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Levi Schmitt did not like Quidditch. He went to a match his first year but could not, for the life of him, follow the action. He spent most of the time nervously watching the Bludgers, worried they may veer off course and hit him. Then, a Bludger did veer off course and did hit him, in the face, knocking his glasses off and down onto the pitch. He was rushed to the Hospital Wing and a new pair of glasses were obtained, but no one had forgotten this incident in the five years he’d been at Hogwarts. The game had to be stopped for a time and many people seemed to attribute this stoppage to the Gryffindor Seeker losing his focus and, ultimately, losing them the match. So naturally, everyone actually blamed Levi. Because of that day, Levi now had the cruel nickname “Glasses,” a sports band holding his glasses in place, and a dislike for Quidditch.
He had managed to avoid the game for the rest of his time at the school, until Casey Parker decided to try out for his house team in their fifth year. The Gryffindor Seeker had graduated the year prior and Casey saw his chance to finally make the team. He was observant, clever, and quick on a broom, making Seeker the best fit for him. Taryn Helm and Dahlia Qadri had insisted they go to the tryouts to support their friend and would not let Levi say no.
The four of them were an odd group because they were each in different Houses. Casey was a Gryffindor, Taryn was a Slytherin, Dahlia was a Ravenclaw, and Levi was a Hufflepuff. They had met on the train in their first year and all realized they had a lot in common. When Sorting took place and they all ended up in different Houses, Levi was sure their friendship wouldn’t last, but he was proven wrong when, the next day, all three joined him at the Hufflepuff table for breakfast. It became a tradition for them to share meals at the table of whoever arrived at the Great Hall first.
So that is how Levi ended up in the stands by the Quidditch pitch on a Saturday morning, when he could have been studying. He knew he wanted to be a Healer and, in order to achieve this goal, he needed to get at least an “E” on his five core subject OWLs. But he wanted to get at least an “E” on all of his OWLs. Because of this, he planned to spend as much time as possible in the library, studying. He decided to compromise and work on his Charms essay while tryouts took place.
This plan was a good plan. It would allow him to both study and support his friend. But when Atticus Lincoln, the Gryffindor captain, began to explain how tryouts would work, he realized this plan would not work. Link, as he insisted on being called, would release the Snitch at the beginning of tryouts and the Seeker hopefuls would all have to stay alert throughout the tryouts in an attempt to find and capture the Snitch. Whoever displayed the most focus and was able to catch the Snitch, would be given the position. So Levi would have to pay attention for the whole tryout.
Link set the Snitch loose and the five Seeker hopefuls rose up and began their search for the elusive ball. The rest of the team hopefuls were broken up into groups by position and instructed to fly a few laps around the pitch.
Curiosity got the better of Levi as he tore his eyes from Casey’s perch high above the pitch to review the hopefuls below. He recognized a few Gryffindors with whom he shared classes as well as a few in the year above him. Among those in the year above, he noticed Nico Kim, who had transferred from Ilvermorny that year. Not much was known about him or why he transferred so late in his academic career, but he had immediately made a splash at Hogwarts. How could he not when he had to take part in Sorting along with the group of first years. It was a comical sight to see such a tall, chiseled, almost man standing among the small and scared eleven year olds.
Levi found himself staring at Nico, who was standing with the Keeper hopefuls, and blushed when the other boy looked up and made eye contact with him. Nico held his gaze for a beat before throwing off a wave and smirk. Levi immediately ducked his head and buried it in his Charms textbook.
“Do you know him?!” Taryn turned to Levi surprised.
“No.” Levi mumbled.
“He seems to know you.” Dahlia chimed in.
“Everyone knows me. I’m ‘Glasses.’ It was only a matter of time before he heard that story.” Levi was still blushing furiously.
“He’s still looking.” Taryn said, trying to coax Levi out of his book. Her words worked and his head snapped up to find Nico Kim still looking up at the stands where Levi was sitting.
“He’s looking at the stands in general, not at me.”
“O-kay!” Taryn sing-songed.
Levi turned his attention back up to Casey, who was surveying the pitch with eagle-eyed concentration. He was determined to make the team this year and it was clear that he was the most focused out of the rest of the hopefuls. To be completely honest, Levi had no idea if he was supposed to just be watching Casey watch the pitch for this whole tryout. The other hopefuls had begun to take their laps around the pitch and they became hard to ignore, so Levi shifted his focus to them.
He watched a group of first years fumble their way around the pitch on a hodge-podge of school brooms and a group of Beater hopefuls who had to fly one-handed while holding bats in their other hand, with varying levels of success. When it came time for the Keepers to fly, Levi suddenly became very aware of himself. The hopefuls were flying level with the stands and could easily see those watching the tryouts. Not only that, but Nico Kim was already aware of where Levi was sitting, so he may seek him out on one of his laps. Levi self-consciously tugged on his yellow and black jumper, wishing, not for the first time, that his house colors made him look less like a bumblebee.
“Ugh, why couldn’t I have been a Ravenclaw? Blue is such a flattering color. Yellow is just… blegh!”
“What does it matter, hm? Trying to impress anyone?” Dahlia gave Levi a pointed look before very obviously turning towards Nico. Levi blushed and gave her a glare.
Levi knew he liked boys. He didn’t have any actual experience with boys, but he grew up with a huge admiration for Harry Potter that went beyond his contributions to Wizarding World. He found multiple boys in the school attractive, in a different way than he found girls attractive. The ultimate clue came when he had an ill-fated makeout with Jo Wilson, a Ravenclaw who was year above him, the year prior.
Jo had recently broken up with her Slytherin boyfriend, and Levi happened to stumble upon her in a rarely-visited section of the library. He engaged her in a conversation about Potions and somehow, they ended up making out in the corner of the library. Jo Wilson was a desired member of the Hogwarts student body. When he had told his friends, they all heartily congratulated him. But he had felt nothing while kissing her. He got major butterflies when Andrew Deluca asked him to pass the jam, but nothing when Jo Wilson jumped him in the library.
Knowing he liked boys made him all the more awkward around attractive guys, and Nico Kim was maybe the most attractive guy. He was also hoping to become a Healer, and many of Levi’s teachers had recommended the two get together at some point to go over their requirements. With Nico having transferred in with the American equivalent of the OWLs, the teachers thought Levi, one of their best students, may be able to fill in some of the cultural gaps that existed in his education up until that point. Levi tried hard to put off these meetings as much as possible because he just knew he’d lose his cool around the older boy.
“Oh, here come the Keepers! Wow, Nico Kim is fast!” Sure enough, Nico was already far ahead of the rest of the Keeper hopefuls, flying with the confidence of a guy who knew he was the best candidate. Levi found him mesmerizing.
After each group had made their laps, Link began the individual position tryouts. Levi tuned out as the Chasers worked to pass and shoot the Quaffle, choosing instead to focus back on Casey, who was making slow laps around the pitch, keeping his eyes peeled for the Snitch. The glittering ball had yet to make an appearance. When the Beater tryouts began, Levi held up his textbook to shield himself, not at all caring how ridiculous he looked. He refused to be caught unawares around a Bludger ever again.
While he was still hiding behind his book, he heard the onlookers give a collective gasp. He cautiously peaked his head over the book to see the Seeker hopefuls streaking through the air. Casey was in front of the small pack, evidently having caught sight of the Snitch first. Levi followed his friend as he soared through the air towards the Snitch. Eventually, he stretched out his hand and grasped the ball with a sure grip. Taryn, Dahlia, and Levi all immediately jumped out of their seats, cheering loudly for their friend who had just secured his spot on the team.
“Great job, Parker! Okay, Seeker hopefuls, you may all leave. Except Parker. Parker, stand over there with the new Chasers.” Link indicated the two new Chasers - Link being the third Chaser - huddled together on the ground.
Casey beamed as he floated to the ground and dismounted. Levi saw the Chasers all clap Casey on the back in congratulations. He also noticed Nico break off from the group of Keeper hopefuls to shake Casey’s hand with a wide smile. And maybe Levi imagined the quick glance Nico sent in his direction after the handshake broke off. Levi just blushed and hid back behind his book.
“Okay, great job Beaters! Flanagan and Simpson, join the Chasers and Seeker. Time for the Keepers! Can my new Chasers join me up here? We will all be aiming at the hoops with our Keeper hopefuls attempting to stop us.”
Now that Casey’s tryout had ended, Levi had retreated into his Charms essay, no longer paying attention to tryouts. He heard the occasional gasp or hiss when something extraordinary would happen, but otherwise, he was solely focused on work.
That is, until Taryn elbowed him in the side and hissed, “Here he comes! It’s your boy!”
Levi glanced up to see Nico taking position in front of the hoops. He could have sworn his eyes darted towards Levi in the stands and, apparently seeing him looking, gave a small smile, before focusing all of his attention on the three Chasers in front of him. But Levi could have also just been seeing things.
“He’s not my boy. We’ve never spoken. He barely knows who I am.”
“Uh huh. Which is why he purposely made sure you were watching him right now?” Levi blushed. He wanted to return to his essay, but Nico was magnetic and he couldn’t look away from the scene in front of him.
Nico was good. Not having watched the other Keepers, Levi had no one with whom to compare him, but he was able to stop each attempt at the goal with an easy grace. There was no way any of the others trying out had done that well.
“Great job, Keepers! Kim, welcome to the team!”
Levi gave a small smile. He knew he’d have to go to Quidditch matches now to support Casey, so why not silently support Nico too.
The girls tugged on Levi, trying to get him to join them out on the pitch to congratulate Casey. He hastily packed up his work and followed them down the stairs and onto the pitch. They ran at Casey and tackled him a group hug, all so proud of their friend for working hard and achieving his goal.
“I guess I’ll actually have to pay attention to Quidditch this year, huh?” Levi beamed at Casey.
“Not a Quidditch fan?” A deep voice sounded from behind Levi’s head. He gulped and turned around to find Nico Kim smiling down at him.
“Oh, uh, I, not really? I don’t… I mean, I haven’t… it’s not really my thing.” Levi internally berated himself for his stuttering. Nico just smiled wider.
“Well, you’ll have to come to our matches now. Support your friend. And I find I play better when there’s someone out there I want to impress.” Nico winked - winked - and turned to talk to Link about practices or something. Levi could not hear because all the blood had rushed to his ears and cheeks.
“Oh my, Merlin!” Dahlia exclaimed.
“First Jo Wilson, now Nico Kim. What’s your secret?!” Taryn excitedly questioned.
Levi sputtered until he managed to croak out a weak, “I don’t get it either.”
“Guys, there’s going to be a small party in the Gryffindor common room to celebrate the new team. Link said you guys could come, even though you’re from ‘rival houses.’ You guys in?”
Taryn and Dahlia enthusiastically agreed, while Levi warily nodded, not being the biggest fan of parties. Or Gryffindors, many of whom still brought up the ‘Glasses’ incident any chance they could. But, if his friends were going, he was going.
***
The four scrambled through the Gryffindor portrait hole and into the common room, in which the celebration had already begun. Casey was immediately snatched up by other members of the team and left his friends with an apologetic smile.
“Hm, who let you three in here?” For the second time that day, Levi heard a deep voice behind him. He felt his cheeks flush before turning to face the owner of the voice, who was holding two bottles of Butterbeer in his hands.
“Casey got us in. As his best friends, we should be allowed to celebrate his accomplishments!” Taryn immediately went into defensive mode.
“Hey, no arguments here. Just don’t go giving out our secrets to your house teams.” Nico smirked and threw another wink Levi’s way. Levi’s knees buckled slightly, but he recovered before anyone could actually notice his awkward reaction.
“Don’t worry about that. None of us really care enough to sabotage you.” Dahlia responded. “Despite the stories you may have heard about Levi here.”
“Nah, I didn’t believe you meant to stop the game. If anything, the Beater who hit the Bludger is to blame.”
“Yes, thank you!” Levi exclaimed before realizing how loud he was and clapping his hand over his mouth in embarrassment.
Nico just chuckled and held out one of the bottles of Butterbeer towards Levi.
“Oh. That’s, uh, that’s for me?” He asked, grabbing the bottle. Their fingers briefly brushed in the handoff and Levi felt his heart rate increase.
“It’s a thank you. Seeing you in the crowd definitely kept me on my game. There’s no better motivator than trying to impress a cute guy.” Levi, who had been taking a sip of his Butterbeer, choked. Nico lightly clapped him on the back. “Hey, don’t die on me. I’m going to need you as my good luck charm moving forward.”
“Me?” Levi asked, astonished. He turned to see if Taryn and Dahlia had heard that absurd statement, only to find they had moved to a corner of the common room to surreptitiously spy on Nico and Levi.
“Yeah you. Like, I said, trying to impress a cute guy works well for me. So why not try to impress the cutest guy?”
Levi let out a disbelieving laugh. “Ha, I’m definitely not the cutest guy.”
“Agree to disagree.” Nico took a sip of Butterbeer while maintaining eye contact and Levi felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine. People never really flirted with him, especially not perfectly sculpted, widely athletic, and incredibly popular people.
“Well, uh, I’ll be at the games. To support Casey.”
“And me, I hope.” Nico pouted. Levi let his gaze linger for a moment on the other boy’s bottom lip.
Something emboldened Levi to attempt to flirt back. “I don’t know. You’re much too good. How would my fellow Hufflepuffs feel if I supported two members of the enemy team? Especially when one of them is expertly blocking their shots.”
“I’d like to think they’d recognized some things surpass house loyalty.” Nico gave a smoldering gaze, seemingly both surprised and delighted by Levi’s mutual flirtation.
Levi took a cautious step closer, so he had to look up slightly to see Nico’s face. “Oh yeah, what kind of things?”
Nico seemed to falter in his confidence, not expecting such a forward move by Levi. But he recovered quickly and gave a blinding smile. “Well, friendship, for one. And… things beyond friendship, as well.”
Knowing perfectly well what Nico meant, Levi decided to toy with him a bit, “Oh, Casey and I are just friends.”
“Hm. Good to know.” Nico gave a coy smile.
Before Levi could reply, two Gryffindor sixth years came up behind Nico. Recognizing these boys as two of the people who loved to bring up the ‘Glasses’ incident, Levi slipped away to rejoin Taryn and Dahlia. Before he turned, he noticed Nico throw him a desperate look, as though he really didn’t want him to leave. Levi gave him a reassuring smile, letting him know that their conversation would resume.
“Did you take some Felix Felicis today? First, Casey makes the team, then you don’t get hit by a Bludger, and now the super hot new guy is super into you. Can you take your OWLs now, because I seriously don’t think you can fail today.” Dahlia stared at Levi with a delighted grin.
“I… I don’t know what just happened.” Levi gaped at the two of them, just now realizing how flirty he had become. “He is super fit, isn’t he?”
Both girls vigorously nodded. Levi snuck a peak over his shoulder only to make eye contact with Nico, who seemed to already be looking at him. The older boy gave a confident smile, but Levi could see the blush high on his (perfectly defined) cheeks. Levi answered with a shy smile.
“I ship it so much.” Levi gave Taryn a shove, while Dahlia just nodded in agreement.
***
Levi was running late on Monday morning. He had meant to spend all day Sunday studying, but Dahlia had insisted they take advantage of the nice weather before it got cold and dragged their little group down to the lake. They did spend some time studying, but ultimately got caught up in just being together and spent most of the day hanging out. And maybe Nico Kim and some of his friends were also down by the lake. And maybe the two of them kept throwing each other shy glances and subtle smiles. But because he had not studied almost all weekend, he stayed up late on Sunday and missed his alarm on Monday morning.
He ran into the Great Hall, his tie not yet tied, and scanned the room to locate his friends. He noticed a dash of green and blue towards the front of the Gryffindor table and made his way over. Plopping down next to Taryn, he immediately grabbed a piece of toast and spooned some eggs onto his plate. He hear a throat clear and looked up. He was met with Casey and Dahlia both giving him pointed looks.
“Okay, I know I’m late, sorry! I was up late and missed my alarm, but I’m here now!”
“Why were you up late?” The voice came from his right, where he hadn’t noticed anyone sitting. He easily knew who it was, due to the deep tamber and American accent.
Turning slowly, Levi made eye contact with Nico. Unlike Levi, Nico looked perfectly put together with coiffed hair and a neat uniform. Levi self-consciously ran his hand through his hair, trying to calm it. “Oh, um, I was studying. And I lost track of time. So, up late…”
Nico reached up to brush some of Levi’s hair back in place and then moved his hands to Levi’s tie. Levi was certain he stopped breathing. “May I?” Nico lightly shook the tie.
Levi could only nod, his eyes wide and fixed on Nico’s face as the older boy expertly tied the tie and set it in place.
“Thanks.” He whispered.
Nico gave him a smirk, no doubt pleased with how breathy Levi sounded. “Anytime.” He grabbed his bag and stood up. “See you later.” He nodded at the other three and then made his way out of the Great Hall.
“Okay, how was that possibly so hot?” Dahlia gasped.
“Am I missing something? Do you two know each other better than I thought?” Casey, who had missed most of the pair’s interactions, was supremely confused.
“Oh yeah, Nico Kim is, like, super into Levi. We don’t understand, but we are not questioning it. Get on board the ship!” Taryn explained.
Casey nodded, “Yeah, I can get on board. How does Levi get all the hot people?”
Levi groaned while Dahlia exclaimed, “I know, right?!”
***
The rest of the week past with few interactions with Nico. They passed each other in the halls, during which Nico always made it a point to say hi, and once did the awkward dance of trying to get around each other when Levi was entering Charms and Nico was leaving. It ended with Nico stilling Levi with a hand on the shoulder and stepping aside for him to pass. Levi had turned back towards Nico after he entered the classroom, only to find the older boy looking at him. He threw off another wink before making his way to his next class. Levi had made his way to his seat next to Taryn and immediately threw his head onto the desk and groaned out; “What is happening?!”
By Friday dinner, Levi had almost forgotten about the tension that somehow existed between him and the stupidly attractive sixth year. He was the first to arrive, so he found a spot at the Hufflepuff table that would allow for his three friends to join him. He was pouring himself some pumpkin juice when he heard someone sit across from him. He looked up to find, not one of his friends, but the very person he’d been trying not to think about.
Nico looked nervous. Had Nico ever looked nervous? “Uh, hey. So I’m told we have a trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow.”
“Um, yeah. First trip of the year.” This felt like an odd reason for Nico to sit with him, but Levi was not about to give up an opportunity to look at his perfect face.
“We had some place similar at Ilvermorny. A bit more No-Maj, er, Muggle, but still.” He cleared his throat. “Some of the guys mentioned that people sometimes take dates to Hogsmeade.”
“Yeah, I suppose so. I’ve never done that, but Casey took a girl a few times last year.”
“Right. You’ll probably be going with your friends?”
“We usually go together, so probably.”
“Cool, cool. Would you be opposed to going with someone else?” Levi furrowed his eyebrows. “Like, is it some friendship tradition to go together?”
“Not really. We just… do.”
“So if someone else asked you to go, you’d be open to it.”
“I guess. But no one else will ask me to go…”
“I, um, I’m asking you. To go. To Hogsmeade. With me.”
Levi’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead and he opened his mouth in surprise. “Me? You’re asking… me?”
“Yeah, I thought I made that fairly clear.” Nico looked nervous, as though Levi may turn him down and break his heart.
“I… me?”
Nico gave a nervous chuckle, “Yeah, Levi, you.” He placed his (large, warm) hand over Levi’s.
Levi gulped. “Um, yeah. Yes. Sure. I would… yes.” He felt utterly giddy.
“Really? Wow. Great. Awesome! Um, I’ll meet you in the entrance hall tomorrow at 10. We can walk over together.” He gave Levi’s hand a squeeze before standing up and making his way over to the Gryffindor table with a goofy smile on his face.
When his friends sat down a few minutes later, a dazed Levi informed them that he could not go to Hogsmeade with them tomorrow because he had a date. This statement earned him a cheer from the other three.
***
It was 9:30 on Saturday morning and Levi was having a crisis. Taryn, Dahlia, and Casey had come over to help prepare Levi for his day, all knowing he was going to be a mess. At this moment, he was second guessing every garment he owned, fretting about what to wear to Hogsmeade.
“But what if it gets too cold? I can’t just wear the short-sleeve shirt!” He was currently dressed in dark jeans and a black button-up shirt with short sleeves.
“So wear the jacket.” Taryn sighed. They had already been over this a few times.
Levi put on a tan bomber jacket that he rarely wore, but actually really liked. He surveyed himself in the mirror, not completely hating what he saw.
“I’d date you.” Casey piped up. Dahlia and Taryn nodded in agreement.
Levi let out a breath, “Okay. Let’s get a quick breakfast.”
The four made their way to the Great Hall, grabbing a spot at the Slytherin table. Levi was too nervous to eat more than a piece of toast and some pumpkin juice, but he was glad he got anything down.
At 9:57, he nervously rose and, with one last look at his friends, made his way into the entrance hall. He awkwardly stood a few feet outside the door, not wanting Nico to miss him. A few minutes later, his date was making his way out of the Great Hall. He seemed to be moving in slow motion. Levi took a moment to evaluate his outfit: black jeans and a maroon long-sleeve shirt. He drew looks as he passed between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, paying no mind to any of them because he had now spotted Levi.
A smiled bloomed on his face and he quickened his pace to get to Levi. Once he was right in front of the shorter boy, he breathed out a soft, “hello” and complimented Levi’s outfit.
“Hi. You look great. Too. Also. You also look great.”
Nico just smiled, grabbed Levi’s hand, and led him out the door. “I don’t actually know where to go, but I assume we just follow the crowd.” A large number of Hogwarts students were making their way to Hogsmeade on this crisp, October Saturday.
Levi nodded, “Yeah, it’s just up this way.”
They walked in silence for bit, but it was more of a contented silence than an awkward one. Levi smiled down at their joined hands, enjoying the sensation of the older boy’s hand in his. Nico had a larger hand than Levi and it had some callouses, most likely from gripping a broomstick. It was warm and strong and Levi never wanted to let go.
He was broken out of his reverie by Nico’s smooth voice: “So it’s your exam year? Any idea what you want to focus on for your last two years?”
“Oh, I, um, I wanna be a Healer. At St. Mungo’s? It’s what I’ve wanted to do ever since I was little.”
“No way, same! I actually transferred to Hogwarts because St Mungo’s is considered the best Wizarding hospital in the world and I have a better shot at getting a job there if I do my Healing studies in Britain.”
“Ah, that solves that mystery!”
“Mystery?”
“We rarely get transfers, especially so late in their schooling. A lot of people have been speculating why you came here now. Taryn was sure you had made too many enemies in America and had to escape to Britain.”
Nico let out a surprised laugh, “No, nothing too exciting. Just angling for a better Healing job.”
They had made it to the entrance of Hogsmeade and Nico took a moment to marvel at the majesty of the all Wizarding town.
“Wow, it’s so… cool!”
“Yeah, I guess it is pretty special.”
Nico turned to Levi with an embarrassed smile and confessed: “I know I asked you on this date, but I have no idea what to actually do here…”
Levi laughed and squeezed Nico’s hand. “We can just explore. Maybe get a Butterbeer at the The Three Broomsticks. I’ve heard Madam Puddifoot’s is a popular date spot, but Casey said it’s really… pink and frilly in there, so maybe we avoid that.”
“Okay. Well, lead the way!”
Levi giggled and pulled Nico towards Honeydukes. Apparently, American Wizarding sweets were different than the British ones, so Nico had a fun time examining all the unknown confections. He bought them each a chocolate frog and some cauldron cakes, which they split on a bench outside the shop.
Their next stop was Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, which had bought out Zonko’s Joke Shop a number of years ago. Nico was fascinated by the Skiving Snackboxes and almost bought a Fanged Frisbee, before being reminded that they were banned on the Hogwarts grounds. They noticed some fourth years eyeing them by the love potions and decided to make a hasty exit before they got any ideas.
They made their way to Dervish and Banges where Levi was almost enticed into buying a beautiful set of silver scales. He ultimately realized they were more fashion than function and moved on. Nico couldn’t help but give a fond smile at the fact that the only thing he was tempted to buy all day was something for school. Levi blushed.
At 1 o’clock, they made their way to The Three Broomsticks, both ready to sit and enjoy a Butterbeer or two. They found a small table in the back and Nico went up to get them their drinks. When Levi offered him some sickles, he insisted that Levi would get it next time.
The Three Broomsticks was bustling with business at this hour and Levi noticed many of his classmates eyeing him with interest. While he wasn’t terribly popular, he was never without at least one of his friends, so seeing him sitting alone was an odd occurrence. Pity turned to confusion and jealousy when Nico sat across from him and gave him his drink. Levi couldn’t help but swell a bit with pride at being the one to elicit such reactions.
“Merlin, this is way better than the bottled stuff!” Nico took another large gulp, leaving him with a foam mustache. Levi gave a little laugh, “What?”
“You have some…” he trailed off and pointed to his upper lip. Nico’s eyes dropped to it and darkened slightly.
“What?” He asked, rather breathy.
“Here,” Levi reached across the table and wiped the foam away with his thumb. Without even thinking about it, he stuck his thumb in his mouth to get the foam off. Nico gaped at him and his eyes darkened further. “Sorry, sorry! That was weird. You had foam. You could have gotten it yourself.”
Recovering quickly, Nico gave a sly smile. “No, thanks for the help. I can’t go looking silly today. There’s this guy I’m trying to impress.”
“Is it Hagrid?” Nico roared with laughter and Levi couldn’t help but join in.
***
They finished their Butterbeers and decided to get another round, if only to stay in each other’s company a bit longer. Conversation flowed easily, starting with them both discussing their motivations for becoming a Healer. From there, Nico explained how it felt to be so far from his family while Levi told the story of that first train ride when he met his friends. Nico regaled Levi with the story of the previous year’s Ilvermorny Quidditch championship game in which he had a record 83 saves. Levi didn’t know much about Quidditch, but he knew that was impressive.
When their mugs were empty and Levi had finished telling the ‘Glasses’ story from his perspective, they realized the pub had cleared out significantly. It was now 3 o’clock and most students had made their way back to castle. Nico gave a sheepish smile before offering Levi his hand and leading him out of the pub.
They walked leisurely back to the castle, both not wanting the day to end. Nico insisted that Levi come watch Quidditch practice the next day. Levi only agreed if Nico promised to study with him in the library after practice. He agreed with a smile.
Eventually, they made it back to the castle. They lingered in the entrance hall, until Nico decided he wanted to walk Levi back to his common room.
“Oh, there’s no need, it’s just downstairs by the kitchens.”
“I want as many minutes with you as I can get.” Levi blushed and nodded, leading Nico down to the Hufflepuff common room.
When they reached the barrels that signaled the entrance to the common room, they turned to face each other.
“I had the best time with you today.” Nico said with sincerity.
Levi blushed deeper and nodded, “It was… really great. I don’t have much to compare it to, but it was definitely one of the best dates I could imagine.”
Nico chuckled and brought the hand not holding Levi’s up to the shorter boy’s cheek. Levi inhaled sharply, greatly anticipating what came next. Nico leaned down and paused right before his lips could touch Levi’s. “Is this okay?”
“So, so okay.” Levi whispered. As soon as the words were out, Nico’s lips were on his. It was gentle, but there was a passion evident. Levi couldn’t believe how different this kiss felt to his ones with Jo. Those had been somewhat sloppy and felt… fine. But this? Levi was tingling all over and colors were bursting behind his eyelids. All too soon, they heard footsteps approaching and Nico reluctantly pulled away. Levi kept his eyes closed for a moment, before opening them to gaze into Nico’s eyes. Both wore a slightly dazed expression and neither could seem to look away from the other.
“So, we’re definitely doing that again.” Nico gasped out. Levi couldn’t help the giddy fit of giggles that overtook him. “Seriously, in all my years of magical education, that was the best magic I’ve experienced.”
Before Levi could respond, two second years approached the barrels, looking to enter. The two older boys muttered their apologies and moved out of the way.
“I should probably get inside anyway. I want to shower and get a bit of work in before dinner.”
“Yeah, yeah, good idea. But, I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow, yeah? At Quidditch?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Levi stood in his tiptoes to give Nico a quick peck before following the second years into the tunnel leading to the common room.
Maybe Levi Schmitt could learn to like Quidditch. If anything, he knew that the Seeker and Keeper were the easiest positions to follow and really, who else did he care about on that pitch?