Chapter Text

‘Min Yoongi hates Muggles and Muggle-born wizards,’ Junhong had said. And as he started involving himself more with him, Hoseok believed it. 

Which why the last thing Hoseok had thought, was for Min Yoongi to be standing before him, flustered and red-faced with a bouquet of sunflowers, asking him to the Yule Ball.

Hoseok couldn't be more confused. Hoseok had thought Min Yoongi hated him.

3 months earlier

Jung Hoseok is a very well-liked wizard in his year. Very well-known too, for he had almost fainted all throughout his first year at Hogwarts from all of the ghosts that kept giving him a fright.

He’s good-looking. With a firm nose, high cheekbones and a rather athletically built body that had developed marvelously after puberty. His skin was slightly on the tanner side of the spectrum but he didn’t mind it much, although his skincare routine was a must no matter where he was.

Personality was another point in his favor. As a Hufflepuff, he was sweet, caring and known to have a bright personality guaranteed to brighten anyone’s day.

Which was why it was an utter mystery to him why no one has as of yet asked him to the Yule Ball.

The Yule Ball was a formal Christmas celebration, which was held for students of Wizarding schools. Originally, it was held in honor of those who participated in the Triwizard Tournament, however, no subsequent tournaments were held after the well-known death of Cedric back in 1994.

After much debate, the Wizarding schools decided upon bringing the tradition of the Yule Ball back, thankfully not bringing back the decision to make it every few centuries. No, now it was every five years and Hoseok was luckily now a fifth-year and very willing to attend. It had been all that was talked about since the beginning of the year.

He had almost given up on going all together if it hadn’t been for the sudden letter that arrived that morning at breakfast.

At first, he thought it might be his sister. She was the only one who ever sent him anything since his mother didn’t know the know-hows of carrier owls, but then he took the letter from his owl, Mickey, and carefully opened the letter, reading its contents.

There, written meticulously with black ink on the parchment before him, were nine simple words powerful enough to bring a sudden glee to the Hufflepuff boy.

Jung Hoseok,

Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?

Hoseok’s eyes basically bulge out of their sockets. He’s ready to scream in excitement but before he can even think of it, the letter flies out of his grasp, poofs and in its place, a bouquet of flowers appear before him, landing on the table.

Sunflowers.

Hoseok wants to scream some more, contains it.

“Merlin,” he gasps, grabbing the bouquet and holding them up, a wide smile spreading across his face. “I just got asked to the Yule Ball.”

He had practically given up on going to the ball with a partner. There were almost two weeks left and no one had asked him. He had tried asking others himself, but most of his friends and known acquaintances were already paired up.

Across from him, his fellow Hufflepuff friend Kim Taehyung smiles at him, claps his hands together in excitement. Taehyung was the person who Hoseok had originally planned on going with, but Taehyung had already been asked by Ansel Elgort, a fifth-year Hufflepuff. “That’s great Hyung!” he says, boxy smile wide. “Who asked you?”

Hoseok opens his mouth to answer, shuts it immediately and blinks. “What?”

“Who’s it from?” Taehyung presses, eager to know and already searching the table for some sort of answer. And then it suddenly dawns on Hoseok and he very much wants to hit himself.

“Ah, shit,” he hisses, he himself unable to believe what he’s about to say. “I didn’t catch the name!”

Taehyung looks at him with his mouth hanging open. “You didn’t what?!” he shrieks. “Hyung!”

Hoseok looks at him sheepishly. “I got too excited?” he explains then groans into his hands as it really dawns on him. “Oh, no,” he groans. “This is bad. This is bad. I can’t believe I forgot to read the name.”

His one date and he made such a foolish mistake. Darn it. There were tons of students in Hogwarts. How was he supposed to find out who it was that asked him out so he can say yes?

Suddenly his head jerks up. “Wait. I know!”

He’s up on his seat before Taehyung can stop him, standing on the chair so everyone can see him. “Excuse me!” he shouts, getting everyone’s attention in the Great Hall. Luckily for him Hoseok wasn’t the type to get easily embarrassed under attention. Determined, he holds his flowers up, takes a deep breath. “Which one of you sent me flowers asking me to the Yule Ball?!” he asks. “I kind of forgot to look at the name!”

All he gets in response are a few snickers and a few good laughs. Some of the Hufflepuffs at his table giggle at his antics but no one gets up to say ‘Me!’.

“Aw come on!” Hoseok exclaims. “This is important!”

Again, no one replies. But the Headteacher does tell him to sit, to which Hoseok grumbles under his breath, but sits down anyway with a pout, now staring at the flowers that were just there to offend him.

“Hyung, I don’t think the person who sent you this is bold enough to stand up and say ‘I’,” Taehyung muses. Hoseok sighs, rests his cheek on his hand. “My guess is that if they had the courage to ask you to your face then they would’ve just done that rather than just, you know, send flowers.”

“Yeah, I guess,” he solemnly agrees, looking back at the sunflowers. He groans again, this time practically slamming his face onto the table. “I can’t believe I didn’t look at the name,” he whines.

“Yeah I can’t believe you didn’t either,” Tae comments.

Hoseok wrinkles his nose at him, tilts his head up to look at him. “You’re no help.”

The young Hufflepuff gives him a bright smile. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll ask around? Surely one of the ghosts may have seen something. Or,” he pauses to return to his plate of food, “maybe the person will ask again?”

That does help to raise Hoseok’s spirits a bit. In fact, he’s embarrassed to admit how giddy that makes him. He had an admirer. Or at least, someone who thought of him as a good partner for such a big event.

“Instead of asking around,” Hoseok suggests, “can’t you just, you know, poke around?”

His friend, knowing exactly what he means by it, gives him a blank look. Hoseok raises his hands up in defense. “Okay, okay,” he answers. “No poking around then.” A bit disappointed his friend was not going to make this any easier for him, he sighs. Props an elbow on the table and rests his chin on his palm, looks around.

If he took Tae’s words into consideration, then no doubt it was an actual admirer and not one of his friends. Made it all the more exciting.

What would the person be like? He wonders. Were they nice? Funny? Looks didn’t matter to him. He knew this was no Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, where all the students are known to be good looking. House didn’t matter much to him either. He’d just like someone he could have fun at the Yule Ball with.

Curiosity picks at him so much that he can barely touch his food, a grin plastered on his face.  

Eager, Hoseok can’t think of anything else but the thought of his mysterious partner asking him again.

* * *

“Wait, you mean you really didn’t see the name?” Kim Seokjin asks incredulously, on their way out from the Quidditch pitch. Both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had done a practice match against one another, Gryffindor beating them. No harm done, really. It was hard to get quaffles through Gryffindor’s hoops when Seokjin is their keeper.

Kim Seokjin was quite a sight to behold. He was a confident fellow and had all the reason to be too. The professors love him. He not only excels in academics, but also in sports, and physically you could not find a more handsome student in all of Hogwarts. He was quite broad, with extravagantly wide shoulders that did their part in a Quidditch match. His face reminded Hoseok of a mix between an alpaca and a deer, but even that didn’t really do justice in describing his friend’s face.

“Nope,” Hoseok says in one long breath. “And I regret it severely.”

It’s been two days. Two days and Hoseok’s mysterious Yule Ball partner has not made their presence known to him. Hoseok was getting anxious. What if his partner thought his spectacle at the Great Hall had been a rejection? What could Hoseok do if that was the case?

Seokjin hums as he puts on his cloak. Merlin knows why they still have Quidditch practice when it’s so chilly out. “And you don’t have any clue as to who it could be?”

Hoseok thinks on that for a few seconds, tilts his head to the side and tsks. “No?” he says, doubtful. “Most of my friends all have dates.” He pauses, strikes Seokjin a look. “Except for you,” he adds.

At this, Seokjin laughs, holding his broom out, ears turning pink. “Hey, I love you. Really, I do. But you already know who I’m going to ask.”

Right. Seokjin was planning on asking the Gryffindor prefect, Kim Namjoon, a tall, lanky fifth year known for possessing a brilliant academic mind that rivalled the famous Hermonie Granger’s and proved to be a gifted student in almost every subject that he studied.

Hoseok has chatted with Namjoon a few times. He had been his compartment buddy on the Hogwarts Express in the first year. He’s a nice guy, although a little off sometimes. A few times it seemed that he spoke in a language that Hoseok could barely comprehend, especially when it came to Muggle studies. Hoseok suspects that the reason Namjoon befriended him in the first place was because Hoseok was a muggle-born wizard, something that seemed to astound the Gryffindor boy to the fullest.

“Right. Namjoon,” Hoseok replies, feeling a bit disappointed. Seokjin would’ve been a great partner to the Yule Ball. He was, after all, undoubtedly the most handsome student at Hogwarts. Not to mention Hoseok got along with him quite well, although he told horrible jokes at random moments. “When are you going to ask him?”

Seokjin shrugs. “I’m waiting for the right moment,” he says to which Hoseok just gives him a droll look.

“The Yule Ball is in like two months. Almost everyone has been asked already. By the time your ‘right moment’ comes he will probably would have said yes to someone else!”

“I know!” Seokjin exclaims. “But I’m scared he’ll say no to me!”

Hoseok gives him a dry look. Honestly, he knew of no one who would ever say no to Kim Seokjin.

His brows press together, Seokjin pouts and crosses his arms. “I’ll wait for a sign or something.”

“A sign?” Hoseok muses.

Seokjin narrows his eyes at him. “Yes, a sign,” he huffs. “Something unordinary like seeing him wear some tight pants or something.”

It’s hard for Hoseok to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up. “Tight pants Hyung? That’s your sign to ask him to the ball?”

“Yes, tight pants,” the elder spats in annoyance. “I can’t think of anything else that would be more obvious and peculiar than seeing Kim Namjoon in tight pants!”

Hoseok laughs at his friend’s antics. Kim Seokjin was known for being dramatic. He’s about to tell him he should just ask him with a letter but lets out an “oof!” as he feels the air suddenly being knocked out of him. He glances down, sees a mop of black hair beneath his chin.

“Oh, sorry!” Hoseok gasps, taking a step back. “I wasn’t looking!”

The guy he rammed into lifts his head. Hoseok is faced with a pair of cat-like eyes on the pale-skinned boy, the skin was quite the contrast to his jet black hair, which just long enough for his bangs to fall into his eyes. Hoseok also takes note of his green scarf.

Slytherin.

He’s pretty, Hoseok notes to himself. Especially after he catches the guy’s cheeks turning a bit pink and Hoseok wonders if it’s from the impact of the guy colliding against his chest.

“Sorry,” Hoseok says again when the guy doesn’t answer. He leans down a bit to check on him. Was he a fourth year? Perhaps third? “Are you okay?”

The Slytherin boy takes a step back, his eyes wandering down Hoseok’s body before scrunches his nose and tsks. Hoseok frowns at the tsk. He’s about to ask what the guy’s problem is before the dude reaches into his pocket for something and then shoves it at Hoseok’s chest. “You’re sweaty,” he mutters before walking away, not even sparing him a second glance.

Hoseok blinks, looks down as the guy’s hand lets go of whatever it is he placed on his chest and grabs it.

A handkerchief. Hoseok’s mouth drop opens and his ears burn.

Seokjin is suddenly next to him again. “You okay?” He frowns when he sees the handkerchief. “Oh?”

Hoseok looks up at him, holds out the handkerchief to him. “He said I was sweaty and then gave me this,” he says. “What does that mean?”

 “My friend, it means you stink,” a voice says behind them. Both Seokjin and Hoseok turn around, see Choi Junhong walking up to them, a playful smirk on his face.

Choi Junhong was another muggle-born wizard. Coincidently from the same city as Hoseok. They actually went to the same academy, but Junhong being one year younger, they had never met until Hoseok’s second year at Hogwarts. Since then they’ve been friends despite being in different houses.

Hoseok frowns at him. “I what?” he asks.

Pointing in the direction that the other Slytherin boy had left in, Junhong elaborates. “That,” he says matter-of-factly, “was Min Yoongi. Slytherin. A bully.”

“A bully?” Seokjin asks, raising a brow.

Junhong nods. “I’m friends with a few sixth years that have classes with him. They say he’s a master of non-verbal magic, being able to do it way before hiss sixth year.” He leans in, whispers, “They also said he did used the leg-locking curse on a guy once during his first year just because he wouldn’t stop tapping his foot during potion class and conjured several frogs into another guy’s bed because he kept snoring so much.”

Hoseok and Seokjin both raise their brows. Junhong takes in their expressions, smirks and nods to the handkerchief. “I’d throw that away if I was you,” he says. “Min Yoongi is pretty blunt about the things he hates.”

“Then he would’ve told me if I stink,” Hoseok points out, “but all he did was give me a handkerchief and said I’m sweaty.”

Junhong gives him a shrug. “Take it however you want to take it,” he says, crossing his arms behind his head and grinning at them both. “If I were you though, I’d throw it away before it transforms into a snake or something. Min Yoongi hates Muggles after all. Plus he’s always hanging around Shin Donghyuk. So that ought to tell you something.”

Hoseok shudders. Shin Donghyuk was a pure-blood Ravenclaw boy in Hoseok's year. One who’s hell-bent on making Hoseok’s time at Hogwarts the most miserable years of his life. Hoseok’s first year had not been very pleasant due to the guy. They had gotten along great for a few hours before the sorting ceremony, but then Donghyuk was sorted into Ravenclaw and Hoseok into Hufflepuff and then Donghyuk had started looking at him like crap under his shoe.

As Junhong walks away, Hoseok glances back down at the handkerchief. He’s not really one to judge another person’s character without at least having a previous interaction with the person. And of course, rumors are rumors but if this Min Yoongi fellow was friends with Shin Donghyuk then surely Hoseok has reason to be wary. Junhong has no need to warn him if he really didn’t have to be cautious of the guy.

“I’m sure he’s just exaggerating,” Seokjin speaks up, bringing Hoseok out of his daze. “You know how rumors are around here.”

“Right,” Hoseok replies, nodding.

Looking back down at the handkerchief, Hoseok can’t help but note how nicely folded and pressed it is. If he was really a bully, he wouldn’t give Hoseok something so well taken care of. And if it had some sort of charm or curse on it, it would’ve been casted already, but it appeared to be just a simple, elegant handkerchief.

Which was why he doesn’t think this Min Yoongi was of bad character. And, honestly, Hoseok was thankful for something to wipe his face with. So despite his younger friend’s warnings, he does use the handkerchief. The material is soft against his face and even smells a bit nice, somewhat like a bit of mint.

Hoseok brings it upon himself to return it nice and clean.

* * *

It wasn’t till the next morning on his way to the Great Hall that Hoseok sees Min Yoongi again. And it was a good thing too because Hoseok had incanted a quick cleaning spell the night before to get rid of the sweat from the handkerchief he had borrowed.

Now Hoseok was determined to give the object back and, at the very least, thank the older boy for giving it to him in the first place.

He ponders as to how he should go about this. He could just send the handkerchief with a spell of some sort. Or even via owl. But Hoseok can’t help but admit he’d rather do it himself. A part of him was a bit curious of the boy’s character and his intentions.

So thus, the first thing he does upon entering the Great Hall was walk straight to Slytherin’s table, stopping right behind that mop of black hair. Luckily for him, there weren’t many other students in the Great Hall as of yet, so he didn’t have to worry about any teasing or remarks from any assholes.

One Slytherin boy does notice him walk up, the others being too emerged in their conversation to pay the Hufflepuff boy any mind. This silver-haired boy, however, tilts his head as Hoseok walks up, raises a curious brow at him. Beside him sits a ghost. One with blank staring eyes and blood-stained robes who also watches Hoseok come up. Hoseok gives them both a nervous smile and clears his throat.

“Excuse me,” he says, “Min Yoongi-ssi?”

He swears he sees Min Yoongi flinch at the sound of his voice but chooses not to comment on it. Instead, he waits patiently for the black-haired Slytherin to turn around to face him. And it takes a few seconds but Min Yoongi does finally turn around. His cheeks are red again. And Hoseok wonders if maybe he’s embarrassed that he got caught a bit off guard. 

As the Slytherin looks up at him, Hoseok doesn’t really know why his heart is suddenly racing. Maybe it was because Min Yoongi has this very peculiar gaze, one that is very intense and makes Hoseok feel small. Still, regardless of the older boy’s intimidating gaze, Hoseok had something he came to do and was set on completing it.

Heart hammering against his chest, he quickly holds out the handkerchief. “I, uh, cleaned your handkerchief,” he stammers. “Thank you for letting me borrow it.”

Min Yoongi’s reaction is a bit slow. He blinks and stares at Hoseok as if he grew two antennas, then he stares down at the handkerchief in Hoseok’s hands.

“I—”

A burst of laughter from across the table interrupts them. Hoseok jumps and immediately his gaze switches from Min Yoongi to the silver-haired Slytherin boy sitting in front of him. The kid has made an emphasis of crawling into a small ball on the bench and throwing his head back as he keeps laughing.

“Hyung gave you a hankie?” the boy asks through his wheezes. “You gave him a hankie?!” he asks then to the other Slytherin boy.

Min Yoongi lowers his head. “Jimin…” he groans but the boy —Jimin— doesn’t make an attempt to stop. Hoseok just stares between them feeling very confused at the exchange.

‘Jimin’ is suddenly up from his seat, practically on top of the table now and snatches the handkerchief from Hoseok’s hand, to which Min Yoongi shouts.

“Yah! Park Jimin!”

Park Jimin isn’t paying him any attention. Instead, he’s eyeing the handkerchief front and back, unfolding it till he sees something that lights his eyes up and bursts out giggling. “Merlin!” he shouts, turning it towards Min Yoongi. “Ah, I'm going to tell Jeonggukkie! He'll have a good laugh with this!”

There seems to be an inside joke that Hoseok doesn’t seem to be getting. Silently confused, he watches the interaction between the two. Specifically, Min Yoongi standing up and trying to snatch the handkerchief back from the other, face red in anger. Feeling a bit out of place, Hoseok glances back at the Hufflepuff table, sees Taehyung is looking at him worriedly. He should head back soon before he comes over to see what the fuss is about.

“Hey, hey, Hoseok-ssi!” Hoseok turns back to Park Jimin. The boy is grinning at him excitedly like a Cheshire cat. “Are you going to—mmpf!”

Min Yoongi has taken his wand out and chants a quick Silencio to muffle the other’s voice and then with a hand on his face pushes him back to the ground. The handkerchief flies out of Park Jimin’s grasp and flows down to Hoseok’s feet.

Normally Hoseok isn’t good at reading the atmosphere but something was telling him that he should definitely make his way back to his house’s table. Before that though, he bends down and picks up the handkerchief, tries dusting it off a bit.

“Um,” —Yoongi turns to look at him, Hoseok unconsciously flinches— “I should get going now,” he says quickly. Bowing and holding out the handkerchief to the older boy. “Anyway thanks for the handkerchief.” He smiles, smiles widely, hoping to convey his gratitude enough. Most people would say it was an unnecessary action because a quick spell got you dry quicker, but Hoseok being a Muggleborn, he appreciates the small non-magical actions as well.

For a few passing seconds, Min Yoongi is silent. Does nothing more than just stare at him. His eyes flicker from Hoseok to the handkerchief before his face changes and he’s now scowling. “Did you um…check it properly?” he asks slowly.

For moment, Hoseok blinks, then seems to get it. “Ah, yes,” he answers, still smiling. “I used a cleaning spell. So it's pretty spotless.”

“A cleaning spell,” Min Yoongi repeats, eyes dead set on the Hufflepuff.

“Yeah...” He replies slowly. Hoseok suddenly feels like he maybe did something wrong. “I used Tergeo.”

The silence that follows is rather uncomfortable. Min Yoongi stares at him, eyes unreadable and then Hoseok winces when the boy makes a sound under his breath. Lowering his head, Min Yoongi looks at the handkerchief in his hand as if it has offended him. “Fuckin’ stupid,” he grunts as he hands it back. “Keep it.” 

Hoseok owlishly blinks. The handkerchief is being shoved in his hand again and Min Yoongi is now walking away from him, face red and Hoseok suddenly wonders what the hell just happened and if he did something to make the other guy mad. Was Tergeo not a good cleaning incantation? Did it not make it clean enough? Hoseok really feels like he’s missing the point here.

“Hey,” Hoseok calls after him, confused. “Hey, wait a minute!”

He doesn’t know what happened, doesn’t know how it happened. All he knows is that one second his hand is reaching out for the Slytherin boy and grabbing him by the cloak and in the next second he sees the boy’s foot fly into the air. By the time Hoseok has blinked, he sees Min Yoongi falling to the ground flat on his back.

Many students in the hall start whistling and laughing, specifically those from the Gryffindor table who are standing on their toes, pointing fingers at the fallen Slytherin.

Hand still grabbing the other’s cloak, Hoseok quickly lets go of it as if it burned him then proceeds to stare at the unmoving Slytherin boy like a deer caught in headlights.

D-did…did he do that?

Cautiously, he leans in over the Slytherin boy’s head. He’s okay, right? Hoseok didn’t like, accidentally knock him out or anything?

His questions are answered when the boy’s eyes snap open, Hoseok lets out a tiny squeal. Min Yoongi stares up at him, eyes suddenly narrowing, followed by a tsk as he pushes himself up.

Hoseok moves out of his way. Min Yoongi doesn’t even look at him and Hoseok feels very bad about all of this and hopes he didn’t hurt the guy or anything.

“Um,” —Min Yoongi turns around and Hoseok involuntarily winces under his stare— “Sorry,” he says honestly, stomach turning. “I didn’t mean to.”

Min Yoongi doesn’t say a word to him. He just clutches at his robes and turns around. Hoseok swears he hears him say something under his breath as he walks away, but doesn’t quite catch what it was.

“Aish, that guy,” Park Jimin says next to him, putting his wand away now that he undid the Silencio. “He’s so dramatic.”

Hoseok doesn’t say anything. Looking down at the handkerchief in his hand, now wrinkled up with a bit of dust, he wonders if maybe he should’ve just originally sent it via owl.

“Don’t worry about giving that back,” Park Jimin tells him, looking over his arm. “Knowing Yoongi-hyung, he’d want you to keep it.”

He doesn’t give Hoseok a chance to ask what that means. He just runs off telling Hoseok that it was nice to meet him and that he’ll talk to Yoongi, leaving Hoseok just as confused as before.

As he makes his way to the Hufflepuff table, Hoseok neatly folds the handkerchief and stuffs it into his pocket, taking a seat next to Taehyung who eyes him curiously.

“You okay, Hyung?” Taehyung asks, looking in the direction Hoseok had come from. “What were you doing over there anyway?”

Hoseok doesn’t answer, knowing he doesn’t have to since it’s Taehyung. Instead, he just eats in silence, pondering over what had just happened. Wonders if maybe, there’s a chance that Min Yoongi doesn’t like him very much. And that frightens him to a point. Knowing that he has a new potential enemy in the Slytherin house to worry about.

Taehyung, thankfully doesn’t comment on any of Hoseok’s troubling thoughts. And Hoseok is thankful for that.

* * *

In his free time, Hoseok enjoys going to the Hogwarts Library to read a few poetry books, a trait he got from his father who is a Muggle that teaches Korean Literature at a Muggle school.

Although Hoseok doesn’t necessarily find Korean poems, the poems written by great wizards were interesting enough. Enough to pass the time.

So he heads down the corridor of the first floor, entering the vast room with his beloved shelves of books. He had a few good hours before 8:00 pm, just enough time to search for a few books and then sit down to read them in silence.

Immediately, he heads to the poetry section. It doesn’t take him long to grab a few books he hasn’t read yet and then walk down towards one of the empty tables.

He’s about to sit down when a soft grunt catches his attention to the left. Hoseok turns his head, sees a small figure stretching to reach a book a bit too high up for his reach.

The image before him is a bit laughable really. Seeing the boy on his tip-toes, hand stretched out and fingers barely even touching the book he wants to obtain. It’s enough to make Hoseok giggle. It was almost as if the boy had momentarily forgotten he was a wizard capable of just casting a spell to get the book.

Amused, Hoseok pulls his wand out, whispers a quick “Wingardium Leviosa” to pull the book out, levitating it right into the small boy’s hands.

The book falls into the boy’s hands and he seems to just stare at it for a few seconds before he starts to look around him and Hoseok finally catches sight of his face.

Min Yoongi.

Their eyes meet and Hoseok swallows his momentary fear to try to grin at him. Min Yoongi, however, just jerks his head away, clutching the book to his chest and starts scurrying down the aisle. Hoseok watches him go. From where he sits it looks like the Slytherin boy is waddling away like a penguin and now he’ll probably never be able to look at the other boy again without having that image pop up in his head.

Giggling to himself, he returns to his book, skipping the warning in the beginning and going straight for poem number one.

Poem number twelve was occupying his time when he hears someone clears his throat next to him. Hoseok looks up, sees Min Yoongi staring at him with only that one book in hand. The raven-haired boy isn’t looking at him, more like glaring at a spot on the table. Hoseok closes his book, cautiously raises a brow.

“Yes?” he asks.

“I left my wand,” he mumbles. Softly, so that Madam Irma Pince couldn’t hear them. “Do you mind helping me get a few books down?”

What kind of wizard just leaves his wand behind? Hoseok wonders. Still, he’s immediately up to his feet. On one hand, it’s not like him to reject someone when they ask for his help. On another hand, this is a good chance to make amends with the boy. “Sure!”

From her desk, Madam Pince hisses at him to be quiet. To which Hoseok flinches and apologizes, blushing. Min Yoongi doesn’t comment on it.

Instead, he starts walking and Hoseok follows behind him. Down the row of books, Yoongi points out a few specific ones, mumbling their name under his breath so Hoseok can use his wand to get them down. The whole time, Min Yoongi doesn’t look at him, and Hoseok wonders if he hates having to ask for a Muggle’s help.

He hates Muggles, Hoseok recalls Junhong saying. Yeah, asking a Muggle-born wizard for help must be embarrassing. Especially one who embarrassed you in front of everyone in the Great Hall.

Once Min Yoongi is up to his neck in books, he tells Hoseok that it’s enough and Hoseok nods to him, smiles and heads back to his table before Yoongi can mutter a thank you. Not that Hoseok thinks he would. He also wouldn’t want him to force himself. It’s not like him to make people uncomfortable.

Opening his book again to where he left off, Hoseok steals one last glance towards the Slytherin boy only to find him still standing where he had left him, glancing around the place and it’s then that Hoseok notes that all the tables are practically full except for his.

“You can sit there,” Hoseok says kindly, giving him the best smile he can muster. “I won’t make a noise.” Min Yoongi makes a face that the other can’t really read. “Or…I can leave?” he suggests, getting his book and standing. “If that’ll make you feel better?”

The boy grunts. “Stay.”

Hoseok immediately sits back down.

Min Yoongi takes a seat in front of him, sets his books down and pulls out a roll of parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink. Hoseok tries to go back to concentrating on poem number twelve but instead finds himself occasionally peeking up from his book. Min Yoongi’s brows are pressed together reading, quill taking notes on one of the parchment sheets.

Does he have an assignment due? Hoseok wonders. Maybe a potion he must lookup for a class?

He tries to look at the names at the sides of the books, but Min Yoongi has them all turned towards him. Hoseok huffs a breath, then shakes his head as he remembers that he shouldn’t be bothering the older boy because he promised he wouldn’t make a noise. The last thing he needed was for Yoongi to dislike him even more. He was trying to make amends. Luckily for him, the library wasn’t really a place where you could curse someone or yell at them, so at least Hoseok knew there was no harm in sitting close to him.

After a minute of trying really hard to concentrate on the poems in his book, Hoseok finds himself staring at the Slytherin boy, again. This time because Yoongi seems to be muttering to himself, possibly reading aloud. And Hoseok finds it…endearing? Cute, really. Especially the way the elder’s mouth seems to purse out a bit, almost like a pout.

After a few minutes (seconds?) of that, Yoongi finally looks up, meets his gaze.

“You’re staring.”

Hoseok blinks, snapping out of his trance. “What?”

“You’re staring,” Yoongi repeats, cheeks pink. And, wow, Hoseok really has no way of getting out of this one because he was obviously staring at the guy’s lips.

“Uh.” Lucky for him, before he can think of a decent excuse Yoongi’s head is lowering again. Back to reading and taking notes.

Out of curiosity, Hoseok casts a brief look at the piece of parchment. The words are upside down so he can’t read what it says but— “Oh. Your handwriting is nice.”

Min Yoongi’s quill stops writing, his head slightly tilts upward, eyes wide and brows suddenly hidden under his fringe. There’s something indecipherable in his expression that makes Hoseok wonder if he said something wrong.

Oh. Right. He probably shouldn’t be talking to the guy. After all, like Junhong had said, purebloods didn’t like Muggle-borns talking to them. So maybe making small talk wasn’t the best thing right now to make amends.

To his surprise, however, Min Yoongi suddenly clears his throat, adding a “Thanks,” before directing his attention back to the piece of parchment in front of him. His hand comes up to fiddle with his fringe and Hoseok can’t help but just stare at him some more.

When you look at him from this distance, Min Yoongi doesn’t look intimidating. He has a cute button nose and small lips that tend to curve out like a cat. He watches him write and Hoseok doesn’t take back what he said before about Yoongi’s writing. It is nice. Hoseok finds that he likes the way his hand holds the quill, making him take note that the other male has some nice hands.

For some reason unknown to him, Min Yoongi suddenly stands up in that second, chair squeaking back so loudly several others near them shush them.

Hoseok blinks up at him, confused and ready to ask what was wrong, but the Slytherin boy was already picking his books, pilling them all up one on top of the other.

“Uh, is everything o—”

Before he can finish, Min Yoongi is quickly darting around the table and down the aisle of books till he’s completely out of sight. Leaving Hoseok to his own bewilderment.

Okay, Hoseok thinks to himself. Okay, what did I do now?

Maybe he had been all up in his space? Hoseok did feel like he had probably been getting a bit too close for comfort.

A thought quickly hits him and Hoseok is suddenly smelling himself, raising his elbow a little to see if he stunk or something. He had come straight from Quiddich practice, only having changed out of his uniform before coming to the library. Oh no, he must stink. He stinks and the smell was probably all up in Min Yoongi’s space.

Wow, another reason for Min Yoongi to hate him. First, he runs into him all sweaty, then he cleans the handkerchief he loaned him the wrong way, embarrassed him in front of everyone and now he stinks up his study space.

Way to go Jung Hoseok. Way to go.

The quick patter of footsteps brings him out of his stupor and he cocks his head to see Min Yoongi running back towards him with only one book in hand.

 “Sorry,” he says, lips curled and eyes down. “I, uh, took it with me,” he says, cheeks red.

It takes Hoseok a few seconds to realize what the other means. And for some reason, he looks down at the table. “Oh,” he says, just now realizing that the other was right. His poetry book wasn’t there anymore, now in the hands of the elder Slytherin boy. “Oh, that’s okay,” he says genuinely. “I didn’t even notice.”

Min Yoongi doesn’t say anything. He just stares at the Hufflepuff boy with an unreadable expression on his face. Hoseok bites his lip, squirming a bit in his seat under the other’s gaze.

“Um sorry,” he says nervously, “did you want it?”

That seems to snap the raven-haired boy out of it, makes him shake his head. “Here,” he says suddenly. Next thing Hoseok knows, the book is being shoved at him and Min Yoongi is running away from him again. Leaving Hoseok, once again, very confused.

He shakes it off. Pretends that it must be nothing and reaches to open the book when a new voice startles him and makes him jump in his seat.

“That was…interesting.”

Hoseok turns around, tries really hard not to yelp considering he’s in the library and people are studying. Namjoon is suddenly standing behind him, peering from behind the shelf to Hoseok’s right. Hoseok wonders how long he’s been standing there. Why he’s standing there and only one thought can really come to his mind.

“Were you spying on us?”

Namjoon seems taken aback by the remark, yet has the decency to look a bit sheepish. “I, uh, yeah. Sorry,” he stutters, pushing his glasses up his nose. The ones he only wears to read. “I just didn’t want to interrupt your flirting.”

Hoseok looks baffled. “Huh? I wasn’t flirting.”

Namjoon frowns, puzzled. “Really?” he asks, looking back to where Min Yoongi had previously been sitting. “So telling a guy he has nice hands isn’t flirting?”

“I didn’t—oh,” —Hoseok’s eyes suddenly go very wide, cheeks red as it dawns on him— “I said that?” Namjoon nods. “Out loud?”

Joon raises a brow. “You mean you didn’t mean to?”

“I barely know him,” Hoseok protests, ears burning. And yet you told him he has nice hands. Great. He’s going to think Hoseok is a freak. Totally the opposite of making amends.

“Hasn’t stopped anyone from flirting before,” Namjoon casually points out.

“He hates me,” Hoseok whines. Now there was a possibility he hated him even more.

This surprises Namjoon. “He does?”

Hoseok furiously nods his head then sighs. “Yeah.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive,” Hoseok assures. “Were you not at the Great Hall the other day when I somehow made him fall on his back in front of everyone?”

“I sort of forget to eat breakfast sometimes,” Namjoon admits sheepishly.

Hoseok doesn’t comment on that. “Well, yeah. So after that, I’m pretty sure he hates me.”

“Well,” Namjoon says, opening up his own book and pulling out his quill and parchment from his cloak, “that sucks for him I guess.”

Hoseok hums, not really knowing what he means.

They sit in silence for a few seconds. Namjoon reads the book he brought while Hoseok just stares at the cover of his when an idea suddenly pops into his head and brings a mischievous grin to his lips.

Elbow propped on the table, he leans in slowly. “Hey, Namjoon-ssi.”

“Yeah?”

“You wouldn’t happen to own tight pants or something of the like, right?”

Namjoon answers without looking up from his book. “I have those black leather pants you gave me because they were too long for you.”

Dawon, Hoseok’s sister, had sent those last year. He recalls Namjoon trying them on at the beginning of the year, smiles to himself. They were perfect. “Well we have tomorrow off,” he comments casually, “You should wear them.”

Namjoon finally looks up from his book, brows pushed together. “Why would I do that?”

“Cause I’m sure they’ll make your legs look great.”

“I’m tending to the Nifflers all day tomorrow,” Namjoon replies. “I don’t need my legs to look great.” He goes back to his book. It’s the same one Hoseok always sees him reading, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’.

“Besides,” the Gryffindor boy adds, not looking up from his book, “Nifflers tend to scurry and cause trouble and wearing tight pants knowing I’ll be chasing after them doesn’t seem like something very practical.”

“Yes, but if you wear them something interesting might happen,” Hoseok counters, poking at the Gryffindor’s sense of adventure. “Something very, very exciting.”

At this, Namjoon’s eyes dart up to him, curious and questioning. Hoseok smiles, gets up to check his book out and take back to the dorms. “Just trust me,” he says with a wink. “And maybe a shirt that shows off your arms or something. What time are you going to be tending to the Nifflers again?”

Namjoon stares at skeptically. “After lunch.”

Hoseok clicks his tongue and throws a pair of finger guns at him. “Gotcha,” he says and then takes his book and dashes to Madam Pince’s desk to check out without any other form of explanation.

And when he spots Seokjin in the hall the next morning, he giddily tells him that he has a surprise for him waiting in the Care for Magical Creatures classroom.

* * *

At this point, Hoseok is sure that he’ll not be attending the Yule Ball this time around. He has yet to be asked and already Hogwarts had scheduled a weekend trip to Hogsmeade so that students could go and pick out whatever they needed for the ball.

Yes, he could always go alone but that wasn’t exciting.

Hoseok had not planned on going to Hogsmeade. What would he do there? Get jealous of everyone else that had dates? Unfortunately for him, Namjoon had insisted that he go with him to go help pick an outfit out and Jung Hoseok never rejects someone who needs his help. Especially when it came to clothes.

He gleefully learns that Seokjin had finally asked Namjoon to the ball and Namjoon, having no other person to talk to about it, had chosen to share his worries to Hoseok who honestly doesn’t really mind. In the back of his mind he high-fives himself for helping to make it happen. Kim Seokjin was such a coward that of course he would actually believe that Namjoon in tight pants was a sign for him to ask him to the ball.

“I really didn’t think he’d ask me,” Namjoon says sheepishly as he sits with him and Taehyung on the train. The latter reading some sort of Muggle book that he got from a friend. “Never crossed my mind. I honestly thought I was the last person Seokjin-hyung would ask.”

Taehyung snorts and Hoseok just grins to himself. Practically everyone knew that the famous Gryffindor Keeper was completely smitten with the Gryffindor Prefect. Everyone except Namjoon, of course, who was (apparently) only book smart and not smart whatsoever when it came to things like these. Ridiculous considering that Seokjin is known to sometimes be out pass curfew just so Namjoon can walk him back to the dorms, even if it did cost his house several points.

Namjoon catches their looks, frowns. “Really!” he huffs. “I thought he would ask Lee Jaehwan or Lee Junghwan! There were even rumors that he would ask Ravenclaw’s Seeker, Jeon Jeongguk!”

At that Hoseok and Taehyung both snort before they bust out into laughter. Seokjin and Jeongguk going together would be quite a sight. The two never stopped bickering. Little did Namjoon know that Jeon Jeongguk had actually been planning on asking him to the Yule Ball. But Seokjin had placed a bet on a Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw Quidditch match and won the rights to ask Namjoon first.

“How’d he ask you, Hyung?” Taehyung asks, setting his book aside and his eyes going wide with excitement.

The train is now rumbling louder as it crosses over the bridge and Namjoon squirms into himself, placing his hands on his lap and lowering his head with a blush. “I was, um, bent over trying to catch a Niffler and he suddenly came into the classroom?” he tells them. “He helped me catch the guy then made a comment on my pants and,” he blushes harder, “he sort of pinned me against the wall, you know like they do in those Muggle shows? And then, yeah, he asked me.”

Hoseok lets out a little snort. “Wow, leave it to Jin-hyung to be aggressive.” He gives Namjoon a teasing grin and a playful shove. “I would’ve been scared if someone did that to me.”

The Gryffindor prefect frowns. “Scared?” he says in puzzlement. “But it’s Seokjin-hyung. He’s nice.”

“Nice to you because he likes you,” Hoseok points out. “Have you seen Seokjin-hyung with someone else? Like with Jeon Jeongguk for example? Like that one time he—”

The door slides open, a head poking in. “I heard my name,” a sing-song voice announces, followed by a particular glare in Hoseok’s direction. “Were you three talking about me?”

“Just asking how you asked Namjoon-hyung to the Yule Ball,” Taehyung quickly replies, saving Hoseok from having to horribly lie. An act that he was personally not good at.

“Thanks again for inviting me, Hyung,” Namjoon adds, a soft pink tint to his cheeks. His gratitude distracting Seokjin momentarily from Hoseok as he practically melts and coos at the younger.

“Of course, Namjoon-ah,” the elder replies, practically oozing honey from his eyes. Hoseok rolls his eyes. “You sure you don’t want me to come with you to get your outfit?”

“Hoseok is helping, Hyung, it’s okay.”

Seokjin returns to throwing another glare in Hoseok’s direction. As if it was his fault that he can’t go shopping with Namjoon. Hoseok raises his hands defensively. “He asked me to!”

Seokjin ponders his response. “Fine,” he gruffs then turns back to Namjoon and smiles. “You get whatever you want, Namjoon-ah,” Seokjin adds fondly. “Remember, Hyung is paying.”

Namjoon flushes even harder, gives a tiny nod. “Thank you Hyung.”

With one last wink in Namjoon’s direction (and a glare towards Hoseok) Seokjin leaves to return to his own cart, closing the door behind him.

Once he’s out of sight, Taehyung stops suppressing a giggle. “Namjoon-hyung you have him whipped whipped.”

Namjoon replies by blushing and hiding his face in his hands. “I do not,” he whines as Taehyung teases him some more, singing some Muggle song Hoseok had taught him about kissing in a tree. “He’s just being nice!” At that Taehyung laughs even harder.

Meanwhile, Hoseok smiles at him, but the smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Looking out the window of the train, he sighs. He’s a bit jealous if he’s honest. The building of Hogsmeade are now in plain sight and Hoseok already sees several people wandering about from store to store. He’s jealous. They all must be shopping for an outfit for the Yule Ball. Unlike Hoseok whose secret partner has not asked him again.

Damn. Of all the dumb luck.

As soon as they’re off the train, they go straight to all the robe stores they can find. After all, both friends had invited him for this sole reason. And he’s not about to let Namjoon or Taehyung look like fools at such a big event that doesn’t come as often as it should. Not to mention Hoseok takes his role very seriously when it comes to fashion.

He’s not even halfway through the door when his mind is already working every idea out.

Namjoon would look great in all black, perhaps something that can show off his height. A sash would be a great addition to the look. Meanwhile, Taehyung could pull off more of a silver suit, maybe with a suit jacket that wasn’t so traditional.

Once he chooses their outfits, he sends his friends to the dressing room while he sits down and waits. His eyes start wandering about the store, eying all the other suits on the racks. One of them catches his eye.

It’s a simple suit but it’s made of pretty good material. The v-line of the jacket was a bit lower but he liked it. It would look good with a white button-up shirt.

He’s up on his feet before he knows it, hands moving to touch the suit and inspecting it up close. Behind him, the bell to the door jingles, announcing other customers. The shop lady welcomes them but Hoseok pays them no mind, eyes still studying the suit.

“Ah! Jung Hoseok!”

Hoseok turns around. Sees just a blur of silver and green before a smiling face is right there in front of him, invading his space. Hoseok takes a step back, recognizes the new face as Park Jimin’s.

“What are you doing here?” Jimin asks, intrigued. “Looking at suits?” His eyes go wide, his hands go to his mouth. A gasp leaving his lips. “Did you get a date to the Yule Ball?”

Under the Slytherin boy’s sudden interrogation, Hoseok holds his hands up defensively, cheeks burning as if he were caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. “No, no,” he clarifies. “I’m just helping some friends choose their suits.”

Park Jimin’s mouth purses into an ‘o’, then splits into a wide smile. “I see.” He points his thumb back behind him. “Yoongi-hyung and I are looking for suits too!”

It’s at that moment that Hoseok notices Min Yoongi at the door. He’s all wrapped up in a green scarf. One that basically covers up everything but his eyes. He looks cute. Like a wrapped up kitty. Hoseok wouldn’t have recognized him if it wasn’t for those eyes of his.

“Oh.” Hoseok looks between them. Yoongi turns his head to just stare out the window, paying him no attention. “Are you two going together?”

Yoongi’s head immediately jerks towards him. “No.” Hoseok flinches at his tone, feeling like he struck a nerve.

Park Jimin reacts differently. “Yoongi-hyung doesn’t have a date yet,” he whispers. And Hoseok nods in understanding. So he wasn’t the only one without a date yet. “Meanwhile I am going with Alec Benjamin.”

Ah, yes, the Ravenclaw boy in Hoseok’s year.

Jimin pulls away from him, smile wide. “So you don’t have a date yet?” Hoseok shakes his head. Jimin’s eyes appear to start gleaming. “I see. Well, no harm in trying on suits though, just in case, right?” he says, then sees the one Hoseok is eyeing. “Did you want to try that one on?” He squeezes Hoseok’s shoulder encouragingly. “I like it. You should try it on.”

“I—“

Park Jimin is already telling the saleslady to take it off the rack. “This one please!” he smiles widely. “I’m sure you’ll look great in this! Please try it on!”

Hoseok supposes he can’t really say no when Jimin is so eagerly insisting. Which is why he finds himself in one of the dressing rooms trying the darn thing on.

In the mirror, he sighs. What was he even doing? He doesn’t even have a date yet. It didn’t even matter how good he looked in this suit if no one was going to go with him. Still, he pushes the curtain back and reveals himself. Namjoon and Tae are with Jimin chatting away, all three of them stopping when they see Hoseok step out.

Taehyung whistles, raises a thumb. “Looking good Hyung!” he shouts, and Namjoon nods in approval next to him.

Embarrassed Hoseok steps out and turns. It really did fit him nicely. It was even his size too.

Jimin claps his hands together in approval and it’s when Hoseok comes to the realization that the boy was alone with Hoseok’s friends in the shop.

Curious, he glances around the shop. Where was—?

The curtain room in the dressing room next to his is pulled back, Hoseok turns and sees Min Yoongi step out in a black suit similar to his own. And as Hoseok eyes him some more he realizes.

Oh. It’s a matching set.

Yoongi seems to notice it too, for his eyes go a bit wide when they land on Hoseok’s outfit and almost immediately the other turns away from him not bothering to face him. Hoseok feels dejected. Was he laughing at him?

From below them Jimin lets out a squeal as he steps forward. “You both look great!” he exclaims. And Hoseok suddenly wonders how such a bubbly person was sorted into Slytherin. “Yoongi-hyung, look this way, I want to see you two closer.”

Min Yoongi makes a sound that sounds a bit like a groan and Hoseok sort of feels bad for the guy. Must be tedious hanging around someone you don’t like. Even though Hoseok doesn’t actually know what he’s done for Min Yoongi not to like him.

Still, everyone is entitled to like or dislike whoever they want. Hoseok understands that maybe he’s just a little over the top all the time and Min Yoongi seems more like the calm, cool type who doesn’t like to be disturbed.

Yeah, it makes sense.

“Actually,” Hoseok interjects, already taking off the suit jacket, “I’m going to go take this off now. I’m not buying it anyway.” He gives them a faint grin. “It kind of makes me a bit sad trying it on even though I can’t use it.”

A dead silence takes over the room and Hoseok can’t help but feel that he killed the mood a bit.

Quickly, he turns around and heads back into the dressing room, swiftly changing back into his uniform and leaving the suit neatly on the hanger before he goes back out to face the others.

After Taehyung pays for his suit (and Namjoon puts his on Seokjin’s tab), Jimin suggests they all head down to The Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer since it was cold out. They all agreed considering that a few of them were already hungry.

Hoseok is surprised when both Jimin and Yoongi drink their mug in one chug. He stares blankly until he realizes his mouth is hanging open, his own butterbeer not even one-fourth of the way down.

Jimin smacks his lips together, grins and points to Hoseok’s mug. “You gonna drink that?”

Pulling his mug away from Jimin, Hoseok glances at his two friends. Namjoon keeps looking around as if he’s expecting someone (probably Seokjin) and Taehyung keeps glaring at his butterbeer as if it has offended him.

“Take it,” Tae says, sliding his mug over to the young Slytherin. Jimin eagerly squeals and says something about how Taehyung is his new best friend.

Hand still on the handle of his mug, Hoseok watches the interaction curiously. Taehyung was always known for easily making friends, but sometimes it amazes him just how easy it is for him. Hoseok is always a bit worried he’ll scare people away.

With Jimin and Tae talking away about how they’re both the same age and take some classes together but have never actually talked before today. Hoseok turns to chat with Namjoon, only to see that he’s already chatting with Yoongi.

Cocking his head curiously, Hoseok tries scooting closer to Namjoon to get a better listen as to what they’re talking about. It sounds like, Muggle music? Was Min Yoongi into Muggle music?

Whatever it was, Hoseok is completely bewitched watching as the conversation brings a smile to Min Yoongi’s lips. One where Hoseok can see an adorable gummy smile that he’d never expected from the boy.

He’s staring. And he doesn’t notice it till Min Yoongi’s eyes dart to him, catching him in the act. Almost instantly, the smile fades from the boy’s lips and he looks away clearing his throat.

Oh. Hoseok doesn’t know why his chest suddenly feels tight.

“Hey Hoseok-ssi.” Hoseok turns to Jimin, whose cheeks seem a bit redder than normal. “You still don’t have a date to the Yule Ball, right?”

Hoseok answers by bringing his mug of butterbeer to his lips. “Right,” he says shyly, taking a sip. They’ve gone over this already, haven’t they?

“Well I have an idea,” Jimin says, elbow on the table and chin resting on his palm with a teasing grin. “Why don’t you go with Yoongi-hyung?”

At the mention of his name, Min Yoongi freezes, eyes suddenly going comically wide. Hoseok, on the other hand, is caught very much off guard.

“What?”

Jimin doesn’t even pause. “Go with Yoongi-hyung,” he repeats, words slurring a bit. “You’re alone, he’s alone. It’s not a bad idea. After all, he—“

“Jimin,” Yoongi says in a warning tone, “shut up.”

Jimin doesn’t shut up. Jimin whines. “Aw come on Hyung! Don’t be such a coward!”

“I said shut up.”

Frustrated, Jimin turns to Hoseok, narrows his eyes at him. “It’s a good idea, isn’t it Hoseokie-hyung?”

Hoseok doesn’t comment on the fact that Jimin dropped the honorifics. He glances around nervously as all eyes on the table land on him. Waiting for an answer. He glances at Min Yoongi, whose watching him with narrowed eyes and lips between his teeth. Hoseok honestly doesn’t think it’s a bad idea. After all, his mystery date hasn’t shown up since the letter and Hoseok really doesn’t want to go to the ball alone. But he’s also noticed that Yoongi doesn’t seem particularly happy about this arrangement and he doesn’t want him to feel uncomfortable. “Well, I—”

A slam at the table interrupts him, makes him jump and yelp before he can get actual words out. Suddenly, all of the attention is off of Hoseok and on Yoongi, whose brows are pressed so tightly together that Hoseok is scared a vein will pop.

No words are exchanged. There’s just silence as Yoongi throws a glare in Park Jimin’s direction before he shoots another one at Hoseok and then just turns around and runs out the door before anyone can call after him.

“Hyung!” Jimin is suddenly up on his feet. “Yoongi-hyung!” Hoseok and the others watch him get up and head for the door after him. Through the window, they watch as Jimin catches up to him, grabs him by the cloak and starts shouting at him, Yoongi shouting back, red at the face.

Their words are inaudible but Hoseok can imagine what they’re saying. Can guess why Min Yoongi is so clearly disgusted by the idea of going with him to the Yule Ball.

Mudblood, Mudblood, Mudblood.

“Hyung,” Taehyung whispers softly, reaching out and lightly touching his wrist. “Hyung are you okay?”

Blinking slowly, Hoseok doesn’t answer immediately. Just sighs. “Yeah,” he says.

“That was weird,” Namjoon comments absentmindedly. Hoseok is about to comment on it too until Park Jimin storms back into the pub and shoves himself back into his seat fuming.

He points at Namjoon’s half-full mug of butterbeer. “You gonna finish that?”

Namjoon slides it over to him. Park Jimin immediately takes it and gulps it down in one swing, slamming the empty mug on the table and wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

“Ignore that bastard,” Jimin hisses under his breath, eyes on Hoseok. “I’m sure you can find someone better.” His brows push tighter together. “Idiot. Can’t believe I’m friends with someone so stupid.”

Hoseok, confused, makes no comment. Doesn’t even bother asking. Glancing next to him he sees Taehyung’s brows shoot up, lips forming a small ‘o’ as if he’s figured something out. Hoseok doesn’t pry though.

Their little group outing is cut short when eventually Seokjin appears at the Three Broomsticks and oh-so-eagerly takes Namjoon with him, pulling the blushing prefect away with a teasing smile. Jimin and Taehyung offer to keep looking around Hogsmeade with Hoseok but Hoseok declines. Wanting a little time to himself to look around.

There’s honestly a lot of things that Hoseok always looks forward to when visiting Hogsmeade. One of them is visiting Honeydukes. Sure, he can buy some of their products on the Hogwarts Express, but there was just something a lot more magical about being inside the shop and looking at all the goods neatly piled up together shelf after shelf.

It was just what he needed at the moment to cheer up.

He expected for the place to be full considering that the majority of Hogwarts students were out and about but the actual amount of people inside were way beyond the numbers he expected. Hoseok pushes through those at the front door, squeezing till he makes it to the particular shelf of sweets he’s looking for.

At it he sees a familiar face.

“Oh hey Hoseokie-hyung,” Junhong says when Hoseok comes up behind him. “You craving sweets too?”

 “Chocolate bars,” Hoseok clarifies. “Been craving one for a while.”

Junhong makes a face. “Got some bad news for you.”

No. “No,” Hoseok whines, already pushing through the crowd. “No, no, no—“

There, clear as day before him, was his worst nightmare. A glittery shelf completely devoid of any chocolate bars upon its wooden planks.

Hoseok whines in despair.

Junhong places a hand on his shoulder sympathetically which does nothing to lift Hoseok’s mood at all. “Come on, Hyung,” he says, slowly pulling Hoseok out. “Let’s find something else you can buy.”

Thing was there was nothing else that Hoseok wanted to buy. The chocolate bars at Honeydukes were the closest thing to regular Muggle chocolate bars at home and held a special place in his heart when he was in a foul mood. It was the only thing capable of lifting his spirits at the moment and dammit, the shop was out.

As Junhong is pulling him around the store, Hoseok’s mood turns even more sour. No he didn’t want any Ice Mice or Pixie Puffs. Nor did he want any Sugar Quills or Toothflossing Stringmints. He wanted a Chocolate Bar. A nice normal, rectangular Chocolate B—

“Oof!” Hoseok winces as elbow runs into something hard. The hard object he hit making a noise followed by a thud on the floor. Hoseok immediately turns to apologize when he sees none other than Min Yoongi on the ground, scarf on the floor, and cloak sprawled out.

“Oh,” Hoseok says, then quickly snaps out of it. “Oh sunbae! I’m sorry,” he quickly shouts, not loud enough to attract the attention of the other shoppers though. “I’m sorry I really didn’t see you there! Are you okay? Did I hurt you anywhere?”

Yoongi only grunts, then Hoseok sees it, blood tricking from the other’s nose.

“Oh no,” he gasps. “Oh no, I’m sorry, I’m so sorr—here let me fix it!” he adds quickly, pulling out his wand and kneeling down to carefully wave it at the elder.

“Episkey,” he says and Yoongi blinks and winces a bit as the incantation works its magic on him. Hoseok waits patiently till Yoongi’s nose looks upright again and when it does Hoseok breathes out in relief.

“I am so sorry, Sunbae,” he whines, instinctively leaning in and cupping his hands over Yoongi’s in a way to beg for mercy. “I really didn’t mean to, I swear. I was just upset because the store didn’t have any more Chocolate Bars and I got so angry that I—aw, I’m really sorry.”

Yoongi on the other hand is just staring at him with eyes that are rather comically wide. Yoongi’s eyes dart from Hoseok to his hands and then he opens his mouth to say something and—

“Hey hyung, so I asked and yeah they said they won’t stock up on any Chocolate Bars till—oh.” Junhong stops, looks between the two of them a few times in blank confusion. His eyes then drift to where Hoseok has Yoongi by the hand and frowns. “Min Yoongi-sunbae,” he greets with a bit of distaste.

If Yoongi noticed it however, he didn’t comment on it. Instead, the older Slytherin clears his throat and slowly pulls his hands away from Hoseok’s to reach for his fallen scarf and stands. With a nod in Hoseok’s direction, the elder boy walks away, scurrying to the door and out into the snow.

Junhong huffs under his breath. “Wow. Prick.”

From the floor, Hoseok lets out a groan, drags his hands down his face. “Ugh, he hates me.”

“That guy hates everyone,” Junhong comments matter-of-factly. “Don’t take it to heart.”

Think was, Hoseok didn’t really think that was true. He saw him smiling with Namjoon. Sees him tease Jimin and has even caught him staring fondly at Taehyung. The issue was most definitely with him. And Hoseok didn’t really like being not liked by someone. Especially someone in his circle of friends.

“Hey.”  A pat on the back brings Hoseok out of his own thoughts. “The Hogwarts Express is leaving soon,” Junhong says, already pulling Hoseok by the arm, “we should go.”

With one last sigh inside the shop, Hoseok reluctantly follows his friend out.

* * *

“And then Jimin slipped on the ice and fell flat on his face! It was so funny!”

Hoseok chuckles as Taehyung finishes telling of his adventures through Hogsmeade with a drunk Jimin. Apparently Jimin was a funny drunk and not only very accident prone but also super clingy.

“I like him,” Taehyung says with a huge smile, “He’s a funny guy.”

“I’m sure he is,” Hoseok says good-naturedly, glad to see Taehyungie so excited about a new friend.

Smile still plastered on his face, Taehyung turns to Namjoon who hasn’t looked up from his book since the train ride began. “How was your date with Jin-hyung, Namjoon-hyung?” he asks, smile shifting into something teasing, brows wiggling.

Namjoon seems to cough on air for a moment, ears burning red. “It was nice,” he says, voice low and not looking at either of them. “Jin-hyung is nice,” he adds, although no one asked for details about that.

Taehyung and Hoseok give each other a knowing look, but neither of them say a word knowing how shy Namjoon was. So Taehyung decides to shift the topic of conversation.

“What did you do Hoseokie-hyung?”

Elbowed Min Yoongi in the face, Hoseok reminds himself. “Went to Honeydukes for some Chocolate Bars,” he says casually. “Although they didn’t have any when I got there.”

And I elbowed Min Yoongi in the nose.

Please shut up, Hoseok begs himself. He feels bad enough about it.

“Really?” Tae asks, brows up high. “We should see if the express has any.” Before Hoseok can say otherwise, the young Hufflepuff is already to his feet and sliding the door open, grabbing Hoseok by the wrist and pulling him up.

Taehyung pulls him down the aisle so hard Hoseok feels his arm about to pop off. It isn’t till they find the Honeydukes Express a bit further down that Taehyung does let go of him and Hoseok leans against a window for a bit to rest.  

There are few other kids surrounding the sweets cart so Hoseok can see that even Taehyung is going to take a while getting attended to. So the elder Hufflepuff decides to remain in his spot and tap his foot a bit as he waits.

“Excuse me!” a voice shouts down the aisle, on the other side of the eager children. Hoseok sees the crowd of kids make way as Jeon Jeongguk pushes through them, carrying a nauseous looking Park Jimin hanging from his shoulders. “Excuse us! Coming through! Please!”

Hoseok presses himself against the window to give the Ravenclaw boy space. Jeon Jeongguk stops as Jimin shouts once he sees him.

“Hoseokie-hyung!” the Slytherin boy shouts. “Hello again! I missed you!”

The Hufflepuff boy tries hard to suppress a grin. It hadn’t even been two hours since he last saw the boy. “Hi Jimin.”

“Where’s Taehyungie?” Jimin asks. “I wanna hug him. He’s squishy you know? Not like Ggukie or Yoongi-hyung. Yoongi-hyung is all small but he isn’t cuddle worthy at all. At least not in public. Did you know that he actually likes to hold—”

“Jimin,” a warning voice says from behind them. And Hoseok just noticed that Min Yoongi was hidden behind Jeon Jeongguk this whole time, covered by the young boy’s massive build. Yoongi looks unamused. “Jimin why don’t you just go sit down?” he asks dryly, looking tired.

Jimin glares at him, points an angry finger in his direction. “You don’t get to talk to me,” he grumbles. “I’m mad at you.” He slaps Jeongguk on the back hard several times. “Ggukie, don’t let him in the cart. I command it!”

Yoongi looks unamused. “Jimin—“

“I command it!” he shouts again, this time pulling at Jeon Jeongguk’s ear. “Jeonggukie listen to me or I’ll tell Kim Namjoon that you’ve been crushing on him since your first year.”

At this, Jeon Jeongguk shoots Min Yoongi an apologetic look. “Sorry Yoongi-hyung,” he says with a look that reminds Hoseok of a sad puppy, not like the famous Ravenclaw seeker that Hoseok is used to seeing in Quidditch matches. The young boy quickly dips into the room with Jimin and shuts the door on the Slytherin boy just before he could even take a step forward.

And so this is how Min Yoongi is awkwardly left in the aisle alone with Hoseok. Well, technically not alone because there’s other kids waiting in line for the Honeydukes Express witch but still no one is paying attention to the two of them.

Should he leave and meet up with Tae? Or should he head back to his own cart?

Sighing, Min Yoongi turns around, leans against the door and crosses his arms, looking at the ground.

To Hoseok at that moment, Min Yoongi looked so…lonely. Like a defenseless kitten left all alone so out of place. And Hoseok really doesn’t like seeing people like that.

Hoseok tries to smile at him. “Hey.”

Yoongi stares up at him for a second before he dips his head low again. Keeping his head down, he mutters a soft, “Hello,” back to him.

They sort of just stare at each other in silence for a few dead seconds, before Yoongi clears his throat and steps aside with a low grumble and says, “You can pass,” before stepping aside to make room. Hoseok doesn’t slip past him though, instead decides he should make some small talk as he waits for Taehyung.

“Hey, they wouldn’t happen to be selling Chocolate Bars, would they?” he asks, bringing up the original reason of his journey, the only source of topic that came to mind.

Min Yoongi lifts his head a bit, stares at Hoseok for a few seconds before replying. “No. They ran out.”

“I see,” Hoseok replies, already knowing that would be the case. “That’s too bad,” he mutters. “I really like those.”

There’s another dead silence between them and Hoseok wants to smack himself as he’s reminded that his presence is enough to make Yoongi uncomfortable. I should leave, he thinks to himself. Yeah, that was a good idea. He can just tell Tae that there’s no Chocolate Bars so he’ll just be heading back.

Right. Good plan. “Hey, I’m—“

The train rattles a bit in that moment and throws Hoseok off balance a bit. Forward, really. He catches himself, managing to place both of his hands on the wall in front of him before his head hits it first. The train rattle for a bit more before it steadies again and Hoseok opens his eyes again, being suddenly met with a pair of eyes looking up at him.

Oh.

Oh.

From where he’s looking he’s got a clear look at Min Yoongi’s small but full lashes. Not only that but he can also see the shiny specks in his eyes staring widely back at him. Pretty cat-like eyes.

It isn’t until Hoseok sees the other’s cheeks slowly start transforming red that he actually notes what compromising position they’re in and the sudden shock of realization is suddenly outweighed by the embarrassment cloud as he pulls away, eyes wide and cheeks burning.

"S-sorry," he stutters. "I—"

Something cracks under his foot. Hoseok looks down, quickly removing his foot before he can cause any more damage to whatever object he's just crushed under his weight.

It’s a Chocolate Bar.

A Chocolate Bar that he had just squished under his foot.

Before he can get a word in, Min Yoongi bends down to pick it up, sighing.

Shit. It was Min Yoongi’s Chocolate Bar that Hoseok had just squished under his foot. That just made matters worse.

Holding his breath he watches as the elder boy pulls out his wand and non-verbally uses a mending charm to restore the original form of the chocolate. Hoseok then winces when Yoongi’s gaze flickers to him.

Shit.

Shit. He’s really pushed his buttons now hasn’t he?

Hoseok closes his eyes, prepares himself for the worst. It wouldn’t be the first time he would get hit with a jinx. He used to get them all the time during his first year when Shin Donghyuk found out that, on top of being sorted into Hufflepuff, Hoseok was a Muggle-born wizard.

Mudblood, he had shouted as one of his seniors made Hoseok dance under a jinx. Mudblood, Mudblood, Mudblood—

Something gets shoved at his chest, Hoseok opens one eye, sees Min Yoongi holding something out to him. Hoseok glances down. It’s the Chocolate Bar.

“Take it,” the Slytherin boy says suddenly. Hoseok’s mouth drops open slightly.

“I— I really shouldn’t.”

Min Yoongi’s eyes don’t waver, however. They’re firm and staring right into Hoseok’s soul. Intimidating every inch of him.

“Take it,” he says again, then whispers something that doesn’t reach Hoseok’s ears.

Take it and leave me alone. Hoseok’s mind interprets. Get away from me.

Hoseok does just that. With the chocolate in hand, he quickly turns on his feet and sprints down the aisle towards his compartment. He’s almost there when a figure suddenly steps in front of him and blocks his path and Hoseok wants to scream because honestly all he wants to do right now is sit down.

“Hyung?” the person in front of him says and Hoseok looks up and sees Junhong staring down at him worriedly. “Are you okay?”

Relief hits Hoseok. Knowing his luck he thought he’d be running into Shin Donghyuk or someone of the like. “Yeah,” he answers. “Just…ready to go rest at the dorms.”

Junhong follows him to his compartment.

Namjoon is still where they left him, in his seat reading. He pokes his head up from his book when the compartment door slides open, Hoseok stepping inside.

“Hey,” he says, then notices the chocolate and smiles. “I see you got your chocolate.” A frown. “Where’s Tae?”

Hoseok, of course, doesn’t answer immediately. He slumps in his seat, heaves a sigh before answering. “He’s still at the cart,” he says, then raises the chocolate towards Namjoon. “And these aren’t mine, they were forced upon me.”

Joon raises a brow. “Forced upon you?”

Hoseok nods. “Yeah, by Min Yoongi. Basically shoved it at me,” he grumbles. “I asked him if they were selling any on the cart and he said no, and then I tripped and crush—“

“Wait,” Junhong interrupts, spinning on his bum to face Hoseok. “What did you say?”

“You didn’t let me finish,” Hoseok remarks. “I was telling you that I crushed Min Yoongi’s Chocolate Bar under my foot and—”

“No, not that,” Junhong waves off. He points to the Chocolate Bar, raises his voice a bit. “Min Yoongi gave you that?”

Hoseok frowns, looks at Namjoon who shrugs. Hoseok turns back to Junhong. “Uh, yeah?” he replies. “Were you not listening? I said he practically shoved it at me after I—”

“Give me that,” Junhong spats before he snatches the Chocolate Bar right out of Hoseok’s grasp and throws it against the door.

Hoseok gets momentarily caught off guard. “Junhong, what are you—“

“Finite Incantatem!” the young Slytherin shouts, pointing his wand at the Chocolate bar and sending it flying into the aisle.

Hoseok can’t see well from where he stands. All he sees is his Chocolate Bar going up into smokes, stops dead in his tracks as Junhong turns to him, face red, angry.

“You need to be careful to who you accept gifts from, Hyung!” he shouts at him.

From his seat, Namjoon quickly pulls out his wand and mutters a quick “Muffliato” before Junhong can continue. Hoseok, on the other hand, stares wide-eyed as his eyes flicker from the chocolate on the ground to his angry junior, all a bit too taken back as to what happened. “What?”

“He put a spell on that!” Junhong shouts. “Did you not see it?!”

He hadn’t. Junhong had been in the way. But he had seen the smoke, which usually indicated that a spell had been countered.

“I—” Hoseok’s eyes land on the black stain on the rug. Had Min Yoongi really put a spell on the chocolate? Had it been a curse?

While he’s trying to process this, Junhong is still yelling at him. “He’s a foul pure-blood!” he shouts from the top of his lungs. “He hates us Muggle-borns! I told you before he’s a bully!” He quickly turns to Namjoon. “Namjoon-sunbae! You saw it too, right?”

Namjoon has his lips pressed in a firm line. “I don’t know,” he answers honestly. “I didn’t get a good look when he used the counter-spell.”

Hoseok’s getting a headache. A very foul headache. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he leans back against the seat, sighs.

“—you should’ve avoided him since the whole handkerchief situation! What if—“

“Junhong,” Hoseok speaks up, eyes darting to the younger Slytherin boy, “I need a moment alone.”

“But Hyung—“

“Alone,” he retorts, volume a bit higher than he wanted it to be. Junhong winces for a second, stares at Hoseok for a bit as if that’ll change his mind. It doesn’t.

“Fine,” he snaps, before practically slamming the sliding door and stomping out, finally giving Hoseok some peace.

“Do you need me to leave too?” Namjoon asks. Hoseok shakes his head, lets him continue reading his book.

Okay. Okay, he tells himself once everything registers properly in his mind. No more gifts from Min Yoongi.