. “Is that so?”

“Do I smell jealousy?” Eunseo spoke up.

The Slytherin fake-glared at her. “No? I’m just surprised, is all...” he explained.

“Besides,” Seungmin said, “he has nothing to be jealous of.” The Ravenclaw rose from his seat. “I gotta go, guys. I have to get some studying done in my free period,” he told his friends.

Hyunjin pouted. “I just got here and you’re already leaving?”

Seungmin leaned down to give him a kiss on the lips, making the pout go away instantly. “I’ll see you later,” he mumbled loud enough for only Hyunjin to hear, before heading out of the Great Hall.

Hyunjin stared after him until he couldn’t see him anymore, earning himself another scoff from Jisung.

“Whipped.”

~

Seungmin had just gotten cozy in the library with his Charms book when he noticed a student walking around, looking sort of lost. Being the nice guy, he was, he got up and approached him.

“Hi, can I help you?” he questioned.

The kid smiled. “Yes, I’m new here and I’m actually I’m looking for Achievements in Charming. It’s about Charms...” So, that was the new guy.

“Oh, that’s in shelf B7,” Seungmin told him, pointing in the general direction of said shelf.

“Thanks! Um, are you a fifth-year too?” the new kid asked.

Seungmin nodded. “I am. I’m also a Ravenclaw, like you. We’ll be sharing a dorm,” he replied. “I guess I should introduce myself, my name is Kim Seungmin.”

“I’m Go Sangyeol,” the new student replied, extending his hand for Seungmin to shake.

“You know what, why don’t you go get your book and we’ll study for Charms together? We have this test coming up next week and I was just about to get some studying done before second period,” the prefect offered. Sangyeol smiled and nodded, taking off to get his book while Seungmin walked back over to his table.

~

“You’re procrastinating...” Seungmin pointed out the same evening when he had to pry Hyunjin’s curious hands off him yet again. Slytherin would also have a Charms test in the same week as Ravenclaw, so Seungmin had offered to help his boyfriend with studying.

Hyunjin was known to be quite bad at Charms; it just didn’t interest him, so he’d do anything to escape from studying, even if it was with Seungmin.

Especially if it was with Seungmin.

The Slytherin smirked. “I just think that I’d much rather kiss you than study some boring spells,” he muttered, leaning in closer to Seungmin’s ear, causing the younger to shudder.

Even after several weeks of dating, Seungmin still got flustered around the Slytherin sometimes. And Hyunjin still found it endearing.

“I’ll just study next week,” the older said.

He could tell Seungmin was about ready to give in and call it a day, when he realized: “The test is next week! It’ll be too late!”

“I know... I’ll manage somehow, okay?” Hyunjin replied. “For now, I just want to spend some time with you.” Seungmin glanced at his books, seeming to contemplate whether he should leave the studying be for now.

He sighed. “Okay, fine...” he finally gave in.

Hyunjin grinned, satisfied that he got his will in the end.

They packed away their books and decided to head up to the Ravenclaw common room. It was something they did sometimes, hanging out together at each other’s common rooms, when it was late and barely anyone would hang around there anyways. Hyunjin reached for Seungmin’s hand somewhere along the way, always admiring the way it just fit so perfectly in his.

Seungmin answered the question at the Ravenclaw dorm’s doorknob and led Hyunjin inside the empty common room. The two of them flopped onto one of the blue couches and Hyunjin proceeded to rest his head on the younger’s shoulder, closing his eyes in content.

He liked spending time with Seungmin here. He loved how the moon shone through the high windows and how the fireplace crackled softly. Compared to the Slytherin common room, it seemed less elegant, but rather sophisticated.

In short, it was comfortable as fuck.

“I like your common room,” Hyunjin mumbled, feeling kind of sleepy all of a sudden.

Seungmin chuckled. “I like it too...although it’d be better if you were here all the time,” the younger replied.

Hyunjin cuddled up to him more. “I’m not smart like you. I can’t be a Ravenclaw,” the Slytherin said, missing the way Seungmin frowned at his words.

He just decided to take the younger’s silence as a form of agreement.

~

Eventually, after a few more comfortably silent hours of cuddling, Hyunjin had to sneak back to his own common room. Seungmin would have preferred to spend more time with his boyfriend, but he was reasonable enough to let the older go, knowing they had classes the following day. Staying up all night wasn’t wise. So, he sent Hyunjin off with a kiss and headed up to his dorms.

Jisung stirred awake when Seungmin entered the room. He sat up in his bed, checking his alarm clock on the bedside table. “Did you study until now?” he questioned; his voice hoarse with sleep.

“No, I was with Hyunjin,” the slightly younger Ravenclaw replied with a smile on his face as he let himself fall onto his bed. “Sorry for waking you,” he added as an apology.

Jisung waved off. “It’s fine. My mom-friend side sleeps better when I know you’re going to bed anyway,” he joked, causing Seungmin to snort. Jisung was many things, but not a mom-friend. “So, have you spoken to the new kid yet?” Jisung whispered, looking in the general direction of the new bed that had been added to the dorm sometime today.

“Yeah, I helped him study for the test next week...” Seungmin replied, in the same volume, hoping not to wake up any of the other fifth years. “He seems nice.”

Jisung made a noise of approval. “I hope so, it’d suck to have someone in here whom we’d not get along with,” he stated. Seungmin nodded, though, Jisung probably couldn’t see him in the dark anyway.

“Anyway, I’m going back to sleep,” the other said after a while of sleepy silence.

“I should do the same,” Seungmin agreed, shifting in his bed to get more comfortable. “Good night, Jisung,” he mumbled, but his friend had already fallen back asleep. The younger chuckled to himself and rolled onto his other side and not too long after, he was out like a light.

~

Seungmin was the first one to wake up the next morning. At least, that’s what he thought until he went downstairs to the common room and found Sangyeol sitting in one of the blue armchairs, reading a book.

“Morning,” Seungmin greeted him.

Sangyeol looked up and gave him a little smile. “Good morning,” he answered. Seungmin sat down across from him, since he didn’t quite feel like going to the Great Hall for breakfast yet. Since it was really early in the morning, Hyunjin was probably still sleeping anyway, so he wouldn’t get to see him there.

“Have you been here long?” the prefect asked. Sangyeol looked out the window, realizing that the sun had gone up.

“Yeah, I think I’ve been here since around 4am. I couldn’t sleep. It’s always like that when I’m somewhere new...” he replied.

Seungmin tilted his head to the side. “Do you transfer schools often?”

Sangyeol shook his head. “No, not really... but my family moves around a lot, so I always have trouble sleeping in a new environment. But it’s okay, I just study,” he explained, holding up the Charms book Seungmin had pointed out to him in the library yesterday.

“Yeah, I do that too,” the other said.

“I don’t mind studying as much as others do,” Sangyeol told him.

“I get that... my friends hate it, but it’s actually not that bad...” Seungmin agreed.

The new student smiled at him, shutting his book. “Do you want to study together after class?” he questioned, stretching in his armchair.

“Sure, I’d like that,” the other replied. They sat in silence for a while after that, as Sangyeol focused on his studies again and Seungmin half dozed off. More students began to wake up, but most of them didn't stay in the common room for long and went straight to the Great Hall.

Eventually, Seungmin figured that he could go to eat breakfast before he full-on fell asleep again. Sangyeol decided to join him since he didn't really know his way around the castle yet. 

Hyunjin was already waiting for him at the Slytherin table, greeting him with a big smile and a wave, both of which Seungmin returned. He turned to Sangyeol. 

“I'll introduce you to my boyfriend, if you want,” he said. Sangyeol looked into the direction of the Slytherin table.

“Sure,” he agreed with a shrug. Seungmin beamed and led the way over to where Hyunjin sat. 

The Slytherin tilted his head at the unfamiliar face. “Who's your friend?” he questioned after Seungmin had kissed him on the cheek and flopped down in the seat next to him. Sangyeol had taken the seat across from Seungmin, eyeing Hyunjin wordlessly. 

“This is Sangyeol, the new student from my house. Sangyeol, this is my boyfriend Hyunjin,” the prefect introduced the two. They exchanged awkward greetings before Hyunjin's attention was fully back on Seungmin. 

“I was wondering if you wanted to do something after class today,” the Slytherin asked, reaching for the pumpkin juice to pour some for his boyfriend. Seungmin gave him a sheepish look.

“Actually, Sangyeol and I were going to study for that Charms test later...” he admitted. Hyunjin's face fell a little.

“Oh... well, I could join you?” he offered.

Seungmin smiled at him and intertwined their hands. “Sure, why not.”

A little while later Minho, Changbin and Felix joined them at their table, also introducing themselves to the new student. Sangyeol seemed to get along with them pretty well, which was only good, considering most of them were in his year. 

Only Hyunjin seemed a little quiet, which didn't go unnoticed by Seungmin who turned to whisper to him. “You okay?”

Hyunjin looked at him and nodded. “Just a little tired, is all. We stayed up pretty late last night,” he reminded the younger, who chuckled and rested his head on his shoulder.

“So, Sangyeol... do you play Quidditch?” Minho questioned while buttering a croissant.

Sangyeol shook his head. “I'm not into sports. My family is bigger on academics than athletics, to be honest. Do you all play?” he returned the question. 

“Felix, Minho and Hyunjin do. And my best friend Jisung is our team's Keeper,” Seungmin explained. “I'm horrible at Quidditch, but I sometimes narrate the games.”

“You're not horrible,” Hyunjin spoke up.

Seungmin laughed. “Have you seen me on a broomstick? I appreciate the lie, though.”

They kept informing Sangyeol about the way things went in Hogwarts, which teachers better not to cross and which ghosts to avoid.

Once they finished breakfast they all headed to their respective classes. Hyunjin took off first because he had Muggle Studies on the other side of the castle and was already a bit late. The Ravenclaws had History of Magic with the Gryffindors, so Felix bid his goodbyes to Changbin before joining Seungmin who was going to show Sangyeol the way. Jisung also caught up with them along the way. 

~

As it turned out, Sangyeol sure didn't study for nothing. Seungmin was used to being almost the only one participating in Professor Binns’ dull classes, so Sangyeol raising his hand at every single question the ghost asked, came as a bit of a surprise to him. 

“Damn, looks like we got two super nerds around now...” Felix commented with a chuckle, though his eyes looked droopy, like he was going to fall asleep at any given minute. Seungmin pouted at both being called a super nerd and the fact that Sangyeol seemed to know literally everything. 

He wasn't only good at History of Magic, though. He also stood out in all the other classes they had throughout the day. The teachers seemed positively surprised about not having to ask Seungmin to give an answer when nobody else would. 

Meanwhile, Seungmin wasn’t sure if he liked that the teachers were giving him a break.

~

After lunch Hyunjin met up with Seungmin and the new kid before heading to the library with them. He wasn't eager to study, but he was willing to do it if it meant that he could be close to Seungmin. He knew he wouldn't have much of a chance to see him all day since he had Quidditch practice tonight, so he was going to milk the opportunity.

“So, what’s the Charms professor like anyway?” Sangyeol questioned once they’d found a table to study at.

“Well, he’s usually pretty chill. He’s also the head of our house, so you might have already met him,” Seungmin answered. Sangyeol’s eyes lit up in realization.

“Oh, the tiny one? He seemed nice,” he exclaimed.

Hyunjin snorted. “Not if you’re bad at Charms...” he muttered.

“That won’t be a problem for me, then. I love Charms,” Sangyeol replied with a smile that looked somewhat triumphant to Hyunjin. Maybe it was just his imagination, though.

“Hey, why don’t you tell us something about yourself, Sangyeol,” Seungmin suggested suddenly. Hyunjin wasn’t actually that keen to learn anything about the guy for some reason.

The other Ravenclaw thought about what to say for a while before he gave an answer: “I’m originally from America and went to school there. My parents moved a lot while I stayed there. Every time I came home for the holidays, I had to make new friends, but it would only last over one summer. Then I’d go back to school and they’d go on with their muggle lives.”

“Are you Muggle born as well?” Seungmin asked in excitement.

Sangyeol grinned. “Yeah, I am. My Dad’s a doctor and my Mom’s a cop. They’re pretty logical people, so they had a hard time understanding that their only son is a wizard,” he told the other. “They got used to it by now, though.”

“Mine were shocked too, but they handled it pretty nicely,” Seungmin replied. “My Dad only asked me what in the world I expected to learn at a school for wizards. He even called it ‘Abracadabra nonsense’.”

Hyunjin furrowed his brows as Seungmin cracked up. He and Sangyeol shared a laugh for a few minutes.

“Um... what?” Hyunjin asked eventually. Seungmin looked at him, his eyes still sparkling with amusement.

“It’s a Muggle thing, you wouldn’t get it,” he said, patting the older’s arm.

Ouch.

The Slytherin couldn’t deny the fact that this comment did hurt a little.

Why would he not get it? Was it because he didn’t understand Muggles, apparently? Or was he just downright too dense to get it?

He decided to say nothing about it, though.

“Didn’t you guys come here to study...” he muttered instead, effectively cutting the Ravenclaws’ bonding time short and making them remember the upcoming Charms test.

~

The test came around quickly. Seungmin had spent lots of time with Sangyeol to prepare for it and help him catch up as good as possible. He was anxiously waiting for the results, even though, Hyunjin kept trying to assure him that he’d end up being the best of their year anyway.

A week later, the Ravenclaw’s sat in Charms class, waiting for their test results. Professor Flitwick stood on his stack of books like he usually did, waiting to get everyone’s attention. Seungmin fidgeted nervously, enough for Jisung, who sat next to him, to take both his hands and hold them still.

“I’m really happy with the results for this test, as expected of my house!” Professor Flitwick began, a proud expression on his face. “Now, before you get your tests back, I’m going to announce the student who did best,” he said, clapping excitedly.

Someone behind Jisung muttered: “It’s gonna be Seungmin anyway, why does he always have to make it such a show.”

Jisung turned around and gave the girl a glare. Seungmin wasn’t sure who it was, and he also didn’t care. He was too focused on Professor Flitwick’s words.

“I’m really happy and positively surprised to say that our new student Go Sangyeol was the only one who got a full score on this test! Closely followed by Kim Seungmin,” the Charms professor announced. Everyone in the room seemed to freeze in shock – except Sangyeol who smiled proudly.

“What the fuck...” Seungmin heard Jisung mutter in disbelief. He wasn’t sure how he felt about all this.

Sure, Sangyeol was a nice guy and he’d noticed that he seemed to be pretty good at what he was doing. But all this time, Seungmin had thought that he was helping Sangyeol when in reality the other knew what he was doing all along.

It wasn’t that Seungmin had to be first place all the time; he’d just gotten used to it. Maybe it did hurt his pride just a tiny bit, considering how it put everyone in a state of shock. But, hey, at least he’d lost his first place to Sangyeol and not just anybody else, right?

Right?

“Are you alright? You kinda look like you’re about to implode,” Jisung pointed out. Seungmin finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the slightly older Ravenclaw.

“I’m fine. It’s just a grade,” he told his best friend, who raised an eyebrow at him, like he didn’t quite believe what he said.

He had all the reasons not to believe him, since it had been a complete and utter lie. This wasn’t just a grade to Seungmin! Perfect grades were his thing and while Sangyeol was a friend, he wouldn’t just let him take his number one spot!

He was not going to let this happen again!

The rest of Charms passed by quickly and Seungmin was one of the first ones out of the classroom. Jisung had stayed behind to ask Professor Flitwick a question about his test, so he was alone when Sangyeol caught up with him.

“Hey, I hope you’re not mad at me. From what I understand you’re usually the one who ranks first on every test,” he said sheepishly. Seungmin shrugged and put on a grin.

“As long as you don’t get too used to it,” he retorted.

Sangyeol laughed. “Bring it!”

They both chuckled, walking to their next class. Seungmin figured that he had to put in a lot of extra library time if he wanted to beat his new friend.

They rounded the corner in order to get to Transfiguration, when Seungmin saw Hyunjin come from the opposite side. The Slytherin smiled when he saw the younger and approached him, pecking him on the lips.

“How was your test?” he questioned. Seungmin gave Sangyeol a side look.

“Ranked second. You have Charms now, right?” he asked.

Hyunjin looked surprised. “I do... did you say second?” he asked. Seungmin just shrugged. He didn’t want to talk about this in the hallways.

“I have to get to Transfigurations now. I hope your results will turn out well,” he told the older.

Hyunjin waved off. “They probably won’t. I’ll see you at lunch, okay?” he said, giving Seungmin another short but sweet kiss. The Ravenclaw nodded to answer his question and they parted ways.

“You two are cute together,” Sangyeol told him as they continued making their way to class. Seungmin’s face broke out into an involuntary smile, which always happened, whenever somebody pointed out how good he and Hyunjin looked together. “How long have you been dating?” the other Ravenclaw asked.

“Two months,” Seungmin replied, thinking back to what had to be the best Christmas of his life.

Sangyeol gave him a thoughtful hum as a reply. “Really, I could have sworn it was longer...” he said. Seungmin looked at him.

“What do you mean?” he questioned.

The other Ravenclaw shrugged. “Just that you two seem so... close. I would have guessed that you’ve been together for a year minimum.”

Seungmin chuckled. “Oh no... I only transferred here in the middle of my fourth year and was only focused on my studies and Hyunjin... well, let’s just say that he didn’t really stick with one person for long,” he explained. “I actually didn’t even really notice him until my friend Jeongin introduced us last December,” he added, smiling fondly at the memory.

“So, Hyunjin used to date around a lot? Doesn’t that kind of put a strain on your trust in him?” Sangyeol questioned. Seungmin shook his head without even thinking.

“He’s never done anything that would make me doubt him. And he won’t. He may have dated around, but he’s not a cheater,” he told him.

“Okay, I don’t know him well, so it’s not my place to spew doubts,” Sangyeol answered with a shrug.

~

With a heavy sigh, Hyunjin let himself fall into the seat next to Seungmin’s at lunch, letting his head rest on the younger’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?” he questioned.

“I got a D in Charms and I have an Astronomy exam in two weeks that will probably go equally as well...” the Slytherin answered.

Seungmin patted his hair comfortingly. “You’ll be fine. I could help you study, and you always have Minho when you’re really struggling with Astronomy,” he reassured him.

Hyunjin sat up straight again and sighed once more. “Thanks, but I know myself. Even if you study with me, I’ll just end up distracting you,” he said dejectedly.  “You said you ranked second today, right?” he questioned after a short pause.

Seungmin nodded and looked at Sangyeol who sat a little further down the table. “But that’s not because of you. Sangyeol’s just better at Charms than I would have thought. It won’t happen again,” he told Hyunjin determinedly.

The Slytherin raised his eyebrows. If he recalled correctly Sangyeol had relied on Seungmin during the study sessions they’d had together.

Somehow, Hyunjin didn’t believe that he’d gotten the number one spot because of Seungmin’s help. He chose not to say anything to his boyfriend, not wanting him to think that he was getting between him and his friends.

He decided that he didn’t like Sangyeol.

Something about him just made Hyunjin feel... queasy.

He’d find out soon enough, what his deal was.

~

Over the course of the next few days Sangyeol proved that he, too, intended to keep his newly acquired number one spot. It made Seungmin want to try even harder, which seemed to amuse Sangyeol and the two of them simply turned it into a friendly competition – one that Seungmin always seemed to lose.

He spent more time in the library than ever, paid more attention in class and cut his free time short in order to beat Sangyeol in the upcoming Potions exam. Hyunjin sometimes kept him company in the library, occasionally studying his own stuff as well. The younger was grateful that his boyfriend seemed to understand how serious he was about this and he refrained from distracting him.

One evening, though, when he was studying in the library Hyunjin approached his table, dressed in his Quidditch uniform. Seungmin tilted his head. Usually, Hyunjin liked to change out of his robes as quickly as possible after training.

On top of that, the older looked slightly pissed.

“Hey. How was training?” Seungmin questioned.

Hyunjin huffed. “Training? Today was the friendly game against Hufflepuff, you know, the one you promised to be at three weeks ago...” he told his boyfriend whose eyes widened.

He remembered promising to come to the game, knowing that Hyunjin always felt more confident knowing Seungmin was there.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry... I completely forgot it was today!” he apologized, rising from his seat to face Hyunjin properly. The older crossed his arms over his chest when Seungmin tried to reach for his hands. “I’m really sorry, okay? I should have been there...” the Ravenclaw tried again.

Hyunjin nodded in agreement, not looking at him.

Seungmin took a step towards him. “Did you win?” he questioned carefully.

Hyunjin shook his head and the younger’s heart sank. He knew that it was only a friendly game and it didn’t matter whether they won or lost, but he had never missed a single game ever since he and Hyunjin had started dating.

“My lucky charm wasn’t there, so I played like I’d never seen a Quaffle before,” Hyunjin said.

“What can I do to make it up to you?” Seungmin asked desperately. He really hadn’t intended to miss his boyfriend’s game and he felt absolutely horrible about it. Hyunjin had never been this pissed at him before. He wanted nothing more than to see him smile again.

“You could stop studying for today and cheer me up,” Hyunjin suggested. Seungmin looked at the books that were sprawled out on his table. He still had a lot he wanted to do before the library closed for the day. Hyunjin huffed when he followed the younger’s gaze, ready to leave.

“Wait! Let me pack my stuff and then we can do whatever you like,” Seungmin said. As much as he wanted to beat Sangyeol, his grades meant nothing if Hyunjin was mad at him. He quickly put away the books and packed his bag before carefully reaching for the older’s hand, relieved when he didn’t pull it away.

~

“I’m sorry about missing your game...” Seungmin apologized for the millionth time that evening when he and Hyunjin sat on a comfortable couch inside a replica of the Ravenclaw’s room at home in the Room of Requirements.

Hyunjin had long since stopped being mad at him and was now resting with his head in the younger’s lap, while Seungmin ran a hand through his hair like he was a kitten.

“It’s okay... I know how important your grades are to you. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It’s not your fault we lost,” Hyunjin replied.

Seungmin smiled down at him. “I won’t miss another game, though. I promise,” he assured his boyfriend who just chuckled.

“You’d better not,” he fake-threatened.

Seungmin chuckled, still running his hand through Hyunjin’s hair before leaning down to give him a quick kiss. He was going to pull his head back up right after but to the younger’s surprise, Hyunjin stopped him by quickly capturing his boyfriend’s face in his hands, pulling him back down for another kiss, which lasted a bit longer this time.

The Slytherin smiled in satisfaction before sitting up next to Seungmin. That’s when he softly grabbed his hips, pulling his body closer and kissing him again, slowly and lovingly. Both of them closed their eyes as they enjoyed each other’s presence and scent. Their lips slowly moved against each other in sync before the Ravenclaw gently broke the kiss, causing Hyunjin to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

To the Slytherin’s surprise, Seungmin suddenly got up from the couch just to sit down again on Hyunjin’s lap this time, facing him. Instead of saying anything, Hyunjin just smirked and reconnected their lips.

The younger couldn’t explain what he was doing or where his sudden boldness had come from, but he felt his cheeks burn in excitement. He couldn’t help himself whenever he was around Hyunjin. He felt safe and comfortable in a way he had never felt around anyone else before. It was like he was a different person, like he could do anything.

Seungmin felt Hyunjin’s hands travel up from his hips to his lower back pulling him more into the kiss as Seungmin’s arms rested around Hyunjin’s neck, his hands playing with the older’s soft hair. He felt the familiar butterflies in his stomach that he felt whenever Hyunjin touched him.

The Ravenclaw’s breath stopped as he felt Hyunjin’s lips trail away from his own, leaving soft and small kisses over Seungmin’s right cheek all the way back to his ear, sending a shiver down his spine, before he stopped, shooting him a short look as if to ask for permission to continue.

As a response, Seungmin just blushed and closed his eyes, not moving away from his boyfriend, so the older smirked and decided to continue his trail of gentle kisses on the younger’s skin. He gradually moved from his ears down to his neck as his boyfriend blushed even more and pulled him closer, completely closing any space left between them.

Seungmin’s whole face felt hot as Hyunjin started to gently suck on the soft skin on the younger’s neck, probably leaving small marks.

“Hyunjin…” Seungmin breathed out before he could stop himself and let his head fall back to grant him more access. Now it was Hyunjin’s turn to blush as he pulled away.

“We might wanna stop there… sorry, I got a little carried away…” the older whispered, letting out a small chuckle as Seungmin covered his face in embarrassment.

~

“Go Sangyeol has reached the highest score for the exam!” Professor Slughorn announced a few days later when the class got their results back.

Seungmin deflated in his seat. He’d cut the studying a little shorter to spend more time with Hyunjin, but he’d still given his all for this exam. According to Professor Slughorn, he was missing one damn point for a complete score. Still an O, but not a perfect one.

At least, Sangyeol didn’t gloat about it. This way it was at least a little easier for Seungmin to accept his defeat – for now, at least. He was still determined to get his number one spot back.

~

“Don’t you think they kind of look good together?”
“Yeah but isn’t Seungmin with Hyunjin?”
“For now, but you can just feel the tension between him and Sangyeol! That ‘friendly rivalry’ thing – believe me, it’s gonna turn into something more eventually!”
“I mean, Sangyeol is a better match for him than Hyunjin... he’s so smart...”

Hyunjin had enough of the whispering he heard wherever he went.

When had people suddenly started shipping his boyfriend with Sangyeol?

Granted, they did spend much time together, studying and stuff like that, but there was nothing going on between them as far as Hyunjin was concerned.

He wouldn’t admit it, if anyone asked, but the things he heard in the hallways kind of really hurt. They made him feel insecure.

Seungmin was practically obsessed with beating Sangyeol, meanwhile Hyunjin was struggling to keep his grades average. He was beginning to feel bad about himself. People liked how Seungmin and Sangyeol looked together, so what if Seungmin was going to start seeing it too?

What if average-student Hyunjin wasn’t good enough for model-student Seungmin anymore?

Maybe that was why the Ravenclaw spent all his time in the library; because he was impressed with how smart Sangyeol was.

What if he studied this hard to live up to the new guy’s standards?

Hyunjin was currently making his way to the Great Hall where he found Changbin sitting at the Slytherin table. He sat down across from him and rested his elbow on the table with a gloomy expression. Changbin furrowed his brows at his friends’ unusual behavior.

“What’s up with you?” he questioned. Hyunjin just shrugged. “Hyunjin!” Changbin drilled. The younger Slytherin sighed.

“Do you think Sangyeol and Seungmin look good together?” he questioned.

Changbin looked downright confused at the question. “Um... what?”

Hyunjin waved off, not wanting to go into detail about the whole situation. He scooped some food onto his plate, only to pick around in it with his fork, since he had kind of lost his appetite. He felt Changbin watching him, but he didn’t want to look up and explain himself.

Deep down, he knew he was being ridiculous. Seungmin loved him, and he loved Seungmin. But maybe Seungmin would end up being attracted to Sangyeol. And maybe the attraction might turn into more and then he might fall out of love with Hyunjin and leave him!

“Okay, enough of this! Tell me what’s going on with you,” Changbin said in a serious tone.

Hyunjin put his fork down and finally looked at his friend. “I just got another bad grade. It’s really nothing,” he lied and rose from his seat.

“Aren’t you eating?” the older questioned.

Hyunjin half-smiled, though there was no emotion behind it. “Not hungry,” he muttered.

Changbin jumped up from his seat, following his friend, who was starting to make his way out. “Hyunjin!” he called out to him, but the younger ignored him. He just wanted to get back to the common room and hide away in his dorm until he felt better.

Unfortunately, the universe didn’t seem to be on his side today. He reached the entrance hall when he ran into the person he’d wanted to see least. Sangyeol smirked at him.

“Hey, Hyunbin,” he greeted the Slytherin.

“It’s Hyunjin,” the older corrected him, though he got a feeling that Sangyeol had done it on purpose.

“Right... hey, I’m sure you’ve heard about Seungmin coming in second again,” he said with such obvious fake concern that Hyunjin had to ball his hands into fists. “I feel like you might be the cause for that this time. He didn’t study as much as he could have because he had to spend time with you,” Sangyeol continued.

Had to?

“What are you saying?” the Slytherin questioned just as Changbin finally caught up with him, which didn’t seem to bother Sangyeol at all.

“I’m saying that if you’re not careful, you might end up being the cause for Seungmin’s grades to... slip even further in the future,” he answered Hyunjin’s question. Changbin looked confused at the conversation he’d just walked into but chose not to say anything. “Besides, don’t you think you two are too different? You’re a jock... Seungmin’s the complete opposite. I mean, there’s only so much you two can talk about, right?” he asked.

Hyunjin’s nails dug into his palms with how hard he was clenching his fists. He couldn’t even say that he was angry. He just realized that the things Sangyeol said, as mean as they were, were all true.

“I’m just trying to look out for you, here, Hyunbin. I feel like you’d be better off dating someone who’s more like you. Like Changbin here for example,” Sangyeol continued, pointing at the Changbin, whose brows furrowed even more.

“Pardon?”

The Ravenclaw ignored him. “He’d fit you much better than Seungmin does. And I fit Seungmin better than you do.”

That one hurt the most. He should be beating the fuck out of this guy, who just dared to come here and judge his relationship, trying to get with his boyfriend, but it wasn’t just him who thought this way. Many people slowly but surely started to think that he didn’t fit Seungmin anymore.

It was just a matter of time until Seungmin would see it too.

“Okay, hold up, that’s enough!” Changbin suddenly spoke up. He’d watched the conversation with caution, ready to jump in when needed. Since Hyunjin wasn’t about to defend himself any time soon, he figured that he had to do it. “You’re all talk and no game, new kid,” he said to Sangyeol, who smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You’re all muscle and no brains,” he retorted.

Changbin ignored the comment, instead stepping closer to Sangyeol and getting in his face. “Like you would actually dare to go after Seungmin when my boy Hyunjin here could fuck you up with just his little finger!”

Hyunjin had to hand it to Sangyeol for not backing away. Changbin might be short but he was intimidating as hell when he wanted to be. Instead, the younger looked him straight in the eye with a smug expression.

“Oh, Changbin... I don’t even have to go after him. Seungmin will realize eventually that he’s better off with someone who’s more than just a jock!” He spat the last word, looking past Changbin at Hyunjin.

Hyunjin reacted just in time, holding Changbin back by his arms before he could punch Sangyeol in the face.

“Hyunjin, come on!” the older exclaimed as he struggled against his friend’s grip. “This isn’t the time to be a good boy!” Hyunjin had to admit that he was tempted to let Changbin go and punch the smug grin off Sangyeol’s face. But Changbin was still a prefect and Hyunjin was not going to let him get himself into trouble fighting his battles.

“Are you really gonna give up Seungmin because of this little bitch?” the older questioned as he stopped struggling. Hyunjin lowered his head, letting go of his friend once he made sure that he wasn’t going to attack Sangyeol anymore.

“Just leave him be... he’s right.”

With that he left, heading to the Slytherin common room without looking back.

(Changbin was torn between punching the guy in the face, after all and going after his friend. Luckily for Sangyeol, he chose the latter.)

~

Hyunjin was not going to cry in public because of Go Sangyeol! He was better than that!

He rushed inside the common room, ignoring Changbin calling out to him as he stormed up the stairs to his dormitories. He knew that the older could easily follow him up here, but he just settled on hoping that he wouldn’t.

“Hey, you good?” Hyunjin’s friend Sunwoo questioned. He had forgotten that the other liked to spend most of his free time in here since he wasn’t the most popular around here. So much for being alone.

Hyunjin sat down on his bed with a sigh. “I just realized that I’m not good enough for my boyfriend and it seems like everyone else can see it, too...” he said, leaning his head against the headboard of his bed and staring at the green curtains that hung around his bed.

“You do know that that’s not true, right?” Sunwoo replied, sounding kind of unsure of what to do with this situation. Hyunjin knew Sunwoo wasn’t used to people talking to him about their problems. “I mean, I don’t know Seungmin that well, but from what I can see the guy’s head over heels for you... if that helps,” he told Hyunjin. He appreciated his friend trying to help him, but he couldn’t forget Sangyeol’s words.

Seungmin will realize eventually, that he’s better off with someone who’s more than just a jock!

He had to do something now, if he didn’t want to lose Seungmin. He sat up straight again. “I’m going to the library!” he exclaimed.

Sunwoo looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Um, what?” Hyunjin rose from his bed, a determined expression settling on his face.

“If Seungmin wants a smart guy then I’m going to study my ass off until I get good grades!” he decided.

“Hyunjin, you shouldn’t change yourself to live up to other people’s expectations. It doesn’t get you anywhere! Take it from someone who knows what he’s talking about,” Sunwoo advised him, his face unreadable. Hyunjin knew what Sunwoo was referring to but this situation was different. He wanted to change for Seungmin!

“It’ll be fine. Studying’s never hurt anyone, right? Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he said before storming out of the room.

~

“Hey, um, about Hyunjin’s friend Changbin...” Sangyeol trailed off one afternoon about a week later when he and Seungmin were hanging out in the common room, doing their History of Magic homework. He looked up when the other Ravenclaw spoke up.

“What about him?” he asked.

“I don’t think he likes me very much...” Sangyeol said, looking at his parchment.

Seungmin frowned. Changbin was usually a friendly person, so he couldn’t imagine him having some kind of problem with Sangyeol for no reason. “What makes you say that?”

The older shrugged. “He lowkey snapped at me for not being athletic...”

“Changbin? No, I don’t think he meant it in a bad way. He might come off as intimidating in the beginning, but he’s very nice. Hyunjin wouldn’t be friends with him if he weren’t,” Seungmin defended the Slytherin.

Sangyeol fidgeted uncomfortably. “I didn’t want to say this, because I don’t want to come between you and your boyfriend but... Hyunjin was there as well. He didn’t really stop Changbin from being mean to me...”

The younger’s frown deepened. He couldn’t imagine Changbin and Hyunjin ganging up on Sangyeol to make him feel bad about being on the studious side.

“I’m sure you misunderstood...” he said.

Sangyeol shrugged. “Maybe I did... or maybe I did something to offend them. I was scared that Changbin would hit me any second. You know, most jocks tend to solve problems with violence. I was a punching bag before so I’m just being careful...”

“I’ll talk to them if you want,” Seungmin offered, though still unable to wrap his head around the fact that Changbin, a prefect, would threaten Sangyeol in any kind of way.

Sangyeol waved off, a reassuring smile spreading on his face. “No, like I said, I don’t want to come between you and your friends! I probably just overreacted...”

Seungmin looked at him for a few more seconds, contemplating whether he should drop the topic. Sangyeol picked his homework back up, seemingly not ready to continue talking about this.

“Okay...” Seungmin mumbled, also trying to focus back on History of Magic.

His mind kept trailing back to what Sangyeol had told him, though. If he was honest, he had gotten the feeling that Hyunjin wasn’t really fond of Sangyeol, but to think that he would actually bully him along with Changbin, was hard to believe.

Maybe he should talk to Hyunjin about it after all.

~

“Hyunjin, what are you up to?” Jinwoo questioned when he saw the younger on his way to practically storm into the library like a man on a mission. He’d spent every last free minute there over the past week, working his ass off to get his grades up.

“I’m gonna go study,” Hyunjin replied.

Jinwoo furrowed his brows. “Hey, are you alright? You seem off,” he questioned.

Hyunjin pouted. “Is me studying harder such a weird concept?”

Jinwoo shook his head. “Of course not, that’s not what I meant. You just seem kind of different. Is everything okay between you and–”

“Everything’s just fine between us,” Hyunjin interrupted the older who just raised an eyebrow in return.

“Um... okay,” Jinwoo said, turning around to leave Hyunjin alone. The younger felt bad for snapping at his friend. He hadn’t been spending as much time with him lately as he usually would have and he didn’t want Jinwoo to think that he was distancing himself from him because he didn’t like him anymore.

“Wait, I’m sorry...” he called after him.

The Hufflepuff turned back.

“Are you going to tell me why you’re in such a bad mood?” he questioned, sounding genuinely concerned.

Hyunjin sighed and nodded. Since it wasn’t wise to be talking in the library with the bitchy librarian insisting on absolute silence, they sat down on the floor next to the entrance.

“So, you’ve heard about this new guy, right? He’s in Seungmin’s house...” Hyunjin started. Jinwoo thought about it for a few seconds and then nodded.

“Yeah, I’ve heard about him. He’s the new top of his class, right?”

Hyunjin nodded bitterly. “He kicked Seungmin off his number one spot and now he’s obsessed with beating him. The weirdest part is that they’re friends,” he explained.

“And now you’re jealous?” Jinwoo asked, trying to grasp the exact problem.

“I wish it were that easy...” Hyunjin mumbled, lowering his head to look at his own knees.

Jinwoo patted his arm comfortingly. “What is it? You can tell me,” he encouraged the younger.

“It’s just that... everyone thinks that Sangyeol is such a good match for him, you know? That little rat has everyone wrapped around his finger, including Seungmin. And then he just comes to me and says...” Hyunjin trailed off; the memory of Sangyeol’s sharp words making him flinch.

“Says what?” Jinwoo asked curiously.

“Everything that I should have seen a long time ago...” Hyunjin replied. He was still staring at his own knees.

“That’s not very informative...” the Hufflepuff pointed out, making his friend sigh.

“He basically told me that I’m just a stupid jock and that Seungmin deserves someone who’s more on his level,” the younger finally said. He looked at Jinwoo only to see him staring back at him with a disbelieving expression.

“And you let him talk to you like that?” he finally exclaimed after he seemed to get over his initial surprise.

Hyunjin shrugged. “It’s not like it wasn’t the truth. I’m a horrible student and I can’t do anything besides Quidditch!” he explained.

“Hey, that’s bullshit! First of all, Seungmin loves you for who you are. Second, you’re not dumb only because you don’t have the best grades, school doesn’t define you! And third, if this weasel’s after your boyfriend you should tell him to back the fuck off!”

Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile at the older’s encouraging words. “Thanks, Jinwoo. But I don’t think that he’ll back off just like that. They’re in the same house, they share a dorm. He has plenty of opportunities to get closer to him.”

“So, you’re bringing your grades up to impress someone who already adores you?” Jinwoo questioned.

“I can at least try...” Hyunjin said, shrugging once again.

“Sure, you can. There’s nothing wrong with studying. I just think that before you change who you are, you should talk about everything with Seungmin,” the Hufflepuff advised before getting up from the floor. “I have to go now... I hope you’ll work everything out,” he added. Hyunjin also got up, choosing not to answer.

Jinwoo gave him a quick hug before he left. Hyunjin looked at the door to the library. He knew that bringing his grades up would take time and effort (especially when it came to Charms), but he was more than willing to do it if it meant that Seungmin would stay with him.

~

Seungmin and Sangyeol were currently on their way to the library to get some more studying done before going to bed.

The younger hadn’t seen very much of Hyunjin over the past week, making it near impossible to talk to him about the incident with Sangyeol. He was a little worried about him, to say the least. He was aware that Hyunjin had started putting in some work for his studies, but he preferred to do it alone. Seungmin wasn’t entirely sure why, but he had a somehow bad feeling.

“When are you finally going to give up trying to beat me?” Sangyeol currently asked with a smirk on his face.

Seungmin chuckled. “Once I’ve succeeded,” he answered.

The older put an arm around his shoulders as they entered the library. “I have to say your determination is quite cute.”

Seungmin rolled his eyes playfully. He was used to being called cute, but usually it came from Hyunjin.

“Please, you just want me to stop trying because you’re scared,” he retorted, swiftly shrugging Sangyeol’s arm off his shoulders. Sangyeol just grinned at him.

~

Hyunjin was studying in the far back of the library when he noticed Seungmin and Sangyeol make their way to a table not too far from his own. He was about to get up to at least greet his boyfriend, even though seeing Sangyeol made him angry all over again, when he overheard a piece of their conversation.

“You’re so adorable. Why can’t we just accept that we’re both really good students and you could let me take you out sometime?” Sangyeol said in a way too flirty tone. Hyunjin balled his fists – he guy seemed to have that effect on him.

“Sangyeol, I have a boyfriend and you know that!” Seungmin declined.

Sangyeol, that little rat, grabbed Seungmin’s wrist and backed him against a bookshelf, causing the younger to let out a surprised yelp. Hyunjin was on his feet in a millisecond when he realized what Sangyeol was about to do. He strode over to where the two Ravenclaw’s stood and grabbed the younger by the collar before he could press his disgusting lips onto Seungmin’s.

It was like he was on autopilot when he took a swing and punched Sangyeol square in the face, letting out all the piled-up anger and frustration he felt because of the Ravenclaw. Seungmin actually squeaked when his boyfriend’s fist connected with Sangyeol’s jaw, sending him tumbling to the floor.

“Get out of here before I completely lose my temper!” Hyunjin threatened Sangyeol, watching in satisfaction when he scrambled up and stormed out of the library, not without shooting him a glare, though.

Of course, the commotion had also alarmed the librarian who now kicked him and Seungmin out as well.

Once they’d left the library, Hyunjin spun around to face his boyfriend, his anger had still not completely subsided.

“How could you let this happen? Are you really that easy?” he snapped at him.

Seungmin looked surprised for about a second before his expression turned angry as well. “He was just playing around! Nothing even happened! You didn’t have to outright hit him!” he yelled back.

“Excuse me, are you getting mad at me right now? That guy has been trying to come between us ever since he set foot in this school and just now he tried to fucking kiss you!” Hyunjin retorted in disbelief, his tone just as loud as Seungmin’s.

The Ravenclaw rolled his eyes.

“You’re overreacting! You didn’t like Sangyeol from the very beginning, which is why you and Changbin ganged up on him and made him feel bad about not being athletic! I doubted him when he told me that you two were the type of jocks to solve things with fists rather than words! But after what just happened, I guess he was right after all.”

Hyunjin took a surprised step back at his words. That manipulative snake had really twisted the entire situation and fed Seungmin a load of bullshit to make Hyunjin look like a brainless bully?

He wanted to explain himself and tell Seungmin what really went down, but for some reason, he couldn’t open his mouth to muster an answer. It was just too much that Seungmin actually believed a guy he had known for less than a month more than he trusted his boyfriend.

So, instead of saying anything, he watched as Seungmin turned around and walked away, probably going after Sangyeol.

Hyunjin sure wasn’t going to run after him.

~

“I’m so sorry about all of this,” Seungmin apologized to Sangyeol for what had to be the millionth time. The older chuckled and absent-mindedly touched his lip as they left the hospital wing.

Luckily, Hyunjin hadn’t broken the Ravenclaw’s nose or anything like that and Madame Pomfrey was able to fix the slight damage in no time.

“You should stop apologizing. It’s not your fault that I was right about him all along,” Sangyeol replied.

Seungmin was mad at Hyunjin, but something about the other’s words just didn’t sit right with him. For now, he didn’t want to think about it, though.

“Let’s get back to the common room and play some wizard’s chess, shall we?” Sangyeol suggested, earning himself a nod of agreement from Seungmin.  

Seungmin still couldn’t believe what had just happened. He had never had a real fight with Hyunjin. Usually, their disagreements didn’t last very long, and they were over simple things. This, though... this had been a full-on argument. Seungmin didn’t like the way he felt after just leaving Hyunjin standing there.

The two of them went back to the common room where Jisung was sitting in front of the fireplace, reading. He looked up at them when they came in.

“Hey, you guys,” he mumbled. Sangyeol gave him a little wave before dragging Seungmin over to the window where a little chess table was standing around.

Seungmin didn’t miss Jisung’s frown though.

~

Hyunjin avoided Seungmin’s eyes the next day in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He didn’t want to see him being all friendly with Sangyeol. Someone flopped down in the seat next to his and for some reason Hyunjin immediately knew that it was Jisung. He dared to peek to his side, to confirm his suspicion.

“What’s going on between you and Seungmin? You’re usually all over each other,” the younger questioned.

Hyunjin rested his elbows on the desk. “Why don’t you ask him and Sangyeol... you can join the club of smart guys against dumb, brainless jocks like me,” he answered. It didn’t sound snappy, just resigned, but it got Jisung to raise his eyebrows anyway.

“In case you forgot, headass, I’m a ‘jock’ too!” Jisung reminded him.

Hyunjin sighed. “I know... sorry...” he apologized. He should really stop taking his sour mood out on his friends. “Seungmin and I had a fight...”

Jisung’s eyes widened almost comically. “You two never fight!” he exclaimed, luckily not loud enough for Seungmin to hear.

“Well, it might have been the last one. He clearly doesn’t think much of me right now. Sangyeol has snaked his way into his brain. It’s just a matter of time before he breaks up with me,” Hyunjin replied, sounding resigned.

Jisung looked over at Sangyeol. “I don’t like him and I don’t like the way he looks at Seungmin,” he stated.

“That makes two of us,” Hyunjin agreed.

Jisung focused his eyes back on the Slytherin. “But are you really just going to let him steal your man?”

“It’s not like I have much of a choice. I punched him in the face and Seungmin ran after him,” Hyunjin recounted.

“What the hell did I miss, oh my god,” Jisung complained.

~

Classes had been hard to endure after seeing Hyunjin and not being able to talk to him. Seungmin didn’t like the atmosphere between them, but he was also still mad at him.

He had expected Hyunjin to apologize to Sangyeol for punching him, however, it didn’t look like that was going to happen any time soon.

After dinner, Seungmin made his way to the Ravenclaw tower, feeling somehow exhausted, though he hadn’t even done anything out of the ordinary. He reached his empty dorm, immediately changing into his pajamas. As he buttoned up his sleep shirt, he contemplated whether he should wash up or not, since he was really tired. He decided against it.

Somebody came into the room just as he’d finished getting dressed for the night. It turned out to be Sangyeol. The younger gave him an absent-minded smile and proceeded to search for his glasses in his nightstand drawer. Sangyeol cleared his throat. Seungmin turned around at the sound. He jumped when he found the other Ravenclaw standing right in front of him.

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while now,” he almost whispered.

Before Seungmin could even ask him what he was talking about, Sangyeol pushed him, causing him to fall backwards on his own bed. Confused, Seungmin tried to get back up but before he knew it Sangyeol had already climbed over him and pinned his wrists to the bed, preventing him from sitting back up or pushing him off.

Seungmin struggled uncomfortably, trying to free himself from the boy’s lowkey painful grip but Sangyeol quickly leaned down on him, pressing his lips onto Seungmin forcefully. Seungmin frowned in disgust and confusion as he felt the older Ravenclaw “kiss” him sloppily. Just what had gotten into Sangyeol?

The younger continued to struggle out of his grip, eventually managing to push Sangyeol away and disconnect their lips.

“What the hell are you doing!” Seungmin exclaimed, in an exasperated tone. With his wrists pinned to the bed, he didn’t manage to fully push Sangyeol off, he was too shocked to do so anyway, even if he could. Thankfully, the older sat up – still not bothering to get off him, though – and smirked at him.

“I was just trying to distract you from your thoughts about Hyunjin,” he said matter-of -factly. “You don’t need him anyway. You’ve seen what he’s like. Besides, I’ve already talked him out of this anyways,” Sangyeol added with a smug expression.

Seungmin frowned. “Okay, only because I’m mad at Hyunjin, doesn’t mean I want to date you!”

Seungmin was beyond confused by this whole situation. What exactly did Sangyeol mean by ‘talked him out of this’? Had he planned this all along? Seungmin suddenly felt horrible. Hyunjin had been telling the truth; it finally dawned on him.

He had been played.

Before anyone could say anything else the door opened and Jisung came in, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw the scene before him. Seungmin realized that this probably looked very wrong, so he finally pushed Sangyeol off him completely and scrambled to his feet, wiping his mouth in order to try getting the lingering taste of Sangyeol off his lips.

“I swear this isn’t what it looks like!” he tried to explain himself.

Jisung just crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not the one you should be telling this,” the slightly older Ravenclaw told him. There was a certain disappointment in his expression that made Seungmin feel even worse about himself than he already did.

“You’re right...” he mumbled.

Jisung looked at Sangyeol, his eyes glinting dangerously. “You and I are going to have a little talk, come on!”

Ignoring the other’s protests, Jisung dragged Sangyeol out of the dorm room to Merlin knows where to have a talk with him. Right now, Seungmin couldn’t be bothered with thinking about what that could possibly mean. There was only one thought on his mind.

He had to find Hyunjin.

~

“I’m sure everything will be alright between you two,” Changbin assured Hyunjin, who was lying on the couch sideways, his head resting in the older’s lap.

“I don’t know, man... I’ve tried everything, and he still went after Sangyeol. Maybe it’s better this way. I don’t think I can do this anymore,” Hyunjin answered miserably.

Changbin patted his arm comfortingly. “You don’t mean that. Seungmin will realize that this Sangyeol dude is a rat.”

“Yeah, but what’s going to happen until then? What if he starts dating him? I don’t want to be his second choice. I’m nobody’s second choice,” Hyunjin argued stubbornly. He sat up, running a hand through his raven hair. Changbin opened his mouth to answer, when a commotion near the portrait hole gained their attention.

“What the–”

A student came running into the common room, stopping right in front of them. He was out of breath, almost wheezing as he rested his hands on his knees, trying to calm down.

“Seungmin?” Changbin questioned, once the two Slytherins had gotten a proper look on the fifth year.

Hyunjin was speechless. What in the name of Merlin was Seungmin doing here this late at night, in his pajamas no less?

“I’m going to let you two talk!” the older Slytherin exclaimed. Hyunjin shot him a pleading look, as if to say ‘don’t leave me here’, but Changbin just winked at him before he disappeared to his dorm.

Hyunjin rose from the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. Seungmin seemed to have regained enough of his breath to finally stand up straight again. He looked up at the slightly taller male, like he was searching for his words.

“What, did I do something dumb again?” Hyunjin questioned. It sounded harsh, but he just couldn’t imagine why his boyfriend, if he could even still call him that, would come here after he’d treated him like the school’s number one bully.

“No, I–”

“Whatever, I don’t know why you’re here, but I’m done,” Hyunjin interrupted him and turned away, ready to disappear to bed.

“What do you mean?” Seungmin asked, sounding alarmed. He reached for Hyunjin’s arm and made him face him again.

“I mean this, us! I’m sick of trying to be perfect for you when all you see is that guy and his grades!” Hyunjin almost yelled, yanking his arm free. He became painfully aware of the lurking Slytherins that seemed to enjoy the show a whole lot. He shot each of them a glare, making them scatter and continue minding their own business.

“It seems to me, that you care more about him than you care about me. I get it, though. You like smart guys. So, I’ll step down,” he said to Seungmin, a little quieter now. He should go now. If he went to his dorm right now, he wouldn’t cry in front of the younger. But Seungmin held him back again.

“Hold the fuck up!” Seungmin cursed. “This isn’t just something you can decide by yourself without letting me say anything!”

Hyunjin slumped his shoulders. Why did he have to make it harder than it already was?

“You don’t have to say anything. I don’t need your confirmation!”

“Let me talk, would you!? I didn’t know that you felt left out, though I do realize now that I didn’t really treat you the best. I don’t need you to be perfect for me. You’re already the most perfect human being I’ve ever met!” Seungmin said.

Hyunjin shook his head. “No, I’m not...” the older muttered.

“Yes, you are. You have the kindest heart and you’re cool and sweet and an amazing Quidditch player... and you’re handsome...” A blush spread on the Ravenclaw’s cheeks at the last part and under different circumstances, Hyunjin would have teased him about it. 

“Just because I’m handsome doesn’t mean I’m perfect...” he argued instead. “Someone like Sangyeol would suit you way better than a dense jock like me. The whole school thinks so.”

It still hurt him to say this, but he felt like it was true. Everyone loved Sangyeol’s and Seungmin’s dynamic. He had heard it multiple times, indirectly, of course, since nobody had the guts to say it to Hyunjin’s face.

“Since when do you care what the school thinks? I don’t want that guy, Hyunjin. I want you! Besides, you’re not dense only because you’re not a straight-O student! I would never reduce you to your grades!” Seungmin explained, sounding sort of desperate at the older’s resigned tone.

“Well, Sangyeol said-”

“My god, I don’t fucking care what Sangyeol said! That guy’s a snake – no offense...” Seungmin said, looking around to see if any of the Slytherins had taken the snake thing to heart. By now they were alone, though. Hyunjin was surprised by the younger’s statement, even though he 100% agreed.

“What happened?” he asked.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to explain... I really thought Sangyeol was just trying to be my friend in a new place. And if I’m completely honest with you, I didn’t hate having to fight to be the best. I liked having a competition with someone... but you were right. He tried to come between us and I let him mess with my head, making me think that you were a bad person, when you’re really not...”

Hyunjin was speechless, so Seungmin continued: “I didn’t mean what I said to you. I know that you’re not violent and that you don’t automatically resort to violence instead of talking things out...” The younger looked down at the floor, seeming like he had something else to say. Hyunjin hesitated for a second before reaching for Seungmin’s hand.

“What made you change your mind about him?”

It took the Ravenclaw a while to look at him again and muster an answer. “He showed his true intentions. And, I’m so sorry I let this happen...” Seungmin apologized. He looked close to tears and that alone made all the anger Hyunjin might have left for him vanish instantly. “He practically pounced on me and he... he kissed me...” the younger admitted.

Hyunjin’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t let go of Seungmin’s hand. Sangyeol had dared to lay a hand on him when he’d already gotten a taste of the Slytherin’s fist?!

“I’m sorry, Hyunjin... I should have known better after you warned me, but I was an idiot and I understand if you don’t want to see me anymore. I just felt like I had to tell you the truth and apologize and–”

The older didn’t let him finish and just pulled him into a hug, comfortingly running his hand through Seungmin’s soft hair. He still wanted to kill Sangyeol, but for now, he was just glad to know that his boyfriend hadn’t chosen the rat over him.

“I’m sorry for my behavior as well, though... I shouldn’t have punched Sangyeol, even though I’d love to do just that right now. I’ve just never felt so insecure about anything before... my grades are the only thing I’m not confident about and I let myself think that I needed good grades to impress you,” Hyunjin apologized.

Seungmin pulled out of their hug and grabbed both of the older’s arms. “There’s nothing you have to apologize for! I don’t need you to be good at school to impress me. I already love everything about you.”

Still holding the older’s arms, Seungmin gently pulled his boyfriend closer and connected their lips. Hyunjin immediately responded to the kiss, slowly moving his lips against Seungmin’s and pulling him closer to his body. The younger didn’t realize how much he had actually missed this until he felt his boyfriend’s arms wrapped around his waist. He then instinctively slid his hands up Hyunjin’s chest and put them on the Slytherin’s cheeks. Both of them smiled into the kiss, happy to feel each other like this again.

“Besides, you punching that guy was kinda hot...” he added after they pulled back, making Hyunjin laugh. He hugged the younger again, smiling at the way Seungmin practically buried his face into the crook of his neck.

“I love you...” he muttered, slightly tightening his grip around Seungmin, whose hands clutched into the back of Hyunjin’s robes.

“I love you, too...” he answered, his voice sounding muffled. They stayed like this for a long time, not quite willing to let each other go.

Eventually, though, Seungmin pulled out of their hug, mumbling something about having to go back. Hyunjin knew he was right, but that didn’t mean he wanted to let him go.

“Stay here with me,” he whined, pulling Seungmin over to the couch by his hands.

“I don’t want you to spend the night in the same room as that rat...” Hyunjin added. That seemed to convince Seungmin. The two of them got cuddly and comfortable on the couch, falling asleep in no time.

~

“So, what exactly did you and Sangyeol talk about yesterday?” Seungmin asked Jisung the next morning at breakfast. Jisung was sitting with them at the Slytherin table, shooting over a glance to his own table at the mention of Sangyeol’s name.

“I just told him that if he ever harassed my best friend again, I’d transform his private parts into jello,” he replied with a shrug. The other two fifth years laughed. That sounded like a very Jisung thing to say. “It’s time for him to understand that us Quidditch players aren’t idiots. I can work my spells just fine and I told him that if he wants to test me, he should try and see where it gets him,” Jisung added.

Hyunjin grinned. “Thanks, Jisung,” Seungmin said and side-hugged his friend.

“Anything for you two,” the other Ravenclaw replied with a smirk, before addressing Hyunjin. “And you, if something like this ever happens again, I want you to stand up for your man! Not just anyone is good enough for Seungmin. Only you,” he told the older who nodded, too stunned by the statement to say anything.

Jisung clapped in delight and got up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have to walk my girlfriend to Quidditch practice,” he said, taking off to meet Eunseo outside the Great Hall.

Seungmin chuckled. “He’s weird...” he commented.

Hyunjin reached for his hand. “Yeah, but he’s also right...”

Seungmin looked at him, smiling. He was certain that he’d never let anyone else come between them. He had learned his lesson. This time, he had come too close to losing what he dared to call the love of his life – at least in his head for now – and he was never going to risk that ever again.

“That’s true...”

Chapter Text

Kwak Nahyun was just minding her own business, climbing the stairs to the fifth floor in order to head to the prefect’s bathroom.

The Gryffindor was a hardworking prefect, dedicated to always do the right thing and bring order to the hallways of Hogwarts. But tonight, she just needed to de-stress.

She was just about to reach the prefect’s bathroom when a student came out.

No, not one – but two!

Nahyun took a closer look and her eyes widened in realization when she saw none other than the head girl Myoui Mina and head boy Park Jinwoo. They were fixing their clothes and hair. Mina turned to Jinwoo and fixed his tie before giving him a short kiss on the lips.

Nahyun was scandalized, to say the least. She wouldn’t have expected the two of them to participate in such lewd actions in the middle of the night! She had to report them to the headmaster!

~

“Oh my god, did you hear about Jinwoo and Mina?”
“No, what about them?”
“I heard, they were caught getting it on in the prefect’s bathroom!”

Jinwoo was just walking up the stairs to head to the Great Hall, noticing the way some people shot him random looks and pointed at him.

He figured that it was because he was head boy (and because of the fact that he didn’t look too bad). He entered the Great Hall, making his way over to the Hufflepuff table where Jeongin sat.

“Hey, Jeongin,” he greeted the younger with a warm smile.

Jeongin gave him a knowing look. “You’re in trouble,” he told Jinwoo, without returning his greeting.

“What? Why?” Jinwoo questioned, beyond confused at the younger’s statement.

Before Jeongin could explain or say literally anything else, a Gryffindor guy whom Jinwoo had never even seen before, patted his shoulder as he passed by, yelling “good one, man!”

“Would anybody please tell me what the fuck is going on?” Jinwoo exploded.

Jeongin looked around as if to check if anybody was listening in – which, of course, everyone within earshot was. He decided to speak up nonetheless.

“There is this rumor about you and Mina getting caught in the prefects’ bathroom. Um... I-I don’t really want to go into detail here...” Jeongin said, blushing.

Jinwoo didn’t reply.

Instead, he spun around, searching the Ravenclaw table for his girlfriend. It didn’t take him long to find her. She looked back at him with an equal amount of horror in her eyes.

Someone carefully tapped his arm. Jinwoo was about to snap at whoever it was but held himself back when he saw that it was just a little first year from his house.   

“Excuse me... the headmaster wants to see you and the head girl in his office...” the boy said in a squeaky voice.

“Alright, thanks...” Jinwoo muttered.

The little boy ran off without further words. Jinwoo sighed heavily, looking in Mina’s direction again. She seemed to have gotten the same message. They both made their way out of the Great Hall, followed by more stares.

“How does the whole school know?” Mina asked frantically as soon as they’d both reached the entrance hall.

Jinwoo faced her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Calm down, princess... this school is full of gossiping idiots. Tomorrow, they’ll have something else to talk about,” he tried to comfort her.

“But the headmaster wants to see us...” Mina argued.

Jinwoo gave her a comforting hug. “It’s going to be okay... maybe this is about something else,” he said, while stroking her hair in order to soothe her.

~

It wasn’t about something else.

The headmaster received them with a sour expression and motioned for them to sit down. He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Jinwoo. The two of them sat down across from him, awaiting his outburst.

“I have received a report from one of our prefects. She claims to have seen you doing... inappropriate things in the prefect’s bathroom.”

Jinwoo wasn’t sure how someone could have walked in on them without them noticing. Granted, Jinwoo had been a tad bit busy, but he was 96% sure that nobody had been in the prefects’ bathroom while he was in there with Mina.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” the headmaster questioned sternly.

Mina lowered her head. “We’re really sorry...” she muttered.

“You’re not setting the best example for your fellow students! That is why I have decided that the student council is no longer allowed to date one another, effective immediately!” the headmaster announced.

Jinwoo jumped off his seat before he could stop himself.

“That’s ridiculous!” he exclaimed. Mina stood up as well, reaching for Jinwoo’s hand to calm him down.

“Mina and I are adults, you can’t–”

“You may be adults under the wizarding law, but as long as you’re students here, you’re following my rules! The prefects will be informed later. You’re dismissed!”

Jinwoo opened his mouth to argue, but Mina squeezed his hand and dragged him along to the exit. The headmaster cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows at their intertwined hands.

“You can’t force us to break up!” Mina said in an exasperated tone of voice.

The headmaster looked at her coldly. “Then you’re expelled. I heard you want to get into wizard politics, Miss Myoui... that’s going to be hard when you can’t graduate,” he said, leaning back in his armchair.

Jinwoo was about ready to slit the guy’s throat.

“Don’t you dare threaten her, you–”

“Jinwoo, please... let’s just go,” Mina interfered, her voice small. The Hufflepuff looked at his girlfriend; her eyes were glued to the floor – in shame or resignation, he didn’t know. Most of his anger faded at the sight. He reluctantly let her pull her hand away.

They left the headmaster’s office, not without Jinwoo shooting the guy one last glare, though.

Outside, Mina let out a quiet sob and Jinwoo didn’t hesitate to hug her.

“This is all my fault!” she exclaimed, her voice muffled, due to her face being buried in her boyfriend’s robes.

“No, that’s not true...”

“Going to the bathroom was my idea...” she argued while pulling back to look up at him.

“Don’t worry about it, princess. We’re going to make this right...” Jinwoo told her, while gently wiping her tears away with his thumbs. “For now, we’re going to have to pretend that we really broke up, though,” he added.

“Pretend?”

“Yeah, the headmaster needs to get his head out of his ass. This council dating-ban isn’t going to last. And I’m not letting you go that easily”, he told her.

At least, that brought a little smile to her face. Jinwoo cupped her cheeks and pecked her on the nose.

“It’s all gonna be okay...”

~

The news about the student council dating ban spread like wildfire over the next few hours.

Jinwoo found it hard to stay away from his girlfriend all day, since he knew how upset she had been earlier.

Hyunjin decided to join him at the lunch table, because Jeongin was at Quidditch practice. The older was grateful for the hug he gave him.

“It’s gonna be fine,” Hyunjin told him.

Jinwoo lowered his head, staring at the empty plate in front of him.

“That’s what I keep trying to tell myself, but I don’t know how to fix this...” the Hufflepuff said.

Hyunjin patted his shoulder comfortingly. “For now, it’s best to let the headmaster cool off!”

“What do I do about the prefects, though? We have tons of council couples! I’m just glad it won’t affect you and Seungmin.”

“What kind of stupid rule is that anyway? You could have been with anyone. Why only punish part of the student council?” Hyunjin questioned.

Jinwoo shrugged. “The headmaster is an asshat...” the older mumbled.

“I’m sorry, you have to go through this,” Hyunjin said sympathetically.

Jinwoo gave him a sad half-smile. “Worst part is that I have to stay away from Mina...” he replied, his eyes trailing off to absent-mindedly search for her at the Ravenclaw table. She wasn’t there, which worried him even further.

~

“Chan, I have a favor to ask you...”, Jinwoo whispered to his friend that same evening during Astronomy class. The Gryffindor looked at him.

Of course, he had heard the rumors, too. But just like Hyunjin, he would never judge him...

“Sure, what do you need?” Chan questioned.

Jinwoo pretended to look through his telescope when Professor Sinistra looked over.

“Could you look after Mina for me? Like, make sure people are not getting on her case about what happened?” Jinwoo asked his friend.

Chan looked surprised at the request but nodded nonetheless. “Sure, I’ll look after her,” he agreed. Jinwoo smiled.

“Thanks,” he said sincerely, but his best friend waved off.

“You’d do the same for me...”

After class, the two of them hung out together near the Astronomy classroom.

“Who even ratted us out?” Jinwoo asked, more to himself than Chan.

The younger looked at him, surprised. “You haven’t heard? The girl who ratted you out was Kwak Nahyun from our year. She’s in my house and she couldn’t wait to brag about it in the common room!”

Jinwoo’s face darkened.

Kwak Nahyun; he should have fucking known. Nobody in the council really liked her. She was too bent on obeying the rules and she had zero loyalty towards her friends. One time she had deducted 40 points from her little brother’s house – which was Hufflepuff, as Jinwoo remembered bitterly – for a minor mistake, nobody even remembered.

“Why am I not surprised...” Jinwoo mumbled.

Chan nodded in silent agreement. “What are you gonna do?” he asked the older, who shrugged.

“I’m not sure... I could ask her to tell the headmaster that she misunderstood the situation?” Jinwoo offered.

Chan snorted. “That’s the best approach for literally anyone but her...” he said.

The Hufflepuff sighed in resignation. “You’re right... but I have to come up with something...” he said.

~

Usually, Mina loved this time of year.

The snow was finally melting, and spring was about to begin. She had been looking forward to spending most of her time at the lake with Jinwoo once it got a little warmer, and on top of that, it was also her birthday this month.

Right now, though, she felt horrible.

Half the school’s eyes were on her wherever she went; she heard people whispering behind her back and some things she heard made her want to curl up into a ball and cry.

Also, to put the damn cherry on top, she thought she might be coming down with something. She felt nauseous and tired all the time.

As head girl, she couldn’t really afford to be sick, but with everything going on she figured that maybe it was the right moment to just backtrack.

Then again, Myoui Mina wasn’t someone who just gave up when things got a little though... usually. Jinwoo was right, though. Soon, this would all be over.

“Mina!” someone called out to her, causing her to turn around.

Chan caught up with her, starting to walk alongside her.

She gave him a small smile. “Hey, Chan...” she said, trying to ignore the pulsing headache she had woken up with this morning.

“We have Charms together now, don’t we?” Chan asked.

Mina looked at him, chuckling. “Jinwoo wants you to babysit me, doesn’t he?” she said knowingly.

Chan scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Jinwoo was really the sweetest to be worrying about her like this. It made her happy to know that her boyfriend was such a caring person. But it also made her sad, because she couldn’t be with him right now.

“That’s really nice of you, Chan, but I’m fine. I don’t need a babysitter or a bodyguard...” she told him.

Unfortunately, though, as if to contradict her statement, her headache was getting worse by the second. She was beginning to feel dizzy, causing her to stop walking and lean against the nearby wall.

“You okay?” Chan asked.

Mina hummed in confirmation. “I... just need a minute...” she said.

Chan approached her. “Maybe you should go to the hospital wing,” the younger suggested. She shook her head and pushed herself off the wall, trying to stand up straight again.

“I’m fine...” she argued.

However, her surroundings began to spin before she had even finished speaking and she vaguely registered Chan catching her before she passed out.

~

Jinwoo wasn’t even pretending to listen to Professor Binns’ lecture. He just stared out of the window and waited for the torture that was History of Magic to be over.

The door at the back of the classroom, right next to where Jinwoo sat, opened, which Professor Binns didn’t notice.

Jinwoo looked over to see Chan peeking inside, trying to get the older’s attention. Jinwoo furrowed his brows in confusion as Chan motioned for him to come outside.

Jinwoo shot a quick look over to the ghostly professor before getting up and sneaking outside, ignoring the stares of his classmates, who, of course, found anything more entertaining than History of Magic.

“What–”

“It’s Mina. She’s at the hospital wing!” Chan interrupted the older.

Jinwoo was immediately alarmed. “Why?! What happened?!” he questioned frantically.

Chan began to lead the way as he answered: “No idea. I was talking to her and all of a sudden she just... fainted,” he explained.

The Hufflepuff frowned. He knew that Mina had been complaining about dizziness a lot recently, but he knew her. She usually avoided going to the hospital wing, unless she absolutely had to.

Finally, the two seventh years reached the hospital wing where Jinwoo had to stop himself from bursting through the door. When he entered, he found Mina already sitting up in her bed.

Jinwoo rushed over to her, reaching for her hand. “Are you alright?” he questioned.

Mina gave him a half-smile. She looked a little pale, but other than that she seemed fine.

“I am... Madame Pomfrey said that it was just because of the stress. I’ll be back on my feet before lunch,” she said.

He was just about to reach out and brush a strand of her hair behind her ear when Madame Pomfrey appeared. 

“Ah... the boyfriend. I hate to say this, but you shouldn’t be here,” she addressed Jinwoo.

The Hufflepuff let out an exasperated huff. “I can’t even check on her now?” he asked.

He knew that he shouldn’t snap at the school nurse as she was only trying to do her job, but this whole thing just made him even angrier than he had been before.

“I think it’s best if you go now. She’s alright...” the nurse said, completely unbothered by the Hufflepuff’s tone.

Jinwoo sighed in resignation and gave Mina a short apologetic look, squeezing her hand a little bit. He didn’t like leaving her behind like this, but he also didn’t want to get her into more trouble.

“I’ll see you later...” Jinwoo told her.

She just nodded as Jinwoo turned around and left the hospital wing with Chan. The younger looked like he wanted to say something.

Jinwoo was grateful when he didn’t.

~

After Mina was discharged, Jinwoo had to find an opportunity to have a moment alone with her. He couldn’t stop thinking about how utterly ridiculous this situation was. They were still head boy and head girl, so keeping them apart really wasn’t the best solution here.

Apart from that, he’d caught several prefects glaring at him. He knew that most of them probably weren’t happy about the dating ban; he just hoped that they would let all their anger out on him, instead of Mina.

He was scheduled for patrolling the hallways tonight, which turned out to be his opportunity to finally talk to his girlfriend without anyone breathing down their necks. He was patrolling the seventh floor near the Room of Requirements, when she rounded the corner.

At first, in the dark, he thought that it might be another prefect, but as she stepped closer Jinwoo recognized Mina. He closed the rest of the distance between them and hugged her.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked her.

She mumbled a “yeah, I’m alright...” She pulled out of the hug. “There’s something I need to tell you, though...”

Mina looked nervous, fidgeting with her hands, unable to meet his eyes. “Um... so, I don’t really know how to say this...” she trailed off.

Jinwoo reached for her hands. “You’re not breaking up with me, are you?” he asked, trying to contain the panic in his voice.

Mina looked at him wide-eyed. “No, of course not! But... you might consider breaking up with me once I tell you...” she replied, averting her gaze again.

Jinwoo couldn’t deny that he was getting a little worried. What did she mean by that? He couldn’t imagine her doing something bad enough for him to break up with her.

“I’m pregnant.”

Jinwoo didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it hadn’t been... that. He stared at her for a few seconds, trying to process the information. Mina seemed to take his silence as a bad thing.

“I’m sorry, Jinwoo. I know this isn’t what you had planned for your future...”

The Hufflepuff was quick to reassure her, though. “I’m not mad at you. I’m surprised, yes, but I’m responsible too! And I sure won’t leave you, princess. We’ll get through this together, okay?”

Mina sniffled, her eyes still glued to the floor. “Look at me...” Jinwoo said gently.

The Ravenclaw carefully looked at her boyfriend, who was trying to make her feel better by giving her a warm smile. He hated seeing her like this.

“I’m with you. You’re not going through this alone...”

“But we’re not even allowed to be together right now. What happens if word gets out?” Mina questioned desperately.

Jinwoo knew that the timing wasn’t the best, but he wanted to prevent her from feeling discouraged.

“Maybe we should just try to keep it a secret until things calm down,” he suggested. Mina just nodded. “Did you tell anyone else yet?” Jinwoo asked her.

She nodded again. “I told Momo when we were at our dorms earlier...”

She looked a little less shaken up than before, probably due to the fact that Jinwoo had reacted pretty calmly. He was glad that she had someone to confide in while he couldn’t be by her side.

Mina stood up straight, wiping her eyes. “I have to get going... I don’t want anyone to get suspicious...” she told him. Jinwoo nodded and gave her another brief hug before letting her continue her duties.

~

To say that the other girls were unamused by the dating ban situation was an understatement. Ever since it had been announced, Mina had had to endure death glares because everyone knew about the bathroom incident, which, of course, led everyone to the conclusion that it had been Jinwoo’s and Mina’s fault.

Still, she tried to keep her head up and hoped that the others would just leave her be until the situation resolved. But, of course, luck wasn’t exactly on her side these days.

She was currently in the bathroom after breakfast trying to get her dizziness under control when the door opened, and two girls stepped inside.

Mina knew them because they were both prefects. One of them was Slytherin’s sixth-year prefect Ahin. The other one was Dayoung from Gryffindor who was also a sixth-year.

“Look who it is...” Dayoung said when she spotted the head girl.

Mina really wasn’t up for this type of confrontation at the moment, but the girls seemed happy to catch her alone.

“You know, the least thing you could do is apologize...” Ahin accused her.

“Because you and your boyfriend couldn’t keep your hands to each other, we can’t openly see our boyfriends anymore!” Dayoung continued.

Mina took a deep breath, not wanting to lose her temper in front of the two younger girls.

“Maybe, instead of snapping at me, you should confront the person who reported me to the headmaster and ultimately got us into this mess. I’m sorry about the dating ban, but I never wanted this to happen either!”

Ahin scoffed as Dayoung rolled her eyes. “You’re so high and mighty all the time because you’re head girl and dating Jinwoo, but without him you’re actually nothing...” the Gryffindor spat at her. “You two were the ones who deserved a punishment, the rest of us didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Yeah, you’re the slut here, Mina!”

For some stupid reason, Mina took the girls’ words to heart more than she would usually.

(She remembered Madame Pomfrey telling her that she could be more emotional than usual.)

She didn’t want to deal with them any longer, so she just pushed past them and stormed out of the bathroom before she had a full-on breakdown in front of them.

She didn’t look where she was going, which resulted in her colliding with someone almost immediately after leaving the bathroom.

Mina just hoped that it wasn’t another angry prefect, as she mumbled a quiet “sorry”, ready to run off again.

“Whoa, slow down, there... are you alright?” Mina looked up and saw Chan standing there, giving her a concerned look.

Granted, yesterday when he’d seen her she’d fainted. She quickly wiped her eyes. “I’m fine, Chan. For real, this time,” she said. Chan raised his eyebrows like he didn’t believe her.

“People around here aren’t too fond of me right now. Nothing that won’t pass,” Mina waved off when she caught his look.

“Don’t let them get to you. This sucks right now, but it’s going to be fine,” the Gryffindor said encouragingly. Mina gave him a small smile. She was glad that Jinwoo had someone like him as his best friend.

“Come on, I’ll walk you to class,” Chan offered. Mina chuckled, knowing that the younger wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“Alright...”

~

“Hey, head boy!” someone called out to Jinwoo, who was absent-mindedly walking to his next class, through the Transfiguration courtyard.

His thoughts were with Mina and the news she’d shared yesterday. He still couldn’t quite wrap his head around the fact that she was really pregnant...

“Park Jinwoo!” the same voice called out to him again.

The Hufflepuff turned around to see none other than Kwak Nahyun and her Ravenclaw boyfriend Park Hyunwoo approach him. He rolled his eyes. If there was anyone he disliked more than Nahyun it was her idiot of a boyfriend.

“I gotta say, some leader you are! First you knock up your girlfriend and then you get us all busted!” Hyunwoo said.

Jinwoo froze at his words. How did he know about Mina? He glared at Nahyun.

“The dating ban doesn’t even affect you two,” he finally said.

Nahyun crossed her arms over her chest. “I did the right thing,” she defended herself.

Jinwoo scoffed. “Sure, it’s always easy to rat out others. Bet you’d even betray your own boyfriend to get brownie points with the teachers,” he said more calmly than he felt, but with a certain bite in his voice.

Hyunwoo apparently thought that it was a good idea to get up in Jinwoo’s grill and push at his chest. The guy was taller than Jinwoo with way too many muscles; he barely passed as a seventh year, since he looked around 23.

Under different circumstances, Jinwoo might have been slightly intimidated, but his blood was already boiling with pent-up anger.

He was angry at Nahyun for being the reason he had to stay away from Mina and angry at Hyunwoo for having the nerve to call him out on something that didn’t even affect him.

In other words, the Ravenclaw should not pick a fight with him today.

“I mean, they could have just kicked you and your slut of a girlfriend out, instead of–”

Jinwoo didn’t let Hyunwoo finish. He took a swing and punched him right in the face before he could stop himself – not that he had intended to.

Nobody talked about his girlfriend like that and got away with it.

Nahyun screamed and ran off, but Jinwoo didn’t have it in him to care. Hyunwoo caught himself pretty quickly, though. Before Jinwoo knew it, the Ravenclaw had placed a punch on his jaw and no sooner the two seventh years were on the floor, throwing punches at each other.

Jinwoo usually wasn’t someone who lost his temper easily, but if it was about Mina or his friends, he wasn’t playing around. Suddenly, he was thrown back through the air, magically.

He landed on the grassed floor, hard, sat up and looked around to see their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher standing there, his wand raised.

“Would anybody care to explain why the two of you are fighting like Neanderthals?!” the Professor asked, dangerously calm.

“Jinwoo punched Hyunwoo in the face!” Nahyun said, looking panicked... or maybe that was just an act to make her seem more believable.

Jinwoo wouldn’t even be surprised if that were the case.

“And why would he do that?” the Professor asked, his gaze fixed on Jinwoo.

“He had it coming!” the head boy said.

“As head boy, you should know better. That’s 50 points from Hufflepuff,” the teacher told him.

Hyunwoo huffed in amusement. “...and 50 from Ravenclaw as well. Fist fights are unacceptable! This is a school, not a fight club! Now get those bruises fixed up and then head to class!”

Jinwoo scrambled to his feet and snatched his bag up from the floor where it must have dropped somewhere along the fight. He walked off without further words.

He wasn’t going to run to Madame Pomfrey like a little bitch just because of a few bruises.

~

“I guess they’ve turned into a slut and a thug by now...”
“It’s tragic, really...”
“Look at her, seems like she finally fell off her high horse.”

“Do any of you actually have the guts to say that to her face?!” Chan exclaimed, facing a small group of gossiping students.

They didn’t seem to have expected him to call them out as they now only stared back at him with wide eyes.

“It’s okay, Chan. You don’t have to do this,” Mina said with a small voice.

Chan had practically insisted on walking her to lunch after the “rumor” about her pregnancy had seeped through.

He hadn’t asked her if it was true, yet, but he had been glaring at people who pointed their fingers at her, causing most of them to turn away.

Mina didn’t think anyone would attack her with more than words, but she had to admit that she felt safer with Jinwoo’s best friend around.

“It’s not okay! They can’t talk about you and Jinwoo like this,” Chan argued.

“Just... let’s just get lunch, okay?” Mina asked. She didn’t actually want to go to the Great Hall, but it seemed better than having Chan pick a fight in the middle of a hallway.

The Gryffindor gave in, nodding, before he proceeded to take Mina to the Great Hall.

As expected, many students stared at her as she walked through the door, making her freeze in her spot.

Chan nudged her carefully. “You don’t have to stay here... I could get you some food to eat somewhere quieter,” he whispered.

Part of Mina wanted to decline and tell him that she didn’t want to give them the satisfaction to see her crumble. The other part had enough of the whispers and the stares. It was too much for one day. So, she nodded.

Chan patted her shoulder comfortingly and told her to go wait in the courtyard.

Mina quickly scanned the Hufflepuff table to see if she could spot Jinwoo anywhere, but he was nowhere to be seen. She sighed in resignation before turning around to head to the courtyard and wait for Chan there.

She was worried about Jinwoo. Of course, she had heard about the fist fight between him and Park Hyunwoo. She wondered how it was possible for rumors and news to spread this fast around here, even without magic.

Did nobody have respect for privacy anymore?

“Here you go,” Chan’s voice suddenly ripped Mina out of her thoughts.

The Gryffindor stood in front of her with a full plate of many different things on it. She took it gratefully, only now realizing how hungry she actually was.

“I didn’t know what you liked, so I just got everything,” Chan said sheepishly.

Mina chuckled as she began to eat. “Thanks, that’s really thoughtful of you,” she told him. Chan waved off. “I usually don’t run from my problems...” Mina added, feeling the need to explain herself.

“I know. But sometimes it’s okay to hide...” Chan looked like he wanted to say something else. And eventually he did. “Besides... I don't think you should, you know... get too stressed.”

Mina looked down at herself. It was obvious what Chan was referring to.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” he asked.

Mina nodded. “I found out yesterday. I’m 8 weeks pregnant...” the Ravenclaw answered, her hand absent-mindedly coming to a rest on her belly.

“Did you tell Jinwoo?” Chan questioned.

“Yeah. He said we’ll get through it together. He was really sweet and supportive, even though I just ruined his future...” she said lowering her head.

“I don’t think he sees it that way. He loves you. I know for a fact that you’re the most important person in his life... he’d be a great father, if you ask me,” Chan told her.

Mina put her plate aside and shifted to sit on the bench cross-legged. “I’m not even sure if I should keep it. There are many people who could take better care of this baby...” she admitted. “Besides, my parents will kill me when they find out.”

Chan hummed in thought. “Well, I can’t tell you what to do. But I know that Jinwoo will definitely respect your decision...” Mina nodded.

She knew that Jinwoo was a good man. She just wished that making a decision would be easier...

~

“Jinwoo, your face!” Hyunjin exclaimed the next morning when the Hufflepuff joined him and Seungmin at the Slytherin table.

“Why didn’t you go to Madame Pomfrey with this?” Seungmin asked.

Jinwoo shrugged. “It’s not that bad...”

“Not that bad, my ass! Your right eye is swollen like a golf ball! Can you even see?” Seungmin questioned.

“I’m fine, guys. I’ll get it fixed up later...”

The two fifth years didn’t look too happy with that answer but decided to drop the subject anyway.

“Have either of you seen Mina?” he asked them.

Hyunjin shook his head, but Seungmin replied: “Yeah, she left the Great Hall when I came in.”

“How did she look? Was she okay? Was Chan with her?” the oldest asked quickly.

“I think she was alright. Chan wasn’t with her. Momo was, though...” Seungmin told him.

That calmed him down a little bit. He didn’t want her to be on her own when he couldn’t be with her.

“Um... is she really...” Hyunjin trailed off, like he was scared to overstep by voicing out the whole question.

Jinwoo couldn’t blame him for asking. With the amount of gossip going around in this school, you never knew what was true and what wasn’t.

“She is...” he answered.

Seungmin’s face lit up the smallest bit. “The circumstances aren’t ideal, but I still want to say congratulations. I love babies!” he said.

Jinwoo couldn’t help but smile at the younger’s excitement. “Thanks, Min.”

It was nice to hear something positive about this whole situation for a change. He was really glad to have his friends.

“Chan’s coming over,” Hyunjin pointed out, looking past Jinwoo who turned around to see his best friend approach them.

“Hey, I was looking for you yesterday,” the younger said. He looked at Jinwoo’s bruises, making a face at how bad they probably looked, but chose not to comment on it.

“Mina told me to tell you that she’ll meet you in the Room of Requirements tonight at 10,” he explained.

Jinwoo perked up at that. He felt like he hadn’t seen her in ages. “I’ll be there,” he said.

~

Jinwoo arrived at the Room of Requirements at 10pm sharp.

Mina was already waiting for him, immediately hugging him when he stepped inside. In order not to worry her, he’d been to the hospital wing after class to get his bruises healed.

“How are you feeling, princess?” he asked her once she’d pulled back from the hug.

She smiled a little. “I’m good. What about you? Did you get hurt during that fight?” she questioned.

Jinwoo shook his head dismissively. “Don’t worry,” he said. He looked around in the room. Mina had made it to look like the Ravenclaw common room. He took her hand and sat her down on one of the blue couches before taking his own seat next to her.

“Jinwoo... I wanted to meet up to talk about this whole pregnancy thing...” Mina started after a few seconds of silence. “I want to know where you stand. Do you want this baby?” she questioned, looking more serious than he had ever seen her.

Jinwoo had thought about this a lot over the past few days. Was he really ready to possibly become a father? Did he want this baby?

“Yes, I... I think I do... do you?”

Mina looked at her own knees. “I wasn’t sure at first... I mean, I’m just about to turn 18 and I have no idea how to do this,” she replied. “But then I thought that I can do anything as long as I’m with you. So... if you’re completely sure about this... then yeah, I want to keep the baby,” she told him.

Jinwoo took her hand again, making her look at him. “I meant it when I said that I’m in this with you...” he assured her.

She leaned against his side and exhaled. Jinwoo enjoyed being close to her again after all the drama.

“Sometimes I think that we should just leave this damn school...” Mina muttered.

Jinwoo slung an arm around her waist, pulling her a little closer. “How am I supposed to take care of you when I can’t get a job?” he said with a little chuckle.

“We got this, princess. We’ll finish these last few months of school and then I’ll find a job and we can move in together...” he trailed off.

It wasn’t like he had never imagined it before. He knew that he loved Mina, it was the only thing he was 100% sure of in his life.

He had often found himself thinking about what their life would look like when they were out of here and in the real world.

Now that they had a baby on the way, he was looking forward to it even more.

“You’re making this sound a lot less intimidating than it probably will be,” Mina said.

Jinwoo chuckled. “Then I’m doing a good job...”

“But what are we going to do about the situation right now? Are we really going to keep meeting secretly like this until we graduate?” Mina questioned.

“If we have to... but I thought about talking to the headmaster again...” Jinwoo answered, trying to sound more confident about the plan than he actually felt.

“Let’s just hope that it’ll work out...”

~

Mina had offered her boyfriend to come along to talk to the headmaster the very next day, but Jinwoo had told her to stay put. He wanted to think about what exactly to say to him. Rushing into it might ruin everything.

Luckily, the gossiping and finger-pointing had died down a little by the end of the week.

Jinwoo decided not to push his talk with the headmaster up further than necessary and went to his office that same weekend.

He said the password he needed in order to get into the office. The headmaster was sitting at his desk, pretending to write something, even though, Jinwoo knew that he had head him enter.

“Mr Park, what a nice surprise,” he said, not looking up from his paperwork.

“Can I talk to you, sir?” Jinwoo asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. He was still boiling with anger when he looked at the headmaster, but he figured that acting up wouldn’t get him anywhere.

The headmaster finally looked up and made a gesture for Jinwoo to sit down. The Hufflepuff did as told.

“The reason I’m here is–”

“You’re going to ask me to lift the dating ban,” the headmaster interrupted him knowingly.

“Yes, the rest of the council did nothing wrong. And they’re taking their anger out on Mina,” Jinwoo explained. “Please, if you want to punish someone, let it be me.”

“Mr Park, you’re one of Hogwarts’ brightest students and an even better head boy... but you have disappointed me,” the headmaster told him.

Jinwoo nodded slowly. “I know, but it’s not fair of you to punish other prefects for that. I’m ready to take responsibility,” he said sincerely.

“Really? How so?” the headmaster asked, raising his eyebrows in interest.

“I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll step down as head boy... just... please, lift the ban.”

The man folded his hands and rested them on his desk. “You’re quite the leader, Jinwoo. People are looking up to you.”

Jinwoo wasn’t so sure about that anymore. After the week he’d had, he wouldn’t be surprised if people were screaming for a new head boy.

“I’ll lift the ban,” the headmaster said, making Jinwoo’s head snap in his direction in surprise. “But you’re not going to step down. It’s already March. It would be way too much of a hassle to elect a new head boy now. Besides, I told you... you’re a good leader,” he explained.

“Then... what–”

“You’ll get detention for the rest of the month and I’m deducting 50 points from Hufflepuff.” That was it? Detention and a few points? “You’re dismissed,” the headmaster said. Jinwoo furrowed his brows. “Just like that?”

“Would you like a more severe punishment?” the older man questioned.

Jinwoo quickly rose from his seat. “No! Thank you, sir!”

He turned on his heel and stormed off without any further words before the headmaster could change his mind.

~

Mina was sitting at the Ravenclaw table with Momo, picking around in her food.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Momo asked carefully.

Mina shook her head and put her fork down. “I’m not hungry...”

She was feeling anxious. Jinwoo had told her that he would talk to the headmaster today. It could go either way.

The prefects were still extremely mad, but at least by now, most of the people were over the news of her pregnancy.

When Mina had asked Momo about how word might have gotten out, the older had suspected one of their dormmates overhearing the conversation. It sounded the most reasonable, since she trusted her friend enough to know that she would never share her personal stuff with anyone without getting Mina’s permission first.

Momo nudged her. “There he is,” she pointed out. Mina looked over to the entrance of the Great Hall where Jinwoo stood, scanning the Ravenclaw table. He finally found her sitting there and made his way over.

Mina got up from her seat once he was in ear shot. Judging by the fact that he was here and the wide grin on his face, she assumed that he had good news. Her theory was confirmed when he cupped her cheeks and pecked her right on the lips in excitement.

“He lifted the dating ban!” he exclaimed.

Mina’s eyes widened before she all but threw her arms around his neck.

“What did you do?” she asked him.

“I just asked him to punish me instead of all of you guys. Now I got detention and my house has lost a few points, but other than that, we’re good,” the Hufflepuff said.

Mina pulled back a little and looked up at him. “You took all the blame?” she questioned.

Jinwoo just shrugged. “I did what I had to do to end this ridiculous ban.”

Mina hugged him again, uncaring of the others’ eyes on them. She had the best boyfriend out there and she was finally allowed to be with him again.

~

“Well, now that you two can be together again I finally get the chance to congratulate both of you!” Chan said a few hours later when he, Mina and Jinwoo hung out together in the Clocktower courtyard.

“Thanks, Chan. And also, thanks for looking out for her while I couldn’t...” Jinwoo answered, giving his best friend a hug.

The younger waved off, like he always did, humble as he was. “Anytime...” he said. “By the way, do you think that it’ll be a boy or a girl?” the Gryffindor asked excitedly.

Mina and Jinwoo shared a look.

“Doesn’t matter. Through my gut feeling’s pointing towards a girl,” Mina told him.

Jinwoo put an arm around her shoulders, whispering something in her ear. Chan chuckled when the couple got lost in their own world.

“I should get going. I have a boyfriend who’s been complaining about the lack of attention he’s been getting from me lately,” he told them.

They both bid their absent-minded goodbyes to Chan, who then went to meet up with Minho, leaving the two reunited lovebirds alone.

“Something tells me that my idiot friends have a bet going on about the gender of our baby,” Jinwoo stated.

Mina laughed. “Mine too. Sana outright told me,” she replied.

Jinwoo shook his head fondly, at their circle of friends. He reached out to put a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Whatever this baby’s gender is, I love both you very much,” he told his girlfriend.

Mina smiled, leaning into his touch and putting a hand on her belly.

“We love you, too.”

Chapter Text

I am NOT  [just that]

Minho had the sweetest boyfriend.

Seriously, name someone sweeter than Bang Chan!

The older was the most caring person Minho knew. Recently, he had picked up a habit, where he just gave him little gifts out of nowhere, because “he loved to see Minho’s surprised expression”.

Even today, Minho was just sitting at the dinner table with his friends, waiting for his boyfriend to show up when suddenly something dangled in front of his face.

The Slytherin turned around in confusion only to see Chan standing there, grinning giddily.

“What’s that?” Minho questioned. Chan’s grin widened.

“It’s a necklace. I made it for you,” he explained, holding the necklace out to Minho, who took it and examined the little charm. It looked like a dinosaur or maybe a slug. It was cute, though, so Minho couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s a snake,” Chan said excitedly.

It didn’t really look like a snake, but Minho loved it nonetheless. He got up and faced his boyfriend.

“You didn’t have to do that... it’s not even my birthday,” he pointed out, but Chan just giggled.

“I wanted to!” he said.

Minho chuckled fondly, before putting the necklace around his neck. “Thank you, I really love it,” he said, causing Chan's face to light up even more.

“I’m glad you do. I spent a lot of time making it. Anyways, I think I’m heading to bed. I’m tired...” Minho furrowed his brows.

“Aren’t you going to eat dinner?” he questioned.

Chan grabbed an apple and held it up. “I’m not that hungry... I just wanted to give you the necklace before I went to sleep,” he explained. He leaned forward to peck Minho on the cheek before taking off again.

“Aw, I think it’s cute that he just gave you a gift just like that,” Changbin who had been watching the whole thing silently, now commented.

Hyunjin nodded in agreement. Minho sighed and sat back down again, his hand absent-mindedly coming up to fumble with the snake charm.

“He’s the cutest... but I just realized that he always gives me stuff... and I never give him anything. I mean, aside from my d–”

“Okay! We get it!” Changbin interrupted him quickly, already knowing what he was going to say.

“No, but seriously... I’m not just about that. I feel like I should give back to him...”

“Why don’t you ask Felix for advice? He knows Chan best,” Changbin suggested.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure Felix would be more than happy to give you advice,” Hyunjin added. Minho contemplated it. His friends were probably right. Felix could probably help him.

Minho got up from his seat. “I’ll go right now,” he told the younger boys with a determined expression.

“Don’t keep him too long, we have a date after dinner,” Changbin pointed out.

“Yeah, yeah,” Minho said before making his way over to the Gryffindor table where Felix was eating with Eric Son from Hufflepuff and Kang Chanhee from his house.  

“Felix! My favorite Gryffindor!” Minho exclaimed. Felix looked at him weirdly. Eric just outright laughed and Chanhee remained unbothered.

“Whatever you want, Minho. I’m sure, I don’t have it,” Felix told him.

Minho chuckled and patted the younger’s shoulder. “I need your help. It’s about Chan,” he said.

Felix furrowed his brows. “Um... sure, what do you need?” he questioned.

Minho sat down next to him, not really caring that everyone within earshot could hear them. This was important!

“Alright, so you know how Channie always gives me cute presents?” Minho asked.

Felix nodded slowly. “He always gets super excited when he has something to give you. He likes to make people happy...”

“And now I want to make him happy,” Minho told the younger, who scrunched up his face.

“I’m not sure I can help you with that,” the Gryffindor replied.

Minho waved off. “I don’t mean that. I was actually trying to find a gift for him... but I don’t know what he’d like and Changbin suggested that I should ask you,” the older explained patiently.

“Ah... um... okay. There aren’t many things Chan wants. Try finding a birthday gift for him every year. It’s torture, I’m telling you... um...” Felix thought about it for a while. “I mean, Chan is easy to fluster. As long as you mean it, he’ll love it,” he said, still thinking.

“Didn’t you say he wanted this new broomstick?” Eric spoke up suddenly.

Felix perked up. “Right, he told me about how his current one is super outdated!” he exclaimed.

Minho tilted his head. Chan had never complained to him about his broomstick. “What kind of broomstick are we talking about?”

“The Nimbus 7000. It’s the latest model and Chan has been lowkey ogling it ever since it came out,” Felix explained.

Minho thought about it. Sure, a broomstick wasn’t exactly the most romantic gift, but if it was what Chan wanted...

“Thanks, guys!” the Slytherin exclaimed happily as he jumped to his feet again.

Felix gave him a perplexed look. “Wait, you’re not gonna buy him the broomstick, are you?” he questioned, but Minho was already walking off.

~

Chan didn’t really know why Minho wanted to see him at the Quidditch field in the middle of the night.

The younger had been secretive ever since Chan had given him the necklace two days ago. He couldn’t possibly imagine what his boyfriend was planning. He grabbed his broomstick just in case Minho wanted to randomly have a late-night practice with him and made his way down to the field, hoping that he wouldn’t run into any teachers.

Minho was waiting for him in front of the dressing rooms with a long box in his hands. He grinned at Chan slyly as he came closer. The older looked at him questioningly.

What was he up to?

“What’s going on?” the Gryffindor asked his boyfriend.

Minho’s grin widened as he held the box out to Chan. “I have a present for you! You always give me things and now I got something for you,” the younger explained excitedly.

Chan took the box with a curious expression. “You didn’t need to get me anything...” he said.

Minho giggled. “Open it!” he encouraged him.

Chan shook his head fondly but did as he was told. He opened the box to find a new, shiny broomstick inside. But it wasn’t just any broomstick!

“Is that...? Minho! You really shouldn’t have,” Chan exclaimed.

In the box lay the new Nimbus 7000, a model that the Gryffindor had been saving up for since summer.

“This must have been so expensive! I can’t possibly...” he trailed off, gently running his fingers over the gorgeous broomstick.

“It wasn’t that expensive. I know a guy... and you really want it. So, just take it as some sort of... early birthday present,” Minho told him.

Chan looked up at his boyfriend, snorting. “It’s March. My birthday’s in October!”

Minho shrugged. “Very early, then,” he answered, still with the grin on his face.

The older gently put the broomstick aside before stepping closer to Minho and giving him a hug. “Thank you, really... I don’t even know what to say,” Chan said, trying to put all the sincerity he felt into his words.

Minho wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. “It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything...”

“Isn’t that kind of bad for your team, though? You just helped your rival out a lot,” Chan joked.

Minho chuckled and pulled out of the hug. “Don’t worry, babe. We’re still going to win against you guys at the end of the year,” he told his boyfriend with a confident grin on his face.

Chan shoved him playfully, eyes already wandering back to the broomstick.

“You wanna give this baby a try?” Minho asked.

Chan nodded excitedly and reached for Minho’s hand, before making his way to the Quidditch field. He felt like a little boy on Christmas morning.

He got onto the broomstick and pushed himself off the ground. Minho stayed on the ground watching him with a fond smile playing on his lips.

“How is it?” he called up. Chan flew a few circles around the younger, who giggled in response.

“It’s amazing! It’s like I’m... I don’t know... flying!”

“You’re such a dork,” Minho told him.

Chan only laughed and flew around some more. “Get up here,” he called out to his boyfriend, who wasn’t going to let him ask twice. He joined the older up in the air, proceeding to chase him through the air. Of course, he didn’t stand a chance against Chan’s new model.

He loved seeing Chan excited like this. Maybe the present had been a little too expensive and not very romantic, but it came from Minho’s heart and as long as Chan was happy, he was too.

~

They decided to head back up to the castle after about an hour since it was really late and they didn’t want to risk getting caught. Chan still felt giddy about the present, but a part of him still wanted to know why Minho had decided to go all out, all of a sudden.

“Did Felix tell you that I wanted this broomstick?” he spoke up, making Minho, who had been lost in his own thoughts, look at him.

“Yeah, I asked him for advice because I honestly didn’t know what I could possibly get you...” the younger answered. “I didn’t want you to think that I just take your gifts for granted. I wanted to give back...”

They reached the entrance hall and Chan reached for Minho’s sleeve to make him stop walking to face him completely. “Did my gifts make you feel burdened? Because that’s not–”

Minho shook his head wildly and cupped Chan’s cheeks. “Not, that’s not it at all! I think I just wanted to show you that I’m not... just, you know...” he trailed off.

Chan furrowed his brows in confusion and tilted his head.

“I felt like I only ever showed you affection with my body. And I just felt like giving you something that would make you happy because I love you and I want you to know that...” Minho rambled. Chan chuckled. It was rare for the younger to get shy, but if it happened it was about stuff regarding feelings.

“I do know that... I love you, too, Min,” he answered. Minho smiled and laced their fingers together again.

Before he either of them could say anything else, though, someone cleared their throat. Chan and Minho spun around to find Professor McGonagall standing there, glaring.

“I’m sure you two would like to explain what you’re doing out of bed at this ungodly hour,” she said sternly.

Chan smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. “We’re sorry, Professor...”

Needless to say, they got an earful and a whole weekend of detention, but Chan and Minho would both be lying if he said it wasn’t worth it.

Chapter Text

Seungmin hadn’t really expected to be bombarded first thing in the morning. But here he was, just about to walk into the Great Hall to meet up with his boyfriend, when suddenly Changbin sprinted up the stairs from the dungeons and started talking to him in lighting speed:

“Seungmin, do you have any plans for Hyunjin’s birthday? Because I was thinking of throwing a party for him tomorrow. I already got snacks and pumpkin juice. All we need now is the birthday boy! I was thinking that you –”

“Changbin, slow down!” Seungmin interrupted the Slytherin. “It’s Hyunjin’s birthday tomorrow?” he asked once he had begun to process Changbin’s words.

It made him feel weird that he didn’t know his own boyfriend’s birthday, but now that he thought about it, they had never actually talked about it. He knew all his friends’ birthdays... but not Hyunjin’s.

Changbin looked at him, realization flashing across his face. “Right, I guess you wouldn’t know...” he muttered.

Seungmin frowned at his words. “What’s that supposed to mean?” the Ravenclaw questioned. Why wouldn’t he know? Was Hyunjin’s birthday some kind of inner circle secret?

“Oh no! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just that Hyunjin doesn’t really celebrate his birthday. If I hadn’t found out by accident a few years ago, he still wouldn’t have told me...”

Seungmin’s frown deepened.

Who ignored their own birthday?

“Anyway, Minho and I got the others on board for a little party tomorrow. No alcohol because he’s still our baby. Maybe you could convince him to come? He’s super whipped for you so he’ll probably say yes...” Changbin asked.

Seungmin contemplated it for a moment.  

This would be their first birthday as a couple and now that Seungmin knew about it, he damn well wouldn’t let the older ignore it just like that. He nodded in determination.

“I’ll get him there. But first, I need a present for him...” he muttered the last part to himself.

The sixth year smirked.

“Well, you could always surprise him by wrapping a ribbon around your–”

“I’m gonna stop you right there! I’m not doing that! You just said that he was still your baby, oh my god,” Seungmin exclaimed in exasperation, covering his ears with his hands as he continued to make his way into the Great Hall. He still heard Changbin cackle, though.

~

It was hard not to let Hyunjin know that he had found out about his birthday.

He still hadn’t figured out what to give him tomorrow, but he definitely wanted it to be a surprise. He must have been staring at his own pumpkin juice too hard, though, because Hyunjin poked his cheek and asked: “Hey, are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah, of course! I was just thinking about something,” Seungmin replied.

Hyunjin tilted his head in confusion. “What’s got you thinking so hard that you’re glaring holes into your cup?” the Slytherin asked.

Seungmin laughed awkwardly. “Just... school stuff,” he lied.

“You blink a lot when you’re lying...” Hyunjin pointed out with a frown.

Seungmin deflated. Of course, he couldn’t lie to his boyfriend.

“It’s nothing bad... I just can’t tell you, yet,” he admitted. It didn’t help. Hyunjin was still frowning. Seungmin faced him with his whole body. “I’m sorry for lying to you,” he said, leaning closer to kiss him on the cheek. Hyunjin’s features softened a little. “I’ll tell you tomorrow, I promise,” the Ravenclaw added.

His boyfriend didn’t seem particularly happy to be left in the dark, but he let the subject drop with a short nod.

~

After breakfast Seungmin went to History of Magic class where he sat between Jisung and Felix in the far back of the classroom.

“Guys, you know it’s Hyunjin’s birthday tomorrow, right?” he whispered. Jisung nodded shortly and Felix made a noise of acknowledgement. “What should I get him for his birthday?”

“Wrap your dick in a ribbon!” Felix suggested immediately.

Seungmin hit his friends’ shoulder. “You and your boyfriend are the fucking same! I am not doing that!” he hissed. Jisung laughed at his bickering friends.

“Why don’t you just use your culinary talent and bake him a birthday cake? It’s too short-notice to buy anything now anyway,” his fellow Ravenclaw suggested.

Seungmin nodded slowly, his head already thinking about different recipes. “See, that’s why Jisung is my best friend!” he told Felix.

The Gryffindor pouted. “Aw, come on. You love me, Seungminnie!” he replied, trying to rest his head on the slightly younger boy’s shoulder. Seungmin flicked his forehead playfully, causing the other to back away.

It was just his way of saying that, yes, he did indeed love his friends.

~

Seungmin was set to meet up with Hyunjin again after class because they had a movie date in the Room of Requirements, which meant that he couldn’t immediately go to the kitchen to bake the cake. On the other hand, this way he could try to subtly find out which flavor his boyfriend even wanted.

“Man, I’m kind of craving some cake, right now...” Seungmin muttered, as they settled on the familiar couch inside the Room of Requirements. The Ravenclaw leaned into Hyunjin’s side, cuddling up to him, as the latter wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“That’s random,” Hyunjin commented with a chuckle.

Seungmin looked at him smiling. “No, it’s not... I just need some sugar. What’s your favorite cake?” he questioned. Okay, maybe it wasn’t the subtlest way to ask, but he was desperate. Hyunjin didn’t seem to catch on, though.

“I like a classic chocolate cake. What about you?” he returned the question.

Seungmin grinned. Chocolate cake, he could do. “I like strawberry cake the most... but chocolate cake is good, too,” the younger said.

Hyunjin laughed. “Why are we talking about cake again?” he asked.

Seungmin just shrugged and rested his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Let’s just watch the movie,” he mumbled.

He could feel Hyunjin chuckle as they began to play their movie...

~

Seungmin had had huge trouble, trying to get Hyunjin to go to bed without making him suspicious or upset again.

Eventually, though, the Slytherin had given in and waddled off to his common room. Seungmin waited around for 10 minutes, before he snuck off into the dungeons and heading to the kitchen.

It was late, but Seungmin was determined to make this a birthday worth talking about.

By the time, he was finished baking the cake it was almost 5am. Seungmin contemplated waiting for his boyfriend to come to the Great Hall for breakfast, but he figured that he couldn’t wait that long.

Besides, if Hyunjin was really not that comfortable with his own birthday, it probably wasn’t the best idea to surprise him where everyone could see.

Therefore, he took his cake and sneaked to the Slytherin common room.

He just hoped that the password hadn’t changed since his last visit here.

“Aconite,” he said.

Luckily, it seemed to be the right password, because he was granted entrance. He’d never been to the common room of another house at this hour. The Slytherin’s common room was already scary during daytime or in the evening, but it was even scarier in the middle of the night when nobody was here.

Seungmin quickly sneaked up to the fifth-year dorms, gently peeking inside. He knew where Hyunjin slept, so he had no trouble finding the older’s bed. He smiled when he saw him sleeping peacefully, mouth slightly agape as his chest rose and sank in even breaths.

“Hyunjin?” he whispered, as he sat down on the side of the bed, hoping that none of his boyfriend’s dormmates were light sleepers. “Hyunjin?” he tried again, softly shaking the older.

 The Slytherin stirred awake, looking around in confusion. His sleepy eyes landed on Seungmin and he sat up. “Seungmin? What time is it?”

The Ravenclaw would have answered, but the words got stuck in his throat.

Apparently, Hyunjin liked to sleep shirtless, which was not something Seungmin had expected!

Needless to say, it caught him off guard big time and he was lucky that he didn’t drop the cake. He’d only seen Hyunjin shirtless once before and it hadn’t flustered him any less!

“U-um...” he stammered, trying to regain his composure. It took him a whole minute. Hyunjin was still sleepy, otherwise Seungmin was sure, he would have teased him about his probably flushed cheeks. “Happy Birthday,” he finally said, holding the cake out to the older.

“What?” Hyunjin asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, apparently only now noticing the cake.

“Oh. Thank you!” he said, sounding surprised, but not opposed. He gently took the cake from Seungmin’s hands and set it down on his nightstand to give the younger a hug.

“How’d you know?” he asked. Seungmin wanted to answer, but he was just dead tired now that he had finally accomplished his mission. Hyunjin’s body heat just added to the sleepiness.

He buried his face in the crook of Hyunjin’s neck as he began to drift off to sleep. He faintly noticed the Slytherin pulling him back to lie down and throwing a blanket over his body before he was out like a light.

~

Hyunjin woke up, feeling warmer than usual. Had he forgotten to take his shirt off last night? He lifted his head to be greeted by a mop of brown hair, tickling his chin. He smiled, remembering that Seungmin had paid him a surprise visit last night to bring him a birthday cake. The younger’s head was resting on his chest, his arm was loosely wrapped around Hyunjin’s waist and their legs were entangled.

This was definitely something he could get used to.

He caressed Seungmin’s side as he just watched him sleep. The other Slytherins seemed to be gone already, which meant that they had probably seen the two of them. Right now, Hyunjin couldn’t care less, though.

Eventually, Seungmin stirred awake and lifted his head, looking around in the kind of unfamiliar setting. His eyes landed on Hyunjin and he blushed.

“Good morning,” Hyunjin said with a wide grin on his face.

“Morning...” the younger mumbled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep here,” he added embarrassedly.

Hyunjin chuckled and ran a hand through his boyfriend’s messy hair. “It’s okay. I don’t mind at all,” he answered. His gaze fell onto the cake that still stood untouched on his nightstand. “Did you make this?” the Slytherin asked. Seungmin followed his gaze and nodded.

“I wanted to surprise you on your birthday. Changbin told me,” he explained, sitting up.

Hyunjin followed his example, not missing the way the younger tried not to look at his exposed chest. “Should we take this down to the Great Hall then? I’m starving, and you said yesterday that you craved cake,” the older suggested.

Now it all made sense to him. Seungmin’s secretiveness and his random questions about cake.

How could Hyunjin not have seen through it? Then again, he hadn’t expected Seungmin to know and, to be quite honest, he hadn’t even thought about today being his birthday.

“Don’t I get a good morning kiss?” Seungmin asked him with a pout.

Hyunjin laughed. “You will once I’ve brushed my teeth,” he answered, ruffling his boyfriend’s already messed up hair. They got out of bed and Seungmin conjured up his toothbrush with a Summoning spell, because he really wanted that good morning kiss, which Hyunjin didn’t deny him.

Afterwards, they took Hyunjin’s cake and went down to the Great Hall where they sat down at the Slytherin table. The older finally inspected his cake a little closer. The sugar writing said ‘Happy Birthday, honey’.

Hyunjin cooed at his boyfriend’s cuteness.

“You’re the cutest, you know that?” he said. Seungmin hid his face behind his hands in embarrassment.

“Don’t get shy now, babe,” he teased.

Seungmin peeked at him through his fingers. “Don’t call me that, it’s basic,” he said with a pout.

Hyunjin laughed. “What else should I call you? Angel? Sweetheart? There aren’t that many options, my love,” he said. Seungmin flushed a deep shade of red, trying to hide behind his hands again, but Hyunjin wasn’t having it. He quickly grabbed the younger’s hands and grinned at him widely. “You like the last one, don’t you,” he asked knowingly.

Seungmin averted his gaze, too embarrassed to look his boyfriend in the eye. “No,” he lied.

Hyunjin chuckled. “There you go again with the blinking, my love,” he pointed out teasingly.

“Stop it,” Seungmin whined.

Hyunjin grinned. He just loved flustering the younger.

Suddenly, another body made an impact with Hyunjin’s and before he could even process what was going on someone, who suspiciously sounded like Minho was singing “happy birthday” into his ear. Seungmin laughed at the scene before him, the seventh year practically draped all over Minho while Changbin just stood next to them, his arms crossed over his chest and a small but fond smile on his lips.

“Happy Birthday,” Changbin said once the younger had finally pried Minho off his back.

He grinned at his friends. “Thanks guys,” he answered.

Renjun, who Seungmin knew was really close with Hyunjin, also walked over from the Ravenclaw table, giving him a hug and a playful kiss on the cheek.

“Happy Birthday, babe,” he said.

Hyunjin laughed. “Thanks, cutie,” he replied.

In the beginning, the pet names those two had for each other confused Seungmin, but by now he knew that it was just a running gag between them. He watched the two of them talk for a little while longer before Renjun headed back to the Ravenclaw table to sit with Jisung.

Seungmin leaned closer to Hyunjin, whispering into his ear. “I have a surprise for you later,” he whispered.

The Slytherin raised his eyebrow at him curiously. “What kind of surprise?” he asked.

Seungmin just grinned at him and pecked him on the cheek. “You’ll see. I’ll show you later.”

~

Since today was Saturday and they had no classes, Hyunjin spent the whole time after breakfast, wondering what Seungmin had planned for him, unable to distract himself.

The younger had only told him to meet him down at the lake at noon.  

When the time was finally there, Hyunjin tried not to look too eager when he was heading down to the lake.

Seungmin was already waiting for him underneath the big oak tree. A picnic blanket was spread next to where he stood with a few snacks and drinks on it. The older smiled at his boyfriend and walked over to greet him with a kiss.

“Did you prepare all of this?” he questioned. Seungmin blushed a little.

“I mean, it’s not much... just... happy birthday,” he stammered. Hyunjin’s smile widened as he pulled the younger into a hug. He had never felt this good about his own birthday before and it was all thanks to Seungmin.

They took a seat on the picnic blanket and just looked at the lake for a little while. It wasn’t warm enough to actually go into the water yet, but Hyunjin didn’t mind.

However, he couldn’t wait to spend more time out here with Seungmin when the weather finally got warmer.

“Can I ask you something?” Seungmin suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Hyunjin averted his gaze from the water to look at the Ravenclaw, who twiddled his thumbs. It seemed like he wasn’t sure if he should actually say what was on his mind.

“Sure, anything...” Hyunjin assured him.

“Why do you not want people to know about your birthday?” the younger asked carefully. Hyunjin tensed for a second. He should have seen the question coming.

“Well, it doesn’t matter now since Changbin seems to have told all our friends...” Hyunjin muttered.

“Okay, let me rephrase it, then... why did you not tell me?” Seungmin asked.

The look he gave him wasn’t exactly accusing, but it still made Hyunjin feel a little bit guilty. “I usually don’t like the day very much...” he admitted. He sighed. “My dad left us on my third birthday. Ever since then my mom has been bitter on my birthday and it has kind of just projected on to me...”

Seungmin’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry... I had no idea... I must seem like a complete asshole now,” he apologized.

Hyunjin chuckled and put an arm around his shoulders. “Don’t worry about it. You couldn’t have known... I guess it does seem kind of weird, blaming my birthday. He probably didn’t even remember what day it was,” he explained. “Besides, I’m liking this birthday so far and it’s all your doing,” he added.

Seungmin smiled a little and rested his head on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “I’m glad to hear that. From now on, I’m going to make your birthday better every year,” he promised. Hyunjin’s grip around his boyfriend tightened a little bit.

This boy was just too good to him.

Suddenly, Seungmin sat up straight again. “Right! I got you something!” he said, like he’d just remembered it.

“Aw, come on, you didn’t have to–”

“Please, it’s your birthday. How can I not get you a present?” Seungmin interrupted him excitedly, looking around for something in his robes.

Hyunjin chuckled. “You’re the only present I need, my love,” he said, loving the way his boyfriend blushed immediately. He was definitely going to stick to the pet name.

Seungmin finally seemed to have found what he was looking for. He pulled out a small glass bottle. It was filled with a golden liquid Hyunjin had only heard of so far. The Slytherin looked at it in disbelief, carefully taking it as Seungmin held it out to him.

“Is that...” he trailed off.

“It’s Felix Felicis... in case I can’t be your lucky charm for something really important. Like a Quidditch game. I mean, not that you’re allowed to... it’s... I just thought it might be useful...” Seungmin stammered. Hyunjin inspected the bottle closely.

“I heard this takes months to make. How did you get it so fast?” he asked.

Seungmin just scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “I have connections...” was all he said.

Hyunjin laughed quietly. “Sounds mysterious. But thank you, really,” he replied sincerely.

Seungmin blushed again. “It’s nothing,” he waved off.

Hyunjin didn’t think it was nothing, but he chose not to argue with his boyfriend and instead decided to accentuate his gratitude otherwise. He shifted on the picnic blanket, moving closer to Seungmin and softly connected their lips. Hyunjin’s eyes fell shut and his muscles relaxed as he passionately moved his lips against Seungmin's. He couldn't help but smile into the kiss as Seungmin intertwined their hands, giving them a little squeeze of fondness. 

Seungmin pulled away after a few more seconds but Hyunjin pouted playfully, causing him to chuckle and give Hyunjin one more peck on the lips.

The birthday boy smiled happily.

“Ah, before I forget...” Seungmin began after a while.

Hyunjin looked at him, both eyebrows raised. “Another present?” he asked, half-amused.

Seungmin shook his head. “Changbin wants to throw a party for you in the Room of Requirements tonight. He asked me to convince you to go,” he explained.

Hyunjin wasn’t sure if he really wanted a whole party, but he also couldn’t resist his boyfriend’s cute doe eyes, silently asking him to make this easy for him.

“Fine, I’ll come. On one condition,” he said.

Seungmin’s eyes widened the slightest bit as a smirk crept onto his face.

“You have to kiss me again...”

Seungmin sighed in relief and rolled his eyes playfully. “That, I can do...”

~

Hyunjin had promised Seungmin to attend that party with him, so he headed back to his dorm after their lake date to get ready. As usual, Sunwoo was lying on his bed, reading a book. The slightly younger Slytherin only acknowledged Hyunjin with a short nod in his direction.

“Sunwoo, there’s going to be a party at the Room of Requirements. Do you want to come?” Hyunjin asked.

Sunwoo looked at him. “What’s the occasion?” he questioned.

The older scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Um... it’s kind of my birthday party...” he admitted.

Sunwoo nodded slowly. “Well, happy birthday. I don’t want to intrude, though. You should go without me.”

“You’re not intruding. You’re my friend...” Hyunjin argued.

Sunwoo seemed to think about the other’s words for a while but ended up shaking his head. “I’m sorry... it’s just not my scene. You have fun, though...” he declined. Hyunjin didn’t want to force Sunwoo to come to his party, knowing that he wasn’t too good with people, so he nodded in understanding and proceeded to get ready.

“If you change your mind, you’re still welcome to join,” he said, once he was ready.

Sunwoo, who had gone back to reading his book, mumbled a “okay, thanks” which was enough for Hyunjin.

~

In the Room of Requirements, Hyunjin was immediately greeted by a loud, collective shout of “Happy Birthday.”

Changbin flicked his wand and music started playing. There weren’t too many people here, only those Hyunjin would consider his closest friends.

He saw Minho and Chan, Jisung and Eunseo, Changbin and Felix, Jinwoo and Mina. Jeongin was currently talking to Renjun and, of course, right next to Hyunjin there was Seungmin.

“I have to admit...” Hyunjin started as he reached for the younger’s hand. “This is probably the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

Seungmin grinned and leaned into his side. “Get used to it. It’s only going to get better from now on.”

“LET’S PLAY TRUTH OR DARE!” someone that sounded suspiciously like Jisung shouted suddenly.

Hyunjin laughed. “You were saying...?”

~

“Okay, so how does this work again?” Jeongin questioned when all of them sat down in a circle.

“I’m not sure Jeongin’s old enough for this kind of game,” Jinwoo voiced his concern.

Jeongin pouted. “I’m not a baby!” he argued.

“We’ll just keep things innocent then,” Minho spoke up.

Jinwoo looked at the Slytherin in confusion. “That’s big words, coming from you,” he stated. Minho gave him a sly grin and a shrug in return.

“Okay, anyway... we spin an empty bottle–”

“We don’t have an empty bottle,” Chan pointed out, interrupting Jisung. A second later an empty bottle appeared out of thin air and right in the middle of their circle. “So much for that...” the Gryffindor muttered.

“As I was saying. We spin the bottle and the person it lands on has to choose truth or dare. If they choose truth, they have to answer one question honestly. If they choose dare, they have to do something they’re told to do,” Jisung explained. “The rule is to keep things innocent for our youngest. That means clothes stay on and hands where we can see them!” he added.

Jeongin rolled his eyes. “Fine, let’s begin. Who’s first?” the young Hufflepuff asked.

“Birthday boy, of course,” Eunseo chimed in.

Hyunjin sighed in an exaggerated fashion but reached for the bottle and spun it. It landed on Felix.

“Truth or dare?” Hyunjin asked. Felix gulped.

The two of them weren’t particularly close, so the older wasn’t surprised when Felix said “Truth.”

Hyunjin tapped his chin, thinking about what he could ask the younger. He took a quick look at Changbin and got an idea.

“Did you ever have a boyfriend before Changbin?” Hyunjin asked with a grin on his face.

Felix gulped again. “Um... no?” It was an obvious lie, but to accentuate it something started to glow on his forehead.

Seungmin snorted and pointed at his friend. “You might want to re-think that answer,” he said.

Felix’ eyes widened, and a mirror appeared in front of him out of nowhere. The word LIAR was imprinted on his forehead in glowing red letters. “Oh my god, how long does that stay?” he exclaimed, panicking.

“Until you tell the truth,” Hyunjin said with a grin.

Felix pouted. “Fine, yes... there was one or two...” he muttered.

“Really, tell me about them,” Changbin said under his breath, as the red letters disappeared from Felix forehead.

Hyunjin laughed at the older Slytherin’s sour expression. “Next time,” he said, before looking at Felix again. “Your turn,” he told the Gryffindor.

Felix sighed and spun the bottle. Everyone stared at it, waiting for it to stop. When it did, Felix’ face brightened up.

“Binnie, truth or dare,” he asked his boyfriend.

“Dare,” Changbin replied bravely.

“I dare you to kiss me,” Felix said, a sly grin on his face. The rest of them groaned in fake disgust when Changbin dutifully carried out his dare... for a little too long.

“Okay, okay enough!” Jisung interfered.

Changbin reluctantly pulled back an gave Felix a little peck on the nose before spinning the bottle.

Hyunjin made a face when it landed on him. “Truth or dare, Hyunjinnie,” Changbin asked. The younger thought about it. He didn’t really feel like spilling any dark secrets and he trusted Changbin enough to believe that he wouldn’t make him do anything too embarrassing.

“Dare,” he finally said. Changbin smirked and looked around in their circle of friends. Maybe he shouldn’t have trusted the older, after all, judging by the mischievous look on his face.

“Have Minho tickle you for a minute,” Changbin said. Hyunjin’s eyes widened. Minho was merciless when it came to tickles and Hyunjin was one of the most ticklish people out there; something Changbin was very well aware of.

Minho giggled in delight and made his way over to him.

“Have mercy on me, please,” Hyunjin pleaded. Minho just grinned and began to tickle his younger friend. Hyunjin yelped. “No, please!” he exclaimed, body shaking with laughter. “Stop, I-I can’t breathe!” he cried.

The minute finally ended, and Minho let Hyunjin breathe again. “I’m so gonna get you for that one!” the younger addressed Changbin, who only cackled. Hyunjin fake-glared at his friend before spinning the bottle.  

“Renjun,” Hyunjin said when it landed on his childhood friend.

“Truth,” Renjun said before he even got the chance to ask.

“Okay, then... since you’re the only single person in the room – aside from our Jeongin, of course – I have to ask... is there someone you like?”

Renjun blushed, which was already a clear enough answer for Hyunjin, who could read his oldest friend like an open book, but rules were rules.

“Maybe...” the Ravenclaw muttered. Everyone ‘ooh’ed obnoxiously at the revelation.

“There’s no maybe, Renjun. Yes or no,” Jisung asked with a little smirk on his face, wagging his eyebrows.

Renjun’s blush deepened. “Fine, yes...” he admitted.

Hyunjin clapped excitedly. “Is he from our year?” he asked.

Renjun avoided his eyes. “I’m not telling. One question only, that’s the rule,” he said. Hyunjin pouted, but he still had enough time to ask his friend about it after the party.

Renjun quickly spun the bottle to divert the attention from himself. It landed on Jeongin, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Truth or dare, little one?” Renjun asked, his blush from before still prominent on his cheeks.

“I’ll go with truth as well...”

Renjun thought about something to ask. He snapped his fingers, seeming to have come up with something.

“Describe your ideal type!” he said.

Jeongin hummed in thought. “I think I’d like someone who’s comfortable to be around and who’s a good listener. I don’t know... just... someone nice,” he said eventually.

“Aww...” a few of the others cooed, causing Jeongin to hide behind his hands in embarrassment.

“Go on, what about their looks?” Seungmin asked.

Jeongin shrugged. “I don’t care about looks...” he muttered shyly.

“Okay, but are we talking about a specific person here?” Felix questioned.

Jeongin reached for the bottle, avoiding everyone’s eyes. “One question only,” he muttered and spun it. His embarrassed expression transformed into a grin when the bottle landed on Jisung next.

Jisung looked at the youngest in slight fear. “Listen, Jeongin... think carefully about your next move!” he warned.

Jeongin chuckled. “Truth or dare?”

Jisung exhaled, looking defeated. “Dare...?” he said reluctantly.

Jeongin’s grin widened, like this was just what he had hoped for. The young Hufflepuff looked at Hyunjin first and then shifted his gaze to Renjun.

“I dare you to kiss either Hyunjin or Renjun for one whole minute,” he finally said.

Hyunjin’s jaw dropped, along with Jisung’s and Renjun’s. “B-but why?” Hyunjin asked. Jeongin just cackled.

“I mean, it’s not like you’ve never kissed him before,” Felix pointed out, addressing Hyunjin.

“True, but that was ages ago...” Jisung muttered.

“Let’s keep it that way,” Seungmin chimed in.

Hyunjin chuckled at his boyfriend’s statement. “No need to be jealous, my love,” Hyunjin said.

Seungmin blushed and looked away, mumbling a “who’s jealous” under his breath.

“Ew,” Changbin said in fake disgust at the nickname.

Felix chuckled and nudged him. “Oh, come on... you act like you don’t get all soft when I call you my little binniebunny,” he said teasingly. The others burst into laughter as Changbin flushed an even deeper shade of red than Seungmin.

“Anyway!” Jeongin finally spoke up after a little while once everyone had calmed down. “Back to the dare. Jisung, who will it be? Renjun or Hyunjin?”

Jisung glared at Jeongin before crawling across the circle towards Renjun. “Since Seungmin will murder me in my sleep if I choose kissy lips...” he trailed off.

“Don’t be too upset, Jisungie. There’s always next time,” Hyunjin teased him.

Jisung just playfully rolled his eyes, before putting his right arm around Renjun and pressing his lips against the slightly older boy’s. Jisung found himself thinking that this wasn’t half bad, as he moved his lips against Renjun’s, his hand resting on the older’s thigh.

Jisung pulled away after the minute passed, leaving behind a deep-red, lip-swollen, messy-haired Renjun. Jisung might have gotten a little too carried away there.

“Well damn,” Minho commented, sounding mildly impressed as Jisung re-claimed his seat next to Eunseo. Jisung took a few seconds to regain his breath before he took his turn spinning the bottle, which landed on Jinwoo this time.

“Truth!” Jinwoo exclaimed.

“Lame,” Chan commented, but the older ignored him.

“Okay... hm... this isn’t spicy or anything. It’s just something I’ve been wondering about for a while. Why did you stop playing Quidditch after your fourth year?” Jisung asked.

Chan gave Jinwoo a look. Hyunjin had also asked himself that question a few times. Jinwoo had been one of Hufflepuff’s best Keepers in the past few years. But then when he had entered his fifth year, he had decided not to try out for the team. However, he had never given anyone a real reason why.

“I had a Quidditch accident when I was training during break. I crashed into a tree and my shoulder was shattered. The healer we went to wasn’t anywhere as good as Madame Pomfrey. When I got back here and went to see her, she said that the damage was too severes to be repaired now and that it would be best if I gave up Quidditch altogether,” Jinwoo explained.

Nobody had seen that coming. Mina gently caressed the Hufflepuff’s shoulder, but Jinwoo didn’t seem too upset about it.

“It was a long time ago, guys. I don’t even miss it that much anymore. Let’s move on,” he said, putting on a smile and spinning the bottle.

“Minho, truth or dare?” he asked the Slytherin.

“Hm... truth,” Minho said.

“Lame!” Chan repeated. Minho just grinned at him.

Jinwoo tapped his chin in thought. “I’m asking this because I’m curious... how many guys have you actually been on dates with? Like in total,” he asked.

Minho snorted. “Define dates,” he replied, earning himself a light slap on the shoulder from his boyfriend.

Jinwoo made a face. “Just dates, I guess...”

Minho thought about it for a good thirty seconds. “I honestly don’t remember,” he answered. It didn’t seem to be a lie, judging by the fact that no red letters appeared on his forehead. He looked at Chan. “Doesn’t matter anyway,” he added. He spun the bottle before anyone could ask further questions and it landed on none other than his boyfriend.

“Channie... since you find truth so lame, I assume you’re gonna pick dare,” Minho said with a grin.

The Gryffindor smirked. “Damn right, I will,” he replied confidently. Hyunjin already half-expected Minho to suggest some couple stuff and got ready to cover Jeongin’s eyes, when the Slytherin voiced his request.

“Kiss Jinwoo,” he said. Chan spluttered, clearly not having expected that one.

“What?” he and Jinwoo exclaimed at the same time.

Mina just laughed. “You heard me,” Minho said.

Chan sighed, muttering a “You’re the worst...” before leaning over to quickly peck Jinwoo on the lips.

“Aw, that was lame! Do it again,” Minho complained with a pout.

Chan looked at him in exasperation. “I’m not doing that again!” he said.

Minho giggled. “Fine...” he gave in. “Then it’s your turn now.”

Chan huffed, but spun the bottle nonetheless. It landed on Eunseo, whom he let Jisung put lipstick on. Eunseo’s bottle landed on Seungmin and she asked him to sit on Hyunjin’s lap for the rest of the game, which the birthday boy didn’t mind at all.

Seungmin spun the last bottle, which landed on Mina. “Truth or dare?” he questioned.

“Hm... truth,” she said.

Seungmin cackled. “Is it true that you had a crush on Chan in your third year?” he asked her, earning himself a collective gasp from the others.

Mina’s eyes widened. “Who told you that?” she exclaimed.

“Momo,” Seungmin replied.

Jinwoo looked at her, eyebrows raised. “Answer the question, princess,” he demanded playfully.

Mina sighed. “Okay, fine, I admit it’s true. It was brief, though!” she said.

Minho raised his hand for a high five, which Mina reluctantly returned. “I really can’t argue with your taste there,” he told her. Chan laughed and slightly shoved him.

“Can we just end this ridiculous game now?” Mina whined. A few others mumbled in agreement and began to get up to get snacks or just sit down somewhere more comfortable. Jeongin looked tired as hell, curling himself up in a ball on an armchair that seemed to have just appeared there.

The fifth years sat down together just as the door opened. Hyunjin looked over to see Sunwoo poking his head in.

“Am I too late for the party?” he asked, sounding shy.

“Nope, not at all,” Hyunjin said happily. Sunwoo joined his classmates, looking a little uneasy. “I’m glad you decided to show up after all,” Hyunjin told him.

Sunwoo shrugged. “I figured I could stop by,” he muttered.

Renjun grinned at him. “Well, you missed a spicy game of truth or dare, but other than that we haven’t really done much,” he informed their newcomer.

Sunwoo tilted his head, probably not entirely sure what truth or dare even was, since it was a muggle game.

Changbin joined their little round of fifth years plopping down on Felix’ lap with no regrets.

“So, Renjun...” Seungmin began. Renjun looked alarmed at suddenly being addressed.

“I won’t give you any details about my crush!” he clarified immediately.

Hyunjin smirked. “Come on... is it someone new or are you trying to rekindle an old flame?” he asked but Renjun remained stubborn. “Personally, I really thought you looked cute with that one Hufflepuff guy you dated last year... Minseok, was it?” Hyunjin said.

Renjun made a face. “Yeah, that didn’t work out,” he replied. “It’s not an ex, though, so you can stop bringing them up!” he replied.

“How many exes are we talking about here?” Jisung asked. “Just out of curiosity...”

Renjun seemed to think about it for a while. “Five? Six, maybe... if you count the guy from last summer...” he muttered the last part under his breath.

Felix chuckled. “Someone got around,” he teased. Renjun chuckled.

“Didn’t you also date Hyunjoon?” Sunwoo suddenly spoke up. “I only know, because he wouldn’t stop talking about you...” he quickly added when everyone’s eyes fell on him.

Renjun blushed a little. “That was brief. Actually... most of my relationships were... but why are we talking about me? What about you, Jisung? Was there anyone else apart from the two who are present in the room?”

Jisung playfully swatted at him for the comment.

“There was Jeno,” Felix chimed in.

“Oh right... that weird on and off thing you had going on until last year,” Hyunjin added.

Renjun perked up. “I dated Jeno, too!” he said.

Jisung looked at him. “You did? I never saw you together.”

“I think this is the weirdest conversation we’ve ever had,” Seungmin spoke up.

Felix chuckled. “I think it’s entertaining,” he said.

Changbin looked at him from his seat on the younger’s lap. “Then how about we speak about your past romances,” he suggested.

Felix coughed. “Oh... would you look at that my cup is empty, I think I should get a drink.”

Changbin rolled his eyes but got off the younger’s lap to let him fetch some pumpkin juice, not without following him, though. Sunwoo looked after them.

“Are they always like that?” he questioned.

Jisung chuckled. “It’s kind of their thing... they’re practically married,” he explained.

Sunwoo nodded slowly and said “ah...”

~

Eventually, the party began to fizzle out. Chan and Minho bid their goodbyes leaving together to go do god knows what, Mina was tired as hell, so Jinwoo walked her to her dorm. Changbin did the same for Felix and Eunseo tagged along. Jisung and Renjun soon went on their way, too, not without teasing Seungmin about not staying up too late.

“Jeongin fell asleep over there,” Hyunjin pointed out. Seungmin looked over to where the youngest was still curled up in a ball, fast asleep.

“We should drop him off at his common room...” Seungmin said. He got up and walked over to where his younger friend was asleep. He gently nudged him, but to no avail. Jeongin didn’t wake up, being the deep sleeper he was.

“What are we gonna do? We can’t really leave him here,” Seungmin said.

Sunwoo awkwardly rose from his seat. “I could take him to his common room...” he offered.

Hyunjin and Seungmin exchanged a look. “Are you sure? I mean, he’s probably not the lightest,” Seungmin said.

Sunwoo waved off. “I’m sure I can carry him. It’s better than leaving him here on his own...” he said.

Seungmin didn’t know Sunwoo very well, but he figured that the Slytherin was right. If he wanted to carry Jeongin all the way back to the Hufflepuff common room, he would let him.

“Okay...” he finally said.

Sunwoo walked over and carefully lifted Jeongin up into his arms. It looked almost effortless and the younger didn’t wake up. “Okay, then... I’ll see you around. Thanks for inviting me,” Sunwoo said to Hyunjin.

“As I said before, you’re my friend, so you’re always welcome,” Hyunjin replied with a small smile.

Sunwoo nodded shortly and made his way out of the Room of Requirements.

Seungmin turned to Hyunjin. “He’s... quiet,” he noted, referring to Sunwoo.

Hyunjin nodded in agreement. “He is, but he’s a pretty cool guy. If you take the time to get through to him. People around here don’t really have the nicest things to say about him, but I know what he’s really like,” he said.

Seungmin walked back over to him and pulled his boyfriend to his feet. “We should probably get out of here, too... it’s almost midnight,” he suggested.

Hyunjin nodded and intertwined their hands. They carefully exited the Room of Requirements, careful not to get caught by any teachers and end Hyunjin’s birthday with getting yelled at.

Seungmin insisted to walk Hyunjin back to his common room and who was the older to argue, right?

~

“Can I come with you? I kind of want to cuddle again...” Seungmin requested once they’d reached the dungeons, luckily without getting caught. Hyunjin smiled at him, nodding happily.

 Seungmin had enjoyed falling asleep in the Slytherin’s embrace way too much...

Hyunjin led his boyfriend up the stairs to his dorm room. The two came to a halt in the middle of the room and the Slytherin casually wrapped his arms around the younger's waist. Seungmin grinned as he couldn't help but notice how flawless and handsome Hyunjin looked in the moonlight that was coming in through the window. He just couldn't stop staring, even after three months of dating him.

He shook the urge to kiss him right then and there out of his head and remembered one last thing on his to do list today.

“I actually have another surprise for you, honey,” the younger whispered, eager to finally let Hyunjin see what he had prepared for him.

“I love surprises. Is it what I think it is,” Hyunjin smirked.

“I don't know what you're thinking but no, it's not a ribbon wrapped around my dick,” Seungmin stated firmly, remembering their friend’s stupid suggestions from the day before.

“Oh my god, that's not what I was thinking!” the older laughed, figuring that the comment probably had something to do with Changbin. 

The younger chuckled along. “Come over here,” he said, taking one of Hyunjin's hands and leading him over to the window, mumbling a spell under his breath.

“Fireworks!” Hyunjin said happily watching as a lot of beautiful colors erupted in the night sky, “just like the day we got back together,” he smiled.

“Exactly,” said Seungmin, now smiling as well.

“It's so beautiful...” Hyunjin added, unable to take his eyes off it. They stood and watched until the last few fireworks had exploded into blue and green lights.

Hyunjin turned to face Seungmin and smiled happily.

“Thank you, my love... you know how much I love fireworks,” he whispered, the moonlight lighting up his face. Seungmin couldn't resist any longer, getting too caught up in the moment as he grabbed the older's cheeks, closed his eyes and pulled Hyunjin in for a kiss. 

The older was caught off a bit off guard but relaxed soon and wrapped his arms around Seungmin's waist. Seungmin enjoyed the feeling of their lips moving against each other in sync for a while, before Hyunjin gradually pushed him, causing him to slowly walk backwards, away from the window and towards Hyunjin's bed.

Seungmin's mind was too cloudy to think about it and just let his boyfriend slowly push him backwards without ever breaking the kiss. He felt his legs stop at the edge of Hyunjin's bed and quickly held onto the older's robes in order to maintain his balance but failed, as the Slytherin kept pushing towards him, causing him to fall backwards on the bed. 

Seungmin vaguely knew where this could be going but chose not to think about it because he trusted Hyunjin and knew he wouldn't go too far. He decided to lie down on his back with his head resting comfortably on Hyunjin's pillow. He kept his eyes closed this entire time, too nervous to open them as Hyunjin took a seat on his lap. 

Hyunjin leaned down on his boyfriend to give him a peck on the lips. He chuckled at Seungmin’s tightly shut eyes. “Don't be so scared, I won't do anything you don’t want, my love,” he whispered in Seungmin's ear, sending a shiver down the younger's spine but causing him to relax a little. 

Hyunjin's plump lips brushed over the Ravenclaw's cheek, leaving a kiss there before kissing his lips again. “Trust me,” he whispered against his lips, teasingly brushing them as he spoke. Seungmin moved up his hands to grab Hyunjin's hips, subconsciously pulling him closer as they kissed. He didn't know how much time passed before Hyunjin moved on to his neck, definitely leaving some marks there. 

Hyunjin hummed as he did so, letting Seungmin feel vibrations against his neck which caused him to grab Hyunjin's robes tightly.

“H-Hyunjin,” the younger breathed out, overwhelmed by all the feelings he felt for the older. Hyunjin gave Seungmin one last kiss on the lips before moving away a little.

“Let's uh... not go any further,” Hyunjin whispered, giving Seungmin a meaningful smile.

“Y-yeah,” Seungmin agreed, shyly reaching for his warm cheeks, mentally scolding himself for still getting embarrassed and shy in those situations as the older got off him. He sat up to face Hyunjin who was now sitting next to him, smiling widely.

“This is by far the best birthday I've ever had... thank you, my love,” the Slytherin added, giving his boyfriend a peck on the forehead. Seungmin smiled brightly.

At the beginning of the school year, he would've never guessed that things would go like this. Only a few months ago, he was interested in nothing more than his studies and his grades. Instead of studying all year, he had experienced his first kiss, his first boyfriend and in fact, his first love. The last three months had been the happiest of his life.

“Thank you too, Hyunjin,” the younger finally answered.

Hyunjin furrowed his brows in confusion, “what for?”

“For this, for everything, I just... I love you,” he confessed, successfully putting a smile on the older's face.

The two of them comfortably lay down on the Slytherin's bed and Hyunjin pulled the dark green blanket over the both of them, before wrapping his arms around Seungmin, just like he had this morning. They looked at each other for a few more seconds, simply enjoying each other's presence. 

“I love you too,” Hyunjin whispered eventually before slowly drifting off to sleep with a content smile on his face.

Chapter Text

Everyone who knew Seo Changbin would probably say that he wasn’t much of a romantic. Changbin himself, would agree 100%.

He wasn’t necessarily cold; he just didn’t really know how to express his feelings very well. The only person he was entirely comfortable around was Hyunjin, but that was solely because the younger Slytherin was his best friend who had tried to break through Changbin’s shell from the very beginning.

Now, in his sixth year at Hogwarts he was dating the softest, most kind-hearted person he knew. Felix.

Felix liked to do romantic stuff, such as go on dates or just cuddle. He had prepared a whole Valentine’s Day surprise for Changbin who hadn’t even thought about coming up with something to give him until the very last minute. Changbin didn’t hate the affection and attention Felix gave him, on the contrary, he secretly relished in it.

And that was just the problem. He did it secretly.

~

“Do you want to go to the lake later? It’s pretty warm outside,” Felix suggested one morning while the two of them sat at the Slytherin table, eating breakfast with Seungmin and Hyunjin.

“Sure, why not,” Changbin replied. Felix’ face brightened up; his smile leaving the sun jobless.

“Great! I have to go now, I promised Eric to let him copy my Defense Against the Dark Arts homework,” the Gryffindor said and rose from his seat. He leaned down to give Changbin a peck on the cheek. “See you later, Binniebunny,” he added teasingly before taking off.

Changbin tried not to blush at the nickname and just looked down at his plate to avoid his best friend’s shit-eating grin.

“Say, Changbin. Do you ever actually tell Felix that you like him?” the younger Slytherin asked his best friend. Changbin did look up at that.

“What do you mean? He knows that!” he said defensively.

Hyunjin sighed. “Yeah, he does, but do you actually remind him? Show him?”

Changbin gave him a blank stare. “Um... what is this about?”

Another sigh, this time from Seungmin. “I think what Hyunjinnie’s trying to say is that Felix could start feeling like you don’t like him if you don’t make an effort to show him that,” he advised the older.

“We don’t want to put things in your head, but it’s just something we’ve observed...” Hyunjin added.

Maybe it was a little bit embarrassing to get unwanted dating advice from the two younger guys, but he would be lying if he said that it didn’t spark his attention. He didn’t want Felix to feel sad because of him...

“How do I do that? How do I... show him?” Changbin questioned. Hyunjin and Seungmin exchanged looks.

“Binnie... not to step on your toes or anything, but... did you ever, you know, date anyone before Felix?” Hyunjin asked him carefully. Changbin averted his gaze, suddenly finding his cup of pumpkin juice much more interesting.

“You didn’t, did you?” Seungmin caught on.

Changbin pouted. “So what if I didn’t...”

“It just explains a lot. I know you’re not easy to get through to. Felix likes you enough to keep trying, though... so why don’t you finally let him in? Tell him how you feel about him. Be confident!” Hyunjin said enthusiastically.

Changbin gave him another look. He didn’t want to lose Felix, but he also didn’t know how to be more open about his feelings. As the two fifth years had observed correctly, Felix was Changbin’s first real boyfriend.

It would suck to possibly lose the younger to someone who wasn’t... well, him.   

“I’m just not good with all that lovey dovey shit, like you two!” he defended himself.

Hyunjin patted his friend’s hand across the table. “That’s what you’ve got us for! Here’s the thing. If you can’t talk to him face to face about your feelings, why don’t you just write them down?” the Slytherin suggested.

Changbin furrowed his brows. “Like– like a love letter?”

Seungmin and Hyunjin looked at each other again before both nodding at the same time.

“I can’t do that! I’m not good at expressing my feelings...” Changbin protested. He had never written or received any kind of love letter, so he really had no idea how to even do that.

However, it was a good idea to let Felix know without making a complete fool of himself.

“Just write down what you think and organize it...” Hyunjin suggested.

“Have you ever written a love letter?” Seungmin asked his boyfriend.

Hyunjin smirked proudly. “Nah, but I’ve received tons,” he bragged jokingly. Seungmin playfully hit his arm, laughing quietly. Changbin observed the two of them. They were so cute with each other, so comfortable...

Changbin wasn’t uncomfortable around Felix.

Actually, he felt more like himself around the Gryffindor than around anyone else, Hyunjin excluded. The only problem was just that he kept that to himself. He wanted to let Felix know that he liked him, but a part of him couldn’t help but cringe at writing a love letter.

“So... I write him a letter... and then what?” Changbin asked after a while of being lost in his own thoughts.

“Then you take him out on a date and show him your romantic side... you know, candles and that type of stuff...” Hyunjin said.

Changbin was pretty sure that the color drained from his face at Hyunjin’s words. “My romantic side?”

“Tell you what,” Seungmin started. “You focus on the letter and we prepare something for the two of you. It’ll be great.”

Changbin nodded slowly. “Fine... thank you,” he mumbled.

Hyunjin grinned. “Anything for true love,” he teased, causing Changbin to blush.

True love, huh...

~

It turned out that writing down your feelings and organizing them was harder than it sounded.

Changbin had decided to try using his History of Magic class to get started on his love letter. His seatmate, a fellow Slytherin named Hwiyoung tried to spy over his shoulder to see what he was doing, but Changbin managed to hide it from his curious eyes. He figured that writing a letter in the middle of class probably wasn’t the best idea...

After class, Changbin still had two hours until he was set to meet up with Felix. He decided to hide in his dorms and finish the letter there. He sat down on his bed cross-legged, slouched over the piece of parchment and trying to gather his feelings. He groaned in frustration and ruffled his own hair. Why was it so hard to be open about this? It was Felix, for heaven’s sake. He wouldn’t laugh at him or judge him, because Changbin knew for a fact, that Felix felt about him the same way.

Changbin exhaled. Okay, there was no point in forcing it. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on all the emotions he felt whenever Felix was close to him, whenever he kissed him or called him Binniebunny. He blushed like crazy at the mere thought, but soon enough the thoughts were practically spilling onto the parchment. Changbin’s embarrassment began to fade slowly and he put all his effort into making the letter sound as sincere as he felt.

The Slytherin read over it when he was finished. It wasn’t like him at all to be honest, but it had felt surprisingly good to write everything down on paper. Maybe he should do it more often. Or perhaps, he shouldn’t get ahead of himself. He still had to find out how Felix would even react to the letter.

Changbin checked the time and noticed that he was almost late for his lake date with his boyfriend. He neatly folded the letter and scrambled out of his bed, hurrying out of the common room, through the dungeons and down to the lake.

~

Felix arrived 20 seconds before Changbin. The older came sprinting down to where he was leaning against the old oak tree. Felix chuckled. His boyfriend was just too cute, even if he sometimes didn’t want to hear about that.

“Sorry, I’m late... I got caught up with something...” Changbin apologized.

Felix waved off and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. “You’re not late, so no worries,” he said giddily. Changbin looked down at his hands for some reason. Felix followed his boyfriend’s gaze, only now noticing the folded piece of parchment he was holding.

“What’s this?” he asked. Changbin clutched the parchment tighter, not answering. The younger tilted his head in confusion. After a few seconds of silence, the Slytherin held the parchment out to him, still not saying a word. Felix took it from him and unfolded it. It seemed to be a letter, judging by how it started with Dear Felix...

He looked up at Changbin, who eyed him cautiously. “What is this?” he questioned.

Changbin blushed a deep shade of red. “Just... just read it...” he replied. Felix wanted to ask more questions, but he figured that reading the letter really would be the best option, so he focused his eyes back on the parchment in his hands...

Dear Felix

First of all, don't you dare laugh at me for writing this cheesy letter. I was forced to–

No... that's the wrong approach... I'm really not good at this...

The real reason why I'm writing this is because I've been thinking that I don't show you my emotions enough. You're always so open about your feelings for me and I love that, and I feel the same for you, but I just really suck at expressing it.

I... I want you to know how much I appreciate having you in my life and that I don't take you for granted and your affection for me makes my heart flutter like crazy and I just don't know what to do...

I look forward to seeing you every day and you're all I think about when I don't see you.

I've never felt about anyone like this before and I don't want you to feel like this is one sided or something because it really isn't.

I want to be close to you all the time because I'm the happiest when I'm with you. It's like I wasn't the real Changbin before I met you... like you completed me.

That's why I'm saying the least I can do for you is try to be more open and honest with you from now on because...

Because I love you... so much that I wrote this embarrassing letter...

I can't imagine being with anyone but you...

I will try harder for you, I promise...

I love you

Your Changbin

Your Binnie

Your Binniebunny

Felix was pretty sure he was tearing up. He sniffled and wiped his eyes before facing Changbin. His boyfriend seemed to panic at the reaction.

“I’m... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry! I just figured that–” Felix cut him off, by pulling him into a hug. Changbin seemed confused for a few seconds, but eventually wrapped his arms around Felix as well.

“That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever read...” Felix told him, sniffling. “Do you really mean it?” he asked, pulling back to look at his slightly shorter boyfriend.

Changbin finally allowed himself to smile. “Every single word,” he replied, reaching up to wipe the younger’s tears off his face. “Now stop crying, Lixie...” he added and let his hands rest on the younger’s now blushing cheeks.

Felix’ arms were still wrapped around the Slytherin as Changbin pulled him in for a kiss. The older’s muscles relaxed at the feeling of sincerity they shared through this kiss as their lips moved against each other. Changbin removed his hands from the Gryffindor’s cheeks to put them around his neck instead, pulling his boyfriend closer without ever breaking their kiss.

They stayed like this for a few more minutes until Changbin slowly pulled back, however, not without giving Felix one last peck on the lips. Felix smiled his bright smile that Changbin loved so much that it even made him chuckle until the younger started looking deeply into the Slytherin’s eyes.

“I love you too, Binniebunny... more than I can describe with words...” he said sincerely before intertwining their hands.

Changbin blushed at his words and looked down to his feet in embarrassment, causing the younger to laugh warmly.

~

The two students made their way back to the castle, holding hands and just enjoying each other’s presence.

“So where are we heading?” Felix asked, swinging their hands back and forth as they arrived at the entrance hall.

“Actually, I asked Hyunjin and Seungmin to help me prepare a romantic date for you and me because... as you know, I’m not good at these things but I still wanted to do something romantic for you...” Changbin answered shyly.

Felix smiled. “Aww, really? You didn’t have to,” he said but despite his words, he seemed to be more than excited to see what kind of date Seungmin and Hyunjin had prepared for them. Changbin only chuckled and led his boyfriend up the stairs to the seventh floor, where the Room of Requirement was located.

Felix was smiling in anticipation as they finally reached their destination. “Are you ready?” Changbin asked his boyfriend now smiling as well.

“Of course, I’m ready, let’s go in~” the younger said excitedly.

The couple opened the door and the first thing they felt was the pleasant scent of coffee filling the room. Hyunjin and Seungmin had turned the Room of Requirement into a cozy café that seemed like it was reserved only for Felix and Changbin.

There were cozy looking booths for customers to the left, a comfortable couch with dozens of pillows and a TV to the right and a classic counter with bar stools in the back of the room. Behind the counter, there was a whole wall covered in different bags filled with coffee beans, pretty coffee cups and a nice coffee machine. There were rose petals all over the floor and almost every surface was covered in candles. It was perfect.

“Oh my god!” Felix said in disbelief as he slowly entered the room, looking around the room in awe. He almost teared up again at how beautiful and perfect this whole setting was. As he turned back around to face his boyfriend, all he saw was a blushy Changbin standing there, holding a red rose, ready to hand it to Felix.

The younger walked over to him, received the rose and smelled it and happily gave Changbin another hug. “Thank you! This is so romantic...” he smiled, grabbed his boyfriend by the hand and made his way over to the counter to try out the coffee machine. Changbin couldn’t hide his smile as he watched his boyfriend happily try out everything Hyunjin and Seungmin had prepared for them.

They made coffee, talked, laughed, listened to music, cuddled and kissed – it was the perfect date. Changbin even found himself thinking that he could get used to this romantic stuff – even if it was just to make his boyfriend happy.

Chapter Text

There was one thing Changbin had tried to ban from his mind ever since the Prefects’ meeting at the beginning of the school year.

The camping trip.

The fifth years would go camping for a weekend to learn about Magical Creatures and Herbology.

In reality the school just needed as many hands as possible to gather plants to fill the Herbology stock.

That wasn’t Changbin’s problem though. He just absolutely hated camping. He would have to come along as a chaperone prefect, just like all his fellow sixth year prefects.  

Call him spoiled, but he had never even thought about spending a night in a tent in the middle of some woods. He preferred a nice warm bed and his parents agreed with him. They would have never forced him to go on a camping trip with them.

Hogwarts was different though.

They didn’t care about what Changbin wanted.

Why would they?  

“At least you’ll be with Felix,” Hyunjin said in an attempt to cheer him up. It was the evening before the trip and as usual the younger was sprawled all over Changbin’s lap like the kitten he probably secretly was. “And me, of course,” he added cheekily, even having the nerve to make a cute pose and bat his eyelashes at Changbin.

Changbin flicked his forehead as a response. “I can just be with Felix in a place that isn’t full of bugs and completely out in the open!” he complained.

Hyunjin laughed at him. “I’m sure it’s not gonna be that bad. Seungmin’s really looking forward to it...” he said.

Changbin sighed and shook his head at his friend. It was cute how whipped Hyunjin was for Seungmin, but that didn’t change anything about this horrible camping trip that was about to ruin an otherwise perfectly fine weekend.

~

“Felix! Where are you going our bus is that way,” Jisung called out, pointing at the larger one of the two buses that would take them merlin-knows-where for their camping weekend.

Felix looked around to make sure that nobody was paying attention to them. “I know,” he whispered dramatically. “I want to sneak into the prefects’ bus to be with Changbin!”

Jisung rolled his eyes. “You’re hopeless...” he said. He let Felix turn away and made his way into the right bus. Jisung entered the bus to see Hyunjin and Renjun sitting further in the back. He walked over and let himself fall into the seat behind theirs.

“Where’s Felix?” Renjun questioned, turning around to look at his fellow Ravenclaw.

“He’s trying to sneak onto the prefects’ bus,” Jisung replied.

Hyunjin snorted in amusement. “Good luck getting past Professor Sprout. She’s like a guard dog,” he spoke up.

As if on cue, a defeated-looking Felix entered their bus. Jisung couldn’t suppress a laugh at his friends’ pouty face, as he scooted over into the window seat and let him sit next to him.

“You get to be with him when we get to the forest,” Jisung said, patting Felix’ shoulder.

“I guess...”

The bus took off and the four of them began making light conversation, talking about anything and everything.

“I feel like this will be more of a couples’ weekend than a camping trip, to be honest,” Renjun suddenly spoke up.

“Ugh, you’re right...” Jisung agreed. “Well, since my girlfriend isn’t here, you won’t be completely alone,” he added, causing Renjun to smile a little.

“Besides, it’s not like we’re going to spend all of our time with our boyfriends!” Hyunjin said reassuringly.

“Speak for yourself, dude. I plan on ‘rooming’ with Changbin,” Felix joked.

Hyunjin chuckled. “Milking the opportunity, I see,” he replied with a smirk. Felix blushed at the implication.

“I mean... he’s actually a decent cuddler! That’s all we intend to do!” he exclaimed.

The others just laughed at the youngest’s reddened cheeks. Desperate to change the subject, Felix turned around to find Eric Son from Hufflepuff sitting there, staring out of the window absent-mindedly.

“So, Eric... who are you dating these days?” he questioned.

Eric looked at him in confusion. “Nobody?” It came out as more of a question than anything else.

Renjun also looked at him, eyebrows raised. “But you totally have your eye on someone,” he pointed out.

Eric actually smirked at that. “Maybe, I do...” he said secretively.

“Who is it?” Felix questioned excitedly. Eric chuckled in return. He didn’t seem to be spilling the beans anytime soon. Something told Felix that they would find out soon enough, though.

~

As it turned out, once they’d stepped out of the bus in complete wilderness, rooming with the person of your choice wasn’t exactly possible. Professor Sprout announced that there would be two prefects’ tents, one for girls and one for guys as well as two tents for the other students.

“What made them think four tents are enough?” Felix questioned bitterly.

Seungmin who had joined his friends as soon as he could, chuckled. “They’re obviously going to be magic tents. I just don’t see why I, as a non-chaperone, need to sleep in the prefects’ tents as well...” he replied.

Felix was still bitter at the fact that he was deprived of more time with Changbin.

Seungmin soon left them, claiming that he should get his stuff into the prefects’ tent before activities started. Professor Sprout led the fifth-year boys to a normal looking, khaki-colored tent. When they stepped inside, though, it was almost as big as the Great Hall. Okay, maybe that was a little bit exaggerated, but it was definitely bigger than it had appeared from the outside.

“This is the living area, where you’ll eat. As you can see,” the professor pointed along the walls of the ‘living area’ where a bunch of doors were located, “these doors will lead to your rooms. You’ll be sorted in pairs – which have already been decided!”

A collective groan rumbled through the crowd of fifth years.

“This trip is to encourage new friendships between houses, so we have decided to partner you up beforehand. Now, I will read your room-assignments...” Professor Sprout said, ignoring the protests. The next moment a list appeared in her hand on a roll of parchment, and she put on reading glasses that hung around her neck.

“Alright, it’s going to be Lee Jeno and Eric Son, Kim Sunwoo and Na Jaemin, Kang Chanhee and Lee Donghyuck, Go Sangyeol and Choi Bomin, Han Jisung and Huang Renjun and lastly Lee Felix and Hwang Hyunjin...” she read, pointing at each of the rooms for each pairing. “If you have any complaints about anything – suck it up, cause I don’t want to hear it.”

With that Professor Sprout left the tent. The boys began to head for their respective rooms. Felix wasn’t sure what to think about having to room with Hyunjin. Sure, he didn’t hate the older, but he also wasn’t particularly warm with him. They had spent the entire bus ride talking, so he figured that spending the weekend with Hyunjin as his roommate wouldn’t end up being too bad.

“So, you want this bed or that one?” Hyunjin asked, pointing at each of the beds standing opposite from each other in the rather small room. It basically held nothing but the two beds, which Felix supposed, was enough for one weekend. He shrugged at Hyunjin’s question and just threw his backpack onto the bed he was closer to. Hyunjin took the other one. Felix cringed at the awkwardness that surrounded the two of them when nobody else was around.

Luckily, Jisung decided just that moment to come in and break the awkward silence that had fallen over them. “Guys, we’ve got some free time before activities start. There’s this lake nearby and everyone’s going. Are you coming along?” he questioned.

“Yeah, why not,” Felix said, while Hyunjin nodded and they both followed Jisung out of the tent.

~

It felt nice to finally have some time with his boyfriend after that boring bus ride, Seungmin thought, when Hyunjin joined him at the lake Jisung had so badly wanted to visit. He was rooming with a grumpy Changbin who definitely did not want to be here.

The Slytherin had only agreed to join Seungmin and the others at the lake because he knew that Felix would be there. Seungmin had endured a good twenty-minute rant about how displeased Changbin was that he wasn’t Felix and he didn’t take it personally, but it annoyed the living shit out of him.

Now, finally reunited, Changbin was Felix’ problem and Seungmin could finally be with Hyunjin. “You look stressed,” Hyunjin pointed out once they’d gotten comfortable on a picnic blanket, watching their fellow fifth years have fun by pushing each other into the lake or chasing each other around.

Seungmin sighed. “Your best friend is really annoying when things aren’t going his way,” he replied, leaning into his boyfriend’s side in exaggerated exhaustion.

Hyunjin laughed. “Well, he is a spoiled brat, so I guess that’s to be expected,” he agreed with the younger, though he was mostly joking.

“How’s rooming with Felix?” Seungmin asked, looking up at Hyunjin almost teasingly.

“Awkward. Why do I feel like he hates me?”

“I’m sure he doesn’t hate you. You can use this weekend to show him how wonderful you are,” Seungmin tried to encourage the older. Hyunjin smiled and put an arm around his boyfriend just as Jisung, Renjun and Eric walked over to join them.

“Aren’t you guys going for a swim?” a dripping Eric questioned.

“Maybe later. I don’t feel like swimming right now,” Hyunjin replied, giving Seungmin a fond look.

Jisung snorted. “You guys are like a lame, old married couple,” he told them.

Hyunjin smirked. “You’re just jealous because Eunseo isn’t here,” he retorted.

Jisung shrugged, not bothering to deny Hyunjin’s claim. Seungmin noticed Eric looking somewhere else, obviously distracted. He followed the younger’s gaze and his face broke into a smirk. He nudged Hyunjin and pointed his new discovery out to him.

“Eric, sweetie, you’re staring... at Lee Juyeon,” Seungmin pointed out. Eric snapped out of his trance and looked back at his friends.

“Can you blame me?” he questioned, surprisingly not one single bit shy at getting caught.

“Why don’t you go talk to him?” Jisung questioned.

Eric shrugged. “It’s not like I haven’t tried before. He’s always brushing me off, only cause he’s a sixth-year...”

Seungmin looked over to Juyeon again. The older Ravenclaw was looking in their direction, or more specifically, at Eric. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say whatever Eric was feeling for the older was not completely one-sided. But he wasn’t one to interfere in other people’s relationships.

Before they could get further into the subject Changbin and Felix also decided to join the group. Luckily, Changbin looked far less cranky and therefore didn’t get on Seungmin’s nerves anymore.

The little group proceeded to crack jokes, talk and just bond. It was nice, Seungmin thought. No drama, no jealousy. Just friends hanging out. This was exactly why he had been looking forward to this camping trip.

Well, at least, until his boyfriend and so-called best friend thought it was funny to pick him up and carry him over to the water. He knew what they were planning to do, and he was not having it! He struggled against their grip, trying to free himself, yelling and causing everyone’s eyes to land on him.

They mercilessly threw him into the water, ignoring his threats and curses. When he came back to the surface, he glared at Jisung, putting him in a headlock. He only partly acknowledged Felix meeting the same fate as him, as he tried to strangle his best friend.

“I hate both of you!” he said, finally letting go of Jisung, who was still laughing.

Hyunjin wrapped an arm around the younger’s waist and pressed a kiss on his cheek. “Aw, come on, we had to,” he teased.

Seungmin hit his chest half-heartedly. He obviously wasn’t mad at them for real, but he sure wanted to let them know about his dismay. “You two are assholes!”

“Why are you making such a fuss, are you scared of water or something?” Go Sangyeol suddenly piped up from a few meters away.

Seungmin glared at the other Ravenclaw. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m not scared of anything!” he spat at his former friend.

Hyunjin didn’t seem too keen on waiting for a response from Sangyeol and instead just dragged his boyfriend away, which Seungmin was thankful for. Getting into a fight with that sneaky rat wasn’t very high on his agenda.

“Who let him come on the trip anyway...” Hyunjin fumed. Seungmin’s ‘anger’ at his boyfriend had vanished at this point and he held Hyunjin back, effectively stopping him from walking.

“Hey, are you okay?” he questioned.

Hyunjin looked at the younger. “Sure, I just don’t want this douchebag to talk to you like that...”

Seungmin raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure that’s it?” he asked. Hyunjin nodded. Given his history with Sangyeol, Seungmin wasn’t sure if he should completely believe his boyfriend. Then again, he didn’t want to ruin the mood. This trip was to have fun and he sure as hell would not let Go Sangyeol get in the way.

“Okay, then...” he gave in.

~

A while later, Professor Sprout ordered for all the fifth years to gather for ‘activities’.

Of course, Felix expected said activities to be anything but fun. And he was right. Today, the girls would go on some kind of expedition to observe magical creatures while the guys would get to collect plants for Herbology or something.

“Now, this trip isn’t a vacation, as you all hopefully know. It’s an opportunity to learn about different plants and creatures to help you pass your OWLs next month. You’re going to be sorted in three groups of five with one prefect accompanying you...” Professor Sprout explained.

“Do we get to choose the groups this time or did you sort us beforehand again?” Jisung questioned bitterly.

Professor Sprout glared at him for his tone but answered nonetheless. “I have a list right here, Mr Han,” she said, holding up a roll of parchment like the one she had yesterday. Jisung and Felix both groaned.

“So, the groups are going to be as follows: The first group will go with Lee Juyeon; that’s Kim Sunwoo, Eric Son, Lee Jeno, Na Jaemin...” Felix stopped listening, instead making eye contact with Changbin, who stood next to Juyeon and a Gryffindor prefect named Park Minhyuk.

Felix grinned at his boyfriend and shot him a playful wink, proud to see that Changbin’s stoic expression faltered the slightest bit as he tried to hide a smile. Felix only tuned Professor Sprout back in when he heard her read the names for Changbin’s group.

“It’s going to be Lee Felix, Han Jisung, Huang Renjun, Hwang Hyunjin and Kim Seungmin. Again, if there’s any type of complaint, I don’t care. Now, you have three hours to collect the required things on the list your assigned prefect will hand out. Magic is allowed in emergencies only. Stay away from the restricted area which is marked by signs. Other than that, have fun,” Professor Sprout closed her speech.

Felix beamed at Changbin, happy to have landed in a group with his boyfriend and his friends. The six of them gathered together and Changbin handed each of them a list with the required plants they were supposed to collect, before making their way a little further into the woods.

“So... does anyone actually have an idea what these plants are supposed to look like?” Felix questioned a good five seconds later, casually lacing his fingers with Changbin’s.

“No idea,” Jisung answered, studying the list with a clueless expression.

“I can’t believe we have three whole Ravenclaws on our team. We need Jeongin, at least he knows what he’s doing,” Felix deadpanned.

Seungmin cleared his throat, clearly not appreciating the lack of faith Felix seemed to have in him. “I happen to know what those plants look like. Follow me,” he spoke up. The group didn’t argue and let Seungmin take the lead. Changbin and Felix fell a little behind, hands still interlaced.

“Still grumpy about the whole camping thing?” the younger teased his boyfriend.

Changbin huffed. “Well, I guess it could be worse...” he admitted. Felix chuckled. His boyfriend was just the cutest. “You’re lucky you’re not a prefect...” Changbin added.  

“If I was, we could be in the same tent,” he pointed out.

Changbin seemed to consider that. “I guess you’re right...” he said.

~

“This still feels like a couple’s weekend, if you ask me,” Renjun said. Jisung followed the older’s gaze, watching Hyunjin and Seungmin inspect some plants before turning around to see Changbin and Felix holding hands in their own world.

He grinned at Renjun. “I’ll hold your hand, if you’re feeling too lonely,” he teased.

Renjun shoved him playfully. “Shut up, you’d be the same if Eunseo was here,” he pointed out chuckling.

Jisung shrugged. “Probably, but she’s not,” he replied.

“Are... you guys doing okay?” Renjun asked, sounding somewhat careful with the question.

Jisung smiled at the thought of his girlfriend. “We are...”

“And her dumbass ex hasn’t tried to beat you up again?” Renjun questioned. Jisung made a face. He didn’t look back too fondly on that memory.

“Nope, I think he’s accepted the fact that she chose me over him...” he replied. “What about you? Any progress with your crush?”

Renjun blushed, avoiding eye contact at the mention of his crush. Jisung found it kind of cute. The guy must be someone special if he could make the older blush that easily.

Before Renjun could answer, or avoid the subject, though, Seungmin spoke up: “I think we’ve got everything...we should be able to head back now.”

Jisung was glad to hear that, since it was almost time for dinner, and he was starving. Besides, hanging out in the woods wasn’t his favorite thing to do either, no matter how good the company was. The group began to head back, running into Juyeon’s group on the way.

“There’s a shortcut to the camp,” Eric pointed out. How he knew that was a mystery to Jisung, but he didn’t miss the way the Hufflepuff made eye contact with Juyeon.

“We can’t take it. It leads through the restricted area,” Juyeon said, pointing at a sign next to Eric reading ‘Restricted area: pass and you’ll die’.

How very uplifting.

“That’s just to scare us. I’m sure nothing will happen,” Eric answered.

“Have you never seen a horror movie before? I’m not taking that shortcut!” Felix exclaimed. Eric shrugged and turned, seemingly ready to make his way through the restricted area. Jisung didn’t know why the Hufflepuff suddenly seemed to have a death wish...

“Stop right there, Eric, I swear to god!” Juyeon suddenly roared, holding Eric back by grabbing his wrist. “I’m the prefect here, so you listen to me! If you want to explore restricted areas and dangerous forests in your free time, be my guest, but as long as I’m responsible for your safety, you behave and follow the fucking rules. Do I make myself clear?!”

Jisung grimaced. Juyeon’s harsh tone had caused everyone to fall silent and watch the two of them in awe. Eric glared up at Juyeon and yanked his arm free. “Fine,” he gave in.

Changbin cleared his throat. “We should probably get moving...” he said uneasily. Jisung’s group began to take off in the direction of the camp.

“Well, that was... intense,” Seungmin said once they had created a small distance between their group and Juyeon’s.

“Why did Eric want to take that shortcut so badly?” Hyunjin questioned.

Renjun sighed. “Obviously to impress Juyeon. He thinks doing something bold and reckless will get him the attention he wants from him... and in a way he succeeded, only that he made Juyeon mad,” he explained.

“So much for no drama...”

~

At dinner, Hyunjin noted that things between Eric and Juyeon seemed to have calmed down. They even sat next to each other, talking about merlin-knows-what. Juyeon was laughing at something Eric had said.

“They actually don’t look half bad together,” Seungmin noted from beside him, following Hyunjin’s gaze. Hyunjin nodded in agreement before focusing his attention on his boyfriend.

“Wanna do something later?” he questioned.

Seungmin looked at him. “I’m not sure we’ll have much time to do anything after dinner. We still have a curfew after all,” the Ravenclaw reminded his boyfriend. Hyunjin almost cooed at his boyfriend’s innocence. He grinned and leaned in to give the younger a quick peck on the lips.

“You’re so cute,” he told him. Seungmin pouted as he always did when Hyunjin called him cute. “I meant let’s meet up later. Secretly,” Hyunjin clarified.

Seungmin’s eyes widened at that. “What if we get caught?” he questioned.

The older chuckled. “Scared of Professor Sprout?”

“I thought we had already clarified that I’m not scared of anything. Fine, let’s meet up at midnight. I’ll wait outside of your tent,” Seungmin said defiantly.

Hyunjin grinned at him. He still thought that Seungmin was incredibly cute, what with the way he was sulking over Hyunjin teasing him, but he figured that if he told him that again, the younger would turn him into a toad.

~

After dinner, Hyunjin spent the rest of his time before curfew with Seungmin before joining Felix in their room. The air was less awkward between them after practically spending half their day together, which was something Hyunjin was thankful for. He didn’t know what Felix’ problem with him seemed to be, but he wanted to get along with his best friends’ boyfriend.

“So...” Hyunjin trailed off, trying to find something they could talk about. “Are you excited about the Quidditch endgame?” he asked.

Felix flopped down on his bed, getting comfortable. “Sure, my team will beat your team’s ass. I’m always looking forward to seeing that,” he replied with a cheeky grin.

Hyunjin laughed. “Keep dreaming.”

The last game of the season always brought the biggest hype and Hyunjin was definitely excited to be a part of it.

“Have you ever been camping before?” Felix asked after a few seconds of silence.

Hyunjin shook his head. “No, my mom isn’t really an outdoors type. I’ve always wanted to, though, so I’m actually happy to be here. It’s new, so I like it,” he answered truthfully.

Hyunjin’s mother wasn’t big on relaxing. She believed in hard work, so she did just that, year-round. Hyunjin had lost count on how many times he had begged his mother to take him on a camping trip even if just for a weekend, but she had always brushed him off with a ‘maybe next summer, I’m really busy...’

“What about you?” he returned the question.

Felix grinned excitedly. “My sisters and I usually go camping every time I visit home. Nowadays, they work a lot, so the last two or three times it didn’t really work out, but it’s alright. There’s always next time...” he said.

Hyunjin didn’t have any siblings, so he found himself the slightest bit envious that Felix seemed to get along with his so well.

“You know, Seungmin actually used to be a boy scout, so I guess you never have to be worried about getting lost in the woods with him...” Felix suddenly pointed out.

“What’s a... what’s a boy scout?” Hyunjin asked in confusion.

Felix looked surprised for a second. “Well, I guess wizards don’t really do that. Um, boy scouts usually spend a lot of time outdoors and learn how to make fires and how to navigate and all that jazz. He showed me pictures before. I don’t know, maybe he can explain it better,” Felix said. “Changbin would make a great boy scout,” the younger suddenly said.

Hyunjin looked at him furrowing his eyebrows. As far as he knew, Changbin hated nature. “What makes you say that?”

Felix smirked. “Well, he sure knows how to make a fire,” he said wiggling his eyebrows.

“Oh my god, you did not just...” Hyunjin trailed off, reaching for his pillow and throwing it at the younger. “That’s not the kind of thing I want to hear about my best friend,” he muttered.

Felix just laughed at him. “Aw, my poor, sweet, innocent Hyunjin...” he teased the Slytherin.

“Listen, dating Seungmin isn’t exactly the most innocent life either, okay!” Hyunjin shot back, feeling the need to defend himself. It was a new experience for him to bond with Felix, but he definitely welcomed it. For the first time he felt like they could actually become friends.

Felix raised an eyebrow at his words. “Excuse me, while I have trouble believing that,” he replied.

“You don’t know him like I do...” Hyunjin mumbled, his cheeks heating up. Felix gasped in mock-exasperation. “Did I just witness Hwang Hyunjin blushing over something Kim Seungmin did by just thinking about it? I’m not sure I want details!” he said with a chuckle.

Hyunjin waved his hands frantically. “It nothing of that sort, oh my god! Just...” he trailed off again. “He’s a really good kisser, that’s all...” he said, not wanting to get further into detail about it. Maybe he was too innocent, considering how shy he got talking about Seungmin.

“I can relate,” Felix deadpanned.

Hyunjin’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? You and Seungmin?” he asked.

Felix let out an almost barking laugh. “Gods, no! But I mean... there was this guy a while ago. His name was Stan...”

~

“Is it hot in here?” Jisung questioned, seemingly startling Renjun who seemed to be lost in thought.

“Huh?”

Jisung chuckled at his friend’s confusion. “I’m super warm, aren’t you? I didn’t expect it to be like this at night...” he said.

Renjun shrugged. “I suppose it’s a little too warm for comfort...”

Jisung didn’t question things further and just sat up in his bed, pulling his sweater over his head, revealing a t-shirt underneath. When he looked back at his friend, he noticed the older’s slightly reddened cheeks.

“You’re warm too, aren’t you?” he pointed out.

Renjun looked at him with wide doe-eyes before covering his cheeks with his hands. “Maybe a little... I don’t really mind, though... um, good night,” he somewhat stammered. Jisung chuckled at Renjun’s weird behavior, watching him turn around in his bed so his back was facing him.  

“Good night,” he answered.

Unfortunately, though, Jisung had more trouble falling asleep than Renjun did. It was just too damn warm, and he couldn’t find a rest. He sighed, throwing the covers back and getting out of bed after a good hour of fruitless attempts.

Maybe getting some fresh air would help him. Jisung shot a quick look over at Renjun to make sure that he was sleeping, before quietly sneaking out of the tent.

It was dead silent outside. The campsite seemed completely abandoned. Jisung was glad to see that no teachers or prefects were patrolling around, as he made his way to the lake. It was quiet and peaceful unlike earlier when he and his fellow classmates were wilding around here.

Jisung appreciated the peace and quiet, sitting down and just watching the moon reflect on the surface of the water. As expected, the air was a little bit cooler here, which refreshed him immensely. He didn’t know what time it was or how long he sat here, but it didn’t really matter. This place was really good to think.

“Here you are,” a voice suddenly spoke up, causing Jisung to jump in surprise. He turned around to find Renjun standing there in pajama pants and a blue sweater.

He gave the older a small smile. “I couldn’t sleep...” he said honestly.

Renjun sat down next to him, also looking at the lake ahead of them. “I was a little worried when I woke up and you weren’t there. Wouldn’t want a bear to have you as a midnight snack,” he joked.

Jisung chuckled. “I appreciate the concern,” he answered.

“Do you sneak out often?” Renjun questioned.

Jisung looked at him. “Rarely... sometimes I just find comfort in sitting by the water. It helps clear the mind...” he admitted.

Renjun returned his look. “What do you need to be comforted about?” he questioned.

“Nothing much. Sometimes it’s about grades, before I met Eunseo it sometimes was about my sad single life,” he half-joked.

Renjun hummed in thought. “Maybe I should try that too... since I have a sad single life of my own,” he mumbled.

Jisung furrowed his brows. “That crush of yours... did you ever consider telling him how you feel?”

That one earned him a snort. “I can’t do that,” Renjun said.

“Why not?” the younger questioned.

He didn’t know why he was so interested in Renjun’s love life; it was probably because he wanted to see his friend happy too. He knew what it felt like to be the only single one in his group of friends. It was kind of lonely sometimes. He didn’t want that for Renjun.

“First of all, because I know for sure that he doesn’t feel that way about me,” Renjun finally answered. “Second of all, because he’s in a relationship anyway and I’m not a homewrecker, so even if he did return my feelings, I wouldn’t want to get between him and his...” he trailed off, letting the rest of the sentence hang in the air. “And third of all... I’m scared,” he admitted.

Jisung tilted his head. “Of what?” he asked.

Renjun brought his knees to his chest and rested his arms on them. “Of rejection? Humiliation? Another damn heartbreak. I’ve had my share of those...” he mumbled the last part, but in the quiet of the night Jisung heard him just fine.

“If you do confess to him and he mistreats you I’ll personally fight him,” the younger promised in an encouraging tone.

Renjun laughed quietly. “Thanks, Jisung. I’ll hold you to it,” he answered.

Jisung grinned, patting his friend’s arm comfortingly. “Wanna head back?” he asked after a while.

“Not yet...” Renjun answered, resting his head on the younger’s shoulder. Jisung let him and together, the two of them sat in comfortable silence, watching the lake in its full glory.

~

Seungmin was nervous to say the least. He had always felt uncomfortable with being out past curfew, but for Hyunjin it was worth it. He fidgeted around nervously while waiting for his boyfriend to come out of the tent. He kept looking around, making sure that nobody was there to catch him red-handed.

When Hyunjin finally did come out, Seungmin let out a sigh of relief. “What, did you think I’d stand you up?” Hyunjin teased, of course, catching his boyfriend’s expression.

Seungmin pouted. “Of course, not... I was just worried that I might get caught waiting for you,” he replied.

Hyunjin intertwined their hands and began leading the younger away from the campsite. “Where are you taking me?” the Ravenclaw questioned.

Hyunjin only gave him a secretive look, not answering the question. Seungmin let himself get dragged along, curiosity biting at him. They took a similar path as before when they were collecting plants.

Luckily, the walk wasn’t too far and soon enough they reached a clearing. Seungmin looked around. There was nothing special here, so he wondered what exactly Hyunjin had planned for them.

Hyunjin sat down in the grass and Seungmin followed suit. He was about to ask what exactly they were doing here when Hyunjin spoke up: “Look up,” he said.

Seungmin did as he was told. The night sky loomed over them, presenting them with a billion stars. “It’s beautiful...” Seungmin muttered.

“It is...” Hyunjin agreed, but when Seungmin looked at his boyfriend, he wasn’t looking up at the sky anymore.

Instead, he found him staring right back at him.

Hyunjin's stare turned into a smile as he watched a blush crawl onto Seungmin's cheeks. He wasn't lying. The soft moonlight really did compliment Seungmin’s handsome features well, making him look like some sort of ethereal being. Hyunjin's heart paused just looking at his boyfriend.

Seungmin gave him a shy smile before leaning closer to Hyunjin, softly kissing his lips. He was about to pull away to look back up at the shining stars above them but Hyunjin stopped him by putting a hand on his cheek, making his boyfriend look at him again before returning his kiss.

Seungmin got weak in the knees at the way the older's lips felt against his whenever Hyunjin kissed him like that. He even lost his track of time, as it seemed to stop around them.

They stayed like this for a few more minutes before pulling away and focusing back on the stars above them.

~

“Okay, kids, today your task is to find and observe one of the given animals on the list. Just like yesterday, you’ll be going in groups of five along with a prefect. To make things easier we’re not going to make any changes and keep the groups as they are...” their Care of Magical Creatures professor announced the next morning.

“Um, does anyone have any idea where Eric is? Juyeon doesn’t seem to be here either,” he added, sounding confused.

Jisung raised his hand. “I just saw Eric, I’ll go get him,” he announced.

The Professor nodded and let Jisung head back to the tent to fetch the Hufflepuff. He had just seen Eric in the living area, so, considering he wasn’t outside with the others, Jisung assumed that he must have forgotten something in his room. He decided to check, just to make sure.

“Eric, the professor is looking for yo– oh,” Jisung cut himself off when he entered his friends’ room. Eric was in his room, alright, but he wasn’t alone. The younger hadn’t even noticed Jisung coming in, since he seemed to be too busy making out with a certain Ravenclaw prefect.

Jisung was tempted to just shut the door again and let the two of them continue, but he wasn’t sure if the professor would appreciate that. He cleared his throat, effectively catching their attention. Eric practically scrambled off Juyeon’s lap and looked back at Jisung with widened eyes.

“U-um...” Juyeon stammered, obviously embarrassed about getting caught.

“I don’t even want to know... professor’s looking for you guys, so you better make yourselves look presentable and join us outside,” Jisung said, referring to their messed-up hair and Juyeon’s almost half-unbuttoned shirt. “I’ll see you guys outside,” he added awkwardly, leaving the two others behind.

When he rejoined the others, the professor gave him a questioning look. “They’ll be right out. They just had... something to discuss,” he lied. His friends shot him questioning looks, but he wasn’t going to spill the beans right where everyone could hear them.

“Alright, then... Changbin and Minhyuk. Your groups can already take off. Juyeon’s group will follow as soon as he’s done discussing things with Eric, I suppose...” the professor said. The two groups in question, began heading for the forest and, of course Jisung was immediately bombarded with questions.

“Were they really in there together?”

“Were they fighting?”

“What exactly did you see?”

Jisung raised both his hands to get his friends to stop talking. “I’m not telling you guys, stop asking!” he said.

Felix pouted. “Not even your best bro?” he asked, batting his eyelashes at Jisung.

“Nope, you’re just going to have to ask them yourself,” Jisung replied sternly. His friends grumbled something about him being no fun, but he just shook his head fondly at their curiosity and began half-focusing on their task. They practically paired up again like yesterday and he found himself with Renjun again.

“They were making out, weren’t they?” Renjun questioned knowingly. Jisung chuckled and nodded. “Well, it had to happen eventually. The tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife...” Renjun said.

Jisung couldn’t help but agree. He’d never really paid much attention to his friend’s love life before, but ever since he had found out about his not-so-subtle crush on Juyeon, the tension had been pretty hard to miss.  

“One more happy couple,” Renjun muttered underneath his breath. Jisung remembered the previous night, the older Ravenclaw opening up a little about his crush. He must really feel lonely here, he figured.

If only Jisung could be of any help but if Renjun’s crush was already seeing somebody there wasn’t much he could do.

~

Needless to say, observing some random creature wasn’t exactly the most entertaining thing, so the group was pretty glad when they could finally return to the campsite. They decided to spend some more time just hanging out at the lake and doing nothing before dinner.

Dinner was pretty uneventful aside from the fact that Eric and Juyeon were all over each other all of a sudden. Seungmin was still a little tired from sneaking out with Hyunjin last night, so he went to bed pretty early.

Unfortunately, though he couldn’t fall asleep immediately, which was why he opted for reading until he finally could.

“Seungmin! I’m bored, let’s do something,” Changbin said, as he entered the room.

Seungmin looked up from his book to look at the older. “Um... what would you want to do with me?” he questioned.

Changbin shrugged. “I don’t know, aren’t you also curious about that restricted area?”

“Not really, no...” Seungmin answered, not liking where this was going. Changbin looked at him like he was the crazy one; Seungmin begged to differ.

“Come on, live a little! I want to know why it’s restricted,” Changbin half-pleaded.

Seungmin furrowed his brows. “Hm, I don’t know. It’s probably because something big and murderous is lurking there. Besides, why do you need me to explore with you?” Seungmin asked.

Changbin and Seungmin had never really spent much time together and even though, they were kind of roommates right now, he didn’t know why the older insisted on going with him.

“It’s more fun than going alone. Come on, let’s explore... or are you perhaps... scared?” Changbin asked, a teasing grin spreading on his face.

Oh, hell no. Seungmin sat up and shut his book with force. “I’m not scared of anything!” he clarified sternly. Changbin raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest, as if to say ‘prove it'. “Fine, let’s go ‘explore’! But if we die, it’s on you!” Seungmin finally caved, rising from his bed and mentally waving goodbye to sleep.

Changbin looked pleased with himself as he led the way out of the prefects’ tent.

Seungmin was fairly sure that he was going to regret this.

~

“Hey, you up?” Felix questioned.

Hyunjin turned around in his bed, facing the younger, though he couldn’t see him in the dark. “Yeah, why?” he asked.

“I want to sneak over to the prefects’ tent and see if the guys are up...wanna come along?”

Hyunjin snorted in amusement. “Sure.”

The two fifth years scrambled out of their beds, leaving the tent without a hitch. Hyunjin found himself wondering if the teachers even cared if anyone sneaked out at night.

Felix led the way over to the prefects’ tent, while Hyunjin glanced around, making sure that nobody saw them. He furrowed his brows when he saw two figures approaching the forest. It didn't take a lot for him to recognize them as his best friend and his boyfriend.

He reached out to hold Felix back by his sleeve. Felix shot him a confused look but Hyunjin pointed in the direction of the two figures just disappearing.

“It's them...” he whispered.

Felix looked even more confused now. “What are they doing?” he asked in the same whisper-like tone.

“I don't know, but I think they're heading towards the restricted area,” Hyunjin said. “We should follow them...” he added.

Felix looked uneasy, but nodded nonetheless and together, the two of them changed paths and headed towards the restricted area of the forest. 

~

“Um, Changbin...I can't see shit, despite my wand so I'm not sure this was a good idea...” Seungmin mumbled. Changbin didn't answer so Seungmin looked around. As he'd said, he could barely see anything, but despite that, he could tell that Changbin wasn't nearby.

It was weird considering the fact that the older had been there just three seconds ago.

“Hey, this isn't funny, okay? If you're trying to scare me, you gotta try harder!” Seungmin called out. “Changbin, I swear to god! I won't hesitate to leave your sorry ass right here in the woods!” 

He wasn't scared of the dark or of being alone. It also wasn't his first time alone in the woods; he figured that being a boy scout had really paid off. But he was also not up for getting pranked.

He heard a noise behind him, almost like a crackling. He rolled his eyes ready to snap at Changbin for acting like an idiot when he saw the source of the crackling noise. It was a small flame. Seungmin had no idea where the hell it came from, but he figured he should probably put it out, if he didn't want to risk the whole forest burning down. 

As he stepped closer, though, the fire seemed to rapidly grow bigger, flames etching high while forming a circle around Seungmin. 

He was trapped. 

Seungmin rarely seriously panicked because he didn't have any fears.

Except one.

Blazing fire.

In his panic, he dropped his wand. He didn't dare look for it and pick it up to maybe put out the fire.

He let out a scream as the flames seemed to close in around him.

Even if Changbin or anyone, for that matter, could hear him, he was done for...

~

“Did you hear that?” Felix questioned at the sound of the scream roaring through the quiet night.

Hyunjin's blood ran cold. “That sounded like Seungmin!” he exclaimed. He rushed further into the woods, not caring if he alarmed anyone or anything. He faintly registered Felix calling out his name, but he ignored him.

He bumped into something - or rather someone, judging by the groan he heard.

“Binnie?” An out of breath Felix said, helping the figure, which turned out to be Changbin, to his feet after he’d caught up with the younger Slytherin. 

“Where's Seungmin?” Hyunjin asked frantically.

“I don't know, we got separated. I just heard him scream... what are you guys doing here anyway?” Changbin asked, looking from Felix to Hyunjin and back. 

“We saw you–”

“Doesn't matter. I have to find him!” Hyunjin interrupted them. His nerves were on edge, he needed to get to Seungmin and make sure he was okay. Another scream made Hyunjin run off again, before the other two could even react. A source of light caught his attention and he decided to follow the source. 

He heard small whimpers and pleas for help. That was no doubt Seungmin. Hyunjin pulled out his wand, ready to take on whatever it was that was scaring his boyfriend. 

His eyes widened in shock when he saw the younger trapped in a ring of fire. He didn't think long or hard and pointed his wand at the flames. 

“Aguamenti”

Nothing. 

This wasn't a normal fire, Hyunjin figured.

“Seungmin,” he called out to his boyfriend. The younger didn't seem to hear him right away, so he tried again. “Seungmin! Listen to me...” he shouted over the flames.

“H-Hyunjin?” he heard Seungmin’s small, panic-filled voice. “I'm right here, my love. Listen, this fire isn't real!” Hyunjin said. 

“B-but...”

“It's not real, Seungmin. You can fight this!” Hyunjin encouraged his boyfriend.

“I-I can't... I'm scared, and my wand is...” he trailed off. 

Hyunjin couldn't watch this any longer. He waited for an opening in the crackling flames and took the next best opportunity to join his boyfriend. 

“W-what are you–”

Seungmin cut himself off, as Hyunjin raised his wand, yelling at the flames: “Come at me, boggart. Leave my boyfriend alone!” He shielded Seungmin from the flames as best as he could, never lowering his wand. 

Soon enough, the boggart changed forms. The flames subsided and seemed to morph together to a person. Once it was done, a second Seungmin stood right in front of Hyunjin, looking at him with the most spiteful and disappointed expression. 

The real Seungmin glanced at it, seemingly confused. Boggart-Seungmin held eye contact with Hyunjin for about three more seconds before turning around and walking away from them.

“Riddikulus,” Hyunjin said sternly and Boggart-Seungmin tripped and fell face first into the mud. “Let's get out of here...” he addressed his Seungmin after picking up his wand.

Hyunjin took his boyfriend's hand; he was shaking, but other than that he seemed unharmed. When they turned around, they saw a stunned Changbin and Felix watch them in awe.

“We should head back before anyone notices we're gone,” Hyunjin said. He noticed how tightly Seungmin held on to his hand, which only made him even more determined to get him out of this forest.

Changbin took the lead, seemingly knowing where he was going. Considering, he hated camping so much, he sure knew how to navigate around. Hyunjin was grateful for that, because he was too busy worrying about Seungmin to even think about finding the way.

It didn’t take long until they reached the campsite. Felix and Changbin silently decided to give the other two some space and headed for the direction of the prefects’ tent after bidding them good night.

Seungmin was no longer shaking, but he still looked agitated. Hyunjin faced him and gently put his hands on the younger’s upper arms. “Are you alright?” he asked. Seungmin nodded, not looking at him. “You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?” Hyunjin questioned to which Seungmin shook his head.

“Hyunjin...” he finally spoke up after a while, his voice was still small, barely above a whisper, but at least he was finally speaking. “What was that back there?”

Hyunjin furrowed his brows. “U-um... a boggart, I suppose?” he replied, slightly confused.

What exactly was he getting at?

“I meant what the boggart turned into when you faced it... it looked like me...” Seungmin said, looking directly at Hyunjin for the first time since they got out of the forest.

Hyunjin grimaced. “Oh... that...” he trailed off. He had half hoped that Seungmin hadn’t caught on that, but then again, he had been right there. “Well, my biggest fear is somehow disappointing you and causing you to leave me...” Hyunjin admitted, averting his gaze.

Seungmin reached out to put a hand on his cheek and made him look at him again. “I would never do that. I thought we were over this...” he said.

“Yeah, I know... I mostly am, but the fear... it remains, even if it’s irrational...” Hyunjin explained.

Seungmin pulled his boyfriend into a tight hug. “Well, I’m not disappointed in you ever. You saved me back there... you were the one who recognized that this thing was a boggart while I was literally trapped in my own fear,” he told him. He looked back into the woods where they had just come from, shuddering at the memory. “I was being a headass, constantly saying that I wasn’t scared of anything... this could have gone really wrong. So, thank you,” he continued, reaching for his boyfriend’s hands.

Hyunjin gave him a half-smile. “Sometimes it’s hard to face your own fears... Come on, let’s get inside,” he said, heading for the fifth years’ tents. Seungmin followed wordlessly, probably figuring that Felix wouldn’t come back anyway.

On top of that, Hyunjin had no intention of letting Seungmin sleep alone after what happened.

The bed was too small for two people, but they managed. Seungmin lay half on top of Hyunjin with his head resting on his chest and the older’s arms wrapped around his middle.

“I’m never going to leave you, Hyunjin,” the younger suddenly said, closing his eyes as he listened to his boyfriend’s heartbeat.

Hyunjin hugged Seungmin even tighter. “And I’m never letting you go, my love,” the older whispered and the two of them soon drifted off to sleep.

~

The next morning the busses waited for them right after breakfast. Changbin was glad that this camping trip was finally over, even though he got to spend last night cuddling the life out of his boyfriend.

He vowed to himself never to go camping again.

Once he got home, he needed a long, refreshing shower.

Seungmin sat next to him on the bus, looking a lot better than when he had last seen him the previous night. Changbin felt as though all of this was his fault. If he hadn’t suggested going into the forest, that boggart wouldn’t have attacked Seungmin.

“Look...” Changbin trailed off. “I shouldn’t have talked you into going into the woods. I’m supposed to be a responsible upperclassman and you could have gotten hurt... I’m sorry,” he apologized.

Seungmin looked at him, a small smile playing on his lips. “It’s okay, Changbin. I’m not mad at you...” he answered.

That was a relief. He figured that it wouldn’t be the most pleasant thing to have his best friend’s boyfriend be mad at him. “So... fire, huh,” he started.

Seungmin’s smile faded and he averted his gaze. “Yeah... um, there was an incident when I was younger. It just stuck, I guess...”

Changbin sensed that Seungmin didn’t want to get further into detail about the whole thing, so he dropped the subject. He still felt guilty for being the reason Seungmin had to face his biggest fear, but along the ride back to the castle, the two of them made conversation and the memory of their tour through the woods wandered to the back of their heads...

Chapter Text

“So, Hyunjin. You know why you’re here, right?” Professor Slughorn questioned.

Hyunjin fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably. “Um... not really? I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”

Professor Slughorn chuckled. “Oh no, of course not! I summoned you here for career counselling...”

Hyunjin should have probably seen this coming. Career counselling was something every fifth year had to do at some point before their OWL exams. If he was being completely honest, he had kind of dreaded this appointment.

“Is there anything you would like to do after you graduate from Hogwarts?” the Professor questioned.

Hyunjin shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter. My mother wants me to work at the ministry,” he told

Professor Slughorn, who frowned at the response. “Is that something you’d want?”

“Working at the International Magical Office of Law? Not by a long shot... but she wouldn’t acknowledge anything else, so I’ll just have to live with it, I guess,” Hyunjin said, slumping his shoulders. “I would love to be a Quidditch player. It’s what I’m good at...” he added.

“Well, Hyunjin. I really don’t mean to discourage you but getting a decent job at the ministry will be hard with your grades... and as you said, you’re very good at Quidditch, so...” Professor Slughorn trailed off while searching for something among his papers. “Here, why don’t you take a pamphlet.”

Hyunjin took the pamphlet his professor handed him. It read: ‘So You Want To Be An International Quidditch Star!’

He looked back at Slughorn. “Sir, I’m not sure I can follow my dream... you don’t know my mother...” Hyunjin argued.

“Oh, I know her very well. I used to teach her. If I recall correctly, she always had a secret passion for Quidditch back in the day. She may be a ministry woman now, but maybe if you talked to her...”

Hyunjin looked at the pamphlet in his hands. Professor Slughorn did have a point. He could at least try talking to his mother. He suppressed a shudder at the thought.

“Thank you, Professor. Um... if that’s all–”

“Yes, yes, sure... you may go to lunch,” the Potions professor said, gesturing to the door with a friendly smile on his face which Hyunjin returned rather awkwardly.

~

Changbin felt like ass.

He had a headache and was coughing like crazy when Hyunjin joined him at the Slytherin table for lunch.

“Are you okay?” the younger questioned. Changbin tried to suppress another cough – without any success. “Oh my god, are you getting sick?” Hyunjin asked, immediately reaching across the table to feel Changbin’s forehead.

The older tried to back away, but Hyunjin had already slapped his hand onto his forehead.

“You’re running a fever. What are you doing out of bed?” he demanded, giving his friend and accusing look.

“It’s not that bad! I can’t miss too many classes,” Changbin argued.

Hyunjin frowned. “Bullshit! Get your ass up, I’m taking your dorm...” he said, obviously not leaving any room for objection.

Besides, Hyunjin kind of had a point...

~

The two Slytherins made their way back to their common room. Hyunjin kept a close eye on his friend, who started to look worse by the minute. He shook his head at Changbin’s endless stubbornness. Leave it to him to drag himself to class, even if he felt like crap.

“Schlangenbrut.” Hyunjin spoke the password that would let them into the Slytherin common room.

“I really don’t have to lie down. I can just rest here for 10 minutes and–”

“Nope, come on,” Hyunjin interrupted the older, as he began leading him to the sixth years’ dorms. “Don’t make me carry you up the stairs!” he warned when Changbin looked like he was about to make another protest. Changbin slumped his shoulders and followed the younger wordlessly.

Hyunjin picked out something for Changbin to change into before practically tucking him into bed.

“Unfortunately, I can’t stay because I have Quidditch practice in 15 minutes. But that’s okay, I know just the person who can nurse you back to health.”

Hyunjin ignored Changbin’s protests of “I really don’t need anyone to babysit me!” and instead gave the older a peck on the forehead before leaving his dorms, already determined to find the person he had in mind.

~

Changbin closed his eyes for a few minutes, the pain still stinging in his head. He sighed and rolled his eyes at himself for getting sick. He could be doing much better things right now than uselessly laying around in bed.

He could be with Felix right now...

He sighed once more before closing his eyes again.

Changbin didn't know how much time had passed before the door opened. He also didn't bother to check who it was, assuming it was just one of his dormmates until he heard a familiar low voice speak up.

“Binnie?”

Changbin sat up on his bed and flinched quietly at his pounding head.

“Felix? What are you doing here?” he asked in a weak voice.

His boyfriend made his way over to the Slytherin's bed, sitting down next to it. “I ran into Hyunjin near the Quidditch field after I finished practice and he told me you were sick. I quickly changed and ran here...” Felix explained, his tone worried.

“I'm not... sick...” the older said in between coughs, causing Felix to raise an eyebrow. Changbin quietly cursed himself. He didn't want to worry Felix, especially not a week before the younger's exams.

“We'll see about that,” Felix said and put a hand on Changbin's burning forehead before the older could react. “Whoa... I know you're hot and all, but this is a little too much, don't you think?” he joked.

“It's nothing really! Go back to your dorms and study, Lixie,” Changbin said weakly.

The younger chuckled. “No way I'm leaving you alone like this. You have a fever! I'll take care of you,” he said.

The older was about to argue but his headache made him feel dizzy and he knew that once his boyfriend set his mind to something, he wouldn't back down.

“Fine...” Changbin gave in with a sigh, followed by a slight cough.

Felix turned out to be really good at what he was doing. He put a cold and wet cloth on his boyfriend's forehead, grabbed a second blanket from one of Changbin's dormmate’s bed (ignoring his "but that's Hwiyoung's...") and tucked him in.

Changbin would be a liar if he said he wasn't flattered by how much his boyfriend cared about him. “Thank you...” he said as Felix sat back down next to his bed.

"Of course,” his boyfriend smiled, taking Changbin's hand and placing a soft kiss on it. “Try to sleep a little while I sneak into the kitchens to make you a chicken soup,” Felix demanded before getting up to leave his boyfriend's common room.

Changbin's cheeks flushed and he couldn't help but smile to himself. He already felt a little better than before...

~

Felix wouldn’t have expected the kitchen to be occupied when he sneaked in. He jumped in surprise when he almost ran straight into Jinwoo.

“Oh my god, you scared the shit out of me!” Felix exclaimed.

Jinwoo pointed his spatula at him. “Language!” he warned.

Someone snorted in the back. “Look at you already acting like a father.”

“Seungmin? What are you two doing here?” Felix asked, beyond confused at this point.

“We could ask you the same thing,” Jinwoo said, walking over to one of the countless stoves. “I’m making chicken soup for Changbin. He’s sick...” Felix told his two friends.

“Aw, that’s so sweet of you,” Jinwoo said.

The younger blushed and joined them at the stoves.

“Mina has cravings, so I’m carrying out her wishes,” Jinwoo explained, stirring something in a pot that suspiciously looked like vanilla pudding.

“And I’m just making a little something for Hyunjin since he didn’t really get to eat lunch before practice earlier,” Seungmin spoke up.

Felix began to gather all the ingredients he’d need for chicken soup, silently hoping that he’d be able to actually pull it off. “Seungmin, have you already had our career counselling?” Felix questioned absent-mindedly.

“Yeah, I had it just before lunch... it wasn’t very helpful, though. Professor Flitwick had a billion suggestions for me, since my grades are pretty good. When’s your appointment?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Felix answered. He looked at his ingredients in a rather lost manner.

“You good?” Jinwoo questioned.

“I just realized that I’ve never actually made chicken soup on my own before,” Felix admitted.

Seungmin grinned at him. “Hang on, I’ll show you,” he promised.

Felix watched his friend fumble with the dish he was preparing for Hyunjin before stepping up next to him. Jinwoo soon excused himself and proceeded to provide his girlfriend with vanilla pudding.

Luckily, making chicken soup wasn’t too hard, so with Seungmin’s guidance, Felix actually managed to put on a decent show.

“Thank you, Seungmin! I don’t know what I would’ve done without you! I owe you one,” Felix thanked his friend, while tackling him in a hug.

“It’s okay. You probably would have burnt the kitchen down without me...” Seungmin teased him. “Now go get back to your patient...”

~

The Slytherin was sound asleep when Felix returned to the dorm room, balancing a bowl of chicken soup in his hands. He set it down on his boyfriend's bedside table and sat back down next to his bed, smiling at how adorable sleeping Changbin looked, his mouth half open and snoring quietly. After softly caressing his cheek for a few minutes, he decided to wake him up before the soup got cold. 

Felix softly shook him and Changbin groaned sleepily, slowly regaining his senses.

“Mom...?” he said in a raspy voice. Cute.

“No, it's Felix, honey,” he whispered as Changbin opened his eyes and looked around. “Here's your Chicken Soup.”

Changbin smiled. “Oh... thank you,” he said, his voice cracking as he did so. He sat up and tried to take the bowl of soup from his boyfriend's hands but failed, as Felix moved away, smirking.

“No, no, I'm feeding you,” he grinned. Changbin would've protested but his voice decided to work against him.

The Gryffindor fed him the soup and set the empty bowl back down on the bedside table. Changbin had to admit, his boyfriend’s cooking seemed pretty damn good. 

“How are you feeling?” Felix asked after a while as he removed the wet cloth on Changbin's forehead and replaced it with a new one. It had already gotten dark outside.

“Better since you're here to take care of me,” he replied. “I'm almost healthy again so you can go return to your own common room and study–”

“Oh no, no, no, you are still far from being healthy. I'm staying here until you're fully recovered so if you want me to go study, you better recover fast~” Felix chuckled and rested his head on his arms as he placed them on the older's bed.

Changbin sighed and shook his head, failing to hold back a small smile. 

The two of them talked some more for about an hour before Changbin drifted off to sleep mid-conversation. Felix smiled before grabbing one of the older's unused pillows and fell asleep sitting next to the bed with his head resting on it.

~

The next morning, Changbin woke up with his headache still present but much less prominent than yesterday. He yawned, looked around the room and found his boyfriend sitting next to his bed, peacefully sleeping on one of Changbin's pillows that he had placed on the bed to rest his head on. Changbin smiled and slowly pet the younger's soft hair. He still found it hard to openly express his feelings for the younger but there was no doubt in his mind that he loved him more than anything else. 

The prefect blushed at his own thoughts. This fever must've made him emotional. 

After a few more minutes of love-eyed staring, Felix slowly lifted his head from the pillow and looked around the room, his dark blonde hair messy from sleeping in this seemingly uncomfortable position. He noticed the older looking at him.

“You're awake,” he whispered smiling. He didn't want to wake up his boyfriend's roommates.

Changbin didn't say anything and just smiled at his boyfriend, admiring him for a few more seconds. 

“I really want to kiss you right now,” he said honestly, his eyes locked on his boyfriend’s lips.

Felix blushed at the sudden confession. “Why don't you,” he replied quietly.

Changbin cleared his throat, forcing his eyes to look somewhere else. “I can't, you'll get sick...” the older whispered.

Felix smirked. “And you think I care about that?” he asked, moving closer to Changbin.

“Oh my god, you two, get a room, jeez,” one of Changbin's roommates, Park Jihoon, said and threw a pillow at them. Felix pouted and resumed his original position next to Changbin's bed. 

“I'll just go wash up and get you some tea and breakfast from the Great Hall,” Felix said and got up to leave.

“Wait, don't you have that career counseling appointment thing with Professor McGonagall in a bit?” the older reminded him.

Felix’ eyes widened in realization. “Right...” he sighed. “Fine, I'll go there first and then I'll get you your food. I'll be quick, I promise!”

“Don't worry about it!” Changbin chuckled but his boyfriend had already hurried out the door. He only shook his head at him fondly and threw Jihoon's pillow back at its owner, hitting him right in the face.

~

“So, Mr Lee... do you have any aspirations for after your graduation?” Professor McGonagall asked Felix after he had taken a seat across from her in her office. Felix’ face brightened up in excitement.

“I’m really into acting these days. Though, I’d also love to help other people... like when they’re sick or just in need...” he told his teacher. She smiled at him.

“Well, acting is definitely interesting. However, it’s hard to achieve, so it would be good if you had a backup plan. If you’d like to help other people,” she trailed off, searching for a certain pamphlet out of the many that were spread on her desk, “then, how about becoming a nurse? Your grades in Herbology, Potions and Transfigurations would be good enough...”

Felix took the pamphlet eagerly, studying it with big eyes. He had never thought about becoming an actual nurse, even though, as a child he’d always taken care of his older sisters when they had been sick.

“Thank you!” he exclaimed.

“You’re welcome, Felix. Now, you’re free to go,” Professor McGonagall told him. Felix got up from his seat, pamphlet clutched tightly to his chest. “I’ll see you in class,” his teacher said.

~

Seungmin and Hyunjin were currently on their way down to the lake to just enjoy the early May sun a little. When they arrived, they saw Jisung already sitting there, seemingly studying. He looked up when they were only a few meters away.

“Hey, what are you two up to?” he questioned.

They joined him, sitting down in the grass. “Nothing actually. Even though, I should be studying,” Seungmin answered, sneaking an almost longing glance at Jisung’s Charms book.

“We can do that later. Right now, we should enjoy the nice weather,” Hyunjin argued, putting an arm around Seungmin’s shoulders.

“You did enjoy the weather during Quidditch practice earlier! You just want to escape studying!” Seungmin said in playful accusation.

“Maybe I do,” the older admitted with a grin. “But if everything works out, I won’t need good grades anyway,” he added, causing the other two to furrow their brows in confusion.

“What does that mean?” Jisung questioned.

Hyunjin pulled yesterday’s pamphlet out of his robe’s pocket. “Yesterday at career counselling, Professor Slughorn basically told me that I’m too dumb to work at the ministry like my mother wants me to and now he suggested this,” he explained while showing the pamphlet to his friend and his boyfriend.

“He didn’t phrase it like that, did he?” Seungmin questioned, sounding slightly alarmed.

Hyunjin shook his head. “He didn’t, but I feel like my mother might.” Seungmin of the three still looked a little worried, but Hyunjin just smiled at him and linked their hands together. “I’ll be fine, though. Quidditch is my passion. I’m no ministry man,” Hyunjin told them.

He meant it, too.

He really didn’t want Seungmin to worry for no reason. Secretly, despite how scared he was to have that career talk with his mother, he was glad to have found a way out of the ministry thing.

“Anyway, what did career counselling look like for you two,” he questioned, trying to avert the attention from himself.

Jisung chuckled. “I think I shocked Professor Flitwick with my career wish,” he announced.

“Why, what did you tell him?” Seungmin asked. He looked like he didn’t even want to know the answer.

“I told him I wanted to be a bartender,” Jisung announced.

“Excuse me?” Hyunjin questioned.

“What? It’s a real jo. And I’d actually really love to try it,” Jisung explained. “And not just that, I also want to open my own bar. I want to be independent. You can stop looking at me like that, Hwang. I’m serious!”

Hyunjin raised his hands in defeat... before stealing Jisung’s water bottle and taking a sip from it.

“Anyway, Seungmin. What did you say to Flitwick?” Jisung asked the youngest.

“Me? I want to be an exotic dancer!” Hyunjin choked, coughing out the water he had been drinking while Jisung’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. They both stared at Seungmin in disbelief. The younger held their gazes for a few more seconds before he burst out laughing.

“I’m just kidding! I wanted to see the looks on your faces,” he told them, still giggling. “I told Flitwick that I wanted to do something related to magic law.”

Jisung let out a sigh of relieved. “You really had me for a second,” he said, clutching his chest dramatically.

“I don’t know. I kind of see it, though,” Hyunjin joked, obviously recovered from the shock.

Seungmin chuckled playfully hit the older’s arm. “Never gonna happen,” he clarified.

“A man can dream, right?” Hyunjin replied with a cheeky grin.

“Okay, this is my cue to leave. I’ll go find my girlfriend,” Jisung announced upon seeing the couple’s playful banter. They half-acknowledged his departure before fully focusing on each other again.

~

Changbin woke up from another nap he had decided to take after his boyfriend left for career counseling. His headache was gone, and he already felt much better. 

The prefect didn't have anything to do, however, since all of his dormmates were in class or somewhere else in the castle so he decided to take out the sketchbook from under his pillow to continue the drawing he had been working on lately. He had already made a lot of progress on it when the door opened, and a smiling Gryffindor peeked inside, causing the older to quickly hide his drawing under his pillow.

“Felix, you're back,” Changbin smiled.

Felix came in with a large cup of tea in his hands, handed it to his boyfriend and took a seat on his bed.

“Oh, thank you,” Changbin said, smelling the fruity scent of the tea he had handed him. It smelled delicious.

Felix waved off as he watched him take a sip of the tea, humming in approval. He seemed quite happy about something.

“How was career counseling?” Changbin decided to ask. The younger just replied with a bright smile and handed him the pamphlet he had gotten from Professor McGonagall. Changbin examined it. 'So You Want To Be A Nurse' it said in a bold font. 

“She told me that since I want to help other people and my grades are good enough, I would make a great nurse,” Felix explained and smiled proudly.

Changbin smiled back at him. “That's awesome, Felix! I totally see it!”

Felix giggled, took back his pamphlet to store it in his robes and turned back to his boyfriend. “So how are you feeling?” he asked.

“A lot better,” Changbin smiled, “because my boyfriend is such a good nurse~”

Felix seemed happy to hear that Changbin felt better and lay down next to him on his bed. The older put an arm around his boyfriend.

“So, about that kiss...” Felix started, smirking. Changbin gave him a quick peck on the cheek before taking another sip of his tea to hide his flushed cheeks. The younger playfully pouted at him for a second, disappointed that he didn't get more, but soon let it go and rested his head on his boyfriend's shoulder.

Changbin should really get sick more often.

Chapter Text

“Jisung!”

The Ravenclaw in question jumped in surprise, shooting the librarian an apologetic look for the disturbance, before glancing up at the person who had caused it in the first place.

Out of all the people who could have possibly disrupted his studies, he definitely hadn’t expected to see Lee Jangjun.

The seventh year grinned and took the seat across from Jisung, loosening his Slytherin tie.

“Um... what can I do for you?” Jisung questioned in confusion. He didn’t think he had ever exchanged more than two words with Jangjun, so he couldn’t imagine what he could possibly want from him.

“What’s Eunseo’s favorite food?” Jisung’s brows furrowed.

He was getting more confused by the second. “Steak, why?”

Jangjun grinned again. “Well, it’s her birthday soon, so I figured I could try asking her out,” he said.

Jisung spluttered, unsure if he had heard that correctly. “You want to what? Why the hell would you ask her out and come to me about it?” he asked, raising his voice a little bit too much. When he looked up the librarian was just wordlessly pointing at the door. Jisung bowed his head in apology.

“Well, you’re her friend, aren’t you? I just figured you’d know what she likes,” Jangjun replied to his earlier question.

Jisung looked at him, trying to figure out if he was playing games with him. He seemed to genuinely believe that he was nothing more than was Eunseo’s friend, though.

“I’m sorry to disappoint, but I’m not her friend. We’re dating. We have been dating since January,” he clarified, his tone sour.

Jangjun’s eyes widened almost comically. He rose from his seat again. “That definitely changes things. Sorry for asking. You just didn’t give off a couple-vibe, so I figured you were like her gay friend or something,” he explained.

Her gay friend?

Was that what he seemed like to people?

“Well you’re mistaken!” Jisung answered bitterly. He gathered his books and also rose from his seat before leaving the library without further words.

He wasn’t exactly angry, rather confused. Did he really not seem like Eunseo’s boyfriend at all? Apparently not, if guys even came to him for dating advice regarding his girlfriend.

“If you keep glaring like that you’ll burn a hole into someone,” a female voice spoke up, ripping him from his thoughts.

He hadn’t even realized that he was in the courtyard near the Transfigurations classroom until he looked up to find out, who was talking to him.

Mina, Jinwoo's girlfriend, was sitting underneath a tree with a book in her lap.

“Sorry,” Jisung said with a sigh. “What’s bothering you?” his fellow Ravenclaw questioned. Jisung slumped his shoulders and sat down across from her in the grass. He didn’t answer immediately, unsure how to explain the problem. In the end, he settled for a simple question.

“Do I seem gay to you?”

Mina clearly hadn’t expected that. “Why would you seem like anything? Aren’t you with Eunseo?” she asked.

Jisung sighed again, thinking back to his encounter with Jangjun. “I am, and I really like her, but apparently some people didn’t realize that we’re together... someone just came up to me asking for her favorite food, so he could ask her out,” he recounted with a pout on his face.

Mina chuckled. The younger didn’t really see this as a laughing matter. “Well, to answer your previous question, you don’t seem gay to me. Then again, you can’t really assume these kinds of things about anyone, can you? At the beginning of the year everybody thought that Jinwoo was gay, remember?”

Jisung nodded slowly. It had come as a surprise for everyone when Jinwoo had suddenly claimed that he had a girlfriend.

“Do you also remember what he did about it?” Mina asked.

“He got you pregnant,” he answered. He wasn’t sure if that was the answer to his problems.

Mina girl laughed. “Not what I meant,” she told him, hand absent-mindedly covering her slowly showing baby bump. “He did nothing. He let people believe what they wanted. You know you’re with Eunseo and so does she. You trust her, don’t you?” she continued. Jisung nodded. “Then you have nothing to worry about. Even if anyone goes and asks her out, she will tell them that she has a boyfriend,” Mina assured him.

He hadn’t thought about it like that, if he was being honest. Sure, Eunseo wouldn’t just agree to go out with someone just because they asked.

“You’re right...” Jisung said.

Mina smiled. “Of course, I am.”

Jisung got up. “Thanks, Mina!” he said sincerely.

She waved off. “Happy to help.”

He grinned. “Well then, I have to go. It’s my girlfriend’s birthday soon and I have absolutely nothing planned,” he told her. Mina laughed again.

“Go on, then,” she answered.

~

“What are you doing on your birthday?” Jisung asked Eunseo around two hours later when they were eating lunch together. He had already planned a whole date in his head. He had thought about making it a surprise, but he was too excited to wait.

Eunseo looked surprised at the sudden question. “Um, nothing really... I’m not big on celebrating it,” she answered honestly.

“Then why don’t you spend it with me? We could go somewhere,” Jisung suggested, a grin spreading on his face.

Eunseo smiled, but it seemed a little pressed. “Thanks, but I want to focus on studying and Quidditch. We should just let my birthday pass as a normal day and do nothing...”

The younger’s grin fell at her unenthusiastic response.

Had Eunseo just rejected him before he had even told her his plans?

“So, you wouldn’t go on a date with me on a ‘normal day’? I’m starting to see why people don’t see me as your boyfriend,” Jisung muttered under his breath, but she seemed to have heard him anyway.

“What?” Eunseo asked, clearly not knowing what the younger was talking about.

Jisung suddenly felt a little angry. He simply didn’t take her rejection very well, after the day he had.

“Forget it. I have to go,” Jisung said, shoving his plate away and getting up, storming out of the Great Hall. He could see some of his friends giving him questioning looks, but he ignored all of them.

~

Seungmin found him not long after his little fight with Eunseo. Well, it hadn’t really been a fight, but it sure felt like one. Jisung had tried to distract himself with studying at his favorite spot at the lake.

Needless to say, it hadn’t really helped a lot. He was still thinking about any potential reasons for Eunseo not wanting to celebrate her birthday with him.

“Are you alright?” Seungmin questioned, as he sat down next to him.

Jisung shrugged. “I don’t know,” he mumbled.

“Did you fight with Eunseo?” Seungmin asked next.

“Kind of...” Jisung replied. He shut his book and set it down next to him in the grass, before bringing his knees to his chest and hugging them.

It was silent for a while. Jisung knew that Seungmin was waiting for him to explain, but that he also wouldn’t push him if he didn’t want to. Eventually, he let out a sigh before telling his best friend all about his messed-up day, grateful when Seungmin listened until the end without interrupting.

“Did you consider the possibility that she might not want to celebrate her birthday because she has a reason...” Seungmin suggested carefully, once Jisung was finished.

“Of course, I considered that. It’s just that I’m a dumbass who doesn’t know jack shit about relationships. I keep messing them up. It was just a matter of time until I messed this one up too...” he answered.

“Hey, you should stop giving up so easily. You like her, don’t you? You literally fought a guy for her,” Seungmin reminded him. Jisung nodded. “And you care about her, right?” Another nod. “Then you should get your ass up and apologize to her for overreacting, instead of sulking out here,” the younger told him.

A few months ago, he never would have thought that he would get advice from Seungmin, regarding relationships, but he knew that his friend was right.

He picked up his book and got up. “I guess you’re right,” he said.

Seungmin grinned. “Of course, I am,” he answered.

Jisung scoffed in amusement. “I’ve heard that before...”

~

It didn’t take Jisung very long to find Eunseo. Just as he had figured, she was on the Quidditch field practicing. He decided not to disturb her and wait for her to finish, sitting down in the spectator’s area. She was graceful as ever, like she belonged right on that field.

He smiled when he remembered how he had made a fool of himself the first time they had played against each other because he had been so distracted by her beauty.

Back then, people had already said that she was out of his league, but he had faced the wrath of her ex-boyfriend and won her heart eventually.

He wasn’t going to throw that away because of one bad day.

Eunseo seemed to have spotted him. She flew over on her broomstick and landed between the rows of benches.

“Did you come here to snap at me again?” she questioned.

Jisung got up and ran a hand through his hair. “I deserve that one, I guess. But no, I came here to apologize...” he said sheepishly.

She sat down and looked at him expectantly. “I’m listening,” she said.

Jisung took a breath. “I’m sorry for snapping at you and walking out on you at lunch. I was childish,” he began. Eunseo raised her eyebrows, silently urging him to go on. “I should have been more considerate about you not wanting to celebrate your birthday with me. It’s your birthday and your decision.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to spend my birthday with you. I just genuinely don’t enjoy my birthday. Never have. And there’s no traumatic experience behind it, if that’s what you’re thinking. I think wanting to be the center of attention is a human thing, but I’d much rather achieve that through something I did, not because I was born on a certain day. Quidditch for example. I’m good at it, so I don’t mind when people celebrate me for helping the team win a game,” Eunseo explained.

It made a lot of sense to Jisung and he suddenly felt like even more of a dumbass.

“I’ve kind of made it a habit to do nothing special on my birthday because I want it to be like any other day. And I should have told you that...” she continued.

“Why didn’t you?” Jisung questioned. He didn’t sound accusing, just curious.

“Because I was scared you wouldn’t understand. My ex didn’t. He insisted on taking me out on my birthday, and I hated it. I told him I didn’t want it, but he thought I was just ‘playing coy’ or some shit,” Eunseo replied, scrunching up her face at the memory.

Jisung smiled and reached for her hand. “Thanks for telling me. I should have asked about it earlier. If this is what you want, then I will happily ignore your birthday completely,” he assured her with a grin.

She chuckled and rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you...” she muttered. They sat like this for a while, before Eunseo lifted her head again and looked at Jisung.

“By the way... what did you mean when you said that people didn’t see you as my boyfriend?” she asked.

Jisung made a face. He had almost forgotten about that. He didn’t want to lie to her, so he didn’t.

“This morning, a guy asked me for advice to ask you out because he didn’t realize we were dating. He said that I seemed like your gay friend or something. It was what threw me off in the first place. I don’t know why people think that we’re just friends, but I have decided not to care...” Jisung told her.

“I don’t know why people around here care so much about other people’s relationships in the first place. This castle is full of gossipers...” Eunseo complained.

Jisung furrowed his brows. “Wait, do people really gossip about us? I’ve never heard anything...” he asked.

“Well, I did hear people speculate whether we were dating or not and if you had “stolen me” from Jaewon or if you were just my new gay best friend...” Eunseo explained.

“So, you knew about that rumor? You never said anything...” Jisung said.

Eunseo gave his hand a squeeze. “I didn’t care. I still don’t. You and I know what happened between us and how I feel about you. I guess I’m considered popular, so the people in this school will always have something to say. I’m not going to purposely feed them with information, and neither should you.”

Jisung sighed. How could he not have realized sooner that people were talking about them?

Then again, he did say that he had decided not to care.

Did it really matter to him what other people thought?

He decided that Eunseo was right. They would never stop gossiping.

He remembered his talk with Mina from earlier.

“You know you’re with Eunseo and so does she.”

“You’re right. Let them believe what they want,” Jisung agreed.

He hadn’t been aware that his relationship was in the spotlight like this and he wasn’t sure if he was able to ignore that fact now that he knew, but he sure as hell was going to try...

Chapter Text

If you asked Chan about his favorite way to de-stress the answer was very simple: Quidditch.

Whenever exam season and endless studying got the best of him, he just took a break, grabbed his broomstick and headed to the Quidditch field. Sometimes his boyfriend would accompany him, but lately he’d been practicing on his own a lot.

On top of that, his team also had some of Gryffindor’s most-talented players, so that definitely lifted his spirits a lot.

Today, Chan was practicing alone, before dinner. Gryffindor had a friendly game against Hufflepuff the next day and then there was the endgame against Slytherin. Chan wanted to be in his very best form for it.

This was his last year at Hogwarts, so winning the season would be an amazing way to go.

~

“How was practice?” Minho questioned when Chan walked into the Great Hall with a confident smirk on his face.

His boyfriend was sitting with Jinwoo and Mina. The couple was sharing some chicken and Chan noticed that Mina was dipping hers into a bowl of chocolate pudding. Mina made a face but chose not to comment on it. He didn’t want to mess with a pregnant woman.

“It went great. It feels like we basically already won the game against Hufflepuff,” Chan replied, letting himself fall onto the seat next to Minho’s.

Minho raised his eyebrow at his boyfriend’s words. “Well, somebody sounds confident. What makes you so sure?”

“Apart from the fact that my team is amazing, you mean?” Chan said, only half-joking. “My techniques have improved a lot. I’m doing really good these days.”

Minho chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you have a good feeling about this game, but be careful, please. Only because you’re good, doesn’t mean you should get reckless,” he warned the older, who just waved off.

“I’m always careful!”

~

“Is that what he calls careful?!” Minho exclaimed the next day while – quite painfully – clutching onto Hyunjin’s arm. His eyes were glued on his boyfriend who had just thrown the Quaffle through Hufflepuff’s middle goal post while only barely managing to escape a bludger.

“If he keeps this up, he’ll break his neck before he can play against us next week!” Hyunjin stated.

“I’ll murder him before that happens! I told him to be fucking careful!” Minho exclaimed.

Chan was in possession of the Quaffle again and was making his way towards the goal posts again. A bludger came flying towards him again, but he either didn’t see or didn’t care.

Minho – and the rest of the crowd – let out a collective gasp when Chan threw the Quaffle through the left goal post and turned away with a triumphant grin only to be thrown off his broomstick by the bludger he had ignored before.

It hit him right in the head, knocking him out.

Halfway down, Chan’s falling body slowed down, so Minho figured that somebody must have used magic. He didn’t wait any longer and fought his way through the crowd of Slytherin spectators. He had to get to Chan to make sure that he was alright, even though he sure didn’t look like he was.

The incident was replaying in Minho’s mind like one of those movies Chan liked to watch so much, as he practically sprinted towards the hospital wing.

How could he have been so careless?

Was winning a friendly Quidditch game really more important than looking out for himself?

Minho was shocked and angry and just incredibly worried. That bludger had hit him pretty hard, so what if Madame Pomfrey couldn’t even help him?

He reached the hospital wing a few seconds after Chan as it seemed. Madame Pomfrey was already inspecting his injuries with a serious frown on her face. The people who had brought him in stood a little further off, watching her with worried expressions.

Minho joined them, trying not to fear for the worst.

~

After about two hours, Minho was the last one left in the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey had told him that there wasn’t that much she could do right now and that they would have to wait for him to wake up.

“He will, though, right?” Minho questioned.

Madame Pomfrey looked at Chan’s pale figure in the slim hospital bed. “He should wake up sometime tomorrow. You shouldn’t worry too much and go to your common room. Visiting hours are long over,” she told him.

“I’m not just a visitor, I’m his boyfriend! And I’m staying until he wakes up,” Minho argued.

Normally, he wouldn’t put up a fight with the school nurse, but he was too worried about Chan to care right now.

Madame Pomfrey sighed. “Listen, kid–”

“I won’t move an inch from his side, so you’re going to have to hex me out of here if you want me gone!” Minho interrupted her stubbornly.

Madame Pomfrey rolled her eyes. “Don’t believe for a second that I wouldn’t hex you if I could, but I want to keep my job.” Another sigh. “Fine, you can stay. But you better stay quiet and don’t touch anything!”

Minho waved her off before taking a seat next to Chan’s bed.

He took the older’s hand in his own, regarding him with a worried look.

What if Chan didn’t remember him when he woke up? Or worse, what if he wouldn't even wake up at all?

Madame Pomfrey was good at what she was doing but even her powers had limits. One thing was for sure, he wouldn’t return to his dorm room, he wouldn’t eat, he wouldn’t sleep until Chan opened his eyes...

~

Chan woke up, feeling like he’d been hit in the head with a billion bludgers. He squeezed his eyes shut again after being met with what had to be the biggest headache in the history of headaches. His hand flew to his forehead and he sat up with a groan.

“Oh, fuck...”

In the corner of his eye, he caught someone stirring awake. He couldn’t hold back a tiny smile when he saw none other than his boyfriend stretching his arms over his head like a kitten. Minho looked up at him, his hair looking messy from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. The younger’s eyes instantly became watery when he realized that Chan was awake and lunged forward to hug him.

“Chan, you fucking idiot, I thought you were gonna die,” he scolded Chan between sobs. The older wrapped his arms around him, trying to calm him down a bit. “I was so fucking worried,” he added before letting go of Chan just to hit his arm, albeit lightly.

“I’m sorry,” Chan mumbled, scratching the back of his bandaged head sheepishly. “I was too reckless. I should have listened to you...”

“Damn right, you should have...” Minho agreed with a sniffle. Chan cupped his boyfriend's cheeks to give him a soft peck on the lips.

“Forgive me?” he asked cutely, their faces still close together.

Minho pouted. “No. You're gonna have to do a little better than that,” he muttered.

Chan grinned, but reconnected their lips nonetheless, longer this time.

“Fine... I forgive you... as long as you promise to never be this reckless again...” Minho finally said. Chan nodded, but Minho took both his hands in his and gave him a pointed look. “I’m serious, Channie. I was so scared when you fell off that broomstick, especially since I couldn't help you. This could have gone seriously wrong...”

“I know... I'm really sorry for being such a headass. I didn't mean to scare you. And I promise I'll be more careful,” Chan apologized to the younger. That seemed to be enough for him since his face lit up a little bit and he leaned back in his seat with a satisfied expression.

“That's all I wanted to hear,” he told the older, still holding on to his hands.

Madame Pomfrey came over to Chan's bed. “So, you're awake. How are you feeling?” Chan shrugged.

“Like I've been hit by a train,” he answered.

“Well, you're lucky. This could have been a lot worse,” Madame Pomfrey explained while checking his injuries. “I'm going to keep you here for another night just to make sure.”

“Will he be able to participate in the endgame next week?” Minho questioned.

Madame Pomfrey sighed. “He should be good. But no more stunts like this one! I can’t have another worried boyfriend hanging around here! I liked you two better when you didn’t like each other...”

She walked away, leaving the two chuckling seventh years alone. “I think next time she'll really hex me...” Minho mumbled under his breath.

Chan just laughed before scooting over in his bed and patting the space next to him. Minho gave him a questioning look, but complied to the silent request nonetheless.

“You look like you could use a nap,” Chan explained. Minho made a noise of agreement and cuddled up to his boyfriend, who threw the blanket over him and pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. “I love you...” he muttered.

“I love you, too... but I’m still going to kick your ass in that endgame,” Minho answered already sounding sleepy, as he slowly drifted off into a way more comfortable slumber.

Chapter Text

Felix wouldn’t exactly call himself the jealous type of boyfriend but when it came to Hwang Hyunjin, he just couldn’t help himself. He just couldn’t help but feel uneasy whenever he saw Hyunjin be his boyfriend’s ‘best friend’.

Now, surely, you guys think ‘but, Felix, at camp you and Hyunjin got along just fine...’ and maybe that was true but that was before the hype for the last Quidditch game of the season began...

Gryffindor vs Slytherin.

It was said to be the biggest match of the season, because it was between the everlasting rivals of Hogwarts. Felix didn’t think it was that deep, but 95% of the school seemed to disagree. Friendly and not-so-friendly fights happened between members of each houses or even just between their fans.

But that wasn’t really where Felix’ problem lay.

~

“So, it seems we’ll be competing against each other,” Changbin told Felix one morning, as he plopped down next to him in the grass. The younger was doing his homework at the lake, to pass time before Changbin showed up.

Felix gave his boyfriend a quizzical look. “I know?” he said, though it rather sounded like a question.

“No, no, I mean I’ll be on the field too. Wooseok, our Chaser is sick, so he can’t participate and I’m filling in for him,” Changbin explained excitedly.

Felix grinned at the older. “You didn’t tell me you were a Chaser,” he said in surprise, though it wasn’t an unpleasant one.

It might end up fun, competing against his boyfriend, since Quidditch was something he was really passionate about.

This endgame just got a lot more interesting.

Changbin chuckled. “Well, I’m a little rusty, which is why I can’t stay long. I’m practicing with Hyunjin later,” he told his boyfriend.

Felix’ grin faltered.

There he was again.

Hyunjin.

“S-so, I assume you’re going to spend a lot of time together?” he asked.

Changbin nodded happily. “Sure, Hyunjin was the one who suggested me to the captain, and he said that it’s on him to get me ready for the game.”

Hyunjin had suggested Changbin for the team?

Well, that sure was interesting.

Felix tried not to let his jealousy show and instead gave the older a pressed smile. “Then I don’t want to keep you any longer... you should go meet up with Hyunjin...” Felix said. Changbin’s face lit up, seemingly oblivious to Felix’ change in demeanor. He pressed a quick kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek before getting up and taking off in the direction of the Quidditch field.

~

“Oh god, I know that look...” Jisung said a little while later when Felix joined him and Eric at the Ravenclaw table.

“What look?”

“The Changbin-is-hanging-out-with-Hyunjin-and-I’m-so-jealous look... last time you had that look on your face you asked me to be your fake boyfriend.”

Felix gasped in exasperation. “I don’t have that kind of look!”

Eric raised his eyebrows. “You kinda do...” he deadpanned.

“I do not!” Felix argued.

“Fine, then what’s going on?” Jisung questioned.

Felix sighed and began putting food on his plate. “Hyunjin suggested Changbin to fill in for one of their Chasers and now they’re gonna spend all their time together...” he explained. He looked up to find his friends giving him a pointed look. “Okay, so maybe I do have a Changbin-is-hanging-out-with-Hyunjin-and-I’m-so-jealous look...” he admitted. “But that’s not really helping right now.”

“Why are you so intimidated by Hyunjin? He’s literally head-over-heels in love with Seungmin. Honestly, speaking as his ex, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this whipped for anyone,” Jisung told him.

Deep down Felix knew that Jisung was probably right, especially since he knew Hyunjin a lot better than he did. He knew that jealousy wouldn’t get him anywhere. He also knew that Changbin would probably get mad at him if he found out about it.

But Lee Felix wasn’t exactly known to be wise when it came to his love for Changbin.

~

“Just make sure to watch out for bludgers this time, Channie. I want you to be conscious when we kick your ass,” Minho said a few hours later when they were all hanging out at the lake.

The others chuckled as Chan playfully shoved Minho. “You guys don’t have the Goddess of Quidditch on your team, so we’ll see about who’s gonna kick whose ass here,” Jisung announced.

“Whipped,” Jeongin commented.

“We may not have a goddess, but we do have Hyunjin,” Changbin stated. His arm was around Felix and the younger was leaning into his side with his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. He tensed up at Changbin’s words, sitting up straight.

He believed that Hyunjin was a Quidditch god?

“Now that’s a game I’m looking forward to see. Especially since I get to announce it,” Seungmin said with a wide grin.

“You’re biased, that’s kind of unfair,” Chan protested.

Seungmin laughed. “Me? Biased? Now what on earth makes you say that?” he questioned innocently.

“Well, biased or not. I’m the one who’s going to catch all of your Quaffles before they pass by my goal posts!” Felix said determinedly.

Changbin laughed. “If you say so,” he replied. “But you might want to step up your game. Hyunjin’s practically on fire this year!” his boyfriend added.

Felix gave Hyunjin a little glare. 

“We’ll see about that,” he said.

“Let’s not forget that this is not just about winning, you guys! It’s the last game for some of you. It should also be about the fun,” Jinwoo reminded them. The other seventh years nodded.

“Isn’t it crazy? We’re going to graduate next month...” Eunseo pointed out.

“That is crazy... what’s Hogwarts going to be without us?” Chan joked. “What are the Gryffindors going to do without the greatest captain of all time?”

Minho slightly slapped the older’s arm at the cocky remark, chuckling.

“It’s going to be weird not coming back here in September,” Mina spoke up.

“Yeah, we’ve spent our childhood here. I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” Jinwoo agreed.

“I’m gonna miss you guys,” Jisung told them. “It feels like this year we’ve all grown closer, so next year is going to be weird without you,” he added. “But for now, let’s focus on the endgame. We can get sappy later!”

The other’s laughed at Jisung’s sudden change in demeanor and continued poking fun at each other about who was going to lose the endgame.

~

“What was that back there with you and Hyunjin?” Changbin asked a while later when he and Felix made their way to the Gryffindor common room.

“What do you mean?” Felix questioned, feigning ignorance.

“I thought you two were getting along, but you were outright glaring at him earlier!”

“Oh, I’m sorry! Did I perhaps hurt Hyunjin’s feelings?” the younger suddenly snapped, turning to face his boyfriend.

Changbin raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s going on with you? Why are you always going off on him?”

“Because...” he cut himself off, but Changbin caught on nonetheless.

“You’re jealous again, aren’t you,” he stated. Felix didn’t answer, instead he avoided his gaze. “How many damn times do I have to tell you that there’s nothing going on between us? Besides, he’s with Seungmin! There’s literally no reason for you to be jealous!” Changbin said.

He sounded pissed, which caused Felix to look at him again.

“Well, I am. I see the way you two are with each other. I mean, I’m close with my best friends, but you two... you’re different. And I wonder why Seungmin hasn’t seen it yet,” Felix replied stubbornly.

Changbin rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m not listening to this anymore. You can walk the rest of the way yourself. Goodnight.” With that Changbin turned around and left Felix standing there, not sparing him another glance.

The younger stared after him in disbelief.

How could Changbin just walk out on the conversation like that? Was he really that determined to defend Hyunjin’s honor? Or did he leave because deep down he knew that Felix was right? What if the older really did have feelings for Hyunjin?

Felix sighed, feeling worse than he had before. He didn’t like to fight with Changbin, but he was too stubborn to go after him. Changbin was in the wrong here! So, instead of being reasonable, Felix just continued his way to his common room, thoughts clouded with Changbin and Hyunjin.

~

Changbin hadn’t spoken to Felix ever since their little disagreement. He wanted to make things right again, but he didn’t feel like he should be the one to apologize. He knew that he didn’t have any romantic feelings for Hyunjin, and Felix should know that as well. Until he realized that his jealousy was for nothing, Changbin sure wasn’t going to come crawling back to him.

“Come on, Binnie... it’s been two days. The endgame is on Saturday. When are you two finally going to sort this out?” Hyunjin asked him when they headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

“As soon as he stops being so jealous all the time. I’ve told him a million times–” he cut himself off when he saw Felix and Jisung walking ahead of him.

Felix tripped over what seemed to be thin air and Jisung reacted quickly by grabbing his robes and steadying him.

“How are you going to win the game if you’re even tripping over air,” Changbin said, only to silently curse himself right after as Hyunjin chuckled a little.

“Way to go, Bin...” he muttered under his breath.

Felix turned around to look at him, his expression dark. Jisung and Hyunjin exchanged a look before leaving the two of them be and joining Seungmin at the Ravenclaw table. Changbin walked up to Felix, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. Are you okay?” he asked.

Felix huffed. “You didn’t seem to care thirty seconds ago. You know, when you were making fun of me... with Hyunjin,” he snapped.

Changbin rolled his eyes. “I said I was sorry, Felix. Can you just stop being like this for five minutes?” he asked. 

“Like what, huh? I keep following you around like a fucking dog but you’re always with him! You have no problem being affectionate with him in public but you’re only ever really confident to hold my hand when we’re alone!” Felix burst out.

“What are you saying?” Changbin asked, sounding alarmed.

“I’m saying that if you can’t even be on my side for once then maybe you should consider dating Hyunjin and not me...” the younger told him, voice a lot quieter than before. He took off in the direction of the Gryffindor table where Chan and Eunseo sat and Changbin noticed a slight limp in the younger’s step.

Perhaps, Changbin should have called out to him and properly apologized but Felix words still rang in his head.

Had the Gryffindor just broken up with him?

~

Felix sighed for the nth time. He poked around in his food, while Chan just gave him a concerned look. “You know, you can still talk to him...” he advised his friend carefully.

“I’m done talking. He clearly doesn’t understand why I’m upset, so I don’t see the point in trying to explain myself any further...”

“But Felix...” Eunseo spoke up. “What exactly do you want him to do? Cut all ties with Hyunjin? That hardly seems fair, does it?”

Felix made a face. He didn’t know what he wanted. “I guess not...” he mumbled. “But I still feel like there is some sort of chemistry between them,” he added.

Chan sighed. “They’re just friends, Felix. Hyunjin would never try to steal your boyfriend, especially since he has one himself. And Changbin would never cheat on you...” he tried to explain. Eunseo nodded in agreement.

“But why are they always so flirty with each other? And why does Changbin look at Hyunjin like he wants to give him the world?”

“That’s just what they’re like. Besides, have you seen the way Changbin looks at you?” Chan asked in in exasperation.

“N-no... how does he look at me?” Felix questioned, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks.

“Only like you’re the most precious person in the world? I can’t believe you haven’t noticed!”

Felix pouted. If he were really that precious to Changbin, they wouldn’t even be in this situation right now.

“Whatever... I won’t keep running after him,” he announced.

Chan looked like he wanted to argue with that, but Felix gave him a pointed look that made him shut up.

~

Seungmin took a seat next to Felix in History of Magic, giving him a pointed look.

Felix raised his eyebrows. “What?” he asked.

“Nothing, I just thought you might want to tell me why you think my boyfriend is trying to steal yours,” Seungmin said. He sounded genuinely curious, rather than mad, which Felix was thankful for. He really didn’t want to mess with a mad Seungmin.

“Can’t you see it? They’re always so... flirty with each other. Hyunjin practically means everything to Changbin. They cuddle all the time and I’ve heard people talk about how they would be so cute together...”

Seungmin seemed to think about his words for a moment. “To be honest, I never gave it that much thought. I guess I always figured it’s just the nature of their friendship,” he replied thoughtfully.

Felix shrugged. “You should pay attention to it next time you’re around them... you’ll see that I’m not imagining things,” he told him.

“But is it really bad enough for you and Changbin to break up?” Seungmin questioned.

Felix furrowed his brows. “We didn’t break up. I gave him a chance to think about whether he wants me or Hyunjin,” he explained.

“Suit yourself... I have a feeling this is not going to end well...”

~

Changbin made a face at the couple across from him. Ever since Felix had walked away from him he hadn’t spoken to him and having Seungjin in their honeymoon phase was not exactly what he needed right now.

“Gay, do that somewhere else,” he protested when Hyunjin fed Seungmin a strawberry and then pecked his nose cutely. The younger chuckled and faced him, giving him a challenging smirk.

“Jealous?” he teased.

Changbin snorted. “Sure, I’m heartbroken,” he answered just as jokingly.

“Aw, don’t be... there’s enough of me for everyone,” Hyunjin said with a wink.

 Changbin laughed at that. “No thanks. I’m good,” he declined.

The younger’s smirk widened. “Are you sure?”

Changbin pretended to think about it. “Ask me again when we’re the last two guys on earth. I gotta go now,” he told the two fifth years before getting up from his seat. “I’ll see you guys later...” he added, completely missing Seungmin’s thoughtful expression, as well as the suspicious glances he gave both, him and Hyunjin.

~

It was the evening before the endgame and Felix had just returned from practice, exhausted, sleepy and sad because Changbin still hadn’t made an effort to talk to him about the whole Hyunjin situation.

A figure came rushing towards him from the direction of the stairs that lead to the dungeons. Felix looked at the figure, only to see that it was none other than Hwang Hyunjin himself. The older didn’t look too happy to see him.

“You!” Hyunjin exclaimed, coming to an almost screeching halt in front of him. Felix flinched and took a step back. He had never seen Hyunjin this angry before. “What the hell is your fucking problem with me?!” he yelled.

Felix stared back at him, still in shock.

“I thought we were on a good path of becoming friends, but you just can’t help yourself, can you? Listen carefully, because I’m only going to say this once: I am NOT trying to steal your boyfriend! I’ve known him since I was 11 years old, I have never felt about him like that for even a second and I never will! Same goes for him. He’s looking out for me like a brother and I’m doing the same for him! Your childish behavior is hurting him, and I don’t like seeing Changbin hurt,” Hyunjin burst out.

Felix opened his mouth to speak but the Slytherin beat him to it. “On top of that, Seungmin is mad at me now! We had a fight because of what you said to him. You’ve ruined everything, so I hope you got what you wanted!”

“I-I’m...” Felix stammered, lost for words.

Hyunjin gave him a disappointed look before turning around and storming off, back to the dungeons.

Felix suddenly felt horrible. He had never meant for Seungmin and Hyunjin to get into a fight. He had never meant to hurt Changbin or anyone, for that matter. His jealousy had made him bitchy and stubborn and now he might really have ruined everything just like Hyunjin had told him.

He let out a sigh. One of his biggest regrets was messing up any chances of friendship he had with Hyunjin. The Slytherin had just wanted to be his friend and he blew it by being jealous of him. He figured it was best to let Hyunjin cool down for now.

 Tomorrow he would apologize to everyone involved and try to make things right again...

~

Felix didn’t spot any of the Slytherin Quidditch players before the big game. Chan sensed his nervousness and tried to calm him down, but nothing worked. He couldn’t face Changbin and Hyunjin on the field like this. He needed to apologize. Even if they wouldn’t accept it; he needed them to know that he was sorry.

Before he knew it, the Gryffindor team was on its way down to the changing area. No matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find Changbin and Hyunjin anywhere. He let out a defeated sigh.

“You okay?” Chan asked.

Felix shook his head. “Maybe I shouldn’t play today...” he suggested.

Chan furrowed his brows. “Listen, I know what you’re going through right now isn’t easy... but the thing is we need you on this field tonight. You’re our Keeper for a reason. I chose you because you are the best,” the older tried to cheer him up.

“And besides, maybe it’ll be more effective if you talk to Changbin after he got to throw Quaffles at you,” he added.

Felix sighed. Chan was right. Leaving his team hanging for the most important game of the season wasn’t the right thing to do. Still, he dreaded seeing his boyfriend on the field with all the negative air between them.

“Fine... I hope I won’t regret this...” he muttered.

~

The game started – though, too soon for Felix’ liking – and he took his spot in front of the goal posts. He had never been nervous about a game before. And it wasn’t that he was nervous about the game itself, but about his opponents. At first, his team took possession of the Quaffle and nothing much was going on.

But then Hyunjin managed to snatch the Quaffle from Eunseo’s hands and he raced straight for Felix’ goal posts. There was a fierce glint in his eyes as he approached him. Hyunjin practically stared him down, trying to figure out which ring to throw at.

It was intimidating, really. Felix had played against Hyunjin before, but there had never been any bad blood between them before, so this was a new, unpleasant experience for him.

Hyunjin finally threw the Quaffle and it went right through the left goal posts, earning him cheers from the Slytherins and shouts of protest form the Gryffindors. Felix tried not to feel too discouraged about this one goal. He would definitely hold the next one!

Only that the next one was from Changbin.

The older caught the Quaffle from Yuto and made his way over to Felix. It took all of Felix’ willpower not to shout an apology through the air in the middle of the game. He tried to focus, but the cold look in Changbin’s eyes made it hard to do so. So, unsurprisingly, the next one went through as well.

The game continued like that.

Luckily, Eunseo, Chan and Jaemin scored some goals as well and managed to keep the score pretty close together, but Hyunjin seemed to be on fire, as expected of a star Chaser. Felix wasn’t focused at all, so he let at least 7 out of 10 Quaffles through.

Seungmin was announcing the game and was currently pointing out that the Seekers seemed to have spotted the Golden Snitch.

“It’s Kwon Soonyoung against Park Chaeyoung... who will catch the Snitch and end the game in their favor?” Felix almost got distracted by watching the Seekers race for the Snitch.

Adachi Yuto came for his goal post, throwing the Quaffle in a last attempt to score 10 points for Slytherin. Felix reached to his left and caught it, the second the whistle that marked the end of the game rang through the field.

Loud cheers erupted, as Park Chaeyoung held up the Snitch triumphantly.

“And Slytherin wins the game!” Seungmin announced.

Felix landed on the ground, watching the Slytherin team pile up in a huge group hug, even lifting up Hyunjin, who had scored the most goals and Chaeyoung, who had caught the snitch.

Felix made brief eye contact with Hyunjin, as he was set back down on the floor again. Next thing he knew, Hyunjin was pulling Changbin closer and pressing a big smooch onto his cheek. Felix let out a shaky breath, tears brimming at his eyes.

He probably deserved that one.

He threw his broomstick onto the grass dejectedly and stormed off the field, not even bothering to change back into regular clothes. He just wanted to be alone right now, so he fled to the first place he could think of.

The Owlery.

~

Whenever Felix was upset, he’d write a letter to one of his older sisters just venting about his feelings. He wouldn’t always send them, but whenever he did, they came back with good advice. Right now, he needed to write down everything, he needed to tell his big sister how he had messed up everything, including his friend’s relationship.

When he finished, he tightly held the letter to his sister in hands, petting one of the owls that sat by the window and waited to carry out its duty. He didn’t know what to do anymore. He had really messed up his relationship with Changbin, his potential friendship with Hyunjin and even Hyunjin's relationship with Seungmin, all because of his stupid jealousy...

Changbin was the most important person in his life and now... he had lost all of that. Felix tried and failed to hold back his tears. 

The Owlery door opened, causing him to quickly wipe his tears and turn around to face...

“Changbin?” Felix asked in a hoarse voice.

Changbin stood there, fidgeting awkwardly. The younger averted his eyes, worried that looking at him might bring back the tears.

“What are you doing here?” Felix asked, his eyes directed to the floor.

“Chan told me that you’re probably here...” Changbin explained. “Look, Felix, what you saw earlier meant nothing. Hyunjin is just mad at you. He and Seungmin have already made up last night,” Changbin explained, carefully stepping a bit closer to the younger.

“It's not like it matters anymore...” Felix shrugged, feeling his eyes water up again.

“Did it look like it meant something?” Changbin asked after a pause. The younger recalled the picture of Hyunjin kissing Changbin’s cheek in his mind.

“Yeah, it kind of did,” he decided, still not looking at the older.

There was a moment of silence before Changbin suddenly started to walk towards Felix.

“Fine,” he said, “I’ll show you what it looks like when it means something.”

And with that, before Felix could react, Changbin grabbed Felix’ Gryffindor tie and pulled, making the boy stumble forward. He then wrapped his arms around his waist to prevent him from going anywhere before pressing his lips against the younger’s. Felix was surprised but definitely not opposed and immediately kissed him back. Changbin gently pushed him backwards until Felix’ back was pressed against the wall as the older trapped him there. 

Changbin had to admit that Felix’ jealousy over Hyunjin had frustrated him, mostly because he didn't feel like that about Hyunjin at all. And he just wanted his boyfriend to know that he wasn't interested in anyone but him. He wasn’t going to let Felix go because of some stupid problem like this.

Changbin let his hands, that were pressed against the wall, slide downwards until he reached Felix hips and pulled him closer.

Felix felt his cheeks flush at how heated their kiss had gotten but definitely didn’t mind and moved his lips against Changbin's.

They continued to make out for while until the older slowly pulled away, leaving Felix breathless and speechless.

“That's what it looks like when I mean it,” Changbin said, still holding on to the younger's hips. “I'm sorry for putting my friendship with Hyunjin first... I didn't know it would bother you that much,” he added.

Felix shook his head and frowned. “No... I'm the one who should be sorry... I let my stupid jealousy get the best of me and almost ruined everything,” he said and hugged his boyfriend. “You're the most important person in my life and I don’t wanna lose you...” he added.

Changbin smiled and took Felix’ hands in his. “Don't worry. I’m not going anywhere,” he smiled and gave him another kiss. “But you do need to trust me more! I mean it when I say that I don’t look at anyone but you...” Changbin added and couldn’t help but blush at the last part.

Felix chuckled. “I promise.”

“That's what I wanna hear...” Changbin said and reconnected their lips. Felix absent-mindedly dropped the letter to his sister to the floor and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck.

There was no need to send that letter anymore...

~

Felix knew he didn’t just owe Changbin an apology.

He heaved a deep sigh, as the older took him to the Slytherin’s victory party where he knew Hyunjin would be.

“I’m sorry you guys lost the game. I know how much it meant to Chan...” Changbin said.

Felix nodded slowly. “I feel like it’s my fault. I was selfish and let my personal problems get in the way of my game...” he admitted.

Changbin took his hand and stopped him from walking. “Don’t blame yourself. I’m sure Chan isn’t mad at you...”

“Still, I could have done better...” Felix told him.

Changbin gave him a hug. “You did good,” he assured the younger who smiled a little.

“You did better.”

Changbin chuckled and took his hand again, as they continued the way to the party. “Seriously, you should try out for the team next year. Yuto and Wooseok are graduating and you’re a really good Chaser... and you look really good in a Quidditch uniform...” he mumbled the last part, but the Slytherin heard him nonetheless.

He blushed but laughed anyway. “I’ll think about it, if it makes you happy,” he promised the younger.

~

Hyunjin was in a far-off corner of the room with Seungmin just chatting when Felix approached them cautiously. Seungmin spotted him first and nudged his boyfriend, who then followed his gaze, expression darkening. Felix walked up to them.

Seungmin excused himself with a “I’ll let you two talk,” which caused Hyunjin to give him a look that bespoke that he’d rather not be near Felix right now.

“I don’t–” Hyunjin began but Felix held up a hand, to stop him from going on.

“Last time you said everything that was on your mind. It’s my turn...” he said.

Hyunjin raised both eyebrows and leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. Felix took a deep breath before speaking up again.

“I want to apologize to you. I was jealous of your close relationship with Changbin and I tend to get stupid, irrational thoughts when I’m jealous. Also, I’m sorry about you and Seungmin fighting. I never intended to come between you two. I should have talked to you instead of acting like I did...”

Hyunjin’s expression wasn’t as cold anymore, but Felix felt like he needed to get everything off his chest. “On top of that, I felt really bad after you told me that you thought we could be friends and I started thinking about that camp thing and how much I actually liked hanging out with you. Even if you probably hate me now, I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be jealous anymore and I’d actually really like to be your friend...”

Felix lowered his head towards the end. He didn’t think he could bear seeing Hyunjin laugh at him for thinking that after all this, they could still be friends. But the older didn’t laugh.

 Instead, Felix felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up. Hyunjin had a small smile on his face.

“You’re a huge headass, but I forgive you,” he said.

Felix’ eyes widened. “Y-you do?” he questioned in disbelief, that caused Hyunjin to laugh.

“You have a lot to learn about me, Felix. For one, I don’t hold grudges very long. And you make Binnie very happy, so how could I stay mad at you?”

Felix actually teared up at the older’s words. He hadn’t expected to be met with so much forgiveness right away. Hyunjin looked a little alarmed to see tears on his face.

“Um... it’s okay, bro. No need to cry!” he said, patting Felix’ shoulder comfortingly. “You should probably go and find Changbin,” Hyunjin told him. Felix nodded, still looking teary-eyed, as he turned around to head back to his boyfriend.

Changbin probably hadn’t expected him to come back crying. He looked just as alarmed as Hyunjin had.

“Are you okay? Was he mean to you? No, this is Hyunjin we’re talking about, he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body... what happened?” Changbin rambled.

Felix smiled and gave the older another hug. “He said he forgives me,” he told him.

Changbin patted his back. “Then why are you crying?” he asked, obviously still confused.

“I’m just happy that everything turned out well...” Felix said, pulling out of the hug. “Now I only have to hope that Chan isn’t too mad at me for screwing up his final game...”

Chapter Text

St. Merlin’s Day.

An, admittedly kind of pointless, holiday in June, right before summer break. The students of Hogwarts would get a week to either go home to their families or stay at the castle before returning for the last two, even more pointless, weeks of class and then heading right back home.

Hyunjin was more than just a little pissed off at his mother when she told him that he couldn’t come home because she was on a business trip. He was even more pissed off, though when she added that he also wasn’t allowed to join Seungmin, who was heading home to Los Angeles to see his family.

So, here he was, stuck in Hogwarts without his boyfriend...

Actually, most of his friends would leave.

Minho apparently had some sort of stuck-up family event to attend to. On top of that, his parents wanted to meet Chan, which was why the Gryffindor was coming along. Hyunjin grimaced at the thought. He had met Minho’s parents a few times and they weren’t exactly the warmest people out there.

Jisung was actually the one who’d go to LA with Seungmin. Apparently, Seungmin’s older cousin Youngkwan was getting married and he was invited along with a plus one. Hyunjin pouted at the fact that Jisung got to be Seungmin’s date for a wedding. He wasn’t jealous or anything, because he knew that the mere thought of the two of them being anything but friends, repulsed both of them.

But he was bitter that he had to stay here while they got all the fun.

Jinwoo and Mina were visiting each of their parents together to tell them about the pregnancy, since they didn’t want to do it in a letter. Mina didn’t seem too delighted about visiting her parents when Hyunjin had last seen her. He knew that they both also worked in the ministry like his mother. He hoped they weren’t anything like her, though.

However, judging by Mina’s dreadful expression, those hopes might be in vain.

The only ones who would stay in Hogwarts were Changbin, Felix and Renjun, so at least Hyunjin wasn’t completely without his friends.

In fact, he and Felix had been bonding a lot after the younger had finally accepted that Hyunjin was nothing but a good friend to Changbin.

If Hyunjin was honest, he’d grown quite fond of him.

~

“Lix, what do you know about phones?” Hyunjin asked one day when he found Felix hanging out in the courtyard near the Transfigurations classroom.

“Just about everything. Why?” Felix replied after looking up. Hyunjin sat down next to him, before promptly sprawling himself all over the younger. Felix had gotten used to it once he’d figured that that was just what Hyunjin was like with most people.

“I have an assignment in Muggle Studies for after St. Merlin’s Day. I have to find out about the basic functions of phones, but the library’s latest book seems to be from the early 1960s...” Hyunjin complained.

Felix chuckled at Hyunjin’s displeased expression.

“Okay, so basically...” Felix trailed off, trying his best to think about how to explain something he had been taking for granted his whole life to someone who hadn’t been exposed to a lot of technology in general.

“It’s like a telephone... just portable. You know, without cables. It’s rectangular and the front lights up,” he tried to explain.

Hyunjin looked up from where he was resting on Felix’ lap. He was already in awe. “So, you can talk to people anywhere?” he asked.

Felix nodded. “And not just that. Technology keeps evolving, so phones have a lot more functions nowadays than they had in, say the 90s,” Felix told him.

“You can take high quality pictures and videos by just pressing a button. You can watch movies on them, and you can play music. It’s like a radio, only that you can control what you want to listen to. If you’re bored, you can play games or read books on it,” he continued.

“And how does all of that fit into a small rectangular thing?” Hyunjin asked.

Felix laughed. “It just does. Technology is great... another thing you can do is to just write little letters on it and send them to people. They’re called texts. You don’t even need an owl. You just press the button and the other person receives it immediately.”

“I think I want one of those... why don’t we have that?” Hyunjin questioned with a pout.

The younger chuckled again and patted his friend’s raven hair in comfort. “Because wizards are way too old-fashioned for their own good. I’m sure, Seungmin is way better at explaining phones than I am, because while I know all about them, he can actually help you use the info for an assignment,” Felix told him.

Hyunjin pouted again. He missed Seungmin already, even though the younger had only been gone for a day.

“Yeah, I’ll ask him...” he trailed off thoughtfully.

“You alright?” Felix questioned, slightly concerned at his tone.

“I just...”

Before Hyunjin could finish his answer, though, someone cleared their throat, catching their attention. They looked up to find an amused Changbin standing there, arms crossed over his chests, as he looked at his boyfriend and his best friend practically cuddling out in the open.

“You two have become so ridiculously close in the past two weeks, I feel like I’m the one who should be jealous right now,” he joked, sitting next to Felix and giving him a peck on the cheek.

“No need. I just need someone to cuddle,” Hyunjin told him. He sat up and practically snuggled into Felix’ side. “And he doesn’t push me off his lap like you do,” he added.

Changbin huffed in fake-exasperation. “I only ever do that when you’re being a little shit!”

Felix laughed at their banter. Hyunjin figured that this was so much more enjoyable than Felix being jealous of their strong (brotherly) bond.

“Anyway, what were you two talking about?” Changbin switched subjects.

“Hyunjin was going to tell me something,” Felix informed his boyfriend.

The younger Slytherin’s smile faded a little. “It’s nothing,” he waved off.

Both, Changbin and Felix raised their eyebrows at him.

Hyunjin slumped his shoulders in defeat. “I just miss Seungmin, is all...” he mumbled. “LA is full of hot guys... what if he finds one and forgets about me?” The other two looked at him like he had lost his mind.

“Why would Seungmin need a random beach boy when he has you?” Changbin questioned.

Deep inside Hyunjin knew that it was ridiculous, but that didn’t mean that the thought hadn’t at least crossed his mind. It was mostly just because he was sulky about not being able to come along. He still trusted Seungmin completely to know that he wouldn’t just replace him.

~

Seungmin felt like he hadn’t been in LA in forever.

Sure, he’d spent the second half of his last summer break here with his family, but that felt like ages ago. Being home for his favorite cousin’s wedding was beyond exciting. And even though, he would have loved to bring Hyunjin, he was happy to spend some quality time with his best friend.

Cody, a friend of Seungmin’s cousin whom he had never met before, had picked them up from the airport because the whole family was super busy with last-minute wedding preparations. They hung around in his family’s guest room with Cody, after briefly greeting Seungmin’s family, since they had absolutely forbidden him from helping with the excuse that “he must be so exhausted from the long flight”.

“So, what do you guys usually do at boarding school?” Cody questioned.

The older boy obviously didn’t know about the two of them being wizards and it was best to keep it that way.

Seungmin shrugged. “I study a lot...” he offered.

“And if he doesn’t he spends time with his boyfriend,” Jisung teased him.

Seungmin swatted at him, but to no avail since Jisung dodged him, already having expected the attack.

Cody looked from Jisung to Seungmin and back. “Aren’t you his boyfriend?” he asked. The two Ravenclaw’s exchanged a nearly disgusted look.

“What gave you that idea?” they both asked at the same time.

Cody chuckled. “Nothing. I was just asking,” he told them.

Seungmin shuddered. He loved Jisung very much, but he could never date him. And he knew that Jisung felt the same. They were like brothers and nothing more.

“Do you go to lots of parties there?” Cody questioned.

“Not really,” Seungmin admitted.

“Not nearly as much as I’d like to,” Jisung muttered under his breath.

“Then I have just the thing for you! A friend of mine is throwing a party at his beach house tonight. Kind of like a ‘welcome summer’ party. You two should come,” the older told them, eyes landing on Seungmin almost challengingly.

Seungmin had the strong urge to say no. He wasn’t much for parties and something about Cody’s tone and the look in his eyes made him think that this wasn’t just a small get-together like Hyunjin’s birthday.

On top of that, Cody was a cliché 19-year-old college student. There was absolutely no way this party was going to be something Seungmin’s parents would approve of if he asked their permission.

“I don’t know...” Seungmin trailed off.

Jisung didn’t look too sure himself, even though he was a little bit of a party animal sometimes. Muggle parties were probably different. Seungmin wouldn’t know.

“Come on, guys. It’ll be fun! You haven’t lived until you’ve been to one of my friends’ parties,” Cody coaxed. “I feel like you need to live a little more, Seungmin...”

“I am living!” Seungmin argued.

“Then live more! Do something crazy. I can tell you’re a good boy. Don’t you think it’s time to do something more... exciting?”

The younger clenched his fists. Why did it feel like Cody had just indirectly called him boring? They didn’t even know each other well. But somehow, he suddenly felt the need to prove himself.

“Fine... I’ll go to that party tonight! As for doing something crazy...” he trailed off, giving Jisung a look who returned it, looking a little alarmed.

“I don’t like that look on your face. What are you planning?” he questioned.

Seungmin grinned secretively and pulled his best friend to his feet. “Cody, we’ll meet you at the party tonight. We have to go somewhere,” he announced.

Cody gave them a weird look but shrugged. “Sure, see you then!” he called after them, as Seungmin practically dragged Jisung out of the house. Since Seungmin’s family was so busy, they didn’t even notice the two boys leaving.

“Are you going to tell me what we’re doing?”

“You told me there was one thing you’ve wanted to do ever since you were 12, but your parents would murder you if you did it,” Seungmin hinted.

Realization flashed across Jisung’s face. “Don’t tell me... you know that’s a pretty extreme way to prove yourself. It’s permanent after all!” he told Seungmin.

“Well, it’s not just to prove myself. I’ve actually thought about it for a few weeks. But you know just as well as I do that there aren’t any opportunities in Hogsmeade... and I might know just the guy...” Seungmin trailed off.

Jisung grinned. “If you’re sure about this, then who am I to keep you. Lead the way!”

~

Jinwoo could tell that his girlfriend was beyond nervous and not just because he felt the exact same way.

They had pushed up telling their parents about the baby because they figured they should do it in person. Jinwoo wasn’t too worried about his own parents, because he knew that they wouldn’t disown him or anything like that.

However, apparently Mina’s parents were an entirely different story.

He hadn’t been introduced to them yet, but his girlfriend had told him a few unsettling things about them.

“We can do this, princess, don’t worry,” he tried to reassure her when they sat in the back of the car Mina’s parents had sent for them to pick them up from the station. The driver looked straight ahead, not paying them any mind, like some kind of robot.

Jinwoo knew that Mina’s family was pretty rich, but he hadn’t expected for them to be picked up by a driver.

“They’re not going to be happy. And they won’t be nice to you, I just know it... I know them,” Mina told him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Jinwoo took her hand. “Everything’s going to be just fine...” he muttered, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.

~

“Merlin, child, why are you wearing those god-awful rags, you look like a peasant!”

Jinwoo flinched at the sharp tone Mina’s mother greeted her daughter with, completely forgetting to admire the enormous mansion they had just set foot in. Mina had decided to show up in one of Jinwoo’s sweaters to hide the baby bump for now.

Jinwoo thought it looked really cute on her, because she practically swam in it, but her mother seemed to disagree.

“I’m sorry, mother. I wanted to wear something comfortable for the journey...” Mina replied in a small voice.

Mrs Myoui pursed her lips. “Comfort won’t get you anywhere in life!”

Jinwoo wanted to tell the woman to lay off her, but he was still kind of set on making a fairly good impression.

“U-um... this is Jinwoo. My boyfriend,” Mina finally introduced him, seemingly desperate to switch subjects.

Her mother, who hadn’t spared Jinwoo a single glance since their arrival 10 minutes ago, looked him over now, clearly not impressed.

“I see,” was all she said. “Go wash up and change before your father sees you like this! Dinner will be served in an hour,” she addressed her daughter again.

Mina nodded and made her way upstairs, giving Jinwoo a short apologetic look.

“Martha would you show our... guest... to his room,” Mrs Myoui continued. A house elf appeared next to Jinwoo’s side, silently motioning for him to come along, which he did while Mrs Myoui headed into another room.

“I thought house elves were no longer used as servants,” he said to the house elf. Martha didn’t look at him, as she was leading him upstairs.

“The Myoui family has been very good to Martha. Martha doesn’t need freedom,” she said, once they were out of earshot. Somehow, Jinwoo doubted that Mina’s mother could be good to anyone. He had never met such a cold woman before. He was growing more and more anxious to tell her that he had gotten her daughter pregnant.

Martha showed Jinwoo to a room at the end of the corridor. It was about as huge as the entire Hufflepuff seventh-year dorm, with a king-sized bed and large floor-to-ceiling windows. He could see another door that led to a bathroom and couldn’t help but stare in awe.

This felt more like a hotel than a home.

“If there’s anything sir Jinwoo needs, please don’t hesitate to ask. Martha will leave sir Jinwoo to wash up now,” the house elf announced.

“Thank you, Martha,” he replied in a friendly tone. Martha bowed before leaving him alone in the room. He felt uncomfortable, being alone in this strange house, not even knowing where his girlfriend was right now.

He quickly washed up and changed into something more presentable. Just as he’d finished getting dressed there was a small knock on the door.

“Come in,” Jinwoo said.

The door creaked open and Mina quickly slipped through. She had changed into the widest-looking formal outfit she could find, a navy-blue blazer hiding the bump for now.

“I’m so sorry about all of this...” she apologized to him.

Jinwoo just pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay. I’m not scared of your mother.”

“I am... you saw what she said about my outfit. What do you think she has to say about a baby?!” Mina exclaimed, clearly panicking.

Jinwoo pulled back, cupping her face in his hands. “It’s going to be fine, princess. Stress isn’t good for the baby. Just try to relax, okay? And then I’ll go down there with you, meet your father and we’re going to tell them together. It might not be pretty, but you’re not alone,” he assured the slightly older girl.

She just nodded and hugged him again.

~

Felix had never really given much thought to his blood status before. It wasn’t much of an issue anymore ever since the defeat of Lord Voldemort. People were much less focused on that kind of stuff and it barely ever came up anymore.

Which was why he was so surprised when he hung out with Hyunjin one afternoon and he heard a few girls gossiping and pointing in their direction.

“Changbin is high class and elite. Don’t you think his parents should put an end to his relationship with that muggle born guy soon, so he can marry a rich and beautiful girl like myself?” Felix froze at the comment.

He had never truly thought about the fact that Changbin was, indeed, a rich pureblood unlike himself...

“Care to say that to my face?” Hyunjin, who, of course had also heard them, called over. The girls gave him a dirty look before taking off. “Don’t listen to them,” the older addressed Felix.

The latter just put on a pressed smile. “Who said I was going to. I don’t care what they say,” he lied.

He did care.

Felix hadn’t met Changbin’s parents yet, so he couldn’t help but think about what they would have to say about him. Would they look down on him because he wasn’t a pureblood like them? Would they want Changbin to break up with him? He didn’t think he could bear losing the older for good.

“Um, I have to go... I still have to... do stuff,” Felix muttered a half-assed excuse, getting up from where he had been sitting and quickly taking off, ignoring Hyunjin calling out to him.

~

“Hey, I thought I might find you here...” Changbin’s voice startled Felix. He stopped petting the owl on the windowsill and turned to face his boyfriend. He had fled to the Owlery to think (and maybe to cry a little bit), while seeking comfort in the owls. They were incredible listeners.

Changbin approached him with a serious expression on his face. “Hyunjin told me what happened,” he said.

Felix lowered his head. “He shouldn’t have. It’s nothing...” he muttered. Changbin took his hand, making Felix look at him.

“Then why are you hiding out at the Owlery?” His tone was soft but concerned.

Felix shrugged. “I guess, I just wanted to be alone,” he answered.

Changbin squeezed his hand slightly. “Listen to me, Felix. Those girls know absolutely nothing. Sure, my family has money, but my parents don’t give a crap about blood status and they sure as hell wouldn’t make me marry a girl,” Changbin explained. Felix still didn’t look very convinced. “I’m certain that they will absolutely adore you once they meet you. I love you, so they will too,” the older continued.

That brought at least a little smile to Felix’ face. He loved hearing Changbin say that he loved him. He also loved seeing Changbin blush whenever he was so openly admitting his feelings, which he had gotten a lot better at over the past few weeks.

“I love you, too, Binniebunny...” Felix finally said. Changbin chuckled and hugged him. “I shouldn’t have overreacted again...” the younger muttered, hands clutching into the back of Changbin’s robes, not quite ready to let go yet.

“Don’t feel sorry. I get that this kind of thing would upset you.”

They stayed like that for a while, just embracing each other before Changbin pulled back with a small smile. He took the younger’s hand again.

“Come on, I have something for you...” he said, gently dragging Felix along. The younger couldn’t deny how curious he was, so he followed Changbin all the way to the Slytherin common room and up the stairs to his dorm room.

“What are we doing here?” Felix asked. Changbin just grinned and headed right for his nightstand drawer. Felix tried to get a glimpse of whatever it was that his boyfriend was looking for, but his view was blocked. Eventually, Changbin turned back around with a rolled-up piece of paper in his hands. There was a green ribbon tied around it.

“What is that?” Felix questioned curiously. Changbin suddenly looked a little sheepish, handing the roll to the younger.

“It’s something I made... for you,” he admitted, averting his gaze to hide the blush that spread on his cheeks. “I’ve been wanting to give it to you for a while, but I never really found the right time...”

Felix took a seat on Changbin’s bed and carefully undid the ribbon around the paper. When he unrolled it and took a look, he let out a surprised gasp. The paper showed a drawing – of himself. He didn’t know much about art, but he could tell that his boyfriend had really put a lot of time and effort into this. He had even captured every single one of his freckles correctly.

It was beautiful.

“It’s– it’s amazing!” he said, still awestruck. He looked up at Changbin who still looked so adorably shy. He put the drawing aside and rose from his seat. “I love it. Thank you, Binnie.”

The older's cheeks flushed even more as he waved off, still trying to hide a proud smile. Felix chuckled and snuck his arms around Changbin's waist while planting a small kiss on his cheek. The two giddily smiled at each other for a few more seconds before Changbin wrapped his arms around Felix’ neck and leaned in closer to softly kiss his lips. The younger pulled his boyfriend closer and they stayed like that for quite a while.

~

Minho had warned Chan that his parents were the most judgy people he would ever meet.

Yet, being the supportive and wonderful boyfriend he was, Chan had still agreed to come with him upon his parents request to meet him. Minho had also told him that he needed all the moral support he could get for the formal gathering with his whole family.

He was beginning to regret that choice by the time they all sat down for dinner.

“So, Chan... what do you want to do after your graduation?” Mr Lee asked him, his sharp gaze practically boring itself into Chan.

“I thought about playing Quidditch professionally,” Chan replied, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

“Is that so?” Mrs Lee spoke up.

Judging by her tone, Chan figured that the Lees weren’t exactly the biggest Quidditch fans. “Well, Minho aspires to become successful by working in the Ministry like us,” she continued. “Isn’t that right, Minho?”

Minho, who had tried to focus on his food up to this point, looked up at being addressed. “Sure, whatever...” he muttered. Chan furrowed his brows. His boyfriend didn’t seem too enthusiastic about starting up a Ministry career.

“So, your family... are they aurors or...?”

“Merlin, no. Our family has been working in the law department for a very long time and other higher-up positions for generations. And Minho is going to follow in our footsteps.”

“You wish...” Chan heard Minho mumble under his breath, but his parents seemed to not have heard him.

The older slowly reached for his hand underneath the table, making his boyfriend look at him. Chan gave him an encouraging smile. This dinner was awkward as hell, but he still wanted to try to make Minho feel a little bit better about it. The younger returned the smile.

“Anyway...” Mr Lee spoke up again. He seemed to have seen their little moment, judging by the sour look he gave Chan. “What do your parents do for a living, Chan?” he questioned.

“My mother’s a car-mechanic and my father’s a healer at St. Mungo’s...” Chan replied.

“And what do they think about your future aspirations?” Mrs Lee questioned. Chan couldn’t help but feel like he was being interrogated.

“Um... they support me. They believe in letting me do what makes me happy,” he answered.

Minho cleared his throat, just as his father opened his mouth to speak again. “I’m tired. May I be excused?” he asked.

Mrs Lee looked at him for a few seconds, as if to check if he was telling the truth about being tired.

“Sure, sweetie...” she finally said. Minho raised from his chair, giving his boyfriend a look. “You coming?” he questioned.

~

“Oh my god, this I why I never come home over the holidays...” Minho exclaimed as soon as the two of them were in the comfort of his room. He let himself fall down on his large bed, face first. Chan chuckled and joined the younger on the comfortable mattress.

“I mean that was only the most awkward I’ve felt in a while, but other than that I think it was an okay first meeting,” he replied.

Minho lifted his head to look at him. “I guess it could have been worse. I just hate it when they brag about me following in their footsteps to anyone with an ear...” he complained.

“By the way,” he continued, rolling over onto his back. “You never told me that you wanted to play Quidditch professionally.”

Chan blushed. “Well... it never really came up before. Besides, I don’t even know if I’m good enough,” he admitted.

Minho waved off. “Sure, you are. I’ve seen you play, in case you forgot. If anyone can make it, it’s you,” he assured his boyfriend.

Chan couldn’t help but smile at the encouragement, proceeding to lay down next to Minho and cuddle up to him. “Thanks...”

He had lost the Quidditch season against Minho’s team, but the younger’s words still didn’t seem insincere. He knew that Minho meant it.

“But you... you don’t really want to follow in your parents’ footsteps, do you?”

Minho snorted. “No.” He paused for a while, his hand finding its way into Chan’s locks, which he then started petting like the older was a kitten. Chan wasn’t complaining, though. “I do want to work at the ministry... but not in my parents’ department. I’d really like to be an auror. It’s the only reason I’ve kept up with Potions,” Minho told his boyfriend.

Chan smiled a little. Potions was practically one of the reasons the two of them were even dating in the first place since it had brought them closer together than they had ever imagined.

“Why don’t you just tell them that?” he questioned.

Minho laughed a bitter laugh. “You’ve met them, haven’t you? They’d never let me do that. I’ll just have to do it behind their backs and present them with fait accompli. They’re not going to like it, but I’ll deal with their wrath afterwards,” he explained.

Chan wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s waist, getting into a more comfortable position. “You know... I’ll be moving to London after graduation if I get into the Quidditch training program I’ve applied to. If you’re going to work at the ministry... which is also in London...” he trailed off.

“Are you asking me to move in with you, Channie?” Minho questioned, his tone slightly teasing.

Chan glanced up at his boyfriend. “Maybe...”

Minho looked surprised at the reply. “Wait, really?”

Chan sat up again and faced the younger. “I mean I’ve been thinking about it...” he admitted sheepishly. “B-but it’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to. It was just... an idea...” he added.

Minho grinned his cat-like grin and sat up as well. “I’d honestly love nothing more,” he told Chan whose face lit up at his words before he leaned in and pressed their lips together. “I do have a request, though,” Minho said after they pulled back.

“Whatever you please, my prince,” the older joked. Minho grinned cutely at the ridiculous pet name.

“We’re getting a kitten!” he exclaimed.

Chan laughed. He hadn’t expected that to be the request. Then again, he should have known. His boyfriend practically was a kitten.

“My parents never let me have one...” the younger explained with a pout that just about seemed to melt Chan’s heart.

“In that case – who am I to say no,” he replied, earning himself an excited hug that caused him to fall backwards onto the mattress before his giggly boyfriend began to pepper his whole face with kisses.

~

“Can we go home now?” Seungmin shouted over the loud ass music that seemed to blast through the entire beach house. He didn’t know long they had already been at this party, but he had absolutely no desire to stay any longer.

“We only arrived half an hour ago! You can’t seriously think about going home already when you didn’t even have a drink yet!” Cody exclaimed in disbelief.

“Well, I’m not really a fan of sweaty, drunk people! And I don’t plan on becoming one of them!” Seungmin insisted.

“No drinking, then!” Jisung compromised. “Let’s just stay for one more hour! At least, the music is good,” he added.

Seungmin rolled his eyes but agreed. An hour couldn’t hurt if they didn’t get drunk.

Jisung soon disappeared to dance while Cody led Seungmin to the kitchen, trying to find him something to drink.

“Here you go,” Cody said, handing him a red plastic cup.

“What’s that?” Seungmin asked suspiciously, eyeing the orange liquid.

The older boy chuckled. “Relax, it’s... only juice. I couldn’t find any soda, so I hope you’re okay with that,” he explained.  

Seungmin took a careful sip from the cup. It tasted like orange juice.

“Yeah, I think this’ll do...”

~

“So, Seungmin... that boyfriend of yours. Why isn’t he here with you?” Cody questioned. They decided to stay in the kitchen since it was fairly quiet here.

“His mother didn’t want him to. She hasn’t even met me yet, but I feel like she already hates me,” he mumbled.

“How could anyone hate you?” Cody said. Seungmin giggled and downed the rest of his juice. This had already been his third and he’d begun to feel woozy a while ago. It was weird, considering he hadn’t had any alcohol.

“Here, have some more,” Cody said, already handing him a new cup.

“Y’know, I could just drink from the same cup...” Seungmin pointed out, also downing that one quickly. “Where do you even get these so quickly?” he mumbled.

Cody smirked at him. “Magic.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? You’re a wizard, too?!” he questioned excitedly, jumping off the barstool he had been sitting on for the past... damn how much time had even passed?

He felt strangely wobbly on his feet and stumbled, only to be caught by Cody.

“Hey there, Mr Wizard. You okay?” he questioned.

Seungmin mumbled something even he couldn’t decipher. Cody chuckled, his hands still on Seungmin’s waist.

“I’m fine... just a little light-headed... maybe I should...” Seungmin trailed off, losing his trail of thought.

“You’re really hot, you know that?” Cody suddenly said, not letting Seungmin go, and instead, pulling him closer.

“I have a b-boyfriend...” Seungmin slurred.

“He’s not here, now is he?” Cody mumbled with a low chuckle.

“Hey... did you... did you put something in my cup?”

“Just a little vodka. Didn’t think you’d be such a lightweight. You really do need to loosen up a little. Come on, let’s have some fun,” Cody said, smirking. 

“No, I-I wanna go home...” Seungmin argued, weakly attempting to push Cody off.

However, the older’s grip only tightened around him and next thing Seungmin knew, Cody’s lips were on his. He hit his chest in protest, but his head was spinning too much from the alcohol and the older was much stronger than him.

~

Jisung had spent the past hour dancing and making casual conversation with strangers at this party. He had even been flirted with a few times, but he gently let everyone down, telling them that he had a girlfriend. He wanted to keep his promise to Seungmin, though, which meant that they should probably head home soon.

He made his way around the beach house to look for Seungmin and Cody.

He headed to the kitchen to see if he might find them there only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight. Cody was kissing Seungmin, which the younger clearly didn’t appreciate, judging by the way he struggled to break free.

It was only a second before Jisung’s instincts kicked in. He strode over and practically ripped Cody away from his friend, not hesitating very long before putting a solid punch right across his face.

“Get your hands off my friend, you creep!” he all but growled.

He wasn’t the biggest fighter out there (on the contrary, he had lost the only fist fight he had ever been in), but he wouldn’t just stand there and leave Seungmin on his own.

Cody took off, cursing and glaring at Jisung while holding his bleeding nose.

Jisung faced Seungmin, who was obviously drunk and holding on to the kitchen counter. He took a look at the cups splattered all around on the counter and figured that Cody must have gotten Seungmin drunk somehow. The mere thought made Jisung want to go after the older and hit him again.

“Are you okay?” Jisung questioned, worry evident in his voice. Seungmin nodded stiffly but seemed to be unable to stand without any form of support. Jisung slung his friend’s arm around his shoulder while wrapping his own around Seungmin’s waist.

“Let’s get you out of here...”

~

After calling a cab, since Cody obviously wouldn’t be their ride, Jisung focused on getting Seungmin to his cousin Youngkwan’s house, since it was closer from here than Seungmin’s own place.

Youngkwan opened the door, face immediately morphing into a concerned expression at the sight of Seungmin practically hanging limp from Jisung’s side, half-asleep.

“What happened?” Youngkwan asked whisper-yelling.

“I’ll explain in a minute. Let’s just...” he trailed off, gesturing inside. They got Seungmin upstairs and put him in the guest room.

Jisung quietly explained what had happened, his blood still boiling with anger at Cody.

“I can’t believe Cody would do this...” Youngkwan muttered in disbelief. “I’m going to kill him!”

Jisung held up both his hands to calm him down before glancing at Seungmin, who was fast asleep by now.

“Your wedding is tomorrow. Cody’s not worth it. Just... maybe keep him away from Seungmin...”

“I hope he’s smart enough not to show up...” Youngkwan said. Jisung couldn’t agree more. There was no guarantee as to what he would do if he saw that guy ever again.

“Get some rest. I’ll stay here with him...” Jisung told Youngkwan.

The older agreed reluctantly and left the two Ravenclaw’s alone. Jisung sighed and sat down next to Seungmin’s sleeping figure, leaning his back against the headboard.

~

Seungmin stirred awake around 4am.

Jisung had been nodding off a few times but was immediately alert when he caught his friend’s movement.

“What time is it?” Seungmin croaked out, as he sat up. Jisung reached for the glass of water Youngkwan had placed on the nightstand beforehand, handing it to Seungmin.

“Almost 4. Do you... remember what happened?” he asked carefully.

Seungmin took a long sip of water.

“Cody spiked my juice...” he mumbled. “And... he kissed me. Oh my god, what have I done? Hyunjin’s gonna–”

Jisung grabbed the younger’s hand, interrupting his rambling.

“You did nothing wrong, you hear me!? It was all Cody! Hyunjin’s going to understand. Calm down first...”

“Hyunjin can’t find out! At least not yet...” Seungmin insisted.

Jisung raised his eyebrows. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Min. Keeping this from Hyunjin might do more harm than good,” he pointed out.

Seungmin exhaled shakily. “I know, but I feel horrible about it. Let’s at least wait until we’re back...”

Jisung sighed. “Fine, but you have to tell him!” he insisted.

Seungmin nodded defeatedly before resting his head on his friend’s shoulder. “Thanks for helping me earlier...” he muttered.

Jisung patted his leg. “Anytime.”

They stayed like this for a while, just sitting in the dark room, Seungmin’s head on Jisung’s shoulder. The older began to doze off again when Seungmin suddenly spoke up, his voice quiet.

“I wanna go home...”

Jisung frowned. “To your place? It’s the middle of the night...” he stated.

Seungmin made a disapproving noise. “Hogwarts. I wanna go back to Hogwarts,” he clarified. “I miss Hyunjin.” He sat up straight and looked at Jisung. “Is it... would it be okay if we left the day after my cousin’s wedding? I know you wanted to see LA...”

Jisung gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. There’s always next time. Don’t worry about me.”

He could imagine that Seungmin wanted to bring an ocean between Cody and himself as soon as possible.

He was just glad that the younger was alright.

~

Mrs Myoui gave both, Jinwoo and Mina, a once-over when they came down the stairs for dinner. She pursed her lips again.

“Flats, Mina? Why aren’t you wearing heels?” she questioned in a strict tone. Jinwoo knew that Mina wasn’t too fond of heels to begin with, and now, with the baby she had found a good excuse to hide them in the furthest corner of her closet.

“Sorry, mother. Those are just–”

“More comfortable,” Mina’s mother interrupted her coldly.

“It’s just a St. Merlin’s day dinner at home, mother...” Mina mumbled.

That seemed to set her mother off even more. “You’re not going to get anywhere with this kind of attitude,” she told her. She made a dismissive hand gesture. “Now, there’s nothing we can do. Your father is already in the dining room,” Mrs Myoui said, taking off without sparing either of them another glance.

Jinwoo took Mina’s hand and squeezed it gently. “It’s going to be okay, princess,” he whispered, offering her a small smile.

They headed to the dining room where a man was standing talking to Mina’s mother. Jinwoo saw his girlfriend’s resemblance to the man immediately.

“Father,” Mina said with a small voice.

Mr Myoui turned around and looked at his daughter. Mina approached him and gave him a quick hug.

“Father, I want to introduce you to Jinwoo. My boyfriend,” she said.

Mr Myoui reached his hand out for Jinwoo to shake, which he did. He already seemed less cold than Mina’s mother, though still very intimidating.

“You’re the head boy, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” Jinwoo replied.

“Are you taking good care of my daughter?” he questioned.

“I can take care of myself, father,” Mina interfered.

Mr Myoui chuckled. “I’m just making sure,” he told her.

“Um, should we sit down. I’m sure dinner’s almost ready,” she said with a somewhat forced tone in her voice.

Jinwoo gave her a glance. He knew that Mina got backaches when she spent too much time standing. Reading her face, Jinwoo could tell that she was straining.

“I’m sure dinner will be ready any minute. I’ll tell Martha to bring some drinks...” Mrs Myoui said. “And for the love of Merlin, Mina. Fix your posture, will you? I raised you better than that!”

With that she left to head to the kitchen while her husband, Mina and Jinwoo sat down at the dinner table.

Jinwoo reached for his girlfriend’s hand underneath the table. “So, when did you two start dating again?” Mr Myoui questioned, breaking the tense silence.

“Last summer, shortly before the end of the school year,” Mina replied, giving Jinwoo a small smile, which he returned.

Mrs Myoui came back before the conversation could go on. Martha followed her with a tray of drinks. She set one glass in front of everyone.

“White wine, mother?” Mina questioned.

“It goes with tonight’s dinner,” her mother replied in her usual cold tone.

“Could I please get pumpkin juice instead, Martha,” Mina addressed the house elf.

“Right away,” Martha said, taking Mina’s glass and taking it back to the kitchen.

“Something’s not right,” Mrs Myoui said, suspiciously squinting her eyes at her daughter.

Jinwoo felt Mina’s grip around his hand tighten.

“The oversized clothing, the flats, your horrible posture and now the wine... I knew you were hiding something from the moment you stepped into this house!”

“Mother, I can explain–”

Mina’s mother rose from her chair, a stern expression on her face. “Get up,” she demanded.

Mina slumped her shoulders in defeat and did as she was told. Jinwoo got up with her, not keen on letting his girlfriend face her mother alone. Mina’s father joined his wife’s side, clearly more confused than her.

“Take off the blazer,” Mrs Myoui said. Mina shut her eyes for a second. “Now!” her mother snapped. She had caught on.

There was no dragging it out now.

Reluctantly, Mina let go of Jinwoo’s hand and slid the blazer off her shoulders. The black blouse she wore underneath was pretty wide as well, but not enough to hide the baby bump.

Mrs Myoui exhaled. “I knew it...” she mumbled.

Meanwhile, Mina’s father stared at his daughter in utmost shock. “You’re...” he trailed off. Mina lowered her head.

“And you haven’t said a word,” her mother spat.

“Please, we wanted to wait until after dinner,” Jinwoo interfered.

“Quiet, half-blood! This is your fault!”

Mina’s head snapped back up at her tone. “Don’t talk to him like that! This isn’t the 90s. Blood status means nothing,” she spoke up.

Mrs Myoui looked at her with what could only be described at disdain.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong, child. Blood status means everything. Over the years people have only started to take it less seriously! You’re not keeping this... this abomination.”

Mina gasped. Jinwoo saw tears brimming in her eyes as she looked at her father for help.

“I’m disappointed in you, Mina. I thought we’d raised you better than that...” Mr Myoui said.

Jinwoo took a step forward, half-shielding his girlfriend from her parents’ judging eyes.

“How can you be so cold to her? She’s carrying your grandchild!”

“That is no grandchild of mine,” Mrs Myoui spat with venom in her tone.

“She’s not keeping the baby!” Mr Myoui agreed firmly.

Jinwoo could feel Mina grab on to his arm. “Yes, I am and there’s nothing you can do about it,” she said, her voice determined.

“Then get out and don’t show your face here again,” her mother snapped.

For a second, Mina just stared at her with wide eyes, tears still threatening to fall. The next moment, her face hardened, and she grabbed her boyfriend’s arm.

“Fine, come on, Jinwoo.”

~

After the two of them had gotten their things they came back down the stairs. Mina’s parents were nowhere in sight.

“Miss Myoui...” Martha spoke up. She was cowering by the foot of the stairs.

“Martha... I’m sorry, but it seems like we won’t see each other again,” Mina said, crouching down next to her.

“They’re very angry...” Martha said.

Jinwoo could clearly see the fear in the elf’s eyes. It seemed like Mina could see it too.

“You want to leave, don’t you?” she asked carefully. Martha looked around to make sure that the Myouis were really out of sight before she nodded slowly.

Mina gave her a kind smile, before reaching into her bag. She pulled out a blue scarf and wrapped it around the house elf’s neck.

“Here... view it as a parting gift,” she said.

Martha took the ends of the scarf and looked at them. “I’m...free?” the elf asked.

Mina’s smile widened, and she nodded. “We both are. You’re free to do whatever you like now,” she told her as she got back up, taking Jinwoo’s hand.

“Goodbye, Martha. Thank you for always looking after me.”

~

“That was really sweet of you, you know...” Jinwoo said as they walked down the street, not really knowing where they were going.

Mina smiled a little. “I couldn’t just leave her there with them. I always planned on freeing her, but I was too scared they’d get angry... she was my only friend in that house...” she told her boyfriend.

“I’m sorry things went like this,” Jinwoo mumbled in an apologetic tone. “I really didn’t think they’d...” he trailed off.

“Kick me out? Honestly, I’m not surprised...” Mina replied, sounding more casual that he had expected.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jinwoo asked her.

“I’m fine...” she insisted, though Jinwoo figured that it was a lie. He would take her hand again, but he was carrying both their bags, so that would have to wait until later.

“What are we going to do now?” she questioned.

“Well, I say we head to my parents’ place. We could just take the subway if you want. It’s cheaper than the Knight Bus,” Jinwoo suggested.

“Sure, let’s do that,” Mina said with a small chuckle.

“By the way... I want you to know that your blood status really doesn’t mean anything to me...” she added, growing serious again.

Jinwoo looked at her. “I know that, princess. Don’t worry about it,” he assured her.

Mina stopped walking, causing Jinwoo to do the same.

“I just... I feel like I should have said more. They shouldn’t go around reducing people to their blood status,” she told him.

Jinwoo set down the bags on the floor and reached for both her hands. “You did everything right. No matter what your parents think of me... I love you.”

“I love you too,” Mina answered with a small smile before she pulled Jinwoo into a hug.

~

The morning after their arrival, Minho gave Chan a house tour after breakfast, since they didn’t really get around to do it the previous day.

The place was huge, so it took them quite a while to cover everything.

“...and here we have the winter garden,” Minho said when they arrived at their final destination.

Chan looked around in awe. “It’s gorgeous!” he exclaimed.

“Agreed...” the younger trailed off. When Chan caught the younger’s gaze he realized that he hadn’t meant the winter garden at all, instead Minho was looking at him. Chan blushed at his words...

“So... um... that party that’s happening here today... what exactly is it?” Chan questioned, trying to change subjects to distract himself from his heated cheeks and the way his heart fluttered.

“It’s basically a stuck-up family gathering where everyone brown-noses each other and brags about what they’ve accomplished in their lives,” Minho explained with a bitter tone. “I would have skipped it, but my parents insisted on me showing my ass here and bringing my lovely boyfriend while I’m at it...” he trailed off.

“Well, I’m honored to be serving as moral support,” Chan told him with a grin.

Minho chuckled and faced him completely, wrapping his arms around the older’s waist.

“You know I love you, right?” Minho said quietly. Chan blushed again, but he kept the grin on his face, while putting his own arms around his boyfriend’s neck.

“I know... I love you, too,” he replied.

Just as they were leaning in for a kiss, someone cleared their throat, causing them to pull apart.

Minho’s mother stood in the entrance to the winter garden, her expression displeased.

“Minho, our guests will be here at 5pm sharp. Please make sure you’re ready by then!” Chan could tell that his boyfriend was trying to suppress an eye-roll.

“Yes mother...” Minho replied with a sigh, reaching for Chan’s hand and dragging him past her and to his room.

~

Chan stood around awkwardly as Minho made his round to greet all his relatives a few hours later. His boyfriend’s smile was tense and awkward, and Chan could tell that he would love to just disappear.

At one point, Chan excused himself to get something to drink.

This formal party made him feel incredibly out of place and it wasn’t just for the weird stares he got from Minho’s relatives.

A middle-aged lady came up to him just as he grabbed a glass of whatever fancy drinks Minho’s parents served at this party from a waiter.

“So, you’re my nephew’s... boyfriend,” she spoke up, giving him a judging once over.

He had borrowed one of Minho’s fanciest suits, so he figured that he couldn’t look too bad – even though he might not pull it off as well as his boyfriend.

“Yes, ma’am. My name is Bang Chan,” he introduced himself.

“Bang... like our former Minister for Magic?” the lady, Minho’s aunt, questioned with slight interest in her voice. Chan scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“Yes, but I’m afraid we’re not related...” he told her.

She looked disappointed. “Well, I suppose we can’t do anything about our families, now can we...”

With that she took off.

“You’re damn right about that...” Chan mumbled under his breath.

He couldn’t find Minho anywhere when he got back to the place he’d last seen him. He had no intentions of running into yet another one of his boyfriend’s judgmental relatives, so he decided to look for him.

Chan figured that Minho wouldn’t just head back to his room without getting him first, so he excluded that possibility for now.

Maybe he wanted to flee for a while and went to kitchen. Chan headed there next and it seemed like he had been lucky, as he could hear his boyfriend’s voice on the other side of the door. He seemed to be with his mother, judging by the other voice in the room, so he decided not to interfere for now.

“I can tolerate you dating boys... but him? I’m not sure he fits our standards, Minho.”

Chan furrowed his brows at the woman’s words. He knew she didn’t exactly approve of him, but he didn’t think he had done anything wrong that would cause her to say that.

“Standards?” Minho’s voice spoke up; his tone sounded exasperated. “Because he’s not a pureblood? Or because he’ not aspiring to become a ministry marionette like dad?!”

“Watch your tone, young man!” Minho’s mother snapped. A short silence followed, then a sigh. “You weren’t like this before. I feel like this boy is tainting you!”

Chan didn’t stick around after that, not wanting to hear another one of Mrs Lee’s vicious words. He appreciated Minho sticking up for him, but he didn’t want to come between his boyfriend and his family.

He clearly wasn’t in a party mood anymore, so he just headed to Minho’s room, waiting for the younger to return. He changed out of his boyfriend’s suit and into something more comfortable, before sitting down on Minho’s bed, resting his back against the wall.

~

Minho had checked all over for Chan downstairs after he had walked out on his mother. When he couldn’t find them among the guests, he just decided to check his room.

For good reason, as it turned out. He found his boyfriend curled up in a ball on his bed, seemingly asleep.

Chan stirred awake when Minho sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out to run a hand through the older’s curly locks.

“Are you okay? You were gone so suddenly,” he questioned softly. Chan groaned sleepily and sat up. Minho chuckled at his boyfriend’s cute messy hair.

“I don’t want you and your parents to fight because of me...” Chan said, his voice still thick with sleep.

Minho’s smile faltered. “You heard that?” The older just nodded. Minho sighed and shifted into a cross-legged position across from him.

“My mom’s a bitch. We fight all the time,” he told him.

Chan pouted. “Still... she obviously hates me. She thinks I’m not good enough for you,” he argued. Minho placed his hands on his boyfriend’s thighs.

“Then we’ll prove her wrong. I think she might just need some time. If she got to know you...” he trailed off. He knew that it would take more than time for his mother to accept Chan.

“Are you sure it would not be easier if you just–” Minho cut his boyfriend off with a peck on the lips before he could finish his sentence.

“No, it would not. My parents don’t control my life and I want to be with you. They’re just gonna have to accept that. I told my mother to suck it!” he explained determinedly.

He wasn’t about to let Chan go only because of his mother’s so-called standards.

“You did?” Chan asked, causing Minho to chuckle slightly.

“Well, no. But I wanted to. Instead, I told her that I love you and that her standards mean nothing to me,” he replied. “Listen, we can leave if you want to,” he added, not wanting Chan to feel uncomfortable.

The older shook his head. “No, let’s stay. Maybe it’ll get better after a while. We only have a few days left anyway...” he said, giving his boyfriend a reassuring smile. Minho hoped he was right, for Chan’s sake and his own.

~

Hyunjin hadn’t expected Seungmin back so soon, without any kind of warning, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy to see him.

He practically ran into Jisung and Seungmin in the entrance hall.

“Hey, I thought you weren’t going to be back until the end of the week,” he exclaimed, pulling his boyfriend into a hug.

Seungmin chuckled, though it sounded a little awkward. He pulled out of the hug and looked at him.

“We came back a little early. I missed you,” he told the older and gave him a short peck on the lips.

“I missed you, too,” Hyunjin replied with a giddy smile.

Seungmin wasn't looking into his eyes, which seemed a little weird, but he figured the younger was just tired.

“I should go take a nap, the flight was pretty long...” he said, confirming Hyunjin’s thoughts.

The older nodded and let him head up to the Ravenclaw common room, Jisung following close behind.

For some reason, Hyunjin still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He was ripped out of his thoughts by a hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

“Was that Seungmin and Jisung just now?” Hyunjin turned to see Changbin following his gaze to where the two Ravenclaws were climbing up the stairs.

“Yeah, they came back early...” Hyunjin mumbled, still a little distracted by the weird feeling in his chest.

“You good?” Changbin questioned.

Hyunjin finally snapped out of it completely. “I think so...”

~

“What was that?” Jisung questioned once the two of them had entered the Ravenclaw dorms.

“What was what?” Seungmin asked, carelessly tossing his luggage aside before letting himself fall onto his bed.

“You didn’t tell him!” the older Ravenclaw exclaimed in disbelief.

“Oh, yeah I should have been like ‘hey, Hyunjin I missed you, oh by the way, this older guy got me drunk and kissed me at a party I never wanted to go to!’ I’m sure that would have been just great,” Seungmin told him sarcastically.

Jisung sighed and sat down on his own bed.

“Okay, you have a point. But you shouldn’t put it off too much. I’m pretty sure he already caught on that something’s wrong. You know how attentive he is...” Jisung told him.

Seungmin groaned. “I don’t want to talk about this to him... what if he hates me?”

Jisung waved off. “You know very well that Hyunjin could never hate you. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be honest with him,” he told the younger.

“I know...” Seungmin mumbled. “I’ll tell him... eventually...”

~

Seungmin wasn’t avoiding Hyunjin.

Not at all.

He just simply tried not to run into him.

“You’re avoiding him,” Jisung deadpanned when Seungmin tried to explain himself to his best friend a few days later when he buried himself underneath a stack of books at the library.

“I’m not avoiding him. I just need to figure out how to tell him,” Seungmin replied stubbornly.

“Tell me what?” Hyunjin’s voice suddenly spoke up.

Seungmin jumped in his seat, looking up at his boyfriend with slightly widened eyes. Hyunjin chuckled as he let himself fall down next to him, putting an arm around his waist.

“You’re really hard to come by these days...” he addressed the younger jokingly.

Jisung gave Seungmin a pointed look before he rose from his seat.

“I have to go meet Eunseo. She wanted to take a closer look at my new tattoo,” he announced with a small smirk before he left the two of them alone.

“His what?” Hyunjin questioned. Seungmin tried to focus on his book again, but it was hard to do so when his boyfriend was right next to him.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Hyunjin questioned.

Seungmin shrugged. “Nothing...” he lied. He didn’t have to look at his boyfriend to know that he was giving him a look. Seungmin exhaled shakily. He didn’t want to talk about it, but he also couldn’t keep lying to Hyunjin.

“Talk to me, love...” Hyunjin mumbled.

Seungmin didn’t expect to tear up, but he did. That seemed to alarm Hyunjin even more, as he pulled his boyfriend into a hug.

“I’m sorry,” Seungmin muttered into the crook of his neck, followed by a small sob. Hyunjin threw a worried look in the direction of the librarian, who luckily seemed too busy to pay attention to them.

“Seungmin, what happened? What’s wrong?” he questioned, sounding slightly desperate, not knowing how he could help his boyfriend.

Eventually, Seungmin pulled back and wiped at his eyes.

“The reason we came back early...” he trailed off.

Hyunjin perked up. He had been asking himself why Seungmin and Jisung had decided to leave LA so soon, but he hadn’t thought that the reason was bad enough to make Seungmin cry.

“We spent some time with my cousin’s friend Cody. He’s older and in muggle college... he invited us to a party and we agreed. I insisted on staying sober, so Cody took me to the kitchen...” he trailed off. He could tell that Hyunjin already didn’t like where this was going. “Well, long story short he ended up getting me drunk... and um...” Seungmin’s voice trembled. “He kissed me. I tried to fight him off, but he wouldn’t let me go and then Jisung showed up and punched him in the face and we left...”

Seungmin fiddled with his fingers and looked at his own lap, afraid of Hyunjin’s reaction.

“I... I understand if you’re mad at me now. That’s already the second time another guy kissed me, and I know I should have told you earlier, but I was just scared...” Seungmin added, his voice still shaky and small. He didn’t dare to look Hyunjin in the eye.

“Oh, I’m mad, alright...” Hyunjin said. What Seungmin didn’t expect was for Hyunjin to reach for his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. “But I’m not mad at you. If anything, I want to fly to LA right now and kill this Cody character for daring to lay a hand on you...” Seungmin finally looked at him.

His tone was rough and angry, but his touch was gentle which made the younger believe that Hyunjin really wasn’t angry at him.

Seungmin didn’t really know what to say, so he just hugged his boyfriend again, relieved to finally get this huge burden off his chest. Hyunjin returned his hug, immediately making Seungmin feel the slightest bit better.

~

“Jinwoo, what if they hate me?” Mina asked once they had reached Jinwoo’s house and were standing on the doorstep.

“They won’t hate you, princess. I know things didn’t go well with your parents, but I’m absolutely sure that mine will love you just as much as I do!” he assured her, setting down one of the bags to ring the doorbell.

It didn’t take much time for a woman with greying hair to open the door, her eyes widening when she spotted him standing there.

“Jinwoo!” she exclaimed, immediately pulling him into a hug.

“Hey, mom...”

“I didn’t expect to see you for another three days! If I had known I would have cooked a big meal...” she rambled as she took a step back to give him a once-over. “Have you grown since last summer?” she questioned before her eyes landed on Mina who was trying not to draw any attention to herself.

Mrs Park gasped in delight. “Is that Mina?” she exclaimed excitedly.

“U-um yes, hello,” Mina said awkwardly.

Mrs Park reached for her hands. “Let me look at you, child. Jinwoo’s told me so much about you, I feel like I know you already! He wasn’t lying when he said you were beautiful, you’re literally glowing! And–” her gaze fell onto Mina’s belly and her eyes lit up knowingly.

“I see how it is... come on in, you two,” she said already dragging Mina inside, sitting her down on the couch while Jinwoo followed with the bags.

“M-Mrs Park, we can explain–” Mina stammered, scared of the woman’s reaction to her obvious baby bump.

“No need, how far along are you?” she questioned.

She didn’t seem mad, much to Jinwoo’s relief.

“According to Madame Pomfrey, 25 weeks...” Mina replied.

“Mom, we actually came here to tell you about it. It seemed weird to do in a letter... um, where’s dad?” Jinwoo questioned, looking around for his father.

Mrs Park got up. “Right, I’ll fetch him, then we can continue our talk. Make yourself right at home, darling. Are you comfortable, do you need anything? Tea? Water?” she addressed Mina.

“Oh, I’m fine, thank you,” Mina waved off.

Mrs Park hurried off to find Jinwoo’s father and the two of them were alone for a second.

Jinwoo chuckled, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders. “See, she already loves you,” he told her.

Mina seemed much more relaxed already. Jinwoo was glad that his mother had reacted positively to the baby bump. He just hoped his father would be the same.

Soon enough, both his parents entered the living room and Jinwoo rose from the couch to greet his father with a hug. He had grown taller than him by now, as he noticed.

Many people always pointed out their striking resemblance, telling Jinwoo that if he put on glasses he would look exactly like his old man.

“Dad, I want you to meet Mina,” he told his father after their pulled apart.

Mina looked like she was about to get up, but Mrs Park waved off.

“You should sit, darling. I bet you’re exhausted from the journey,” she said and Jinwoo knew that Mina agreed, even though she didn’t say anything.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mina. Jinwoo has told us a lot about you!” Mr Park told her with a friendly smile, which Mina couldn’t help but return. “Seriously, he would write pages and pages just about you,” he added, causing Jinwoo to blush just a little bit.

His mother almost jumped in excitement. “Tell your father the good news!” she exclaimed.

“Uh... well...” Jinwoo trailed off, looking back at Mina. “You’re going to be a grandfather!”

Mr Park looked at him for a few seconds, before his eyes wandered over to Mina on the couch and her baby bump. For a second, Jinwoo feared his reaction, but then he broke into a smile and patted his son’s shoulder.

“My little boy... I guess you’ve grown up, huh,” he croaked out. Jinwoo realized that his father was on the verge of tears.

“Honey are you crying?” his mother questioned, sounding slightly amused as she handed her husband a tissue.

“Of course not... it’s just not everyday that you find out you’re going to have a grandchild!”

“That reminds me, Mina, darling. Are you hungry? We can order anything!” Mrs Park addressed her again.

Mina looked like she was about to decline when her stomach grumbled, giving her away. Mrs Park chuckled. “How about some chicken?”

Mina grinned sheepishly. “That would be great,” she admitted.

~

Not long after, the Parks and Mina sat at the small dining table in the kitchen, while eating chicken.

“Is there a particular reason you two showed up early?” Mr Park questioned.

Mina and Jinwoo exchanged a look. “Well,” Mina began. “We stopped by at my parents’ house first to tell them about the baby, but, um...”

“They didn’t take it very well...” Jinwoo stepped in.

“Are you saying...?” his mother trailed off with widened eyes.

Jinwoo nodded. “They kicked her out because she refused to give up the baby...”

Mina lowered her head while munching on some chicken, causing Jinwoo to put an arm around her shoulders again.

“They kicked you out?” Mrs Park exclaimed in disbelief.

Mina nodded. “Then we’ll help you two find a place after graduation! And until then... you can stay with us. How does that sound?” Mr Park said.

Mina looked up again, her eyes slightly widened. “Oh, you don’t have to do that! I wouldn't want to impose!” 

Jinwoo’s parents both waved off. “You’re not imposing! You’re family now,” Mrs Park said with a friendly smile on her face.

Jinwoo smiled at his parents. He couldn’t feel happier about them accepting Mina so easily.

After the coldness they had experienced from his girlfriend’s parents, he felt warm and safe in the comfort of his own home. He just hoped Mina felt the same.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of the front door opening and falling shut.

“Seems like Byungjin is home!” Mrs Park said, and really, a few seconds later, Jinwoo’s older brother stood in the door way. His eyes landed first on his brother and then on Mina. He grinned.

“I didn’t think you were actually telling the truth when you said you two were dating!” Byungjin addressed Jinwoo.

Jinwoo was confused to say the least when Mina chuckled and got up to give Byungjin a hug.

“Wait, how do you two know each other?” he questioned.

“We were in the same house before he graduated,” Mina explained. “I just didn’t realize you two were brothers,” she added, looking from Byungjin to Jinwoo and back. “Though, I do see the resemblance now.”

Mr and Mrs Park chuckled fondly. Byungjin seemed to take notice of Mina’s baby bump, because his eyes widened, and he looked at Jinwoo.

“Oh right...” Jinwoo trailed off. “You’re going to be an uncle, congratulations!”

Byungjin’s eyes widened even more. “How did that happen?!” he asked in disbelief. Mina took her seat next to Jinwoo again, probably not wanting to stand much longer than she had to.

“It happened pretty much the usual way, I’d say,” Jinwoo joked as Byungjin also finally took a seat.

“Wow... um... so, am I going to get a niece or a nephew?” he questioned.

Mina and Jinwoo exchanged a look. “We don’t know, it’s going to be a surprise,” Mina told him with a small smile on her face.

Jinwoo was glad that despite everything, his girlfriend seemed to be looking forward to this baby. He sure knew he was.

Maybe they were young, and they had only been together for a year, but he wouldn’t change a thing, not even if he could.

Well, apart from Mina’s parents’ reaction. It must have hit her hard to face such rejection from her own parents...

~

After dinner, Jinwoo’s mom decided it would be best to embarrass her son a little by showing Mina some old baby pictures of him.

The two of them seemed to get along pretty well and Jinwoo would rather not be around to witness them fawn over how “adorable” he was.

He decided to help his father and brother with the dishes, instead.

“So, when exactly did you and Mina happen anyway?” Byungjin questioned.

“About a year ago,” Jinwoo replied, taking a plate from his father to dry off.

“You’re sure moving fast,” Byungjin chuckled.

Jinwoo laughed. “I can’t say it was planned...”

“Didn’t you get into trouble though?” Jinwoo’s father questioned.

“Oh yeah, lots. It was messy, really. But everything’s okay now,” his son answered.

“And Mina? Is she okay after what her parents did?” Mr Park asked.

Jinwoo looked at into the general direction of the living room where he knew his girlfriend was.

“I’m not sure yet... it’s definitely better for her to be out of there. But they said some pretty harsh things to her. I’m sure she’ll need some time to get over it...” Jinwoo explained, thinking back to the coldness in Mrs Myoui’s voice when she called their baby an abomination.

He sure hoped that woman would stay out of their lives for good.

~

“Your mom’s really nice,” Mina said, as the two of them made their way to Jinwoo’s room to get ready for bed.

Mina seemed exhausted after the long day they had had and Jinwoo couldn’t wait to grant her the rest she needed.

“She’s just very caring. I knew she would love you the minute she met you,” Jinwoo told her.

He opened the door to his room and let her step inside. Mina looked around with a small smile on her face.

“This room is so you,” she mumbled with a chuckle. Jinwoo’s room was tidy but cozy, nonetheless. He had put lots of effort into choosing the right furniture and decoration.

“Who’s that?” Mina suddenly questioned in amusement, holding up a little brown teddy bear that had been sitting on the bed. Jinwoo snatched it from her grip and hid it behind his back.

“That’s... nobody,” he lied. She laughed.

“Nobody, huh?”

Jinwoo pouted. “His name’s Youngjin. He was a present and he fits the aesthetic, okay?” he mumbled, showing the bear again.

“He’s cute,” Mina said, taking the teddy bear back and gently placing it back on the bed. She kept looking around until her eyes landed on something else that made her raise an eyebrow.

“Is that a slutty mechanic girls calendar?” she questioned. Jinwoo’s eyes widened and he whirled around to quickly take the calendar off the wall.

“That was a present as well. I really needed a calendar,” he muttered, quickly throwing the object into his desk drawer.

Mina laughed, which was probably a good thing, considering she could have also gotten mad at him for owning that calendar. She sat down on Jinwoo’s bed.

“It’s not very fancy, but I hope it’s enough for my princess anyway,” Jinwoo told her.

She smiled faintly. “I grew up with fancy things and believe me, it’s not always worth it...” she trailed off. “This is better,” she added. Jinwoo sat down next to her and laced their fingers together.

“You know, it’s okay to feel sad about what happened. They’re your parents,” he started carefully.

Mina exhaled shakily before resting her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder.

“Are they really? Would real parents do what they did?” she questioned, though it seemed more like she was talking to herself than Jinwoo. “What if I become like my mother? I don’t want our child to ever feel like I did today...” she continued.

Jinwoo gently squeezed Mina’s hand. “You’re never going to become like her. Not with a heart as big and kind as yours...” he assured her. She sniffled a little bit and reached up to wipe her eyes.

“I hope you’re right...” she muttered.

Jinwoo pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. “I know I am. Now you should probably get some rest... it’s been a long day,” he told her and rose from the bed.

“Where are you going?” Mina questioned.

“To get an inflatable mattress. I know how restless you get at night lately and I don’t want to disturb you in this tiny ass bed,” Jinwoo explained.

Mina smiled at him. “You’re the best, you know that?” she told him.

He grinned. “Yeah, I know,” he replied before leaving the room to get the mattress.

~

The past few days had been pretty tense between Minho’s parents and Chan. He liked Minho’s place, though. There was so much to do, since the whole property was so big.

The two of them often played some Quidditch in the backyard – which was almost as huge as an entire Quidditch field.

One night when Minho’s parents were out they even raided the wine cellar to “have some fun,” as Minho put it.

Chan wasn’t happy that Minho’s parents disliked him so much, but he was glad that their son didn’t give a damn about their opinion and chose to be with him instead.

They were currently hanging out in the younger’s room, cuddled up together in his bed.

“Maybe we should visit your parents next time,” Minho spoke up, chuckling.

Chan grinned. “I’m sure they’d be delighted to meet you,” he agreed. “We could visit them this summer if you like...” he continued.

“I’d love that...”

~

Their last evening arrived pretty soon, meaning that they had to have their last dinner with Minho’s parents before going back to Hogwarts in the morning.

“I hope you enjoyed your stay here, Chan,” Minho’s mother spoke up.

“I did, thank you for having me,” Chan replied. Eating with Minho’s parents was always tense, but tonight it was extra awkward.

“And you didn’t feel out of place or anything? Considering that this isn’t usually your... scene” Minho’s father threw in.

It sounded challenging, almost like he was testing him. Chan slowly put down his fork. He’s had enough of their little jabs at his social status.

“I know what you think of me. You think that I’m not a good fit for your son; I’m just an average student with the ambition of becoming a professional Quidditch player. I may not be meeting your standards, but I love Minho. I want to give him the world and make him the happiest guy alive, maybe even marry him one day. So, with all due respect, I don’t care what you think of me and I won’t ask for your permission to love him.”

Mr and Mrs Lee looked shocked at Chan’s sudden outburst, but he needed to get it off his chest. Minho grinned and reached for his hand.

“If you’ll excuse us. We still have to pack our stuff for our departure tomorrow,” he announced and pulled Chan to his feet with him.

Minho only spoke up when the door to his room had fallen shut behind them. “Did you mean what you said back there?” he questioned.

Chan blushed and averted his gaze. “I did... I mean, obviously I didn’t mean like right now... but it’s a nice thought to play with...” he explained shyly.

Minho cupped Chan’s reddened cheeks to make him look at him.

“You’re cute...” he trailed off.

“I’m not...” the older argued with a playful pout on his lips.

Minho grinned and kissed him. “Yeah you are. I love you, Bang Chan,” mumbled against his lips.

Chan felt all warm and mushy and so unusually shy, hugging Minho and burying his face in the crook of his neck while mumbling a soft “I love you, too...”

After a while they pulled apart and decided to pack their stuff for tomorrow.

If Chan was quite honest, he really couldn’t wait to go back to Hogwarts, no matter how much he liked Minho’s place. But this, sharing a room with the younger and actually living under the same roof had given him a taste of what it might be like once they’d move in together.

~

“I’m sorry, I put you through this,” Minho said once they had arrived back at the castle.

They had stopped in the entrance hall where they would soon have to part ways. Chan waved off.

“I wanted to come along, so don’t apologize. And who knows, your parents might grow to like me, after all. I’m wonderful,” he joked.

Minho chuckled. “You are...”

“Well, I hope you can live without my wonderfulness until tomorrow because I gotta go,” he told Minho with a grin.

The younger pouted. “I guess I could try...” he said.

“Seriously, though, thanks for inviting me to come along. Despite everything, I had lots of fun,” Chan told him, growing more serious again.

Minho smiled. “I hope visiting your parents will go a little smoother, though,” he replied.

Chan couldn’t help but agree. However, knowing his parents, they would most likely love Minho.

“We’ll find out this summer...”

~

The next day the group sat together at breakfast, talking about their short vacation.

“How did telling your parents about the baby go?” Chan asked Jinwoo and Mina. They had gotten back last this morning.

“My parents weren’t happy at all. Jinwoo’s were... delighted, actually,” Mina replied. “Anyway, how did it go for you?”

“Oh, Minho’s parents loved me,” Chan said sarcastically, causing his boyfriend to chuckle.

“That bad, huh,” Jisung commented.

Minho put an arm around Chan’s shoulders. “He told them off, though. It was cute, and they were shocked, so it was a win-win for me,” he announced with a wide grin.

They kept exchanging their stories throughout breakfast before classes started and they had to part ways. The last two weeks of class had officially begun, and they couldn’t help but wonder what this summer would bring them.

Chapter Text

It was already the last day of Jisung’s fifth year at Hogwarts.

The Ravenclaw had made it a tradition to sneak out to the lake on the last night to think. He looked at the calm water as the soft moonlight reflected on it. Jisung didn’t remember when he had started this habit, but it helped clear his mind and he found comfort in it.

He thought about how quickly the year had flown by and how much had happened.

At the beginning of the school year, he would’ve never imagined finding himself in a real relationship or to fight for a girl. Jisung smiled at the thought.

Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn’t notice the figure emerging from the woods. He jumped in surprise, taking a closer look. It seemed to be a wolf or some kind of dog – and it was approaching him.

He thought about backing away, but the dog looked peaceful.

“Hey, there buddy,” Jisung said, reaching out his hand to gain the dog’s trust.

However, the dog didn’t hesitate to sit down next to him like it already knew him. Jisung shrugged it off, not really minding the company.

“You know, you’re lucky you’re a dog... you don’t have to worry about school and the future...and relationships.” The dog gave him a look like it was urging him to elaborate. “I have a girlfriend and she’s great but she’s graduating this year...” he trailed off with a sigh, absent-mindedly patting the dog’s soft, gray fur.

“And I just don’t know if a long-distance relationship will work out.”

The dog looked at him as if he was going to say something along the lines of “sorry, bro. That must suck.”

Jisung ruffled the dog’s fur. “Why am I telling you this? It’s not like you can help me. But thanks for listening, buddy...” he smiled.

He didn’t know if he was imagining it, but the dog seemed to look a little upset. It came closer and lay down next to him with its head resting on Jisung’s thigh.

Jisung chuckled at the endearing sight and continued petting the dog.

“You’re such a gorgeous dog... I almost wish I could keep you,” he mumbled. He couldn’t help but wonder if it had an owner. The only person with a dog around here was Hagrid, but this wolf-like dog clearly wasn’t Fang.

The dog looked up at him and Jisung noticed a violet shimmer in its brown eyes. It seemed kind of familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization.

“Shit! I have to get back to the castle and pack the rest of my stuff!” he exclaimed.

The dog seemed alarmed, jumping to its paws and running off towards the castle. Jisung furrowed his brows as he watched the silver animal run off.

“What a weird dog... cute, though,” he mumbled to himself. Jisung got up and dusted himself off before sneaking back to his dorm.

~

It seemed like he wasn’t the only late-packer when he got back to the dorm. Renjun was standing next to his bed, his suitcase wide open while he put some neatly folded clothes in. The older raised his eyebrow at Jisung when he came in, looking around the empty dorm.

“Where is everyone?” he questioned.

Renjun shrugged. “Seungmin’s probably with Hyunjin. I don’t know about the others...” he replied. “Where did you come from?” he asked.

Jisung went over to his own bed and opened his own suitcase, mindlessly throwing his belongings inside. “I was just taking a midnight stroll,” he told the older.

Renjun eyed his packing habits with an amused smirk. “At the lake?” he asked.

Jisung looked at him in confusion. “How’d you know?”

“You told me before that you find comfort in sitting by the water,” Renjun told him with a shrug.

Jisung chuckled. “Right, I did say that...” he mumbled. He wouldn’t have expected Renjun to remember it, though.

“So, what are your plans for this summer?” Renjun asked, switching the subject.  

“I’m just going to be at home, sleep all day... maybe try to see Eunseo a few times...” Jisung said, as he threw his Potions book into his suitcase. “What about you though?”

Renjun looked giddy. “I’m going to Hawaii with my family,” he answered excitedly.

“Oh, that sounds nice. You better send me a postcard,” Jisung said with a wink.

“U-um... yeah, sure I will,” Renjun stammered.

The two Ravenclaws packed and talked for a little while longer until they went to sleep around 2am.

~

Jeongin was walking through the train in search of his friends. Of course, every compartment he came by was already packed, so he was hoping that he could find a seat with someone he knew.

He stopped in his tracks, when his eyes fell on someone standing there talking to his friends. It was one of his fellow Hufflepuffs, an upperclassman named Lucas. Jeongin blushed when the older noticed him standing there. Lucas smiled at him.

“Hi Jeongin,” he said in a friendly tone.

“H-hi Lucas...” the younger stammered, inwardly cursing himself for doing so. They were on the same Quidditch team for god’s sake, he could at least pretend he didn’t have a major crush on the guy.

“You did really well this season. Too bad we didn’t win... but maybe next year,” Lucas told him.

Jeongin smiled a little bit. “Y-yeah... maybe,” he replied. “Well, u-um... bye then. Have a nice, summer!”

“You too, Jeongin!”

Jeongin quickly scurried off before he could further embarrass himself and luckily, he soon found some of his friends in a compartment.

He opened the door to find Seungmin, Hyunjin, Changbin and Felix looking at him. “Can I sit with you guys?” Jeongin questioned.

“Sure, come in,” Hyunjin said and waved him inside. Jeongin closed the compartment door and sat down next to his friend.

“Hey, you look a little red, are you okay?” Felix pointed out.

Jeongin waved off. “I’m fine!” he said.

“Oh! I just remembered!” Seungmin suddenly exclaimed, catching his boyfriend’s attention. “I have a present for you when we arrive,” he added.

Hyunjin gave the younger a surprised look, that slowly morphed into a smirk. “Listen, my love, I’m not sure we should talk about this in front of the child,” Hyunjin purred.

Seungmin’s cheeks turned beet red and he swatted at the older. “No, that’s not what I meant, oh my god!”

“Good one, mate!” Felix hollered from the seat across him. Jeongin watched in amusement, as the he high-fived Hyunjin.

“Isn’t he so cute when he says those Australian things?” Changbin swooned, making heart-eyes at his boyfriend, who looked back at him, a playful smile tugging on his lips.

“Binniebunny, I always say ‘Australian things’. I am Australian, after all,” Felix replied teasingly.

“Yeah, but sometimes you’re extra Australian and it’s cute,” Changbin stated.

“You’re cute!”

“You’re cuter!”

“You’re the cutest!”

“I’m disgusted!” Seungmin exclaimed. “And Jeongin must feel like a fifth-wheel!”

The youngest waved off. “Nah, I’m good... and besides, I am going to find a boyfriend next year,” he said proudly. The others stared at him in surprise.

“Damn, Jeongin, you got someone in mind?” Felix questioned.

Jeongin smirked. “Maybe. But I can definitely tell... it’s someone nobody will expect. Not even him,” he predicted.

~

“Ow!” Mina suddenly exclaimed. All eyes were immediately on her.

“Are you okay? Are you in pain? Do you need anything?” Jinwoo asked frantically, after dropping his book.

“No, I’m fine... I just felt the baby move,” Mina explained. Before Jinwoo could even react, Chan leaped from his seat to excitedly place his hand on Mina’s belly.

A few seconds passed in silence before Chan gasped.

“Oh my god, she’s moving!” he exclaimed.

Jinwoo cleared his throat. “Would you mind...?”

Chan returned back to his seat, a somewhat longing expression on his face.

“Um, Chan? Is there a reason you’re looking at my girlfriend like you want to marry her?”

“I don’t want to marry her! I just...” he trailed off.

Minho raised his eyebrows at him. “Just what, Chan?” he questioned.

“I kinda want a daughter, too!” Chan finally burst out.

Minho gasped. “Um... I’m not sure I can grant you that wish,” he mumbled.

Chan blushed. “I know that... I didn’t... I just see myself having a daughter someday...” he stammered.

“Aw, just imagine our daughters going to Hogwarts together!” Mina cooed, which led to her and Chan giggling excitedly.

“You two talk like you already know we’re going to have a daughter!” Jinwoo complained, though with no bite in his voice.

Chan smiled knowingly. “Come on, we all know it’s gonna be daughter!” he stated.

Mina raised her hand. “Up top, brother!” she exclaimed and high-fived him. “I’ve been trying to tell him the same thing!”

Jinwoo watched the exchange with a disbelieving expression.

“I’m pretty sure I'll have a son!” he argued.

Jisung chuckled at the older boys’ banter, throwing in a “same”.

“No, Jinwoo. Believe me. I can feel it, it’s gonna be a girl!” Chan argued. “I’m ready to bet on it! 50 bucks!”

Jinwoo looked exasperated for a second, but then his face became determined. “Okay, you got it. 50 bucks it is!”

Jisung turned to his girlfriend. “What about you? Do you ever want kids?” he questioned.

Eunseo looked over at Mina with a small smile, before facing Jisung.

“Not really. I feel like I’m more of a career woman,” she said.

The younger’s smile faltered a little bit. “Oh, well... I can see myself being a family man. I mean, I’m not striving to be as quick as those two... but someday it would be nice,” Jisung told her.

Eunseo shrugged. “I just don’t see it happening for me. I don’t think I’m ever going to be pregnant.”

“Well, me neither,” Jisung half-joked, effectively making her laugh, even though the conversation had a little bit of a weird aftertaste.

~

Once they arrived, Eunseo turned to Jisung.

“So, I never asked what you’re going to do this summer,” she smiled. Jisung shrugged.

“I’m just gonna be at home... catching up on sleep. You’re going to start your auror training soon, right?” he questioned.

“Yeah, it’s gonna start getting really busy for me...” Eunseo told him.

Jisung nodded slowly. “But we can still text, right?”

“Of course,” the older girl replied with a smile.

Jisung gave her one last goodbye kiss before she took off to meet her parents. A minute later, he realized that he’d never actually gotten her number, though. 

Jisung was still waiting for his parents to pick him up when Jeongin cheerfully ran towards him to give him a hug. Jisung chuckled at the sudden embrace.

“Have a nice summer, Jisung! I’ll miss you!” the young Hufflepuff said as he pulled away.

“You too, Jeongin,” he smiled and watched as Jeongin already hurried off to hug Chan and Minho goodbye.

“Hogwarts won’t be the same without you two…” Jeongin pouted, causing the couple to chuckle. 

“Aw, we’ll miss you, Jeongin,” Chan said, as he pet Jeongin’s hair like a kitty. He gave Minho a hug as well before hurrying over to Hyunjin, who was in the middle of saying goodbye to his classmate Sunwoo.

He wanted to hug everyone goodbye before they went home. He wasn't going to see them all summer after all!

“Hyunjin!” the Hufflepuff chanted as he wrapped his arms around the older.

“I’ll miss you too, Jeongin!” Hyunjin chuckled. Jeongin pulled away after a few more seconds and Hyunjin turned to Sunwoo.

“What are your plans for summer vacation, Sunwoo?” Hyunjin asked.

Sunwoo’s expression darkened. “Well... I'll probably just stay in my room and do nothing all day...” he mumbled.

Jeongin pouted at his words. “That doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. Aren’t you going to spend time with your friends?” the youngest asked innocently.

Sunwoo looked down at his feet. He didn’t actually have any friends besides Hyunjin.

“Yeah, you’re always welcome to come over to my place to hang out. You only live a few minutes away from me after all!” Hyunjin smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“I’ll think about it...” Sunwoo said and even gave Hyunjin a small smile. He seemed to really appreciate Hyunjin as a friend. 

Jeongin giggled excitedly at their little bromance moment. “Well, I have to go now, I still need to say bye to Changbin and Felix! Have a nice summer!” he said and hurried off again.

Hyunjin gave Sunwoo a short goodbye hug and made his way over to Seungmin who seemed to have finished saying goodbye to his friends. 

“So, about that present...” Hyunjin smirked as he approached his boyfriend.

“Right! I almost forgot!” the younger exclaimed, opening his bag and pulled out a black box. Seungmin smiled excitedly before handing Hyunjin the box. Hyunjin gave it a confused look.

“What is this?” he chuckled.

“Just open it!”

Hyunjin opened the box and took out a weird rectangular thing. It was really slim and even a bit heavy. A few small cables came out of the box as well. Seungmin just smiled brightly, waiting for him to figure out what this weird thing was.

That was when it hit him.

“Oh my god,” he gasped, “is that a cellphone?!” Hyunjin eyed it and excitedly flipped it around in his hands.

Seungmin nodded excitedly. “Yes, it's a really new model that came out last month,” he said proudly.

Hyunjin pulled him into a quick hug and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek, causing Seungmin to laugh. 

“Thank you so much, my love!” the older said, still unable to take his eyes off the device. 

“Now you can text me anytime you want... or call me,” Seungmin said shyly and quickly explained the most important functions to his boyfriend. “I also saved Felix’ and Jisung’s numbers in it so you can text them as well,” he added.

Hyunjin didn’t know what to say and just gave Seungmin another kiss. He had always wanted a cellphone but was too scared of what his mother would say.

Now all he had to do was hide it from her somehow...

“You have to call me every day, alright! I’ll miss you too much if you don’t!” Seungmin pouted and wrapped his arms around Hyunjin one more time.

“I’ll miss you more...” the older said and hugged his boyfriend tightly.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes until the younger pulled away. He was extremely tired and had to get to his aunt’s house to stay the night there. His flight to LA would leave tomorrow.

Hyunjin reluctantly let go of Seungmin and watched as he left through the magical stone wall that lead to the regular train station King’s Cross. Hyunjin smiled at the phone in his hands, figuring he should’ve gotten his boyfriend a gift too...

“Hyunjin!”

The Slytherin turned around to see Changbin and Felix approach him. Felix was the first to hug him. “I’m gonna miss you, Hyunjin,” he said as he pulled away.

He thought about telling Felix that he had his number and could stay in contact with him over the summer but chose to surprise him with that at some point.

Changbin was the next to hug his friend. “We’ll see each other during summer break but still, good bye for now,” he said with a smile.

“Yeah, man,” Hyunjin chuckled. They would probably spend most of summer vacation together, just like every year. “Anyway, I gotta go... I’ll see you guys soon, okay?” he said and took off with one last wave.

Changbin turned to face Felix.

“So, I guess it’s just us now...” he pointed out.

The younger grinned at him. “I guess so,” he agreed.

“Um, I actually have something for you...” Changbin admitted sheepishly. He reached into his bag and took out his Slytherin scarf, putting it around Felix’ neck.

Felix looked at him in confusion. “B-but that’s your scarf,” he stated.

Changbin nodded proudly. “I heard it’s winter in Australia and I figured that you might get cold and... also, you can think about me while you’re wearing it,” he mumbled shyly.

Felix' face lit up before pulling his boyfriend into a tight hug. He conveniently forgot to tell him that Sydney was hardly cold enough to wear a scarf.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” he pouted.

Changbin stopped him. “Save the goodbyes for later!”

Felix furrowed his brows. “What do you me–”

Someone cleared their throat, followed by a polite-sounding voice. “Sir Changbin.”

They turned around to find a tall, lanky man, dressed in an expensive-looking uniform.

“Oh Daniel, there you are!” Changbin exclaimed happily.

Felix looked beyond confused by now. “Who is that?” he whispered to his boyfriend.

Changbin grinned at him, before looking back at the man.

“Daniel, that’s Felix!” he said.

Daniel’s eyes widened. “The Felix?!”

“That’s me. And you’re... Daniel...” he said, before shooting Changbin a questioning look.

“I’m very glad to finally meet you after hearing so much about you for two years. My name is Daniel and I work for Sir Changbin’s family. I mostly drive him around and cook him food. You could call me his nanny, I suppose,” he explained, shaking Felix’ hand.

Changbin blushed at the mention of his longtime crush on Felix.

“Two years, huh,” Felix pointed out, looking surprised.

The older spluttered. “U-uh, would you look at the time! Daniel, don’t we have somewhere to go?” he exclaimed and took Felix’ hand.

“But wait, I have a plane to catch!” Felix said.

“Yes, exactly! And we’re taking you to the airport,” Changbin said matter-of-factly. “Daniel, would you please show us to the car?”

Felix chuckled. “So, that’s what this is about. I could just take the train, you know. I don’t wanna bother you or anything,” he stated.

His boyfriend waved off. “You’re not bothering us. And besides...” he trailed off. “I wanna spend some more time with you...”

“In that case, how can I say no, Binniebunny,” Felix said with a wide smile.

~

The car turned out to be a luxurious limousine. Daniel opened the door for them to sit in the back before walking around the car and getting in the driver’s seat.

“Wow, that is one expensive-looking car!” Felix exclaimed in awe.

Changbin shrugged it off. “It’s alright.”

Felix took his hand and pressed a soft kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek. “Thanks for taking me to the airport, Binnie.”

Changbin blushed. “Don’t mention it...”

The drive to the airport wasn’t too long and soon enough they were parked and about to go their separate ways.

“Daniel, could you give us a moment, please?” Changbin questioned, through the partition that separated Daniel from the two of them.

“Of course, Sir Changbin,” the driver said and pressed a button, causing the partition to go up.

“Oh my god, is that your family crest?” Felix gasped in awe, staring at the partition that, indeed, had the family crest on it.

Changbin looked sheepish. “Yeah... my family likes that kind of stuff...”

There was a short silence. “Well, I guess this is it...” Felix said.

Changbin nodded slowly. “I’ll write you tons of letters,” the younger promised, putting a small smile on his boyfriend’s face.

Another pause. “I’ll miss you so much,” Changbin said as he pulled Felix into a final hug, which lasted for a few minutes.

Felix tried not to cry when he let go of the older and kissed him goodbye.

“Are you sure you can’t stay with me for a while before flying back to Australia?” Changbin pouted, still holding onto his boyfriend’s hands.

Felix chuckled warmly. “You know that I would love to, but I can’t! The flight is already booked, and my family is expecting me,” he said with a smile.

Changbin nodded before reluctantly letting go of Felix’ hands.

“Have a safe flight, yeah?” Changbin added as Felix was just about to open the car door.

“Thanks, I will! I’ll write a letter as soon as I arrive,” Felix smiled and pecked him on the cheek one last time before leaving the car.

Changbin watched as Felix turned around one more time, making a heart with his hands and mouthing ‘I love you’.

Changbin laughed at how disgustingly cheesy his boyfriend was but blushed nonetheless, mouthing ‘I love you too’ before Felix waved and disappeared into the crowd.

Changbin still looked after him when Daniel let the window go back down.

“You didn’t have to expose me like that earlier, you know?” he said, blushing at the thought. “You are so fired,” he added jokingly.

“Only your father has the authority to fire me, Sir Changbin,” Daniel replied, holding back a grin, which earned him a scoff from Changbin.

“Let’s just go.”

~

Bonus:

Jeongin was currently unpacking his stuff when someone cleared their throat in the doorway. He didn’t even have to turn around to know that it was his older brother Jeongcheol, who was probably smirking at him.

“So, little brother, is there anything you might want to tell me?” he asked knowingly.

Jeongin gave him a weird look, not really knowing what the older was referring to.

“Not really?”

Jeongcheol walked into his room and flung himself onto the bed. “Are you sure?”

Jeongin exhaled, pushing his open suitcase aside and sitting down on the bed as well. “Okay, fine... there is this guy,” he started.

Jeongcheol made an excited noise. “I knew it! Who is he? Is he in your year? Is it Daehwi?”

Jeongin furrowed his brows. “Daehwi? Why would it be him? We’ve been best friends since forever!”

“I know, but something tells me he likes you... anyway, if it’s not him then who is it?” Jeongcheol questioned excitedly. Jeongin blushed.

“It’s someone from my house... his name’s Lucas...” he admitted.

The older gasped. “Lucas Wong? Isn’t he way too old for you?” he asked.

Jeongin pouted at his words. “No, he’s not. He’s going to be a seventh year and I’ll be a fifth year. That’s a perfectly fine age difference! Ask Jisung. His girlfriend is also two years older than him!” he exclaimed defensively.

Jeongcheol chuckled. “Okay, okay! I’ll expect an invitation to your wedding,” he teased.

Jeongin swung at him, only missing him by a hair. “I will never tell you anything again!”

~

Seungmin came down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, drying off his hair after the shower he’d been craving for after his long ass flight. His mother was in the kitchen, making some French toast.

“Where’s Youngmin?” he questioned, looking around for his younger brother.

“He’s out surfing with your father. You know them,” his mother replied cheerfully. “Do you want some toast?”

“No, thanks, Mom. I’m not hungry,” Seungmin waved off, followed by a sigh.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” she questioned, with a concerned expression.

“It’s nothing... I just miss Hyunjin already and it’s only been a day,” he mumbled.

His mother cooed. “Aw, my poor baby. Tell me about your boyfriend...” she said.

Seungmin smiled a little at the thought of his wonderful boyfriend.

“He’s great... he’s popular and sweet and funny and handsome. He’s also really athletic, which makes sense because he’s the star Chaser of the Quidditch team,” he swooned.

“Quidditch... that was that... flying sport, right?” she asked.

Seungmin nodded in confirmation.

“He’s really good at it. His team won the season this year.”

His mother chuckled. “Look at you... I never thought I’d see you swoon like this over someone. You were always so focused on your studies. Should I be concerned?”

“Of course, not! My studies are still important to me. I am second best of my year...” he told her, only slightly bitter about his second place after Sangyeol had swooped in and snatched the first one away.

“And I’m very proud of you for that. I don’t understand that whole magic stuff but I’m happy that you’re good at it,” his mother replied.

“Yeah... but I feel like I needed Hyunjin to get me out of the library from time to time...” he trailed off.

She smiled. “Well, I expect to meet him soon. Why haven’t you brought him here this time?”

Seungmin shrugged. “His mother didn’t want him to come along last time, so we figured that this time wouldn’t be any different. It’ll just take some more convincing, I suppose. You’ll meet him eventually,” he promised.

She ruffled his hair. “Good, I want to see who made my baby swoon like this,” she teased.

Maybe bringing Hyunjin wouldn't be such a good idea. Knowing his parents, they’d embarrass him to no end.

~

Hyunjin had just finished reading the entire instruction manual for the phone Seungmin had given him when the doorbell rang.

He had almost forgotten about his plans with Changbin today.

“Hyunjin, I'm busy can you get the door, please?” his mother called from somewhere else in the house.

“Sure!” Hyunjin replied and made his way downstairs to let Changbin in.

They shared a hug and quickly grabbed a few snacks from the kitchen before going back to Hyunjin's room. You could say it was part of their hanging-out-routine.

Changbin gasped when he spotted the device on Hyunjin's bed, eyeing it curiously.

“Is that the phone you mentioned yesterday?” he asked the younger.

Hyunjin nodded proudly. “Seungmin gave it to me at King’s Cross. I just finished reading the book of instructions; I feel like a phone-expert now!” he said excitedly.

Changbin reached for the phone but Hyunjin quickly smacked his hand away. “Don't break it!” he exclaimed and hugged it protectively, earning a pout from Changbin. 

“What does it do anyway?” he asked.

“So many things! You can play games, listen to music, look at funny pictures, but most importantly, you can send messages to people! It's kind of like sending an owl, except it arrives immediately!” Hyunjin explained excitedly.

Changbin's jaw dropped. “You mean I could send Felix a message with that thing without having to wait two weeks?!” he gasped.

“Even better! You can hear his voice in real time, as if he were right next to you!” Hyunjin bounced on his bed excitedly.

Changbin bit his lip in thought before attacking his friend, trying to snatch the phone from him. The two of them fought for a while before breaking out into laughter.

“Okay listen, I'll lend you my phone a few times to call Felix, but only if you stop trying to steal it from me!” Hyunjin laughed.

“Deal,” Changbin agreed.

Hyunjin showed Changbin a few of the functions of the phone and they had a lot of fun with the device, wondering why they didn't have that in the magic world.

He also showed him that he had Seungmin, Felix and Jisung's numbers and explained to Changbin what they were for. 

The younger eventually set the phone down next to him, sighing.

“I can't believe how much has changed in just one year...” he said.

Changbin smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Last summer I was still in denial about liking Felix,” he chuckled.

“And now we're dating... I would've never imagined that. I'm so lucky,” he continued, his cheeks flushing a bit.

Hyunjin laughed. “Last year I was still dating around. I would've never imagined to completely fall in love with someone...” he smiled at the thought of Seungmin.

It was only the second week of summer vacation and he already missed his boyfriend so bad, he couldn’t think about anything else.

They both sat there in silence for a few seconds, swooning over their respective boyfriends before Changbin chuckled again.

“I also wouldn't have expected one of our friends to become a father so soon,” he said as Hyunjin nodded.

“Yeah... Jinwoo and Mina are such an amazing couple. I wonder if they're gonna get married soon...” Hyunjin said, causing Changbin to gasp.

“That would be amazing…! I wish–” he interrupted himself and blushed deeply.

Hyunjin smirked at him. “You wish…?”

“N-nothing,” Changbin stammered, looking away.

The younger chuckled and decided not to question him any further. He felt like he knew what the older was going to say.

Hyunjin shifted on his bed and smiled. “I… I actually wonder what it would be like if...” Hyunjin started, feeling his cheeks heat up as well. Changbin looked at him expectantly.

“Yes?” he asked.

“…if I proposed to Seungmin.” The older smiled widely. “L-like... I’ve been thinking about it and, of course, we’re very young right now but... if we’re still together after we graduate...” he trailed off. “I can totally see myself being with Seungmin for a really long time, so... why not?” Hyunjin smiled to himself and put his hands on his burning cheeks.

Changbin clapped excitedly. “I mean, I can’t see why you two wouldn’t be together after graduation, you’re literally perfect for each other!”

Hyunjin went quiet again, lost in the thought of marrying Seungmin one day, until he heard a silent voice say his name.

“H-Hyunjin? Are you there?” the voice said.

It sounded strangely distant. “Am I imagining things, or did I just hear Seungmin’s voice?” he asked Changbin, who furrowed his brows.

“No... I heard it too,” he replied.

“Your phone, honey,” the voice said. Hyunjin looked at his phone that was still placed on the bed next to him.

It said ‘Seungmin’ on the screen.

“Seungmin?” Hyunjin asked, speaking into the phone this time.

“Yes, it’s me. You called me a few minutes ago but you didn’t answer me when I picked up...” the younger said.

Changbin curiously watched as Hyunjin and Seungmin talked through the phone. It must’ve been hard for him to believe that it was actually possible.

“Oh, I’m sorry, my love, I must’ve called you accidentally,” Hyunjin apologized.

“Don’t worry, I was waiting for you to call anyways,” the younger assured him.

“Changbin is here too!” Hyunjin announced excitedly and heard his boyfriend chuckle on the other end of the line as he greeted Changbin.

This phone call thing was amazing to Hyunjin. It was a crazy concept to him that he was able to talk to Seungmin even though he was on the other side of the world.

Suddenly, Hyunjin’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait, d-did you hear what we were... talking about this whole time?” he asked.

There was a short pause.

“Y-yeah...” Seungmin replied, his red cheeks almost audible.

Hyunjin’s eyes widened even more. “Um, don’t worry about what I said I-I didn’t... I mean, it wasn’t... you don’t h-have to–” he stammered nervously.

Seungmin chuckled at how flustered Hyunjin was. “Hyunjin, it’s okay! I... feel the same...” he said shyly, making the older smile widely.

They talked for a while longer before Seungmin had to hang up because he had to go somewhere with his family.

“I’ll call you again later,” the younger promised.

“Alright. I miss you... and I love you,” Hyunjin replied. He could perfectly imagine how red Seungmin’s face must’ve gotten because of that.

“I miss you too and I love you even more,” he replied.

Changbin playfully rolled his eyes at them as the call ended. Hyunjin let himself fall back on his bed, clutching his heart.

When he got back up, he was met by a pouting Changbin.

“What’s wrong?” Hyunjin asked.

“You got to hear Seungmin’s voice... it makes me miss Felix more...” he whined.

Hyunjin chuckled at his best friend. “Do you want to call him?” he asked, causing the older’s face to light up.

~
Felix was already fast asleep when the sudden buzzing of his phone ripped him out of his dream.

He sleepily reached for the device on his bedside drawer, squinting his eyes at the sudden brightness from his phone.

Unknown number.

Who the hell was calling him in the middle of the night?

“Hello?” he said, his voice sounding deeper than usual, since he had just woken up.

“Felix!? Is it really you!?” Changbin yelled into the phone, startling the younger.

Felix could also hear Hyunjin in the background, telling the older that he could speak in a normal volume. 

“C-Changbin? How– How are you calling me right now?” Felix asked.

“Seungmin bought Hyunjin a phone thing and I'm calling you with it!” Changbin explained excitedly. 

Felix smiled. “I see~ Why are you calling?” he asked, happy to finally talk to his boyfriend after three weeks. 

“B-because I... wanted to hear your voice... and because I miss you...” Changbin said quietly.

Felix smiled brightly. His boyfriend really never failed to make his heart race.

“I miss you too, Binnie... I should've missed my flight and stayed with you,” he replied.

“I wish I could see you,” Changbin added before Hyunjin snatched the phone from his hands. 

“You guys are so disgustingly sweet, I'm scared my phone will break!” he teased.

“No, give me my Felix back!” Felix heard Changbin complain in the background. He couldn't help but laugh at those two fighting over the phone.

“Alright, alright, at least let me say goodbye to him!” Changbin said.

Felix heard shuffling on the other side, figuring that the two idiots were probably wrestling for the phone.

“Felix? Are you there?” Changbin spoke up again, slightly out of breath.

Felix chuckled. “I’m right here, Binniebunny,” he confirmed.

“Good... um, so... Hyunjin’s being mean, so I have to go,” the older said and Felix could practically hear the pout in his voice.

“I’m sure he’ll let you call me again if you ask nicely,” Felix pointed out.

Changbin snorted. “Or I’ll just turn him into a toad...”

“You wouldn’t! We had a deal!” Hyunjin shouted in protest.

Felix laughed quietly, careful not to wake up his family by being too loud.

“Anyway... I’ll talk to you soon. I love you,” Changbin mumbled, getting shy again.

“I love you, too,” Felix answered. Eventually, the line cut off and he settled back into his pillows with a huge smile on his face. He made a mental note to thank Seungmin for getting Hyunjin a phone.

Maybe someday Changbin could get one too and they could talk all the time.

He already couldn’t wait for school to start again...

Chapter Text

OMG GUYS! I am NOT season 2 is happening!

As promised it's called I AM!

After the long wait sis and I have finally decided to post the first one shot and we would love for you guys to check it out!

And while I'm at it: once again, thank you guys so much for all those reads, kudos and comments. I feel like my I can't express my gratitude to you guys enough! You are part of the reason why this story is still going on!

THANK YOU!