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Joseph Ollivander has always loved Charm before he knows Arithmancy. So, every Thursday morning - in which he has Charm and Arithmancy class to attend - a glimpse of a spark in his eyes was shown. His spark of joy is spreading across the Hogwarts corridors.

His day always runs smoothly, as usual, and nothing special. Since he is the infamous renaissance man. He understands many complicated charms and uses them perfectly. He understands the complexity of the formulas in Arithmancy. He could already use nonverbal spells. He can make Felix Felicis if he wants. He remembers stars and constellations' names, including their position and surrounding environment. He also has outstanding performance on the potion subject, the subject which a Slytherin usually displays a very good result. And through Muggle Studies, he knows he enjoys coding and trying to befriend a muggle device called the computer.

The young Ollivander is also famous because of his charming visuals. His visual should be scored outstanding, with half of his long hair usually tied in a ponytail. If only he is not a wizard, he should be an actor instead. And if he is an actor, he should already be as rich as Nicholas Flamel. The most important is, that he doesn't need to be stressed because of the incoming OWLs like he is right now.

Being a fifth-year student, despite his outstanding or excellent scores in nearly every core subject, the pressure has consumed his time, health, and mental status. In short, he is stressed. Coming from one of the sacred twenty-eight families, he is not as confident as other people think he is. So, right after the night curfew started, you will could always easily find him focused in his tower of textbooks and parchments in the cold Slytherin common room.

–

Pike Saunders grew up with muggle parents and environment. The first time he came to the castle, he was mesmerized by the wonderful things in the wizarding world he had never known before. It never came to his mind that someday, an old hat will decide on his 7-year living place as a student. He loves Herbology and Astronomy. But, he has always yearned to take Muggle Study as an elective since his first year.

The junior Saunders grew up as a painter's son. He took his Father's genius gene in painting and art. In Hogwarts, he is famous because of his tremendous skill in a painting displayed on Muggle Art that is included in an elective he took, the subject of Muggle Study. In a short time, he got the title of "The Artist" from others.

As a muggle-born, he needs nearly no effort to excel in Muggle Study. Furthermore, he displays excellent performance in transfiguration. Even though he lacks wizarding experience, he mastered the material of charm and the history of the magic well. He is still astounded by the magical creatures he met in Care of Magical Creatures. And his two favorite core subjects have always scored outstanding every year.

People always think that the artist is a gentle and kind person with a warm aura that surrounds him. People tend to like him because he also valued fair play greatly. So, when he was selected as prefect in the fifth year, he tried to be as fair as he could be. He is also famous for his dedication and hard work. Almost every student knows how often he visits the library. As the OWL is going to come at the end of his fifth year, the library becomes the most visited place by him amongst the other places in Hogwarts.

–

Little do they know that the young Ollivander and the junior Saunders have a very close relationship. They are rarely seen together, even though they are both loyal visitors of the library and take the same elective subject, Muggle Study. Besides that, a Slytherin pure-blood has quite a rare opportunity to make friends with a common muggle-born.

Let's say only Sarabeth, the Gryffindor prefect and friend of Pike; Felice, the daughter of the Minister of the British Ministry of Magic that sorted to Slytherin house; Gwidon and Titus, a pair of comedic brothers who is Pike's best friend that comes from a poor pure-blood family; that know something happened between them.

So, when on an ordinary night Felice accidentally finds the junior Ollivander sneaking out from their common room after the night curfew, her reaction is as plain as mineral water.

–

Pike Saunders has always valued fair play, but not that fair if it is toward his charming boyfriend. Because of that, when he saw his boyfriend walking desperately past the night curfew in the corridor near the Hufflepuff common room, he quickly ran toward him and dragged him to the kitchen.

–

"Have you eaten?" the Hufflepuff boy asked.

"I skipped dinner." The boy with a bit of green accent in his sweater answered quietly.

"Too bad. The house-elf prepared a very nice meal."

And no answer from the other boy.

"Why? Is there anything that disturbs you?" Pike Saunders tried to ask again with a hand gesture trying to make the other calm. But silence is the only thing he got.

Then, he decided to hug his boyfriend as tight as he could.

The next minutes pass by with two boys hugging and sniffing each other's scent, sharing their body warmth.

"What thing is it, that makes my boy so stressed?" The artist asked in the middle of their hug, mumbling in his soft-tender voice.

It took a little time before the Ollivander replied "I don't know, I just… stressed."

"Why is it? May I know?"

Then the silence got them again before a deep voice heard, "Can we, please, stay in this position for some time? I need you, really."

And Pike Saunders nods and hugs his boy tighter.

–

"Have you calmed yourself?"

The Slytherin boy nods with a little smile.

"You can always tell me about your story, you know - Here is the leftover of today's dinner, please eat."

With that, Joseph Ollivander finally got his late dinner.

"How was your day?" is the question he asked while he ate his meal.

"It should be me who asked you that. But anyway, my day is okay and nothing special. How's yours?" The smaller boy replied.

"It was perfect if only my mind was under my control and stopped overthinking about anything."

"And why is that? From my knowledge, Joseph Ollivander is the most confident person I've ever known." Pike asked again while he picked some side dishes left on his boyfriend's plate.

It took some time before the young Ollivander replied, "I started to doubt myself. Can I pass the OWL? Can I do my OWL exam as well as I want? Will the result be the same as I expected? I know you want to ask me 'why' or 'how can you think like that but I don't know myself, just ask my brain. I just started to think about these, unimportant things, even though I know I have never failed my grades since the beginning."

"Poor my boy, why is your mind keep telling you this thing?" The Hufflepuff boy softly said, together with a head pat he gave to 'his boy'.

"As far as I know, Joseph Ollivander is the brightest student in the fifth year. He never failed his grade, loves every subject, and has a great interest in Arithmancy and Charm, he also excels in Muggle Studies while being a pure-blood himself. His grade is between an O and an E. He is the closest person to the criteria of perfect. So, why is his mind thinking so bad of himself lately?"

"Maybe, maybe I just feel that I don't work hard enough? I think my effort is nearly none and that will be not enough."

The young Saunders was confused. How could it be not enough?

"Why is it not enough? You visited the library more often than me, I know. You drown in your study materials every night in your house common room, I know, Felice told me. You often sleep late, you don't have enough sleep because you choose to keep studying, I know. Today, you skipped dinner because you were too occupied with your study target, am I right? And I don't know how many times you've skipped dinner, or maybe lunch because of the same reason. How could you think that those are considered 'no effort'? You have pushed yourself so hard recently."

"Am I?"

With a tender voice and a big smile, Saunders replied, "Yes, you've worked hard. You've pushed yourself so hard. As proof that you really work hard, you realize that our quality time has decreased significantly, isn't it? Not that I'm complaining, but Joseph Ollivander, who usually misses me and demands at least one hug and kiss every day, could restrain himself that much."

"Honestly, I'm surprised with that." Pike Saunders added.

Together with the last sentence, Pike said, Joseph's expression suddenly enlightened. It is like he got some new knowledge and said, "Now I know why my mind thinks about those unimportant things."

"Oh? That's fast."

And Joseph's lips landed on his boyfriend's thin lips. All so sudden that his boyfriend's eyes widened and almost startled. The kiss started softly. Until it becomes wet and Pike's cheeks flush and ears turn red. One thing that Ollivander realized immediately, was that his boyfriend's lips taste as wonderful as usual, perfectly connected with his lips.

The pure-blood put his hand around his boyfriend's neck and pulled Pike closer to deepen their kiss. He watched his boyfriend with closed eyes. And one thing in his mind now, Pike's is so beautiful, even more beautiful with his pinkish cheeks. In this quiet space of the kitchen, far away from the kitchen's busiest spot, they can hear each other's hearts pounding, loud and fast. Joseph can also hear Pike's soft moan, the voice that he doesn't know he will miss this much.

The sound of the house-elf who happened to pass is the one that stops them.

"Why are you doing that?! There are so many house-elves in this room, you should restrain yourself better!" Pike protested while still panting heavily.

"You enjoyed it though. And now I realize that I miss you so much, that without you being my daily vitamin, I could be a mess. My mind turned into a mess I can't understand. After you said those things, I have a hypothesis that maybe it was because of our decreased time that turned me into this. That seems to be true since now I got my clear mind back."

Pike can only stare in disbelief. Can't reply with anything, his mind still occupied with the sudden kiss that he - refuses to admit - misses.

With a big smirk, the young Ollivander continued, "Anyway, can we kiss again? Now, with a hug, please?"

Too shy to give any reply, the prefect chose to say, "50 points deducted from Slytherin because of a student sneaking out from the house common room past the night curfew, and stealing leftover meals from the kitchen."

With no slightest worries painted on his expression, the taller boy - still - smirked, "and for stealing a kiss from this beautiful prefect of Hufflepuff."

FIN