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Chapter Text

It’s the first day of September.

As always, on the same day every year, the London King’s Cross railway station is much more packed than usual.

Well, though the Muggles can never see it. Their eyes always seem to skip over the throng of weird looking people wearing long sweeping robes and carrying owl cages that just simply disappear between Platform Nine and Ten.

Little do they know, concealed behind the red brick wall between Platform Nine and Ten there’s an invisible wrought iron archway that leads to a whole new world of magic. If you’re lucky, upon passing the barrier, a wonderful view will come to your eyes.

The hidden Platform Nine and Three quarters plays host as the only platform that offers train service to take students to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with the Hogwarts Express. Everywhere in sight there are parents taking their children for departure to Hogwarts, as today is the first day of the school year. It’s a bit of a chaos, but one that has an endearing sense that gets one to long for it. The chatter of the crowd mixed with owl hoots and scraping of heavy trunks, the white smoke billowing from the red train’s engine, and students milling around pushing trolleys. Stacked on their trolleys are trunks full of spell books and potions ingredients, along with a cage for a cat, a frog, or an owl.

Among those students stands Park Chanyeol.

In his royal blue sweater and jeans, Chanyeol is queueing to board the train. Today he’s starting his sixth year in Hogwarts. He and his family just spent two nights staying at the Leaky Cauldron, just so he could visit Diagon Alley yesterday to replenish his Potion stocks and buy new quills, parchments, Hogwarts uniforms and robes, and sixth year books.

Now that the big clock hanging next to the sign of Platform Nine and Three quarters is showing a minute before eleven in the morning, the scarlet steam train of Hogwarts Express is ready to go. So Chanyeol quickly says his goodbye, hugs his family and boards the train, of course after his sister gave him a playful pull on his ear.

“Bye Mum! I’ll write letters for you, Dad, and Yoora nuna!” Chanyeol waves from up the Hogwarts Express, his jet-black hair getting ruffled by the wind as the train picks up speed.

Just as Chanyeol is turning around to find his way to his compartment and his friends, the only person who can make his smile vanish quickly more than the Vanishing Charm appears in front of him. His resolution to start the term well is starting to crumble at the sight.

“Telling your mum how much her icky tiny baby is already missing her even though he hasn’t departed yet?” The blond man in front of Chanyeol starts his taunting, using his most horrible, mock-baby voice.

“Shut the fuck up, Byun.” Chanyeol can only manage to reply as he battles his insides’ need to puke at the disgustingly sweet smile the blond man is faking. Most Slytherins are chaotic fine, but this one in front of him is an exception—Byun Baekhyun is by far the worst, in every aspect.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun have hated each other since something happened on the very first day of their first year in Hogwarts. Ever since then, there hasn’t been a day that goes by without them either attacking each other with verbal insults or playing a few pranks just to annoy each other. It’s as if they’ve sworn to make each other’s life as miserable as possible.

“Ouch. Already so stingy so early in the morning, are we?” Baekhyun continues to tease, the fake smile turning into a smirk. Nothing feels better than aggravating his nemesis, Park Chanyeol. Where dwell the brave at heart, their daring, nerve and chivalry set Gryffindors apart for Merlin’s ass, to him Chanyeol is far from that.

“Get the hell out of my way. You’re fucking holding me up, Byun.” Chanyeol decides to focus his eyes looking at nothing far away behind his arch enemy’s shoulders, which is an easy task since he’s ten centimeters taller than the blond man.

“You listen to me first, Park. It’s not too late to get off the train before you embarrass yourself for the rest of your Hogwarts history,” The blond man—Byun Baekhyun—simply says, his tone now light as if complementing the nice weather. “Or for the rest of your life.”

“I said shut the fuck—” Chanyeol tries to control his quickly building up anger by commanding his mind to never listen to what the Slytherin student in front of him said. But then he feels something is a bit off… “Wait, what does that mean?”

“Great, now you’re deaf too, Park?” Baekhyun jeers triumphantly, looking so pleased with the effect he rendered on the taller one, even though he has to look up to be able to stare defiantly into Chanyeol’s eyes. “Well, like I said… it’s not too late to get off the train before you finally find out the events that are about to unravel.”

Too flustered, Chanyeol can only stare as Baekhyun walks past him to the compartments at the very back that are usually filled with Slytherins.

“Byun!” Chanyeol shouts, effectively scaring a few second years trying to find an empty compartment. “Come back and tell me what the fuck did you mean!”

But before Chanyeol gets the chance to run after the sixth year Slytherin, someone has dragged him into a compartment.

“Who the—Jongin!” Chanyeol was about to curse and ready to flip over the person delaying him to get to Baekhyun, but after seeing his best friend’s face, he can’t help but hug him and shout in delight. “How are you?”

“Hey, I’m fine. Just ignore Byun, look who’s waiting for you here instead,” Jongin laughs as he hugs back Chanyeol, whose broad shoulders and big torso managed to swallow him whole. “How was your summer?”

The returned tight hug from Jongin and a sweep of his eyes that revealed a warm welcome from his friends set back a smile on Chanyeol’s face. “Fine too, the usual, mostly practicing Quidditch. Mum is running a restaurant at a Muggle village next to ours, so I helped her there too with Yoora nuna.”

“Oh I’ll visit this summer then, I’ve missed Ottery St. Catchpole and its hills,” Jongin replies, now holding onto Chanyeol’s shoulder to steer the latter into the only seat left. “Now go sit here and suit yourself.”

Taking a seat next to Jongin, inside the compartment Chanyeol finds his friends chatting to each other happily: Junmyeon, another Gryffindor besides him and Jongin, sitting next to him; Jongdae and Yixing from Hufflepuff, and lastly Kyungsoo from Ravenclaw, all three sitting in front of him.

“Hey, Jongin told me in his letter that you’ve been selected as Gryffindor Quidditch Captain too?” Kyungsoo greets first, offering a piece of Pumpkin Pasties towards Chanyeol, knowing it’s the latter’s favorite snack.

“Oh yeah!” Chanyeol brightens, the glow that the new topic brings seems to illuminate his face more than the morning sun coming in through the train's clear glass windows and makes him forget the unpleasant bit of meeting Baekhyun. “I was about to tell you all that. Professor Minerva sent the letter to me a week before the term started.”

“Good one, Chanyeol!” Junmyeon says, followed by similar congratulatory words from the rest. “Knew you’d get the position sooner or later after all the great games you played last year.”

“You know, Byun is the Captain too for Slytherin, Heard Minseok hyung mentioning that when I passed a compartment full of seventh year Slytherins.” Jongdae pipes in as he reaches into a box of Drooble’s Best Blowing Gums that Kyungsoo is holding.

“What did you say—?” Chanyeol chokes on his Pumpkin Pasties. After Junmyeon patted his back roughly for a few seconds he continues in a thoroughly disbelieving voice, “Byun is the Quidditch Captain for Slytherin? How?”

“I’m not really surprised though. As we all know, Professor Trunchbull favors Byun.” Yixing replies as he nibbles absentmindedly on his Liquorice wand, earning him nods from everyone.

“So that’s why he was so smug in front of me!” Chanyeol exclaims. After munching a slice of Cauldron Cakes he took from a plate placed on Jongdae’s lap, he continues, “That snobbish prick.”

“But Jongdae, what were you doing walking to the Slytherins’ compartments? It’s in the very back of the train and it’s in the opposite direction from our compartment?” Kyungsoo inquires, eyeing the Hufflepuff student.

“Uh—” Jongdae startles, now taking his turn choking on his own saliva, hand stopping midair as he holds the last slice of Cauldron Cakes he’s about to eat. “I was just passing—”

“We all know our lovely Jongdae here can’t keep his eyes off of our Minseok hyung.” Junmyeon talks over Jongdae’s stuttering, making the occupants of the compartment whistle at the Hufflepuff student.

With color draining out of his face, Jongdae frantically tries to block Junmyeon’s mouth with his only free hand. He changes his tack when Junmyeon doesn’t seem to be willing to stop teasing him. “Shut up, Junmyeon, it’s not like you and—”

As if taking turns with Jongdae in panicking, swiftly Junmyeon takes the slice of Cauldron Cakes off from Jongdae’s hand before stuffing it into the latter’s mouth. “Jongdae, close your mouth right now or—”

“Or what, Junmyeon?” Chanyeol teases as he pops a random bean from Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans Jongin has on his hands to stop Junmyeon from talking. “Jongdae, we all give you permission to spill the tea.”

Wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt, Jongdae swallows down his munched Cauldron Cakes before continuing, “So, I’ve heard about how our Junmyeonnie here has a crush on none other than—ouch! It hurts!”

Apparently Junmyeon elbowed Jongdae right on the gut, causing the latter to exclaim in pain.

“You’re no fun, Junmyeon. We’ll find out sooner or later.” Yixing promises, eyes squinting as he gives a sly, conspiratorial smirk.

“Party pooper.” Jongdae sulks, still massaging his rib. He’s a hundred percent sure a bruise will appear on his skin the next day after Junmyeon’s powerful jab.

“I agree with Yixing, I’ll find out your secrets later!” Chanyeol grins, teasing Junmyeon with a gentle nudge on the latter’s arm. “Anyway, where is Sehun? Why is he not sitting here with us? Is he late?”

“He said he has to organize his Quidditch team since he too has been promoted into Ravenclaw’s Quidditch Captain,” Jongin supplies a reply. He pauses for a moment to sip on his iced pumpkin juice. “Kyungsoo wrote me about that in his letter.”

“Sehun too? We’re going to compete with each other as Captains, cool!” Chanyeol replies, excited to know another one of his best friends got the same gold badge as him.

“Oh listen at Jongin and look at those lovebirds go, our Jongin and Kyungsoo are so cute.” Yixing laughs, thrusting his half chewed Liquorice wand towards the two.

“At least we’re exclusive and unlike all of you with no love life.” Kyungsoo smoothly ends the conversation as he pops one of Drooble’s Best Blowing Gums into his mouth.

That shuts Yixing up, but not long after everyone’s laughing again, with Junmyeon muttering anyway that’s Spinach puree flavored bean you made me eat, Chanyeol, in the background.

“Anyway, I think it’s time to get ready, I’ve seen Hogwarts Castle’s turrets just now.” Junmyeon informs, craning his neck towards the windows to look through the glass and into the darkness ahead of them.

That signals everyone to finish their eating and drinks before changing into their Hogwarts uniforms and robes, eager to start their sixth year.

—

Right after the Hogwarts Express stopped at the Hogsmeade Station, all the students on board filters out. The first years, looking all scared and intimidated, as always go on with small boats to reach Hogwarts by passing the Hogwarts lake. While the second years and above will take the carriage that moves by itself.

The Welcoming Feast that is held every first night of the school year takes place at the Great Hall. As usual for mealtimes, the room has its four House tables arranged in a row, with the Headmistress podium and teacher’s table at the front side of the Hall.

As soon as the older students are seated on their respective House tables, the main door from the Entrance Hall opens once more to let the first years lead by Professor Minerva to walk in.

“Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for all the new first years,” Professor Merrythought says, her voice soft yet the tone appealing, making it sounds like she’s effortlessly drawing everyone’s interest to listen to her. “And of course welcome back to all of the returning students.”

Then Professor Minerva goes to a room at the back corner of the Great Hall. A moment later she comes back while carrying the Sorting Hat and a four-legged stool. Then she places the hat on the stool in front of the teachers’ table that faces the four House tables.

Just like every other year, the Sorting Hat sings a song as an introduction of the Houses for the first year with advices given for the school according to the condition they’re currently in. This time the patched hat endorses the concept of studying well while standing strong together, and strangely enough, how to let time reveal a delightful ending.

“Now, let the Sorting ceremony begin.” Professor Merrythought says again after the Sorting Hat finished its song and everyone is done clapping. The first years lined in the middle of the Great Hall look even more tense, with hundreds of eyes staring at them.

Professor Minerva pulls up a long roll of parchment containing the list of the first years’ names before calling them one by one in alphabetical order to sit on the stool and have the Sorting Hat placed on top of their heads. The hat will open its mouth—the ripped part near its brim—to shout the House they belong to, before the student comes down from the stool to sit at their new House’s table.

On the farthest side of the Great Hall, at the Slytherin table Baekhyun sits side by side with Minseok.

Though Baekhyun’s Slytherin friends are all chortling as they tease each other and chat about their summer holiday, he feels tired and he really wants to go back to his comfortable and warm four-posters bed at the Slytherin dungeon. So he opts to look up at the ceiling above their heads that reflects the sky outside the castle shows them the clear night sky, again admiring the flawless magic bewitched to make the Great Hall seems to open up to the heavens though he’s seen it for six years now.

“This is quite boring. I’m so sleepy right now, why can’t I go back to the dungeons now?” Baekhyun finally lets out his thought, speaking to no one in particular. The Sorting Hat is still sorting students with names starting with ‘H’. “Why does the Sorting take so much time?”

“Come on, the Sorting ceremony only happens once in a year,” Minseok reminds, nudging Baekhyun’s arm gently with his. Then he smiles as he points out the golden badge fastened on Baekhyun’s chest. “Just behave for another moment, remember you’re the Slytherin Quidditch Captain now, everyone looks up to you. Congratulations, Baekhyun.”

“Alright, for this once I’ll bear through this,” Baekhyun chuckles, his mood suddenly lifted up by Minseok’s spot on praise. “Thank you, Minseok hyung. Congratulations too on getting promoted as the Head Prefect!”

The Head Prefect only has time to smile back at Baekhyun’s salute when another sixth year Slytherin, Moran, who’s sitting near Baekhyun, introduces himself into the conversation. “Oh right! Byun you’re the Captain now, what’s your strategy for this year’s game?”

“Of course we need to win the Inter-House Quidditch Cup, but we need to beat Gryffindor more than anything.” Baekhyun replies, eyes staring at the other side of the room, quickly finding Chanyeol who’s sitting at the Gryffindor table and laughing around with his friends.

“Yeah, don’t worry about that. We’ll crush Park and his scatterbrained friends.” Blaise says as he trails where Baekhyun’s eyes are staring at to find Baekhyun looking at Gryffindor’s Quidditch Captain.

Then the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team and the other Slytherins continue discussing on how to thwart Gryffindor’s effort to win, plotting cunning ploys, and throwing jibes about Chanyeol and his teammates while Baekhyun only listens to them. Not long after the Sorting Hat finally puts the last first year into Ravenclaw, signaling the end of the Sorting ceremony. Professor Minerva takes away the Sorting Hat and the stool, while Professor Merrythought has gotten up to her feet.

“And now, before we start the banquet, I only have a few words to say,” Professor Merrythought smiles, her eyes scanning around the Great Hall and staring into the eyes of the students looking back at her. “Tuck in.”

Then Professor Merrythought claps her hands twice. The empty plates on the table suddenly are stuffed with mountains of food: from roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, steamed peas and carrots, hot gravy, jugs of iced pumpkin juice, and ketchup.

All around, a few chuckles are heard with some delighted hear, hear! here and there as a reply to Professor Merrythought’s jest. Everyone then helps themselves with a plate full of everything without needing to be told twice. The Great Hall is once again full of people talking as their conversations resume and the clanging of spoons against plates are heard.

After the sky mirrored by the ceiling turns darker with the clouds coming to shield the moon and everyone’s stomachs are considerably full, Professor Minerva stands up again with her teacup and teaspoon on her hands. “Attention please.”

The sound of silver teaspoon clinking with Professor Minerva’s china teacup silences the crowd as they turn on their seats to look up at the Headmistress’ podium, where Professor Merrythought is already standing behind the lectern. “Before we end the night, I have something to say.”

“The Forbidden Forest is out of bounds for all students and all the things not allowed to be brought into school are on the list posted on Mr. Filch’s office,” the Headmistress says, “First years aren’t allowed to bring their own broomsticks for flying lessons as it will be provided by the school. Quidditch trials are only for third years and above, and it will be scheduled by your House Head and team Captain.”

There’s a low hum of murmurs from the students, with only half of them still listening while the others already have their minds on going to sleep as soon as they’re permitted to go back.

“I’m sure now everyone is well stuffed and is ready to meet their own warm beds,” Professor Merrythought adds, earning laughter from some of the students who are still fully awake. “So now off to bed, all of you. Pip pip!”

With a clap of her hands, Professor Merrythought cleans the tables from plates. A series of loud screeching issues from the wooden benches scraping against the linoleum floor of the Great Hall, as the students rise from their seats.

“Hyung, I’m out of here,” Baekhyun says right after Professor Merrythought finished her speech. He stands up after taking a last sip of his iced pumpkin juice. “I want to go to bed. Want to come along with me?”

“Later, I have Prefect duties to do, first being to ensure everyone is out of the Great Hall and back to their common room,” Minseok replies, gesturing Baekhyun to go first with a wave of his hand. “I’ll catch up later. Have a good night rest, Baekhyun.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later.” Baekhyun smiles, before he’s pulled by his Quidditch teammates, all cheering on him for being the new Quidditch Captain, to tag along with them back to the Slytherin dungeon.

It takes Minseok a few minutes to ensure Baekhyun is out of the Great Hall before he starts his plan. After most of the students, the Headmistress, and the staff file out from the Great Hall, he walks up to the Gryffindor aisle before he finds the trio and sits himself next to Chanyeol. “Hello, everyone.”

“Minseok hyung!” The three sixth year Gryffindors call out as they adjust their seats just so they can talk freely with the seventh year Slytherin.

“Congratulations on finally getting that golden badge! Sit next to us for a moment, Head Prefect,” Junmyeon greets cheerfully, craning his neck to look closer at the gold badge with HP embossed on Minseok’s chest. “Our Park Chanyeol here has good news to share.”

Straightening himself to his full height and clearing his throat in an official manner, proudly Chanyeol announces, “Well hyung, yes I’m now the—”

“The new Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. Congratulations too on getting that gold badge, Chanyeol,” Minseok smiles, tapping gently on the Quidditch Captain badge pinned on the chest of Chanyeol’s Hogwarts robe. “Now you have the same status as Prefects. You really deserve it. I’m so proud of you.”

“I’ll get that Quidditch Trophy and Houses Cup back home in Professor Minerva’s desk.” Chanyeol says with such burning fire lighting up his eyes that shines brighter than the flickering torches lining the Great Hall’s walls. “I’ll beat Slytherin and Byun.”

“Draco dormiens nunquam titilandus, Chanyeol.” Minseok sighs, expecting the same sentiment Baekhyun has to be shared by Chanyeol too. Then gracefully he rises up from his seat and steps over the long bench with fluid ease.

“And—” Frowning, Chanyeol follows suit of Minseok’s actions—but of course with getting his left foot stuck on the bench first. It’s his sixth year in Hogwarts but he keeps failing, as if his body is memory trained to do just that. Hurriedly he replies, “And why are you quoting Hogwarts’ slogan to me when I’m talking about how I’ll beat Byun and his silly Slytherin cronies?”

“I’m the Head of Prefect here, so I’ll remind you not to stir any problem with Baekhyun,” Minseok quietly warns. Truthfully he just spent the whole first day dinner with Baekhyun already planning schemes to overthrow the Gryffindor Quidditch team and embarrass Chanyeol, so the hint is the least he can give. “Do not try waking up the sleeping dragon. It’s the meaning.”

“I know the meaning, Minseok hyung. But it won’t stop me from getting back at Byun. I won’t go down in history as the one Gryffindor Quidditch Captain that fails to bring the Quidditch Cup trophy in years after Harry Potter himself brought back the victory in at least a hundred years and—”

“Anyway, I’m here to remind you of something,” Minseok smoothly overrides, with a quick wave of his hand effectively ending Chanyeol’s heated discussion of Quidditch statistics. “I’ll remind you as always of my two rules for you. Don’t—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Chanyeol rolls his eyes, head tilting back in exasperation. “Don’t mess around and create problems. But what’s the second one?”

“Don’t mess around and create problems with Byun Baekhyun,” Minseok deadpans with an air of trying to say what else is it slipped in his tone. Without waiting for Chanyeol’s reply, he turns around to face a line of shivering Gryffindor first years and starts walking away. “I have to go. First years! This way.”

A moment later, all the three Gryffindor Quidditch players are left to watch the back of Minseok’s figure walking away as the Head Prefect leads the first years exit the Great Hall and up to the moving staircases.

“That’s rubbish. Mess around? As if it’s my fault, it was Byun who started it all first!” Chanyeol glances over to the Slytherin table at the far end of the other side of the Great Hall, searching the usually easy to spot the sleek, blond hair of the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, though not finding the person. Sensing his teammates’ lack of answer, he turns back to check on Jongin and Junmyeon only to find them sighing and looking at him in disdain. “You saw him on the train! You know I’m right—”

Resetting his facial expression into an amused one, Jongin cuts the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain off in a flash. “All I’m sure about is that Minseok hyung is right. And you really should focus on your team, not on Byun.”

“On Byun?” Chanyeol’s voice rises half an octave, face transformed into a look that shows pure revulsion at how he seems to be forced to say a forbidden word, instead of the Slytherin Quidditch Captain’s name. He seethes, “As if!”

“Well, maybe now what you can do is to give everyone proof that you can actually do great as a Captain. You can start from forming the team and sort the Quidditch training days,” Junmyeon chimes in, spooning a bit of his steak and kidney pie. “Heard we’ll be meeting the Ravenclaws first in a few weeks, on the first week of November.”

“I’ll get you both back in the team,” Chanyeol says quickly, calculating in his head the time he has before the first match and the people he deems good enough to accompany him in his team. “I need all enforcements I can get to make sure we have enough points to squash Slytherins and make Byun finally shut up.”

“You still need to hold Quidditch team member tryouts, though. We don’t want our team’s performance to decrease just because you keep using old players.” Jongin reminds Chanyeol with a slight gesture of his goblet he’s drinking from, followed by a serious nod from Junmyeon.

“Alright, but I’m sure you two will get back in the team. Jongin, you’re one of the best Chasers I’ve seen and played with,” Chanyeol smiles, patting both of his best friends’ backs. “And you too, Junmyeon. I’ve played with you for three years now and you can always use that bat with so much skill to send the Bludger to hit opponents accurately.”

“As you wish, Captain.” Both the Gryffindor Chaser and Beater replied in chorus, clinking their pumpkin juice filled goblets while chanting Captain Chanyeol loud enough to make some fifth year girls giggle at them. “We’ll get that Quidditch Trophy!”

“We’ll get the Quidditch Trophy.” Chanyeol repeats, eyes moving for a second to the farthest table at the end of the Great Hall, to the Slytherins’ table, and to see the Slytherin Quidditch Captain laughing and probably boasting around to impress his teammates. So he mutters under his breath, “And get Byun what he deserves.”

—

Two months have passed after the Welcoming Feast.

The days of September and October trickle away as fast as the rain comes pouring upon them and the calendar marks October 31st, just in time for the Halloween Feast.

Like the Welcoming Feast, the Halloween Feast is just as grand, or even better, one would say. The Great Hall has been decorated with an assortment of Halloween decorations: carved pumpkins from the small ones with lit candles in it to the vast ones that can hold three people inside, groups of dancing skeletons clicking and clacking around, the empty suits of armor magically singing with low voices, and the usual live bats flying in to swoop down on the House tables once in a while.

Everyone is excitedly anticipating for the Feast and its festivities. And because of that reason, Chanyeol, Jongin, Junmyeon, and the rest of Hogwarts are already sitting on their House tables before the Feast started at seven o’clock.

“Welcome everyone to the Halloween Feast, which I know we all look forward to every year,” Professor Merrythought says, as always with a smile and her eyes peeking behind her round glasses to look around at the students. “And for that reason, our Kitchens have been working hard preparing the dishes for us.”

There are shouts of cheering and whistling, as the students feel more delighted of the banquet they’re about to have before the Great Hall goes silent again.

“After hearing the rumblings of your stomach, I have nothing else to say but,” Professor Merrythought pauses, earning the Headmistress some chuckle from the crowd. “Enjoy.”

Loud clapping, laughter from the students, and the sound of silverwares clinking against the plates follow suit as after the Headmistress said the word, the empty gold plates are suddenly overflowing with the banquet’s menu. Every House table is laden with the usual menus added with Halloween themed dinner courses such as white bean and sausage stew in pumpkin bowls, pumpkin chestnut soup, pork-loin with apple cornbread stuffing, roasted meat, and jugs of iced pumpkin juice. Not only those, it is also festooned with black cauldrons filled with big lollipops, carved pumpkins containing all sorts of candy, icing decorated cookies, and huge platters of carrot cakes.

“This is such a perfect banquet before we have our first Quidditch training next week,” Chanyeol says while ladling some pumpkin chestnut soup into his bowl. “More energy to begin the Quidditch season in November.”

A week after the Welcoming Feast, Chanyeol had set up a Quidditch team tryout to find new Quidditch players. Of course without saying, with their great skills Jongin joins again as one of the three Chasers along with Ivanova and Connolly, both also sixth years. Junmyeon is also accepted again as one of the two Beaters with Lynch, a fifth year. And last, for the Seeker he found Levski, a new, promising fourth year. And for this Feast, he’s sitting at the Gryffindor table surrounded by his teammates.

“I’m excited for the game! Can’t wait to train with our new Captain!” Lynch replies, raising his iced pumpkin juice filled goblet to have a toast with Chanyeol.

“I hope I can bring to all of you and our Gryffindor mates the Inter-House Quidditch Cup trophy.” Chanyeol can’t help but grin as he looks around at his teammates, who in turn look back at him with high regard.

“We’ll win under our best Captain’s command, of course.” Levski exclaims as he mirrors Lynch, clinking his goblet with Chanyeol as well.

“Let’s have a toast for our Captain almighty!” Ivanova suggests, raising too his goblet and gestures others to do the same. With seven goblets up in the air, they continue shouting more expressions of admiration towards the Captain before laughing together.

“I heard for the end of the Halloween Feast’s entertainment the Hogwarts Ghosts will be doing a special show.” Jongin says as he chews again on his piece of roasted chicken once they’re done having toasts for Chanyeol whose ears and cheeks have turned considerably scarlet from all the praises.

“Where did you find out?” Junmyeon asks as he spoons a sausage into his mouth from his pumpkin bowl.

“Jongdae and Yixing told me earlier during our Astronomy class last Wednesday,” Jongin says, this time reaching his hand to fill his plate with some baked potato. “The Fat Friar, their House’s ghost gave a hint to them about it.”

“Oh, I’m looking forward to it,” Chanyeol says, pausing his eating for a moment to crane his neck just so he can see above the sea of students. “Wonder what show they’re putting up now?”

And true to Jongin’s words, after a thousand live the bats come flying in to go in circles at the ceiling, from the walls of the Great Hall the Hogwarts Ghosts pop out and do formation gliding and some acrobatic moves above the students’ head. Then it’s followed by a parade of the Houses’ ghosts, earning them cheering from their respective houses. The group of dancing skeletons also makes their way into the Great Hall before playing some music, introducing themselves as a band of skeletons.

Right after the parade of ghosts ends, the Gryffindor Ghost floats slowly to approach where the Gryffindor Quidditch team is sitting. “Hello, everyone.”

“Oh!” Jongin splutters, almost spraying Junmyeon and Chanyeol who are sitting in front of him with chewed beans, “Nearly Head—”

Before Jongin continues his sentence, Junmyeon kicks on his leg from below the table for being so tactless. Then he turns around to face the Gryffindor Ghost, smiling. “Hello, Sir Nicholas. How are you today?”

“I’m fine, thank you. Also, congratulations for you on finally being the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain,” Sir Nicholas replies, smiling back at Junmyeon before taking his hat off at Chanyeol’s direction. Then he puts on his hat again. “I’m here to invite all of you to come to my death day party at one of the rooms in the dungeons.”

“Oh, really?” Junmyeon politely answers, as Jongin drinks up his iced pumpkin juice after almost choking up with his beans after Junmyeon kicked his leg. “It’ll be such an honor, Sir Nicholas.”

“It’ll be my five hundred and thirtieth death day,” Sir Nicholas beams at the students looking up at him. “It’ll be such an honor to have you all attend my death day party. I’ll see you later.”

After Sir Nicholas floats back to join the other Hogwarts Ghosts, they all continue enjoying the banquet as they converse again. The Feast ends right when the clock strikes at nine o’clock. For the last time, when everyone in the Great Hall is already leaning back from how full their stomachs are while some are yawning wide, Professor Merrythought stands up again to give a little speech as an ending of the Halloween Feast. Right after the Headmistress finally let the students go back to their common room.

“Alright, Captain, we’ll be going first now. We’re going to Nearly Headless Nick’s death day party,” Connolly says as he, Ivanova, Levski, and Lynch stand up from their seats. “Want to come along with us?”

“Oh you’re coming to Sir Nicholas’ death day? Sounds interesting, but I’ll skip for this year. I’m going back to the Gryffindor Tower,” Chanyeol replies. Once he went to the Gryffindor Ghost’s death day and he can’t exactly say it’s a nice experience to be in a room of ghosts that give you cold shivers every time they passed through his body. “Jongin, Junmyeon, you want to come along with them?”

“No, I’ll come with you. I’m too full to go anywhere else tonight,” Jongin replies sheepishly, patting his tummy. All the chicken and cookies he ate make him sleepy now. “I’ll skip as well, if that’s okay.”

“I’ll pass too, Connolly. I have a Study of Ancient Runes textbook I have to read by tonight.” Junmyeon adds, showing his copy of Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms he’s been holding on to since the morning.

“It’s fine, see you all later,” Connolly says. Then out of nowhere, he, Ivanova, Levski, and Lynch arrange themselves according to their heights before they bring their hands to their heads. “Salute for Captain Chanyeol!”

The gesture makes everyone laugh. Unable to stop grinning, Chanyeol salutes back and replies, “Bye, see you all later.”

After they’re done waving at the other Gryffindor Quidditch teammates, Chanyeol, Junmyeon, and Jongin are ready to climb the marble stair to reach the Gryffindor Tower. But Chanyeol only has walked a few steps when he’s forced to stop again.

“How silly.”

Looking to his right, Chanyeol finds none other than Baekhyun. Of course. So he turns to face Baekhyun with his arms folded across his chest. “And what are you going to do about it?”

“Stuffed yourself up to the brim, Park?” Baekhyun says again without answering Chanyeol’s question, as he leans into the Great Hall’s doorway. He had been watching Chanyeol and the Gryffindor Quidditch teammates eating and toasting together from across the Great Hall.

“Since when you’re regulating what or how much I’m eating, Byun?” Chanyeol replies with a sigh. He’s not surprised to see Baekhyun appearing out of nowhere and how Baekhyun seems to be able to always find chances to bring him down.

“Just saying though,” Baekhyun shrugs, his face looked almost bored as he looks up to the Entrance Hall’s ceiling, though there’s a slight edge in his voice. “Eat as much as you can, before it’s gone.”

Before Chanyeol can find a meaning to Baekhyun’s words, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain walks away with his fellow Slytherin to the door concealing the stairs that will lead to the Slytherin dungeon.

“What a nutter,” Chanyeol mutters, letting his arms fall back to his sides. His mood for the night is ruined even just by the sight of Baekhyun’s face. “What was he trying to say?”

“Just ignore Byun, he’s not worth it,” Junmyeon replies, taking a hold on Chanyeol’s shoulder to pull the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain away from staring at the door leading to Slytherin dungeon for far too long. “Let’s go.”

“Yeah, he’s just being his annoying self.” Jongin says, following behind the two to walk along to the Gryffindor Tower.

The trio continues climbing up the marble stairs and they’re greeted by the moving staircases, careful not to take the stairs while it’s changing routes. Not long after, they reach the corridor in the Gryffindor Tower where the Fat Lady’s portrait is located.

“Password?” The Fat Lady asks, slightly slurring her word. It seems like she too participated in the Halloween festivities by drinking with Violet, another witch from the portrait next to her.

“Sherbet lemon.” Junmyeon answers at once. The Fat Lady allows them in by swinging open her portrait for them to climb inside and walk into the Gryffindor common room.

“I’ll go up first, I’m going to check my essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts before I go to sleep,” Jongin yawns, stretching his arms high as he climbs the stairs to reach the sixth year boys dormitory. “I’m so sleepy…”

“Alright, I’ll stay here for a moment to read.” Junmyeon replies, settling himself on the armchair near the fireplace while taking out his book again.

“See you later in the morning, Junmyeon.” Chanyeol says, before he turns around to follow Jongin upstairs.

Only a few steps into the sixth year Gryffindor dormitory, Chanyeol finds a floating Pumpkin Pasties in front of him, hovering just above the nightstand next to his four-posters bed. Then he checks Jongin who’s lying on his own bed. “Ah, nice! You got me this Pumpkin Pasties?”

Not looking up from his copy of Defensive Magical Theory, Jongin just hums, unaware of what’s on Chanyeol’s hands.

“Maybe it’s the house elves and their quirky Halloween decorations,” Chanyeol mumbles before helping himself with a piece of the pie. “They sure know how much I love Pumpkin Pasties—”

What happens in the next second goes too fast it all goes into a dizzying disorientation.

Just moments after Chanyeol bites into the golden yellow pie, he starts regurgitating everything he has eaten for the day. With the stream of his vomit coming out nonstop, he can’t say anything or even move an inch from where he’s lying. He starts to panic, is he poisoned? The vomiting won’t stop, is he going to die?

Upon hearing the awful retching sound Chanyeol is making, Jongin finally looks up from his book, feeling curious at first. But after seeing Chanyeol sprawled on the floor while vomiting, he immediately springs up from his bed and comes to Chanyeol’s aid.

“Chanyeol! What’s happening—” Jongin kneels next to Chanyeol, baffled and worried at the same time. “Fuck, let me think—” but seeing Chanyeol only continues emptying out his stomach, face turning pale, he can only think of calling Junmyeon for help. “Junmyeon, come up here quick!”

There are sounds of someone running up the wooden stairs to reach the sixth year’s dormitory before Junmyeon rushes in. “Jongin, why are you screaming—” he stops as he sees Chanyeol on the floor, gagging while trying to stop the flow of vomit coming out of his mouth with Jongin crouching next to him. “Wait, what on earth is happening to Chanyeol?”

With ingested matter keeps on coming out of his mouth, Chanyeol can’t say anything and just points his index finger towards the half bitten pie lying near him.

“He ate that—fuck, Jongin, use your head!—uh, I think he said something about house elves bringing Pumpkin Pasties for Halloween—” Jongin replies, worrying still as he tries to recount what happened before Chanyeol started vomiting out of nowhere. Then he spots the pie, seizing it before giving it to Junmyeon. “It’s this pie—”

“It’s definitely not Pumpkin Pasties—” Junmyeon inspects the pie, cracking it open to reveal mushy, orange gooey inside. A slight sniff brings a sickly smell into his nose that reminds him of sweets from a magical joke shop that can induce vomiting. “I think it’s a few Puking Pastilles mashed together!”

“What the fuck? Let me—let me just—” Jongin runs to his trunk on the feet of his bed and rummages through his trunk before pulling out a neon colored box. “I have something to take care of it—”

“What’s that?” Junmyeon eyeing the thing Jongin is holding, concerned of its contents. “Is it safe?”

“I’ll explain later, but Chanyeol needs to eat this now. Here, help me get him to eat it—” Jongin replies, breaking a piece of two-sided candy with orange and purple colors on each side, before shoving in the purple part into Chanyeol’s mouth. “Quickly!”

With both Junmyeon and Jongin’s hands clamped over his mouth, Chanyeol manages to swallow what he recognizes as the purple end of Puking Pastilles that can reverse the effect. Within seconds, the vomiting stops, finally letting him breathe. Using his wand to perform the Vanishing Spell with groggy hands, he cleans himself up.

“Chanyeol, are you okay now?” Jongin asks carefully, searching Chanyeol’s face in case any signs of the vomiting episode is coming back. But it seems like Chanyeol is fine, as the latter’s breathing slowly turns normal again. “I had you eat the antidote of the Puking Pastilles, the other end of the pastilles.”

“What the fuck was that?” Chanyeol finally finds some energy to shout, incensed in anger. He snatches the Pumpkin Pasties from Junmyeon’s free hand, looking at it with disgust before throwing it hard onto the carpeted floor of the dormitory and far away from him.

“Puking Pastilles inserted in Pumpkin Pasties. Glad Jongin has the counterpart of the pastilles, or else you’ll keep vomiting,” Junmyeon explains as he checks Chanyeol’s eyes and temperature by putting the back of his hand on Chanyeol’s forehead. “But Jongin, how do you get those?”

“I got these Puking Pastilles from the full set of Skiving Snackboxes,” Jongin informs, showing to Chanyeol and Junmyeon the sweets on his palm. “I bought it from Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes during our last outing to Hogsmeade.”

Then Jongin sits himself down on the floor next to Chanyeol and Junmyeon, after he placed back the Skiving Snackboxes inside his trunk. All three are worn out but relieved still after passing a quite critical event.

Still out of breath, Chanyeol wonders who the hell got the idea to replace the pumpkin puree filling of the Pumpkin Pasties into Puking Pastilles? And to think the fake Pumpkin Pasties were placed in such a place for him to see?

“Do you think it’s a targeted terror against Gryffindors?” Jongin speculates, eyeing the half bitten Pumpkin Pasties lying abandoned on the floor. “Since it was left floating in Gryffindor dormitory, and it could be taken by anyone who sees it?”

“I don’t think that’s it—maybe just some poorly done tricks by newbie pranksters,” Junmyeon theorizes, his eyes also inspecting the Pumpkin Pasties with its filling flowing out slowly, dirtying the carpet. “It’s Halloween, everyone is letting out their tricks in full force.”

They all sit in silence for a couple more minutes, still too shocked. But then the words Jongin said form a hypothesis in Chanyeol’s mind. The people who can come inside the Gryffindor common room are only Gryffindors, whom he knows none he has a disagreement with, though he’s not sure after remembering if someone knows the password they can enter as well…

“I bet Byun got me this,” Chanyeol says in rage, as he spits out the leftover acidic taste of his vomit from his mouth. “Fuck!”

Still Jongin tries to find a rational reason behind what just happened. “But we can’t just jump into conclusions—”

“Jongin, you heard Byun back at Hogwarts Express!” Chanyeol cuts Jongin short heatedly, pacing up and down the dormitory. “And just moments ago, when we were leaving the Halloween Feast!”

Immediately Junmyeon tries to cool Chanyeol off. “It’s obviously just an empty threat—”

Laughing contemptuously at such a ridiculous statement he’s almost delirious, Chanyeol cuts Junmyeon’s reasoning short. “Coming from Byun? He’s as good as implicating he wants to turn my life into hell!”

Seeing Chanyeol is already planning to go on warpath, Junmyeon tries to reason again. He positions himself in front of Chanyeol, but the latter just won’t look back at him. “But we can never know, it could be someone else—”

“It’s Byun, I’m telling you!” Chanyeol shouts this time, frustrated as to why his best friends seem to be defending Baekhyun. “He’s definitely doing this because next week we’re playing against Ravenclaw, he wants us to lose and end up in fourth place this year.”

“It’s only been a month into the year, you should just relax and stay out of trouble,” Junmyeon advises, taking his last chance to do so, though he knows it’s useless already. “For this one maybe we’ll just have to let it slide—”

“Yes it’s only been a month into the school year but Byun is already trying to mess with me! I’m definitely not going to let this slide,” Chanyeol rants, trying so hard not to lose his temper and just barge into Slytherin’s common room to confront Baekhyun right now. “I’ll get back at him for sure.”

The Gryffindor Chaser and Beater can only look at each other hopelessly, seeing Chanyeol has his fists balled up and trembling. That’s never a good sign.

“Just you fucking watch, Byun.” Chanyeol utters as he stares into the fire burning the logs in the furnace at the center of the dormitory, which seems to mirror what he feels.

—

With Halloween’s spooky festivities that October brought leaving them, it’s November’s turn to show up.

November is an exciting month for everyone mostly because the Quidditch season of the year has begun. Every other evening the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch plays host as the ground for each House’s Quidditch team to practice and rehearse their part and maneuver techniques.

The first week of November is marked with the first match of the Quidditch season, with Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. Gryffindor won with a hundred and fifty points over Ravenclaw, getting Chanyeol his very first win as a Captain. As the days are nearing the end of November, the second match of the year with Hufflepuff playing against Slytherin is coming soon.

Otherwise, it’s another Wednesday morning on the third week of November for the students, staff, and teachers at Hogwarts. Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon are sitting with their fellow Gryffindors at the Great Hall, having their breakfast together.

“What do we have for the first period?” Jongin mumbles as he spoons a mouthful cornflakes cereal from his bowl. “I keep forgetting our schedule thanks to the endless essays we have to write.”

“Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Remus.” Junmyeon replies without a pause, sipping some water from his goblet while reading his copy of Defensive Magical Theory that’s propped up on one of the water jugs.

“‘Aight.” Jongin mumbles again, now raising his bowl to his face to slurp the milk.

“Oh nice, I like Professor Remus,” Chanyeol brightens, finally speaking up after he’s finished making his way through his large plate of beef pie and mash with suet pastry, and a couple of cheese muffins without saying a word for a full ten minutes. After all the new adjustment to change lazy summer habits to full force nights filled with essay writing, he’s ravenous. “He’s my favorite teacher.”

“Same, mine too,” Junmyeon replies. Then he finally looks up from his book. “But we’re having it with Slytherins, which means Byun will be there too. Chanyeol, remember this,” he stares at Chanyeol in the eyes, “Behave.”

“I will if he behaves too.” Chanyeol rolls his eyes, having heard the same advice from Minseok as well. But it’s useless when Baekhyun is the one who started everything first.

Hearing Chanyeol’s reply, Junmyeon can only sigh. Then he closes his book, slings the strap of his shoulder bag and stands up from the bench. “Well, if you two are done eating, let’s go.”

For their Defense Against the Dark Arts class, they’ll have to go to Classroom 3C on the third floor of Hogwarts Turris Magnus. So quickly, after dragging Jongin who seems unable to part with his second bowl of cereal, the trio ascends the staircase that runs through the center of the tower. They arrive just in time as Professor Remus enters the classroom, so immediately they find their seats at the table in the middle.

“On this lovely Monday morning we will be continuing our study of the practice of nonverbal magic spells,” Professor Remus greets the class with a smile, “Now do tell me, what is the most important advantage of a nonverbal spell?”

“Sir?” Baekhyun raises his hand up. When Professor Remus nods once at his direction, he recites, “With nonverbal spell, your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you’re about to perform, which gives you a split-second advantage.”

“Someone has been reading their The Standard Book of Spell, Grade Six really well, then,” Professor Remus smiles with an appreciative look directed at Baekhyun. “Twenty points for Mr. Byun and Slytherin.”

After the applause from sixth year Slytherins faded away, Professor Remus continues to give another briefing about nonverbal spells. As if on purpose, when Professor Remus isn’t looking, Baekhyun turns his head to throw a smirk at Chanyeol who’s sitting with Junmyeon and Jongin at the table next to him.

“Show off,” Chanyeol grumbles when Baekhyun faces the front again, his eyes reduced to slits as he mentally sends flying daggers at the Slytherin Quidditch Captain. He nudges Junmyeon who’s sitting on his right. “You should’ve gotten the chance for it. You’re way smarter and even so you’re still humble.”

“Let it go, Chanyeol. Byun did put his hand up earlier than me,” Junmyeon whispers, careful not to let Professor Remus hear them. “Just focus on the class.”

“Alright, let’s move on with our lesson…” Professor Remus says as he waves his wand once and the tables align itself at the back of the class, giving space enough for the class to practice. “Everyone please pair up and find your partner and practice your nonverbal spell skill.”

The class splits up to create a group of two to practice the nonverbal spells. Junmyeon gets paired up with Jongin, while Chanyeol gets another sixth year Gryffindor as his partner.

Typically, with just ten minutes after Professor Remus let them practice by themselves Junmyeon manages to repel Jongin’s muttered Dancing Feet Jinx without a single word escaping his mouth. It results with Jongin wildly doing a series of jig and pirouettes around the class, making everyone laugh before Junmyeon performs the Counter-Jinx to it.

Thirty minutes until the bell rings as a signal of the end of the first period, Professor Remus starts patrolling around the class, observing the students. Then he approaches every group, checking on their progress.

So far, only Junmyeon, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun have managed to perform some spells, though only Junmyeon can do it correctly. The rest of the class isn’t as lucky as chaos takes place: everyone starts cheating by muttering the incantation under their breath or even still unable to cast any spell with their faces turning purple as a result of them trying so hard to shut their mouth to save themselves from the temptation of muttering the incantation.

As the class is nearing the end in then minutes, to everyone’s relief Professor Remus finally calls out to the class to put a halt on their lesson. “Okay everyone, I think we have practiced enough for today.”

“But before we go, let’s have one last match. Let’s see…” Professor Remus looks around the students, trying to find the perfect candidates. “We have two Quidditch Captains in this room today, so how about Mr. Park and Mr. Byun demonstrating nonverbal magic for us?”

Automatically the students are whispering gleefully at the pairing, because unknown to Professor Remus, the feud between the two Quidditch Captains goes more than just Quidditch, but literally all aspects. Soon the class is divided into two sides, with Gryffindors and Slytherins standing in front of each other. The crowd then forms a wide circle, giving space for Chanyeol and Baekhyun to stand in the middle.

“Now, Mr. Park and Mr. Byun, the rule goes as this, one of you will attempt to jinx the other without speaking, and the other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence,” Professor Remus instructs, looking back to back at both Chanyeol and Baekhyun to make sure they understand. “Are you two up for it?”

“Yes, sir.” The two aforementioned Quidditch Captains answer in unison, each breaking ranks from their friends who are all cheering for each of them.

In the center of the circle of students, Chanyeol and Baekhyun stand facing each other, with each taking position on each farthest side of the circle. Already knowing the rules of a Wizard’s Duel, they walk closer in a straight line before stopping when they’re one meter away from each other. They bow, though still keeping their eyes on each other just to send glares. They walk closer again until they’re only a few inches apart, before they raise their wands like swords in front of their faces as a way of saluting opponents.

“Scared, Park?” Baekhyun breathes out with a lopsided, smug smirk on his face. He gazes at Chanyeol’s eyes without blinking, it’s almost as if he’s sending electric current through the air.

Returning Baekhyun’s intense gaze just as fiercely, Chanyeol snorts and whispers back, “You fucking wish.”

Professor Remus’ voice pulls them back to the classroom. He walks around outside the circle, observing everyone as the two Quidditch Captains assume their original positions. “Remember, when I count to three, cast your charms or jinxes only to disarm your opponent. I don’t want any accidents happening in this class today. Understand?”

With eyes still locked at each other, Chanyeol and Baekhyun put their wands at the ready and nod to what Professor Remus said to them.

“In the count of three… one… two…” Professor Remus smiles, purposefully having the countdown to begin the duel slowly to build more suspense. The class mirrors him, all grinning and watching both Quidditch Captains with their heads turning back and forth between the two in excitement. “Three!”

With a Seeker’s reflex Baekhyun grabs his first chance to will his wand to perform the one Charm his mind can think of at the moment. Confundo!

The Confundus Charm Baekhyun put to use, albeit it’s a strong Charm Chanyeol senses Baekhyun’s nonverbal spell skill is still quite weak, so it only manages to throw him off balance for a bit, making him sway on his spot. Next, his instinct takes him to use the Disarming Charm, so inside his head he shouts, Expelliarmus!

Meanwhile, everyone is cheering out loud, admiring the two on how they can perform nonverbal spells when most of the class is still struggling. Each side shouts the name of their favorite candidate between the two, no longer thinking it’s a class anymore but a true duel.

The Disarming Charm works well, but Baekhyun manages to keep his tight grip on his wand. Quickly he decides to put over a shield just so Chanyeol can’t attack him again. In his mind he yells, Protego!

Suddenly pushed back several steps by an invisible force, Chanyeol knows Baekhyun is using the Shield Charm on him. This time he tries a jinx he knows he can perform well. Levicorpus!

The Levitation Jinx instantly causes Baekhyun to be hoisted into the air by his ankle. Without much thinking and forgetting that they’re practicing nonverbal spells, Baekhyun shouts, “Finite Incantatem!”

A loud thud is heard as Baekhyun falls back to the ground. And though he manages to land in a not so embarrassing way, he falls right in front of Chanyeol, so it seems like he’s kneeling right under Chanyeol’s nose.

“Enjoying your time getting heaved up there, Byun?” Chanyeol smirks as he casts his eyes down to look at the hunched down Baekhyun. “Or do you enjoy admitting your defeat down there more?”

“Fuck you, Park.” Baekhyun hisses as he quickly stands up again, brushing the dust off his legs. His feet hurt a little bit, maybe he sprained his ankle when he fell.

Right a second after, Professor Remus arrives at the scene. “That’s a faultlessly implemented General Counter Spell to reverse minor jinxes and curses performed by Mr. Byun.”

All sixth year Slytherins present in the class cheer for Baekhyun. Then he bows to the crowd, earning him more cheers and whistling.

“Twenty five points for Gryffindor and Slytherin,” Professor Remus adds, gesturing the class to clap for Chanyeol and Baekhyun again. “For the excellent demonstration of nonverbal spells we have just witnessed.”

In turn, the Gryffindors also cheer just as loud for Chanyeol. The Gryffindor Quidditch Captain grins widely at everyone, even to the sulky Slytherins.

“Although I see Mr. Byun hasn’t quite mastered the idea of nonverbal spells…” Professor Remus continues, turning around to face Baekhyun directly. “Maybe an essay on how to properly cast nonverbal spells without speaking might refresh your mind about it?”

“But—” Baekhyun starts to defend himself, but seeing Professor Remus’ kind smile he stops. Through gritted teeth he decides to change his answer. “Yes, Professor.”

“However, the essay isn’t only for Mr. Byun. Everyone who didn’t manage to perform nonverbal spells when we practiced earlier will have to hand me the essay at our next class,” Professor Remus adds as he faces the class again, earning a low groan from the students. “Don’t forget to do it, I remember everyone’s progress.”

Even so, at the end the class relents too after seeing the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher only smiles at them.

“Okay then, I’ll see you in the next lesson,” Professor Remus ends the class as the students start picking up their bags and exits the classroom. “Have a good day, everyone.”

Though all other students already leave the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Baekhyun is still left inside packing his bag. He’s taking longer than everyone because he’s aching all over after the nonverbal magic duel he had with Chanyeol. He already has in his mind a plan for the night to forget how Chanyeol humiliated him: a nice warm bath before dinner where he’ll eat as much as he wants and going to bed straight after. He’s not going to let Chanyeol ruin his day.

But he’s only turning around to leave when he sees someone obstructing his way out of the classroom. And possibly ruining his day even more.

“Get the fuck out of my way—” Baekhyun tries to elbow his way out past Chanyeol. He’s already on tenterhooks to just punch Chanyeol on the face.

“Language, Byun.” Chanyeol drawls, easily getting back to his full height. He’s taller and way broader than Baekhyun, so it’s an easy feat to keep standing still even though the latter tries as much as he can to shove him.

“Or what, Park? You’ll dock points from Slytherin just because I cursed?” Baekhyun challenges, raising one of his eyebrows in doubt while looking at Chanyeol with open disdain.

“Captains can’t dock House points,” Chanyeol states, crossing his folded arms in front of his chest. He scoffs, “Honestly Byun, if your thinking was any slower, you would be going backwards right now.”

“I was only being sarcastic, you blithering idiot.” Baekhyun bites back, feeling really not in the mood to talk, and even more to argue with Chanyeol.

“Alright, all I’m saying is don’t you get too high on your broomstick, Byun. You’ll fall, break your leg and you might not make it to the match later.” Chanyeol sneers, indifferent to the insult Baekhyun just uttered.

“Stop talking nonsense and shut the fuck up, Park,” Baekhyun snaps. His mood is broken after Professor Remus gave him extra essay on nonverbal magic, he still has other homework and Quidditch training later, and Chanyeol is trying to vex him even more. He’s on the verge of just hexing the hell out of Chanyeol. “Get out of the fucking way!”

But Chanyeol keeps his stance, barricading himself in front of Baekhyun so as to not let the Slytherin Seeker walk out. “You stay wherever you are, Byun. I think you’re up for a talk. We have unfinished business to talk about.”

“Up for a talk? With you? As if!” Baekhyun snorts loudly. Then he has an idea to drive Chanyeol up the wall and maybe get rid of him too. “So, entertain me then, Park. Did you enjoy the Pumpkin Pasties?”

“So I was right, it was your idea of a fucking sick joke!” Chanyeol points out, his cool façade breaks as his anger rises boiling high at the sight of Baekhyun’s satisfied smirk. “You fucker—”

“Just figure it all by yourself, Park. And while you’re at it, let the annoyance or whatever you’re feeling inside come out, you know, just vomit it all out.” Baekhyun cuts Chanyeol short as his smirk grows wider, quickly turning around to leave so as not to give Chanyeol a chance to reply.

For now Chanyeol can’t let himself get carried away. He tells himself to be patient just a bit more and soon he’ll make Baekhyun regret what he had done to him. So following his plan, he fakes himself tripping over his own foot and deliberately lands himself hard on Baekhyun’s back. “Whoops, my bad.”

“Get the fuck off my back, Park!” Baekhyun finally snaps, his patience running dangerously low. “What now, you can’t walk properly? Is that why you’re so bad at being a Keeper?”

Weirdly enough, Baekhyun doesn’t get an insult back from the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. The taller one just turns his back and leaves without saying anything.

So without further ado Baekhyun walks to his next class, ushering any thought about the odd thing Chanyeol just did earlier. He has a Care of Magical Creatures and Charms class for the next periods, so he should hurry.

The rest of the day goes well for Baekhyun. No other occurrences of passing by anyone annoying or anything wrong. In the evening, he eats his dinner at Great Hall just like he planned before ending the day sleeping comfortably on his four-posters bed.

The next morning, Minseok gets a note from Professor Trunchbull to get Baekhyun to his office for something Quidditch related talk. So he waits for the Slytherin Quidditch Captain to turn up at the Great Hall.

But after waiting until the first period of class almost started, Baekhyun hasn’t been seen yet. So he opts to just visit the Slytherin dungeon, in case Baekhyun is still there.

Yet again Baekhyun doesn’t come up from his dormitory. Confused rather than irritated for waiting, Minseok decides to just stop by the sixth year boys’ dormitory. Maybe Baekhyun hasn’t woken up yet. So he climbs down a spiral staircase to reach where Baekhyun is, finding the Slytherin Quidditch Captain is indeed still sleeping judging by the bundle of blankets on Baekhyun’s four-posters bed.

“Baekhyun, wake up it’s late—” then Minseok holds his breath, suddenly aware the condition Baekhyun is in. Quickly he walks to Baekhyun’s bed, waking the Slytherin Quidditch Captain slowly. “What happened to you?”

“Wh—” Baekhyun slurs, midway waking up from his sleep. But when he tries to move not even a fraction from his original position, he feels a sharp pain on his right cheek. “Ouch, what the fuck—!”

“Don’t scratch or touch that, let me examine you first.” Minseok quickly stops Baekhyun by grabbing on Baekhyun’s wrists. After a closer look he realizes there is something that looks like boils on Baekhyun’s skin.

Even without Minseok telling him that, Baekhyun is unable to move without feeling extreme pain, so he lets Minseok come closer. “What the fuck is happening to me?”

“When did this start to happen?” Minseok checks first. In his head he starts building a mind map. “Can you tell?”

“I don’t know, I only noticed it today, when you woke me up, hyung—” Baekhyun replies, half groaning. He has so many questions in his head but he’s distracted by the unbearable pain he’s feeling. “For Merlin’s sake this hurts so much—”

“Where have you been yesterday?” Minseok confirms again, still unable to guess but continuing to check Baekhyun’s reddened skin thoroughly. “Did you go to the Forbidden Forest? I know you like to sneak outside the castle to skip your classes—”

“No, hyung, I swear! I attended all my classes!” Baekhyun cuts Minseok short impatiently. Seeing Minseok’s anxious face, he can’t help but surrender to his curiosity and touch the skin of his back. It’s a big mistake on his part. “Ouch! What do I do now—”

The red inflammation of the skin, the tiny pustules scattered around, the extreme pain it causes, and most importantly the delayed timing of the reactions showing off… The characteristic signs on Baekhyun skins remind Minseok of just one thing. “Bulbadox Powder.”

Hearing the powder’s name that Baekhyun knows some of his friends once told him they used to put a prank on other House’ students gets him thinking hard. Unconsciously he tries to stand up, earning him a strike of pain again.

“Please stay still, Baekhyun,” Minseok warns, trying to find the right place that doesn’t get covered with the small, multiple boils to hold Baekhyun down. “You need to be careful, because these are—”

Being a brilliant student himself, Baekhyun already knew what Minseok was about to say. The effect of contacting with Bulbadox powder is for his skin to break in boils. “I know the boils from Bulbadox Powder can’t be touched or else it’ll get worse—ouch, fuck!”

“But how did you get Bulbadox Powder all over your body?” Minseok wonders, considering the options in his head. “I don’t think you accidentally get it from any of your classes, it’s not something we use in Herbology, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, or even Divination…”

“I don’t know, hyung—ouch—I just woke up like this!” Baekhyun cries out in pain again, even moving just a little bit hurts so much. So he stays still for a moment, thinking. Is it the first years or someone who hates him in Slytherin? What did he do yesterday that might cause him to get exposed to the Bulbadox Powder? He’s sure none of his class had him using the Bulbadox Powder…

Though Baekhyun still doesn’t know who did it, only one name springs up into his mind that can do such a thing to him. Then he remembers yesterday afternoon after Defense Against the Dark Arts class, when he had Chanyeol keeping him from leaving, Chanyeol’s vague sentences, and how Chanyeol fell onto his back. “That piece of shit must’ve sprayed it onto my robes after Defense Against the Dark Arts class! Fuck, it fucking hurts!”

“That piece of shit who?” Minseok asks over Baekhyun’s loud exclamations of pain that get ruder by the minute that goes by.

“Who else other than Park fucking Chanyeol?” Baekhyun fumes, his breath ragged from feeling too much anger. “It’s definitely him!”

Of course, Minseok sighs. Apparently none of the two whom he has advised not to do anything that might cause trouble takes note from what he told them. “What does Chanyeol have anything to do with this?”

“Everything, hyung! He’s the mastermind behind this, I can bet all my Galleons on this!” Baekhyun shouts, so frustrated he’s close to tearing his own hair but another strike of pain reminds him he can’t move much. “This hurts so bad!”

“Alright, but let me do something about this first.” Minseok says, taking his wand from his robes’ pocket. Then he performs a complicated wand movement over Baekhyun’s body

Recognizing it as one of the advanced nonverbal spell, Baekhyun can only watch as he finally can feel as if something icy is rubbed on his skin, allaying his pain.

“I can only do this to relieve the pain of the boils caused by Bulbadox Powder, but I still think you need to go to the hospital wing and ask Madam Pomfrey for essence of dittany and her specially made ointment to remove the boils.” Minseok says at last after he’s done performing a counter-curse spell that he knows can cure similar symptoms.

“Thank you, hyung,” Baekhyun sighs, finally able to let out his breath. Now he can move though still restricted. “I won’t let that fucker Park get away with this.”

“Come on, Baekhyun,” Minseok sighs again, trying to stop Baekhyun both from moving too much and from creating another plan to trick Chanyeol. “Just calm down and don’t try to do anything with Chanyeol or else you’ll get into trouble.”

“After he fucking embarrassed me in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, got me to do an extra essay on nonverbal spells, and now he used this low, stupid trick too?” Baekhyun laughs sarcastically, almost sounding maniacal. “No way. Park Chanyeol I’ll fucking get you!”

—

It’s February 14th, everywhere and on every corner of Hogwarts there are displays of pink colors to mark the festivity of Valentine’s day.

As usual on February 14th, Professor Gilderoy will open cupid services that allow students, staff, and teachers to send their Valentine’s day’s gifts to their loved ones. They’re providing numerous assistance in sending letters, flowers, chocolates, and even reciting poems if you’re too shy to say it yourself.

Everyone isn’t exactly opposed to this, in Professor Gilderoy’s word, tradition, but there’s just one thing that bothers them: instead of babies, Professor Gilderoy hired house elves as cupids. These reluctant and clearly repulsed house elves are forced to wear white or pink togas and laurels to make them look like cupids. Not to mention how some of them are straight up annoying, as they will disturb classes or even stomp the receiver’s feet until the gift is taken.

It’s already half past eight in the morning and most of the students are already making their way back up to attend their classes, so the long tables are no longer occupied with students. There are still owls flying in, getting letters and parcels from home for the ones who just showed up in the Great Hall.

Today for the class at nine in the morning, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff sixth years have joined class for Care of Magical Creatures. That means on the Gryffindor table Chanyeol, Junmyeon, and Jongin are accompanied by Yixing and Jongdae as they wait for the first period bell to ring. Meanwhile the Ravenclaws, Kyungsoo and Sehun, have a free period so they’ve decided to sit and converse along with the other five.

“Check that out, Byun’s got so many chocolates and letters.” Jongdae points out to the Slytherin table when they’re snacking on the sandwiches left on Gryffindor table.

All conversations are halted and seven pairs of eyes simultaneously move to the far end of the Great Hall as they craned their necks to see Baekhyun sitting on his usual spot at the Slytherin table. In front of the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, they see stacks of pink colored envelopes and heart shaped boxes.

“Heard he’s really popular between girls and guys alike,” Jongin says to the group, after they’ve turned their heads back. Then he glances at Sehun who’s sitting next to him. “Even our Sehun here comes off as second best now. Though it doesn’t mean a thing now, because he’s—”

“—Because he’s fine with it. Right, Sehun?” Junmyeon verifies to Sehun in front of him. Looking to his side he notices how Chanyeol has gone silent, knowing Baekhyun being the topic of their conversation isn’t something he’s comfortable with. “And why are we talking about him, anyway? It’s just a waste of time doing so.”

“Junmyeon’s right. It doesn’t matter, Byun doesn’t bother me at all,” Sehun grins in confirmation as he leans forward to rest his arms on the table. “He can’t, anyway.”

“Can we talk about someone else other than Byun please?” Chanyeol grumbles, finally saying something after he started sulking since the beginning of the discussion. Hearing the Slytherin Quidditch Captain’s name is something extremely intolerable to go through in the morning for him.

Being best friends since they were eleven, the request only results in Jongin, Sehun, Jongdae, and Yixing to tease Chanyeol more. It’s not until Junmyeon with the assistance of Kyungsoo commands them to drop the topic then they stop their teasing with stifled laughter.

But just right after they’re done talking about Baekhyun, the man of the topic walks by the Gryffindor table.

“Not receiving anything for Valentine’s day, Park? My condolences for you,” Baekhyun says casually as he combs back his blond hair with his fingers. The movement causes his hair to catch the filtering sunlight and some girls trailing behind him to let out squeals. “I might give some of the chocolates and gifts I got for you—you know, like charity presents—but you wouldn’t need it. You’ll get one sooner or later.”

Not wanting to deal with Baekhyun’s bullshit so early in the day, Chanyeol opts to block out everything Baekhyun just said and disregards every sane thought to keep himself civil. “Just admit it Byun, let’s be real. Probably all those chocolates you got are sent from your mother.”

It all happens in less than a second: an indecipherable expression mixed with shock passes through Baekhyun’s face before it all gets wiped out completely. In a flash his face hardens as he turns around and walks away to exit the Great Hall in long strides.

“That’s weird…” Yixing speaks up, voicing everyone’s thoughts to the open air.

“Yeah, Byun usually will come up with worse insults.” Jongin adds, eyebrows knitted in an odd sense of surprise.

“I don’t fucking care.” Chanyeol growls, slamming the edge of the silver spoon he has been holding on the table, scraping the oak surface. He can feel his body filled thoroughly with pure hate that blurs any logical thoughts.

Everyone on the table can only stare cautiously at Chanyeol, who now has his eyes directed at his bowl in front of him. It’s a wonder the bowl hasn’t burned down from the intensity of the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain’s gaze. Junmyeon discreetly mouths a act normal! behind Chanyeol’s back and the others return to their positions, albeit awkwardly.

“Anyway, Jongdae. You’re here just to spy on whether Minseok hyung got your chocolates or not, I assume?” Kyungsoo mentions once again, smoothly resurrecting their conversation. He notices the way Jongdae’s eyes were focused on the Slytherin table the whole time they were talking.

“N-no!” Jongdae stutters as he stuffs an egg pie onto his mouth just so he doesn’t have to answer any further question.

The reaction starts a chain of chuckles from Kyungsoo as he enjoys the effect of his clever observation on the Hufflepuff student. “Yeah sure, Jongdae. Sure.”

“Jongdae, do you know your ears are red now?” Sehun chimes in, laughing as he reaches out his hand to tug on Jongdae’s ears. The gesture is followed by Jongin, who seems to be unable to say anything because he’s too caught up laughing at Jongdae.

“You can’t fool us, we all saw you.” Yixing laughs along, noticing the more they talk about Minseok the redder Jongdae’s cheeks is turning.

“Alright I was looking at Minseok hyung because I sent him some Honeydukes chocolates,” Jongdae finally gives up after swallowing his chewed egg tart. Kyungsoo is a sweetheart but sometimes the Ravenclaw student’s brain is enough to make people do according to what he wants without him doing anything. “You lot happy now?”

Cheers erupt from the other six people sitting around Jongdae, all congratulating him on finally making a move on Minseok. The rest of their time left for breakfast is spent on teasing Jongdae about his six years old crush on the Head Prefect, with everyone laughing together. By that, the topic of Baekhyun is finally forgotten, Chanyeol’s mood is considerably lifted, and everyone is saved from Chanyeol’s wrath.

After they’re done gulping their pumpkin juice, the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff sixth years exit the Great Hall and out of the castle before starting down the hill to reach the mouth of the Forbidden Forest for their Care of Magical Creature class. They say goodbye to Kyungsoo and Sehun, who said they’ll go back to Ravenclaw Tower for their free period after breakfast.

All five of them reach the secluded part near the Forbidden Forest reserved for today’s class right in time as other Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs start to gather around Professor Kettleburn and several opened wooden crates strewn around him. As they walk nearer, they can hear rattling noises and random minor explosions from the shaking crates.

“Alright! Had a good breakfast, eh?” Professor Kettleburn starts, grinning toothily as he looks around and checks for his students for the day. “At today’s Care of Magical Creatures class, we will be continuing our last lesson on how to take care and raise Blast-Ended Skrewts!”

For three times already now, for Care of Magical Creatures class Professor Kettleburn has them introduced to and interacted with Blast-Ended Skrewts. The Skrewts look like deformed cross of giant scorpions, lobsters and elongated crabs with thick, slimy green colored shells. They’re over three foot long with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. From where they’re kept in the crates anyone can smell its rotting fish stench. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a Skrewt and it would be propelled a few inches forward.

“Why are we dealing with the Skrewts again?” Yixing groans, after Professor Kettleburn walks away to get more wooden crates and buckets filled with food for the Skrewts. His sentiment is shared by almost everyone in the class. “We should be stamping on these lot before they get loose and attack us all.”

“Despite it’s a crossbreed of Manticores and Fire Crabs which makes its Ministry of Magic Classification as something extremely dangerous, I do think it’s interesting.” Junmyeon says thoughtfully as he peers into one of the crates.

“A crossbreed between a highly dangerous Greek beast with the head of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a scorpion,” Jongdae reads out from his copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with an incredulous expression on his face. “And a large crab that resembles tortoises and can shoot fire from its rear ends is interesting to you?”

“Do you know right now I’m wearing my old shirt that’s too tight on me now? My other shirt uniform is signed thanks to these Skrewts,” Jongin rants, keeping a fair distance from the crates by hiding behind Chanyeol’s back. “Junmyeon, don’t you remember when one of those Skrewts issued a blast of fire and burned some of my hair?”

“Or when it stung Yixing’s finger and he had to go to the hospital wing?” Jongdae adds, with Yixing nodding vigorously behind him. “Or when I got a cut on my lip after it jumped out of its crate as it explodes?”

“Well, they’re, uh, very rare!” Junmyeon argues, though he starts to sound greatly unsure the more he tries to stare back at the alienated looks his friends are sending him. “They’re on the verge of extinction now.”

“Well, we’re all glad the Blast-Ended Skrewts are almost extinct now.” Chanyeol scorns, attempting to put up a grimly mocking smile towards the skrewts in the hope he’ll be spared from its torture today. He himself has also tasted the painful burn when one of the Skrewt’s ends exploded and blasted off near his hand.

The debate whether the Blast-Ended Skrewts are interesting or not continues for some time. Then it’s put on hold for a moment as Professor Kettleburn instructs them to wear their protective gloves and feed the Skrewts with ant eggs, frog livers, and grass snake.

“Mr. Chanyeol Park?” A house elf, who’s wearing a particularly shocking pink toga with a bored expression on his face and has a heart-shaped box that is too big for it to hold, peeks from behind a tree. “Delivery for Mr. Chanyeol Park!”

“O-oh that’s me.” Chanyeol tentatively waves his hand a bit to get the house elf to come over to him.

“Sign here please.” The house elf hands Chanyeol a piece of parchment on which Chanyeol writes his full name with the quill supplied. Then the house elf thrusts a heart-shaped box into Chanyeol’s hands before it runs away back to the castle.

“Wow, someone sent you a house elf Valentine’s day Delivery?” Jongin says, eyeing the package with interest.

“Yeah, I guess?” Chanyeol shrugs, as he tears the wrapping and unties the pink ribbon securing the box. Opening the lid of the box reveals to him eight chocolates arranged neatly to form a heart. “And wow, that someone sent me a box of Chocolate Cauldrons.”

“Oh look, Park’s got an admirer,” Yixing whistles, his eyes too are drawn to the pink box that stands out from their cream colored bags and black robes. “Do you know who sent it? Come on, we all want to know, check the card!”

“It’s from… wait, there’s no name in the card, just someone’s writing that says For you. Anonymous sender, eh?” Chanyeol says as he inspects the card attached to the box. “I knew it, Byun is wrong. He’s not the only one who got loads of admirers.”

“Give us a bite of those, will you?” Jongdae requests, feeling instant hunger at the sight of the chocolate filled sweets, his fingers already hovering over them and ready to take one. “Some chocolate might distract us a bit from these Skrewts.”

“No, I’m never giving even one bit of the Chocolate Cauldrons for you guys, it’s my favorite confectionery,” Chanyeol juts his tongue out, teasing his best friends. Then he takes out one of the chocolates before inserting it into his mouth. Satisfied with the way the chocolate shells melt inside his mouth, he adds, “I’m going to eat these all by myself.”

Sulking as he huffs out his breath, Jongdae returns back to the others to continue feeding the Skrewts. He wears his protective gloves before joining Junmyeon, Jongin, and Yixing in picking up squelchy frog livers to throw into the crates.

Without anyone noticing, Chanyeol doesn’t follow suit. The Skrewts’ loud explosions blot out the sound of the pink colored box falling to the ground or him suddenly going blank as his hands fall limp to his sides. Only one out of four in the group catches the peculiar sight.

“Chanyeol, are you okay?” Junmyeon asks. He notices how there’s something different in Chanyeol’s demeanor, in how Chanyeol suddenly goes too quiet than usual as the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain withdrew himself from the others. “Does the Chocolate Cauldrons taste weird?”

“Do you know Millicent Bulstrode?” Chanyeol whispers, his eyes bulging wide as he ogles at Junmyeon and Jongin.

It’s odd for the both of them to hear Chanyeol asking if he knows Millicent Bulstrode, since everyone knows her. She’s one of the scariest looking seventh year Slytherins that every Hogwarts student is afraid of, since she’s very tall, bulky, and can crush anyone easily.

While exchanging glances with Junmyeon, also slowly realizing the different behavior Chanyeol is showing, cautiously Jongin replies, “Yes, I do, but—”

“I need to find her, I love her!” Chanyeol cuts Jongin short, almost screaming on top of his lungs as he seizes the latter by the shoulders, shaking him violently. And before Jongin or Junmyeon can find the correct reaction, he starts speeding up the hill and towards the castle.

“Chanyeol, what do you mean?” Junmyeon finally shouts as he deems Chanyeol can’t hear him as Chanyeol is already quite far away from him.

“Where are you going?” Jongin shouts too, now looking at Junmyeon in panic before he decides to just run after Chanyeol. Professor Kettleburn and his Skrewts be damned. “Wait for me—”

“Junmyeon, what’s happening to Chanyeol?” Jongdae finally looks up from his frog liver bucket at the sudden commotion. “Where is Chanyeol and Jongin going?”

“I don’t know, just—” Junmyeon hesitates for a split second, looking at the front part of the class where Professor Kettleburn is explaining about the anatomy of Blast-Ended Skrewts before looking back at Chanyeol who’s already running quite far away from them. “Just tell Professor Kettleburn that I have to go!”

“We should go too,” Yixing says distractedly, eyes following where Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon are running to while his hands are tugging the hem of Jongdae’s robes sleeve. “I’m worried about Chanyeol—”

“Let’s go, we have to check what’s going on to Chanyeol after he ate that,” Jongdae replies as he grabs Chanyeol’s abandoned bag and the box of Chocolate Cauldron lying on the forest floor. Then he and Yixing rush to follow Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon. “I don’t like this at all.”

“Mr. Park, where are you going—” Professor Kettleburn finally notices the flock of students leaving his class’ premise. Confused, he can only call out for the running away students. “Mr. Kim, Mr. Zhang!”

But none hears him as Junmyeon, Jongin, Yixing, and Jongdae run away with their bags without looking back.

Somehow not out of breath at all despite running quite a long way from the Hogwarts grounds to reach the Great Hall, Chanyeol keeps on running to reach the Slytherin table, wildly looking for Millicent Bulstrode. He finds the seventh year Slytherin is currently sitting at the table with her friends, just finishing her breakfast of a bowl of porridge.

Without warning, Chanyeol grabs Millicent Bulstrode’s arm to pull on it hard enough to yank her from her seat, forcing her to stand up and face him. Next thing he does is screaming out loud in front of her face. “Oh I love you, Millicent Bulstrode!”

“What the fuck?” Millicent Bulstrode screams back. She tries to pull her arms from Chanyeol’s tight grip, but for some reason it only grows stronger, almost hurting her wrist.

Both Chanyeol and Millicent Bulstrode’s screams attract everyone still hanging around the Great Hall to their spot at the Slytherin table. But even so no one tries to get a teacher, instead they seem to enjoy watching, especially one particular Slytherin sitting not far from Millicent Bulstrode and her friends.

As if summoned, Baekhyun arrives at the scene. “What’s this Park, trying new moves to embarrass yourself now?”

But strangely, just like how he doesn’t feel any pain from Millicent Bulstrode’s violent twist on his arm, Chanyeol doesn’t seem to notice Baekhyun.

“Millicent, I can be your man! You have to know that I pull down about a thousand sacks of Galleons every year!” Chanyeol starts, eyes glued on Millicent Bulstrode with such amount of reverence it’s almost frightening. “And—and I’m a dragon killer for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures too!”

“Shut the fuck up, what the fuck you’re doing!” Millicent Bulstrode shouts over Chanyeol’s rambling. The grip Chanyeol has on her arms has turned even forceful her skin starts to turn even whiter. “You’re fucking hurting me!”

“And if those aren’t enough, I can assure you that I’m a vampire hunter too, I’ve killed ninety so far!” Chanyeol continues, now the expression on his face is almost lunatic. He seems oblivious of Millicent Bulstrode’s attempt to break his arm and get away. “And oh! Did I tell you that I’ve invented a broomstick that will reach Jupiter?”

“Get off me you fucking freak!” Millicent Bulstrode. Can’t take anymore of Chanyeol’s stunts, she decides to punch Chanyeol’s stomach with her fist, causing Chanyeol to fall back onto the linoleum floor of the Great Hall. Then she makes a break for it, trying to get as much distance as she can from Chanyeol.

As if he lost both the senses in his mind and his body, Chanyeol just stands up like he didn’t just take a hit from Millicent Bulstrode. With him furrowing his eyebrows, jaw locked tight, and face almost murderous, he runs after the escaping Millicent Bulstrode.

“Nice moves, Park!” Baekhyun laughs loudly, drawing more attention to Chanyeol even more than the strange behavior Chanyeol is sporting.

At this point it seems like Chanyeol doesn’t think anyone else exists other than him and Millicent Bulstrode, judging by the way he pushes and shoves anyone that tries to ask him what is going on. He even almost trampled on some students passing by as he tried to chase after Millicent Bulstrode.

Right on time, Jongin, Junmyeon, Yixing, and Jongdae finally approach where Chanyeol is. Then they disperse, trying to capture the distraught Chanyeol running out of control and zigzagging among the four tables at Great Hall.

“Fucking shit, Chanyeol, you want to get crushed by her?” Jongin hisses on Chanyeol’s ear, all the while struggling to contain Chanyeol’s wriggling body once he gets a hold on Chanyeol. He looks back, trying to search for familiar faces from the crowd that starts to gather. “Anyone, don’t just stand there! Help me!”

“What happened?” Kyungsoo asks concernedly, as he tries to catch one of Chanyeol’s flailing hands. He pushed his way into the center of the circle of people after he heard Jongin’s voice.

“I don’t know—” Jongin replies urgently, now trying to keep Chanyeol from standing up again by doing a headlock with his arm around Chanyeol’s shoulders, though the latter still struggles to throw him off. “Kyungsoo, anyone, just help me!”

Following Jongin’s instructions, Kyungsoo has his palms pressing Chanyeol down on his chest. Meanwhile Jongdae and Yixing take care of Chanyeol’s arms, keeping it from grabbing people’s arms in random or trying to hurt others.

“I’m holding his legs!” Junmyeon says, crouching down to where Chanyeol is lying before grabbing both Chanyeol’s ankles. “Chanyeol, stay still! How come he’s so strong!”

“I love you, Millicent Bulstrode!” Chanyeol yells even louder, his loopy grin is now distorted and he looks like an insane Azkaban prisoner desperately trying to get out of a Dementor’s hold. “I’ll do anything for you!”

With Chanyeol finally detained by four people, Millicent Bulstrode comes back again to her seat at the Slytherin table to retrieve her belongings as she hides behind a barricade of her friends. She can only look at Chanyeol lying down with pure loathing. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I’ll be the youngest ever Minister of Magic!” Chanyeol shouts again even more feverishly, “Or if you want I’ll also be the Head of Auror’s Office for you, my dear Millicent Bulstrode!”

Not even when both of Jongdae and Yixing’s hands try to cover Chanyeol’s mouth and drown out Chanyeol’s noisy babbling does Chanyeol stop. If possible, with people laughing and pointing their fingers at him, the more he lets out his voice to confess his love for Millicent Bulstrode. To everyone’s nightmare, he suddenly starts to sing.

Her eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad
A kind of green that reminds me of the intestines of a frog
Her hair is as dark as a blackboard

It seems like the best day for Baekhyun. Now the Slytherin Quidditch Captain is also lying on the floor just like Chanyeol. But unlike Chanyeol, he’s laughing so hard while holding his stomach. His fellow Slytherins join him as well, guffawing and commenting with rude insults.

Paying no mind to everyone around him or Baekhyun and his friends making fun of him, Chanyeol continues to sing in an even louder voice and out of tune manner.

I wish she was mine
She’s truly divine
Millicent Bulstrode, the girl who conquered my heart

“What’s this?” A cold voice rings from somewhere behind them. The crowd parts to reveal the Head Prefect coming to find the source of commotion as some students run away from the scene, still laughing and gossiping about Chanyeol.

“Kim, Park’s trying to fucking off me!” Millicent runs to reach Minseok, face red from humiliation and anger. “You need to sort him out and get him out of my sight!”

“Junmyeon, explain.” Minseok demands at the Gryffindor Beater, after seeing Chanyeol can’t speak incoherently and starts being violent at anyone trying to hinder him from coming closer to Millicent Bulstrode. Not to mention he’s held by four people at once but still able to scream and wriggle.

“I don’t know, he ate some Chocolate Cauldrons from a box he received for Valentine’s day, and suddenly he’s like this?” Junmyeon tries to recount what just happened as he tries to avoid getting a strike on his face with Chanyeol’s kicking legs.

Suspecting Chanyeol is intoxicated with brandy, Firewhiskey, or mead, Minseok briefly sniffs Chanyeol’s mouth. At once he recognizes what the weird smelling perfume coming out from it means, but it isn’t any of his previous guesses. This one needs extra care. “Bring him with me to an empty classroom. Quick, before any of the teachers sees us.”

Then Jongin and Junmyeon take each of Chanyeol’s sides, draping Chanyeol’s arm over their shoulder to carry him up, while Jongdae and Yixing try to find the nearest empty classroom. Luckily there’s a vacant classroom on the first floor with its door unlocked. Immediately they bring Chanyeol in, with Minseok bringing up the rear.

Once Minseok closes the door behind him, he starts to give the other four a brief explanation of what he thinks happened to Chanyeol. “He’s intoxicated by a potion—”

“What? Potion poisoning? Who did it?” Yixing asks, quite skeptic someone could be that cruel but also more alert at the same time when he sees indeed there’s something utterly wrong with Chanyeol. “What should we do?”

“Relax, at least it’s just Amortentia, the love potion. I can whip up the antidote quickly,” Minseok replies, already calculating what he needs and where to get them. Thankfully Professor Trunchbull trusts him with the safekeeping of the ingredients cupboard at the Potion class. “Wait here.”

“Amortentia?” Jongdae stutters, appalled by the fact someone really hates Chanyeol for them to go as far as mixing Amortentia into Chocolate Cauldrons, not to mention he was so close to eating one. “B-but how—”

“Where the hell am I!” Chanyeol screams almost inherently, cutting off Jongdae’s question. “I need to get to Millicent Bulstrode’s side, she’s the one for me!”

Everyone jumps at the sudden scream from Chanyeol. Minseok looks at Chanyeol for a moment before adding, “Just keep him safe and hidden here for a moment, I’ll be back.”

It only took Minseok five minutes to run to the Potions classroom in the dungeon and come back to the empty classroom. Now he has his rucksack that seems to be full of things.

“Minseok hyung, please explain to us what’s happening.” Junmyeon demands again as soon as the Head Prefect arrives. He still can’t find the connection between Chanyeol and Millicent Bulstrode.

“This isn’t the real Chanyeol. The delirium, hallucination, and the crazed infatuation… those are the signs of Amortentia poisoning.” Minseok explains as he takes out a medium sized pewter cauldron and other ingredients.

“I knew it,” Junmyeon sighs. At the very first he saw Chanyeol opening the Chocolate Cauldrons filled box he was already feeling apprehensive at it. “I recognized the signs but the situation was in too much chaos I didn’t know what to do.”

“It’s fine, I’ll get the antidote now,” Minseok says, now arranging the brass cauldron to hang onto one of the chains hanging from the bathroom’s ceiling. “You all can go back to class if you want to, before Professor Kettleburn looks for you.”

“It’s alright, we want to make sure Chanyeol is safe before we go.” Junmyeon says, getting nods of approval from others.

“I don’t care if Kettleburn gives us extra essays or even detention, I just need to know Chanyeol is okay.” Jongdae chimes in, looking over at Chanyeol who is now sitting awkwardly. The Gryffindor Quidditch Captain has his eyes unfocused, with a dopey smile and a loopy expression on his face.

“I still can’t believe that—” Jongin abruptly lowers his voice, just so Chanyeol who’s in his daydreaming state doesn’t hear him, “Millicent Bulstrode, sent Chanyeol a box of Chocolate Cauldrons spiked with Amortentia. There’s just no way!”

“We’ll get to that point later. Now I need you two to keep Chanyeol to stay still while I brew the antidote.” Minseok replies as he skillfully brandishes an blue flame from the tip of his wand, and takes out Wiggentree twigs, a bottle castor oil, and a phial containing extract of Gurdyroot.

Having again the crowd’s full attention seems to pull Chanyeol back into his hysteria state. “Someone take me to Millicent Bulstrode! I can’t live without her!”

“I can’t stand looking at him like this… I have an idea, let’s just put him to sleep for a moment,” Yixing mumbles, taking his wand out of his robes’ pocket. Then he walks stealthily behind the unsuspecting Chanyeol. “Stupefy.”

The Stunning Spell Yixing administered quickly stops Chanyeol from moving. With Chanyeol finally staying still in his sleep, Minseok can continue brewing the antidote potion. They wait a while for the mixture to simmer for a while as Minseok adds more ingredients and stir the liquid carefully.

Not long after, the concoction in the cauldron turns into a clear liquid, signaling it’s ready. Then Minseok pours some of it into a small vial he has prepared for Chanyeol to drink from. “It’s ready now, you can get him back up. He needs to drink this fast.”

“I’ll do it,” Kyungsoo volunteers. Then he points his wand at Chanyeol’s chest, right above the heart. “Rennervate.”

Slowly Chanyeol opens his eyes. But it seems like the effect of Amortentia is still affecting him, because soon after he’s trying to escape Jongin’s hold again.

“I want Millicent Bulstrode, now!” Chanyeol shouts suddenly into the air, sweat covering every bit of his exposed skin from writhing too much under Jongin’s body lock. “Where is she, I need to look good for her!”

“Alright, this will get you look good in front of her.” Minseok coos, offering the goblet full of the antidote’s clear liquid.

“What’s this?” Chanyeol’s wild eyes are now staring at the goblet as if it’s a threat to him.

“A tonic for the nerve,” Minseok replies, complete with a sweet smile and using his softest voice as if talking to a child. “Just so you’ll be more confident to meet Millicent Bulstrode.”

Gratefully Chanyeol grabs the goblet before gulping down the entire content of the goblet. As the second passes, slowly the manic expression on his face vanishes to be replaced with a worn out expression, his skin greenish pale as if he just finished vomiting. “Someone is trying to kill me…”

“Now that Chanyeol is alright, I can say this. I suspect the sender isn’t Millicent Bulstrode, there must be someone else,” Minseok finally answers Junmyeon and Jongin’s previous question. “Amortentia doesn’t always have to make the consumer to have obsession over the sender, it can be meddled with if you know which ingredient to tweak around.”

“This is such a sick joke.” Yixing mutters, now looking at the box of Chocolate Cauldrons Jongdae brought from their previous class with contempt.

“But it’s quite clever though,” Jongin quips, earning a slight smack with a roll of parchment on his head from Kyungsoo. “I meant, the way they disguised it as Chanyeol’s favorite sweets, a box of Chocolate Cauldrons.”

“But who would do such a thing to him?” Jongdae asks, bringing out the heart-shaped box out from his bag. He places it in the middle of their circle, though no one wants to touch the chocolates it contains.

“It’s definitely Byun, he’s getting me back for the Bulbadox powder trick!” Chanyeol still manages to shout as he regains his energy back, though somehow he feels tired and in pain after doing something he doesn’t remember. “And he’s trying to distract me from focusing on the upcoming Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match! He saw us win after the match against Ravenclaw!”

“Come to think of it, remember what Byun said?” Yixing asks around, astonished as something that happened this morning comes back to his mind. “When he stopped by Gryffindor’s table?”

“You’re right, Byun said you’ll get one sooner or later or something along that line!” Jongdae gasps, finally piecing the puzzles together.

“For fuck’s sake that’s… screwed up.” Jongin says in disbelief, almost speechless of how things turned out today.

“Everyone please, just calm down,” Kyungsoo says, trying to suppress the collective building up anger and blaming towards Baekhyun. Then he pats Chanyeol’s back gently, checking on the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain who seems to stay silent for a moment of recovery. “At least Chanyeol is okay now.”

“I suggest you go get some rest, Chanyeol,” Minseok says as he cleans up the ingredients and cauldron he used. “I’ll talk to Professor Kettleburn, I’ll tell him you’re sick and your friends had to accompany you to the hospital wing.”

“Alright, hyung. Thanks for the help.” Chanyeol smiles at the Head Prefect, though it’s not so much of a smile, since even curling up his lips takes up so much energy. Then he closes his eyes for a moment.

“You’re welcome. Get well soon.” Minseok smiles briefly as he gets up. Then he nods towards the others before he exits the classroom first.

With Junmyeon supporting him, Chanyeol stands up as well and limps out of the empty classroom. Jongin, Kyungsoo, Jongdae, and Yixing tag along with him, only leaving him for their next lesson period after he’s safe and lying down on one of the hospital wing’s bed.

“Don’t try to do anything else,” Junmyeon says once the others have left them behind and Kyungsoo closes the hospital wing’s doors behind him. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“I never did anything remotely wrong to him, not even once, since the very start! What did I do to deserve this?” Chanyeol angrily yells. In the five years of studying in the same year as Baekhyun he has to endure, this is the first time Baekhyun ever did anything more just to torture him other than verbal insults. “He’s going to hell for this!”

To that Junmyeon can only sigh and pat Chanyeol’s leg a few times before standing up to leave. “I just want you to be safe. Think about it, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Get well soon, Chanyeol.”

After Junmyeon leaves him on the care of Madam Pomfrey, the only thing Chanyeol can think about is how to make Baekhyun pay back for what happened today. He’s definitely going to make Baekhyun pay for this.

—

It’s a windy Tuesday morning of the third week of February.

The Quidditch season remains as the only thing everyone is talking about. Hufflepuff beat Slytherin at the second Quidditch match with only ten points margin, resulting in Hufflepuff placing third on the leaderboard after Gryffindor in first place before followed second by Ravenclaw. By last weekend Ravenclaw played against Hufflepuff, with Ravenclaw winning by fifty points lead.

As usual in every morning, Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon have their breakfast down the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table. Jongin is eating his roasted chicken, Chanyeol is busy with his bowl of potato soup, while Junmyeon is buried under his Daily Prophet newspaper that the owl delivered ten minutes ago.

An owl then drops a package onto Jongin’s lap, which the Gryffindor Chaser opens after he gave the owl a few bits of biscuits. It’s a delivery from home, sending him a box of homemade bear-shaped cookies. Being a best friend that he is, he offers the chocolate chip cookies to Junmyeon and Chanyeol, with only the former taking one piece gratefully. Only by then he realizes Chanyeol is spooning his potato soup way too quickly into his mouth.

“Chanyeol, what are you doing?” Jongin asks midway munching on his chocolate chip cookie. Chanyeol is now raising his bowl up to his face, drinking the soup right from it. “Are you trying to eat as much as you can now?”

“No, I just need to go early to our Herbology class,” Chanyeol mumbles, spooning one last scoop of his chicken soup before gulping down a goblet of pumpkin juice. Then in a flash he stands up from his seat and starts making his way towards the Great Hall’s doors. “Alright, I’m going now.”

“But it’s not until half an hour from now?” Junmyeon asks, finally done reading the Transfiguration Today column at the Daily Prophet. But seeing Chanyeol not answering his question and is already halfway through the Great Hall, he shouts, “Where are you going!”

“I’ll see you at Herbology class in Greenhouse Three!” Chanyeol shouts back, looking back a second just to reply Junmyeon before he resumes running out of the Great Hall.

Jongin and Junmyeon can only stare at Chanyeol’s back before looking at each other with the same question on their mind.

“Well, I guess we’ll see him later then. I still need to eat.” Junmyeon says as he folds the newspaper and pulls his bowl of potato soup closer to him, earning him a nod from Jongin who continues taking a bite of his chocolate chips.

After the two are done with their breakfast, Jongin and Junmyeon exits the Great Hall to leave the castle and go out to the Hogwarts grounds. Not long after, they finally catch up with Chanyeol. The Gryffindor Quidditch Captain is already waiting for them near the door that will lead them into Greenhouse Three.

“Over here!” Chanyeol waves his arm animatedly, gesturing for Jongin and Junmyeon to join him.

“There you are,” Jongin says as he and Junmyeon advance towards Chanyeol, who’s now flailing his arms just like a flag. It’s a bit hard to tell Chanyeol is a Quidditch Captain, really. “What were you up to here earlier?”

“Why are you so cheerful?” Junmyeon asks suspiciously, looking at Chanyeol who’s grinning too much for just a simple Herbology class.

“I’ll tell you later,” Chanyeol replies in codes, just smirking as he slots himself between Jongin and Junmyeon and drapes his arms over both of his best friends’ shoulders. “Let’s go inside.”

But Chanyeol’s smirk doesn’t stay for long on his face, as someone comes nearer to the trio.

“How did you enjoy your box of Chocolate Cauldrons, Park?” Baekhyun starts, with his friends tagging along behind him. “Still very much in love with Millicent Bulstrode now?”

In a matter of seconds, Junmyeon and Jongin already have their arms over Chanyeol’s chest to stop him from going at Baekhyun. But before Chanyeol can get back at Baekhyun’s mocking, Professor Pomona with her Dragon-hide gloves on enters the greenhouse, putting an end to the students’ chatter and saving Baekhyun from Chanyeol’s wrath. The class then takes their positions at their usual tables.

“Morning, class!” Professor Pomona greets brightly, though only to get occasional Morning, Professor here and there. “Today we’re going to have a closer look at Venomous Tentacula and learn about its magical properties. Does anyone know what is a Venomous Tentacula?”

Like a clockwork, Junmyeon’s hand shoots up in an instance. “Venomous Tentacula is a green and spiky Class C non-tradeable plant with large, mobile vines and giant eyeless head that has fangs. Its vines have shoots that can expel venom and spikes that have highly venomous effects. Venomous Tentacula has been proven fatal if it bites.”

“That is a practical, well built summary, Mr. Kim,” Professor Pomona praises, clapping her hands. “Twenty points for Gryffindor.”

“Now! After the brief explanation, I want all of you to observe and draw me a pot of a Venomous Tentacula. I’ll collect the parchment two hours from now,” Professor Pomona instructs at the class that already starts to go their separate ways to find their own tables. “Don’t forget to wear your protective gears.”

Automatically, Chanyeol, Junmyeon, and Jongin take the nearest table with a pot of Venomous Tentacula sitting on top of it. While keeping their distance with the long vines that are trying to lure them closer, they put on their protective goggles and gloves.

“Alright, let’s dive in.” Junmyeon says after they’re set and ready with parchments and quills. As if sensing the presence of the trio, the seemingly passive Venomous Tentacula springs into life, vines shooting like darts to get them.

One of the Venomous Tentacula’s vines gets a hold on Chanyeol’s wrist. Jongin quickly cuts the long arm of the vine using the Severing Charm. “Diffindo.

The Severing Charm Jongin did acts both as a Charm to cut the vine and temporarily stun the Venomous Tentacula, giving them some time to draw it.

Looking around to make sure no one is listening and Professor Pomona is already walking away considerably in a far distance from them, Chanyeol puts down his quill and announces, “I’m going to avenge what Byun did with the Amortentia spiked Chocolate Cauldrons today. I’ve prepared a pleasant surprise for that git, that’s why I went to the Greenhouse earlier than everyone else.”

The sudden statement Chanyeol said gets two different reactions from his best friends at the same time, as usual.

“Chanyeol, please don’t do it…” Junmyeon pleads for heavens know how many times, shaking his head with worry expressed clearly on his face and in his gestures. “Don’t look for more trouble. Don’t stoop as low as Byun.”

“Me? Looking for trouble, stooping as low as Byun?” Chanyeol “He made me. It’s his fault and I’ll get him to know he’s messing with the wrong person.”

On the other side, Jongin rewards Chanyeol with a thrilled nod of his head as he replies, “Yeah, you get it! I can’t wait to see what will happen!”

“You’ll see it soon enough, it’ll be great to see Byun getting his own medicine,” Chanyeol smirks as he glances to Baekhyun who’s sitting with a relaxed expression at his table while surrounded by his fellow Slytherins. “Just you wait, Byun.”

Professor Pomona sweeps among the tables, checking the students’ progress. “Remember, don’t try to squeeze the juice from Venomous Tentacula’s leaves. It acts like a poison, though not deadly it can create a burning sensation on your insides and turns your skin into purple if consumed.”

These information Professor Pomona said Junmyeon jots down on his parchment. When he’s done he glances at his side, where Jongin is trying to disentangle his wrist from the Venomous Tentacula’s vines with the Severing Charm while Chanyeol watches Baekhyun from behind the pot. “You’re not taking notes on this?”

“I’ll just copy it from you later.” Jongin and Chanyeol reply at the same time, before they look at each other and laugh. Junmyeon joins in despite knowing it’ll happen just like the last six years.

As if knowing he was the main topic of Chanyeol’s conversation, when Professor Pomona walks to the front of the Greenhouse again, Baekhyun leisurely strolls to the table the three Gryffindors are sitting on. “Gryffindor is going to compete against Slytherin, are you sure you don’t want to back down, Park?”

“You wish, Byun,” Chanyeol snickers, returning back the daring look Baekhyun is giving him. “I know you’re scared to play against Gryffindor because you lost against Hufflepuff.”

“At least it’s a narrow ten points lost, we’re still in the running for the Quidditch cup,” Baekhyun retaliates, keeping his smug expression unwavering on his face. He won’t concede in defeat, not to Chanyeol, not to anyone ever. “We Slytherins won’t lose anymore.”

“Yeah right,” Chanyeol snorts, showing his lopsided smirk. He knows it was only thanks to Baekhyun catching the Golden Snitch the match ended, or else Slytherin will be left with a much more embarrassing result. “You’re still running for the Quidditch cup but we all know who’s going to win anyway, and I’m sure it’s not you and your team.”

“Guess what, Park, maybe one of these will bite you and get you a bed in the hospital wing before the match, and you can use that as an excuse for not playing. I know you’re scared of us.” Baekhyun sniggers, tilting his head up, making himself look arrogantly superior.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t talk so soon,” Chanyeol shrugs, pretending to look somewhere else just so Baekhyun won’t be able to see the smirk he’s trying to hide. “Just go away Byun, don’t stay here and waste my time.”

“Who said I wanted to stay?” Baekhyun pulls out a disgusted face before acting as if he’s on the verge of puking out his guts. “You should’ve thanked me because I wasted my time just to give you a fair warning. That’s all.”

“Quit talking over there,” Professor Pomona calls out to both Baekhyun and Chanyeol, giving the two apprehensive looks. “There’s only half an hour left of the lesson and I won’t accept any excuses if you fail to bring to me a completed sketch.”

With an annoyed puff of breath and a roll of his eyes, Baekhyun walks back to his own table where his friends are waiting for him.

“Not long now…” Chanyeol says as his grin makes another reappearance. Jongin follows his step and perches himself behind his back while Junmyeon pauses from drawing Venomous Tentacula’s vines to look at Baekhyun’s table, all three anticipating what to come.

After seating himself back on the bench of his table, Baekhyun dips his quill into his ink bottle again, ready to continue his drawing. Unlike others, he doesn’t need the Severing Charm to put the Venomous Tentacle to sleep, but instead he invents his own trick to knot the vines by magic just so it won’t attack him.

But suddenly, there’s one vine that managed to slip out of Baekhyun’s knot. Out of one of the Venomous Tentacula’s shoots on that particular vine explodes, releasing a big fat dollop of slimy liquid that looks like someone’s vomit right on top of the back of his hands.

“Ouch!” Baekhyun groans. As soon as the slimy liquid touched his hands, painful, large, and shiny yellow boils start to form on his skin. “What the fuck?”

“Byun, the fuck happened to your hand—” Blaise gasps in shock, eyes wide open as he steps back a little as if repulsed at what he’s seeing.

“Fuck, undiluted Bubotuber pus!” Baekhyun shouts with a string of rude obscenities following suit. He still recognizes the thick, yellowish green liquid appearance and the petrol smell of Bubotuber pus even when he’s under pain’s control and he’s close to curse anyone in vicinity with a flick of his wand. “Fuck fuck fuck! It fucking hurts!”

“What should we do?” one of the Slytherins gathered around Baekhyun says, panic-stricken. “Do we need to tell Professor Pomona?”

“Byun, are you okay?” Moran approaches Baekhyun carefully, eyeing the slowly growing boils covering Baekhyun’s hands. “Should we get you to the hospital wing?”

But Baekhyun can’t bring himself to care about his fellow Slytherins’ concerned gibbering. For a few seconds he wills himself to ignore the pain the boils on his hands caused to look around just to find Chanyeol laughing with his hands covering his mouth just so Professor Pomona can’t hear him. “That fucker will pay for this!”

“Mr. Byun, what is happening?” Professor Pomona inquires as she arrives at the scene after hearing Baekhyun’s scream that apparently scared some other students. “Are you done with your drawing?”

Not wanting to have the whole class’ attention on him, Baekhyun tries to assure Professor Pomona quickly before the news spread out, though his fellow Slytherins aren’t helping at all. “It’s nothi—”

“Byun got clumsy and accidentally got his hands covered with undiluted Bubotuber pus, Professor!” Chanyeol replies, faking his voice to sound like he’s concerned by the fact a schoolmate is injured, when actually he’s trying so hard not to laugh in satisfaction.

Everyone in the class instantly stops what they’re doing to look at Baekhyun’s direction. Baekhyun almost shouted a loud fuck you! for Chanyeol but he notices Professor Pomona is walking quickly in long strides to reach where he’s standing, so he has no choice but to curse in his head.

“Oh no, how did you get into contact with undiluted Bubotuber pus?” Professor Pomona says briskly, bustling over when she spots Baekhyun’s enlarged hands. “I clearly instructed you to keep away from the Bubotuber plant unless you wear a pair of Dragon-hide gloves!”

“But—” Baekhyun tries to speak up in his defense but Professor Pomona stops him as she takes a hold of his forearm to inspect the boils and his hands’ skin that has turned alarmingly red. “Professor, I didn’t—”

“The prognosis is not good, you probably won’t be able to use your hands for a while,” Professor Pomona examines, as she turns over Baekhyun’s arms slowly to inspect the damage. “Now we should go to the hospital wing and get Madam Pomfrey to take care of your hands.”

“Enjoy your bed at hospital wing, Byun. You can use that as an excuse for not playing against Gryffindor. I know you’re scared of me and my team.” Chanyeol laughs, using the same sentence Baekhyun said to him earlier to mock him. The undiluted Bubotuber pus trick worked so well because now Baekhyun’s hands got so swollen and puffed up to the point it looks like he’s wearing a pair of thick gloves.

“Shut the fuck up, Park.” Baekhyun still manages to reply in a low voice as he walks as fast as he can to avoid everyone’s curious stare and leave the class.

When they finally see the back of Baekhyun and Professor Pomona setting off to the castle, Junmyeon turns his back to face Chanyeol again. With a knowing look he asks, “Was that you, Chanyeol?”

“Definitely. I managed to Transfigure one of the Venomous Tentacula on Byun’s table into a capsule,” Chanyeol grins, proudly explaining his detailed plan. “The rest of the plan was easy to prepare, I only had to scoop into the capsule some undiluted Bubotuber pus that I got from the Bubotuber plant in this Greenhouse too.”

“Why Bubotuber pus though?” Jongin asks, eyeing the gooey pus left unattended on Baekhyun’s table from afar.

“I was going to use Veritaserum to make him unable to tell lies and make a fool of himself, but I can’t steal much Boomslang skin or lacewing flies, Trunchbull will definitely notice if I did,” Chanyeol replies thoughtfully, his face showing real concentration as if trying to answer a question in his exam. “And making a tiny vial of Veritaserum takes about a month! Can’t wait that long to get my revenge.”

“None of them are better choices, I see.” Junmyeon mutters, now knowing how Chanyeol has all the bad ideas of revenge considered.

“Yep, so Bubotuber pus it is. Instant yet painful all the same.” Chanyeol brags again, ignoring Junmyeon’s reproachful look on him. At least he manages to execute his plan successfully with Baekhyun getting boils from the Bubotuber pus, which brings back his grin.

“But how did you know the exact table where Baekhyun will sit?” Junmyeon queries as he raises one eyebrow at Chanyeol, still a bit against Chanyeol’s idea to get back at Baekhyun using Bubotuber pus.

“Easy, if you know Byun then you’d know he’ll pick the farthest table from the front of the class and from our table,” Chanyeol replies airily. He needs to give himself a mental pat for such a clever idea. “And he always takes that table anyway, I noticed.”

“Well that’s nothing but brilliant!” Jongin grins, patting Chanyeol’s back in appreciation. Then he pauses his cheering on Chanyeol when Junmyeon gives him a look. “Come on, Junmyeon, I know despite you hate seeing other people getting hurt, Chanyeol’s Transfiguration is actually really good right?”

It takes Junmyeon a few moments of glancing at Jongin and then Chanyeol in silence with calculation expression on his face before he smiles. “That was indeed a great example of living being Transfiguration, Chanyeol.”

“Another win for Park Chanyeol!” Chanyeol grins from ear to ear, giving a high five to Jongin and Junmyeon, though the last one hesitated a little bit at first.

At the same time at the hospital wing, as Madam Pomfrey fusses over his hands, Baekhyun can stay silent. In his mind he can only replay again the view of Chanyeol laughing triumphantly, smirking at him without feeling any guilt. Though he tries to shake it off from his head, still ringing on his ears is the voice of Chanyeol’s satisfied laughter.

While Madam Pomfrey is putting on a weird smelling but soothing green cream all over his hands and wrapping them with white bandages, Baekhyun can only wince and hold his cursing since the boils are quite big, extensive, and hurts so much even on a slightest touch. After Madam Pomfrey goes back to her office at the end of hospital wing’s hall, he hisses, “That fucker Park Chanyeol will pay for this.”

—

March finally comes around the corner, bringing the green color back to the landscapes as spring arrives. Hogwarts finally leaves its winter days to replace it with much warmer ones.

It’s the second week of March, and a few days ago Gryffindor just scraped another Quidditch match win after beating Hufflepuff, getting the Gryffindors their second win under Chanyeol’s command.

Just like any other morning, at breakfast time Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon find themselves sitting at Gryffindor’s table in the Great Hall. While the other two are doing their usual morning rituals, Chanyeol has his head sticking on the table.

“Who thought it’s the best idea in the world to get us a schedule where we have Potions so early in the morning?” Chanyeol mumbles, pushing his favorite blueberry pancakes away from him, having no appetite to eat. “Who created this cursed schedule?”

“Professor Minerva,” Jongin answers as he bites into his toast with poached eggs and corned beef with gusto. “She’s the one in charge with our schedules since she’s our Deputy Headmistress—”

“It was just a rhetorical question, Jongin.” Junmyeon quips as he spoons his last bite of hashbrown casserole, earning him a small oh from Jongin.

“And to think that I have Trunchbull and Byun in the same room?” Chanyeol groans out loud, making a few heads turn his way. Then with a more horrified expression he adds, “And I have to endure them for two whole hours!”

“You’ll be fine,” Junmyeon dabs his napkin on the corners of his mouth before he stands up and inserts his copy of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration and Daily Prophet he was reading into his canvas satchel bag. “Let’s go, it’s time.”

“Can I just skip this class, please?” Chanyeol mutters, intently banging his forehead on the table repeatedly. “Just put a curse on me and send me to the hospital wing—”

“No,” Junmyeon deadpans. Without asking, just like every time Chanyeol mourns over Potion classes with Baekhyun, he takes Chanyeol’s bag with him. “You’ll fail the class and you can’t take your N.E.W.T. exams later in seventh year.”

“I really have a bad feeling about today, I know I’ll somehow misread the instructions and stir my potion clockwise instead of counterclockwise and fail,” Chanyeol mumbles again, now resorting to letting his body to stay limp over the Gryffindor table, not moving even for an inch. “Can someone Transfigure Byun and Trunchbull into a bug or something?”

“No,” Junmyeon replies blankly, now already grabbing one of Chanyeol’s arms to force the latter to stand up straight. “Jongin, help me haul Chanyeol.”

“’Aight.” Jongin mumbles quite incoherently with his unfinished toast clamped between his teeth. Then he takes Chanyeol’s other arm, lifting it to drape it over his shoulder.

It took Jongin and Junmyeon some time to heave Chanyeol up as the latter suddenly turns into a life sized rag doll. With both Jongin and Junmyeon dragging Chanyeol, who tried to use more delaying tactics just so he doesn’t have to go, they finally leave the Great Hall to descend the stairs and reach the Potions classroom in the dungeon.

The trio has only just arrived in front of the Potions classroom’s door when someone abruptly forces their way to enter the classroom, causing Chanyeol to almost lose his balance and fall over.

“Get the fuck out of the way, Park,” Baekhyun shouts, as he jostles precisely against Chanyeol’s shoulders. He looks back only to laugh with his cronies. “Get those lanky legs of yours out of here.”

It takes all of Chanyeol’s willpower to not just send a fist to Baekhyun’s face or push Baekhyun just so the Slytherin Quidditch Captain will fall onto the floor. But then he notices Baekhyun’s bandaged hands, and that gives him a better idea. Loud enough for anyone close to hear, he shouts, “Nice gloves you’ve got right there.”

The thoroughly irritated expression that appears on Baekhyun’s face is enough to lift Chanyeol’s mood just for a tiny bit. But before Baekhyun can say or do anything else, the Potions master shows up in front of the classroom already.

“Enter.” Trunchbull says in a low voice, before walking in when everyone has entered the classroom. The effect of the murky air Trunchbull carries is just so strong that the class falls into silence immediately.

“This afternoon we will try to recreate a particularly difficult potion to brew. Is there anyone in this class clever enough to revise about what we’re going to learn today and can tell us all what is the Draught of Living Death?” Trunchbull asks in one breath, sounding impatient and annoyed as usual.

Naturally, Junmyeon’s hand shots up, eager to answer the question.

“No one?” Trunchbull tut-tuts, his eyes completely skipping Junmyeon’s raised hand on purpose. Then he turns around to face the blackboard. “How pitiful…”

Already fueled by Baekhyun’s abysmal attempt to rile him up, right at that second Chanyeol immediately rises from his seat, almost walking up to the front to complain about the unfair treatment Junmyeon got. He’s stopped at the next moment by the latter firmly holding him down. “Junmyeon, let me go—”

“No, Chanyeol, please!” Junmyeon whispers urgently while they have Trunchbull’s back on them. “Refrain yourself from getting detention from Trunchbull!”

“Fine.” Chanyeol replies as he plops down on his seat again, just right in time when Trunchbull turns back to face the class again.

“The Draught of Living Death is an extremely powerful sleeping draught. If brewed correctly, even a few drops of it can make whoever drinks it to enter a death-like slumber that can last indefinitely,” Trunchbull explains briskly, as he looks around the class, not forgetting to spend more time to glower at Chanyeol. “If not used with caution, it will be very dangerous and have extremely adverse effects.”

Then Trunchbull taps on the blackboard with his wand and instructions of how to brew said potion appears magically on the previously blank surface. “And this is the draught I want all of you to make and collect at the end of the class for me to score. It will determine whether you pass this class and move to seventh year or not.”

“All the ingredients you can find in the cupboard and you have two hours to complete the draught. You can start… now.” Trunchbull says again, prompting the class to stand up all at once to reach the cupboard and take their cauldrons.

“Sir, my hands are still wounded because someone made me touch undiluted Bubotuber pus,” Baekhyun calls, purposefully emphasizing the last words and using his voice loudly just so Chanyeol can hear him. “I can’t grind the asphodel root and slice the sloth brain.”

Trunchbull glances back for a split second from the blackboard to look at Chanyeol in the eyes, as if thinking which way can humiliate Chanyeol even further than usual. But then his eyes land on Junmyeon. “Kim Junmyeon, you do it.”

Indeed Chanyeol is happy to know Baekhyun’s hands have to be wrapped in numerous layer of bandages and the Slytherin Quidditch Captain can’t use his hands properly for a week straight, but he didn’t expect it to have an unwelcome repercussion as in getting Junmyeon extra task. “What? He has his own friends to do it for him, he doesn’t need Junmyeon—”

“Chanyeol! Please just close your mouth!” Junmyeon pleads, grabbing the back of Chanyeol’s robes to hold the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain from advancing towards Trunchbull. “It’s fine, I don’t want you or any other Gryffindor here to get into trouble.”

“What’s the matter?” Trunchbull turns around again, this time looking crossed as he glared menacingly at Chanyeol and Junmyeon. “Kim, why are you still here? You can’t do such a simple job? Didn’t you put your hand up earlier?”

“No, sir. I will do it.” Junmyeon replies calmly, trying so hard to look like nothing is happening though Chanyeol has started struggling against his hold again, this time even stronger that the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain almost shoved him out of his way.

After Junmyeon moves his cauldron and his Potions kit next to Baekhyun’s side, the lesson resumes again. From the potions materials cupboard, Chanyeol easily finds all the ingredients needed: asphodel root, infusion of Wormwood, Valerian root, a Sopophorous Bean, and a sloth brain.

With Jongin working next to him, Chanyeol starts brewing his draught. After leaving his African sea salt and water mixture to rest, he pours ten drops of infusion of Wormwood. When his potion resembles a smooth blackcurrant colored liquid, he carefully pours the Sopophorous Bean’s juice. Then he adds seven drops of the reduced liquid from the beaker containing chopped Valerian root brew he prepared earlier.

Next comes the hardest part: stirring the potion. First he stirs the potion ten times clockwise until it turns into a light shade of lilac. While the potion is still churning and slowly turning again into clear as water, he puts in seven square pieces of Valerian root. As he stirs the potion ten turns counterclockwise, he adds one hundred and fifty fl.oz. of powdered root of asphodel. At last, after leaving the potion to settle for two and half minutes and adding one last piece of Valerian root, he’s finished.

Surprisingly there is no other obstacle Chanyeol has to go through. Despite Trunchbull lingering behind him longer than he ever did with everyone else in the class, he manages to brew the Draught of Living Death well until the very end.

So after checking the instructions on his Advanced Potions Making book and making sure his draught has turned color into a dark shade of black, Chanyeol scoops some of his Draught of Living Death from his cauldron onto his glass vial with his silver ladle, before screwing the stopper. He walks up to Trunchbull’s desk to present his filled vial onto the Potions master’s hand. He thought about how this day turns out to be okay, his prediction from this morning doesn’t happen.

But did Chanyeol talk too soon. Right when he’s about to go back to his table, something comes up that will make him take back what he said in his mind.

“Sir, I need some help to chop the Valerian root and to cut the Sopophorous bean to extract its juice,” Baekhyun says loudly from the table across Chanyeol’s, with an unconvincing hurtful expression on his face. Then he raises his bandaged hands again. “You see, my hands still hurt so much.”

Without looking up or moving an inch, as he takes Chanyeol’s vial into his hand, Trunchbull utters, “Park, you do it for Byun.”

“But—ouch!” Chanyeol tries to retaliate and deny Trunchbull’s request, but Junmyeon stops him again by pinching his arm. He was so happy he completed his Draught of Living Death and ready to go, but of course Baekhyun has to ruin his mood. “Junmyeon, what is it—”

“Chanyeol, shut the fuck up!” Junmyeon hisses from behind Chanyeol, reminding the stubborn Gryffindor Quidditch Captain again not to get into trouble with the Potions master. “Just do it for your own sake!”

“Is there any problem, Park?” Trunchbull finally looks up, facing Chanyeol and Junmyeon again. “Do I need to tell you twice?”

“No.” Chanyeol replies, his voice so low as a result of his anger, it almost came out as growl. He’ll behave this once just because Junmyeon asked him to.

“No, sir.” Trunchbull adds, correcting Chanyeol’s words, his face stern as he stares right into Chanyeol’s eyes.

“I don’t think you have to call me sir, Professor.” Chanyeol deadpans, turning around quickly as he can’t stand any more seconds near the Potions master.

Suddenly there’s a loud crash. Chanyeol spins around in a blur just to find his vial is broken and its contents seeping out, after it hit the stone floor of the Potions classroom.

With a revolting innocent face, Trunchbull says, “Oops, apparently my hand just slipped,” then he leans slightly closer to Chanyeol before he threatens, “I take no cheek from anyone, Park.”

Too shocked to react, Chanyeol can only look back and rush to his table where his cauldron is placed. But to his disappointment, his brewed Draught of Living Death is already gone, the cauldron empty and clean from anything.

“Chanyeol I’m so sorry!” Jongin whispers in panic, his face apologetic. “I thought you’re already done with everything so I cleaned up your cauldron for you!”

It feels as if he’s falling from his Firebolt after getting hit by a Bludger on the face, Chanyeol is sure of it. He turns back again just to see Trunchbull sneering at him.

“I fear that I will have to give you a zero for this assignment,” Trunchbull says, taking his time to spell out loud the words as if enjoying the pleasure of mocking Chanyeol in front of the whole class. “And prepare yourself because I fear you will have to expect yourself to get a T for this class.”

At loss for words, Chanyeol can only watch as Trunchbull walks back to his table in the front of the class, receiving other students’ vials. Then he stares at his broken vial on the floor, thinking about the score he just got. T stands for Troll and it’s even lower than D or Dreadful, which is already the lowest score in Hogwarts’ grading system.

With Trunchbull’s watchful eyes on him looking for more reasons to get him detention or give him another Troll score, Chanyeol can’t do anything but comply with Trunchbull’s order. So reluctantly, he walks over to Baekhyun’s table. Using his silver dagger, he cuts Baekhyun’s Sopophorous bean and squeezes out its juice as fast as he can while enduring Baekhyun’s conceited smirk.

Then Chanyeol walks back to his table, not wanting anything more to do with Trunchbull or Baekhyun. The lesson ends not long after and Trunchbull walks out of the dungeon. At once Junmyeon and Jongin approach him, taking both of his sides.

“Don’t worry, you can try again next time,” Junmyeon smiles as he drapes one arm over Chanyeol’s shoulders, trying to cheer the dejected Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. “We’ll help you with anything you need.”

“You two don’t need to do that but thank you so much,” Chanyeol says, a smile slowly rising up on his face at the sight of his best friends. Then he balls up his fists, nodding to himself. “I won’t let Trunchbull go away with this, I won’t fail next time.”

“That’s the spirit. Let’s go.” Jongin grins as he helps Chanyeol gather his things from the table. The trio then restores their cauldrons back to its place, ready to go.

After making sure Trunchbull is out of earshot and almost everyone in the class already leaves the dungeon, Baekhyun wends his way to reach the trio. “That was quite an achievement for you to get a T for your score. Maybe now you’ll have to go through remedial Potion, Park. Or maybe you won’t pass the exams and you’ll have to repeat the entire year?”

“Whatever my scores are, at least my hands are alright, unlike you with your clumsy hands, Byun.” Chanyeol responds, trying as hard as he can to not take the bait but making sure Baekhyun has a taste of his own medicine.

Then just to annoy Baekhyun more, Chanyeol just turns around and continues laughing with Jongin as if nothing happened, while he packs his Advanced Potion Making book into his bag.

Seeing the stupid smile on Chanyeol’s face, it fuels more anger in Baekhyun’s heart. He doesn’t care anymore as he runs towards Chanyeol and pushes the tall man.

“What did you do that for?” Chanyeol shouts in pain as his hip collides with the sharp edge of his table. Then he brushes his shoulders roughly right on the spot where Baekhyun pushed him, feeling repulsed.

“We need to talk.” Baekhyun says, paying no mind to Chanyeol’s anguished shout. His face blank, almost as if talking to Chanyeol is the last thing he wants to do, though he says the sentence without his gaze on Chanyeol’s eyes to falter.

“Talk then,” Chanyeol replies, opening his arms wide as if gesturing a dare at Baekhyun to have a go at him. He’s tired of dealing with Baekhyun’s tricks. “Make it quick and don’t waste my fucking time.”

“Not with your cronies.” Baekhyun glances at Jongin and Junmyeon for a moment, before returning his gaze to look at Chanyeol again.

Immediately Junmyeon steps forward to position himself in front of Chanyeol and place his arm protectively over Chanyeol’s chest, as if making a blockade to prevent Baekhyun from coming closer. “No, Chanyeol is coming with us—”

“Junmyeon, it’s fine.” Chanyeol replies, trying to calm Junmyeon down, though it seems like the latter won’t stop staring at Baekhyun or leave his position between him and Baekhyun.

“Alright—well, uh, Chanyeol we’ll go first, okay?” Jongin says, noticing the high tension between Junmyeon and Baekhyun. So this time it’s his turn to drag Junmyeon away from the scene. “See you in the next class.”

Jongin and Junmyeon take their leave, though the latter reluctantly does so as he still looks back on Chanyeol and Baekhyun. Once they’re gone, Baekhyun walks out of the class first, waiting for Chanyeol to come out.

“What do you want, Byun.” Chanyeol says impatiently when they’re finally alone in the dungeons corridor.

“How cute your friends back there.” Baekhyun says airily, deliberately ignoring Chanyeol by looking at his shoes with his hands tucked on his trousers’ pockets instead.

“Quit with the bullshit, Byun,” Chanyeol replies, already fed up with whatever Baekhyun is trying to do. “Just fucking do your talk so I can leave.”

“You did this to me, did you, Park?” Baekhyun finally snaps, showing his still bandaged hands from the effect of touching undiluted Bubotuber pus. Then he winces, because even doing so brings pain to his hands.

“So what if I do, huh? Going to run around crying and telling Trunchbull like a baby that you are?” Chanyeol laughs out loud just to mock Baekhyun. He’s definitely basking in the sight of a furious Baekhyun in front of him.

With his arms crossed in front of his chest, Baekhyun takes a step closer to Chanyeol. “I’m not going to play kids toys with you, Park—”

“Look who’s talking with the Pumpkin Pasties swapped with Puking Pastilles and the Amortentia spiked Chocolate Cauldrons?” Chanyeol sarcastically, laughing again though this time clearly lacking real amusement. “Which—”

“Which gives us all a great show of you with your confession of undying love for Millicent Bulstrode,” Baekhyun jeers. Chanyeol might’ve won this round but he won’t back down. “Nice taste you got in poems, Park. How does it go again? Oh right, her eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad—”

“Shut up you fucking git—” Chanyeol finally snaps back. His revenge plan with the Bubotuber pus worked but why does it seem Baekhyun won’t let him savor another moment of his victory?

“Listen, I’m done with your childish moves, Park,” Baekhyun says with a scowl on his face, tipping his head up slightly to maintain an eye contact with Chanyeol. “Just tell me your ulterior motive of why you’re doing this.”

“You think I’m fucking enjoying this? I’m tired and so sick of the stupid pranks you started, Byun.” Chanyeol replies as he too takes one step closer to Baekhyun, clenching his fingers tightly to keep his temper under control.

With his face only a few inches away from Chanyeol’s, Baekhyun states his challenge. “Then let’s settle it for once and for all. Tonight, get yourself at the Trophy Room. Bring your wand.”

“You’re asking for a Wizard’s Duel?” Chanyeol laughs mirthlessly. Being in this close distance with Baekhyun and given that Baekhyun is shorter than him he has to tilt his head down to keep his stare at Baekhyun’s eyes. “Have you ever thought for once with your Dungbomb filled brain that I’d crush you easily?”

“Come if you dare, Park,” Baekhyun continues without taking regard to what Chanyeol said, already turning around and starting to walk away from the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. “Or don’t even bother if you’re such a coward.”

“I’m not a—” Chanyeol bellows, but even before he’s finished with his sentence Baekhyun already disappears behind a corner, leaving him alone standing in the middle of the empty corridor.

With anger boiling up in him, Chanyeol takes a moment to control his breathing again. He stares at the point where Baekhyun vanishes for a few seconds, before he opts to just leave and go to the Charms class he has for second period before he’s late and Professor Filius gets him to do extra essay.

But Chanyeol is lucky, he arrives at Classroom 2E on the third floor right when the class has just started. Professor Filius is busy explaining to the class about a complex spell to turn vinegar into wine, so he can slip behind the desks and his classmates to reach the table where Jongin and Junmyeon are sitting. Quietly he lodges himself next to Junmyeon.

“Oh hey, Chanyeol, are you okay?” Junmyeon whispers, scooting a bit to accommodate some space for Chanyeol to sit. Then he sets the same goblet of vinegar for everyone to practice for today’s Charms class in front of Chanyeol. “Did Byun do something to you?”

“No, I’m fine. We just talked.” Chanyeol replies, taking out his copy of Standard Book of Spell, Grade Six out of his bag. Truth is he’s still in such a bad mood he can’t talk much.

“Muffliato,” Jongin mutters the Silencing Charm while pointing his wand towards Professor Filius and their neighboring classmates to ensure they can talk privately without being heard, though Junmyeon doesn’t really approve of the Charm. “So, what did Byun talk about with you?”

“Byun dared me to have a Wizard’s Duel, that’s all.” Chanyeol says, now resorting to watch Professor Filius demonstrating the correct movement of the wand while he holds his own wand.

“Please don’t go, you know it won’t do you good,” Junmyeon disapproves at once, turning around to look at Chanyeol and make sure his message comes across. “I have a really bad feeling about this. Having a Wizard’s Duel already means you’re breaking the school rules, and now you’re doing it inside Hogwarts?”

“I couldn’t care less,” Chanyeol replies right away, avoiding Junmyeon’s stare by looking out at the windows instead. Then he waves his wand around before his grip on it grows tighter. “He called me a coward, and I’m going to show him that I’m not.”

“It’s cool, really, a Wizard’s Duel! I want to come and watch!” Jongin says excitedly, his goblet of tea forgotten. But then he cowers when Junmyeon shoots him a look. “But I do agree with Junmyeon. What if Byun is up to something to get you in trouble?”

The only thought that dominates Chanyeol’s mind is how Baekhyun called him a coward, and that’s enough to make him want to snap at everything. Without him realizing what he’s doing, his wand movements somehow make the goblet of vinegar in front of him to start boiling. “Whatever. I’m here just to tell you that I’m going.”

Before any of the two has the chance to say anything else, Professor Filius comes to their side to check on them—Jongin somehow turns his vinegar into tea, Junmyeon has succeeded turning it into wine, while Chanyeol only manages to make his vinegar grow murkier. And anyway, Chanyeol already decided to accept Baekhyun’s challenge anyway, there’s nothing Jongin and Junmyeon say that can change it.

The old grand clock at the corner of the Slytherin common room strikes twelve. The common room is no longer filled with Slytherins, with everyone settled in their four-posters bed at their own dormitories. But in the seventh year boys’ dormitory, Minseok is still awake, still pouring over his books for tomorrow’s classes. While rechecking the facts he included in his essays with the books, he realizes he left one of his essays lying on one of the tables in the common room, so he decides to go and take it.

Minseok walks into the common room just to find the Slytherin Quidditch Captain lying on a couch, feet propped up on the armrest, while his hand is holding his wand, performing the Levitation Charm on a feather.

“You’re still awake?” Minseok greets as he looks around the tables and flips over the pillows on the armchairs to find his essay. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Yeah, hyung,” Baekhyun replies, still focusing on making his feather fly even higher above his head. “I have something to do tonight.”

“Alright,” Minseok turns around to leave, having found his essay under someone’s copy of Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks. But then he turns back, deciding to let out what’s on his mind and get to the point instead. “Baekhyun, I saw you and Chanyeol this afternoon.”

“Yes, hyung. And?” Baekhyun huffs, paying no mind and just continuing pointing his wand like a conductor to keep the feather floating up in the air.

“I know what you’re up to,” Minseok continues, taking a seat on the caquetoire chair in front of Baekhyun. Though he knows from Baekhyun’s expression anything he says will just pass by for a moment in Baekhyun’s head, still he needs to give an advice. “Please don’t get into more trouble.”

Hearing what Minseok said, Baekhyun immediately pulls back his legs from the armrest and repositions himself in front of the Head Prefect. “Minseok hyung, I do really respect you, but this time Park has gone too far. I can’t just let him laugh over my misery, you saw what he did!”

“Yes, but that doesn’t justify the need for revenge. Be the better person.” Minseok keeps pressing on. It seems like the only person in Hogwarts that isn’t afraid of him is Baekhyun, judging by the way Baekhyun keeps on ignoring his suggestion to call it a truce with Chanyeol.

“Don’t worry hyung, this time there will be no foolish wand-waving and silly incantations.” Baekhyun replies, subtly refusing to follow what Minseok says as he performs a perfect Vanishing Spell that makes the feather recede from view. In a second he stands up, and leaves the Slytherin common room.

Back in Gryffindor Tower, though tucked warmly under his bed cover on his four-posters bed, Chanyeol hasn’t gone to sleep yet. Well he’s just pretending to, just to make Junmyeon stop nagging him. Throughout the rest of the day Junmyeon has been trying to change his mind about accepting Baekhyun’s dare, but he only listened to it without thinking much about it.

Looking out of the windows to watch the sky, with midnight coming nearer and everyone is already asleep, Chanyeol knows it’s time for him to go. Checking to the beds in front of him, he sees Jongin and Junmyeon fast asleep. So quietly he tiptoes his way out of the dormitory and into Gryffindor common room. Slowly he climbs out of the Fat Lady’s portrait before making his way to reach the appointed place Baekhyun told him. It only takes him approximately ten minutes to reach the Trophy Room on the third floor.

In front of the door that leads to the Trophy Room, Chanyeol stops for a moment, calculating what to do next. But then he remembers that the room is always left unlocked, even past the students' curfew, so he’s safe from making a ruckus trying to open the door for now.

Inside, he’s greeted with rows of tall crystal glass display cases. Each containing either awards, trophies, cups, plates, shields, statues, and medals. In the middle of the room, a podium of medium height is placed, along with a big book that list the Head Boys and Head Girls. On the last page he reads Minseok’s name, which brings a smile on the recognition.

After seeing the empty Trophy Room, Chanyeol’s guts tell him there’s something going horribly wrong which doesn’t favor him at all. But his ego wins anyway, by the fact that he’s there to answer Baekhyun’s challenge, to show that he’s not a coward. So why not for some stroll in the midnight?

So he continues walking. At the far end of the room he finds the door to the Armor Gallery, next to a display of plates bearing the student names that received the Hogwarts Awards for Services to the School. Suddenly he hears the swishing sounds of robes sweeping the floor, which makes him turn around cautiously, thinking of it as a sign of Baekhyun’s arrival. But his eyes only meet the portrait of Brutus Scrimgeour.

Chanyeol has only released a relieved breath when a voice speaks to him.

“Mr. Park, what are you doing out of your bed this late in the midnight?”

With horror rising rapidly in him, slowly Chanyeol turns around to find Professor Minerva in her nightgown and cap, looking utterly displeased. He can’t find his voice to speak under the Transfiguration teacher’s grave stare. “Professor Minerva, I can explain, I was—”

“I’m so disappointed in you, Mr. Park. As a Quidditch Captain you should have known better not to break the school rules.” Professor Minerva says, now shaking her head with her arms crossed over her chest.

It’s not only Professor Minerva who’s feeling disappointed, Chanyeol too feels the same for letting down his House Head. But he’s more irate after he realizes it’s all a scheme from Baekhyun to get him detention. With his mind filled with fear, he can’t think of a logical reason as to why he’s out of bed this late. “But—”

“I have received intelligence from an anonymous source that a student is going to break into the Trophy Room, and here you are. I’m sorry but I’ll have to give you detention for this, Mr. Park,” Professor Minerva sighs. Apart from her firm words, anyone can tell how much she cares about Chanyeol and any other students. “I never thought it would be you.”

“Please, Professor, I can explain,” Chanyeol tries to talk around, desperately trying to come up with anything that can give a justification without having to make himself too guilty, since he acknowledges he’s really breaking a rule though it’s all Baekhyun’s fault. “I’ve been in Gryffindor and you’ve known me for so long to know that I will never do such thing—”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Park, but this is my final judgement whether you are in my House or not, in short term or in long term.” Professor Minerva interrupts sternly.

Behind Professor Minerva, Chanyeol sees Baekhyun sniggering, apparently hiding himself behind one of the suit of armors lined next to the crystal glass display case that holds the Quidditch trophies from 1997. He wants to shout to expose Baekhyun’s whereabouts but Professor Minerva isn’t even giving him a chance to explain himself!

“It’s enough of a show tonight, I’ll see Park getting detention tomorrow morning…” Baekhyun chuckles to himself, tiptoeing and turning around slowly to leave the scene with no sound.

“Not so fast, Mr. Byun,” Professor Minerva suddenly calls out without moving an inch, as if she has eyes on the back of her head. “Though I admire your determination in making sure your schoolmate doesn’t step across the line, I can’t let you go because you too are out of the Slytherin common room past midnight.”

The verdict wipes out the sly smirk on Baekhyun’s face. He completely didn’t expect Minerva to find out his hiding spot and his plan! “But Professor!—”

“I might not be a Charms master like Professor Filius but I myself am a skilled Transfiguration teacher I’d notice a slight mistake in your Disillusionment Charm, Mr. Byun.” Professor Minerva finally turns around to face a shocked Baekhyun frozen on his spot. “I shall deduct 50 points each from Gryffindor and Slytherin for this misconduct of school rules.”

“No!” Both the Quidditch Captains groan at the same time, with irate expressions on their faces.

“And I think of it as perfectly fitting for the two of you to learn how to abide by the school rules by copying by hand Mr. Filch’s old records of prior wrongdoers and the punishments they received.” Professor Minerva finishes, completely taking no notice to the complaints Baekhyun and Chanyeol are uttering.

“I expect to see you at Mr. Filch’s office by eight in the morning of Saturday,” Professor Minerva orders, conjuring two pieces of parchments containing the details of their detention before giving it to Chanyeol and Baekhyun. “Any kind of disobedience or unpunctuality will be penalized with accordance to school rules. Do I make myself clear?”

Grudgingly, both Quidditch Captains murmur an assent.

“Now, I want you both back in your own respective House’s common room,” Professor Minerva says again, looking at two students one by one to stare into their eyes. “Any kind of detour or if I find out you are out at night again will result in a much heavier penalty.”

This time Chanyeol and Baekhyun nod, though with forced movements. They send each other death glares before they leave the Trophy Room and separate ways to go back to their own common rooms.

All the way back to the Gryffindor Tower, Chanyeol keeps cursing at Baekhyun in his head, blaming all the precious Saturday morning time and goodness he’s going to miss thanks to Baekhyun’s stupid trap. He climbs into the entrance of the Gryffindor Common room, turning a deaf ear to the Fat Lady’s grumbling as to why he woke her up at such an early time in the morning. As soon as the Fat Lady portrait swung close, he screams out on top of his lungs, letting out his frustration.

It seems like Chanyeol’s scream woke both Junmyeon and Jongin too. He finds his two best friends sitting on their bed, awake though with hairs jutting out carelessly, looking right at him when he stomps his way in the sixth year boys’ dormitory.

“So how was the duel?” Jongin asks interestedly, adjusting himself on his bed to sit straighter, eager to hear the story. “Did you win?”

“It was a trap, Byun made it seem like I sneaked out to do something bad at the Trophy Room and called Professor Minerva,” Chanyeol replies. It took every bit of patience he has in him to not just scream out loud again. “So I got detention for Saturday morning, though that fucker got one too.”

“You got yourself a detention?” Junmyeon groans in disbelief. He too sits straighter on his bed like Jongin, but for a completely different reason as he realizes how much trouble Chanyeol is in. “I knew it, Byun would do such thing!”

“Professor Minerva told us to write the old records of detentions on this Saturday morning,” Chanyeol laments, internally cursing himself for not seeing Baekhyun’s trap coming since the start. He hates how Baekhyun seems to be able to mess with his mind easily. “I hope she’ll let me out before Quidditch training time comes…”

“Bad luck this time,” Jongin walks to Chanyeol’s side, offering a smile while comforting the Quidditch Captain. “At least it’s just rewriting detention cards, you can do it.”

“You’ll just have to play nice this time and we’ll be fine,” Junmyeon smiles, also coming over to sit next to Chanyeol’s other side. “You’ll get through the detention just fine.”

“I hope so. Thank you so much, Junmyeon, Jongin.” Chanyeol replies with a sigh as he smiles back at Junmyeon and Jongin. They’re really his only reason to forget his anger at Baekhyun for a moment.

With his two best friends having his back, Chanyeol can only hope nothing more happens until Saturday morning, and maybe he doesn’t need to deal with Baekhyun again for the rest of the school year.

—

For Hogwarts students, the week goes by so quickly without anyone realizing, with everyone so busy attending the full classes and doing their homework that just keeps on piling up. It’s Saturday morning, and the Great Hall isn’t as packed as usual for breakfast since it’s a day off for students to be able to have a lie in and get more sleep.

“Why do I have to do the detention when it’s Byun’s fucking fault?” Chanyeol grumbles, having no mood to eat anything though he managed to eat two strips of fried bacon with eggs and drink some milk. Then he checks his wristwatch only to find out it’s ten minutes to eight. “I could’ve just woken up late today and have Quidditch training later at twelve.”

“You’ll be fine,” Junmyeon replies, again reassuring Chanyeol just like he did for the rest of the week. “Just remember after you’re done we’re going to have fun at Quidditch practice today.”

“Yeah! And don’t worry much, you’ll be supervised by Professor Minerva, she’ll be fair and reasonable to you,” Jongin adds, patting Chanyeol’s back before pulling the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain into half a hug. “Byun won’t stand a chance, I know.”

“I hope Byun won’t get me into another trouble, I’m just so tired,” Chanyeol steals a glance at the Slytherin table, seeing no Baekhyun sitting there. Then he looks back at his best friends, who woke up early just to accompany him down to the Great Hall. “What I would be without you guys…”

“Alright, it’s almost eight, you need to go now if you don’t want to be late.” Junmyeon examines his own wristwatch, before giving a smile to encourage Chanyeol to stand up.

“I guess I’ll get going now.” Chanyeol finally says at last as he stands up listlessly, trying to gather some energy to go through detention later.

“You go, Captain Chanyeol!” Jongin cheers Chanyeol up, bringing his hand up to his forehead to give a salute for the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. “We’ll see you later!”

“See you all later.” Chanyeol salutes back, giving an effort to put a smile on his face though it falters at the next second. Unwillingly he drags himself to Mr. Filch’s office. It’s a very short trip since it’s located just outside the Great Hall as it’s connected to the Entrance Hall, but he tries as much as he can to delay his arrival.

When Chanyeol arrives at Filch’s office, he finds that Professor Minerva is already waiting for him. Though he doesn’t seem to find Baekhyun—

“There you are, Mr. Byun. Now that both of you are here, you can start.” Professor Minerva says as she looks at a point behind Chanyeol’s back, prompting Chanyeol to turn around.

It seems like Baekhyun hasn’t eaten anything, since Chanyeol notes the Slytherin Quidditch Captain walks from the direction of the dungeons, not from the Great Hall. Then he looks around him, this is the first time he’s ever been inside Filch’s office.

Though the grand Entrance Hall is only a door away from Filch’s office, the place is so contrasting with the rest of the castle. It gives out a dull, somber air because it’s poorly lit with only one, single oil lamp hanging from the low ceiling. Aside from Filch’s desk and two chairs, there are wooden cabinets and cob webbed boxes that Chanyeol can guess are containing detention cards.

“I want the two of you to reconcile with each other and work together. You two aren’t allowed to stop before all the old detention cards are replaced.” Professor Minerva instructs, gesturing towards cobwebbed boxes that contain the cards Chanyeol and Baekhyun have to work on.

“I will take your wands because I want you to work on the detention cards without magic,” Professor Minerva says, opening her palm as a gesture for Chanyeol and Baekhyun to give them their wands. After tucking the wands into her pocket, she walks to the door. “You can get it back when you’re done. I will see you later.”

With that, Professor Minerva leaves them behind. Mutely the two Quidditch Captains take their seats on the creaky wooden chairs beside the desk, taking one old detention card and a new one from its stacks on the desk. Silence ensues not long after, as the only thing that can be heard is the sound of the tip of their quills against the parchment.

After a few minutes of silence with him rewriting Name, Theodore Nott. Crime, apprehended using an illegal hex upon James Aubrey. Aubrey’s head swelled twice normal size. Suggested sentence, detention. into a new card, Chanyeol sees a chance to seek for answers from Baekhyun. So he starts, “Now we need to talk—”

“What do you want, Park.” Baekhyun deadpans. He’s really not in the mood to know that his plan backfired with him getting stuck in Filch’s office, doing detention with Chanyeol, to the point he didn’t even want to eat breakfast.

“You provoked me, got me to go to the Trophy Room and lied about having a Wizard’s Duel, all fucking effort just to fucking trap me?” Chanyeol inquires as he stops writing someone’s punishment after making the toilets on the third floor to regurgitate on the new card to glare at Baekhyun. “I can’t believe how petty you are—”

“Admit it, even if we did have a duel, you can’t win against me,” Baekhyun shuts Chanyeol up with a snide remark as he flips a fresh new parchment card to write. He just wants to get over this detention with. “We all know you can’t even put a spell on me, let alone jinxing me.”

“I don’t know if you damaged your brain by getting a Bludger on your head or not,” Chanyeol fumes, not noticing his hands are now gripping on the cards so tight it starts to crumple. “But the last time I remember I beat you on nonverbal spells at Defense Against the Dark Arts—”

“On which you didn’t actually win because I managed to repel back with Priori Incantatem that I’m sure you’ve heard from Professor Remus was done perfectly,” Baekhyun intervenes yet again, talking indifferently without looking back at Chanyeol and only focusing on flipping over the detention cards. “You only won just because you used Levicorpus that isn’t even that hard to perform since it’s an actual nonverbal Jinx. Even babies can do that and you’re just a coward.”

That’s where Chanyeol reaches his breaking point.

“You said you want a Wizard’s Duel, huh?” Chanyeol yells, savagely flinging away a stack of moth eaten detention cards he’s clenching. He tries to find his wand, but he remembers Professor Minerva took it, so instead he charges towards Baekhyun, balling his right fist and aiming it straight to Baekhyun’s face. “Then you can take some punches, right, you fucking piece of shit—”

But before Chanyeol’s left hand can even reach as much as the collar of Baekhyun’s shirt, there’s a shadow of a figure looming that falls on his back.

“Asking for more detention, are you now, Park?”

Anywhere Chanyeol can recognize the murky voice that seems to struck a lightning right to the core of his body. Upon hearing it he feels as if his blood has run cold and he knows he’s awfully doomed. He turns around to find Trunchbull ominously giving him a death stare.

With a disparaging smile, Baekhyun lazily brushes the front of his shirt, straightens his untouched collar and greets the Potion master. “Good morning, Professor Trunchbull, sir.”

“Well, Park?” Trunchbull intrudes with a mock-up inquisitive tone, “Have you gone deaf now until you didn’t hear what I asked?”

Alarmed by the terrorizing air that Trunchbull always emits like a foul odor a rotten egg carries and more than not means no good is about to happen, Chanyeol is sure his life is getting drained out of him. “What—no! No, it’s all Byun’s fault, he started it all, sir—”

“Maybe if you stop snooping your noses on people’s business you won’t ever get into trouble.” Trunchbull trudges on, sneering with malice dripping from his words.

“It’s not fair!” Chanyeol replies heatedly as he stands up abruptly that sends more detention cards down to the floor, forgetting for a second he’s talking to someone who holds power to kick him out of Hogwarts.

The sudden outburst from Chanyeol seems to be the one Trunchbull has been looking for. With an even more menacing leer, he says, “You know what I think, Park?”

“I think you’re just asking for attention and wanting to overthrow my House’s Quidditch team by compromising the safety and health of its members, and that you deserve more detention of scrubbing the bedpans in hospital wing for the rest of the day,” Trunchbull continues with a creepy grin appearing on his face, without giving a chance for Chanyeol to reply. “What do you think, Park?”

“I-I don’t agree, sir,” Chanyeol stammers, desperately thinking hard on how to get away from yet another trouble Baekhyun got him. His hands start to sweat at the same time his mind stops functioning, fuck! “I have Quidditch practice—”

“I don’t need to know other bad deeds you’re up to, Park. Well, we shall see what you feel after your extra detention,” Trunchbull interrupts quickly, clearly refusing to bother and plainly taking no account to the reasons Chanyeol is trying to say. Then as he turns around, with a loathing look at Chanyeol he adds, “Poor Gryffindor, fourth place this year, I fear…”

“See you later, loser.” Baekhyun whispers when Trunchbull is already a few steps ahead of him, looking back at Chanyeol just to show him his smug smirk.

“Fuck you, Byun!” Chanyeol screams out loud after Baekhyun and Trunchbull are gone, letting out his boiling wrath inside him.

It takes a full five minutes for Chanyeol to simmer down and pull himself together. Half-heartedly he collects the detention cards scattered on the floor that he threw earlier, continuing to rewrite the damaged ones into new cards. He’s half hoping Professor Minerva will come and save him, but judging by the fact that the Gryffindor House Head doesn’t come to his aid, he guesses Trunchbull must’ve told her an exaggerated version of what happened.

Trunchbull comes back to Filch’s office right at twelve o’clock at noon. Chanyeol is going to sneak out from the dingy room to have lunch at the Great Hall, but the Potions master stops him and conjures a plate of cold sandwiches from thin air for him to eat before telling him to go straight to the hospital wing when he’s done eating.

Like an ugly, human sized bat, Trunchbull watches Chanyeol trying to chew and gulp down the rubbery sandwiches. When he just swallowed his last bite of the bland sandwich, Trunchbull immediately ushers him to go to the hospital wing with him. Upon their arrival at the hospital wing, Trunchbull asks Madam Pomfrey to show him all the bedpans that need some thorough cleaning, which the hospital matron gladly does.

As Chanyeol starts scrubbing his first bedpan, he can only think about Gryffindor’s Quidditch training. With a heavy heart he knows he has to tell his Quidditch team that he can’t come to the Quidditch training at the pitch today. But with Trunchbull checking in on him once in a while, he can’t even leave the hospital wing. Luckily there’s a fourth year Gryffindor that he can ask to pass a note to his team to train without him.

He was about to sneak out when he heard the bell for dinner, but Trunchbull made him stay to finish his detention first. He’s only allowed to go when he has cleaned all fifty six bedpans and his hands already developed a severe case of painful blisters. His dignity is badly injured he decides to stay away from the Great Hall where he can possibly come across Baekhyun and go straight to the Gryffindor Tower despite his stomach growling from hunger.

“That’s it. That’s fucking it, Byun Baekhyun!” Chanyeol screams as soon both of his feet landed on the red maroon carpet of Gryffindor’s common room. He’s in a very bad mood for he missed lunch, Quidditch practice, and dinner altogether.

“Come on now Chanyeol, stop shouting so loud.” Junmyeon replied in a flat tone, eyes unmoving from his parchment on which he’s writing his essay of Potions’ homework. “How was the detention?”

“That bastard, he—he got me into more detention, made me work all day and miss Quidditch training!” Chanyeol can’t even properly talk, he’s so mad his words are coming without order from his mouth. “Hours I’ve spent just to rewrite detention cards and scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing! All without magic!

“Isn’t it also a part of your fault because you were too heated up to realize the fact that Byun was luring you into his trap?” Jongin adds, glancing at Chanyeol from behind his Astronomy chart he’s referring to writing another homework essay from Professor Andromeda, “Thank Merlin he got caught too, thanks to Professor Minerva being a fair judge to you two.”

“But as Professor Minerva left us at Filch’s office, Trunchbull got in the way, took Byun away from his responsibilities, and I was left doing everything from rewriting the cards to the scrubbing all by myself!” Chanyeol rages on as he plops himself down on the couch near the fire.

“So, what are you going to do now? Just—let me tell you this again, please don’t do anything that can get you in more trouble. You better get some shower because you smell,” Junmyeon advises, amused by the tired wails Chanyeol is now letting out. “And I bet you haven’t done your homework?”

“Can I just copy your and Jongin’s homework please…” Chanyeol groans in defeat, thinking about the three rolls of parchment Professor Andromeda asked for detailed information of Jupiter and its moons, and another three rolls of parchment about the composition of the Everlasting Elixirs potions from Trunchbull.

“Yeah,” Jongin replies at the same time as Junmyeon says a definite no and hides his parchment from Chanyeol’s reaching hands. “Junmyeon, I agree with you but I think Chanyeol needs to really do something about Byun.”

“I’m trying! It’s all I’m trying to do for six fucking years now,” Chanyeol puffs out a breath, closing his eyes for a minute. What should he do to put an end to Baekhyun's tyranny?

Then Chanyeol remembers something he planned months ago before school started. “Oi! Jongin! Remember what I told you in my letter?”

“What.” Jongin replies, still focused on finishing the last sentence of his Astronomy essay.

“You know which one!” Chanyeol starts, this time perching himself on Jongin’s shoulder, anticipating Jongin’s answer.

Not fazed by the way Chanyeol is literally sloth-gripping him, Jongin replies again, “Which one.”

“You’re no fun,” Chanyeol sulks, though he understands why Jongin doesn’t remember because they’ve sent each other too many letters during the summer. But then in a second he grins widely, “I’m going to try to be an Animagus!”

Jongin gasps so loud and Junmyeon gets so startled he sends his ink bottle flying, resulting in both of their essays to be sprayed by dark black ink. The latter is the first one to respond after siphoning off the ink from the parchments with a wave of his wand. “Chanyeol, are you—are you insane?”

“What?” Chanyeol cackles at the reaction he gets from Junmyeon and Jongin. “This is my plan, I can turn into something, an animal, and I can slip past the Slytherin common room entrance just so I can spy on the Slytherin Quidditch team!”

“Chanyeol, you don’t understand!” Junmyeon splutters, already concerned of the danger the plan has. “The process of being one is extremely difficult and can result in disaster, you can turn into a permanent half-human half-animal mutation! And furthermore, if you succeed, the penalty for failing to register yourself as an Animagus to the Ministry of Magic is a sentence in Azkaban!”

“I think it’s worth it just to get back at Byun. And Junmyeon, those are exactly the fun parts you’ve just described!” Chanyeol laughs excitedly, drawing back blows onto Junmyeon’s coughing self. “This is perfect, I can get past the Slytherins’ defense without them ever knowing.”

“Jongin, please help me get some sense into Chanyeol’s muddled mind.” Junmyeon gives up, leaning back to the soft chair he’s sitting on while massaging his temple and closing his eyes in frustration.

“I think it’s brilliant,” Jongin finally says his sentence for the first time after Chanyeol has finished giving his full explanation and Junmyeon is done worrying over the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. “But how exactly will you do it?”

As if someone pronounced the right spell, with a wide grin Chanyeol launches into explanation of his plan. “I’ve sneaked to the Library’s Restricted Section since the start of the school year and found ways to do it. The ingredients I need, I can easily steal it from Trunchbull’s ingredients cupboard!

“That’s going to be tough…” Jongin mutters, getting Junmyeon to exclaim a loud I told you so! at Chanyeol’s direction. Though next he returns the grin. “But let’s do this alright.”

Jongin’s grin is followed by a loud whoop from Chanyeol. “Yes!” he high-fived the Gryffindor Chaser. Next, with his own sly grin, he turns to Junmyeon. “Now, Mr. Kim Junmyeon, you’re in or not?”

“Chanyeol, this is absolute madne—okay, fine! Just—just remember what Minseok hyung said. I can see this will get you in a much bigger trouble, but just don’t get into more troubles, okay?” Junmyeon sighs, unable to say anything back when he’s already lost and the troublemaker duo has joined forces. In a side note he adds, “Jongin, you traitor.”

“Sorry!” Jongin guffaws unapologetically at Junmyeon’s defeated expression as he gathers his two best friends in an embrace on both sides of his arms. “And don’t worry much, it’s Gryffindor Quidditch Captain Park Chanyeol we’re talking about, we’ll be alright!”

“Yeah, don’t worry. Park Chanyeol is back with his brilliant plan,” Chanyeol smirks, his head already thinking of so many things he can do as soon he acquires his Animagus form later on. “I’m going to make you pay hell for this, Byun.”

—

It’s the sixth year Baekhyun spends walking up the rows of long tables in the Great Hall.

For a few weeks it has been zany quiet for him. It might be caused by the last time Chanyeol tried him it ended up badly, the latter hasn’t responded to any of his tauntings. It’s a bit weird Chanyeol hasn’t spat curse words or exploded and sent punches at him when he’s sure he’s pushed the later’s limit but hey, that means he won, right?

He still can remember his last encounter with the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain that resulted in detention. Though thanks to Professor Trunchbull coming right on time that day, he was saved from the boring work of copying the old records by hand, leaving Chanyeol to do it himself and get an extra detention.

Overall, today can be described as a good day for him. Chanyeol kept his mouth shut, he enjoyed a leisure walk at the castle grounds, and his stomach is full from eating dinner to his heart’s content. At a little over nine in the evening, he’s ready to spend his remaining time doing whatever he wants back at the Slytherin dungeon.

So after Professor Merrythought sends them back to their common room, Baekhyun rises up from his seat to walk back with other Slytherins to the dungeon. Midway reaching the far end of the Great Hall, he feels someone tapping lightly on his shoulder.

A tall, quite bulky man waves and shouts at Baekhyun as he walks slowly backwards, leveling his position with Baekhyun’s for a moment. “Hey Captain! Everything ready for tonight?”

“Don’t worry, Blaise. I’ve got it all covered for tonight's party,” Baekhyun shouts back as he turns around to meet the eyes of the speaker. “Just make sure you come. You know it won’t be fun without our best Beater, right?”

The perfectly delivered compliment makes the Slytherin Beater in the talk chuckle. “Nice,” Blaise shouts again in an impressed tone. “But still though, how did you get it all without getting caught? Not to mention you smuggled bottles of Firewhiskey.”

“I’ve got my ways, no worries.” Baekhyun assures, smirking. His mind flits a moment to show a glimpse of the route to get to Hogsmeade secretly that he discovered in his second year in Hogwarts, a result from one out many of his midnight wanderings.

“As expected from our best Quidditch Captain! We’ll leave it all to you then.” Blaise shouts for the last time as he finally gets carried away by the stream of students pouring out of the Great Hall.

As the conversation ends, Baekhyun continues walking to the dungeons, where Slytherins can find the concealed entrance of the Slytherin’s common room. Quietly he stops a few meters before they finally reach it, letting other Slytherins enter first.

“You coming with us, Byun?” Flint, the Keeper of the Slytherin Quidditch team, calls out as he notices the Captain is still standing outside.

“No, you go first. I’ll go later. I need to see Professor Trunchbull.” Baekhyun lies easily, showing his innocent smile that can even fool the Potions master.

“Oh I see. Alright then, see you at the party!” Flint replies before entering the passage leading into the Slytherin common room, leaving Baekhyun alone.

It’s not that hard for Baekhyun to find a reason to back out if he already mentioned Professor Trunchbull’s name. The Potions master is too fond of him and shows it around for everyone to see, so Baekhyun can just use the Professor’s name for his necessities. Now this time he’s not lying to back out from joining the party, but because he needs to go alone to access his secret passage and get those delicious Firewhiskey to commemorate the year he’s going to make Slytherin win under his command.

—

After that conversation back in the Gryffindor Tower, Chanyeol has been going full force with his plan, even though with Junmyeon whispering way too loudly near his ears whenever the Gryffindor Beater has the chance to break his determination to try to be an Animagus.

His plan is going smoothly, though he had to do some life-risking deeds. It involves him sneaking into Trunchbull’s office, discreetly stealing what he needs from the cupboard containing Trunchbull’s private stock of Potions ingredients. Not to mention illegally plucking Mandrake leaves from Greenhouse number three, risking himself getting caught by Professor Pomona.

According to Phineas Bourne in his book Moste Potente Potions—which Chanyeol accessed from the Hogwarts Library during midnight—he has to keep a single mandrake leaf in his mouth for an entire month, from full moon to full moon. At the next visible full moon he must spit the leaf in a phial within range of the moon’s pure rays. To the moon-struck phial, he must add a strand of his own hair, a silver teaspoon of dew that has not seen sunlight or been touched by human feet for seven days, and the chrysalis of a Death’s-head Hawk Moth. The mixture must be put in a quiet, dark place and should never be disturbed.

The hardest part was probably fighting the temptation to fire back at Baekhyun’s insufferable mockings that he gets every time he’s within the latter’s shooting range. The Slytherin Quidditch Captain seems so satisfied that he can’t say anything back, probably thinking that he ran out of wit.

Luckily enough, Chanyeol managed to do it all with the help of his friends. Jongin assisted him in keeping an eye on the brewing potion that he hid in the girls’ lavatory on second floor—with extra addition of meeting the floating Moaning Myrtle, gleefully welcoming the appearance of two boys. The Baekhyun problem is solved by him repeating a mantra in his head that he needs to shut himself up to keep the mandrake leaf in order to get his revenge.

When one month is up, all he has to do is the next step, which is as complicated as the first one: for him to wait for an electrical storm, whenever that might be. Waiting for the electrical storm isn’t without other tasks in his hand: during this waiting period, at sunrise and sundown without fail, he had to chant the incantation Amato Animo Animato Animagus with the tip of his wand placed over his heart.

Tonight, after a quite reluctant Junmyeon helped him check the skies, Chanyeol finally found signs of an electrical storm. For this one final step, he needs a place somewhere discreet and secluded, and his mind immediately supplies him a view of the Forbidden Forest. With Jongin he arranged his plan that he’ll put into work after dinner.

“Jongin!” Chanyeol whispers from the top of the stairs, looking for the Gryffindor Chaser down below. “Am I good to go now?”

“Clear.” Jongin replies as he signs an OK, showing a thumbs-up from his spying station on one of the couches spread around the Gryffindor common room.

“I’m going down now.” Chanyeol whispers again, earning Jongin’s quick nod. Quickly he puts his sweater over his shirt, grabs his rucksack, and puts on his shoes.

From underneath a blanket on the bed right across Chanyeol’s, Junmyeon’s head pops up. “Chanyeol, you’re going now?”

Even from just a whisper Chanyeol can tell his best friend is so worried for him. “Yeah, it’s time. Will you help me?”

“Of course, I’ll cover you up. Please get back safely.” Junmyeon replies back, crawling out from the bundle of blanket he wrapped around himself to see Chanyeol off. Though to him Chanyeol’s plan isn’t the best, Chanyeol is his best friend, so anything he’ll do for him.

To the clear instruction Chanyeol nods. For one last time he scans his surroundings to check if there’s anything he needs is still left behind, and tiptoes down the stairs to where Jongin is waiting for him once he’s sure he’s got everything on the list.

“Be safe.” Jongin whispers, sending a grin and another thumbs-up to cheer on Chanyeol when the latter reaches the bottom of the steps.

Slipping past the portrait of the Fat Lady that covers the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, Chanyeol jogs down to reach the ground floor. He continues his way to an empty classroom, where previously he has prepared to keep one of the windows open, just so he can get out to the Hogwarts grounds. He walks past the Greenhouses and the place that at day hosts Care of Magical Creatures class, until he reaches the mouth of the Forbidden Forest.

After walking half an hour into the Forbidden Forest, Chanyeol finds the spot he has prepared for the last step of the ritual: a large and secure place surrounded by trees not too tall just so he can still check the night sky. And in time, at last, he sees the predicted thunderstorm starting to form, prompting him to move immediately to the middle of the clearing. This time he only needs to recite the incantation one final time, and then drink the potion.

“Amato Animo Animato Animagus.” Chanyeol says the incantation clearly as the first lightning out of many strikes down to illuminate his body. Swiftly he brings the tip of the potion vial onto his lips, and drinks all the liquid it contains.

*

Somewhere among the mossy trees of Forbidden Forest, Baekhyun is walking all by himself. He grumbles to himself as to why he chose the only night when a thunderstorm is brewing to get out of the castle, but it’s alright because he already has what he needs.

Trying so hard not to step on sharp twigs or trip on thick roots, Baekhyun tiptoes his way around to get back to the castle, rucksack full of Firewhiskey bottles he bought from the mysterious barman in the Hog’s Head. He has to get back to the concealed rock cavern near the perimeter of Forbidden Forest that leads to a passage behind a mirror on the fourth floor in the castle. He has to stay invisible and his Disillusionment Charm isn’t that great, but he’s doing well with it.

Suddenly, from the corner of his peripheral vision, Baekhyun witnesses a lightning strike so bright it momentarily turns everything white before releasing an ear-splitting thunder onto the ground. A loud thud with a flash of blue coming not far from him follows, prompting him to stop. Deciding to hide his rucksack first, he changes his course to inspect the source of the sudden disturbance.

Having a lightning struck right at him and fills his entire body with electrical current isn’t pleasant at all for Chanyeol. But among the paralyzing strikes of pain he’s feeling, he realizes when he directs his eyes around that everything looks taller than him, more than usual. Just when he’s panicking as to why he’s way too smaller than his surroundings, he hears footsteps coming closer to him. To his horror, he can neither move nor speak.

“The fuck was that—oh!” Baekhyun raises his voice as if about to let out more curses, but upon seeing the tiny creature in front of him his voice softens. “Oh, hey there, little guy.”

Fuck, isn’t that Byun’s voice?, Chanyeol thinks, panicking more in prospect of getting caught by the only person in the world he doesn’t want to know about his—probably failed—plan. Did he just say little guy? What the fuck? I’m the tall one here, you midget!

“Hey little puppy, are you okay? What are you doing here alone? It’s not safe to be out in the woods at this time, storm is coming,” Baekhyun whispers concernedly, looking left and right to check the spot the thunder struck just to find it doesn’t leave any mark whatsoever. Despite the strange finding, his first thought is to keep the puppy safe, so he lifts the beagle puppy into his arms. “Alright, let me get you up.”

What? What does he mean by little puppy? Chanyeol thinks again, mind erratic with more alarming thoughts. How can he get out of Baekhyun’s hold now?

“I’ve never seen a beagle puppy around here before…” Baekhyun wonders as he brushes off a few dried leaves and twigs stuck on the beagle puppy’s fur. Another oddity to add into the list, but he can’t think about it when he has a fluffy creature on his arms. “But you seem like you’re feeling cold, you’re shivering. You should come along with me, then.”

Fuck, no! Why did I turn into a beagle puppy? No! This can’t happen! I’m supposed to turn into a stealthy animal that can secretly spy on Byun! Chanyeol shouts in frustration, after realizing Baekhyun is correct. He looks down only to see a small body covered in fur, he is now in his Animagus form: a beagle puppy. Byun can’t know that the beagle puppy is me. Fuck this!

The whimpering beagle puppy in his hands is trying to crawl its way out, but Baekhyun holds on to it tight. The puppy isn’t that small, its size is similar to a newborn baby. It has an all white fur, except for its head and ears are covered in black fur. Notably there’s also a cute black dot near the puppy’s snout. The puppy doesn’t look like it’s abandoned, judging from its clean appearance. Overall, he can say he’s taken a liking to it.

“Alright, I think you should come along with me and then we’ll find you some warm blankets and maybe food?” Baekhyun suggests, unsure what to do at first but he can’t just leave the puppy alone in the dark forest. There are centaurs and beasts that can harm it, his conscience tells him he needs to take it back to Hogwarts with him.

No! Please, let me go! Chanyeol can only shout in his mind and push Baekhyun’s arms away as hard as he can, though it only comes out as barks and his tiny paws flailing around. He doesn’t want to get trapped with Baekhyun all night. Let me go you sick fuck!

“I don’t think I can take you to Professor Kettleburn, he’s our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, though he probably likes another addition to his other dogs,” Baekhyun contemplates, knowing how fond his professor is with any animals or magical creatures. But he doesn’t think it’s the right choice to have the puppy live with Hogwarts’ ferocious Labradors. “How about my common room? It’s at Hogwarts.”

At the mention of Slytherin’s common room, Chanyeol’s ears perked up as he finally stops trying to escape. After a second thought, it’s a good opportunity to know the secrets of the enemy. I suppose I can come a long with Byun, he thinks, this way I get to see his weaknesses and the Slytherin Quidditch team’s game plan…

Seeing the beagle puppy stopped thrashing around, Baekhyun smiles. “Alright, let’s go back to Hogwarts.”

Continuing his walk, Baekhyun takes his usual route back to the concealed rock cavern that will lead him back inside the castle. Once he reaches it, he slips between the bushes covering the entrance. It opens up to a dark passage with rocky, earth floor. With his lit wand ahead of him, he starts walking down the passage.

It took Baekhyun around fifteen minutes of walking until he reaches the part of the passage where the damp earth he’s stepping on changes into smooth stone floor. Five minutes later he finally arrives in front of a stone wall.

Where does this passage lead us to? Chanyeol wonders. He doesn’t know much about secret passages from and to Hogwarts, but seeing Baekhyun walking without pausing, he speculates Baekhyun knows a lot about it more than he does. The stone wall in front of them confuses him even more. Wait, is this a dead end?

Then Baekhyun places his ear on the cold surface, listening to the other side of the stone wall. One tap with his wand somehow makes a rectangle frame to appear from the wall, as if it’s embossed on the stone surface. Just like the invisible barrier to reach the Hogwarts Express at King’s Cross, he passes through it as if there’s no solid wall at all.

Next, Chanyeol finds himself staring at a corridor inside the castle. A second look gives him a hint that they’re on the fourth floor, remembering the corridor as the one he usually uses when he wants to reach the Owlery at North Tower from Gryffindor Tower. He’ll make sure to remember this secret entrance to the passage that leads to the Forbidden Forest, in case he needs it in the future.

After checking his surroundings again, Baekhyun walks again to find the stairs down to reach the dungeon. Once in a while he has to duck behind a corner when a ghost passes him or when he hears noises of a teacher doing night patrol. After getting through the moving staircases, the marble staircase in front of the Entrance Hall, he quickly descends another set of stairs to reach the Slytherin dungeon corridor.

In sixteen years of his life Chanyeol has never set his foot on another House’s common room, since it’s strictly prohibited to go inside others’ common room or let others into your common room. His curiosity wins as he pops his head out of the cover of Baekhyun’s arms again, trying to memorize the route to the Slytherin dungeon.

“Wait a second, I’ll just have to hide you in my bag for a few minutes…” Baekhyun mutters as gently he lets go of his hug on the beagle puppy, before placing it inside his bag. “Okay, here we go.”

Then Baekhyun continues to walk for a few minutes before stopping right in front of a particular spot along the bare stretch of stone walls. It’s a kind of spot that anyone can miss easily, since there is no distinctive characteristic that separates it from any other part of the wall. No one would be able to know if they’re not accompanied by a Slytherin to point it out.

After brushing the wall in front of him, Baekhyun says the password required to enter for the current time, since the password changes every fortnight. “Serpensortia.”

The stone wall suddenly rearranges itself to form a dark passage, and Baekhyun confidently walks through it. The walk doesn’t take long as it opens up to reveal Slytherin’s common room.

The Slytherin common room has a grand atmosphere with the classic interior design. Though the large, elaborately carved mantelpiece has crackling fire ignited in it, the rough stone walls and ceiling give out a cold ambience. The dungeon-like room is decorated mainly with serpent engravings and Slytherin’s coat of arms. The room extends partway under the Hogwarts lake, giving the light in the room a green tinge, which is intensified with greenish lamps and chairs.

All around the room there are lots of low backed black and dark green button-tufted leather sofas. The furniture including dark wood cupboards and tables has skulls, sets of Wizard's Chess, and thick, heavy looking books placed on top of it. The walls are lined with portraits of well known Slytherin ancestors and tapestries featuring the adventures of famous Medieval Slytherins.

So this is what Slytherin’s common room looks like… Chanyeol thinks, eyes exploring hungrily at the new sight. But the further Baekhyun walks in, peeking from a slit of Baekhyun’s bag his eyes meet a much more contrasting view.

The Slytherins apparently are having a night party, with mostly fifth years and up occupying the place. Some are holding tall glasses of Butterbeer, others are snacking on bowls of food. A stupendous magical gramophone placed in the center of the room is playing a lively show tune. Everyone is chatting around, laughing and cheering once in a while.

“Oh! Our Captain is finally here!” Blaise shouts over the crowd, making everyone in the vicinity turn their heads and clap at Baekhyun. “Welcome, Captain Byun! Come over here and join us!”

“I’m sorry but I think I’ll skip for tonight,” Baekhyun tells his Quidditch team members who are all looking up at him from their seats expectantly. For an extra touch he adds a convincing regretful face expression into his act. “The stormy night gets me a bad episode of headache.”

“What? No! It’s not really a party without our Captain!” Blaise replies, whose words are parroted by others. Then he tries to tug on Baekhyun’s arms, though the latter swiftly disentangles himself.

“I promise I’ll join next time. Here, I got what you all wanted,” Baekhyun smiles as he hands over the other bag he carries that contains bottles of Firewhiskey in it. He keeps the bag that hides the beagle puppy close to him, careful not to let it shown to his fellow Slytherins. “I’m going to get some rest now.”

“Thanks, Captain. We’ll miss you!” Blaise slurs, possibly already half drunk from drinking brandy, judging from the half empty bottle of Dragon Barrel Brandy he’s holding onto.

“It won’t be fun without you, Byun,” Flint chimes in, taking hold of the bag as he drags Blaise away from clinging onto Baekhyun. “But it’s fine, we’ll keep your words. Here, have a bottle.”

“See you all in the morning.” Baekhyun replies with a chuckle as he catches the bottle Flint threw at him. Then he walks away to descend another spiral stone steps on his right, before entering the boys’ dormitory for the sixth year students.

Now safe from prying eyes, Chanyeol’s head emerges from the bag Baekhyun keeps him in to look at the room. In the circular room, there are five ancient four-posters with green silk hangings lined along the wall. And as they’re in the dungeon, there are no windows, the source of light being silver lanterns hanging from the ceiling. More Slytherin crests and medieval tapestries are adorning the stone wall.

Then Baekhyun opens his bag, uncovering the hidden beagle puppy inside. “Sorry I had to hide you in my bag, puppy. And sorry for the loud noise too. They’re having a party down there and it’s so crowded, I can’t let you be seen since technically a beagle puppy isn’t on the list of allowed pets in Hogwarts.”

Lifting the beagle puppy to his eye level, Baekhyun can see more of the puppy under the room’s torches illuminating its face. Slowly but sure, a smile shows up on his face, the puppy looks so adorable with its big eyes looking at him.

This is the first time Chanyeol can see Baekhyun up close: behind the curtains of Baekhyun’s blond fringe, there are a set of droopy eyes with dark mahogany irises looking back at him. He can see the dots of moles on Baekhyun’s cheeks, nose, and near his upper lip. Wait, this is the face he’s repulsed and wish to never see again, why does he keep looking at Baekhyun?

Then Baekhyun lowers the beagle puppy down onto his bed before he sits next to it.

“Uh, so… I’m not that good with pets but I have some biscuits?” Baekhyun offers tentatively, grabbing a tin can his father sent him from home. “It’s for humans, but I guess if I’m not dead for years too long after eating it, you can eat it too, right?”

Such a dumb git, Chanyeol sneers in his head. But he doesn’t know why he thinks the way Baekhyun’s hesitant yet careful manner is… okay. This is probably the first time he can find anything close to something decent with Baekhyun present.

Wait, why is Baekhyun smiling at him with that soft expression? The look doesn’t fit Baekhyun at all, it kind of makes him sick.

“You know, puppy. This is the first time I skipped a Slytherin party and actually feeling okay and just right with it,” Baekhyun says, his smile growing wider. The beagle puppy sitting in front of him is so endearing he can only look at it with fondness. “Maybe because I’m just excited to bring a beagle puppy with me, I guess?”

Out of instinct, Baekhyun lifts the beagle puppy again and hugs it tight, trying to give it more warmth. It’s winter after all, at night even after covering himself with layers of blankets and wearing thick sweaters he still feels quite cold.

What the actual fuck! No— Chanyeol screams in his head, surprised by the sudden hug. What kind of crime did he do in his past lives for him to deserve getting a hug from Baekhyun? Get off me you slimy git!

“No, it’s okay, it’s fine!” Baekhyun chuckles, looking at the beagle puppy trying to wriggle out of his embrace. Probably it’s scared of his Slytherin mates? So then he pats its head, now using his softest voice to comfort the puppy. “You’re safe here, you can stay with me as long as you like.”

I don’t want to stay here, Chanyeol snorts in his mind, Not even a troll wants to stay here with you. But since he’s currently just a small beagle puppy, he can’t fight Baekhyun’s strong arms. Tired trying to get Baekhyun to let him off, unwillingly he lets Baekhyun continue hugging him.

Then Baekhyun senses the puppy in his hug stills, its muscles seem to be relaxing at last. Not knowing what else to say, he chooses to just talk about whatever he has in mind. So next he stutters, “Uh, so. How is your day?”

What is Byun on? Chanyeol shakes his head in his mind. He can’t believe he’s witnessing Baekhyun trying to talk to a puppy. If he could, he would mock the shit out of Baekhyun. Since when puppies can talk? Idiot.

“I guess you had a hard day, eh? You were outside during the storm at night,” Baekhyun says, looking at the beagle puppy settled in his hug. “I wonder how did you end up in the middle of the Forbidden Forest… did you get lost?”

Oh right! My wand and bag! How will I get it back? Chanyeol panics again. But after assessing the situation he’s in, he can’t get it now. He only hopes the thick trees and bushes of Forbidden Forest will conceal and keep it safe for him to take it later when he has another chance to go outside.

“Well, here’s your biscuit, eat some so you won’t be hungry, okay?” Baekhyun smiles as he holds a piece of biscuit in front of the beagle puppy’s mouth. “I’m sorry I don’t have much at hand. If I had known I was going to meet you I would nick some food for you from dinner.”

That reminds Chanyeol of how he hasn’t eaten any proper food besides Trunchbull’s disgusting sandwiches after spending his day doing detention. It makes him want to bite Baekhyun’s fingers with his beagle puppy teeth, so that’s what he does.

But instead of being in pain, Baekhyun chuckles, feeling tickled by the puppy’s tiny teeth and tongue on his fingers. “Oh you’re really hungry? Here, you can have the whole tin,” he offers another biscuit to the beagle puppy. But then he stops himself, his smile erased from his face. “I don’t really like it, not when I know it’s just a show played by the biggest hypocrites on earth.”

What is Byun talking about again? Chanyeol can only gape at Baekhyun, who’s now looking vacantly at somewhere in front of his four-posters bed. Though confused, reluctantly he takes a nib on the biscuit, his hunger winning over his ego to never owe Baekhyun anything. Why the fuck he keeps on talking in codes? How am I supposed to understand?

“I guess you’re tired, since you’re so silent now?” Baekhyun says again, shaking his head slightly, his voice a bit cheery as if he hasn’t said anything odd. Then he turns his head to look at the beagle puppy again. “Anyway, it’s my turn now to tell you the story of my day.”

“Today I think is one of the worst days of my life, my plan didn’t work as I wanted and I got detention because of Park—” Baekhyun stops himself abruptly. He continues after clearing his not itchy throat. “Because of someone that I don’t want to spell his name out.”

As if your name isn’t disgusting for me to spell out, Chanyeol says in his head, remembering the times he’s forced to say Baekhyun’s name only to bring a bad taste in his tongue. I’d never want to spell your name unless to curse you to hell.

“Luckily I got out in time thanks to Trunchbull letting me out, so the rest of the day went pretty well,” Baekhyun continues, a smile reappears on his face as he gently rubs the beagle puppy’s fur. “And as you saw earlier, there’s a party for Slytherins outside, so everything is going good for me.”

Glad to know you’re happy over my suffering, Byun, Chanyeol says sarcastically in his mind, battling the urge to just reveal himself and beat Baekhyun up. It’s my fucking pleasure.

“Oh also, there’s this Quidditch Captain that just loves to annoy me so much,” Baekhyun complains, rolling his eyes in hatred. “I think in his life besides trying to beat me in Quidditch he also strives to piss me off.”

At once Chanyeol knows Baekhyun is talking about him. You shut the fuck up about me, you git! he shouts in his head, look at yourself and see how you’re the worst!

“You know what, I think he’s the spawn of Dementors, if he’s not a Dementor himself.” Baekhyun adds, huffing in annoyance, without realizing sticking a piece of biscuit quite hard into the puppy’s mouth.

Choking on the biscuit bits he’s nibbling, Chanyeol can’t believe what he’s hearing. Baekhyun, putting him on the same level as a Dementor? He’s taking back what he thought previously—getting something decent out of Baekhyun? Not even in his dreams, apparently. But as he’s just a beagle puppy, he can only snarl.

It seems like Baekhyun misinterprets what the beagle puppy meant by the snarl, because next he replies, “I know, right? He keeps bothering me all day every day. Like I got time to deal with his shit.”

Do you think I’m enjoying what you’ve done to me? Chanyeol snaps in his head, resulting in the puppy’s snarl now turning into a low growl. Do you know that I am the one having to put up with your shit?

“But you know what’s worse? He knows a secret of mine so I can’t do anything with him,” Baekhyun sighs, leaning back onto his pillow. “It fucking sucks to be in this kind of situation.”

Yeah right, Byun, sucks to be you. After tonight, I get to know your dirty secrets and I will use it for my revenge on you, Chanyeol says in his head, enjoying the victorious effect of the events that happened on this unexpected night. You’re over, Byun.

“Well, let’s not talk about him again, shall we? I don’t want to ruin the night,” Baekhyun says, exhaling a long sigh. He regrets bringing the topic since because of it his mood is a bit dampened. So he opts to forget about it and focus on patting the beagle puppy in his cradle. “Let’s just enjoy tonight.”

For the next five minutes Chanyeol observes there’s only silence, save for some faraway cheering from the party happening at the Slytherin common room. He realizes Baekhyun is finally done with his talking, but Baekhyun seems to keep his hold on him. Let me go! he can only scream in his head, why the fuck do you keep holding me?

The night melts away and it feels like hours have passed to Chanyeol, but it seems like Baekhyun isn’t going to sleep any time soon. The Slytherin Quidditch Captain just keeps on looking at the ceiling, his eyes wide open, his arms circled around his puppy body.

“Oh, one thing I forgot about my day. It turned out to be a good one because…” Baekhyun breaks the silence again, as he stares at the beagle puppy for the hundredth time tonight. He’s feeling again that delightful feeling he hasn’t got for quite long when seeing the tiny animal in his hug.

You don’t have to say it twice, Byun, Chanyeol rants in his head, getting more annoyed because Baekhyun doesn’t give him a chance to go. I know you’re happy I got double detention because of you—

“Because I found you, little puppy.” Baekhyun smiles wide, almost grinning. Though he’s not upstairs having a party, just lying on his bed, somehow he’s fine, and at peace.

For the first time tonight Chanyeol can’t find a comeback to Baekhyun’s words, because it’s the first time he hears Baekhyun saying other things than insults to him. He can only stare long at Baekhyun, confused. Was that supposed to mean Baekhyun is happy to see… him? Are you out of your mind, Park Chanyeol? he reprimands himself. It’s impossible, what was he thinking? of course Byun meant the beagle puppy, not you.

“Alright, let’s go to sleep shall we? You can sleep here too if you want,” Baekhyun yawns as he places the biscuit tin can back on his nightstand and blows on the candle. Then he settles himself and the beagle puppy next to him on his bed “I’ll see you in the morning.”

It takes Chanyeol a few seconds to come back to his senses again. Now Byun is going to sleep, now I can try to get out of here…

For roughly fifteen more minutes, Chanyeol waits. Noting that the pace of Baekhyun’s breathing has gone slower, he knows it’s safe for him to get out of Baekhyun’s hold. Slowly he wriggles himself from underneath the blanket and Baekhyun’s arm that are draped over him, with his heart beating uncontrollably at the thought of waking Baekhyun up and getting caught.

After Chanyeol finally able to touch his feet on the carpeted floor, he checks the clock floating magically near the door: it’s almost six in the morning. Apparently he’s spent the whole night at Baekhyun’s four-posters bed, though he’s not sleepy at all since his fear of getting himself known keeps him on edge and awake.

It took quite some time for Chanyeol to be able to sneak out of the sixth year Slytherins’ dormitory, not to mention dodging other Slytherins already occupying the common room. As soon as he’s out of the dark passage that leads out of Slytherin common room, Chanyeol shifts back into his human form before walking up quickly to reach the Entrance Hall and its marble stairs.

The orange tint on the castle walls indicates that the sun is rising and morning is coming around. His heart is beating fast, scared to be seen or caught. So he speeds up his pace, almost running. He can’t be seen anywhere near the Slytherin Dungeon corridor or else Baekhyun will find out.

When he finally reaches the entrance to Gryffindor common room, Chanyeol is shocked to find the Fat Lady glaring at him. Tentatively he says the password. “Er, Caput Draconis?”

“Where have you been, young man?” The Fat Lady asks, instead of swinging open to let Chanyeol in.

With a great amount of stuttering and loud cursing in his head to Baekhyun for giving him more trouble even before the day starts, Chanyeol answers, “Uh, um, out—”

“At this time around?” The Fat Lady scolds, huffing her breath loudly. Reluctantly, she lets her portrait swing open. “Someone is waiting for you inside, they’ve been looking for you.”

Looking for him? Chanyeol’s first thought is Professor Minerva, and he trembles thinking of his House Head. But a peek inside shows no one in sight. So he decides to enter slowly and quietly, not wanting another trouble after his disastrous meeting with Baekhyun.

But it’s only a few seconds after Chanyeol manages to climb up through the Fat Lady’s portrait when his heart gets another shock.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Junmyeon strides quickly to reach Chanyeol’s side, demanding for answers right away. He’s not one for cursing, but he’s so anxious waiting for Chanyeol to come back that he just needs to let it out. “I’m—we’re so worried about you! You said you’d be back by two in the morning! Now it’s—” he checks his wristwatch, “—six in the morning!”

“Give him some time to take a breath,” Jongin hurries to grab Chanyeol’s arms and steers the Quidditch Captain to sit on the couch in front of the fireplace. “Tell us what happened.”

“It went well,” Chanyeol finally manages to say something after quite an eventful night. “The Animagus transformation part goes well,” he adds after a skeptical stare thrown to him from Junmyeon’s side. “But—”

“But what?” Junmyeon urges, impatient to know what happened that held Chanyeol back from returning in their appointed time.

“Byun got me.” Chanyeol mumbles while he casts his stare downside, feeling way too embarrassed to say it out loud.

“What?” Jongin gasps, representing Junmyeon who seems to be too shocked to say or do anything at the thought of Chanyeol getting expelled for attempting to transform into an Animagus. His enthusiastic face turns into a concerned one. “Did you get caught by Trunchbull too? Are you in trouble?”

“Not exactly, but worse. Byun saw me transforming and now he thinks of me as a stranded and lost beagle puppy,” Chanyeol scorns, quite relieved he’s now able to let out his annoyance after enduring Baekhyun’s chatter for the whole night. “He took me into the Slytherin common room, you know, the slimy dungeon, so I can’t escape until this morning. You should’ve seen how he acted, he treated me like I’m a harmless newborn puppy. It’s disgusting.”

It took a whole minute for the Gryffindor Chaser and the Beater to finally give out a reaction.

“Isn’t that what you want?” Junmyeon guffaws. Chanyeol’s expression as the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain retells his story is so ridiculous to the point his knees give out, prompting him to fall back onto the couch Chanyeol is sitting on. “It’s such a subtle yet also a perfect weapon!”

“Junmyeon isn’t wrong, though,” Jongin agrees, laughing along with Junmyeon as he too takes a seat. “You wanted access straight to the headquarters of the Slytherin Quidditch team and bam! You landed yourself right in the middle of it.”

“But I meant to be something cooler, you know!” Chanyeol sulks, not expecting his best friends to actually laugh at yet another torture Baekhyun had put him to go through. “A fierce hunting falcon, an intimidating German Shepherd, literally I can be anything but a beagle puppy! It makes me look weak.”

“Look, this way you can actually roam around more freely. And you can keep track of what Byun is doing and what he has planned for his team’s strategy,” Junmyeon says, still unable to stop laughing until he needs to grab on Jongin’s shoulder to support himself. “All you need to do is to act cute and make him fond of you.”

“What the fuck?” Chanyeol screams out loud, finally letting out his anger. He’s silently thanking Merlin that Sunday morning means the Gryffindor common room is empty save for some students passing by. “Don’t make me hear those words ever again or I’ll have to cut my ears and exchange it with a pair of Extendable Ears or something.”

“You do realize that you fit your Animagus form so much?” Jongin laughs, this time while doing a high-five with Junmyeon. Then with his index finger he points at Chanyeol’s face. “You’re pouting now, such a puppy.”

“Cut the crap, Jongin.” Chanyeol dodges the pinching attack on his cheeks that Jongin is trying to do, before he lets himself fall back onto the couch’s pillows. He’s so tired and he hasn’t had a wink of sleep since yesterday.

“So what did you get from your tiny puppy escapade?” Jongin asks, completely ignoring the last remark Chanyeol said.

“Get what.” Chanyeol slurs, mind still too polluted by the revelation he had last night. One thought stands out from the rest: Byun Baekhyun, for once doesn’t degrade a living being and talk using soft voices?

“For Merlin’s sake Chanyeol, don’t tell me you didn’t collect any important information regarding the enemy while you were there?” Junmyeon’s voice is heard again from Chanyeol’s left side after he’s finally able to stop his laughter.

“I was distracted, okay! I was too worried I won’t be able to leave that stupid dungeon unscathed and alive,” Chanyeol scolds, his mind replaying the horrifying scenes of getting stuck in Slytherin common room with Baekhyun and other Slytherins he doesn’t like. But then his voice falters as he adds, “But there’s something wrong with Byun, I swear on Merlin.”

“…Is that it?” Jongin smirks, sensing something behind Chanyeol’s sudden awkwardness.

“I—I don’t know, Byun is definitely hiding something!” Chanyeol stutters, feeling the teasing gaze from his two best friends even though he’s looking at the ceiling. There’s definitely something wrong with himself, why can’t he say anything bad or curse at Baekhyun without feeling something is not right in its place? “He’s… he’s up to something sinister!”

“Okay, something sinister it is.” Junmyeon singsongs, while Jongin tries as much as he can to contain his laugh, looking rather like a constipated person.

Trying to find a meaning to his complicated feelings gets Chanyeol feeling even more physically so drained. He’s sure it’s because of the shock of seeing Baekhyun actually being civil for the first time in his life after doing double detention. “Will you guys shut up please, I’m having a major headache right now.”

“Aye, aye, Captain. We’ll let you have some rest while we go downstairs for breakfast.” Junmyeon chuckles one last time, as he and Jongin stand up and climb out of the Fat Lady’s portrait to go to the Great Hall.

Finally alone, Chanyeol decides to go upstairs to the sixth year dormitory. After he lies down on his bed, he can only think of doing nothing today and just sleep. But no matter how much he tries to relax himself, he can’t rest his mind. There’s something new he discovered last night about Baekhyun. It’s unsettling and unfamiliar, but it piques his interest. For now, he chooses to just throw the thought to the very back of his mind, and focus on the task at hand.

—
[1]

It’s a nice, warm Sunday morning in the third week of April.

Hogwarts has refreshed itself up again, with everyone back from Easter holidays. Spring is still accompanying them by letting the trees grow and the clouds come over the sky to give them shade from the sun. The summer term has started on last Monday,

Something that Chanyeol has been doing since his first year in Hogwarts is sending his family a letter every once a week, which his mother will reply back with packages of food from home. Since he doesn’t have an owl, he plans to send his letter with the help of one of the school owls. But for that he needs to jog a little bit to reach the Owlery located at the top of the West Tower.

When he’s a few steps close to the Owlery, he sees Baekhyun standing next to the large window with his back on him. It feels weird to meet Baekhyun now, with him already seeing Baekhyun’s other side. So instead of just go and mind his own matter, with a bubble of curiosity welling up somewhere in his mind, he chooses to find out what Baekhyun is up to.

But even before he lifted his feet to move forward, his true intention was known by the enemy.

“Spying on me now, are we Park?” Baekhyun loudly states, knowing Chanyeol’s arrival though he hasn’t turned around or moved for an inch. “Don’t you have any other thing to do than sneaking up on me?”

The sudden sound intrusion makes Chanyeol jump out of his hiding spot. He’s more frightened on how Baekhyun guessed point blank not only about how he’s currently sneaking up on him but also to the fact that he did spy on Baekhyun as a beagle puppy some nights ago. “I-I’m not! I was just passing—”

“What are you doing up here with just passing?” Baekhyun presses on, finally turning around to face Chanyeol to show a smirk slowly creeping up on his face. “Trying to ruin my mood even before the day started? Or did you want to push me down the Owlery Tower when you were sneaking up on me and I had my back on you?”

“In case you don’t know, people go to the Owlery to send letters,” Chanyeol deadpans, feeling insulted by the dire allegation. The image of the kind side Baekhyun showed at that night vanishes completely from his mind, there’s just no way Baekhyun can be nice even for just a second. “Maybe you’ll know the purpose of using delivery owls if you aren’t acting like a big bunch of dunderheads like those brainless mountain trolls.”

“Sending letters? Oh so now you’re trying to order some U-No-Poo to help with your constipation then, Park?” Baekhyun sneers as he points his finger accusingly at the letter between Chanyeol’s fingers. “Or a few sacks of Dungbomb for the fragrance of your room?”

“Whatever I send is my business. And again in case you don’t know, you have no right to stick your nose in people’s business.” Chanyeol replies, deciding to not let Baekhyun’s insults get into him. Instead he busies himself with one of the school owls, tying his letter on its feet before it takes flight.

“Yeah right, as if you don’t.” With an indolent roll of his eyes, Baekhyun descends the stairs of the West Tower and leaves Chanyeol alone.

Left nonplussed, Chanyeol decides to just pay no heed to Baekhyun’s last remark and carries on with his Sunday activities.

Sundays mean more time to rest and being lazy around at the Gryffindor common room. But since he’s in his sixth year, he can’t do more of that and instead work on his essays. So it has been a habit for him, Jongin, and Junmyeon to carry out their books and parchment rolls and do their homework while sitting near the lake. They bring their lunch with them and throw some at the lake, for the giant squid that loves to wave its tentacles lazily above the water.

They only come back to the castle at half past three. They go back to the Gryffindor common room before going down to the Great Hall again for dinner.

Throughout dinner, Chanyeol keeps on stealing furtive glances at Baekhyun. His mind is still replaying the night he went to the Slytherin common room for the first time, and how he saw Baekhyun turning into someone else who’s a total opposite of who Baekhyun is at day. That’s why he keeps an eye on Baekhyun’s behavior, maybe he’ll catch the Slytherin Quidditch Captain letting out his other side again.

Along with everyone else, the three Gryffindors come back to their common room as soon after they’re done with dinner. When they arrive they’re set to do none other than finishing their essays and practicing spells. Chanyeol is busy trying to find out where he would look if he needs to find a bezoar for his Potions essay, but his mind deviates again to Baekhyun.

Wait—why does he keep thinking about Baekhyun? He reminds himself again that this isn’t about Baekhyun, but to breach into Slytherin’s Quidditch team defense and find out their strategy.

With that as the aim he deems can justify why he’s thinking of Baekhyun a lot, Chanyeol asks himself should he come back to the Slytherin dungeon again tonight?

“Maybe I should.” Chanyeol mutters to himself, shrugging just for the sake of it. Maybe tonight he can finally have a look at the Slytherin’s Quidditch strategy board, who knows. So after reminding himself to continue his Potions essay later on, he collects his parchments and closes his books before putting them all in his canvas satchel bag that he keeps near the couch in front of the fireplace.

“Are you going to bed?” Jongin looks up from his own Potions essay, noticing Chanyeol is already standing up and is walking towards the Fat Lady’s portrait. “Where are you going?”

“Nope,” Chanyeol replies, turning around to look at Jongin. “And I’m going out.”

“Care to elaborate?” Junmyeon asks, looking up too though he’s done with his essays and is now reading his copy of Advanced Rune Translation.

“I’m going to check on Byun again.” Chanyeol replies as he walks backward before he stops right behind the Fat Lady’s portrait.

“Alright, don’t be late like last time, I was so worried,” Junmyeon says after a minute of considering whether or not he’ll let Chanyeol go. “I want you back here at two in the morning at the very least.”

“And don’t forget to gather information about—” Jongin says, then realizing there are still a few people left in the common room he whispers, “—about Slytherin Quidditch team’s strategy!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t take long,” Chanyeol replies, nodding at Junmyeon. Then as he climbs out of the Fat Lady’s portrait, he returns Jongin’s grin. “I’ll do my best.”

Chanyeol easily finds his way down the moving staircases and the spiral steps that lead him to the dungeons. Once he’s near to the Slytherin dungeon corridor, he transforms into his Animagus form. Then he waits behind the last corner he remembers Baekhyun took before finding the stretch of stone walls that conceals the entrance to Slytherin’s common room.

Tiptoeing back from the passage that leads out from the Slytherin common room, Baekhyun hopes no one sees him going out. Tonight he wants to go out somewhere he can do stuff without his fellow Slytherins trailing after him, where he can relax and not bothered by random loud shouts or people chattering.

But then, at the corner of his eyes Baekhyun notices something moving. He freezes, is it another student, a passing ghost, or worse, a teacher? This is rare, he never got caught or saw anyone outside at this time around before during his midnight wanderings, so who—or what—is this?

Fully alert, Baekhyun is ready to run back inside to Slytherin common room. Slowly he turns his head around, and that’s when he realizes it’s just… a puppy?

So Baekhyun walks closer hesitantly, since he knows the chance of meeting a puppy in the Hogwarts castle is second to none. But after a few steps and a closer look, he realizes he recognizes the puppy. The dominant white fur with black dots on its head and near its snout prove that it’s the very same beagle puppy he found on the night he went out of Hogwarts to get Firewhiskey at The Hog’s Head.

“Puppy!” For some reason, Baekhyun feels a kind of relief that he has never felt before when he sees the beagle puppy waiting for him. He did think of the puppy a few times before, maybe that’s why he somehow has been waiting for the puppy too? “I thought I’ll never see you again, I was so worried when I didn’t find you on my bed in the morning.”

Well I don’t share the same point of view, Chanyeol grumbles in his head. It’s unfair how Baekhyun seems delighted to see him but he’s not enjoying the time he has to spend with Baekhyun. I’m forced to be here just so I can collect your secrets, I’d rather to be anywhere but here.

“How are you? Are you okay?” Baekhyun crouches down, reaching his hands to check the beagle puppy’s body, looking for any sign of harm or anything. But the puppy seems fine, the fur clean and unmarked just like the last time he saw it. “Did you get back safely to your family?”

There’s this strange but pleasant sensation inside Chanyeol that appears when he hears Baekhyun talking softly to him. Park Chanyeol what has gotten into your head? Since when Byun is pleasant? he stops himself again, And since when Byun cares about other living being other than himself? It’s strange and weird, end of story.

“Well, puppy, you came just right on time,” Baekhyun smiles as he cradles the puppy’s face with his hands. “Now I have you to keep me company as I organize my Quidditch team’s game strategy.”

Great! Now I get to see the strategy board of the Slytherin Quidditch team and I can crush you, Byun! Chanyeol shouts triumphantly in his head. He can’t help but jump around. Now this is the good news he’s been waiting for!

“Where are you going?” Baekhyun chuckles, seeing the beagle puppy jumping and running excitedly towards the part of stone walls that conceals the entrance of the Slytherin common room. “No, we’re not staying at the dorm tonight. Come on, I’ll take you somewhere fun.”

Where the fuck Byun is going to take me? Chanyeol wonders in alarm, abruptly stopping his celebration jumps he almost bang his head on the floor. Does he finally find out that I’m not a real beagle puppy and is about to have me expelled?

“I’m really sorry the last time I gave you biscuits, but this time I’m already prepared,” Baekhyun explains as he scoops the beagle puppy into his arms. “So I’ll take you somewhere to make it up.”

What? How does he suddenly go from Quidditch strategy planning to being prepared for something? Chanyeol wonders, though his panic is lessening since it seems like Baekhyun still has no clue about his Animagus form. Not sure what Baekhyun means and in no mood for riddles, he just lets himself be carried away in Baekhyun’s hug.

“You’ll see, it’s one of the best places in Hogwarts.” Baekhyun grins, slightly chuckling again at the sight of the confused expression on the beagle puppy’s face.

To Chanyeol, the best place in Hogwarts is the Quidditch pitch because he loves playing Quidditch and of course the freeing sensation of flying as high as he can on his Firebolt. Knowing Baekhyun is also a Quidditch enthusiast and how he said he wants to sort the game strategy plan, if the place is outside the dormitories surely the Slytherin Quidditch Captain will take him to the Quidditch pitch, right?

With the particular place in mind, Baekhyun is somehow excited to bring along the beagle puppy with him, as if in turn it’s bringing him ease and a feeling that he’s not alone. So he slings the strap of his bag on his shoulder before placing the beagle puppy inside it, along with a small blanket he has prepared.

The route that Baekhyun is taking confirms Chanyeol’s theory when the Slytherin Quidditch Captain climbs up the dungeon stairs to reach the Entrance Hall. But instead of going out through the main doors, Baekhyun turns left towards a door that Chanyeol vaguely remembers as the door the Hufflepuffs usually use to access their common room in the basement.

With his wand at the ready, Baekhyun starts down a flight of stairs after entering the door before ending up in a broad stone corridor. It’s lined with bright, lit torches along with tapestries and portraits of mainly food and beverages. But then he sees trouble coming.

“Shit! Peeves!” Baekhyun whispers in a hushed voice, head turning to find a place to hide. But nothing large enough can cover him because all around all he sees are the tapestries and portraits. The poltergeist is flying closer, sticking chewed gums on door locks, possibly just so Filch can’t open the doors even with keys.

Seeing the poltergeist makes Chanyeol think the same as Baekhyun. But as he’s in his Animagus form, he can’t do anything. Shit, am I going to get detention for being out of bed past curfew and possibly facing expulsion for being an unregistered Animagus?

Thinking quickly, Baekhyun does the thing he can do the best: Disillusionment Charm. Even so, Peeves the Poltergeist is still hovering and blowing loud raspberries in front of the place he needs to be.

But it seems like, despite Baekhyun trying to keep silent, the swish of Baekhyun’s wand is still heard by Peeves. The poltergeist hovers right above where Baekhyun is standing. “Who’s there? I know a some one or some two is there… seen or unseen! Reveal yourself!”

Not going to risk himself getting caught, Baekhyun has an idea. Using his roughest, hoarse voice he replies, “Peeves, your presence is unwanted here.”

What the fuck Byun is doing! Chanyeol panics, his anxiety level going up by each second. Why is he talking to Peeves instead of keeping his mouth shut? He’s dreading the moment the poltergeist will know their spot and shouts it out loud, resulting in any Professor to catch both him and Baekhyun. But somehow the voice Baekhyun is using sounds familiar…

“Oh, is there icky ghoulie or unseen student weenie?” Peeves cackles, his wicked black eyes searching the corridor. “Does it want Peevsie to get dear Filchie?”

“Peeves, the Bloody Baron has his own reason and business to attend by staying invisible.” Baekhyun croaks, imitating the ghost of Slytherin’s voice with accurate resemblance.

That seems enough to make Peeves almost falling out of air, tongue-tied and frozen midair. “O-oh, Peevsie is very sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron sir!” The poltergeist squeaks, “P-pardon Peevsie and his little joke—”

“I don’t want to see you here,” Baekhyun croaks again even more sternly, trying so hard not to laugh and destroy his cover. ”Stay away from this place tonight.”

“I-I most certainly will, Mr. Baron sir!” Peeves bows down so low, it’s enough for his red nose to touch the carpet floor before zooming off as quickly as he can.

“Serves him right,” Baekhyun finally lets out his laugh as he lifts his Disillusionment Charm. Then he reaches his hands into his bag to carry the puppy on his arms again, worried about the seemingly panic-stricken beagle puppy. “Sorry about that, puppy. It’s Peeves, he’s the personification of evil humor, but he’s okay, really.”

That’s brilliant… Chanyeol thinks, oblivious to what he’s saying in his mind. He didn’t even know how to deal with Peeves, even though he also knows the ghost of the Slytherin house is the only one the poltergeist is afraid of other than the late Hogwarts Headmaster, Dumbledore.

Wait, since when Chanyeol thought of Baekhyun as someone brilliant? He himself can impersonate the Bloody Baron too when he needs it anyway… right? But before he finished sorting his mind he gets pulled from his thoughts when Baekhyun continues to walk along the corridor.

Looking around, Baekhyun finally stops in front of a seemingly random portrait of a giant fruit bowl. Then he takes out the beagle puppy, holding it close to him just so it can see the place they’re going to enter. “Okay, we’re here. Ready?”

Staring straight ahead, Chanyeol only sees an ordinary giant fruit bowl depicted in the equally ordinary portrait. All he sees is giant bananas, watermelons, pears oranges, and other kinds of fruit imaginable. What the fuck is Byun up to now… he wonders, slightly perturbed by the odd sight he’s seeing.

Reaching his hand out, Baekhyun stretches his fingers before tickling a particularly huge green pear in the middle of the portrait.

What happens next surprises Chanyeol so much. The green pear starts to squirm and let out chuckling before turning into a handlebar. He can only stare at the green handlebar, which Baekhyun seizes right after.

“Are you ready?” Baekhyun chuckles, somehow feeling even more pumped up to show the puppy the place. In the tone of presenting a gift, he counts down as the door opens by itself slowly. “One, two, three…”

Never in a million years had Chanyeol imagined such a place—it’s enormous with a ceiling so widely expanded like the Great Hall above it and so high he has to tilt his head fully to see it. On the walls surrounding them are hanging brass pans and pots of various sizes, with a great fireplace at the farthest end of the room. There are house elves running around bringing plates, bowls, and silverwares. If his theory is right, then this is—

“Welcome to the Hogwarts Kitchens, sir!” A wizened, old looking five inches tall house elf greets both Baekhyun and Chanyeol. All around him the other house elves stop what they’re doing before bowing at Baekhyun and repeating the same greeting.

“Hello, Kreacher.” Baekhyun greets as well as three house elves bring a stool for him to sit, pulling onto his shirt’s sleeve to get him to sit down.

Throughout the event that unfolds, Chanyeol can only keep his eyes wide open. He never reached this part of Hogwarts castle before, let alone seeing with his very own eyes the Hogwarts kitchen. Since his first night at Hogwarts he has long accepted the food that appears from nothing on the silver plates at Great Hall just simply conjured out of thin air by the Headmistress.

How did Byun even find the way into the Hogwarts Kitchens? Chanyeol trails off in his head, amazed once again by another trick upon Baekhyun’s sleeves, somehow forgetting that he’s supposed to hate Baekhyun.

“Good night, Mr. Byun sir, would you like a cup of tea?” Another house elf comes up to Baekhyun as soon as Baekhyun takes a seat, it’s bulging eyes focused on Baekhyun.

“Yes please, thank you Winky.” Baekhyun replies politely. Then he checks on the beagle puppy in his arms, whose head can’t stay still to look around the place. He somehow feels happy by just seeing the puppy’s reaction, which brings a smile onto his face. “And can I ask for—”

Not even before Baekhyun finishes his reply, another set of house elves come hurrying to his seat with a large silver tray bearing a cup of tea for him and even one bowl of milk for the beagle puppy.

To Chanyeol, it seems like Baekhyun frequents the Hogwarts Kitchens often, since all the house elves that pass the spot they’re sitting at always bow down and greet Baekhyun by his name. Not to mention how Baekhyun calls some house elves by their names too.

“So this is one of the places where I love to spend some time at, somewhere away from the crowd,” Baekhyun starts, carrying the puppy out of his bag. “I love to do just anything here, so that’s why I think I’ll organize my Quidditch team strategy here. And oh—I like it here because there’s always food whenever I want it.”

Exactly at the same time Baekhyun finished his sentence, four more house elves bring a mug of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies and muffins. The Hogwarts Kitchens’ grandeur distracts Chanyeol so much until only now he realizes the house elves are all wearing the same tea towel wrapped like a toga with Hogwarts emblem stitched in front. All around they’re bustling and working on something on the four long tables dominating the space.

“See those four long tables there? They have other counterparts just right above them,” Baekhyun explains as he takes a bite of his muffin, noticing the puppy’s stare fixed on the tables in front of them. “That’s correct, the four House tables up at the Great Hall. So when the house elves are done with the food they cooked, it will be transferred to the plates above.”

Finding out so much of Hogwarts secrets after six years living under its roof in one time renders Chanyeol overwhelmed. He can only look around as more house elves passing and curtsying at Baekhyun while the Slytherin Quidditch Captain will slightly bow his head. How did Baekhyun know all of this stuff?

Then Baekhyun places the bowl of milk the house elves brought earlier in front of the beagle puppy. “Here’s your milk, cookies, and muffins,” he smiles again at the sight of the puppy tentatively licking on the milk and taking a small bite of the muffin. “I hope this can replace my biscuits I gave you the last time we met.”

Is Byun trying to poison me? Chanyeol wonders suspiciously. But seeing the steaming cookies and muffins in front of him still fresh baked from the oven, he can’t help but nibble at it. He takes back what he thought a second ago. Wow, this tastes really good, as expected from the Hogwarts Kitchens…

“Anyway, let’s get to the business,” Baekhyun says, cleaning the crumbs of the cookies from his hands before pulling his Quidditch model from his bag. “It’s Quidditch time.”

The mention of Quidditch sobers Chanyeol back to reality. It’s time for me to find out your strategy and use it to win against you, he laughs at how Baekhyun is so unaware he’s spying on his team. Look at how dimwitted of you, Byun.

The Quidditch model Baekhyun brought out is only a piece of parchment with intricate drawings of seven Quidditch players connected with many lines, arrows, and crosses in different colored inks. But when he taps his wand once on it, it changes into a three dimensional prototype with miniatures that can actually fly.

“Alright, this is me, I’m the Seeker,” Baekhyun lists, pointing the flying miniatures on the board. “And I have Flint as Keeper, he’s not good at coordinating his legs and arms but he’s big enough to cover the hoops I guess,”

“Then Mullet, Troy, Moran, they’re the Chasers, they’re not that keen learning Chaser techniques but they’re the only ones good at flying besides me, so I put them in,” Baekhyun continues, with each miniature showing up when he mentions it. “And here are Blaise and Parkinson for Beaters, they like beating things so I leave the Bludger to them.”

So this is it… Chanyeol says in his head, trying to capture everything into his memory. He finally finds out every Slytherin player’s weakness that he can adjust with his own team’s strategy later.

“For the moves my team is going to use, number one is definitely the Sloth Grip Roll. It’s important to dodge the Bludger by gripping your broom’s handle tightly while being upside down,” Baekhyun says, swishing his wand once, making the miniatures move according to what he said. “And I’ll be into attacking moves rather than defense, though we’ll start the game by putting up defense first before attacking in the end.”

“For Flint, I’m trying to get him to learn Double Eight Loop in case there’s a penalty and he has to watch over the three hoops.” Baekhyun knocks Flint’s miniature with his wand, making it zoom around the hoops.

It’s easy, I can do all that Byun is trying to make Flint do, Chanyeol snorts. As a Keeper himself he has mastered that move and many other Keeper maneuvers since he was in his fourth year. Won’t be a problem knowing Flint is a bad flyer anyway.

“Chasers… Wollongong Shimmy might be perfect for them, since they’re good at flying so this move fits them well,” Baekhyun says as he concentrates on the Chaser miniatures zigzagging quickly. “Since their Quaffle aims aren’t exactly their strong point, I think it’s best to use their speed instead.”

“The Beaters… well I don’t know what move to assign because they’re literally good at swinging their bat at everything,” Baekhyun chuckles, pointing at two bulky miniatures flying everywhere while brandishing their bats wildly at anything, not just at the Bludger but also at players.

“As for me, I’ll be mainly focusing on the Wronski Feint,” Baekhyun continues, tapping the miniature that looks exactly like him. “I’m a fast flyer, my Nimbus 2001 is good enough, and I can spot things easily, so it’s not that hard for me to trick other Seekers to think I’ve seen the Golden Snitch when I’m just trying to distract them.”

Another easy win, Slytherin players are all so bad at coordination and flying, Chanyeol laughs triumphantly in his head, as he memorizes every tactic Baekhyun has elected for every Slytherin player. Though he doesn’t need to since from the weaknesses he can tell how bad the Slytherin players are. I can put my team in an even better strategy!

“Look at that, it’s a neat one, eh?” Baekhyun says as he admires the finished strategy diagram he made, the arrows he drew with his wand wiggling to show the different moves. “I’m sure this improved game plan will bring us a win. I’m so tired having people breathing down my neck for failing to get Slytherin a win when we played against Hufflepuff last November.”

“The players I have now aren’t exactly the best but they’re at least better than the others who showed up at the tryouts, so… And I’ve done my best anyway, I hope I can get my team to win later,” Baekhyun breathes out as he stares at the diagram for another moment. Then he pushes it aside, focusing again on the muffins. “Alright, I guess I’m done for today. What do you think? I did good, right?”

Who is Byun trying to delude? Is he trying to say he wants a win? Chanyeol sneers in his head. He’s in a jubilant mood, he gets to know how to access Hogwarts Kitchens and also find out Slytherin’s tactics. With that kind of players I’ll be so surprised if they can even follow the match until the end.

“Do you want to eat anything else? Usually at this time around they’ll bring me my favorite cake,” Baekhyun smiles, satisfied to see the puppy feeding itself well. Quidditch business might be not in its prime condition right now, but having the puppy with him kind of calms him down. “It will be something like our dessert for tonight. I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

As if they’ve heard Baekhyun, Winky with another batch of house elves comes by and carries another silver tray laden with a creamy two-tiered strawberry cheesecake, two small plates, two spoons, and a knife. Winky then bows and curtsies as he “Mr. Byun sir, here is his favorite cake to enjoy with his little friend.”

“Thank you, Winky,” Baekhyun smiles at the house elf. Then carefully he slices the cake, places two of the slices onto his plate and the puppy’s plate. As he looks at the puppy beside him, he raises his spoon up excitedly. “Alright, little puppy, let’s dig in!”

If Chanyeol doesn’t remind himself again that he hates Baekhyun, he’d feel bad at how Slytherin team’s performance is so bad and how Baekhyun seems to be excited over small things like strawberry cheesecakes. But he hates Baekhyun, so here he is. Look at how silly you are, Byun, he mocks in his head. But as he nibbles on the cake, he’s forced to praise Baekhyun a bit for his taste. I hate how the cheesecake actually tastes good…

“Thank you,” Baekhyun whispers, stroking the beagle puppy’s fur and ears. Somehow in the middle of Hogwarts Kitchens, after Winky delivered the strawberry cheesecake, he finally finds out the reason of the feeling of relief he gets when the puppy is around.

What’s with the sudden thank you? Chanyeol wonders, staring in confusion at Baekhyun’s mushy expression. Baekhyun has been confusing him so much with the loaded information and sudden changes of attitude. What’s wrong with Byun?

“For being my friend. I do have Minseok hyung—he’s the Head Prefect, the Head Boy in Hogwarts, maybe you’ll see him when we visit my dormitories again—but I think he’s the only friend I have.” Baekhyun continues. Somehow after seeing how the beagle puppy seems to follow him everywhere and nuzzles itself close to him, he just feels like letting out his thoughts from the cages of his mind.

But doesn’t Byun have his teammates, his House mates? He’s reigning over Slytherins, even the seventh years… Chanyeol thinks, somehow feeling his euphoria growing faint. So naturally he nods to the game strategy chart, which is filled with Slytherin Quidditch team members flying miniatures. How can he say he doesn’t have a friend when everyone literally worships him?

Looking at the way the beagle puppy is brushing its tiny head on his Quidditch diagram suggests to Baekhyun that the puppy is asking about his teammates. ‘My Quidditch teammates? They’re not really my friends, they’re just… people that I only know and spend time with.”

What does Byun mean by people that he only knows and spends time with? Chanyeol wonders. He was so sure Baekhyun has the whole Slytherin as his friends, so he doesn’t know what to do with this particular information. Does that mean Byun doesn’t have friends?

“I feel like the people surrounding me aren’t genuine, none of them take their time to really find out what’s in my heart, you know?” Baekhyun elaborates, taking his time to look at a piece of strawberry. It’s his favorite, but the topic affects his mood so much it prevents him from enjoying the strawberries. “They’re either wanting something back in return or just trying to get me when I’m too lenient with them. So I’ve learned to be okay to live my life having no one beside me, having no real friends.”

There’s something akin to hollowness that Chanyeol hears in Baekhyun’s voice. It pauses him from sipping his milk and nibbling at the pieces of strawberries Baekhyun gave him. He honestly doesn’t know what to think, too baffled to have a proper reaction.

“And because of that I think I’m too used to the idea of making people feel intimidated rather than respecting me as a person,” Baekhyun chuckles darkly, resorting to taking another spoon of his cheesecake. “I’ve finally come to a condition where I’m just too afraid if I come close to people or let them see me for who I truly am they’ll only use me before leaving and hurting me one day.”

“That’s why I prefer them fearing me rather than actually getting close to them to be able to know what I have in my mind or what I feel that they can use as a weapon to cause injuries on me,” Baekhyun exhales heavily. He pauses to take a sip of hot chocolate from his mug. “It’s just self defense, I guess.”

Listening to what Baekhyun said somehow turns Chanyeol’s stomach upside down, waves of nausea attacking him. He can’t even continue eating his portion of strawberry cheesecake or taking another bite of the cookies and muffins.

“My father, he’s an Auror. He works at the Ministry of Magic, as the Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement,” Baekhyun mumbles in low hushed tone, as if he doesn’t want anyone to hear a particularly embarrassing moment. “People fear our family because of him, and I think that’s why students here do the same for me.”

The mention of the Byuns reminds Chanyeol of ancient wizarding families of the same caliber: the Blacks, Lestranges, Selwyns, Rosiers, Yaxleys. Nobody dares even just to stare back at any of its members, everyone always bowing low in their presence…

“But um, it’s fine I think? So don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” Baekhyun clears his throat before awkwardly ruffles his blond hair just so he has something to do. Then he looks at the puppy again, finding it has stopped eating and is staring at him. “Are you done enjoying my treat from the Hogwarts Kitchens? I did well, right?”

The question Baekhyun asked brings Chanyeol around. This is completely new, he definitely doesn’t expect Baekhyun to tell him what he feels about his so-called friends…

Wait, why should I listen to this twat’s rubbish, anyway? He mutters in his head, cursing himself for wasting his time on Baekhyun. It’s not my fucking business therefore not my fucking problem, right?

The beagle puppy just continues looking at him, so Baekhyun takes it as the puppy saying yes. He smiles again as he lifts it up to carry it in his arms. For throughout his entire life he may have to hide his emotions but to know the puppy is fine now, then it’s good enough for him. Somehow.

“What time is it? Oh look, it’s nearly three in the morning,” Baekhyun says, looking at his wristwatch. With the puppy in his embrace, carefully he taps his wand once again on his Quidditch diagram, turning it back into a piece of parchment. “It’s time to get back, don’t you think?”

Another hug? Why do you keep hugging me? Let me go! Chanyeol grumbles in his head, feeling Baekhyun’s smiling cheeks against his and Baekhyun’s arms around his small body. But he guesses he has to force himself to get used to this treatment Baekhyun loves to do, for the sake of his spying mission.

“Mr. Byun sir is going back to his bed?” Kreacher appears again right when Baekhyun stands up and lets the beagle puppy down. “Anything Mr. Byun sir would like to take to his bed?”

“No—” Baekhyun says, ready to reject the tempting offer. But when he sees the beagle puppy circling his legs, he changes his answer. “Wait, Kreacher, on a second thought can you give me more of the cookies you baked earlier?”

“Right away, Mr. Byun sir.” Kreacher bows, before retreating back with his back still hunched. Not long after he comes back with not just cookies, but also cream cakes and pies. “Kreacher wishes Mr. Byun sir to have a good night.”

“Good bye, Kreacher, Winky, thank you.” Baekhyun waves to the hundreds of house elf that has gathered to see them off, all bowing, curtsying, and even trying to get him to take more food back to the dungeon.

After finally giving up and letting the house elves get him more snacks, Baekhyun walks out of the Hogwarts Kitchens to reach the door he used to enter earlier. When he’s back at the broad stone corridor, the doorknob turns into a green pear again, and the portrait looks just like any other portraits placed across the castle’s walls.

Ten minutes later, Baekhyun finds himself back sitting at his four-posters bed. Yawning, he places down his bag and the package of cookies on his nightstand, and prepares himself to go to sleep, with the beagle puppy watching him. Then he slips under the covers, hugging the puppy close to him.

“Hope you liked the trip to the Hogwarts Kitchens and the food the house elves served,” Baekhyun whispers to the puppy in his embrace before tiredness forces him to close his eyes. “Sleep well.”

Just like last time, Chanyeol only needs to wait for fifteen minutes before he slips out from Baekhyun’s arm that’s wrapped around his tummy. He shifts back into his human form when he’s out of the Slytherin dungeon corridor.

All the way back to Gryffindor Tower Chanyeol keeps thinking of what he got tonight. He makes sure he remembers Slytherin’s game plan, player positions, and maneuvers, and though he tries to ignore it, Baekhyun’s saying about him having no real friend. But the last thought is driven out of his mind when he climbs into the Fat Lady portrait, takes the stairs up to the sixth year dormitory, and sees Jongin and Junmyeon sleeping on their beds.

“I got it! I fucking got it!” Chanyeol whoops loudly, almost dancing his way into the sixth year Gryffindor dormitory. “Byun is going to lose!”

“What, what is it? What happened?” Junmyeon jumps out of his bed, still half awake but he’s doing his best to be on full alert after hearing Chanyeol’s shouts.

“Fucking hell Chanyeol it’s freaking—” Jongin rises from his nest of blankets before he snatches his bedside clock harshly from his nightstand. “—Three in the fucking morning. Stop yelling.”

“Jongin, Junmyeon, wake up! I’ve got lots to tell!” Chanyeol runs between Jongin and Junmyeon’s four-posters beds, before springing onto Jongin’s.

“Is it about how loud you are talking about Byun all the time?” Jongin grumbles as he gets thrown around from Chanyeol jumping around on his bed, still quite grumpy from getting woken up all so sudden.

“Shut up, Jongin, it’s really important! I’ve finally gotten myself to know the strategies of the Slytherin Quidditch team!” Chanyeol says excitedly still, unbothered by Jongin’s comment, as he seizes Jongin’s shoulders before shaking the Gryffindor Chaser more awake.

After wearing his glasses, Junmyeon steps down from his bed and finds himself a seat on Jongin’s bed. “Oh really? What is it? Did Byun put skilled players into the team?” he asks curiously, “Or did he pointed out what kind of formation or move techniques—”

“No, since when Slytherin has good players?” Chanyeol snorts, finally stopping his jumps to tell his best friends the good news. “I can guarantee everyone in Slytherin can’t even sit themselves properly on their own brooms, let alone flying steadily and actually play like us.”

“You annoy me for your loud self but you got a point there.” Jongin agrees, finally restored to being awake enough to join the conversation.

“Still we can’t just look down on them and think that they’re easy,” Junmyeon warns, almost muttering to himself. “Besides, we have other opponents too, with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. We’ve seen Ravenclaw play really well, the last time we played against them we were in a tie before we got the Golden Snitch first.”

“Mr. Kim Junmyeon, tell me why are you such a party pooper?” Jongin brushes off Junmyeon’s remark. Then he turns to look at Chanyeol hopefully. “Now that we know Slytherin sucks at playing that means we can get less training and more sleeping, right, Captain?”

“Absolutely not, Junmyeon is right,” Chanyeol decides without much thinking. He needs Gryffindor to win with highest points this year, it’s his job to make sure it happens. “We’re still in to crush Byun and get the Inter-House Quidditch Cup trophy.”

That gets Jongin to fall back onto his bed with a loud groan and an approving nod from Junmyeon. Then the latter stands up again before asking, “Alright, consider it done, count us in the plan. Is that all?”

The answer that almost came out of Chanyeol’s mouth is yes, but the shadow of Baekhyun with his sad smile, saying how he’s afraid having people knowing him for who really is only to attack him at the end, passes in front of him again.

“Chanyeol?” Junmyeon calls again, waving his hand in front of Chanyeol’s face, worried at how the latter’s eyes seem to be unfocused, looking at something he can’t tell. “Are you okay?”

“What?” Chanyeol utters suddenly as he’s snapped out of his thoughts, surprised Junmyeon has moved closer to him without him realizing. Then remembering he’s supposed to be in a conversation he replies, “Oh, uh, yeah I’m fine. And yes. That’s all.”

With the dismissal Junmyeon walks back to his bed, while Jongin has already fallen asleep again. So Chanyeol retreats to his own bed, changes his clothes, and wills himself to sleep. Though it takes him a while because there’s one thought that keeps poking at his mind.

Though tonight Chanyeol knows he’s won ten thousand times over Baekhyun, the victorious feeling itself is just as good as the feeling of winning a Quidditch match, but why does he also feel there’s something different this time?

—

Chapter Text

[2]

The first week of summer term went well. The spring wind is still there slipping through the gaps of castle’s windows, granting them a few hours of cool and occasional soothing wind blowing on the warm days.

It’s the middle of April, and Hogwarts is starting their second week of summer term.

Today’s menu for breakfast seems to be everyone’s favorites: golden brown croissants, fried steaks smothered in a pepper gravy with two eggs, fries, and baked beans, and cranberry nut oatmeal. As always Chanyeol is sitting at the Gryffindor table eating his bowl of oatmeal, with Jongin concentrating on his fried steak and Junmyeon already finished eating.

For some reason Chanyeol can’t think of anything but the fact Baekhyun told him about the Hogwarts Kitchens located just right beneath his feet and the house elves who cooked all the food. How did Baekhyun know? Or is it a common knowledge that only him doesn’t know?

It’s a well known fact that Junmyeon is the only one from their year that actually knows the content of Hogwarts: A History, which tells comprehensive details of Hogwarts inside out. So Chanyeol decides to ask Junmyeon about the Kitchens, carefully selecting his words so as not to draw much attention. “Junmyeon, um, do you know where these foods came from? Like who made them?”

“They’re just summoned by Professor Merrythought from the Kitchens, of course. Food is one of the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration, making it impossible to be created from nothing,” Junmyeon answers, still focusing on rechecking his Charms essay. “Why did you ask?”

“Er, uh, nothing…” Chanyeol knits his eyebrows. It’s either Junmyeon truly doesn’t know or Hogwarts: A History doesn’t mention about the Kitchens and the house elves living inside it at all. Realizing Junmyeon is glancing at him, he fixes his expression. “Just curious.”

“Just eat it, Chanyeol. The food isn’t going anywhere.” Jongin speaks indistinctly, his mouth still chewing his fried steak as he spoons some baked beans.

With inconclusive answers from his best friends, Chanyeol can only continue finishing his cranberry nut oatmeal. Once in a while he stares at the floor, while his mind makes him see again the setting of the Hogwarts Kitchens, its busy house elves, and… Baekhyun. The thought of the Slytherin Quidditch Captain gives him a distinct chill that he shrugs quickly.

After their plates and goblets are empty, they all stand up from their seat at the Gryffindor table before filing out of Great Hall. When they reach the main doors at the Entrance Hall, Junmyeon keeps walking straight to climb the marble staircases, while Chanyeol and Jongin turns right to follow another staircases that leads to the North Tower.

The sudden parting of ways makes Chanyeol to stop his steps, before calling out to Junmyeon who already ascended the first step of the marble staircases. “Junmyeon, where are you going?”

“I have Study of Ancient Runes class this morning, so my class is with Professor Bathsheda and it will be at Classroom 6A on the sixth floor.” Junmyeon replies, starting down the steps to meet Chanyeol again.

“Oh right, you don’t take Divination with us.” Chanyeol notes, remembering that Junmyeon chooses different classes for his elective N.E.W.T. classes. What is with him, why does he keep getting distracted?

“Yes. Good luck having to endure Sybil’s rambling and predictions of how someone’s going to die each year.” Junmyeon grins, patting both Chanyeol and Jongin on the shoulders as a way to show sympathy.

“I can’t believe I have to put up reading the so-called future from foggy crystal ball or soggy tea leaves while having Byun and Sybil in the same room,” Chanyeol grumbles, imagining the nightmare he’s going to live in later this morning. “It comes second after Byun, Trunchbull, and Potions class combined.”

“Crystal reading is called scrying or Crystallomancy, while tea leaves reading is Tasseomancy,” Junmyeon corrects automatically, though he ends it with a chuckle as he looks at the dejected looks on his two best friends’ faces. “And it’s your fault for not taking my steps and enrolling on enjoying the art of Arithmancy and Study of Ancient Runes instead.”

“I don’t understand the art of Arithmancy and Study of Ancient Runes,” Jongin pipes in, his eyes staring with uncertainty on the books Junmyeon is bringing on his bag and on his arms. “Not with that many books to read and things to memorize.”

“Even so, they’re more precise and practical than the elusory concept of Divination,” Junmyeon simply replies, fixing the sling of his back on his shoulder—his books are really heavy, but useful nonetheless. Then he teases, “The good thing is Kyungsoo is taking those classes too and it doesn’t have Byun.”

Junmyeon’s last statement receives groans from both Jongin who wants to have another class with Kyungsoo and from Chanyeol who wants less class with Baekhyun.

“Come on, Jongin, let’s go now or else we’ll be late, we have to climb lots of stairs to reach Divination’s classroom at the top of the North Tower.” Chanyeol calls, feeling more defeated than ever.

With heavy steps Jongin joins Chanyeol to ascend the stairs. As they reach the top of the Divination Stairwell in the North Tower, they find themselves in front of the wall with a circular trapdoor on the ceiling. Chanyeol pulls a rope connected to the trapdoor that hangs from the ceiling, getting it to open and reveal a silver stepladder into the Divination classroom.

The Divination classroom is similar to a circular theater with five steps in different heights from the highest to the lowest. Each step contains five circular small tables with colorful pouffes for students to sit. In the center of the room there’s a huge fireplace placed behind the table and chintz armchair for Professor Sybil, on which the Divination teacher is sitting.

The tables around the classroom are almost fully occupied, except for a few. Chanyeol has almost walked straight to it to claim the seats, but then he realizes there’s someone sitting at the table next to it.

“Get yourself as far from me as you can, Park.” The person jibes, his voice mocking. “No one wants to get contaminated by the air you breathe out.”

Though Chanyeol knows whom the voice belongs to, still he just can’t hold himself from having a go at that person. So he turns around, to find no one other than Baekhyun looking at him coldly. “Who the fuck wants to sit next to you, Byun?” he replies tiredly as Jongin tries to keep him away from Baekhyun. “I’m just looking for a fucking table.”

“Just fucking stay away from me, Park.” Baekhyun bites back, as he gives a derisive look at Chanyeol. Then he turns his back on the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, not letting Chanyeol say anything else.

“Come on, let’s just sit.” Jongin hurries Chanyeol to walk away from Baekhyun’s table, sensing danger as Chanyeol already has his fists clenched.

Too angered with Baekhyun’s unnecessary insults to reply to Jongin, Chanyeol wildly turns around to look for another table. But since there’s no other unoccupied table in the room, reluctantly they choose the table next to Baekhyun’s. They take their seats right on time as Professor Sybil rises from her seat.

“Welcome, welcome…” Professor Sybil greets, her voice is just above a whisper, her trembling hands are reaching towards the student in a zombie-like manner, making her large bangles to create weird banging sounds. “Today we will try to open our Eye to divine the future, gathering insights and mastering the arts of the human mind…”

“Open your Eyes! Broaden your minds… and let them guide you to the future!” Professor Sybil calls at the top of her voice, the modulation of her tone and sudden rise of voice scaring some of the students sitting near her. “Now let’s practice on reading the signs the crystal Orbs are trying to tell you and open your copy of Unfogging the Future…”

“No wonder Junmyeon doesn’t take this class anymore. I’m tired of Sybil trying to stir my head crazy.” Jongin mutters, before placing his chin over his folded arms on the table, not hiding the fact that he’s clearly bored.

“Let’s just do this so we can pass.” Chanyeol mutters back, trying to at least do something, though he’s taking so much of his time just to open and riffle through the pages of his copy of Unfogging the Future. Though he agrees with Jongin, Sybil and Baekhyun are the last thing he needs right now.

“My dear,” Professor Sybil appears out of nowhere, scaring both Chanyeol and Junmyeon, as she perches on the low circular table where the two of them are sitting. “Please do tell us what do you see from your friend’s Orb?”

With Professor Sybil’s big large eyes staring intently on him, Jongin hastily fakes his answer, though there’s nothing but thick white swirls inside the crystal orb in front of him. “I, uh, well… I see a dog… a black dog—”

“Oh no, my dears!” Professor Sybil cries out as she turns into Chanyeol’s direction, making half of the class jump from the sudden shrill voice she’s making. “A black dog? That’s—that’s the Grim! My dear boy, unfortunately I have to tell you that you will be unlucky! It’s the worst omen of all, there will be danger or even death in your path!”

“Beware Park, your luck is draining out. You’re going to lose all the Quidditch matches.” Baekhyun whispers when Professor Sybil walks away, leaning back a bit from his seat just so he can sneer from his table.

“An old crackpot like Sybil can’t be taken seriously and anyone who believes in people like her should be questioned about the sanity of their minds.” Chanyeol replies easily. As per what Junmyeon said, everyone knows Professor Sybil ‘prophesied’ someone’s death every year, and none of them are true. Don’t get him wrong though, Divination might be accurate in predicting things, but he just doesn’t believe Professor Sybil.

“Well, it’s what my mind thinks, Park. You’ll never win against me with that abysmal Keeper skill of yours.” Baekhyun mocks, this time while demonstrating someone failing to catch an invisible Quaffle, earning laughter from his fellow Slytherins.

“The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Byun,” Chanyeol retaliates, choosing to ignore the wicked show Baekhyun is performing. Then he throws a doubtful look towards Baekhyun, “Or at least, most minds are.”

Jongin almost loses his mind as he battles not to laugh out loud at Chanyeol’s reply. “Good one.”

“Whatever.” Baekhyun mutters in a low tone, trying to shut down both Chanyeol and Jongin’s laughter by turning around in his seat again.

For the last hour of the Divination class, again Professor Sybil patrols around the class, coming over to a few tables and asking the students what they see in their crystal ball. Sometimes she shrieks over other made-up interpretations someone told her, before announcing it out loud to a not so enthusiastic class. At the end she stays sitting in her spot in the center of the class, sipping from a bottle something that suspiciously smells like cooking sherry.

The rest of the class goes literally like a dream. Chanyeol tries fighting his drowsiness while keeping an eye on where Professor Sybil goes in case he needs to alert the already drooling Jongin. The classroom is located at the top of the tower, but the sunlight can’t come in thanks to the maroon and burgundy curtains covering them, and even the lamps are layered with scarves. All of that puts the class under stupor, giving more reason to sleep.

So Chanyeol focuses himself on just looking around at the shelves covering the rest of the circular wall. He checks again for the hundredth time the dusty feathers, skulls that seem out of place, crystal orbs, tarot cards, and teacups inside the shelves, not letting the heavy, bilious perfume coming out of the suspicious looking cauldron hanging above the fire in the mantelpiece to get him dizzy.

At last, Professor Sybil gets up to her feet. She fixes her large glasses and the thick layers of shawl around her neck before she coughs once to draw everyone’s attention back on her.

“The All-Seeing Eye tells me it’s time for us to end our class. All of you may leave now.” Professor Sybil says with her misty voice, trying to spread some sort of mysterious aura around as a way to give a grand ending to their lesson.

“The All-Seeing Eye my ass. The bell definitely just rang outside, she knows we have two hours of class, and it’s been two hours since we started.” Jongin mutters under his breath, putting his untouched copy of Unfogging the Future unceremoniously into his bag.

“Let’s just go, we still have Transfiguration class after this,” Chanyeol reminds, though he can’t help but laugh at Jongin’s accurate observation. “There will be no guarantee Professor Minerva won’t turn us into two wristwatches if we don’t hurry—”

Out of nowhere, Baekhyun comes from behind Chanyeol and Jongin’s table to reach the classroom’s trapdoor, of course without forgetting to bump his shoulder hard enough on Chanyeol’s to sway Chanyeol off his balance. Then he looks back only to scoff at Chanyeol before he descends the silver stepladder.

“Fucking git.” Chanyeol swears under his breath, before stabilizing himself again by gripping on Jongin’s shoulder.

“Let him go,” Jongin says as he helps Chanyeol stand straight again. Continuing their steps to climb down through the trapdoor on the ceiling, he says again, “You know, Chanyeol, when Sybil asked me what did I see on your crystal orb, I was actually describing your Animagus form—”

At breakneck speed, Chanyeol throws his Transfiguration essay parchment rolls he’s holding before covering Jongin’s mouth. “Byun has just passed us! Are you crazy? Do you want me to get killed? Or worse, expelled?”

Still locked in Chanyeol’s tight grip, Jongin can only laugh mutely with Chanyeol’s hand over his mouth. “’ont ‘orry, ‘Yeol. He won’ ‘ear us.”

“But still.” Chanyeol huffs, deciding to just let go of the topic and proceeds to go to Transfiguration class.

They arrive just in time as Junmyeon coming from his Study of Ancient Runes class. For their Transfiguration lesson, Professor Minerva has them to go through and carry out some advanced Conjuring Spells. The spells require lots of concentration and determination that at the end of the class only Junmyeon manages to conjure a couple of yellow birds that twitter around the classroom. To the rest of the class’ dismay, they’re given homework to practice the spells.

When the classes are over, the trio continues doing their everyday activities. Now they’re back at the Gryffindor Tower, still sitting in the common room though it’s already half past eleven.

But to their dismay, their beds still have to wait since they need to work on writing essays, doing their homework, and practice on spells. Since it’s nearing midnight, the common room is already empty save for them. At the corner of the common room, on their favorite cozy chairs near the fire, the three Gryffindors are busy with their own homework.

“Avis.” With face contorted in concentration, Jongin is practicing the Bird-Conjuring Charm for Professor Minerva’s homework for him. But so far he has only managed to conjure two yellow feathers out of thin air.

“How did I even mistranslate ehwaz and eihwaz…” Junmyeon mutters to himself, looking around at his parchments and various books he laid out, which covered almost every surface of the low table he’s working on. “Ehwaz definitely means ‘partnership’ while eihwaz means ‘defense’…”

Next to the two, Chanyeol is working on his Herbology essay on how to treat and tackle Snargaluff pods. But he can’t focus on reading the lines of his copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. Instead of finding out how to extract the pulsating pods out of Snargaluff’s gnarled stump, his mind is busy replaying again the things Baekhyun said to him on the last night he went to the Slytherin dungeon and visited the Hogwarts Kitchens.

Along with it, his mind also replays a question for him: should he go to the Slytherin common room again tonight?

Of course it’s not because he wants to do anything with Baekhyun, that’s just so out of place it’s ludicrous. It’s just he thinks maybe Baekhyun will talk about his Quidditch team strategy again. That gives vindication as to why he wants to go to the Slytherin common room, right?

So while both of his best friends are busy, Chanyeol decides to take his chance to slip away. He puts away his half finished Herbology essay, screws the cap of his bottle ink, and slings the strap of his bag on his shoulder before tiptoeing out of the common room with his back hunched. But he hasn’t even gotten a step closer to the Fat Lady’s portrait when Junmyeon calls out at him.

“Wait, Chanyeol. You’re going out to meet Byun again?” Junmyeon looks up from his copy of Spellman’s Syllabary which he’s been using to write his Study of Ancient Rune essay.

“N-no, of course not!” Chanyeol replies indignantly, straightening himself again so as not to look suspicious. “Since when I’m out to meet Byun? I’m trying to infiltrate the—”

“The Slytherin Quidditch team, we know,” Jongin recites what Chanyeol has been saying for the past weeks. He finally manages to conjure something other than a yellow feather, though it’s just a fragment of a bird’s skeleton. “But that means you’re meeting Byun again, right?”

These days for some reasons unknown to Chanyeol the mention of the Slytherin Quidditch Captain’s name can really throw him off balance. “No, I’m—”

“Same difference,” Jongin interrupts with a cackle, earning himself a scowl and one of the pillows spread around the Gryffindor common room thrown his way from Chanyeol. “See ya, then.”

“Alright, as always please be safe and I want you back at two in the morning at the very least,” Junmyeon finally relents, his eyes are already back on his Study of Ancient runes essay, his hand dipping his quill into his bottle of ink. “Alright?”

A small nod and a quiet hum are Chanyeol’s only reply. So he stores his school bag safely before he climbs out of the Fat Lady’s portrait and transforms into his Animagus self. Carefully he checks behind corners for teachers or ghosts before continuing to walk and reach the Slytherin dungeon corridor. Just right in time, when he arrives, Baekhyun has just walked out of the Slytherin common room.

It’s already midnight, but no matter how Baekhyun just can’t sleep. His mind keeps giving him views of the outside grounds, making him itch to go somewhere tonight. So after a minute of him debating with himself, he decides to get out of his bed and have a walk. He carries with him his trusty bag as he exits the Slytherin common room.

Turning to his right after he left the passage of Slytherin dungeon, Baekhyun finds the beagle puppy sitting not far from where he’s standing. This time he’s not that shocked at the appearance, though it still comes as a pleasant surprise to have the puppy coming back again for the second time that coincides with him wanting to go out tonight.

“Hello, puppy,” Baekhyun welcomes the beagle puppy with a small smile and a slight wave of his hand. “Are you having a good night?”

If I’m having a good night I’d be sleeping on my bed and not with you, Chanyeol grumbles in his head. He’s definitely here not by his own volition, he knows he’s compelled to. I’m here only to get more information on your stupid Quidditch diagram.

“I was sad when I didn’t find you in the morning,” Baekhyun sulks as he walks closer to the beagle puppy, before he sits next to it. Though he can’t hold on faking a petulant expression and not smile at the sight of the puppy’s adorable face. “But it’s fine, though why didn’t you take your cookies when you left? I got it for you, you know.”

Is Byun trying to guilt trip me now? Chanyeol sighs in his head. It’s that time of the night when he has to endure more time with the ever annoying Baekhyun. It’s a something for Byun being mean to me when I’m in my human form and in Animagus form.

“Tonight I want to take you to go outside the Hogwarts grounds. Since I found you at the Forbidden Forest, maybe that’s where your house is?” Baekhyun takes a guess, tilting his head a little bit to meet his eyes with the beagle puppy’s round eyes. “Or did you just walk around Hogwarts grounds?”

Is Byun going to take me to the Forbidden Forest to leave me there alone? Chanyeol rages on, feeling more cautious of the tricks Baekhyun might have in mind. Somehow even though Baekhyun is speaking softly to him, he keeps thinking of it as a scheme to fool him, because he just can’t think of a nice Baekhyun, it’s impossible. I knew it, he’s just full of fucked up, ill intentions.

“But let’s not go to the Forbidden Forest tonight. Let’s go to Hogsmeade!” Baekhyun says enthusiastically, lifting the beagle puppy up to bring its face close to his. In some way he feels more excited than usual, like he’s taking a precious friend he hasn’t seen for long to come visit his treasured safe space.

The mention of Hogsmeade acts like a bucket of ice dumped on Chanyeol’s hot head. Internally he lets out a relieved breath, at least Baekhyun isn’t planning on abandoning him outside the castle. But as he tries as much as he can to ignore Baekhyun’s smiling face just inches from his, still he wonders what place Baekhyun is going to as he expects something stupid like the Shrieking Shack or The Hog’s Head.

“I realized I only gave you biscuits the first time we met and I want to redeem that. I know I’ve brought you to the Hogwarts Kitchens, but now I want you to visit my other favorite place, so I’m taking you to the Honeydukes,” Baekhyun explains, rubbing the puppy’s tiny arms gently. “I know a secret passage to reach it and I’ll show you. Do I trust you won’t tell anyone else?”

Secret passage to Honeydukes? There are more secret passages Chanyeol wonders, unconsciously forgetting he was so mad at Baekhyun a few seconds ago. Though after a few rough shakes of his head he’s reminded of how he hates Baekhyun again. Can we just go please so I can get out of here as fast as I can?

“Not even your puppy siblings?” Baekhyun adds, before he laughs at his own joke. He laughs more when he sees the beagle puppy in his arms is shaking its tiny head, making its big ears flapping around.

It’s stupid and Chanyeol will mock the hell out of Baekhyun for saying such joke in any normal circumstances. But he still doesn’t know how at times like this, when he has Baekhyun laughing in front of him, he seems to turn a hundred eighty degrees and to be completely still, as if under a spell…

Under Byun’s spell? Jinxed, more like, Chanyeol breaks his own theory, chiding his mind for creating such obscene thoughts. At the end he just nods, which earns him another smile from Baekhyun. Nope, I’m just simply fucking cursed.

“Alright, let’s go.” With the beagle puppy carried safely around the circle of his arms, Baekhyun starts walking up to reach the first landing from the dungeon.

Again Chanyeol expects Baekhyun to slip through the main doors of the Entrance Hall, already half saluting the Slytherin Quidditch Captain on his nerve to try opening the locked gigantic wooden doors. But then Baekhyun proves him wrong by turning right instead of left in the last stairs that leads to the Entrance Hall.

From there, Baekhyun climbs a couple more stairs up to reach the third floor. He stops once in a while to listen if there’s anyone approaching as he follows the corridor until the end, passing classrooms as he does so. When he reaches a special set of stairs that will bring them into Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, he places Chanyeol back on the ground.

“Okay, wait for a second. Here we are…” Baekhyun mutters as he takes out his wand from his pocket.

A hundred percent certain that they’re still inside Hogwarts, Chanyeol can only stare at Baekhyun in downright confusion. Other than the stairs, more classroom, him and Baekhyun, there are nothing else that might indicate they’re anywhere closer to Honeydukes. But then—

With a gentle scoop of his arms, Baekhyun carries Chanyeol again. Then he points to something in the distance with his wand. “Do you see that statue there?”

On the spot where Baekhyun pointed the tip of his wand at, Chanyeol finds a statue of a one-eyed witch. Before he didn’t notice the statue because it’s not exactly a big one, and its inconspicuous appearance somehow blurs it into the castle’s walls.

Slowly, Baekhyun brings his wand up and taps the head of the statue. “Dissendium.”

Then Chanyeol watches as at once, the hump of the one-eyed witch statue moves to reveal an opening wide enough for a person to go through. The opening must’ve lead to somewhere else, but because there’s nothing to illuminate the surroundings, it just looks like it leads to a stretch of darkness ahead.

“This is the fun part of going to Honeydukes for me. Ready?” Baekhyun smiles as he pauses for a moment to look at the beagle puppy. Then he prepares himself by tucking his bag properly, readjusts the puppy in his hug, and sits himself down on the edge of the opening before lighting up his wand. “Lumos.”

Wait, what? Ready for what? Chanyeol panics yet again, only seeing Baekhyun’s chest and a glimpse of something that looks like a stone surface down below them from the darkness in front of him owing to the light emanating from Baekhyun’s wand. What does Byun mean by ready?

Without further warning, Baekhyun pushes himself forward.

Cursing loudly in his head, Chanyeol almost had his heart leaping out of his ribcage. Though his brain is a jumbled mess, he still can make out that they’re descending down a smooth stone slide because he feels the rush of wind. A muted thud a moment later tells him they’ve landed on a damp earth floor.

“How was it? Fun?” Baekhyun asks the puppy, chuckling at the barks the beagle puppy is letting out. Then he pats his trousers to shrug off some dust sticking on it. “We’re almost halfway there… we just need to walk a little bit more.”

It’s considerably fun, but you don’t have to make me almost undergo a heart attack, Chanyeol huffs, energy suddenly drained from the shock therapy his heart got. Now he’s even more certain everything Baekhyun does only aims to kill him one way or another.

With his wand lit in front of him, Baekhyun continues to walk the passage. It doesn’t have much twists or turns, and not long after the passage slightly rises up, leading to a stone steps. He climbs up the inclination until he finally reaches a trapdoor above his head. Carefully, with the puppy cradled close to his body, he pushes the trapdoor open.

The sight of wooden crates and boxes pasted with Honeydukes branding tells Chanyeol they’ve arrived at Honeydukes’ cellar. The air is also thick with scents of sweets that he associated with the sweet shop he has visited numerous times before. But then in alarm he realizes, are they breaking into Honeydukes?

Sensing the beagle puppy’s uneasiness through its sudden thrashing, Baekhyun assures with a gentle caress on the puppy’s back and a smile. “The owner of Honeydukes is usually asleep by this time of the night. Don’t worry.”

That reminds Chanyeol of Mr. and Mrs. Flume whom he knows live on the second landing of Honeydukes, leaving the shop area empty. At least we’re safe here and we won’t get caught, he breathes out. Though then he scowls, if we get caught, I’ll kill you, Byun.

“Alright, are you ready to eat lots of sweets tonight?” Baekhyun cheers the beagle puppy up, slightly raising it higher, “Let’s go!”

There’s a short wooden staircase that leads upstairs. Baekhyun quickly reaches the door at the top of the stairs, performs a simple Unlocking Spell to open the door, and pushes the door open. “There you go…”

In front of him, Chanyeol sees Honeydukes’ rows of tall shelves and glass displays he’s so familiar with, though this time he’s seeing it from the cashier’s point of view and for the first time, the place is empty from Hogwarts students flocking around. For the second time tonight, he admires the fact that Baekhyun can find another—and the best—way to visit Honeydukes.

“Now let’s look around, and you can choose whatever you want to eat!” Baekhyun grins eagerly, looking exactly like a little kid in a wonderland. Then he lets the puppy down on the floor, encouraging it to take a look around by patting its back.

Completely forgetting the reason why he came to the Slytherin dungeon that he had in mind a few hours ago, Chanyeol happily runs around Honeydukes, looking for his favorite sweets. But then he stops. Are Byun taking all these sweets without paying Mr. and Mrs. Flume? he wonders, slightly horrified at the thought of being an accomplice in a crime. That’s horrible, I shouldn’t expect much from Byun.

“Oh don’t worry! I’ll pay for everything. I’m not one for stealing, just don’t like the crowds is all,” Baekhyun sheepishly assures again, for the second time he can see the abrupt cessation of movements from the beagle puppy. Moreover, it seems to give him a judging look, so he chuckles, “Forgot to tell you that. Now, go choose what you want!”

For now Chanyeol is too excited and hungry for the sweets to care with the fact that he affirmatively abhors Baekhyun. Besides, tonight he did get an advantage of digging more of Baekhyun’s secrets, right? With that in mind, he continues to run.

Everywhere around, the walls are covered by boxes of sweets. On the left, there are the usual sweets like honey colored toffees, numerous kinds of chocolate imaginable, strawberry pink squares of coconut ice, rows of cakes in different flavors, crystallized pineapples, and creamy chunks of nougat. Next, under the label of Unique Tastes, there are large tubs full of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans; Fizzing Whizzbees, the levitating sherbet balls that can make whoever eats it to float a few inches above ground; and Mice Pops, mice shaped lollipops that can make one’s teeth chatter and one’s stomach produces squeaking sounds when eaten.

On the other side, with Special Effect label written above, there are boxes of Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, which will produce bluebell colored bubbles that refused to pop for days if chewed properly; Toothflossing Stringmints, the splintery string that can be used to trick parents their children are flossing; and Peppermint Toad, peppermint flavored creams shaped like toads that can give the sensation of toads hopping inside one’s stomach.

At the back, at the farthest corner there’s a label Unusual Taste where people can find Cockroach Clusters, candies that are made of real cockroaches and shaped like peanuts; Blood Flavored Lollipops, which seems to be made for vampire customers; and Fudge Flies, fudge made of chocolate cream and dead flies.

But despite the many kinds of sweets all around him, Chanyeol has his eyes on the Cauldron Cakes and Chocolate Cauldrons.

“Oh, you love chocolate, do you?” Baekhyun notes, noticing the beagle puppy having one of its paws on the display glasses that contains the chocolate confectioneries. Then he tiptoes as high as he can to reach the highest shelves that keep the Chocolate Cauldrons and Cauldron Cakes. But still, he’s too short to even lay his hands on the box. He tries again, stretching his body as much as he can.

This dumb git. Use your wand! Chanyeol laughs in his head, though his laughter ceases as quickly as it had come. Why does he sense his laughter at Baekhyun is lacking its usual deriding feel for once? There’s something wrong with me, Byun must’ve done something to addle my mind…

“Oh right, why am I—” Baekhyun chuckles to himself before he takes out his wand, pointing it to the shelves. “Wingardium leviosa,” the chocolate packages flies out of its boxes and slowly land on his hands. Then he places the cakes in front of the waiting beagle puppy. “Here you go, little puppy.”

“You’re just like Park Ch—” Baekhyun breaks off before he finishes his sentence, frowning. Then he continues again with a slight edge in his voice. “I mean, someone that I’ve pranked using Chocolate Cauldrons.”

That’s right, Byun, fear my name, Chanyeol snorts, choosing to ignore the fact that Baekhyun brought up the topic when he ate the Amortentia spiked chocolates Baekhyun sent and embarrassed himself in front of everyone. He just has to focus on his revenge plan. I’m going to win and you’re going to lose, so keep being afraid of saying my name, you coward.

Seeing the beagle puppy digs into the Cauldron Cakes with such appetite is so pleasantly satisfying it almost made Baekhyun completely forget that he hasn’t drunk anything since their trip. So he looks around to find his favorite, and at a neighboring shelf, he finds glass bottles lined up and filled with orange liquid. He grins, the drink is just exactly what he needs. He stands up, conjures a goblet from thin air, and fills it near to its brim.

“This is Pumpkin fizz. It’s way better than iced pumpkin juice, though I’d say nothing can beat a bottle of Firewhiskey, of course,” Baekhyun chuckles as he comes back to sit next to the beagle puppy again. After he took a generous gulp, he lowers down his goblet, placing it near the puppy’s mouth. “Want to take some sip?”

It’s still unknown to Chanyeol himself why he keeps on following what Baekhyun asked him to do, owing to the fact that he already knows how Pumpkin Fizz tastes like. He hesitates for a moment, glancing at the smiling Baekhyun offering his Pumpkin Fizz filled goblet for him. But in the next second he decides the reason is it’s just his mind creating a scheme to make Baekhyun vulnerable and defenseless, so he takes a sip.

“It’s good, isn’t it? It’s refreshing,” Baekhyun says, gulping again the iced fizz from his goblet. He was about to drink it all up when he notices the beagle puppy has its oversized ears perked up and tiny tongue lapping the juice’s residue, as if liking the taste. It brings a delightful buzz that has nothing to do with the drink at all, surprisingly. So he lowers the goblet again, placing it next to the puppy and its Chocolates Cauldrons. “Here, I left you some so you can take a sip again later.”

“You know what, I have a great idea. I’ll get you a piece of everything!” Baekhyun suddenly says brightly, springing onto his feet before making his way around the shelves. Having been visiting Honeydukes alone all this time makes him excited once he has the beagle puppy as his guest. “You have to taste all of Honeydukes’ goodness!”

More stupid things Baekhyun does is happening right in front of Chanyeol that he can ridicule freely. But this time, he comes across trouble to articulate his hatred, and for this he feels so estranged as if he has people staring at his naked body. I suppose just for this one time I can allow the opportunity to pass for the exchange of getting food, he says in his head, trying to quash the unsettling feeling that visits him every time he sees this other side of Baekhyun. This will never happen again so enjoy it, Byun.

It takes Baekhyun around ten minutes to choose what kind of sweets he’s going to bring for the puppy. He selects the best ones he can find, and even more with chocolate, now knowing the puppy has a liking for it. He comes back to where the puppy is sitting with his arms full of his favorites. “Eat these, you won’t regret it.”

In front of Chanyeol there are so many different sweets. Some he has eaten, some hasn’t: Charm Choc, Chocolate Frogs, Exploding Bonbons, Black Pepper Imps, Glacial Snow Flakes, Jelly Slugs, Pixie Puffs, Sugar Quills, Treacle Fudge, and Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum. Without needing to be told twice, he starts to take a piece of everything, eager for Honeydukes’ amazing sweets.

For come what may, after Baekhyun told the beagle puppy about his reason for not wanting to get close with people that night at the Hogwarts Kitchens, his first instinct is to trust the puppy. He just somehow has the need to tell the puppy everything in his mind. He doesn’t exactly know why, but he guesses maybe having the puppy with him comforts him more than anyone can do.

“I like it here. I love to get away from the castle and just walk. Letting my legs lead me and see where I’ll end up. But the best part is definitely because I’m alone,” Baekhyun starts as he eats one of the Treacle Fudge, leaning back onto the shelves. “That way I just can enjoy things more, see details I missed, and have more time to stay doing nothing… somehow.”

Is Byun continuing his talk from that night at the Kitchens? Does he like walking alone because he’s afraid of getting friends? Chanyeol frowns, pausing his licking at the Glacial Snow Flakes. Wait, why do I even remember what Byun talked about? He stops himself in his head, feeling so annoyed at himself. Even more irritated to know Baekhyun got him in this weird state, he quickly busies himself again by inspecting a box of Black Pepper Imps. That’s not my business to think about.

Then Baekhyun sees the beagle puppy nibbling on a piece of Black Pepper Imps, the tiny black peppermint sweets that makes the puppy have smoke coming out of its ears and snout. The view makes him laugh out loud.

“It’s weird…” Baekhyun mutters after his laughter subsided. For so long he’s been going out at midnight, sneaking out of Hogwarts, and doing whatever he likes, but only on this night he feels something different. More exhilarating than usual to the point it feels odd, but in a good way.

What? What’s weird? Chanyeol asks in his head, stopping his nibbling on the Black Pepper Imps. He looks around and at Baekhyun, did something happen? Did Byun just eat Cockroach Clusters?

“You know, little puppy. This is the first time in so long I feel genuinely happy. I don’t know why, but right now I just feel so…” Baekhyun trails off, the word feels quite strange rolling off his tongue. “Happy.”

Hearing the sudden note change in Baekhyun’s voice, Chanyeol turns his head to look at the Slytherin Quidditch Captain again. Did I hear it right? He wonders. During classes at day he sees Baekhyun smile while being with his fellow Slytherins and even laugh at him when he’s suffering. The fuck Byun is trying to say?

“Like I actually feel some parts of the burden weighing me are lifted off, somehow?” Baekhyun dares himself to let out a low chuckle, knowing the words sound weird but it’s all he can say. “It’s been a long time since I felt this kind of happiness.”

There it is again, Chanyeol can hear it. There’s a different notion and feel to what he used to hear when Baekhyun talk or laugh. He’s unacquainted with hearing something more sincere, more heartfelt in Baekhyun’s voice, but he recognizes it. But before he can inspect further, it’s gone.

“What is happiness, really?” Baekhyun voices his question to the air, rolling the handle of the Mice Pops lollipop he’s holding between his fingers. “Is it a pure, separated entity? Or is it something you feel when you’re not under misery and pain’s mercy?”

What is this now? Byun starting a Philosophy 101 class? Chanyeol deadpans upon hearing the difficult question. Though as he munches on the Pixie Puffs’ cornflake cereal, he can’t stop his mind from asking the same thing as well. Why did Byun ask such thing all of the sudden?

“Sometimes I felt like the pain I’ve received is too much and more than enough for a person, but again everyday it increases and I feel more pain,” Baekhyun tries to smile to hide what he really feels from the beagle puppy looking at him, though it comes out as an awkward, lopsided one. “I guess there is still so much pain left the universe has in this life for me.”

Different from Baekhyun’s story of his fear getting close with people, Chanyeol notices clearly this time Baekhyun tells him a much darker and gloomy tale. He can hear the sense of brooding in Baekhyun’s voice, the kind where he feels the desperation to get out of the claws of whatever is holding Baekhyun back, and ironically also the way Baekhyun seems to accept it helplessly.

“But I think just like black and white, light and dark… there is no happiness without suffering. You won’t know how it feels to be happy if you’ve never suffered…” Baekhyun trails off, his hand now absentmindedly caresses the beagle puppy’s head. “So I hope after all the pain I’ve got, I will get a much bigger amount of happiness too.”

The first question that comes into Chanyeol’s mind is how much pain Baekhyun is feeling for Baekhyun to ask for such a large amount of happiness? This time he hears the longing, almost craving tone in Baekhyun’s voice, as if Baekhyun has been deprived of happiness for so long. But for how long, and what caused it?

“But anyway, right now I’m in this quest to find happiness and fight my pain,” Baekhyun gives another take to smile, now that he feels a bit better after speaking out his thoughts. He redirects his stare at the beagle puppy, getting another idea. “Will you come along with me?”

Wait, why the fuck am I listening and giving Byun attention? Chanyeol asks himself indignantly, ready to shake his head. But somehow, seeing Baekhyun’s smile and expectant stare at him, he just can’t bring himself to do anything other than nodding. So he just nods. You’re a dickhead Byun, for guilt tripping me like this. I’m nodding just to find your secrets further, that’s all.

“Thank you. You’re really a good friend, little puppy,” Baekhyun picks up the beagle puppy to sit on his lap, stroking its black and white fur. He deems the puppy is more than qualifying to accompany him in his quest. Maybe he realized that part about happiness and pain coexisting together after he saw the puppy’s fur color… “My best friend.”

Why would Byun want a beagle puppy to be his best friend? He could’ve found friends at Hogwarts instead… Chanyeol betrays himself again by musing in his head again, while he continues to have a bite on the Jelly Slugs. But after a few bites, he stops. Wait, the beagle puppy is him! What the fuck? I don’t want to be your friend!

With the puppy adorably gnaws on the Jelly Slugs while shaking his head, making bits of munched jellies fly around, Baekhyun opens a package of Chocolate Frogs. He’s just curious which famous wizard or witch’s card he’s getting. “I haven’t got Agrippa’s…” then out of nowhere the Frog jumps out from its box. “Hey, watch it—”

Spontaneously, Chanyeol abandons the Jelly Slugs and tries to catch the Frog. He runs around, hopping along with the Frog. He hears Baekhyun laugh behind him, about to turn around to stop him from mocking him, but in a split second he realizes it’s not a sneering laugh, it has the amused feel for it to be genuine. Then his body just acts on its own, again resuming the Frog’s chase with Baekhyun’s laughter in the background and his mind completely separated and shut down.

Seeing the beagle puppy, Baekhyun can’t help but laugh again. It takes him a few seconds to realize how his own laughter and the view of the puppy adorably trying to stamp its paws on the Frog give him some warm feelings in him that he misses so much.

Only when Chanyeol realizes he’s been too distracted catching the frog and he actually has jumped into Baekhyun’s hug, with Baekhyun’s laughing face just inches away from his, does he stop. What was I thinking? I got tired just for a fucking Chocolate Frog? I knew Byun can just do magic to catch it, this sly git I swear—

“That’s very nice of you to help me catch it, are you tired?” Baekhyun says, his laughter reducing to chuckles, as he hugs back the puppy. Then he points his wand up. “Accio Chocolate Frog.”

The Chocolate Frog zooms straight into Baekhyun’s palm and it’s back in its package a moment later. The night resumes with him trying to chew and blow Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, creating bluebell colored bubbles. The beagle puppy seems excited about the floating bubbles, as it jumps around following the bubbles. It makes him laugh out loud again for the third time tonight, this time not bothering trying to interpret the change of feelings and just lets it fill his heart.

Fuck you, Park Chanyeol, Chanyeol stops his body from doing what he never intended to do probably for the tenth time tonight. He’s just so enraged with everything and frustrated at the same time because he just doesn’t know what is happening. You fucking stop the show now, you idiot.

“Ah, I’m so full right now. I might as well just sleep right here,” Baekhyun says as he yawns, lifting his hand to cover his mouth. Then he checks his wristwatch. “Oh! It’s already half past two, we better go now if we want to reach Hogwarts before three.”

Wait, it’s already half past two? I’m going to be late, Junmyeon isn’t going to be happy… Chanyeol grumbles, more regret adding its weight on him again as he thinks of why was he trying to catch the bubbles Baekhyun blew, making Baekhyun laugh? He’s supposed to spy and get his revenge. Whatever this is, it’s definitely Byun’s fault, that asshole…

“Alright, any last sip or last nib on your favorite sweets?” Baekhyun stretches his arms wide, gathering the beagle puppy in his hug. He can’t help but coo internally at how small the puppy is on his arms. “Come here, let’s go.”

Reluctantly Chanyeol lets himself getting cradled again, though he doesn’t miss the chance to get another bite on his favorite Chocolate Cauldrons before. Getting onto Baekhyun’s arms is the only way for him to get back to Hogwarts, so he can do nothing about it.

Back to the door behind the cashier’s desk, after making sure to place some Galleons discreetly, Baekhyun descends the wooden staircase again and down into the trapdoor. He lights up his wand again, keeping the beagle puppy close to him, as he traces back his steps along the passage until he reaches the stone slide. But this time it magically transforms itself into stone steps, allowing him to climb up and find the inside of the one-eyed witch’s statue.

“Dissendium.” Baekhyun taps the statue’s hump and hoists himself out of the opening.

The bright light of the torch lining the corridor’s walls tells Chanyeol they’re back at the castle. Next he knows Baekhyun is taking them back to the Slytherin common room as they climb down many flights of stairs, pass the Entrance Hall, and walk down into the dungeons.

In a few minutes Baekhyun arrives at the sixth year dormitory. After he lets the puppy down on his bed, swiftly he slings his bag at the bedpost before he lies himself on the bed gently, so as to not disrupt the puppy.

“Did you like Honeydukes’ sweets? If you do, maybe we can go to the Honeydukes again next time. I’ll gladly take you back and buy you more sweets,” Baekhyun smiles, taking one last look at the beagle puppy before he closes his eyes and tries to get some sleep before the morning comes. “Good night, little puppy.”

After another time of Chanyeol counting fifteen minutes from the moment Baekhyun stopped talking, he climbs down Baekhyun’s bed and quickly finds his way out of the Slytherin common room. He only shifts into his human form when he’s near to the Fat Lady’s portrait. He doesn’t make much sound as he plops himself down his bed, preparing himself to sleep.

With his four-posters bed located near the windows, Chanyeol has the night sky to be his friend as he mulls over the things Baekhyun said. Though spending his precious sleeping time just to think about Baekhyun is the last thing he wants to do in the world, he can’t help but ask himself what does Baekhyun mean by his quest to find happiness and fight pain?

Different from last time, Chanyeol realizes Baekhyun has opened himself even further. It’s so perplexing to him because he didn’t know Baekhyun is capable of actually talking about something that matters and how Baekhyun seems to hide so many unfinished pieces of puzzles waiting to be solved.

At first, Chanyeol wants to ask Jongin and Junmyeon, but he doesn’t have the heart to wake up his best friends this late. So he opts to think about it himself.

When he thinks of happiness, flashes of memories show themselves. Spending quality time with his family. Getting sorted to Gryffindor just like his father and finding out Jongin and Junmyeon, his childhood best friends, are with him too. Sitting at the Hogwarts grounds near the lake just to enjoy the day with all of his best friends. Winning his very first Quidditch match. Passing his O.W.L. exams with nine Exceeds Expectation scores. And… laughing at Baekhyun who forgot to use his wand to get Chocolate Cauldrons.

Wait—how did the last memory get included? Why does he keep trying to analyze Baekhyun’s different personality that only appears at night? He has so many questions in his head and it makes him hate Baekhyun even more, since he seriously doesn’t need Baekhyun to bother his mind as well when dealing with Baekhyun at day is already a fate worse than death.

Not even when he checks his wristwatch on the nightstand to find it’s already four in the morning does he able to go to sleep. But when his drowsiness finally wins him over, as his eyes flutter close he mutters to himself, “What is happiness, really?”

—

Chapter Text

[3]

It’s Saturday morning of the third week of the summer term

Every Saturday morning, as the Captain of his team, Chanyeol has scheduled training sessions for his team. And for today’s training session, he’s planning to practice their moves, check his team’s progress, and improve their teamwork.

Despite having heard Slytherin Quidditch team’s game strategy from Baekhyun himself, the tactics and game strategy Chanyeol designed for Gryffindor Quidditch team are the ones he made since the start of Quidditch session, even before he knows Slytherin’s. He too has his own Quidditch diagram, though he has more extensive moves for his players, and more intricate game plans.

With the memory of that night replaying in his mind, it comes back to him again the moment when Baekhyun told him how the Slytherin Quidditch Captain doesn’t have anyone to call as a friend. He can’t help it when he steals a glance at the other side of the Great Hall at Baekhyun, who’s sitting at the Slytherin table. Baekhyun looks alright, eating and conversing with his teammates and fellow Slytherins…

Wait, why is he thinking about Baekhyun again? He should focus on his team, not his opponent.

So he redirects his eyes again, now onto his Quidditch teammates sitting all around him at the Gryffindor table, eating and chatting with each other. He has them all drinking pumpkin juice and eating their bacon sandwiches well before the training, to get more energy and strength. When everyone has emptied their goblets and plates, they all rise from their seats and file out of the Great Hall.

With Chanyeol leading in front, Jongin and Junmyeon hauling the crate with the Quidditch balls in it, and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team in tow, they exchange some banter and stories with each other as they walk to the Quidditch pitch. The topic that they’re having is of course the Quidditch League Cup, which is joined by thirteen best Quidditch teams in British and Ireland.

“Heard the Pride of Portree beat Tutshill Tornados last week, they won with two hundred points over!” Connolly says when they’ve exited the castle, smirking as he looks over at Ivanova, challenging the Chaser. “Hear that, Ivanova?”

“I don’t care, Tutshill Tornados will do just fine, they’ve won the League Cup five times in a row, which is a British and Irish record,” Ivanova returns the smirk, defending his favorite team. “Don’t you remember Pride of Portree actually got beaten by Holyhead Harpies? You won’t stand a chance against the Harpies, once they played a match against Heidelberg Harriers in 1953 that lasted for seven days.”

“I know the Holyhead Harpies players are all great witches, but excuse me, the best team is definitely the Chudley Cannons!” Levski chimes in, puffing up his chest to brag about his own favorite team.

“Chudley Cannons that ended up at the bottom of the League last year? Do you know that the Cannons’ last win was in 1892?” Jongin laughs, making Levski sulk and everyone to laugh along. “The best is Kenmare Kestrels, as a Chaser I really admire them for inventing the Hawkshead Attacking Formation.”

“No, Puddlemere United is the best,” Lynch steps in as he sings Puddlemere United’s anthem Beat Back Those Bludgers, Boys, and Chuck That Quaffle Here while laughing and doing the Irish jig. “It’s the oldest and the first team ever formed in 1163, therefore more experience.”

“Statistically speaking, Montrose Magpies is the best, most successful team,” Junmyeon pipes in calmly, though he doesn’t have any team preference. “They’ve won the British and Irish League Cup for thirty two times now, they’re also twice European League Cup champions. Their Captain for 1967 until 1968, Hamish MacFarlan, actually became the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.”

“Why can’t we have an absolute opinion on the best Quidditch team?” Jongin huffs, as they finally reach the tribunes of the Quidditch pitch. Then he drags Chanyeol who’s walking ahead of them to join their circle. “Let’s ask our Captain! Chanyeol, who’s the best according to you?”

Having been listening to his teammates’ conversation, Chanyeol knows the correct answer to lift up everyone’s mood. He pretends to think long and hard to make them anticipate, before saying, “Our team, of course.”

The reply Chanyeol said brings everyone to laugh and cheer yeah, that’s right! They prepare their brooms and change their Hogwarts school robes into Quidditch robes at the changing rooms, while continuing to talk about their team. Once they’re done, everyone walks down to the field.

“As you all know we still have one more match against Slytherin. We’ve won against Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, and we’re in the first position with two hundred points margin, but we can’t just look down on this last match,” Chanyeol starts, eyeing each one of his teammates. “Got it?”

“Yes, Captain!” Everyone replies back in chorus, spirits running high in the prospect of winning the Inter-House Quidditch Cup.

“Today we’ll practice some of the new maneuvers and tactics we’ve discussed. Don’t forget to memorize your positions and your tasks at hand.” Chanyeol instructs. He has specially borrowed Kennilworthy Whisp’s Quidditch Through the Ages from the Library as his guide for every occasion of Quidditch practice.

Then the team forms a line according to their line of work, from Chasers, Beaters, and Seeker. Chanyeol gets into the business by giving a quick briefing.

“Ivanova, Jongin, and Connolly, we’ll get into attacking formation,” Chanyeol commands, dividing the team and their spots to train at the pitch. “Junmyeon and Lynch, we’ll discuss the precision of swinging your bat. Levski, I’ll tell you more tricks on spotting the Golden Snitch quicker.”

The team is now separated into three different groups. This way gives easier and organized access for Chanyeol to break down a more detailed run-through.

“Right, first is Chasers’ turn,” Chanyeol spins around, facing the three Gryffindor Chasers. “Jongin, Ivanova, and Connolly, the technique we’re trying today is the Parkin’s Pincer. Any progress on this move?”

“Sure we have, Captain,” Connolly answers on behalf of the three of them as he steps forward, while Jongin and Ivanova nod along. “We’ve arranged and assigned our positions for it as per your instructions. I’ll be one of the two Chasers closing on the opposing Chaser on one side.”

“I’ll be joining Connolly for it, since we’re in the same height, giving no opportunity for them to break us apart.” Ivanova continues as he raises his hand and stands beside Connolly.

“I’m taking the position of the one flying headlong towards the opposing Chaser so I can steal the Quaffle.” Jongin adds, finally completing the formation.

“Perfect,” Chanyeol nods, satisfied things are going as he has planned. “And don’t forget the Hawkshead Attacking Formation too, it’s an important move we’ll have to perfect. You all can practice it now.”

With that Ivanova, Jongin, and Connolly give Chanyeol another animated yes, Captain!, making all of them laugh. Next they mount their brooms and soar up high to the far end of the pitch to practice, leaving Chanyeol with the Gryffindor Seeker and two Beaters.

“Alright, let’s move on to… Levski,” Chanyeol turns around to the remaining players. He walks closer to the Seeker. “Everything fine with the Plumpton Pass moves?”

“Everything is fine, just needing to make the movement smoother and more elegant,” Levski gives Chanyeol a thumbs-up and a grin. “Oh! And I want to let you know that I’m currently trying the Wronski Feint you suggested, it’s the hardest one since I have to zoom towards the ground and up again while pretending I’ve spotted the Golden Snitch and trick the opposing Seeker.”

“Yeah, for the Wronski Feint you need to gather every bit of your concentration,” Chanyeol reminds. Then somehow remembering Baekhyun as the Seeker for Slytherin, he decides to add again, “And remember what I told you last time, if the weather is sunny, always have your back to the sun. That way you won’t get the sunlight blinding your vision and helps you spot the Golden Snitch’s glint instead. If it’s raining, don’t forget the Impervius Charm, the incantation is—”

“Impervius, I know. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Levski smiles, seeing the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain so keen on giving him reminders of what they’ve discussed so many times before. “Thanks, Captain.”

“Okay that’s good,” Chanyeol chuckles sheepishly, realizing he just blabbered again. He mentally curses Baekhyun who comes into his mind again at this time around. He wills himself to focus again and turns to the last group. “So Junmyeon, Lynch, today we’ll try to master and improvise the Dopplebeater Defense.”

“Right, last time Junmyeon and I have tried it out last time,” Lynch replies as he weighs his bat on his hand, swinging it tentatively. “We’re still in the talk on how to position our brooms up in the air just so we can hit the Bludger at the same time for extra power.”

“And now we’re trying to synchronize our arm movements just so we can hit the Bludger at the same time, so we can send a Bludger attack towards opponents with greater severity.” Junmyeon adds, him too having his bat on his hold.

“That’s great,” Chanyeol says, happy to see his team are all cooperating well under his command. He too has his own Keeper movements to practice and he’s eager to try it all out. “Now that everyone is on their assigned post, let’s try it out—”

It’s only a few seconds after Chanyeol mounts his Firebolt, hovering just a few inches above the ground, when Lynch stops him.

“Shit, what else do we have to put up through now?” Lynch sighs out of nowhere, looking at something far behind Chanyeol’s back.

“What?” Chanyeol asks, confused at the sudden irritated look Lynch gave him, thinking the Gryffindor Beater is aiming it at him for telling them to practice. “Lynch, what do you mean?”

“Look around, it’s the Slytherins.” Junmyeon tells the baffled Chanyeol, craning his neck slightly to the left to be able to see what’s behind Chanyeol’s back more clearly.

“Here comes trouble…” Levski sighs after he copies Junmyeon’s movement and sees what Lynch meant.

Turning around on his Firebolt, Chanyeol sees at the corner of field the Slytherin Quidditch team in their green Quidditch uniforms walking while carrying their brooms. Automatically he flies down, getting off his Firebolt before running to the person who he’s sure is the source of the trouble of the day.

“Park, you better get your and your team’s asses out the pitch now.” Baekhyun lazily says as Chanyeol comes running into earshot.

“What the hell, Byun! I’ve booked the Quidditch pitch today for the Gryffindor team training!” Chanyeol retorts, his eyebrows furrowed. His mood drastically takes a plunge even just from seeing Baekhyun’s smug smirk. “What kind of nonsense you’re talking about now?”

“I don’t think so,” Baekhyun smirks, shoving into Chanyeol’s hand a piece of parchment. “I have a specially signed note to annul that.”

Grabbing the parchment harshly, Chanyeol reads what’s written on it. His voice turns lower and angered as he continues reading until the end. “I, Professor T. Trunchbull, gave the authorization for the Slytherin Quidditch team to use the Quidditch pitch and train for their upcoming match.”

“What the fuck, I got the permission first!” Chanyeol bursts after finishing reading the slip out loud, his hand unconsciously crumpling the piece of parchment. He can’t believe he checked Baekhyun back at the Great Hall, Baekhyun definitely doesn’t deserve anything kind from him. “This is not fair!”

“Manners, Park, or you’ll get into more problems,” Baekhyun drawls, snatching back the permission slip to flatten it back to its original condition. “You see, I, unlike you, have Trunchbull’s control, which means I have the power to make you do whatever I told you or else I’ll have you and the rest of your team serve punishments.”

“Yeah, Byun, but you, unlike me, are a nosy git,” Chanyeol deadpans, getting both loud cheers from his teammates and unbelieving expressions from the Slytherin Quidditch team. “So get the fuck out of here and leave us alone.”

“The Quidditch pitch is ours now, for the time being. So it’s you who needs to get the fuck out of here and leave us alone,” Baekhyun keeps on going with his taunting, ignoring Chanyeol’s reply before turning around to leave and start Slytherin Quidditch team’s practice. “Run along now, shoo.”

“You can’t just walk away from this, you fucking shit—” Chanyeol is positively spitting with rage. Completely forgetting about his team, he throws his Firebolt to the ground before running towards Baekhyun.

But before any of Chanyeol’s fists touches Baekhyun, there’s a high pitched voice of a whistle coming from their side.

“What is happening here?”

Madam Hooch starts down the field to reach the center of the commotion, with the Gryffindor Quidditch team following behind her. It seems like Junmyeon has called her to deal with the problem.

“The twat—I meant it’s Byun—he said it’s Slytherin’s turn to use the Quidditch pitch when it’s actually Gryffindor’s turn!” Chanyeol reports immediately, trying to hold himself down to not lash out in the presence of a Hogwarts teacher.

“And I happen to have the permission slip from Professor Trunchbull, Madam Hooch,” Baekhyun replies calmly with a smirk, as if seeing Chanyeol being furious is amusing to him. Then he hands out the parchment to the Quidditch referee. “Here it is, Ma’am.”

Madam Hooch takes the piece of parchment from Baekhyun’s hand, inspecting the writing and signature of Professor Trunchbull. She taps her wand once on its surface. “Specialis revelio,” nothing happens. “This looks legitimate—”

The smirk on Baekhyun’s face turns into a victorious grin. “Thank you, Madam Hooch, then the Slytherin Quidditch team can—”

But then Madam Hooch cuts Baekhyun off, holding her hand up as a sign for the Slytherin Quidditch Captain to stop. “But I also happen to know today is Gryffindor Quidditch team’s turn to use the Quidditch pitch, Mr. Park booked it from a week ago.”

What Madam Hooch said seems to douse Baekhyun with a bucket of ice water and dissolves his grin. The sight brings a grin to rise on Chanyeol’s face instead as he stares triumphantly at Baekhyun and replies, “Thank you, Madam Hooch.”

“I want to be fair, so I think it’s best if I split the time of the Quidditch field’s usage today. Gryffindors, you’re up for another hour,” Madam Hooch says, giving a nod towards Chanyeol. Then she looks at Baekhyun before continuing, “And after that the Slytherin team can use it. I don’t want to see any of you fighting on the field again or I’ll ban all of you from playing for the rest of the year. Is that clear?”

There is a collection of murmurs from both teams as a form of a reply. Madam Hooch looks around at everyone present with her usual piercing stare before finally walking out the field and back to the castle.

“Now you get the fuck out of here and leave us alone,” Chanyeol parrots what Baekhyun said as he walks closer to the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, stopping when they’re only a few inches apart. “Shoo.”

“It’s not over, Park. Just watch.” Baekhyun mutters when his eyes meet Chanyeol’s, his hand gripping his Nimbus 2001 tightly, face looking absolutely livid.

“Whatever,” Chanyeol snorts, before he turns around to fully focus on his team again. Intentionally he raises his voice and shouts, “Gryffindors, we have a match to win, so let’s get back into training!”

The Gryffindor Quidditch team uses the last hour Madam Hooch gave them well down to the last second. Everyone undergoes the training Chanyeol has prepared for them well, the small win over the Slytherin that happened before only drives them to practice harder. They finish their training exactly an hour later, and when they come back to the changing rooms they have to endure five minutes of unpleasant walk as they exchange tense glares with the Slytherin Quidditch team.

They go back to the Great Hall to have lunch before they walk upstairs to the Gryffindor common room. The rest of the day continues with them doing their own activities just like usual.

For Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon, as always they can’t just rest. They still have their essays and spell practice, which they’re forced to work on until late at night, only pausing for a moment to go down to the Great Hall for dinner. Around three quarters past eleven, the trio decides to call it a day and puts away their books and wands.

Now it’s half past midnight, and everyone in the sixth years’ dormitories is already asleep. But Chanyeol is still awake, lying soundlessly on his bed. Despite feeling dead tired from the vast amount of homework he received from his teachers and the duty of being the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, he just can’t close his eyes and rest.

Essays long forgotten, coming back to his mind over and over again is the thought of Baekhyun, even after all the things he had to put up with from Baekhyun attempting to ruin Gryffindor’s Quidditch practice. Baekhyun who acts so mean and vile and the other Baekhyun who cares so much about a beagle puppy and asks such questions like what happiness truly means. At day it’s pushed back to the corner of his mind, but at night… it’s out there, polluting his thoughts.

He doesn’t know what is happening to his mind, but the question just keeps on materializing itself, demanding to be answered: should he just go to the Slytherin dungeon again?

He shakes his head. For the hundredth time, Chanyeol reminds himself he’s going to the Slytherin dungeon just to figure out how to beat the Slytherin Quidditch team. He thinks about Baekhyun just because he notices Baekhyun acts differently at night. That’s it, nothing more to analyze deeper, end of story.

But maybe Baekhyun is organizing the Slytherin Quidditch team strategy again at this time around, like last time at the Hogwarts Kitchens. So it’s not wrong for Chanyeol to come back, right?

Quietly, he comes down from his bed, careful not to wake anyone up, especially Jongin and Junmyeon. He tiptoes his way out of the Fat Lady’s portrait—getting himself yet another bit of reproval talks from her for waking her up so late at night—before following the route he has in his head to reach the Slytherin dungeon.

Right before Chanyeol arrives at the particular spot to get inside the Slytherin common room, he changes himself into his beagle puppy form, careful not to make a sound. Then he waits in front of the stretch of walls he remembers Baekhyun has touched with his hands a couple times before.

Right on time, the stone wall lurches to show the long, dark passage. And from it, out Baekhyun comes, his bag slung over one shoulder. As usual, he takes a look from left to right, cautious if someone sees him. But again, all he finds is the beagle puppy looking back at him.

“Hey puppy! I’m seeing you again tonight, huh? I guess you liked the Honeydukes sweets,” Baekhyun greets, smiling. At this point he’s no longer surprised to see the beagle puppy, he even swears he almost expected it to be there before he comes out from the Slytherin common room. “It’s good to see you again.”

The Honeydukes part, yes, Chanyeol rolls his eyes in his head. It’s a miracle he hasn’t vomited out yet from the shit Baekhyun is saying. He sneers, but good to see you? Keep on dreaming, Byun. Never.

“It’s cold outside you know, sometimes I wonder why are you always out of your house at night,” Baekhyun chuckles, playfully reprimanding the beagle puppy. But upon seeing the puppy’s fluffy body, instinctively he carries it by its arms before placing it on his chest to hug it. “Let me lift you up on my arms.”

Too tired to be properly mean towards Baekhyun, Chanyeol ignores the stupid remark. Besides the bag slung on Baekhyun’s shoulder, after getting carried he finally sees the Slytherin Quidditch Captain carrying his Nimbus 2001. Is Byun going to practice Quidditch at this time of the night? He wonders, ready to mock Baekhyun's stupidity. It’s fucking cold at night, is he crazy?

“Oh this? It’s my broom. I need some fresh air for tonight,” Baekhyun explains, noticing how the beagle puppy’s eyes are focused on his Nimbus 2001. “Want to come along with me?”

But without waiting for any answer from the beagle puppy, Baekhyun lifts it up before carrying it on his arms. He walks along the Slytherin dungeon corridor and up the stairs to reach the Entrance Hall. Without much hassle he opens the main double doors that lead outside to Hogwarts grounds, the doors apparently unlocked.

How did Byun do that? Chanyeol wonders, and though he doesn’t want to admit it, he’s amazed. He knows the main double doors are locked after curfew, and opening it requires lots of things to do.

“I made Filch forget to lock the main doors. You don’t know how easy it is to do it, Filch’s quite easy to trick,” Baekhyun chuckles, seeing the quizzical look on the beagle puppy’s face. “A box of fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream laced with a few drops of Drowsiness Draught and we’re set.”

The mention of Baekhyun secretly putting potions into confectioneries reminds Chanyeol again of the time he ate Baekhyun’s Amortentia spiked Chocolate Cauldrons, vanishing his wonder of Baekhyun being able to open the main double doors and making him irritated more than ever. I guess it’s your thing to play foul against everyone, Byun.

Quietly Baekhyun closes the doors behind him, keeping it slightly open just so he can get past through it later. After adjusting the strap of his bag and his hold on his Nimbus 2001’s handle, and making sure the beagle puppy is safe, he starts walking down the hill to reach the Quidditch pitch near the lake.

A little over fifteen minutes, they have finally arrived at the Quidditch pitch. The elongated oval playing area with its three golden poles with hoops at each end is unoccupied except for the two of them. The field is quite dark with the night sky as their only illumination, the tribune seats are empty, and there are no sounds other than Baekhyun’s footsteps on the grass and the rustling night wind.

Then Baekhyun walks into the stands of the tribune where he can climb stairs to reach the seats. Here he decides to let the beagle puppy walk on its own just so it can feel the refreshing night air too. Finally reaching the highest level of stands, he props his broom on the railing and sits himself down on one of the seats.

“I’m not feeling really well right now. Today is just… not my day, I guess,” Baekhyun sighs, tiredness pronounced in every syllable. Slowly he lifts the puppy up just so it can sit next to him. “But um, I’m going to fly for a little bit, if that’s okay with me leaving you alone here for a moment?”

Not his day? Did Byun mean today when he tried to usher me and my team out of the Quidditch pitch? Serves him right. Chanyeol says in his head, still feeling annoyed from what happened earlier. What gets him even more annoyed is the fact that after seeing Baekhyun’s troubled expression, somehow he feels prick of guilt, when he knows it’s all Baekhyun’s fault. But because he can’t say or do anything, all he can do is to will himself to nod, though from his beagle puppy body it comes out as a slight bow.

Glad seeing the beagle puppy obeying to what he told, Baekhyun ruffles the puppy’s black fur and gently scratches the back of the puppy’s ears. “Good puppy. I won’t be long, I promise.”

This time Baekhyun stands up again, grabs his broom, and takes the puppy into his arms. He starts looking for another seat that he knows will have the best view of the pitch. “Let’s find you a better spot to rest at the crowd’s tribune…”

Baekhyun finds the best seat not long after, since it’s just right in the middle row of the tribune. From his bag, he takes out a thick wool blanket before draping it over the wooden seat. Next he places the beagle puppy down on it.

“Alright, I’m going now. You can watch over me.” Baekhyun smiles at the beagle puppy. After making sure the puppy is safely seated and wrapped properly with his blanket so as not to catch cold, he grabs the handle of his Nimbus 2001 before taking flight.

From the high tribune, Chanyeol watches as Baekhyun skillfully flies on his Nimbus 2001. Baekhyun’s body build is actually ideal for his position as a Seeker, since it gives him more advantage by being more aerodynamic. The Nimbus 2001 Baekhyun owns is no match to his Firebolt, but without prejudice he can see how Baekhyun is born to be a Seeker no matter what type of broom used. The way Baekhyun can deliver dangerous flying maneuvers at such a fast speed without swaying or going out of his course makes him easily one of the best fliers on the pitch.

Already at the center of the Quidditch pitch, Baekhyun decides it’s only right to practice a bit of some of his Seeker moves. Though he has no Golden Snitch at hand, he’s still in for perfecting his Plumpton Pass and Wronski Feint, the two moves for Seekers, with the latter as the hardest technique.

Usually the fastest and lightest fliers, Seekers need both the ability to fly one or no handed and sharp eyes. Chanyeol sees it all in Baekhyun—the Slytherin Seeker doesn’t even seem to be flying on a broom, it’s more as if he’s flying on his own and is weightless.

Around the pitch and at the height of the Quidditch hoops, Baekhyun races through the air. He soars up to the sky, going as high as he can before plummeting down again, stopping right in time with such precision before colliding with the ground. For fun he takes sudden twists and turns at breakneck speed, enjoying the electrifying thrill coursing in him. Once in a while, to let out his feelings, while zooming as fast as he can, he shouts intelligible words on top of his lungs just for the sake of it.

It’s hard for Chanyeol to redirect his eyes somewhere else. Baekhyun moves so easily through the air, as if flying is second nature to him, that even the precarious moves he does it all with finesse…

Hold on, why am I applauding Byun’s skill? Chanyeol chastises himself for forgetting his aim and keeps on watching Baekhyun instead. He’s definitely distracted by Baekhyun just because he has nothing else to watch, that’s definitely the only reason. I should be spying for Gryffindor Quidditch team and take notes for Levski…

A half of an hour passed and Baekhyun deems he’s done flying for the night, and he can’t keep the beagle puppy to wait for him too long. So he directs his Nimbus 2001 towards the tribune where he left the beagle puppy sitting on its stands.

“Are you feeling cold?” Baekhyun asks once he’s back seated on the tribune. Then he carries the puppy closer into his body and adjusts the blankets properly for the both of them before wrapping his arms around the puppy’s small body. “Here, let me hug you.”

Not sure what to do, Chanyeol just lets Baekhyun hug him. It’s not the first time, but the warmth feels somewhat different. Not outlandish different, but just… new. Maybe I’m just freezing out here, he reasons as he coils himself up on the blanket laid down Baekhyun for him, it’s a windy night, after all…

With the beagle puppy in his arms, Baekhyun feels a switch in him to just talk about what he has in his mind like last time. Flying with his broom helps him a bit, maybe talking to the puppy will make him feel even better?

“I hope you’re having a good day, puppy.” Baekhyun starts, gently stroking the beagle puppy’s fur. For some reason, the puppy has been one of his sources of comfort, with the puppy lying on his arms giving him more warmth.

A good day? I did have a good day but in case you don’t remember you ruined it for me, Chanyeol objects, remembering again the way Baekhyun used Trunchbull to make sure Gryffindor can’t have the Quidditch pitch for their usual three hours training. It’s always your fault, Byun.

It takes Baekhyun a few minutes of contemplating before he continues his sentence. “Because as I told you earlier, today isn’t exactly a good one for me. I had Quidditch practice and it was fine, for me at least. The others… not so good.”

Somehow hearing Baekhyun complains about his bad day and bad Quidditch team performance stops Chanyeol from ranting in his head. Instead of rejoicing at the fact that Baekhyun is suffering, he grows more curious as to what happened.

“My teammates—” Baekhyun almost choked up on the word. He clears his throat and continues in an irked tone, “I wish someone would invent another word for that since they’re not my mates, they’re not even my friends in the first place.”

With Baekhyun’s voice considerably getting more mournful, Chanyeol finds himself stuttering, even in his head. He should’ve celebrated this, the Slytherin team is falling apart right in front of his eyes, but why is he unable to make fun of Baekhyun like usual?

“So the teammates, or whoever they are—” Baekhyun tries again, though he stops not long after. He lets out a puff of breath as his shoulders slump down. “Let’s just stop talking about them, I don’t want Quidditch ruined because of them. I’ll talk about something else.”

Only by the moment Baekhyun said the last sentence does Chanyeol know the answer to his previous questions. Maybe it’s because he relates to Baekhyun a bit? Since he loves Quidditch too and knows how sucks it is when his favorite team or his own team isn’t in a good condition. Yeah, that must be the reason, he nods to himself in his head, and nothing else…

“So, um, I like the Quidditch pitch better at night. Though I like it when it’s full of energy whenever there’s a match playing, I like it better when there’s no one here to see me,” Baekhyun says, this time letting the puppy sit next to him with its head on his lap. “I can do whatever I want. I can scream as loud as I want. And the best one out of all is how I can just fly as high and as far as I can.”

“Flying freely to feel the rushing wind on my face and adrenaline pumping on my veins, defying gravity to feel as if I’m floating in space, and leaving my troubles on the ground…” Baekhyun muses, closing his eyes for a moment to replay the moments when he raced with his brooms and feel again the wind ruffling his blond hair. “To do it all even for just a moment, I will always feel much better.”

Whether it is coincidence or not, Chanyeol doesn’t know. But it surely sends chill down his spine to know that the reasons Baekhyun said about how flying makes him feel better are all exactly the same reasons for him of why he loves flying so much. Is Byun a Legilimens? he wonders, someone that can do Legilimency and delve into people’s minds?

“You know, there’s a myth that says only you find your own story interesting. Well I think it’s true, at least for me,” Baekhyun continues after a long break of silence. The thought occurs as he imagines himself again flying as much as he can but only to have empty tribunes as his spectator. “That’s actually the reason why I don’t tell anyone anything. Because even I find my own story too dreary and bleak.”

Byun’s story? Chanyeol asks himself. He really hates himself for being so invested in Baekhyun’s problems when he himself has his own problems, and he hates Baekhyun too on making him curious. Does this have anything to do with the quest Byun talked about finding happiness and fighting pain?

“The chapter I’m in right now, it tells about how I just feel like I’m the only one caught in the current of the sea, so close to drowning, and barely floating just to go nowhere, with no direction whatsoever.” Baekhyun lets out his warm breath, leaving wisps of smoke as it collides with the cold night air.

At this point Chanyeol can’t bring himself to say or think about anything else in his mind. He can only listen, there’s just something in him that is intrigued by what Baekhyun is saying.

“The future is a scary thing, huh? From the future what I fear the most is the unknown and uncertainty of what happens after death rather than death itself.” Baekhyun continues, as a shudder racks his body and it’s not because of the low temperature.

“It’s like… standing in the darkness. Are you willing to take a step without knowing what’s in front of you, the edge of a cliff or just another set of stairs? Are you willing to reach out your hand without knowing whether it’s a monster’s claws or a plush pillow waiting for you?” Baekhyun asks no one in particular. He’s sure almost everyone is just as confused. “It’s like a fear of fear itself. Can you imagine that?”

Before, Chanyeol did say he relates a bit with Baekhyun about Quidditch. But after listening to what Baekhyun truly fears… he’s not so sure it’s just a bit. He realizes there are many frightening things more than evil ghosts or failing his exams. What Baekhyun just told him breaks apart his frame of mind, letting him to wonder even further than his previous boundaries.

But what about the things Byun wants to do? Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows, getting more and more intrigued. Surely Byun’s not that dumb to be completely clueless about he will do next after he graduated from Hogwarts, right?

“My dreams? I forgot about it since a long time ago, it’s too far away from my reach now, just like those stars up above,” Baekhyun whispers, as he extends his arms up to the sky, fingers trying to grip at the empty air. “Am I just running forward mindlessly now? Or keeping myself awake for so many nights trying to reach the skies without being able to touch the stars ever? Probably.”

Mind overwhelmed, Chanyeol doesn’t know what to feel, say, or do. He can only join Baekhyun’s eyes to look up. The clouds that come and go above their heads are giving intermittent glimpses of the half moon, a slow dance of the moonlight on their bodies.

“So I’m really sorry, puppy. You have to endure hearing my, uh, nightmarish story,” Baekhyun chuckles quietly. It’s better to laugh at his own grief than wasting his tears for it. “I just want to let it out, even when no one is listening… even just for once.”

Honest to the heavens, Chanyeol is sure he hates Baekhyun for every dirty trick Baekhyun has done to him for the past six years he’s known him, and hate is a very strong word. But why in the span of a few minutes he seems to forget that fact as now there is this bizarre urge in him demanding him to make Baekhyun smile again?

Does he finally accustom himself to take interest in Baekhyun’s feelings?

Never in a million years, Chanyeol quickly rebuts his own thoughts in his head. If he can he’d be hitting his forehead to fix his brain, his mind, or whatever. it’s definitely just pity because I relate just a little bit and no more than that…

“But anyway, let’s not spoil the night, shall we?” Baekhyun tries as much as he can to sound cheerful and place a smile on his face. Another sweeping glance at the pitch helps him a lot in doing so. “There’s one more thing that this Quidditch pitch gave me to feel better.”

Knowing Baekhyun has so many secrets and knowledge of Hogwarts, Chanyeol at first thinks about another passage to somewhere outside the Hogwarts grounds. But seeing Baekhyun isn’t moving and instead starts grinning to tell him it’s something else.

“I’ve never told a single soul about this but…” Baekhyun pauses, looking left and right for anyone that might hear him. Then he leans closer to the beagle puppy sitting next to him, somehow feeling giddy to tell the puppy about this particular thing. “I like someone.”

Byun likes someone? This is new in a quite weird way… Chanyeol gasps in his head, quite shocked by the revelation. The information isn’t easy to process in his mind, on how Baekhyun has a heart soft enough for him to be capable of liking someone. He wonders, who’s the person that manages to catch Byun’s attention?

“I’ve been liking him for quite a time now. This year he’s a Quidditch Captain too, just like me,” Baekhyun continues, somehow feeling his cheeks growing redder as his body gets warmer. But then he grumbles, “But I didn’t mean the one I told you on the first night we met! That tall Quidditch Captain is just pure annoying, period.”

After hearing the confession, Chanyeol starts counting the math. There are currently four Quidditch Captains in Hogwarts this year: Baekhyun, he himself, Sehun, and Davies. He can rule out himself and Davies, because he knows he’s obviously the annoying tall Quidditch Captain and Davies has a girlfriend.

It doesn’t take long for Chanyeol to find the answer. Piecing the puzzles together, he comes to the conclusion that the person Baekhyun likes is none other than…

Oh Sehun.

“He’s the reason I want to be a Quidditch player. I started liking him since we were in third year, so that’s why I tried Slytherin’s Quidditch team tryout in my third year too and here I am now, a Captain just like him,” Baekhyun chuckles to himself, remembering the times he practiced Quidditch all summer and at midnight just so he can join the Slytherin Quidditch team. “All the tribute goes his way.”

It all fits, the description and details Byun mentioned, Chanyeol thinks, his mind calling back everything he knows about Sehun. The Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain is indeed good all around, from looks to his nature, to the point there’s an abundance of Hogwarts students liking him. Byun really does like Sehun…

“I know this might sound so silly, but I think it’s safe to say he’s the reason I can find my strength to go on my days,” Baekhyun says again, now looking up at the sky and all around the Quidditch pitch. “If not to live, then to survive.”

From everything Baekhyun said to him tonight, for Chanyeol the last sentence is the one that really gets to him. He knows how it’s such an honor to have such importance in someone’s life. Will he ever be able to be someone whose existence can help people and save lives, like how Sehun does to Baekhyun?

“That’s actually the reason why I came here tonight, to this Quidditch pitch. Here I can always feel better from flying with my broom, and…” Baekhyun’s voice reduces into a whisper as he reaches his hand out, in a gesture as if trying to hold someone’s invisible hand. “And I can imagine him here too. Like he’s here with me, you know?”

In a moment Chanyeol finds himself imagining a circumstance just like Baekhyun told him. It does induce a familiar feeling to him, though he’s still unsure what or who he’s imagining…

Hold on—why is he doing what Baekhyun told him? What is wrong with him tonight? The things Baekhyun said started to linger longer in his mind more than he likes, though he tries to block it out. Shut the fuck up, Byun…

“Though he’s not sitting next to me right now, I still have you accompanying me tonight, little puppy,” Baekhyun smiles at the beagle puppy, taking its paws for him to hold with his hands. “And that’s great as well.”

Suddenly Chanyeol can feel himself panicking, why has his heartbeat gone awry? Baekhyun is just holding his beagle puppy’s paws and smiling at him, those happened a few times before, but what’s happening to him? Why does it take an ample amount of time for him to relax himself long after Baekhyun let go of his paws?

Silence fills in again and Baekhyun decides to just sit around with the beagle puppy for more minutes, enjoying the night.

“Alright, it’s almost three in the morning,” Baekhyun says, yawning. He lifts the beagle puppy up from the tribune seat and into his arms, hugging it close—he can instantly feel the puppy’s warmth joining with his. “We better go back before Filch realizes the front door is opened the whole time.”

With the blankets back in his bag, his Nimbus 2001 on his left hand and the beagle puppy on his right hand, Baekhyun descends the tribune’s stairs. He walks back to reach the castle, having no difficulty to enter, before he climbs down the stairs to the dungeons and enter the Slytherin common room.

Slowly Baekhyun starts to develop a habit to clean and prepare himself to bed with the puppy present. Usually he’d just plop down on his bed after his midnight wandering. Exhausted from his flying session, he can only smile softly at the puppy lying next to him as his eyelids become heavy. “Fingers crossed for more good days and ability to overcome our fears,” he whispers, “See you later, puppy.”

By now, Chanyeol can tell the signs when Baekhyun is already asleep. He has it permanently memorized in his mind… somehow. Baekhyun will let out soft murmurs, sometimes sounding as if he’s a puppy himself. The hold of Baekhyun’s arms will loosen, though somehow sometimes his hands unconsciously will caress him gently again. And at last, there will be a sliver of a smile etched on Baekhyun’s peaceful sleeping face…

But again, he stops himself. Why did he even remember what Baekhyun does when he’s asleep? What did he just think about? He’s here only to spy on the Slytherin Quidditch team, and that’s all!

That thought calms his heart that somehow it beats louder than usual again. As always, quietly he slips out of Baekhyun’s hug, careful not to wake him up.

In conclusion, tonight is strange for Chanyeol. First he had the urge to make Baekhyun feel better, and now after discovering how Baekhyun likes Sehun he gets this odd feeling of being punched in the gut, for no absolute reason. The word jealousy passes his mind—but quickly he sorts his thoughts and mentally slaps himself. There’s just no way, the odd feeling is just him fathoming out how he’ll use Baekhyun’s secret to his advantage.

“Fuck! I’m here to spy on Byun, anyway, and nothing else!” Chanyeol shouts to no one in particular, his fist banging on the castle’s wall. Why can’t he just think properly? Why does his mind keep on going back and forth?

“Hogwarts students these days don’t even bother with their language.” A floating knight ghost passes by, turning around just to give Chanyeol a disapproving look before it goes away muttering more criticizing comments at Chanyeol.

“S-sorry, sir.” Chanyeol hastily apologizes before running back to the Gryffindor Tower.

Quickly Chanyeol climbs into the Gryffindor common room. He’s too tired and exasperated with his mind thinking nonstop about so many things to the point he doesn’t pay attention to his surroundings anymore. He just wants to sleep and hopes it’ll be a dreamless one where he just hopes it’ll make his thoughts drift away.

“You’re back.”

At the sound, Chanyeol almost cursed out loud and jumped at whoever was making the sound. But a quick turn of his body shows him Jongin half awake, peeping from under his thick blankets, though still lying motionlessly on his bed. “Yeah, I am.”

To the simple answer, Jongin doesn’t say anything else.

Relieved that it’s just Jongin, Chanyeol settles himself on his bed and closes his eyes. But instead of getting calm, he grows restless, as if something is itching to be let out. So he wakes up again.

Whatever is getting Chanyeol these new sensations of his heart beating at irregular pace at the sight of a smiling Baekhyun and his insides somehow feels pleasantly warm whenever Baekhyun caresses his fur when he was a beagle puppy, he doesn’t know. But he has a surmise and he needs to confirm it first. “Jongin, can I, uh, ask you something?”

“Ask away.” Jongin replies, now processing himself to be awake fully for Chanyeol. Then he pats a spot on his bed at his side, gesturing Chanyeol to sit next to him.

With his lanky legs, Chanyeol reaches Jongin’s bed in just a few strides. When he’s already seated, he scoots closer to Jongin before whispering, “How did you, um, you know, how did you know when… you—”

“Can we just get to the point, please?” Jongin cuts off as he finally shows himself from underneath the covers of his blanket, hair messy and spiking out here and there. “In case you didn’t realize it’s almost three in the morning and I need my sleep after working on the Charms essay Professor Filius told us to write yesterday.”

“Alright! Spare me a moment will you,” Chanyeol mutters, weighing the chances to tell or not to tell. But it’s Jongin, his best friend since childhood, so it’s fine, right? “How did you, uh, you know that you… like Kyungsoo?”

All of a sudden, a loud thud interrupts the silence. Apparently Jongin leaps out of his bed with too much vigor he bumps his head on the wooden bedpost. “What did you say?”

Being asked again to do something he’s not exactly okay or comfortable with doing it even just for once, Chanyeol can only whimper. “In the name of Merlin’s baggy pants, don’t let me repeat it again—”

“Don’t try to get Merlin or his baggy pants into this and just say it again already!” Jongin cuts Chanyeol off yet again, knowing his best friend is just delaying the time to prevent him from answering.

“Damn it, alright! How did you know that you like Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol repeats quickly in a more hushed voice, in the fear of someone else other than them two hearing him.

Raising a brow, Jongin stares at Chanyeol for a full minute before replying, “You like someone, do you?”

“I-I don’t!” Chanyeol denies as he shakes his head vehemently. The concept of him liking someone has never occurred to him before, so where does Jongin get such an idea?

“Just confess already, you’re not good at lying and I can see through you,” Jongin grins. Somehow the topic wakes him up to the fullest, so he straightens himself to sit on his bed. “Come on, own up now, Mr. Park Chanyeol.”

“I was just wondering, since… you know, I’ve seen you and Kyungsoo together for so long now,” Chanyeol tries to give a reasonable answer, though he knows he’s doing poorly. What was he doing, asking such a weird question? “That’s all, really. And if you don’t want to answer me then it’s fine, just wondering.”

Jongin continues his stare from the side of his bed, though this time with a shadow of amusement hovering over his face.

Feeling the palpable awkwardness, Chanyeol coughs a bit before changing the topic. “Anyway, I got more update on Byun, he’s putting Flint as a Keeper—”

“Oh, it’s Byun.” Jongin cuts him short. This time a cryptic smile starts dawning on his face.

What is happening inside Jongin’s mind, Chanyeol doesn’t know. He needs to clarify or else Jongin will get much worse ideas. “What the fuck you’re talking about Jongin I don’t like Byun—”

“Who said that? I only said Byun and by that I meant you’re just going to talk about Byun, so…?” Jongin reasons, chuckling at the way Chanyeol is panicking over such an innocent statement.

Quickly Chanyeol retaliates, trying to look like he’s the right one and Jongin is obviously wrong. Though his stammering exposes the fact that he knows Jongin’s reason is still logical. “B-but you—you’re smirking and all so I thought—”

“Thought what?” Jongin challenges, wanting to hear what else Chanyeol is trying to say. He has an idea of what this is really about, though he’s still not sure. So he puts a questioning look on his face instead.

“You—whatever,” Chanyeol stops himself, not wanting to embarrass himself further. Seeing Jongin’s inquiring look he decides to change the topic. “But you have to know that Byun is crushing on Sehun!”

The moment Chanyeol finished his sentence signals the moment when Jongin splutters on his hot chocolate. Placing his mug somewhere safe, he inquires, “What do you mean? Sehun as in our Oh Sehun?”

“Y-yeah! There’s no other Sehun in Hogwarts!” Chanyeol nods repeatedly, relieved Jongin forgets about the whole he likes Baekhyun business yet quite perplexed by the sudden turn of interest on Sehun. “Byun told me all about it!”

“Okay… did he explicitly say I like Oh Sehun of Ravenclaw?” Jongin asks, now moving himself forward just so he can hear clearly and paying full attention at what Chanyeol is saying.

Casting his eyes downside, Chanyeol can only avoid Jongin’s interrogative stare as he fidgets with a loose strand of his robes. “Well, no—”

“Then how do you know?” Jongin asks again as he knits his eyebrows, looking even more confused. “Tell me again what Byun said—”

“Byun said he likes this certain Quidditch captain and how good he is and all, alright?” Chanyeol impatiently cuts Jongin short, somehow feeling unnerved with the constant questions Jongin are throwing at him. “I just knew it’s Sehun! He’s the only other Quidditch Captain in this school, so who else might it be?”

“Okay then.” Jongin finally replies after a staring competition between him and Chanyeol that seems to last long enough for a season to change.

“Believe me, I know Sehun so well to know the one Byun described is Sehun—” Chanyeol unconsciously tries to rebuke a nonexistent argument from Jongin. Then he realizes the latter isn’t saying anything else and is having an odd expression on his face. “Wait, is that all you have to say?”

“What else do you want me to say?” Jongin chuckles, this time yawning wide as he readjusts his position to lay back down the bed. “Listen, it’s so late and I’ve got to sleep for real now.”

“Well—” Chanyeol mutters, feeling there’s still something left hanging from the conversation. But since Jongin really looks like he’s sleepy, he lets the topic fade away. “J-just go back to sleep.”

“See you in the morning.” Jongin yawns once again before burying himself under his blanket once more.

Despite it’s already nearing five in the morning, Chanyeol is still lying awake, staring at the red velvet curtain hangings of his four-posters bed. He doesn’t know why everything seems to be against him. Why does it seem like he’s the one who thinks the information of Baekhyun liking Sehun is important and worth to be inspected? Why does he keep thinking about why Baekhyun likes Sehun out of all people?

In his mind Chanyeol replays the conversation he had with Jongin. What did he say or do that implied to Jongin he somehow likes Baekhyun?

No, wait… wasn’t I the one who brought up the topic of me liking Baekhyun? Chanyeol asks himself in his head, trying again to find something he did wrong in the scenes and dialogues that happened just minutes ago with Jongin. Jongin didn’t mention anything about me liking Baekhyun…

Park Chanyeol, showing a slightest hint of himself liking Byun Baekhyun, his own arch enemy? Outrageous! What he needs to think about isn’t him, but how Baekhyun likes Sehun, anyway. The new secret he learned today of Baekhyun’s crush on Sehun is going to be his weapon. That’s it, nothing more to analyze deeper, end of story.

“Yeah right, I’ll like that arrogant toerag when hell freezes over.” Chanyeol says to himself, jamming his eyes close to force himself to sleep. He tries as hard as he can to remember the days Baekhyun acted horribly at him, but the images of Baekhyun he saw at the Slytherin dorm, the Kitchens, and the Quidditch pitch keep overlapping, messing up his mind. He doesn’t even know at this point whether he’s asking himself or trying so hard to reassure himself.

There is no way he’s starting to like Baekhyun, right? It’s unthinkable, impossible, and it won’t ever happen, right?

Though he’s proud of being a Gryffindor, where dwell at heart the brave, for the first time in his life, Chanyeol finds his heart doesn’t have the courage to answer.

—

Chapter Text

[4]

It’s another day in the first week of May, and morning comes fast as the sun rises over the Hogwarts castle.

The fifth match of the Quidditch season marks the second win of Ravenclaw as they put a stop to Slytherin’s attempts. Even so, the leaderboard stays the same, with Gryffindor leading, followed by Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin at last.

But no matter how exciting the Quidditch season is, it still can’t make Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon forget about the amount of tasks they have. As sixth year students, though relieved they passed their O.W.L. exams, it doesn’t mean they’re free. They’re N.E.W.T. students now, which means willingly or not they’re up for so many new and much complicated lessons to prepare them for their last year before graduating.

The fact that they have so many things to memorize but not enough time to study makes everyone spend breakfast time to take a look at their essay or their books. It has come down for them to be spectacularly busy that even Junmyeon starts to complain, since he’s enrolled in ten subjects instead of nine for taking one extra Advanced Arithmancy class.

“I can’t believe the amount of workload we have! I still need to read two books on New Theory of Numerology for Advanced Arithmancy!” Junmyeon spouts, now multitasking with his right hand holding open his copy of Numerology and Grammatica and his left hand spooning chicken porridge into his mouth. Twice he almost thrust his spoon into his nostrils.

“Why does every Professor want us to write rolls of parchment on difficult topics…” Jongin slurs, still half asleep judging by the way he tries to add salt into his pumpkin juice instead of on his scrambled egg. “Sometimes I don’t know whether to be happy the lessons end every afternoon and I can eat dinner or to be sad every lesson will end up with more essay homework…”

But Chanyeol is the worst of all three. He has been up all night for a few days now, trying to complete his essays though he ended up writing whatever he deems will scrape him enough score just to pass. Less sleep really can get someone more savage and cranky, he doesn’t need anything much to be sparked into annoyance.

But as that very thought passes through his mind, the only person that keeps haunting him both in his dreams and daily life saunters to the Gryffindor table.

“Hey Park, do you know that Parkinson’s sworn to knock you off your broom when Gryffindor’s meeting my team!” Baekhyun starts, with Flint, Blaise, and Parkinson looming tall behind him, all sporting the same ugly smirks on their faces.

“Parkinson’s aim’s so pathetic I’d be more worried if he was aiming for the person next to me.” Chanyeol retorts with no effort and only sparing Baekhyun a slow, lazy turn of his head. His reply is then followed by cheers from surrounding spectators.

“Just so you wait, Park,” Baekhyun voices a threat, eyes boring deep into Chanyeol’s. “You’ll wish you’ve booked a bed in hospital wing when you finally feel the pain.”

From the Ravenclaw table, Kyungsoo and Sehun walk up to the spot where the sixth year Gryffindors are sitting, right at the edge of Gryffindor table and near the mouth of Great Hall’s double doors. Both wave their hands as they arrive on the spot.

“You know Byun, you talk so much about booking beds in the hospital wing it makes me wonder do you frequent there, is there where you live?” Kyungsoo indifferently replies in Chanyeol’s place as he walks closer to Baekhyun, with Sehun in tow. “And with that much ego in you, I think it’s a miracle your broom can even lift you up.”

It’s a great comeback from Kyungsoo, but Sehun’s arrival prompts Chanyeol to look at Baekhyun. He dares himself to direct his eyes at both Sehun and Baekhyun: he sees Sehun with a shade of smirk on his face, while Baekhyun eyeing Sehun with an unreadable expression on his face. The two locked gaze for a few seconds before breaking it off, this time with Baekhyun’s cheeks reddening. He can’t believe his eyes—does Baekhyun feel shy around Sehun?

For a full thirty seconds Baekhyun just stands there without saying a thing. The Slytherin Quidditch Captain only throws an irritated look at Kyungsoo and later at Chanyeol, before turning around and leaving the group to reach the corridor that will lead down to the Slytherin dungeon.

The moment Baekhyun finally disappears from his sight is the moment Chanyeol finally wakes up from his train of thought. He throws away the thought of Baekhyun, he doesn’t need it to wreck his mood.

Jongin immediately rises up from his seat and shuffles to stand next to Kyungsoo. He drapes his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders, grinning at the latter. “Wow, that was… awesome.”

With the Gryffindor Chaser’s touch on him, a smile forms on Kyungsoo’s face, fully showing the heart-shaped lips curled up nicely. “It’s nothing, just basic logic.”

“Thank you for slapping more sense at Baekhyun, Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol laughs, happy to see someone finally shut Baekhyun up. Then he sighs, “But really, how long do I have to endure having this kind of treatment every single morning?”

“Come on, don’t bother dealing with Byun’s ridiculous babble,” Kyungsoo assures, grabbing on Chanyeol’s shoulders to help the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain rise from his seat. “We’ll be late for Charms class and Professor Filius might give us lots of essays to do.”

Today they have Charms class with the Ravenclaws, so all five of them will walk together to the class as usual. Junmyeon, Jongin, and Kyungsoo already proceeded to leave the Great Hall first while chatting about their Charms progress, leaving Chanyeol and Sehun walking next to each other.

“Look who’s here, the great Gryffindor’s Quidditch Captain Park Chanyeol himself! How are you?” Sehun greets with a smile, offering his hand for Chanyeol to shake.

For a split second Chanyeol just stares at Sehun and he can’t bring himself to shake Sehun’s hand. All he’s thinking about is how Baekhyun likes Sehun… wait. Didn’t he just tell himself to throw the thought of Baekhyun away? Why is he thinking of Baekhyun again?

The silent, frozen stance Chanyeol is giving him confuses Sehun. His best friend isn’t one to act awkwardly with him and loves to give him a round, tight hug every time they meet. “Chanyeol? Are you okay?”

“What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Chanyeol fakes a laugh to cover his clumsiness. “How about you? How does Ravenclaw Quidditch team captaincy suit you these days?”

“Fine, but probably isn’t as good as you. You Gryffindors flattened my Quidditch team on our first match together, remember? And you also won over Hufflepuff,” Sehun laughs as he nudges Chanyeol’s shoulder. Then he nods once toward Junmyeon walking in front of them. “I saw how great Junmyeon is as a Beater, he sent that Bludger to Hufflepuff’s Seeker and gave your Seeker some time to find the Golden Snitch.”

After the greeting exchange, Chanyeol and Sehun talk more about Quidditch season. Then they catch up with Jongin, Junmyeon, and Kyungsoo, with five of them continuing to walk together and climb up the marble staircase to reach the Charms classroom on the third floor.

A moment after they seated themselves on the middle row of desks, Professor Filius walks into the classroom and sits himself on the large upholstered chair facing the students. After he’s ready with his own copies of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six, Achievements in Charming, and Quintessence: A Quest and his wand, the Charms master starts the class with the usual warning every teacher gives in every lesson.

“I want all of you to pay extreme attention to this lesson because soon you will be taking N.E.W.T. or Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test exams in your seventh year, and this charm might be included in the practical exam.” Professor Filius says tersely, earning groans from the class.

“Today we will be studying about the Protean Charm,” Professor Filius continues, failing to observe the sullen looks of the sleep deprived students. “Anyone here can explain to us what is the Protean Charm?”

Somehow possible, Sehun’s hand shoots up faster than Junmyeon’s. “Protean Charm is an immensely complex charm that allows the caster to magically connect several objects through particular common purpose, rendering them into variable, flexible objects which form strong bonds between its constituent parts.”

“Twenty points to Ravenclaw for Mr. Oh’s perfect recitation of Protean Charm’s definition taken from our textbook, Quintessence: A Quest,” Professor Filius says happily, clapping loudly. “Now, does anyone know the example of Protean Charm usage?”

Perfectly timed, this time it’s Junmyeon’s turn to answer. “The prime example of Protean Charm usage is the use of fake Galleon coins as a warning system. The caster of Protean Charm can change the engravings of their own coin thus sending messages in codes effectively and accurately on real time for anyone bearing the same fake Galleon coin.”

“Again, example taken verbatim from Quintessence: A Quest. Excellent,” Professor Filius smiles, satisfied. “Twenty points to Gryffindor for Mr. Kim’s answer.”

From the next table besides Gryffindors’ rows where the sixth year Ravenclaws are sitting, Sehun raises a thumbs-up for Junmyeon. Then he mouths, “Good work!”

“Good work indeed, Junmyeon. As expected from you.” Chanyeol smiles, mirroring the same movement as Sehun did to a grinning Junmyeon.

“Now, let us read from Quintessence: A Quest page one hundred and ninety four…”

Professor Filius continues rambling about how understanding the etymology of Protean Charm helps the caster of the charm to unleash its potential fully, but nothing is caught by Chanyeol’ ears. His mind is somewhere else, his eyes staring far away through the glass windows, which given the height of the classroom gets him a view of the hoops in the Quidditch pitch.

Though he should be concentrating on Protean Charm, instead his mind replays again the event that unfolded earlier before Charms class: Baekhyun being all shy in front of Sehun.

Is Sehun really that charming, good looking, and breathtaking in presence until Baekhyun can’t give a proper comeback at Kyungsoo’s reply? Is Sehun really that cool, calm, and collected until Baekhyun can only stare at the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain? Is Sehun really that attractive for so many people including Baekhyun to like him? Chanyeol is sure he too is just as good as Sehun…

Hold on—why does his mind lead him to such horrifyingly wicked thought that’s highly unlikely to happen?

But just as stubborn as him, Chanyeol’s mind won’t stop making him think of Baekhyun and Sehun. It keeps growing through and through no matter how much he tries to break it off, just like water he can never be able to grasp in his hands. Only after Professor Filius dismissed the class does he realize he’s the only one left sitting at the desks. Did he really just spend two hours thinking about Baekhyun? For the thousandth time, this can’t happen again, what is wrong with him?

After a turn of his head, Chanyeol finds Jongin and Junmyeon who sat next to him are now standing near the classroom’s door, talking seriously using hushed voices with Kyungsoo and Sehun. So he collects his book into his bag and stands up from his seat.

“Hey, uh, what are you guys talking about?” Chanyeol asks as he walks closer to the crowd.

“Nothing.” Junmyeon answers nonchalantly as he pivots on his heels to face Chanyeol, shrugging lightly.

“Nothing? Really?” Chanyeol inquires, a sense of hesitancy dawning at Junmyeon’s unwonted short answer. He continues to squint his eyes at Junmyeon, Jongin, Sehun, and Kyungsoo, trying to check if any of them shows any fishy behavior.

“It’s an Arithmancy essay about the principles of Numerology that Junmyeon and I have to work on from Professor Vector,” Kyungsoo replies this time, as he smoothly moves forward, leading Chanyeol to walk out of the classroom. “You’ll be bored.”

The images of numbers and equations well above his level of thinking come into Chanyeol’s mind. He’s not exactly fond of the subject even though he’s only seen it when Junmyeon is doing his essays, so he lets the conversation end there. “Oh, alright.”

With that, all five of them leave the Charms classroom before the three Gryffindors and two Ravenclaws separate ways for their other classes.

The same routine occurs again as the trio attends their classes until late afternoon, go back to the Gryffindor Tower just to put away their books before going downstairs for dinner at the Great Hall. They’re back at half past eight to the Gryffindor common room just to deal again with their essays, homework, and revisions until late at night. When Jongin accidentally creates a hole in his essay because he’s too sleepy and dots his sentence with his quill a bit too hard, they decide it’s time to go to bed.

Once more tonight Chanyeol can’t get himself to sleep. Even when he knows it’s near midnight, he can only restlessly flips around on his bed, with just one question pasted all over the wall of his mind.

Should he come to the Slytherin common room again tonight?

By now, Chanyeol knows the reason for going to the Slytherin common room has already expired since that one night when Baekhyun took him to visit the Hogwarts Kitchen and actually showed him the strategy plan he made. But there’s just something that keeps him on thinking of coming back again, something that he can exactly put a name to it.

But Chanyeol hasn’t even placed one foot onto the carpeted floor when he realizes Junmyeon is looking at him from his own bed. He plops himself down the mattress, already readying himself to lie back again and hear Junmyeon telling him not to go.

Except Junmyeon has another thing in his mind. Smiling softly, he whispers, “Be safe. I’ll see you in the morning.”

The gesture Junmyeon showed puts Chanyeol’s mind at ease. He returns the smile before quickly leaving the Gryffindor common room. For being out of bed so late so many times now, the Fat Lady is too tired to tell him off when he climbs out of the portrait.

For this night Chanyeol feels like he’s just floating, carried by the wind as he walks to reach the Slytherin dungeon. His mind is full and blank at the same time with discrepant thoughts, while his legs move by its own accord. Only when he arrives at the dungeons his mind starts working again, and he turns into his Animagus form.

When Baekhyun is about to stick one foot out to the dungeons corridor, he already can see the beagle puppy walking to reach him. It starts to interest him how the puppy always comes in time as him walking out of the Slytherin common room, but he supposes it’s his luck to have a friend anytime he needs someone to accompany him.

“Hey puppy. You’re back,” Baekhyun crouches down as he waves at the beagle puppy looking up at him. Tonight is probably the most important night where he actually wishes the puppy to be back and be there for him and his special occasion. “Let me show you something, it’s a secret I’ve been working on since a few weeks ago.”

Still fresh in Chanyeol’s memory the night when Baekhyun showed him the Slytherin Quidditch team game strategy. So now he’s wondering did Baekhyun change the whole plan? Or is it another secret passage Baekhyun discovered?

“Our plan for tonight… How about we explore the Forbidden Forest?” Baekhyun reaches out his hands to carry the beagle puppy in his arms. “Are you up for a little adventure?”

Forbidden Forest? Out of all places? Chanyeol wonders. Why do they need to go to the Forbidden Forest? Didn’t Baekhyun just say he wanted to show a secret he’s been working on? By now he’s used by Baekhyun’s midnight wandering outside the castle, but still he’s curious as to how Baekhyun found his way without getting caught or detected even for once.

Just like last time they went to Honeydukes, Baekhyun’s feet lead them to the Entrance Hall. But instead of going through the big oak main doors, he turns left again to climb a set of stairs.

A little over ten minutes later, they landed on the fourth floor. Baekhyun briskly walks through the corridor, trying to find the thing that will lead him out of the castle. It doesn’t take long for him to find him as he finally arrives in front of a tall mirror hung on the corridor’s wall. For a moment he looks at his and the puppy’s reflections on the surface.

Is Byun checking himself out? Chanyeol wonders, more creeped out rather than confused. He too stares back at his and Baekhyun’s reflections, unsure what to do. This is weird—

Out of the blue, Baekhyun runs straight into the mirror.

What the fuck— Chanyeol screams in his head. Expecting them to crash and possibly get hurt from the mirror’s shattered pieces when they collide with its surface, he jams his eyes close. But instead of hearing the cracking sounds of the mirror breaking, he hears someone laughing.

“Did I scare you?” Baekhyun laughs, seeing the beagle puppy has its paws covering its eyes while snuggling its body closer to his. “I’m really sorry but I just can’t help it, your reactions are so cute.”

If Chanyeol can transform back into his human form right now just so he can scold Baekhyun about the silly prank, he’d do it. But he can only cross his arms in his mind, though his puppy self interprets it as him pawing on Baekhyun’s chest. Fuck you, Byun.

“Don’t worry, it’s a magical, penetrable mirror. You can pass through it but only at certain times and days,” Baekhyun explains, still chuckling at the puppy’s barks. “It’ll lead us outside the Hogwarts castle.”

Isn’t this the same secret passage Byun used on that first night he took me to Slytherin dungeon? Chanyeol wonders, looking at their surroundings. Somehow easily he already forgets that he was just mad at Baekhyun for not telling him about the mirror’s magical properties. The place seems familiar…

“If you remember, this is the route we took the first time we met,” Baekhyun pipes up, observing the way the beagle puppy’s head is turning around while sniffing the air. He reminisces the moment he first found the puppy, now he feels so grateful he wanted out though it was storming that night. “It’s been a long time since then.”

It brings Chanyeol back to the night he turned into his Animagus and went into the Slytherin common room for the first time. He has spent nights with Baekhyun, listened to Baekhyun stories, watched Baekhyun sleep—wait. Park Chanyeol, what the fuck? He slaps himself in his head, I’m doing it all just to spy on Byun, that’s all.

Now Baekhyun finds himself in the passage with a smooth stone floor. So with the beagle puppy in his hug, he lights up his wand and starts walking until he reaches the opening of the concealed rock cavern fifteen minutes later. He climbs out to have the tall, thick black trees of Forbidden Forest as the first thing he sees.

We’re here now, so what is Byun going to do? Chanyeol mutters in his mind. He’s a bit irked at the suspense Baekhyun is creating by not telling what does the Forbidden Forest have anything to do with his secret plan.

Maybe Baekhyun really understands what the beagle puppy is trying to say, or he’s just good at guessing it. But he senses the puppy is slightly impatient, so he assures, “We’re almost there, not long now… don’t worry.”

Then Baekhyun follows a narrow, winding earth track that he’s known for long, careful not to trip over the mossy tree stumps. He follows the path, keeping his steps following the stream, making sure he doesn’t stray far into the darker side of the forest. Then he stops at a particularly towering oak, fixing his gaze at a point somewhere close to the tree.

Why is Byun doing nothing? Chanyeol wonders after Baekhyun has stayed standing on the same spot and his eyes unmoving for a few minutes. Is this oak supposed to be his so-called secret project?

“Do you see it?” Baekhyun asks as he finally speaks again, still staring straight ahead. “If you don’t know they’re the ones that pull the carriages for the students to reach Hogwarts from the Hogsmeade Station and vice versa.”

Despite feeling irritated not a minute later, Chanyeol does just what Baekhyun asked. Though no matter how much he tries to strain his eyes to look around, he finds nothing but trees. And as far as he remembers, nothing is pulling the carriages, it just moves by itself…

“You can’t see it?” Baekhyun observes the beagle puppy’s head that moves around as if looking for something, when from his vision it’s right in front of them. “Lucky you, then.”

The reply Baekhyun said confuses Chanyeol. What is Baekhyun talking about? How is he lucky to not be able to see something? What Byun is on again? He wonders. First the mirror, now the oak tree. This is so weird…

“In front of us, we have two Thestrals.” Baekhyun finally tells the beagle puppy.

Among everything Baekhyun has said to Chanyeol, probably this is the one that makes him feel completely at loss for words. From his Care of Magical Creatures classes, he can identify the most important requirement for wizards and witches to be able to see Thestrals. But before the thought has completely formed in his mind, Baekhyun gives him the answer first.

“My mother passed away when I was seven,” Baekhyun whispers, closing his eyes so as not to let himself cry. He won’t cry tonight, not anymore. “Today is her death anniversary.”

The new information shocks Chanyeol more than anything. He feels a lot more than guilty to think that once he said about how the Valentine chocolates Baekhyun got are all sent by his mother. Now he knows the reason behind Baekhyun’s shocked face and why Baekhyun didn’t say anything: the supposed joke probably brings back so many sad memories. If he had known he wouldn't ever make such a cruel, insensitive joke…

“One day she just got really sick to the point she didn’t have much time to say goodbye,” Baekhyun continues his story, his voice starts to tremble. But he looks again at the beagle puppy looking at him with its round eyes reflecting the moonlight, and somehow that wills himself to keep on going. “I was there when she left.”

Back when Chanyeol was in his early years at Hogwarts, he used to think whoever could see Thestrals were cool. But only now, when hearing Baekhyun’s story does he realize he’s more than fortunate to not be able to see the creatures, since Thestrals can only be seen by people who have witnessed death.

“She was a Healer and she worked at St. Mungo as the Head Healer,” Baekhyun says, as he watches the winged horses with skeletal body and reptilian face in front of him flap their large bat-like wings. He hates the fact that he can see it. “She was a great mother figure for me and my brother.”

Though Chanyeol is still not sure of what he feels towards Baekhyun, he knows he gets this heart wrenching emotion when he hears the proud and loving tone in Baekhyun’s voice. Despite the fact that he also senses Baekhyun’s arms slowly begin to quiver, as if Baekhyun is mustering all of his strength not to just break down right now…

“But enough with the sad thing. I’m here to show you my secret project.” Baekhyun wipes a tear that has escaped his eye to prevent it from dropping onto the head of the puppy in his arms. He hates how he cries anyway, though he can’t help it.

The sudden change of topic surprises Chanyeol, though he understands it’s Baekhyun’s way to stop himself from crying—he heard the silent sniffle Baekhyun tried to stifle.

But what does Byun mean by secret project, really? Last time Byun said about a quest, now it’s a secret project? What kind of project can Byun do in the Forbidden Forest? Chanyeol wonders in his head. Just as the question forms in his head, Baekhyun makes clear his plan.

“I have promised her and myself too that I will keep on living,” Baekhyun smiles as he gently lowers the puppy to sit on the forest floor, before he takes out his wand from his trousers’ pocket. Then he wills his mind to summon as much as happy memories he has, concentrating on one particular memory. “And I will find my happiness again.”

“Expecto Patronum.”

Out of the tip of Baekhyun’s wand emerges a silver mist, which slowly takes form into a bright beagle dog. It paws on the forest floor before it starts running in circles and swirls up into the air, flying with no weight.

With his beagle eyes, Chanyeol watches in astonishment as a corporeal beagle dog Patronus walks to his front. Its movements are graceful and precise, as light matter should be. Mesmerizing as it is, he can only stare at it for a moment before redirecting his eyes at Baekhyun, finding something he can’t stop looking at.

“It’s your friend,” Baekhyun chuckles softly, eyes following wherever the silver beagle dog goes as it jumps around him. “I’ve wondered actually, how come I came across you, little puppy, something that later turns out to be the form of my Patronus. But then I guess even though we’re different, deep inside us we’re still pretty much the same.”

Only now does Chanyeol realize fully the different element that’s been bugging his mind, something that catches his attention from Baekhyun that makes him feel as if he’s submerged in some sort of charming spell Baekhyun has. It’s Baekhyun’s smile, a genuine one with a touch of pure happiness, that’s reflected on Baekhyun’s eyes.

“I’ve been battling my grief of losing my mother for so long, but not until a few months ago did I realize it’s never about erasing the painful memory,” Baekhyun says again, his eyes glinting the light radiating from the beagle dog Patronus. “It’s all about finally accepting and letting it go, and only by then I can come across the chance to feel happiness again.”

Professor Remus once mentioned to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Chanyeol attended that a Patronus is made out of the caster’s happiest memory. He wonders what could be Baekhyun’s happiest memory that seems to be able to drive away the grief he’s feeling from losing his mother?

Not a few minutes ago Baekhyun has promised himself not to cry anymore, but somehow seeing the silver beagle dog brings back tears into his eyes. “This is the first time I managed to cast the Patronus Charm and actually conjure a corporeal one. I guess it’s because you’re here, maybe?”

As if the Patronus heard Baekhyun, the beagle dog light runs straight into Chanyeol before it vanishes, which creates an illusion as if a spirit is coming back into the owner’s body. At first it shocks him, but somehow he can draw a parallel with it not long after.

“Remember my quest I told you about? This is it, my first step on trying to find my happiness again,” Baekhyun says again after the Patronus disappeared right where the beagle puppy is sitting, leaving trails of soft glow. “Thank you for helping and coming along with me, little puppy.”

Again, Chanyeol can only keep his gaze at Baekhyun as they sit in silence again, accompanied with some fireflies coming their way and hoots of night owls in the distance. His mind plays again the scene of Baekhyun thanking him with all of his sincerity. Does he really deserve that?

Right on that question, Chanyeol stops himself. Baekhyun is thanking the beagle puppy and not him. Baekhyun only knows the puppy and never him. But why, after he thought about it, he feels… upset?

“I love going to the Owlery in the morning,” Baekhyun states, “There you don’t just find owls, there are other birds too. I love to watch the birds fly at the break of the day as the sun rises.”

The train of Chanyeol’s thoughts stops abruptly. Why does Baekhyun talk about owls and bird watching with unreadable expression on his face? Is this another sudden topic change—

“Sometimes the birds arrive, and sometimes they’re gone. It reminds me of how people and things in life are like that, one minute they arrive and next you know they’re gone,” Baekhyun continues all of a sudden, his smile appearing again as he turns his head to look at the beagle puppy. “So I know for now I need to let my mother go. One day, though I don’t know when, I’ll see her. I just know.”

“It’s time to go back, puppy,” Baekhyun calls, spreading his arms wide to let the beagle puppy crawl into his embrace. “Let’s go.”

Whether it’s his beagle instinct or not and what’s the reason behind his action, Chanyeol doesn’t know. But he finds himself circling his puppy arms around Baekhyun’s neck, hugging him.

While walking back to the Slytherin common room, Baekhyun feels something different as he has the beagle puppy in his arms. Now to him the puppy seems to be a token of his beagle dog Patronus, like there’s something connecting the two aside from their beagle breed. He’s trying to find any correlation for how he feels so familiar with the Patronus despite seeing it only once and what is it really that makes the beagle puppy bring more protection than the Patronus does?

Only when Baekhyun lies on his four-posters bed with the beagle puppy hiding inside his hug and him a second away from losing consciousness does he realize what’s different. So he tells the puppy, whispering it close to its ears. “Thank you for keeping me safe, for being here when no one else does, and for being my guarding Patronus when I thought all hope is lost.”

This is the first time Chanyeol doesn’t count how long he needs to wait for Baekhyun to sleep for him to be able to leave. His mind is completely bare from thoughts. He can only lay his eyes on Baekhyun’s sleeping face for some reasons he doesn’t want to think about.

Only after it feels like a stretch of an hour does Chanyeol slowly disentangles himself from Baekhyun’s arm. Another first time he gets tonight is how he doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave, weirdly enough.

For this once, Chanyeol takes his time to climb the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower, using the added time to think more to himself. Somehow now he’s more aware of his surroundings, unlike last time. Though everywhere he’s looking he’ll see again a glimpse of Baekhyun trying so hard not to shed a tear when he talked about his mother, or Baekhyun smiling so wide as if in relief when he watched his beagle dog Patronus skipping around him.

As if taking turns, this time Chanyeol finds Jongin awake, sitting on his own bed across his.

“Hey,” Jongin nods at Chanyeol’s direction. Just by one look he knows from Chanyeol’s enervated steps something is disturbing the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain’s thoughts. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol quietly murmurs, his head craned down so he can only see himself twiddling his thumbs. But when he glances at Jongin’s direction he realizes Jongin is already walking to him, to come and sit on his side. So he might as well just tell the truth. “Well, not really.”

“Okay, what happened this time?” Jongin asks after adjusting his seat on Chanyeol’s bed, leaning his head towards Chanyeol’s side just so he can look right into Chanyeol’s eyes and convey the message that he’s here for him.

“Nothing…” Chanyeol mutters, this time his fingers travel up to massage his temple. His head doesn’t really hurt, but somehow he’s feeling pain somewhere in him. “But it’s more about something Byun told me.”

“Alright, I’m all ears.” Jongin says softly, trying again to catch Chanyeol’s eyes.

Nothing can describe how grateful Chanyeol is for his best friend’s continued support, knowing despite being tired and sleepy at four in the morning Jongin still spares his time for him. So slowly he looks up to face Jongin, finding the Gryffindor Chaser smiling softly at him. Then he spends ten minutes retelling the story Baekhyun told him about losing his mother and his constant fight with overcoming his grief.

“And even though today is Byun’s mother’s death anniversary, somehow he managed to perform a perfect Patronus charm, a corporeal beagle dog.” Chanyeol finally reaches the end of his story,

“A corporeal beagle dog?” Jongin says after awhile of them staying in silence, though it sounds like he’s muttering to himself more than asking Chanyeol. “The happy memory he used must be strong enough.”

Slightly confounded as to why the beagle dog part is the one Jongin picked up from the whole story, still Chanyeol nods slowly at the statement Jongin said. “Even though I don’t know what he has in mind, it is a strong one, I guess.”

“So… how do you feel now?” Jongin asks carefully, sensing there’s something else Chanyeol wants to discuss.

“I feel—” Chanyeol holds himself back for a moment. He’s feeling too many things at once to properly recognize any of them, so he decides to go one by one, from the outermost layer. “I feel… bad for him, he lost his mother at such a young age. I feel very guilty for once using his mother as a comeback joke at his insult.”

For five minutes Jongin waits for Chanyeol to let out all of his feelings, but it seems like Chanyeol isn’t going to say anything else.

“I feel bad about Byun and from your stories, he seems like a nice person, though it’s a pity we can’t see it much,” Jongin says objectively. “And I’m glad that despite Byun has never acted kindly towards you, you still have your emotions in its correct place. You didn’t mean to insult him in the first place, you didn’t know. I know you would never make such a joke. You’re a good person, Chanyeol.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too…” Chanyeol trails, replaying Jongin’s words of affirmation in his head to calm himself down. “Thanks, Jongin.”

“Is that all?” Jongin asks, eyes still trained on Chanyeol, making sure he’s not missing any change in Chanyeol’s expression or gesture.

A slow nod from Chanyeol confirms that it’s all he can say. Though he just knows he’s actually not done. Does he simply feel bad? Sheer pity? Empathy? Sympathy? He’s not sure those fit to what he feels…

“Are you fine now?” Jongin checks, knowing Chanyeol is the type of person who won’t say anything unless asked.

Another long and drawn out nod.

“Okay, I’ll go back to sleep now, if that’s okay?” Jongin asks again, this time already preparing to go back to his own four-posters bed.

Yet another nod.

Even though Chanyeol has spoken to Jongin about the problem, he still needs to talk to just one other person: Junmyeon. With his heart still feeling like it just shattered in pieces and his mind going awry from hearing Baekhyun’s story tonight, it takes five minutes in silence for him to realize Junmyeon isn’t there at the dormitory with them. “Where’s Junmyeon?”

“Uh… um, he’s out.” Jongin mumbles, eyes not exactly meeting Chanyeol’s as he stands up from Chanyeol’s bed.

“Out? Junmyeon is out when it’s almost three in the morning?” Chanyeol asks again, this time with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He knows Junmyeon isn’t one for midnight wandering, except for that one time in their fifth year when the three of them went out to sneak to the Library’s Restricted Section.

“I don’t know, he just said he’s going out.” With that Jongin runs away back to his bed before covering himself completely with his bedcover, leaving Chanyeol perplexed more than ever.

Then Chanyeol remembers the time this night before he left for Slytherin dungeon, Junmyeon did seem a little shady. Junmyeon didn’t hold him back and now Junmyeon is nowhere to be found. But he doesn’t worry much about it because he knows Junmyeon always knows exactly what he’s doing.

“Chanyeol, one more thing,” Jongin suddenly says as he peeks from his bed cover for one more time. He just needs to ask this one question before he goes to sleep. “You don’t have to answer this now but… have you started to care about Byun? To like Byun?”

As if Jongin prophesied it, Chanyeol can’t give a swift answer. Or maybe he doesn’t know the answer. Though truth to be told, he still feels one more thing from the night he spent with Baekhyun today, and from all the other nights. But he’s just so afraid to let the thought out in his mind or say it out loud, for some reason unknown. Why can’t he give an answer to the question, give a name to what he feels, or know the reason he can’t get Baekhyun out of his mind?

So Chanyeol finds himself back lying on his four-posters bed, still fully clothed. Though he’s still trying to work out the jumbled knot of his feelings, the question Jongin uttered has now dominated his mind.

There’s no way. Him caring for Baekhyun? Or something more preposterous, him liking Baekhyun? The Byun Baekhyun who spent his every breath to insult him and every second to make his life miserable can’t be the one he likes, or the one who likes him, anyway. Because that’s Sehun’s role in the story, and will never be his.

But he’s seen how the Byun Baekhyun he thought knew all the dark, dirty secrets about changes, when the sun switches place with moon and stars and there’s no eye to witness, into someone else. Someone so kind, caring, and heartwarming. Someone who he wants to stay by their side.

But again he’s talking about Byun Baekhyun. Someone who, let him repeat again, hates him to the core and never for once behaves in a good way at him. Someone who everyone doesn’t dare to mess up with in fear of getting into deep trouble. Someone who shows nothing but tough, blunt, and ominous side of him in front of the public’s eyes.

No, there’s no way he can feel that emotion for Baekhyun’s story. He hates Baekhyun right?

Sighing to himself, Chanyeol thinks it’s unwise for him to linger over these thoughts about Baekhyun. It’s best to just cast them away… before it’s too late.

With so many contradicting thoughts and guesswork appearing in Chanyeol’s mind, he still can’t be sure. Yet the growing feeling inside his heart says the opposite, he might’ve just known about it all along, though he chooses to ignore it for now.

How just like the changing of the seasons, in him there’s a change of the heart.

—

Chapter Text

[5]

It’s the second week of May.

Since they had a free period, after breakfast Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon went back to the Gryffindor common room to wait for their next class. For the second period of the day the Gryffindors have a History of Magic class with the Ravenclaws. Junmyeon spends his time revising and reading his books, Jongin is polishing the handle his Cleansweep Seven with his Broomstick Servicing Kit lay open near his feet, while Chanyeol works on his half finished Herbology essay.

When it’s already half past nine, thirty minutes to the appointed time for History of Magic class, all the sixth years get ready to come down to reach Classroom 4F on the first floor. But when they were about to climb out of the Fat Lady’s portrait, their House Head, Professor Minerva climbs in first.

Everyone goes in full alert because Professor Minerva rarely comes all the way up the Gryffindor Tower. So as the House Head walks to the center of the common room, everyone in the vicinity starts to gather around her.

“Today, for sixth years’ History of Magic class Professor Binns can’t attend the class and give out lessons because today is his death day—” Professor Minerva starts, making the sixth year Gryffindors erupt in cheers.

Turning around in his spot, Chanyeol faces Jongin who says another free period! with glee and gives him a high five. He knows about the story of Professor Binns, the only ghost teacher Hogwarts has. The History of Magic teacher fell asleep in front of the fireplace and died, but his soul remains oblivious that he’s already dead and continues to teach until this day.

“But that doesn’t mean you have a free period. Professor Binns has delegated me to inform all of you that you have to write and collect an essay on Goblin Rebellions, Giant Wars, and International Warlock Convention of 1289.” Professor Minerva adds curtly, effectively draining out the air of celebration that was previously filling up the room.

“But Professor Binns hasn’t taught us about all those topics,” someone who’s standing behind Chanyeol says, earning nods from some other sixth years. “We were just discussing the International Confederations of Wizards’ Statute of Secrecy—”

“Which is why Hogwarts has a place called the Library for all of you to study the topics by yourself,” Professor Minerva testily replies, offering a stiff nod at sixth years that still try to complain. “I will have Madam Pince looking over you as you work on your History of Magic essay.”

“I want all of the sixth years to come down to the library as soon as all of you are ready,” Professor Minerva says at last as she climbs out of the Fat Lady’s portrait. “I will check on you whether you carry out your tasks or not. Good day to you all.”

“Not our day, I guess…” Jongin says dejectedly as everyone walks back to where they were and resume their activities after Professor Minerva left. Then he eyes longingly at his broom and Broomstick Servicing Kit lying on the floor. “I was just going to refine and add some finishing touch on my Cleansweep Seven.”

“What do you mean not our day? The Library is perfect for working on the History of Magic essays, there will be so many books we can use as references other than our required textbooks!” Junmyeon replies with the same excitement shown in his face as if they’ve won the Inter-House Quidditch Cup. “And to think that we don’t have to bring all the heavy books up here.”

“More books than the ones we already have that are so heavy my school bag ripped as soon as I lift it and give me back pains?” Jongin grimly replies as he reluctantly put away his Broomstick Servicing Kit and Cleansweep Seven. “No thank you.”

“Well I agree only on the part where we don't have to bring all the heavy books all the way back to Gryffindor Tower,” Chanyeol chimes in, feeling downcast already as he imagines how hard it’ll be to collect information for his essay. He doesn’t even know where to start. “That will require so much work.”

But Junmyeon seems to turn a deaf ear at what Chanyeol and Jongin said. The Gryffindor Chaser even already starts to make his way out of the common room, talking to himself what kind of subtopics he wants to highlight more and leaving his two best friends stare at his walking away figure. “I wonder if there’s Notable Great Goblin Events of the Fiftieth Century or A Guide to Medieval Warlock Society? I’ve been trying to borrow it for ages…”

“Let’s just go.” Chanyeol mutters at Jongin, with the latter reluctantly joining him in following Junmyeon’s steps.

The trio and the rest of sixth year Gryffindors don’t have to walk for long since Hogwarts Library is located on the first floor. Upon entering the Library, they’re greeted already by Madam Pince, the Hogwarts librarian, who seems to care about the wellbeing of the books more than the students. Behind her there’s a large sign written with bold letters:

A warning: do not eat, talk, laugh, whisper, sneeze or scurry in the Library. If you rip, tear, shred, bend, fold, deface, disfigure, smear, smudge, throw, drop, or in any other manner damage, mistreat or show lack of respect towards any book, the consequences will be as awful as it is within my power to make them. Hereby signed, Madam Pince.

“That always gives me the chills.” Jongin mutters as they pass Madam Pinch’s front desk, where the librarian is staring intently at them as if they’re here only to disrupt her peace.

“It’s there just to remind you of one thing, really,” Junmyeon says as he looks around for tables to sit. Then he looks back at Chanyeol and Jongin to see the two giving him a genuinely confused look, so he adds with a tired tone, “Respect the books and everyone using the library, of course.”

“Let’s just get the farthest table from her,” Chanyeol mutters, pulling on Junmyeon and Jongin’s arms to get them to walk faster. He really can’t stand Madam Pince’s piercing stare. “She gives me fright as well—”

“Oh look over there, it’s Sehun!” Jongin exclaims over Chanyeol’s grumbling, pointing to a table near the corner of the tall shelves. Then he squints at Sehun, who seems to be talking with someone in front of him. “He’s here with someone…”

“Who’s that sitting with Sehun?” Junmyeon narrows his eyes, trying to discern the face of the person sitting next to Sehun but the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain’s head is obscuring the view. Though he can recognize the person’s features…

“Why are we just standing here? Let’s go and sit with Sehun!” Chanyeol says. But Jongin and Junmyeon keep standing on their spots, so he decides to walk closer to the two huddled people and greet the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain first. “Hello, Sehun! How are you—”

Hearing Chanyeol’s voice, Sehun turns his head and finally showing the identity of the person sitting next to him. “Oh hi, Chanyeol.”

The first second Chanyeol lands his eyes on the person’s face, he can’t believe his own vision. Is he hallucinating or is that really… Byun Baekhyun? Baekhyun is really sitting in front of Sehun? He rubs his eyes a few times before looking again. It’s really Baekhyun. And now it seems like before he arrived at the table Sehun said something amusing that made Baekhyun laugh, since Baekhyun is still chuckling with his eyes fixed at Sehun. What are the two doing together in the Library? Why does the view make him feel like someone is punching him in the gut repeatedly?

A moment later Jongin reaches the spot where Chanyeol is standing frozen. One look at the point Chanyeol is staring at gives him a clear explanation as to why Chanyeol stopped walking so abruptly. So quickly he takes the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain place to answer Sehun’s greeting. “Hey, Sehun, uh, what are you doing?”

“Oh uh,” Sehun realizes the tense situation they’re in after Jongin gestured something behind Chanyeol’s back. “Just working on the History of Magic essay that Professor Filius told sixth year Ravenclaws to do—“

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Chanyeol blurts out at Baekhyun without realizing what he’s doing, sending suspicious look over to the Slytherin Quidditch Captain.

“Oh so now I can't do whatever I want at the Library?” Baekhyun finally detaches his eyes from Sehun, the smile on his face is gone to be replaced by an irked, almost bored expression. “The last time I remember, you don’t own the Library and Hogwarts is never yours to begin with, Park.”

The answer Baekhyun gave catches Chanyeol off guard. Though he doesn’t want to admit it, Baekhyun has a point: since when he takes interest about what Baekhyun is doing? “I mean—you never go to the Library before—”

“Stop bullshitting Park, let’s just bet losers should get their heads dumped into the toilet,” Baekhyun talks loudly over Chanyeol’s feeble mumbling, drawing the attention of students nearby. “Before you lose, want to go upstairs and practice?”

“No thanks, I feel bad for the toilet, it has never had anything with minds as terrible as your head down it, you see,” Chanyeol bites back, now coming back to his senses. Since when he turns outlandishly clumsy and flustered in front of Baekhyun? “It might puke at the taste.”

“Just prepare to lose, Park,” Baekhyun spits out, standing so abruptly the chair he was sitting on makes a loud screeching sound against the floor. “Make yourself feel at home here then, I’m fucking leaving.”

Then Baekhyun leaves exactly at the moment when Madam Pince comes over to reprimand them for being too loud. He packs up his books and parchments, grabs his bag harshly, and walks out of the Library without looking back.

The atmosphere suddenly shifts from tense into awkward. Jongin, Junmyeon, and Sehun can only look at each other as Chanyeol keeps staring at the direction where Baekhyun walked off.

“Oh hey, the Gryffindors are all here,” Kyungsoo breaks the awkward bubble. It seems like he just got back from strolling around the tall shelves, with him clutching a few thick books on his arms. “All of you are working on the History of Magic essay, too, right?

“Yeah,” Jongin replies as he quickly comes over to Kyungsoo to help him with the books. Then he seats himself next to Kyungsoo. “And I really have no idea where to look for the International Warlock Convention of 1289…”

“No worries, I’ll help you,” Kyungsoo smiles at Jongin, earning him a grin from the latter. Then he turns around at Junmyeon. “And Junmyeon, are you looking for A Guide to Medieval Warlock Society?”

“Yes! Wow, Kyungsoo, you’re such a lifesaver,” Junmyeon replies brightly as he too takes a seat. “I’ve been looking for that book for a month now but it seems like people keep on borrowing it first before I can get my hands on it.”

“Sehun has it, he borrowed it a week ago and just returned it today.” Kyungsoo says, nodding at Sehun’s direction as he prepares his parchment roll to write his essay on.

With Kyungsoo mentioning and bringing him into the conversation, Sehun puts down his quill before he rummages through his bag and pulls out said book. “Oh yeah, here, I’ve secured it for you before other students take it.”

“Perfect. Thank you so much Sehun,” Junmyeon replies, taking the book Sehun handed over. “Now we can work on our essay with this book.”

A quick look to Chanyeol sitting next to him gets Sehun to realize Chanyeol doesn’t take part of the conversation at all, just keeping his silence since Baekhyun left. He notices Chanyeol has a vacant look occupying his face as if the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain is thinking hard about something.

“Come on, Chanyeol, it’s nothing. Just forget about Baekhyun’s silly comment,” Sehun chuckles, deciding to wake Chanyeol up from his trance. Everyone nods approvingly at him. “Let’s just go back on our essay.”

“Yeah, let’s just continue working on our History of Magic essay. Professor Binns wants it by tomorrow.” Junmyeon adds, smiling gently as he tries to get Chanyeol’s attention back on them.

“What?” Chanyeol impassively mumbles, eyes still grounded at something in the distance. Then he turns his head slowly at Junmyeon’s touch on his shoulder. Realizing he has four sets of eyes staring at him concernedly, he tries to sober himself up. “Oh, yeah… I’ll do it in a moment…”

Though the others are already starting to write something for their essay, somehow Chanyeol just can’t get himself to focus. Instead his mind wanders off and makes him do things.

He keeps glancing at the seat where Baekhyun was sitting. Moreover, now he can’t look at Sehun without feeling some sort of irritation and displeasure. It stresses him so much because he just doesn’t know why he started to feel that way towards Sehun, when it was Baekhyun who acted rudely at him. Even at some point he stops doing things and he raises his quill for too long a blotch of ink drips from its tip onto his parchment, almost ruining his essay if not for Kyungsoo noticing and cleaning it with a flick of his wand.

And the worst is this: he admits sometimes the thoughts of Baekhyun come into his mind, though he was so sure it was always about how he wants to beat Baekhyun into a pulp, make Baekhyun feel hurt, pain, or humiliation, and punch Baekhyun in the face until he bleeds. But now? He doesn’t know what he feels anymore.

Looking up from the piece of parchment he’s scrawling on, Chanyeol can sense something different is changing him and everything around him. He can only wish he can find out the answers as to what is really happening to him and what caused it before he goes crazy.

The five students continue working on their essay, with Madam Pince watching over them and making sure the books they’re using aren’t damaged or blotched by ink. And true to her words, Professor Minerva comes by to keep track of their progress, accompanied by Professor Filius as Ravenclaw’s House Head.

Once the bell that signs the end of the first period rings, they all leave the library. The day continues for them with other classes before it ends on dinnertime. The Gryffindor trio is back at the Gryffindor Tower, staying at the common room until late at night because they’re too occupied with the massive amount of more essays they have to write.

Again working on his History of Magic essay, Chanyeol can’t put his mind to finish it. The more the days pass the more things he has in his mind. These days he’s more distracted and unable to concentrate, even during Quidditch training session, when he’s usually at his highest level of focus while flying on his Firebolt, he keeps getting lost in his thoughts.

By now Chanyeol can’t even ask himself the question of how he should come to the Slytherin dungeon again tonight, because he just knows he’ll go anyway. He’s not even sure anymore, what he’s doing there or where is the aim he had back when he started the plan to sneak into the Slytherin common room.

He can’t even fight the weird feeling that seems to control him, urging him to go and making his heart feel excited at the thought of coming back. He’s forgotten what’s his true reason to go to the Slytherin common room, no matter how much he tries to remember. His life has turned into a whirlwind since the first time he visited the place with Baekhyun, to the point he’s been running round in circles in his mind only to come back to square one: he needs to go back.

It’s five minutes until the clock strikes midnight when Chanyeol decides to stop pretending he’s writing about how Golgomath the Gurg killed Karkus and started the Giant War, when he’s actually just scribbling circles on a leftover piece of parchment. He looks around: Jongin is asleep on top of his copy of Unfogging the Future, while Junmyeon is still engrossed in reading An Anthology of Eighteenth Century Charms. He does it all without thinking: putting aside his essays, placing his canvas satchel bag in its usual hiding place, and standing up to leave.

“Where are you going?” Junmyeon asks, looking up from his book. His voice was calm but still clearly heard across the common room.

“I’m going to, uh, get some night air…” Chanyeol trails off. Opposite from Junmyeon his voice is only a whisper. He takes a deep breath and decides to not exactly tell where he’s going, though somehow he has an inkling Junmyeon will still find out anyway. “Somewhere.”

Knowing Chanyeol’s nook and cranny since childhood makes Junmyeon understand where is somewhere, and the reason why Chanyeol wants to go there. So he nods, giving Chanyeol a kind smile. “Alright, always be on the lookout and be safe. I’ll see you when you’re back here.”

A bit surprised he doesn’t get a bit of a lecture as to why he shouldn’t come back, still Chanyeol returns the smile and nods back. He turns around and quickly climbs out of the Fat Lady’s portrait. As he finds his way down to the Slytherin dungeon, the weird feeling that previously urged him to go has grown into a sense of exhilaration, though he doesn’t know why he should be thrilled…

But Chanyeol finds his answer as soon as he arrives at the corridor with the stone wall that conceals the entrance to the Slytherin common room. He sees Baekhyun also just coming out of the passage before it closes into a stretch of bare stone wall again. Baekhyun notices him and even chuckles at him, and at that moment he forgets whatever happened earlier in the day. Is this why?

When Baekhyun walks out from the common room, even before he reaches the dungeons’ corridor, he already has his head turned to the side of the corridor he’s usually found the puppy waiting for him. And how right he was, because there it is, the beagle puppy walking with its short legs and small paws to reach him. The sight and his accurate guess make him chuckle lightly.

“Hey puppy, how are you tonight?” Baekhyun calls as he walks towards the beagle puppy that seems to have just arrived just like him. When he’s near, he crouches down, his smile turning into a grin. “Fancy for some night air and stargazing?”

Of course Chanyeol doesn’t miss the fact that the first thing Baekhyun said is exactly the same thing he said to Junmyeon. Is it just another coincidence or something else? He’s unsure of the answer he has in his mind, so he nods. But stargazing? Here students don’t do that often unless for Astronomy class every Wednesday night…

“Alright,” Baekhyun says, already feeling delighted even just from seeing the beagle puppy nod its small head. So he lifts the puppy by its arms, placing it safely on his chest and secured in his hug just like usual. “Let me take you to the number one of my favorite places in Hogwarts.”

After making sure he has everything he needs for the trip and the beagle puppy is set, Baekhyun starts walking. He passes the Entrance Hall and takes a path that will lead him to one of Hogwarts’ towers. For fifteen minutes he climbs up flights of stairs without stopping.

It doesn’t take long for Chanyeol to realize Baekhyun has brought him to the Astronomy Tower, the tallest tower in Hogwarts. He recognizes the stairs they’re taking to be the ones he used frequently to reach the place where his Astronomy classes are usually held. But what are we going to do here? He wonders, just stargazing?

At last, after climbing one last set of spiral staircase, Baekhyun reaches the highest part of the Astronomy Tower. He takes a breath, having the cold air filling his lungs. Then he lowers the beagle puppy down, before taking a thick blanket to drape it over the floor, near the crenellated ramparts where he can look at the sky more clearly.

“Come here, have a seat.” Baekhyun smiles, patting a space on the blanket next to him as a gesture to get the beagle puppy to sit.

Even without Baekhyun telling him, Chanyeol already makes his way to reach Baekhyun. He crawls before he lowers himself on the ground next to Baekhyun. And though he has the vast expanse of the skies above his head, his eyes are on Baekhyun, observing the latter’s face.

“So, I did tell you I like flying at the Quidditch pitch, but I have to say my favorite place is here,” Baekhyun says, looking back at the beagle puppy staring at him for a moment. Then he redirects his eyes to the expanse of skies and grounds in front of them. “The view from up here is just amazing.”

Been visiting the Astronomy Tower once a week for his Astronomy classes, Chanyeol knows what Baekhyun said is true. The tower lies almost directly above the front doors of the castle, enabling him to see the whole Hogwarts castle and grounds below them. It’s also surrounded by a parapet and is tall enough to have a perfect view of the starry sky.

From his canvas satchel bag, Baekhyun takes his handheld brass telescope that he used frequently for Astronomy classes. It’s his favorite subject at which he excels with Outstanding as his score for every Astronomy exams, at this point he no longer needs a star map to know where to direct his sight.

“See over there, two curving lines of stars reaching upwards high in the west?” Baekhyun aims his telescope towards their right first, finding the easily spotted stars in front of him. “That’s the constellation of Andromeda, the beautiful princess and the wife of Greek hero Perseus in Greek mythology.”

“Nearby, you can also find the W-shaped northern configuration of stars for the queen of the night,” Baekhyun recites the story he’s memorized for long, adjusting his telescope carefully so as to keep track of the stars’ paths. “It’s Cassiopeia, Andromeda’s mythical, royal mother.”

“At lower right of Andromeda you’ll find the constellation of Pegasus,” Baekhyun resumes, furtively glancing to his right to find the beagle puppy’s head titling and following what he’s saying. He coos internally at the adorable sight. “The horse that managed to reach Olympus and helped Zeus to carry thunder and lightning to the sky, eventually gaining him a place among the Perseus constellations.”

Without looking through the telescope, Chanyeol can’t see much of the stars except the tiny bright dot of Cassiopeia. But hearing Baekhyun’s lulling voice, the sky unfurled further as if they’re no longer sitting on the floor of Astronomy Tower to float among the wreckage of the universe and the stars don’t feel as distant as many parsecs…

“I love places in elevated height, and they’re even better if no one is around,” Baekhyun pipes up, letting go his telescope to point the places with his index finger. “Like this Astronomy Tower is the only place where the stars seem to be only a hand’s reach away, the Owlery where I can watch the birds come and go, and the Quidditch pitch where I can just fly away…”

About the places mentioned, Chanyeol doesn’t really acknowledge them, but after Baekhyun listed it all, he realizes Baekhyun’s right. Unconsciously he nods in his head, approving everything Baekhyun said down to the last point.

But soon after, if it’s really possible to happen, he can feel his heart skipping a beat, knowing again he agrees with Baekhyun. Before, he’d be perplexed, angered even, to know Baekhyun has the same preferences as him in things, but now it feels like he finally finds a common ground between them. And it blankets him in unexplainable warmth of reassurance, somehow…

Observing the beagle puppy’s curious head bobbing up and down cutely, again Baekhyun notices the reappearance of the sense of ease that settles in the deepest vaults of his mind. What curls his lips into a smile is the way this time the feeling stays longer with him.

The beagle puppy suddenly turns around, pulling Baekhyun out from his reverie. They exchange a look, and for some reason he feels as if he’s caught red handed, so he smiles sheepishly, which the puppy replies with a rub of its furry snout on his arm. He pats the puppy’s head, loving the way its long ears flutter excitedly against the back of his hand.

All of these pleasant feelings only make him want to make the puppy feel what he feels, and Baekhyun has the stars to help him do so.

“Let’s see who else is up here with us…” Baekhyun has his telescope again and points up high to the south part of the sky. “Oh! We have the constellation of Orion with its four bright stars peeking from the periphery of tonight’s sky.”

Transfixed with Baekhyun’s voice, involuntarily Chanyeol tip his head back to look at the sky. He remembers Orion the Hunter, the most famous of winter constellations, though he notices more how Baekhyun’s eyes seem to light up brighter when he talks about the skies and its occupants, just like Orion’s two brightest stars Rigel and Betelgeuse…

“Now, if we draw a line through Orion’s belt then we’ll find…” Baekhyun mutters, slowly moving his telescope upwards and slightly to the right. “Ah, there it is, the pretty cluster of seven stars. It’s Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. In Greek mythology, they’re the seven daughters of Atlas.”

“Six of them married and had offsprings with other immortals, befitting their divine status, earning them the right to glimmer proudly in the sky held by their father’s hands,” Baekhyun lowers his telescope to look at the beagle puppy. “Only one married a mortal, and that’s Merope, our slightly dimmer star right there.”

The way Baekhyun tells the stories makes Chanyeol so enthralled that he hardly notices anything else around them. He can’t even tell anymore what is happening to him with his heart acting up again, skipping yet another beat, when he realizes with Baekhyun he can recall the stories behind the constellations better than when Professor Aurora explained it to him.

With only the clear sky and the half moon slightly obscured by the clouds as their illumination, the part of the Astronomy Tower where Baekhyun and the beagle puppy are sitting is dimly lit, almost dark, with the moonlight pasted a thin, greyish shade on everything. The surrounding reminds him of something, and looking at the peaceful look on the puppy’s face urges something he keeps in his mind to come out.

“You know, I used to be afraid of the dark when I was a kid. But my mother helped me overcome my fear, to the point now my favorite time of the day is at night, when everyone is asleep. I really love the night skies,” Baekhyun starts as he leans back on one of the pillars. “Do you know why?”

Fear of darkness is probably every child’s fear, and Chanyeol is actually not that fond of places with little or no light where he doesn’t know where he’s going. Though now he can’t say the same with him sitting next to Baekhyun while looking at the night skies…

Sensing Baekhyun is going to tell another story, he gathers all of his attention towards Baekhyun and gets his puppy ears up to listen properly.

“My mother loved telling me so many things,” Baekhyun says, brushing gently the puppy’s fur. It takes him a while to be able to talk about his mother without his voice trembling or his eyes sting because of unshed tears. But he manages to do it well today. “One of them being how she said even though the night is dark, but that’s when the stars become the brightest celestial beings in the sky.”

This is the first time Chanyeol sees darkness in that context. Though he’s still a bit lost when he tries to follow Baekhyun’s trail of thought. But doesn’t that mean we’re still standing in the darkness? He wonders, so it’s still the same thing…?

“The night teaches me that even a small candle shines the brightest in the darkness. It makes me realize that you’re never really alone, and every effort you do still counts, no matter how small,” Baekhyun continues, focusing his eyes on the half moon. “It gives me a sense of faith that I just have to keep on going.”

Slowly Chanyeol understands what Baekhyun is trying to put across. It’s not about standing alone with little light as darkness engulfs him, but it’s to know that as long there’s still light—in other context, hope—then it’s still the one thing that blazes radiantly against the dark. The idea is strangely so brilliant, he can’t say anything more and continues to listen to Baekhyun.

“How about we go back to take a peek at the sky again?” Baekhyun clears his not itchy throat after a moment. The night sky reminds him of his mother so much. The grief keeps on bringing despair that acts like waves on the shores: steadily eroding the sands of his sanity. It’s a constant fight he has to win for it to be over.

With the earth rotating as time passes and making it as if the sky is shifted up, Baekhyun finds his comrades in his fight hanging on the midnight blue canvas. “You see there? The two upper bright stars of Orion’s rectangle, the dazzling valiant warrior Bellatrix and the shining fiery red Betelgeuse.”

Baekhyun’s face is slightly covered by his hands and the telescope, but still Chanyeol sees the smile. It’s another of Baekhyun’s rarely shown genuine smile, though this time, without him knowing how, it brings to him the memories of spring days where flowers bloom and the rain leaves a fresh, pleasant aroma in the air.

“That’s what I love from stargazing at random nights, you’ll find surprises,” Baekhyun chuckles, mood lifted. These stellar beings getting brighter the more it gets dark reminds him that he’s never alone. “Let’s move again, I think I remember the region of another set of stars nearby…”

Moving his telescope to his left, Baekhyun happily exclaims, “Yes there they are! Castor and Pollux. Our celestial twin of Gemini’s constellation. Beautiful, aren’t they?”

Yeah, beautiful… Chanyeol whispers in his head, mind going autopilot. With his puppy eyes, he follows the route of beautiful things he finds in front of him. The sky, the stars, the moon, and—

Right at that time his breath hitches. He senses his heart thudding rapidly, feeling as if something is banging on the doors of his heart to open up, when his eyes fall again on Baekhyun’s grinning face. It can’t be… vainly he tries to contain and buries again the thing that has been demanding him to acknowledge its existence. It just can’t be, right?

“There’s one other thing I still remember vividly of me and my mother. She loved to tell me stories before I go to sleep,” Baekhyun speaks again after a stretch of silence, now turning to hold the beagle puppy’s paws. Then as a particular memory shows up in his mind, he chuckles, “Sometimes she would read from The Tales of Beedle the Bard.”

Chanyeol’s feeble effort is thrown out of the window when Baekhyun holds his hands—well, his paws, not exactly his own hands, but same difference since it seems to make his heart leapt out of his chest to join the stars above. Though his focus is dwindling away the more Baekhyun caresses his paws, he recognizes the book Baekhyun mentioned, since he’s also raised in a Wizarding family just like Baekhyun.

“Do you know the stories? The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, The Fountain of Fair Fortune, The Warlock’s Hairy Heart, Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump, and The Tale of Three Brothers,” Baekhyun lists, counting with his fingers. “They’re all interesting to read with a message inserted in every story. I’d tell you about it, but I’ll save it for later occasion.”

It brings Chanyeol back to his childhood. The Wizard and the Hopping Pot promotes unabating kindness for everyone, wizards and Muggles alike. The Fountain of Fair Fortune tells about how sometimes the things we want aren’t the ones we need, and how to appreciate everything we have. The Warlock’s Hairy Heart reminds people to always fill their heart with love and kindness. Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump instructs to never look down on people, no matter who they are. And at last, The Tale of Three Brothers advises to never let greed get to you.

“Once she told me about the story of a love so pure, of the sun and the moon,” Baekhyun says, trying to recall the story he hasn’t heard for so long since his mother is gone. As he does so, he weighs the puppy’s paws on his hands and plays with its toes, smiling when he sees the puppy seems to like it so much. “It’s about how the sun loves the moon so much it’s willing to die every night to let the moon come alive.”

I think I know this story, Chanyeol tries to guess in his head, though again he’s distracted with Baekhyun playing with his paws. He thinks he does remember the story, indeed it’s one of those frequently repeated romance stories. I think my Mum and Yoora nuna once talked about this story before…

“At the end of the story she told me that for some people, the story of the sun and the moon is the accurate depiction of how true love works,” Baekhyun continues, looking back at the half moon again with an inquiring expression as if asking the moon whether it’s correct. He returns his eyes on the puppy with a grin. “But for her, it’s more than that. This is where it gets more interesting.”

More than that? Is it even possible? Chanyeol asks himself, trying to decipher Baekhyun’s grin. Tonight it seems Baekhyun has so many riddles for him. Isn’t dying every night to let the moon comes alive is already more than enough?

“She then continued to tell me a story of the moon and the stars. To this day it’s still my favorite one. Want to hear it?” Baekhyun asks, his grin getting wider. For some reason, he feels like he’s telling a bedtime story to a little kid, just like what his mother did when he was too a little kid. And even though his mother isn’t here, he’s still able to feel the warmth her mother gave, just by having the puppy around.

Without needing to be told twice, Chanyeol agrees, though Baekhyun can only see it as the puppy nodding its head. So he crawls closer, placing his puppy head on Baekhyun’s lap. He’s so curious, he’s never heard of this side of the story before…

“The story of a true love of the moon and the stars started when the universe bloomed, just like a rose, from nothingness.” Baekhyun starts as he takes out his wand. Then with a precise movement of his wand, he conjures something tiny, just slightly smaller than a marble, careful to let it fall onto his upturned left hand slowly.

With Baekhyun’s soft voice filling his ears, Chanyeol watches as Baekhyun opens his hand, revealing a seed on his palm. Slowly by surely, as if time is speeded up, the seed on Baekhyun’s hand grows quickly yet still elegantly until it becomes a piece of fully bloomed white rose. It’s an impeccable show of complicated Transfiguration, and he can only stare in amazement at how Baekhyun seems to do it well so effortlessly.

“The moon was alone until one day the stars started to appear one by one. The stars emerged everywhere around the moon as if they were hugging the orb of the night, with the two vowing they would stay together for eternity. Though the moon shone brighter, still the stars stay. Though they were separated light years away, still the stars stay. Until… the day came for the stars to burn out and die.”

Another swish of Baekhyun’s wand and Chanyeol continues to observe the petals of the white rose Baekhyun is holding to wilt one by one, falling onto the floor. He has his eyes fixed on each of the petals, which slowly rises to float in the air.

“But just as it has promised to the moon, the stars will always find a way to stay day and night, it’ll never leave like the sun did every morning. The stars will do anything,” Baekhyun smiles, observing the constellation of white rose petals orbiting him and the astonished puppy. “It’ll die and come back to live again and again, just so it can always stay by the moon’s side forever.”

Then Baekhyun does a final movement of his wand and Chanyeol holds his breath as the white petals slowly rise up into the air, before it dances gracefully around their bodies as if carried by a gust of wind. Only after a few moments does he realize the petals look exactly like stars, circling him and Baekhyun.

“I want to be just like the stars,” Baekhyun says again, now pointing his wand up and making the beautiful stream of white rose petals to fly to the sky, leaving them. “Of course I can never be able to reach or hug the moon, but the very least I just want to be able to see and stay by my moon’s side and keep my promise.”

But as if hypnotized, instead of admiring the rose petals, Chanyeol can’t take his eyes off Baekhyun. His eyes cease to move as if drawn by a powerful force of nature just so he won’t miss a thing. He doesn’t even realize Baekhyun has finished his tale and is back staring at the skies above them.

“What do you think?” Baekhyun turns his head around, asking for the beagle puppy’s opinion on his story. He smiles when he sees the puppy standing up on its four legs, its eyes looking at him. “It’s really good, isn’t it? My mother used to do the rose thing when I was little too, just like you,” he chuckles as he softly strokes the puppy’s back. “From her story I’ve learned how to love. Unconditionally.”

So this is where it all leads, Chanyeol says in his head. Though being at the Astronomy Tower means the sky is only a stone’s throw away, it’s been so long since he actually looks at the sky. Not when Baekhyun’s mellifluous voice brings the heavens to them and Baekhyun’s eyes seem to hold all the stars and galaxies in the universe. Unconditional love.

“To be able to love where there’s no question about it, absolutely and unequivocally. The amount unrestricted, the time it goes unlimited. Filling your heart completely, through and through. It’ll always be there without doubt,” Baekhyun whispers, staring at the infinite expanse of the sky. He chuckles again when he looks down and realizes he and the beagle puppy are sporting the same wondering look. “Will I be able to do so? We’ll see.”

Will I be able to do so, Chanyeol too asks himself. This is probably the hardest question Baekhyun has ever uttered. To love someone so purely it goes beyond any condition I’m in?

“Oh, almost forgot! How can I miss the brightest star in the sky?” Baekhyun blurts out, “If we follow the direction from Orion’s belt to the lower left, it’ll point to the chief star in the constellation of Canis Major. There you’ll see Sirius and its tiny companion.”

Attention diverted, Chanyeol saves the question for another time. Baekhyun is right again. Baekhyun’s direction helps him in two things: for him to discern visually the stars, and, though he still can’t figure it out for the time being, uncovers the veil shrouding the inner eyes of his heart and makes him find again something he locked up inside a long time ago.

Now Baekhyun realizes that he has another comrade, both as in the stars and the beagle puppy lying on his side. His true Patronus. “That’s me and you, little puppy.”

Maybe Chanyeol didn’t pay much attention to the Dog Star and the Pup during his Astronomy classes, with him always sleepy in its every midnight lesson. But now aside from discovering again the brightest star in the sky, he also perceives something else

For some time Baekhyun decides to just stay wherever he is for a while. Sometimes closing his eyes and letting the breezy night wind slip through him, saying its greeting by brushing against his skin. Some other time he looks at the beagle puppy that has found its place on his lap, so he caresses its fur, smiling fondly at how the puppy snuggles closer to him when he does it.

“Okay, our time’s up, let’s get back to bed, shall we?” Baekhyun singsongs softly, looking at the calmly sitting beagle puppy next to him. Then he stands up, brushing the back parts of his trousers before starting to walk down the Astronomy Tower’s staircase.

But Chanyeol stays in his place, only staring at Baekhyun’s retreating figure. He can’t help but stop when a thought is conjured in his mind: he might just find something that’s brighter than Sirius, the moon, or any other deep space objects.

Not hearing the tiny footsteps behind him, Baekhyun turns around again. There the beagle puppy is, unmoving and just looking at him with large glistening eyes. Somehow knowing exactly what to do, he walks back to reach the beagle puppy and carries it on his arms. “You want a lift, huh? Alright, I’ll give you a free lift because you’re a cute puppy.”

Chanyeol rests his puppy head upon Baekhyun’s shoulder. He closes his eyes, letting his other senses to take over and take in as much as he can: feeling the warmth of the hug, the gentle strokes of Baekhyun’s hand, and the low vibration of Baekhyun’s voice reverberating through their bodies when Baekhyun hums the Hogwarts March.

The walk back to the Slytherin dungeon feels much lighter for Baekhyun. Not just because all he does is climb down so many stairs, but after getting some fresh air and talking with the puppy… he feels some of his weight lifted off his shoulders. His heart, too.

It has become a nightly ritual for Baekhyun now every time the puppy visits him: placing his canvas satchel bag on his bedpost, putting down his wristwatch on the nightstand, then tucking the puppy under the cover before he too settles himself on his bed.

Turning himself towards the beagle puppy lying next to him, Baekhyun chooses to stare at the puppy’s face for a few minutes. Only by now he realizes that doing so helps him sleep a lot, as he can feel the pace of his heartbeat slowing down. He feels much calmer, more relaxed. The soothing ambience brings a thought to him.

“I hope that one day we’ll find someone who will be the stars to our moon, who will love us unconditionally,” Baekhyun breathes out, before he closes his eyes. “Good night, little puppy.”

Just like Baekhyun a few minutes ago, Chanyeol stares at Baekhyun’s face for a long time. Maybe longer. As he does so, a question keeps coming over and over again into his mind. But with Baekhyun in front of him, somehow he can’t bring himself to answer it, so instead he observes the outline of Baekhyun’s face against the lit candle, noticing a trace of smile left on Baekhyun’s lips.

Chanyeol only leaves the Slytherin common room when he thinks it’s already nearing three in the morning, and one look at Baekhyun’s wristwatch confirms it. Now he’s mastered the quietest way possible to sneak out of Baekhyun’s hold, and it doesn’t take long until he finds himself back at the corridor of Slytherin dungeon.

After he climbs into the Fat Lady’s portrait, he doesn’t sit awhile in the common room or go to his bed. He doesn’t even feel slightly sleepy. So he climbs the stairs to the topmost part of the Gryffindor Tower.

At the tall windows of the top of the Gryffindor Tower, Chanyeol finds himself sitting alone. He sits himself down on the windowsill with his back leaning onto the stone wall and eyes looking outside through the glass windows. He doesn’t know why he’s there, but he finds himself looking at the night sky like he did with Baekhyun back at the Astronomy Tower, thinking about unconditional love Baekhyun talked about.

He dares himself to voice out the question that has formed itself when he spent time watching Baekhyun sleep.

“How does it feel like to love someone…”

“What’s that?”

Suddenly someone comes into Chanyeol’s sight, materializing unexpectedly just like a ghost. Though one look at the person reveals that it’s just Junmyeon.

“Shit, who’s there—Junmyeon!” Chanyeol whispers loudly, almost cursing. He looks around, looking for more things that might shock him again, but he’s just alone with Junmyeon. “I thought you were Peeves! Or Nearly Headless Nick! Or even worse, Trunchbull trying to get me more detention for the rest of my life—”

“Don’t try to change the topic now. We’re literally in our own dorm of our own house, so we didn’t break any rules and we’re safe,” Junmyeon points out, before he too sits himself on the windowsill, positioning himself in front of Chanyeol. “Okay, what is it this time?”

“Why are you still awake?” Again Chanyeol tries to dodge Junmyeon’s point blank answer, though he knows Junmyeon will never let the topic to drop judging by the way Junmyeon is staring at him intently.

“I had to work on something,” Junmyeon answers deftly without pause, steering their topic back to where it started. “Come on now, I know you’re trying to deflect my question. What happened this time?”

“It’s… nothing.” Chanyeol finishes lamely, after drawling the word too long for his liking.

“Liar.” Junmyeon notes matter-of-factly. He’s trying to find Chanyeol’s eyes, hoping to see through the dark cinnamon irises and into Chanyeol’s heart. He’s known Chanyeol for so long to recognize the signs when the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain has something weighing down his heart.

“Let me be.” Chanyeol unconsciously replies, mind already straying to the fact that he’s lying to himself. Because—is he even ready to have this thought out in the open? Well, to hell with it—he knows it’s impossible for him to be in love with Baekhyun, right?

There’s something else in Chanyeol’s dejected tone that tells Junmyeon the reply isn’t just a careless answer thrown out. So he sits himself down next to the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. “Okay, how about this, you can just… talk about anything to me, like always. Is that okay?”

Silence. Chanyeol mulls over Junmyeon’s sentences for a while. It’s okay, he’s talked with Junmyeon over so many things, but does he really want to talk about this one?

“Alright,” Junmyeon speaks again after such a long time of him and Chanyeol sitting side by side without saying a thing. He stands up, thinking maybe it’s best to give Chanyeol some time and space alone to think. “I’ll see you—”

“How does it feel to love someone?”

There it is, the question Chanyeol has when he’s staring at Baekhyun’s every face feature out in the open. He gives up. He’s too curious, he wants to know. It’s driving him insane, he needs to know.

“What’s that?” Junmyeon says the same thing again for the second time, though he clearly hears what Chanyeol said, just wanting to make sure he heard it right. This time he sees a chance to really find out what’s troubling Chanyeol’s mind, so he sits down again. “How does it feel like to love someone?”

Without looking at Junmyeon’s face, Chanyeol nods once. He’s somehow feeling two sides of himself battling against each other: is he afraid to know the answer because he’ll have to admit what he’s trying to deny for so long, or is he anticipating and looking forward to find out a relief, to finally know whatever he’s feeling?

In a moment, Junmyeon’s mind flashes a picture of someone. With the person’s memories coming into the surface among his other thoughts, he starts to describe what he feels in his heart. “Loving someone feels like… to find someone worth your time, thoughts, and effort. They help you find what happiness really means. The mention of their name still brings warmth even when they’re not by your side.”

Inhaling the cold night air, Chanyeol decides to close his eyes. An invisible checklist appears by itself in his mind, listing everything Junmyeon said. Someone’s blurry face flashes on the back of his eyelids every time he adds one thing Junmyeon said into his own list.

“As cheesy as this gets but to love someone is for you to feel as if they’re there for a reason, for you.” Junmyeon continues, as a smile starts to form on his face.

Without warning, the memory of what Baekhyun said from that night at the Quidditch pitch comes to Chanyeol’s mind. He’s the reason I can find my strength to go on my days, if not to live, then to survive.

With a long exhale of his breath, Chanyeol wills the memory to fade away.

But the blurry face appears again in front of Chanyeol’s closed eyes. Along with it, a soft but clear and sharp pulse starts to reverberate through his body, as if something is stirring awake, following his heart’s own beating.

“To love someone is when you know you’ll do anything for them,” Junmyeon says again. Thinking of the person that inspires all these emotions he’s saying out loud for the first time right now feels like he’s going to smile forever. “Anything that will make sure they’re fine, that will make them happy.”

Once more the blurry face appears in front of Chanyeol’s closed eyes. The picture stays on his sight longer than last time, just like lightning in the middle of a storm.

Here comes Junmyeon’s favorite part. He directs his eyes to look at Chanyeol. “And at last, if you’re lucky enough, to love someone is to be loved.”

The blurry face appears again in front of Chanyeol’s closed eyes, but this time it’s getting clearer.

“And how does it feel like to be loved?” Chanyeol whispers right away, without opening his eyes. He can feel his heart thrumming wildly against his ribs, almost as if it’s both anticipating and anxious of the answer he’s about to hear.

“The feelings and memories they gave you turns home into everywhere you are,” Junmyeon says, his voice soft. Then he tilts his head back to inspect the skies through the windows, finding the half moon outside. “The thoughts of them become a talisman residing in your heart that you’ll always be able to find just whenever and wherever you go.”

The quietude dominates the room once more when Chanyeol realizes Junmyeon has finished speaking. The blurry face appears again and even after a few more minutes of him not saying a word, the view doesn’t go away. It stays where it is, like how the owner of the blurry face stays in his heart.

“Whatever it is you have in your mind, I hope you’ll be okay. I know you’ll choose what is right for you.” Junmyeon finally breaks the silence, squeezing Chanyeol’s hand gently for a moment before letting go.

Choose what is right for him? Chanyeol doesn’t know if he can choose when his heart already picked the choice for him.

“I’ll leave you for some time alone, alright? But don’t forget to get some sleep,” Junmyeon says again, after he realizes Chanyeol isn’t going to answer him. Somehow he understands what Chanyeol is going through, and he wishes Chanyeol can get past this one well. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Still Chanyeol doesn’t say a word, trying to make out the blurry face that is now the only thing he sees, though he has his eyes closed. Only by the time when Junmyeon leaves does he finally get a crystal clear view of the owner of the blurry face.

Byun Baekhyun.

Truth to be told, even from the first time he saw the blurry face, he already knew whom it belonged to. He just delayed things… just because he’s afraid.

Mind filled to the brim, Chanyeol chooses to stay sitting on his spot, sleeping be damned. He tries to shut down his thoughts for a moment, letting his eyes open wide. Admiring the night sky, the moonlight reflected on the lake’s smooth surface, and the silhouette of Hogwarts’ castle turrets defined clearly against the bright night sky.

With everything he has seen unfolding right before his eyes… it’s as if he’s entering a new realm, finally catching a glimpse of the truth, and finally understanding it. But he still needs to ask himself what he truly feels, and this time he needs to be honest with himself.

Does he really like Byun Baekhyun?

It’s sickening, at first, for Chanyeol to realize it. Curiosity brings him to Baekhyun. He should’ve known even though curiosity isn’t a sin, still he should’ve exercised caution with it since it brings him to where he is now: finding out that catching feelings can really turn him into the most foolish, pathetic version of himself. But then, why does it feel so good, even though it hurts?

Coming back into his mind are the words Junmyeon said to him about loving someone. After glancing at his wristwatch he knows the conversation has just happened an hour ago, but because he’s been thinking of it for far too much it feels like it happened nights ago.

If it’s all true, then it was never about pity or sympathy. If it’s all true, then it was just his ego hindering him from realizing it. If it’s all true, then he’s definitely wrong about him liking Byun Baekhyun.

He’s in love with Byun Baekhyun.

—

Chapter Text

[6]

It’s another Saturday morning for Hogwarts and its occupants.

Just like on any other Saturday morning, students woke up a bit later than usual, embracing the start of the weekend. For today, again the friends are gathered at the Gryffindor table, eating breakfast together since the tables are still not too crowded with students.

“I’m bored, we should go somewhere…” Jongdae whines as he eats his buttered toast with marmalade jam.

“You haven’t finished your Defense Against the Dark Arts essay,” Yixing simply replies, as he nonchalantly scoops a spoon of his Yorkshire pudding and gravy into his mouth. “You should do that instead of going somewhere.”

“Can you not remind me of homework for once and ruin this beautiful Saturday morning, please, Zhang Yixing?” Jongdae says in a falsely sweet voice, raising his spoon towards Yixing, prompting the one he’s aiming with his spoon to chuckle.

“We can just pack some of these bacon and eggs sandwiches and go have a picnic by the lake.” Jongin suggests, pointing a plate of sandwich with his chicken drumstick he’s nibbling on.

“Last weekend we went there, remember?” Kyungsoo pipes in without looking up from his copy of Dreadful Denizens of the Deep, earning him a quiet oh right from Jongin. But then he closes his book. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

“How about Hogsmeade? It’s the day we can go out to visit Hogsmeade, anyone up for a casual walk?” Junmyeon asks after he took a sip of his orange juice. “Before coming down to the Great Hall for breakfast I saw the announcement of a Hogsmeade visit posted on Gryffindor’s notice board.”

“Oh I saw it too, we should really go!” Chanyeol says excitedly, finally looking up from his Astronomy essay. This might be another reason for him to escape his responsibility to write his essays. He’s so bewildered when he found out he has too many unfinished essays. “All of us can visit the shops there.”

Usually they all will go together, all seven of them. Sometimes Minseok will join, making it eight of them, but since—if possible—he’s now in a more hectic schedule and is even busier preparing for his N.E.W.T. exams, he can’t come along with their outings anymore.

“Let’s go then, some time walking outside to breathe in fresh air will do me good, probably.” Jongdae cheerfully replies. Though next he gestures his elbow threateningly towards Yixing, who’s chuckling and is about to start reminding him about his essays again.

“I’ll go check Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes and Zonko’s Joke Shop before we go back!” Jongin exclaims, trying to recall what he wants to buy. “We can do some fun stuff with Fainting Fancy, Hiccough Sweets, Frog Spawn Soap, and Nose-Biting Teacups.”

“I need new quills,” Kyungsoo hums, also thinking. “I heard Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop has that Everlasting Quill with discounts for Hogwarts students.”

“I think I’ll buy some more Fizzing Whizzbees, Acid Pops, Skeletal Sweets, Treacle Fudge, Toothflossing Stringmints, and Sugar Quills from Honeydukes,” Jongdae lists out his favorites with his fingers. Then he glowers at Yixing again. “I really need to restock the food supply at the dorms because Yixing keeps on eating it.”

The glower makes Yixing laugh sheepishly, before circling his arms around Jongdae’s shoulders in an attempt to make peace with the sulky Hufflepuff. “Not my fault Kim Jongdae is the best, best friend in the world and Honeydukes has the best sweets in whole England.”

The others laugh at the exchange without noticing Chanyeol has gone silent since Jongdae mentioned Honeydukes. The rest of the conversation goes muted in his head, his ears filtering nothing. Honeydukes reminds him of that night when he sneaked out of Hogwarts to visit the sweets shop through the secret passage… with Baekhyun.

These days everything reminds him of Baekhyun. He has learned, and accepted, that both his heart and his mind are invaded only by the Slytherin Quidditch Captain.

With an unconscious movement of his head, Chanyeol’s eyes automatically find itself staring at the usual spot where Baekhyun likes to sit at the Slytherin table. But weirdly enough, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain isn’t there.

“Alright, ready to go?” Jongdae checks, counting the number of people coming along together. All six including him are there, so he stands up from his seat, with the rest mirroring his movement. “Let’s go to Hogsmeade!”

“Wait, where’s Sehun?” Chanyeol asks, finally waking up from his Baekhyun related train of thought and noticing the missing Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain. He’s a bit ashamed he remembers Sehun isn’t there because he was thinking of Baekhyun earlier, and how Baekhyun likes Sehun… “Isn’t he coming with us too?”

“Sehun is already there, he said he has something to do,” Kyungsoo informs, “This morning before I left the common room he said if we’re going to Hogsmeade then we can go without him and meet him at the Three Broomsticks.”

“Wonderful! Let’s go have some drinks at the Three Broomsticks!” Yixing chimes in, delighted at the mention of every wizard and witch’s favorite Hogsmeade pub. “I miss downing a couple pewter tankards of Butterbeer, even though I wish we can get some Firewhiskey.”

Chanyeol only vaguely hears Jongin and Jongdae agreeing with Yixing, while both Kyungsoo and Junmyeon are advocating again about how Firewhiskey is illegal for Hogwarts students or anyone underage. But what Yixing said about Firewhiskey procures only one thought in his mind: Baekhyun, and his ability to sneak a few bottles of Firewhiskey inside Hogwarts. There it goes, him thinking about Baekhyun, yet again.

“Hello, earth to Park Chanyeol?” Jongdae waves his hands in front of Chanyeol’s face. “What are you doing just standing there?”

“Oh, right, sorry.” Chanyeol shakes his head, trying to shove thoughts of Baekhyun into the back of his mind. He just realized that everyone has stood up and started walking, while he’s still standing in the middle of the Great Hall.

“Are you okay, Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo asks, his brow furrowing. This seems to attract other’s attention as well, since Junmyeon joins behind the Ravenclaw student, looking at Chanyeol with worried look. “Should we go back?”

The power Kyungsoo and Junmyeon’s inquisitive look holds is just so much Chanyeol is scared he’ll blurt out his thoughts about Baekhyun. So he can’t help but stammer, his cheeks reddening. “No! I, uh, I’m—”

“He’s fine. Right, Chanyeol?” Jongin suddenly comes to Chanyeol’s aid, draping his arm over Chanyeol’s shoulder to take him away from others’ gazes. He has half of an idea what’s on Chanyeol’s mind, so he decides to cover up for him. “Come on, let’s go!”

All six of them continue walking together to the Entrance Hall. There Filch is already standing inside the front doors, checking off names from a long list he’s holding. As always, since the school caretaker seems to hate students as much as Madam Pince, he’s peering suspiciously into every face, making sure that no first or second year students are sneaking out.

After passing Filch’s inspection, they left the castle together and set off through the grassy grounds toward the Hogwarts gates. Since it’s still spring, they’re accompanied by a gentle breeze of the wind and the sun shining on them, creating mild weather. They pass the lake, seeing the giant squid flaunting its large tentacles above the green water’s surface, before they finally reach the gate of Hogsmeade.

Since it’s Hogsmeade visit day for Hogwarts students, the village is full with students swarming to the shops littered in their left and right. The most popular ones of course Honeydukes, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, Zonko’s Joke Shop, and The Three Broomsticks.

Right when they finally arrive at the front of the Three Broomsticks, the door creaks open before any of them touches the handle. The door swings to reveal someone.

“What a timing, Park. Why are you here? Aren’t you trying to woo some girls at Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop?” Baekhyun says as a way of greeting, smirking maliciously at Chanyeol.

The sneer Baekhyun gave him acts like a mental slap in the face for Chanyeol. He still can’t believe this is the person who pollutes his mind, who turns a hundred and eighty degrees at night. He forces himself to just let it go.

“Just ignore him, Chanyeol. Just keep walking…” Yixing whispers urgently, tugging on the hem of Chanyeol’s shirtsleeves to keep the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain walking forward.

But of course Baekhyun won’t let Chanyeol go that easily. In a much louder voice he adds, “Got your and your teammates’ beds booked in the hospital wing, Park?”

“Sure you’re not talking about yourself, with that big head of yours, Byun? I fear for you and your teammates to fall and injure your heads,” Chanyeol finally snaps, turning around to face Baekhyun despite Jongdae and Junmyeon holding on his arms. “Or is it broken already? And that’s why you’re always behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons?”

“Nice wordplay, Park,” Baekhyun scoffs at Chanyeol’s reply, his every gesture shows how he simply doesn’t care. “But what’s that? A babbling, bumbling band of baboons? Did you just describe you and your friends?”

And with that, Baekhyun takes his leave without looking back.

At that very moment Chanyeol really wants to curse himself. He can only watch Baekhyun walking back to the castle. Why does he can’t keep his eyes from looking at Baekhyun? Why does he even spare lots of his time to think about Baekhyun? Why does his stubborn heart still able to spare some love for Baekhyun?

“Chanyeol, let’s just go inside,” Kyungsoo calls, when the others are already making their way into The Three Broomsticks except for the two of them. “Come on.”

Only after Kyungsoo grabs his shoulders and starts to drag him slowly does Chanyeol is pulled back into his senses and forces his legs to follow his friends inside.

Inside, they find Sehun already waiting at their usual table at the corner near Madam Rosmerta’s bar. The Three Broomsticks is crowded with students and tourists alike. Though the pub is a bit packed and smoky, it’s still clean and welcoming with the mirror behind the bar adding a cozy atmosphere. The pub also has an inn at the upper landings, which makes the place always full of people.

“Hey!” Sehun stands up and waves at the group, signaling them to come over to the table he’s reserved for them. “Over here!”

“Hi, Sehun!” Jongin shouts over the loud chatter of The Three Broomsticks, waving back at Sehun just as energetically, almost swinging his arm at a fifth year student sitting near him.

“These two really, why are they so loud…” Kyungsoo mutters, with Junmyeon shaking his head along with him. But it seems like both Sehun and Jongin don’t care as they continue waving their arms and shouting stuff.

So after Kyungsoo clamped Jongin’s mouth with his hand, they continue to walk in line, forming a train and trying to slip among the vast amount of people filling the pub. After they reached the table Sehun is sitting at, one by one they file in the seats, with Junmyeon sitting next to Sehun, followed by Jongin, Kyungsoo, Yixing, Jongdae, and Chanyeol at the end.

Madam Rosmerta greets them from her bar. “Anything you want to drink, my dears?”

“The weather is perfect for frozen Butterbeers. Who wants some?” Yixing asks, looking around the table. Seeing only Jongin who raises his hand, he turns to face Madam Rosmerta again and says, “Two frozen Butterbeers please, Madam Rosmerta.”

“One hot Butterbeer for me please.” Jongdae adds, smiling at the lady.

“I’ll have Apple Cider then.” Junmyeon continues the line.

“And one glass of Gillywater for me please,” Kyungsoo says at last. Then he nods his head politely at the lady. “Thank you Madam Rosmerta.”

Madam Rosmerta smiles back at every one of them before she turns her head towards Chanyeol. “And how about you, my dear?”

Though they’re seated at the farthest table at the corner of the pub, away from the windows, still Chanyeol has his eyes

“Chanyeol, what do you want?” Jongdae whispers near Chanyeol’s ears, nudging Chanyeol’s arm with his elbow.

Not ready to answer since his mind is somewhere else, Chanyeol stutters, “Er, Pumpkin Fizz for me, please—” he stops himself. Did he just unconsciously order the drink he and Baekhyun had when they sneaked into Honeydukes?

“Alright dears, wait for a minute.” Madam Rosmerta smiles at the group before disappearing behind the wall of her bar.

“I’m excited, it’s been long since I drank my last tankard of Butterbeer.” Yixing exclaims, rushing his way in abruptly, almost knocking Jongdae who’s standing right in front.

“But didn’t you just drink Butterbeer a few days ago?” Jongdae snarks, half shoveling Yixing back after he recovered from the sudden push.

The conversation continues with Yixing and Jongdae arguing about how long is long enough to be considered a long time, prompting Kyungsoo and Jongin to try to stop the two Hufflepuffs from wrestling each other. So it leaves Sehun, Junmyeon, and Chanyeol to talk as they wait for Madam Rosmerta and their drinks.

“Sehun, did you drink two tall glasses of Butterbeer already?” Junmyeon asks, noting the only two tankards on the table. One is empty while the other is still half full.

“Of course not,” Sehun chuckles, grabbing the handle of the half full tankard before taking a sip of his frozen Butterbeer. “It belongs to a friend who came to drink with me. But he’s left already.”

“Oh, I see,” Junmyeon shrugs, pushing the empty tankard away to give room for his drink later. “Then let me just put this one aside…”

Sehun and Junmyeon resume their talk, but Chanyeol doesn’t have the energy to join. He can only watch as everyone laughs at Sehun’s foam mustache. Somehow it seems like he’s the only one feeling suspicious after hearing Sehun’s answer. Coming into his mind are a few thoughts circling around what just happened: Sehun has two tankards of Butterbeer with him. Baekhyun just left the pub as well…

Then a horrifying thought comes across his mind: did Sehun mean Baekhyun when he said his friend who has left? Did Baekhyun spend time with Sehun here?

Wait—why does the more the days pass, the more he grows annoyed and suspicious of Sehun? Sehun is supposed to be his best friend, who he trusts with everything…

But Chanyeol hasn’t fully comprehended his thoughts when Madam Rosmerta comes with their drinks. Everyone stops their conversation and rejoices at the arrival of the much awaited drinks.

“Here you are, dears,” Madam Rosmerta says, pointing her wand at the floating tray that carries the group’s orders, making each glass and tankard to float in front of the person who ordered it.

They all say their thanks to Madam Rosmerta in chorus, making her smile before she left them to enjoy their drinks. Everyone at the table seems to have a good time… except for one.

With a goblet of Pumpkin Fizz in front of him, Chanyeol can only stare at it. He still remembers everything Baekhyun said that night when they sneaked into Honeydukes from its cellar. He doesn’t know why he still remembers it all when he didn’t have a feeling for Baekhyun back then, but he thought maybe it’s one of the signs.

It’s only one hour later after they’re all done drinking and talking before they pay their Galleons and leave the Three Broomsticks. Just like each of them has planned, next they visit Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop for Kyungsoo, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes and Zonko’s Joke Shop for Jongin, and finally Honeydukes for Jongdae—and for everyone else, really.

Again, entering Honeydukes can only make Chanyeol think of Baekhyun more. He can’t even accept his best friends’ offer to buy him some of his favorite Honeydukes treats including Chocolate Cauldrons, because he thinks of Baekhyun who tiptoed as high as he could just to get him the chocolates and made him laugh at that night when he sees it.

Some time in the afternoon, at half past five, they decide it’s time to go back to the castle. Stomach full and hands holding bags containing the stuff they bought, all seven of them walk back in high spirits. Chanyeol tries as much as he can to smile and laugh along with others, though someone realizes how he’s exerting extra effort just to do so.

With Jongin and Kyungsoo holding hands, Sehun, Yixing, and Jongdae planning a session of playing a deck Exploding Snap cards, Junmyeon purposely slows down his pace just so he can walk beside Chanyeol. “You okay, Chanyeol?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol says, pretending to look at the giant squid as they pass the lake. He knows one look into his eyes and Junmyeon with an amazing knack will be able to tell what’s on his mind. “I’m fine.”

Somehow Chanyeol knows he’s going to say that sentence a lot in the days ahead. Along with it he reminds himself to practice his fake smile too.

Back at the castle, they arrive just in time for dinner. They all say goodbye before finding their seats on their own House tables. The rest of the night continues until Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon find themselves back at the Gryffindor common room.

“I don’t think I can try to finish any of my homework tonight,” Jongin yawns wide, stretching his arms as high as he can. “I’m going to sleep now.”

“I think I’ll go to sleep now, I’m done with my essays. Though I originally wanted to read something first to prepare for our class next Monday, I think it’s fine if I postpone it.” Junmyeon muses, listing his tasks and weighing should he go to sleep or not, while sitting himself down on his four-posters bed.

“When everyone is caught up with essays, you’ve finished everything first and even are planning to get more tasks,” Jongin says incredulously, pausing his movement to open his bedcover just to look at Junmyeon weirdly. “You're something, Kim Junmyeon.”

“And what about it?” Junmyeon replies airily, now changing his clothes and preparing himself to sleep.

Chuckling a bit at Jongin and Junmyeon’s conversation, Chanyeol opts to just follow his best friends to turn early for the night. Though ironically he can’t sleep, no matter how tired he is.

These days the thought of coming back to the Slytherin Dungeon has never left Chanyeol’s mind. Does he keep coming back without him realizing it? What is waiting at the other end of the road if he comes back again tonight?

It has finally come to his realization that he just simply can’t stop thinking of Baekhyun.

So he looks around, seeing the two heaps covered by a blanket on Jongin and Junmyeon that signs his best friends are all asleep. He slips out of his bed, climbs down to the common room, and gets out through the Fat Lady’s portrait. There’s a mixture of a thrilling buzz and a sense of longing beating along with his heart when he tries to get to the Slytherin dungeon corridor as fast as he can.

After Chanyeol has arrived at the front of the particular stretch of stone wall, he sits himself down facing the wall, waiting.

Only a minute has passed but Chanyeol has grown so restless, walking in circles just to pass time.

Then suddenly the stone wall shifts and rearrange its stones to reveal to Chanyeol Baekhyun walking out towards him. Nothing else is in his mind but he’s here!

Grinning to himself, Baekhyun exits the Slytherin dungeon through the passage with anticipation. It’s been days since the last time he saw the beagle puppy, and so for those days he learned to wait for the puppy to come more than anything else, not even Quidditch. To his relief, there it is, the beagle puppy wagging its tail excitedly, barking gently when it sees him. He can only chuckle as he approaches the puppy.

Seeing Baekhyun laughing lightly with his smile for him, Chanyeol finally knows that Baekhyun is the reason why he keeps coming back.

“Hey, puppy,” Baekhyun greets, happy to see the beagle puppy already waiting for him. For the past week he’s been getting out of the Slytherin common room at this time around every night, just so he can see the puppy again. Tonight seems to be his lucky night. “I was just looking for you.”

Without much thinking, Chanyeol jumps onto Baekhyun’s arms and inhales the lemon scent Baekhyun always has after showering. He can help but smile in his head when Baekhyun immediately circles his arms around him.

“Hey, do you miss me?” Baekhyun chuckles, looking into his hug to find the beagle puppy sniffing on him as it paws on his chest gently. Softly he strokes the puppy’s fur, knowing how much the puppy likes it. “I miss you too.”

That’s when Chanyeol knows what he’s been feeling. To hear Baekhyun saying those words at him, he feels as if nothing else in the world matters but the view of Baekhyun in front of him. I miss you, he whispers back in his head, repeating it over and over again. I really miss you.

“I just have one more place for me to show you tonight.” Baekhyun says in a mysterious expression, his smile turning into a grin again. With the puppy in his embrace, he starts to climb the stairs up to the Entrance Hall. From there he climbs up the moving staircases, and walks through deserted corridors.

From the route Baekhyun is taking, Chanyeol can guess that the Slytherin Quidditch Captain is going to the Library, or at least somewhere around there. Is Baekhyun trying to slip into the Library? Maybe to the Restricted Section? he asks himself in his head, but what for?

But opposing Chanyeol's thoughts, Baekhyun turns at the last corner after passing through the Library. It’s the one students rarely use since there are only disused classrooms. Not familiar with the area, he keeps wondering where Baekhyun will take them.

At last, after a few turns here and there, Baekhyun enters one of the classrooms. Inside there are desks and blackboards just like any other. The only difference is that in the middle of the room, there’s a large, tall mirror that almost reaches the classroom ceiling’s height. It looks like an ancient, ornate mirror with a golden frame that has inscriptions and engravings along the line.

“This is the Mirror of Erised.” Baekhyun introduces, crouching down to let the beagle puppy down on the floor. Then he takes out his blankets, laying it down in front of the mirror just so he and the puppy can sit on it. Next he drapes another blanket on him and the puppy, keeping the two of them safe from the cold.

Even before Baekhyun points out the name of the ancient mirror in front of him, Chanyeol already recognizes it from the lore surrounding the object. Though he doesn’t know what kind of power it really possesses, only knowing it from mouth-to-mouth stories, still he’s amazed all over again at how Baekhyun managed to find places and things that most students and even teachers don’t fully well know.

“You see that engraving etched up there?” Baekhyun says, looking up as he points to the top corner of the mirror’s frame.

Up on the frame of the mirror, Chanyeol sees something that looks like runes he usually finds in Junmyeon’s Study of Ancient Runes textbooks. But after a second look he realizes it’s a sentence in Latin alphabets.

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

No matter how much Chanyeol tries to spell it, he can’t seem to understand or find the meaning of the sentence. Is it a foreign language from far away countries? Or maybe a dead language no living soul is still able to speak? But midway his guessing, Baekhyun speaks again.

“Do you know what it means?” Baekhyun asks, looking back down again to smile at the beagle puppy. Though he knows a beagle puppy will neither be able to read nor understand human language, he just likes to have a bit of fun with the cute puppy. “Look closely and spell the words slowly…”

Maybe some other day a long time ago Chanyeol would be irked by the silly suspense Baekhyun is trying to build, but for now he can only be enamored with Baekhyun’s warm smile and fond look at him. Those two are really effective in taking down his defense brick by brick, until it’s gone completely.

Chuckling at the adorable mystified look on the beagle puppy’s face, Baekhyun decides to give a part of the explanation. “I’ll give a little clue, if you reverse the order of the words and rearrange the spacing, you’ll find it.”

Following Baekhyun’s hint, Chanyeol tries to do as such in his mind. Let’s see, if I do that I’ll get ishow no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arts desire, so that means—

“I show not your face but your heart’s desire,” Baekhyun recites, his eyes are now back on inspecting the writing on the mirror’s frame. He has his index finger tracing something on the air, as if trying to rewrite the engraving to its correct version. “The Mirror of Erised is an enchanted mirror. It doesn’t show your reflection or outside appearance, but your inner desire that you don’t know for certain before.”

My inner desire that I didn't know for certain before? Chanyeol wonders, finally realizing how this isn’t just any usual magically enhanced mirror, there’s something ancient that holds unprecedented power beyond the oldest magic. Sounds quite scary to have something that I can’t see where it keeps its brain being able to prod what’s in my mind…

“I found out about it when I stumbled across this mirror. I looked into it, expecting to find myself staring back at me, but I saw… something different. And that’s when I cracked the engraving’s code,” Baekhyun says, staring long at himself in the mirror. With a cheeky grin, he turns at the puppy again and explains, “And if you realize it, for erised if you try to read it with a mirror will turn into desire. Very clever.”

Though knowing Baekhyun meant that whoever discovered the true nature of the mirror is the clever one, Chanyeol can’t help but again admire how clever Baekhyun is. He probably wouldn’t be able to solve the riddle himself.

“I think the happiest person on earth would look into the mirror and see only themselves, exactly as they are,” Baekhyun muses thoughtfully, now staring at the mirror’s carefully carved patterns. “Because that means they no longer have anything to desire for, they either already have what they need or know how to feel grateful with whatever they have. Though I prefer the second one. Don’t you think so?”

It takes Chanyeol a moment to think about it, but he reckons Baekhyun is correct. Not everyone can get to have their hands on the things they need, so they have to be grateful for whatever is in their hands right at the moment. Just like me, I can’t have you, he whispers, but I wouldn’t exchange this moment and this chance of sitting next to you with anything else.

“Anyway! A book about enchanted things from the past tells me that the mirror shows the deepest, most desperate desire of anyone’s hearts,” Baekhyun says again cheerfully, clasping his hands together. Then he lifts and moves the puppy closer to the mirror. “So that means you can have a try, little puppy.”

Should I try it myself, then? Chanyeol asks himself in his head, quite uncertain though feeling curious than ever. Let me see…

At first Chanyeol sees a beagle puppy on the spot he’s currently sitting, but then the picture changes. Baekhyun is right, instead of seeing the usual reflection, the mirror shows another thing for him: slowly his beagle puppy form turns into his human form, and then it stops, nothing else changes. Now he sees himself sitting next to a smiling Baekhyun. What does it mean? Does it mean his heart’s desire is to be… a human?

The sight of the puppy tilting its small head to the left and to the right in a curious manner makes Baekhyun laugh again. So he decides to join the puppy and again see into the mirror as well.

“I saw my mother with her smile standing behind me at my first attempt. What I see varies every time, but mostly it’s my mother. And now I see…” Baekhyun trails off, not continuing his sentence. The expression on his face changes all too fast: from surprise with his eyes wide open, confusion with his brows knitted, before he relaxes again, his smile coming back.

What does Baekhyun see to make him look like that? Chanyeol wonders, curious. Him as the winner of the Inter-House Quidditch Cup? Getting full scores for all of his N.E.W.T. subjects? Getting promoted as a Head Prefect? Or… his heart aches even before the thought forms in his head. Or is Baekhyun seeing himself finally getting together with Sehun?

But whatever it is, Baekhyun doesn’t say. He just keeps on staring at the Mirror of Erised with his smile never fading.

So Chanyeol copies what Baekhyun is doing. He scoots closer to where Baekhyun is sitting, eyes joining Baekhyun’s to look into the mirror. Though in his mind he still can’t make sense of why he only sees himself reflected as usual in his Hogwarts uniform with Baekhyun sitting next to him—just exactly the same with the Baekhyun who’s currently sitting next to him—and both of them are smiling.

“What do you think about love?” Baekhyun asks after they stayed silent and only looked into the mirror for some time. He can just keep talking to himself, but somehow with the puppy present lying next to him he keeps asking it questions though he expects no answer from it.

When I think about love I think about you, Chanyeol whispers in his head without a second of pause. But right after, his heart somehow starts beating frantically while his thoughts start to go berserk, as if sensing a foreboding.

“But to me, I think love is when the infatuation is gone. When limerence has long ago worn off and you know that their eyes aren’t made from stardust or their hearts aren’t halves of yours,” Baekhyun smiles at the beagle puppy as he chuckles from hearing the cheesy words. “But somehow, despite all the faults and annoyances, they’re still the people you cherish the most—family, best friends, even sometimes enemies.”

The pounding on Chanyeol’s ribs gets louder, and he knows it’s his heart longing for Baekhyun. But he also knows everything Baekhyun is saying is for Sehun. He scoffs at the last sentence Baekhyun said, though it comes out as a muffled bark.

“You don’t believe those stories of enemies turning into lovers, how you can love your enemy?” Baekhyun chuckles again, admiring the beagle puppy’s adorable bark. He isn't even sure if he’s asking the puppy or him, and if it’s just him trying to convince himself? So he tries to joke it out. “Because you know, I think the Grey Lady, the ghost of Ravenclaw, and the Bloody Baron, the ghost of Slytherin, is up to something.”

It’s not like I don’t believe people can love their enemy, Chanyeol thinks, trying to ignore the nagging fact that he’s in love with his supposed enemy too. He knows Baekhyun and Sehun didn’t start on good terms, disliking each other’s gut at first, but after seeing the two laughing together at the Library the other day he can tell they’ll be just fine. I just don’t believe you can ever love me back.

Then Baekhyun speaks again, his voice soft and eyes looking distant, as if daydreaming. “You know, loving someone is when you know you may have to start your day with them getting on your nerves than greeted with a smile, but you’d rather have them getting on your nerves than greeted with a smile by anybody else in the world.”

In the mirror, Chanyeol can clearly see Baekhyun’s smile slowly waning. That’s when his defense starts crumbling down. He has his conflicting sides arguing again: one side feeling dragged over along with Baekhyun’s downturning lips, but the other keeps telling him that Baekhyun is saying these things for Sehun, and not him.

“Does that make sense?” Baekhyun laughs quietly, the sound empty and hollow. Then he turns his head around, intentionally doing it just so he can blink back his tears without the beagle puppy seeing it. For a couple of months the puppy has been his source of happiness, so he doesn’t want it to see him sad. “I know it’s foolish. I’m an idiot… for liking him.”

That’s when the violent storm of thoughts in Chanyeol’s mind stops, thoughts of Sehun gone and he can only focus on Baekhyun. On Baekhyun’s sorrowful smile. On Baekhyun’s humorless laugh. On how he can’t be the one to bring back happiness for Baekhyun because Sehun is the one Baekhyun’s heart wants.

“I don’t know why I’m talking a lot about love to a puppy in the first place and even share all of my secrets, but I guess you’re just so comfortable to be around with.” Baekhyun changes the topic, now back to brushing the beagle puppy’s fur. His smile comes back when he sees the puppy has its paws on his lap and its round eyes looking at him, as if trying to console him.

The same goes for me, Chanyeol replies in his head. The body heat Baekhyun share with him retracts a feel of swimming in a cool water during August’s hottest days, of sailing over the waves of the black sea of night on his Firebolt, and of being bundled around his mother’s arms when he has nightmares into his mind, before it all seeps into his body. I feel—

“I feel safe when I am with you,” Baekhyun puts in words, his voice pensive, as he gently strokes the puppy’s head and long ears. He has never felt so warm and content as right now, noticing the way the puppy has resorted to placing its head on his knee, as if leaning back to his body. “I’m alright.”

Hearing Baekhyun’s words, Chanyeol knows how Baekhyun seems to be able to understand his feelings and put it in the exact or even better words. So he echoes the same words in his head, liking the way it soothes his heart. I feel safe when I am with you. I’m alright.

“Anyway!” Baekhyun exclaims, trying to get back into his cheery self again. He lowers his head close to the beagle puppy’s, grinning again as if he has a conspiracy theory to share. “I’ve told you all of my secrets no one has ever known before, so I think it’s safe for me to tell you this one. Remember that certain Quidditch Captain I told you about?”

How can I forget? Chanyeol replies in his mind. The memory of that night at the Quidditch pitch is like acid—so clear yet it corrodes his heart. I remember everything you say, even the things that stab right through my heart.

“You know what, puppy?” Baekhyun says after pausing a whole minute to sort his breath and calm down his erratically beating heart. He stares at the beagle puppy’s eyes, seeing himself reflected on the puppy’s irises. Is he ready to say it? “I think I’m in love with him.”

It’s with a hundred percent certainty that Chanyeol is sure if he looks down to his chest he’d see a dagger struck deep into his heart. He knows this is inevitable, one way or another he’ll witness Baekhyun saying exactly those words for Sehun. But still it feels so painful, a thousand times more painful when he hears it loud and clear from Baekhyun’s mouth, with every motion Baekhyun does exuding the very essence of happiness…

“I saw him this morning and…” Baekhyun’s smile gets even wider before he bursts out chuckling, his face brushed with an evident shade of scarlet. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but I just knew I’m in love with him.”

If the sound of his heart breaking is audible, Chanyeol knows it’d be so loud. So he was right, Baekhyun and Sehun did spend time together at the Three Broomsticks. He’s right, but why does it feel so awful, why does he want him to be wrong this time?

“The simplest thing like seeing him really makes me feel so…” Baekhyun continues, now he’s already grinning when he recalls back the memory of this morning and the face he saw today. Doing so is already making his heart close to burst and fly out at the Quidditch field, even shot up straight to the sky to join the stars and the moon. “So many wonderful things that no one in the world can ever express in words, honestly.”

From Baekhyun’s wide grin, excited tone, and gestures Chanyeol knows Baekhyun is more than happy. Baekhyun is happy and is in love with Sehun. The thought sends shiver down his spine, his thoughts contradicting each other on how his every body nerves sense pain but his obstinate heart yells how he should be happy because Baekhyun is happy.

“Thank you for helping me realize that I do really love him, little puppy,” Baekhyun smiles, patting the beagle puppy’s head. Seeing the puppy lowering itself to the floor, its ears dropping down as it whines quietly, he chuckles again and cradles the puppy’s head in his hands. “Don’t worry, I love you too!”

Though Chanyeol knows nothing he can do can make Baekhyun love him instead, he doesn’t regret anything he did, as he knows it’s what makes Baekhyun happy. It’s what gives him a view of Baekhyun resembling a spray of amaryllis: his red lips a blooming smile, his cheeks rosy warm. As foolishly as it sounds, though it feels like a blade slashing open again his wounded heart, still he wants Baekhyun to stay that way. Is this what Junmyeon said about loving someone means knowing you’ll do anything for your loved ones?

“Thank you so much for coming to me at the right times. Your presence really helps me understand things that previously were hard to grasp, soothing my feelings, easing my mind, and keeping me extra warm,” Baekhyun says softly, gently caressing the beagle puppy’s fur as he carries it onto his arms. “Not to mention how you’re so cute!”

There’s an aching pain that could never be assuaged starting to make itself known in his heart, hurting every part of him, but somehow Chanyeol can put it aside after hearing Baekhyun’s words. Junmyeon is right then, he whispers, the fact that Baekhyun is fine and happy is all I need to know.

“I wish I could have you.” Baekhyun whispers, hugging the beagle puppy close to him and closing his eyes. He’s always loved the warmth the puppy brings to him, along with something else that he can’t exactly put a name to, but he knows he won’t find anywhere or from anyone else.

Even with his heart hoping against hope, Chanyeol fully well knows what Baekhyun meant is for him to be the owner of a beagle puppy. But is it wrong if he can’t help his heart to wish it means for Baekhyun to want him, to love him back?

“Also, I know this sounds impossible…” Baekhyun shyly mumbles, looking expectantly at the beagle puppy. “But will you come again the night before my last match? I think you’ll be the perfect lucky charm for me, the one that works better even more than a hearty swig of Felix Felicis.”

Over and over again Chanyeol has to remind himself to not let his heart hope too high and hurt itself more. Baekhyun is talking about the puppy and not him. Baekhyun is talking about the puppy and never about him…

But of course, even without Baekhyun asking, he’ll come. So he nods, bowing low to bump his puppy head onto Baekhyun’s chin gently.

“Well okay then, I’ll remember your promise,” Baekhyun chuckles, tickled by the beagle puppy’s soft fur brushing against his neck. “Now it’s time for us to go back.”

After Baekhyun collects his blankets and makes sure the beagle puppy is secure on his arms, again he retreats to the Slytherin dungeon by following the same route he took earlier. Through the empty corridors, moving staircases, and the stretch of stone wall that leads into the passage, he’s finally back at the Slytherin common room.

In the light of what he just talked about with the beagle puppy, Baekhyun still feels giddy as he prepares himself to sleep and makes sure the puppy is safe and snug on his bed. When he’s also settled under the eiderdown quilt, he drapes his arm over the puppy’s body, adding more warmth.

Never before Chanyeol felt this comfortable, lying beside Baekhyun. He can only stare at Baekhyun as the latter fixes himself on the four posters bed.

Baekhyun is about to close his eyes when something comes up to his mind. “Anyway, little puppy, I think you might’ve asked this… but do you want to know why I love going out and wandering off to places at midnight alone, and only come back when it’s already close to the morning?”

This is the first time Baekhyun started a small talk before bed, Chanyeol notices. He seems to notice everything Baekhyun and nothing else. Though his heart still feels the dull ache throbbing constantly, he does still feel curious. It’s the important factor that made him meet Baekhyun at their first encounter a long time ago, anyway.

“My theory is that if you want to know whether you really are happy then find the courage to be alone and leave behind anyone who doesn’t deserve you,” Baekhyun posits, eyes traveling down from the ceiling above him to find the puppy leaning against his shoulder. The warmth feels eternal. “Preserve your time for those who are worth it, who truly matter. Do more of what makes your heart content even if it means doing it by yourself.”

Alone together with Baekhyun, processing the words Baekhyun said easily and naturally assimilate with his own thoughts, Chanyeol knows this is it. This is the moment where he finally can deduce which path he’ll take. Because I carry your heart, I carry it in my heart.

“My mother once told me the proverb the darkest hour is just before dawn,” Baekhyun resumes with a smile. After going through a lot with the puppy, now he can talk about his mother without having the need to cry. “When things seem to be at their worst then that’s when I know things are about to start improving.”

Will things get better for himself, Chanyeol isn’t sure. But he knows as right now his eyes can tell with the way a wide smile isn’t going to leave Baekhyun’s face at any moment, he’s sure everything will be better and just fine for Baekhyun. And to be honest? It’s fine by him too. Because Baekhyun is happy.

“That makes me think of something. Will I be able to finally win the match and win his heart too?” Baekhyun wonders, his every gesture exudes intense longing. “I hope I can,” he smiles and closes his eyes, his mind sets to dream of the person he loves tonight. “I’ll see you again soon, little puppy.”

Baekhyun used his soft voice, but to Chanyeol it feels like thunder striking upon him. Does Baekhyun is planning to confess to Sehun soon? Though knowing Baekhyun is just telling his wish, he hears it differently. He sees it as… a request.

For so long Chanyeol watches Baekhyun sleep. He doesn’t dare to blink much, afraid he’ll miss something or lose a second. He counts the spots on Baekhyun’s fair-skinned face, the eyelashes on Baekhyun’s droopy, closed eyes, and the strands of Baekhyun’s blond fringe. He won’t ever get enough of seeing Baekhyun’s face, but the sight of the clock’s hand almost nearing four forces him to leave with a heavy heart.

On his way back to the Gryffindor Tower, Chanyeol finds himself walking so unhurriedly, as if his limbs knows what’s inside his heart, dragging his steps. He senses his heartbeat’s pace slowing down, though his heart beats even more distinct than usual, as if it’s dreading of something he needs to do but he’s not ready to think or say yet.

Back in the Gryffindor Tower, Chanyeol has Jongin already awake and waiting for him in the common room. But for something that akin to shame matted with unjustified guilt, and how true Jongin is all along about a certain feeling that his heart seems to associate with thoughts of Baekhyun, he can’t bear to face Jongin. He drags himself towards the stairs that lead him to the boys’ dormitories instead.

But of course Jongin doesn’t need to say that Chanyeol needs someone to talk to. He chases after Chanyeol, gently pulling the latter to sit on the couch near the fireplace. He hands Chanyeol a filled cup. “Here, I made you a cup of your favorite hot chocolate.”

“Thanks.” Chanyeol says as he accepts the steaming cup. He takes a gulp, not bothering to wait for it to cool down. It’s scalding hot, but the burning pain he feels on his tongue and throat is no match to the one he’s feeling on his heavy heart.

“You’re in love with Baekhyun.” Jongin says quietly, calm and composed. His eyes study Chanyeol’s reaction frame by frame per second.

The simple sentence Jongin said to Chanyeol stops him in his track, his hand and cup hovering midair. He doesn’t even think about how Jongin knows, though he suspects Jongin already knew since the night he asked him how it feels to like someone a long time ago. It’s the truth anyway, but why does it hurt him? Why does it feel more painful when he hears it out loud?

“No, I don’t.” Chanyeol replies after a few moments, continuing to drink his hot chocolate in one go until the cup is empty.

A fragment of hesitation along with a pause in Chanyeol’s movements are all Jongin needs to know what’s really written on the pages of Chanyeol’s heart. “Please stop lying to yourself, Chanyeol, you can’t do this to yourself.”

“Baek—” Chanyeol tastes the pang of bitterness that doesn’t correlate with the chocolate liquid on his tongue when he mentions Baekhyun’s name. Not because he hates him, now it’s because he’s more reminded of how he’s not the one Baekhyun loves, he’ll never be good enough to be the one. “I mean, Byun, he loves Sehun. I don’t care, I’ll just—”

“That’s not the point, I’m not talking about him, I’m talking about you!” Jongin replies firmly, now resorting to grabbing Chanyeol’s wrist. He’s trying all he can do and say to make Chanyeol understand. “Listen to me, please, Chanyeol—”

“I don’t care! I’ve had enough, I’ve seen enough, I want to get out, I want whatever this is to end!” Chanyeol shouts as he throws the cup he’s holding towards the fireplace, smashing it right on the red bricks. He finally explodes, his pent-up feelings burning him down to ashes. “I don’t care anymore!”

Then the air is still, save for the echo of Chanyeol’s shout and the tinkling of broken china. The fire in the fireplace is burning high still, mirroring the way Chanyeol’s heart is aflame.

“But you do care,” Jongin tells Chanyeol after another moment. His voice is soft, as if trying to salvage the wound Chanyeol is inflicting on himself. “Your heart has grown to care so much you are feeling as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.”

The tone of Jongin’s voice is light. But to Chanyeol it sounds more like an accusation at him for not telling himself the truth, because deep down he knows Jongin is right. It took him letting his eyelids close to dive back into his memories of Baekhyun. For this once he’s letting himself concede to his heart’s greed.

Night by night he’s spent with Baekhyun, Chanyeol finds so many new things. From Slytherin Quidditch team game strategy, the inside of the Slytherin dungeon, the Hogwarts kitchen, the secret passages out from Hogwarts, and all the precious hidden places strewn all over the school grounds. But the most important of all… Baekhyun. He’s seeing Baekhyun in a new light—he found Baekhyun’s warm words, cheerful laugh, unseen kindness… he found his love.

Just like what Junmyeon told him at that fateful night, loving someone is doing whatever he can for his loved ones. So, for Baekhyun anything he’ll do.

“Byun said he wants to win tomorrow,” Chanyeol speaks again, trying to kill the uncomfortable silence. The gears of his mind start working. “And he said—” he stops, he can’t quite accept the fact he’s going to do it. But for Baekhyun anything he’ll do, right? “He said by then he can finally confess to the one he loves.”

The more the conversation progresses, the more Jongin grows wary. “And what are you going to do—”

“I’ll do it,” Chanyeol cuts Jongin short. He knows in the last Quidditch match Slytherin lost against Ravenclaw, meaning Baekhyun lost his momentum to confess his feelings for Sehun too. But the next match, Slytherin against Gryffindor… there’s another chance for Baekhyun. “I’ll let him win.”

“No, Chanyeol!” Jongin says immediately, almost shouting. It’s not even about letting Chanyeol lose a match, but he knows Chanyeol is also intentionally letting his heart break beyond repair. “You can’t do that! If you really do love him then you have to fight—”

“Then I’m fighting for a long lost battle here, Jongin!” Chanyeol shouts back, even more frustrated. “I’d rather hurt myself than seeing—” he pauses, suddenly aware of what he’s going to say next. He doesn’t want the words to come out, but what’s the point when it’s loudly expressed in his heart, in his whole being? When he’s just so tired of denying? “Than seeing my loved ones got hurt.”

To Jongin, nothing hurts more than seeing the person he cares about is trying as hard as he can to stop his tears from falling. So he tries to reason again as he reaches for Chanyeol’s arm. “Chanyeol, but you need to—”

“Just let it be, Jongin!” Chanyeol shouts, throwing his arms away far from Jongin’s reach. He didn’t mean to be rude or mean at Jongin, he just doesn’t want Jongin to see him in such a pathetic state. “It is what it is.”

“I’m so sorry, Jongin—” Only now Chanyeol realizes he pushed Jongin quite hard. He finds his voice is trembling and his hands are shaking. “I didn’t mean to yell at you or hurt you—”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. I’ll give you some time to think then. Is it okay with you?” Jongin smiles, rubbing Chanyeol’s back to make sure Chanyeol knows he’s not alone. He knows how Chanyeol has such a soft heart, therefore he’s more than understanding of Chanyeol and what he needs to do for the latter.

“It’s exactly what I need. Thank you so much, Jongin,” Chanyeol whispers, closing his eyes for a moment at the touch of Jongin’s hands. “Sleep well.”

“I will, and you too. See you in the morning.” Jongin replies, before he stands up and climbs up the stairs to reach the sixth year dorm, leaving Chanyeol sitting alone in the common room.

At first Chanyeol wants to join Jongin to go upstairs and just go to sleep, but he realized he can’t sleep. Not when his thoughts are full of Baekhyun. Not exactly sure what to do, he decides to tidy up the remnants of the china cup. Should he be grateful the pain he’s feeling in his heart prevents him from feeling the jagged shard slicing his fingers? In his bleeding hands, the broken pieces remind him of his heart, oddly enough.

So as he leans back heedlessly on the couch, Chanyeol realizes two things tonight.

He is in love with Byun Baekhyun.

And Byun Baekhyun is in love with someone else.

—

It’s Friday morning, one day before the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

The last week of May signifies so many things for everyone in Hogwarts to talk about. From the exams coming near, the Leaving Feast and house points awarding ceremony before school officially ends, and even to exciting summer break plans, but the most talked one is of course the last Quidditch match of the season tomorrow.

All the students of Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor—three quarters of the school—are rooting for the Gryffindor Quidditch team to win because all they want is to see someone else’s name on the Quidditch trophy other than Slytherin, even if it can’t be theirs. The rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor that has lasted even since Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor themselves were still alive are still going strong until this day.

With morning coming around the corner, the Great Hall and its four long tables are full with students and are laden with breakfast meals. Everyone is enjoying plates of traditional English breakfast: scrambled eggs, English bacon, link sausages, potatoes, baked beans, sautéed mushroom, wedge fries, grilled tomatoes, black pudding, and croissant.

At the Gryffindor table, Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon are eating their breakfast. While they’re enjoying their food, still they have to do their tasks since final exam week is coming in a few weeks.

For the third time Chanyeol is attempting to work on his unfinished Charm essay. Jongin is practicing his Reversal Spells for Transfiguration, trying to turn his earl grey tea into clear water, though only succeeding halfway since the clear colored liquid still tastes like tea. While Junmyeon is multitasking again, having his An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe book and Daily Prophet newspaper open in front of him, reading an article of wizard schools such as Ilvermorny, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons.

“Park Chanyeol! Kim Jongin! Kim Junmyeon! Our best Quidditch players!” Yixing says exuberantly, tapping at both Chanyeol and Jongin’s shoulders. The sudden gesture is successful in making Jongin throw his wand towards Junmyeon and Chanyeol to scratch half of his parchment with his quill. “Good morning!”

“Yixing, lower down your voice, it’s only seven in the morning,” Jongin grumbles, snatching his wand back from Junmyeon. He peers over the goblet he’s working on before groaning loudly. “Look at what you’ve done, now my tea turns into a murky substance instead of water.”

“Morning, Yixing. Reparo,” Chanyeol mumbles, hastily fixing his ripped parchment. His heart was really about to leapt out of his ribcage because he already had to redo his Charm essay twice. “You don’t have to be so loud though, my essay is almost ruined.”

“He’s loud, I know. Imagine living in the same dorm with him.” Jongdae pipes in, trailing behind Yixing to reach the Gryffindor table.

“It’s alright, Yixing, Jongdae,” Junmyeon chuckles, greeting the Hufflepuffs while looking at the annoyed and sullen looks on Jongin and Chanyeol’s face. He’s completely undisturbed by Yixing’s full of spirit greeting since he sits on the other side of the Gryffindor table, making sure the Hufflepuff student can’t reach him. “Morning.”

“Junmyeon, how are you laughing when me and Chanyeol are suffering?” Jongin sulks, completely giving up from attempting to restore the murky liquid into earl grey tea. “I’m done with this spell.”

“Because it’s funny,” Kyungsoo suddenly appears behind Yixing and Jongdae, automatically wiping off Jongin’s scowl and turning it into a wide grin. “Hello, everyone.”

“Tomorrow is the last match before Quidditch season ends, I’m so excited.” Jongdae says as he takes a seat on Junmyeon’s right.

The mention of Gryffindor’s last match against Slytherin tomorrow stops Chanyeol from writing his Charms essay. He decides not to step into the conversation. Instead he thinks of how it’ll be the first time he plays against Baekhyun this year as a Captain, and the match where Baekhyun will confess to Sehun right after…

“I’m so excited to see Slytherin flattened out tomorrow.” Yixing joins in as he sits himself down next to Kyungsoo. Then he pulls a plate of black pudding, digging in right away.

“Why are you so loud earlier though?” Jongin asks, still a bit annoyed he failed performing the Reversing Spell when he was so close to being able to do so. Now the goblet is abandoned and he’s resorting to eating his portion of English bacon and link sausages.

“Well, I have something prepared for all of you Gryffindor Quidditch players for your match tomorrow!” Yixing replies, busy chewing his black pudding. “We can’t let the things those Slytherins are doing to dominate the game.”

“Oh, what did you make?” Jongin wonders curiously, not realizing Yixing has taken a piece of his English bacon. A second later he brightens. “Is it a party for us?”

But Junmyeon presses on the more important matter. After washing down his scrambled eggs with a sip of his orange juice he asks, “What do you mean by the things those Slytherins are doing?”

“You see what those Slytherin turds are doing?” Jongdae pipes in, filling in Yixing’s place as the latter is currently has his mouth full with black pudding. He points to the farthest table from Gryffindor’s. “They’ve started wearing stupid badges and singing their Gryffindor defaming chants just like every single fucking year. It’s annoying.”

All six of them crane their necks around to look at the Slytherin table. Almost all Slytherin are wearing a badge pinned on the front of their robes. With its lurid, maroon letters, even from far away they can read Gryffindors are Giant Trolls clearly. It seems like it changes every minute since next the letters turn garish green to spell out Slytherin is Going to Win.

“And just like every single year we’ll just have to ignore it.” Kyungsoo adds calmly, when they’ve finished observing the Slytherins deliberately puff up their chests just so the passing Gryffindors can see it.

“We’ll just have to play our best tomorrow,” Junmyeon agrees, going back to enjoy his mashed potatoes. “It’s the best way to get back at them.”

“At least Byun hasn’t tried to bother us again,” Jongdae says as he huffs his breath, reaching his hand to take a piece of grilled tomato to snack on. “Good riddance, honestly.”

After Jongdae mentioned Baekhyun’s surname, Chanyeol automatically draws himself out of the conversation. He doesn’t even hide it anymore now, how every time he goes to the Great Hall the first thing he does is to look for Baekhyun. So now he outright just turns his head at the Slytherin table to find Baekhyun. But the usual seat that the Slytherin Quidditch Captain frequently sits on is empty.

So Chanyeol wildly looks around, trying to find Baekhyun. He does find Baekhyun in a record of ten seconds, entering the Great Hall while grinning, making his lips to start curling up at the sight of a happy Baekhyun. But the smile vanishes even before it’s fully displayed on his face when he realizes Baekhyun is walking with someone.

The continuous taunting and jeering are Chanyeol’s everyday meal and those only make him snort before replying with better comebacks, since he can always just let it slide. And today is no exception, with the heat of the game burning high, the insults are coming a lot more than usual and still he just can’t bring himself to care.

But this time it’s not because he pays them no mind, but it’s because he notices something different—Baekhyun’s absence of taking part in sending snide remarks at him. Instead now he sees the Slytherin Quidditch Captain laughing with Sehun, as the two walk side by side to enter the Great Hall together for breakfast.

The sight successfully makes Chanyeol feel so queasy he’d throw up at any moment, and wanting to just strike at Sehun with his balled up fists that he hides under the table at the same time. To his horror, after Sehun waves goodbye at Baekhyun when they reach the House tables, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain walks closer to the Gryffindor table, to the spot where the six of them are sitting.

“Hello, everyone.” Sehun greets with his usual small smile and blankly inscrutable expression.

Secretly glancing at Chanyeol, Jongin is on the verge of panic. He knows the subject of Baekhyun that Jongdae brought up earlier and the appearance of Sehun aren't going to go well at all with Chanyeol. He’s about to do something about it, but Yixing does it first.

“Sehun, hi!” Yixing greets back, patting a seat next to him. “Here, have a seat.”

‘Where have you been?” Kyungsoo asks, also giving more space for Sehun to sit by shifting a little bit nearer to Jongin. “I was looking for you when I was about to leave the common room for breakfast.”

“Oh, something came up.” Sehun simply replies, shrugging as he starts picking wedge fries from Jongin’s plate.

With Sehun sitting right in front of him, it takes Chanyeol forcefully grinding his teeth to prevent himself from blurting out how he doesn’t believe Sehun left the Ravenclaw common room early but arrived at the Great Hall later than everyone else just for something that came up. If so, then why did Sehun come with Baekhyun then?

“Hey, Chanyeol, how are you? Ready for tomorrow’s match?” Sehun greets the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain in front of him, still with a mild smile that seems to be pasted permanently on his face.

Knowing what’s really happening, again Jongin glances in alarm at Chanyeol who seems to be throwing mental darts at Sehun with his sharp gazes and is only seconds away to punch Sehun in the face. He’s ready to hold Chanyeol back, but it seems the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain has other things in mind.

“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” Chanyeol replies curtly. At any time any day he’s ready for a Quidditch match, but is he ready for what will come after it? Is he ready to let Baekhyun go? He opts for a generic answer. “Yeah I am.”

“I’m sure you’ll do well as usual,” Sehun adds, now eating the scrambled eggs using Junmyeon’s empty plate. “Good luck.”

“Thanks, Sehun.” Chanyeol tries as hard as he can to keep himself to behave properly at Sehun and sounding calm and composed. Funny how he manages to do so by procuring his memories of how happy Baekhyun looked like when he talked about Sehun on the nights they’ve spent.

“Anyway, with another Quidditch Captain here, what do you say about the leaderboard now?” Yixing starts now that he’s done with his black pudding, taking a few generous gulp of pumpkin juice.

“I’m sure Gryffindor will take first place, of course. They have Park Chanyeol as their Captain,” Sehun chuckles, pointing at Chanyeol’s direction with his spoon. “Though Ravenclaw is second, we’re too far behind in points. But it’s fine, I play Quidditch for fun.”

It’s a praise Chanyeol would be so proud to hear coming from his best friend. But it’s so hard when every time he looks at Sehun, Baekhyun’s voice saying I love him will start playing in his mind, the view tormenting him just like barbed wire digging into his flesh. Just like right now.

“Oh you’re really cool about getting second place,” Yixing applauds, looking at Sehun thoughtfully. Next he exchanges a glance with Jongdae and grumbles, “Davies is devastated to know he can’t get Hufflepuff into more than third place this year. He made a ruckus about it last night in our common room.”

“Tell Davies to cheer up, at least Hufflepuff doesn’t get the fourth place like Slytherin this year.” Jongin adds, not realizing what he said. Only after he sees Chanyeol’s frozen state does he curse himself for mentioning something Baekhyun related again.

“Oh and sorry to interrupt, but I have to go now,” Sehun excuses himself, smiling at his six best friends sitting around him. Then as he stands up he calls to the other Ravenclaw sitting next to Jongin. “Kyungsoo, I’ll go first, okay? I’ll see you all later.”

“Alright, okay, I’ll catch up later.” Kyungsoo replies, a bit surprised by Sehun’s sudden departure but still he nods in the end.

They all wave at Sehun before resuming their conversation, though Chanyeol again has no mood to continue. Curious, he follows where Sehun is going to, and—

It’s as if Chanyeol has someone’s hands wrenching his heart. Right now he sees Baekhyun waiting for Sehun at the double doors of the Great Hall, before again they walk together to leave. He can only watch their backs until the Slytherin and Ravenclaw Quidditch Captains are finally out of sight.

He wonders, his eyes no longer see the painful view, but why can his heart still feel the pain? And as seconds go by, it only turns even more painful. His mind doesn’t help at all as he’s reminded again that Baekhyun loves Sehun, and not him. The worst is how it’s all he thinks about these days, and because of it he can’t even do anything without having it arriving out of nowhere and makes him feel sick and desolated.

“I don’t think Davies can take that advice from Jongin that easily like Sehun,” Jongdae continues after he turns around to face the Gryffindor table again.

“I think it’s not that easy for Davies since he’s in his seventh year, meaning he has his N.E.W.T. exams mainly taking over his time. Then he also has captained Hufflepuff for three years now and this is by far his lowest achievement,” Junmyeon theorizes as he finishes his orange juice. “I’d say the pressure is so monumental.”

“Thank Merlin we have our Chanyeol right here,” Jongin says cheerfully. Though he knows what Chanyeol is planning and how he can do nothing to change Chanyeol’s mind, he still thinks it’s best to keep Chanyeol’s spirits high. “He brings Gryffindor to the top of the leaderboard.”

“You should be proud, Chanyeol,” Yixing adds with a grin, his voice pleased. Then he pats Chanyeol’s back. “You’re a really good Quidditch Captain and Keeper.”

Though what Jongin and Yixing said are true, Chanyeol can’t bring himself to agree. Is he really a good Captain if he lets his team lose just for Baekhyun? But as if saving him from having the need to say something back, Kyungsoo speaks again.

“Anyway, it’s nearly eight now, we better go to our classes. Let’s go,” Kyungsoo says as he checks the large clock at the end of the Great Hall. “I need to go now and catch up with Sehun to walk down the hill if I don’t want to be late for my Care of Magical Creatures class.”

“Ah right, I just remembered me and Jongdae have Transfiguration first in the morning,” Yixing jumps from his seat, hurrying Jongdae who’s still busy eating. “Jongdae, we should hurry or Professor Minerva will give us extra homework. Remember when she gave me an extra spell practice to Transfigure a matchbox into a bedside clock?”

“Oh! And we need to hand in our essay on Conjuring Spells in order to enter the class!” Jongdae replies in panic, quickly shoving another piece of English bacon into his mouth before standing up too. “Yixing, let’s go!”

Then Kyungsoo, Yixing, and Jongdae say their good bye to split up and go to their classes. With everyone going to their classes, Jongin and Junmyeon take a last sip of their drinks, stand up and sling the strap of their bag onto their shoulders, ready to leave.

The last one to leave is Chanyeol. Even when Jongin and Junmyeon already stand up and start walking, he stays still in his seat. He curses his mind for replaying again and again the view of Baekhyun waiting for Sehun. Of Baekhyun laughing and smiling at Sehun. Of Sehun walking with Baekhyun side by side, way too close to each other than his liking.

“Chanyeol, are you okay?” Jongin asks, crouching slightly just so he can inspect Chanyeol closer. He and Junmyeon were already about to exit the Great Hall when they realized Chanyeol wasn’t coming along with them.

“Are you sick?” Junmyeon inquires to the point, seeing Chanyeol seems to be too silent and has zero appetite. He takes a seat again next to Chanyeol, observing Chanyeol’s face. “Do you need us to get you to the hospital wing?”

It takes about a minute for Chanyeol to clear his head. Not that it truly works, but at least it enables him to give a reply even though it’s a lie. “No, I’m fine,” he stands up abruptly, making Jongin and Junmyeon almost fall back. He starts walking, not waiting for the two. “Let’s just go back.”

With that, Jongin and Junmyeon quickly walk to reach each of Chanyeol’s sides, though without exchanging puzzled looks before. So they continue to climb up the moving stairs to go back to the Gryffindor tower, since they have a free period.

“Thank Merlin we have no class this morning, so we have a nice free period to do nothing.” Jongin says as they climb into the Fat Lady’s portrait. Previously he and Junmyeon had discussed behind Chanyeol’s back while Chanyeol walked listlessly in front of them to just act normal and keep doing things like usual, so as not to make Chanyeol uncomfortable.

“Yeah, we can use it to take a break first,” Junmyeon agrees, now making his way to their favorite couch at the corner. “And with everyone at their classes, we can have some calm time here at the common room.”

Trying to be as discreet as possible, Chanyeol slows down his steps to let Jongin and Junmyeon walk in front of him. This way, he can leave and go to his bed without the two noticing.

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Kim Junmyeon?” Jongin replies jokingly, faking a thoroughly surprised look on his face. “You’d tell us to continue our essays, practice spells, read our books, or other boring stuff to do.”

“Well, we’ll have to put our mind to rest before the match tomorrow. We’ve trained hard enough yesterday,” Junmyeon scolds, glaring at Jongin who’s starts to laugh at the scowl on his face. “We should get a calm day today and—” he stops himself right when he notices Chanyeol isn’t joining them to sit on their usual couch. “Chanyeol, where are you going?”

“I’m fine.” Chanyeol gives a brief but comprehensive answer—a lie, of course—saving Junmyeon’s time to ask another question he’s sure is going to talk about whether he’s okay or not. Trust Junmyeon to notice him when no one else does.

Of course Junmyeon can’t accept Chanyeol’s forced answer. He decides to reach Chanyeol’s side to take matters into his hands, knowing Chanyeol is the type to tell lies just so he won’t bother people. “Are you really fine? I can see you’re so pale—did you even eat something this morning—Chanyeol, let me check you first—”

“We’ll really get you to see Madam Pomfrey right now,” Jongin follows suit, coming over to where Chanyeol is standing near the stairs that lead to the dorms. “Or we can just get Professor Minerva here to—”

“I’m fine!” Chanyeol finally bursts out. His shout echoes across the common room as Jongin and Junmyeon can only look even more worried at him. The guilt drenches him quickly, this is all his fault for thinking of Baekhyun too much. “I’m sorry—I’ll just—”

Without giving a moment for Junmyeon or Jongin to say anything else to him, Chanyeol chooses to just leave and go upstairs. He’s relieved to find the sixth year dormitory is empty. So he lies himself on his bed and closes his eyes.

Now alone, he can let his loud thoughts that demand to be released to float up into the air, all present in front of him as writings in the back of his eyelids. To be honest he prefers to have Baekhyun to fight with him than seeing Baekhyun so happy with someone else. It reminds him of what Baekhyun said about loving someone.

How he rather has Baekhyun getting on his nerves than greeted with a smile by anybody else in the world.

The day somehow goes at high speed, it’s as if every second passes quickly like a blur of colors. Chanyeol attends other Charms and Transfiguration classes after his first free period, but whatever Professor Filius or Professor Minerva are saying goes through his left ear only to exit again through his right ear. Junmyeon and Jongin try to engage him into their cheery conversations, but still it doesn’t work for him.

He feels like he’s so accustomed to his schedule he can literally do everything without thinking much just like ghosts, not bothering with his surroundings.

He doesn’t see Baekhyun again for the rest of the day. He keeps thinking of how weird it is until he dares himself to think that he misses Baekhyun. Ironically he just, if he has to put it in words, wants to see Baekhyun if it means him hearing Baekhyun’s snide remarks and rude insults.

The night comes for dinnertime and the pressure gets more intense with the last match nearing very soon. The only topic everyone seems to be talking about over their dinner is the match tomorrow. Not just the students, even the staff and the ghosts are talking about the Houses’ leaderboard and points.

But all Chanyeol thinks about is Baekhyun. What Baekhyun said to him and Baekhyun’s request to see him again. He doesn’t even need to ask himself whether he should come back to the Slytherin common room, he already made up his mind since the last night he saw Baekhyun.

So Chanyeol will grant Baekhyun’s wish and come again tonight.

For one last time, before he say goodbye.

When dinnertime ends, Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon walk back to the Gryffindor common room to do their homework just as usual. This time he notices how the two seem to talk about what happened to him earlier this morning whenever he’s not looking, judging from their constant worried stares at him or their hushed whisperings that abruptly stop anytime he glances at them from behind his essay’s parchment.

So when his wristwatch tells him it’s already one hour to midnight, Chanyeol puts down his quill, though none of his essays is done yet. He can no longer ignore his best friends’ concerned attempts to make him feel better or let them worry over him, just because he can’t control himself or his own problems. He’s going to put an end to this tonight.

For this once, Chanyeol doesn’t make the effort to go unnoticed or walk soundlessly. He puts aside his essays and canvas satchel bag, then continues to walk across the common room to reach the Fat Lady’s portrait in long strides.

But of course Chanyeol’s abrupt departure isn’t missed by Junmyeon and Jongin. The two seem to know all too well what’s on his mind as the both of them wait for him, sitting on their favorite couch near the fireplace.

“Where are you going?” Jongin grabs Chanyeol’s hand before the latter escapes. To be fair, judging from Chanyeol’s overwrought expression, he knows exactly the answer without having to ask, the place Chanyeol is trying to reach and the place Chanyeol left his heart at.

“I have to go. I need to,” Chanyeol replies dismissively, trying to loosen Jongin’s grip on his wrist. He can’t bring himself to look at Jongin’s eyes, knowing the latter will be able to see through him. “Jongin. Let me go.”

“Let him go, Jongin,” Junmyeon says, giving Jongin a commanding look. Then he turns his head towards Chanyeol, his gaze softening. “I trust Chanyeol knows what’s best for himself.”

Even before Chanyeol or Junmyeon told him to let go of his grip, Jongin already released Chanyeol’s hand. He just wants to make sure of something. “Chanyeol… is it really worth it?”

“It’s worth of everything.” Chanyeol answers in less than a heartbeat. His eyes are finally meeting Jongin’s to assure he’ll be fine, and Junmyeon’s to give his silent thanks.

At last, after what seems like forever Jongin nods once at Chanyeol. It’s what he needs to know, that Chanyeol knows what he’s doing. And just like what Junmyeon said, he trusts Chanyeol to keep himself safe and sound.

Not to waste more time, quickly Chanyeol turns into his Animagus form before he slips out the Gryffindor Tower through the Fat Lady’s portrait. It seems like he’s lucky: the Fat Lady doesn’t realize she just let out a beagle puppy from Gryffindor. Even all the way to the Slytherin dungeon corridor, he doesn’t meet any kind of obstacle, a single person or a ghost, as if no one and nothing is stopping him.

As if the universe is assisting him to say goodbye and let Baekhyun go.

What Chanyeol finds when he arrives at Slytherin dungeon corridor surprises him.

Not like usual, for the very first time Baekhyun is already standing idly in front of the entrance to Slytherin dungeon, his canvas satchel bag lying on the ground. He’s slightly leaning on the stone wall, legs crossed, hands in his pockets, while he has his eyes staring to the ceiling up above him.

Is finding Baekhyun already waiting for him the last piece of good fortune for him or not, Chanyeol doesn’t know. He only stops himself from running straight into Baekhyun’s arms just to let his eyes capture the sight of Baekhyun looking so serene. He doesn’t let the sane thoughts of his mind to rule him over anymore as he follows his heart, and runs to reach where Baekhyun is standing.

“Having a good night stroll, little puppy?” Baekhyun greets, immediately crouching down just so he can be at the same eye level as the beagle puppy. Since morning he has this strong hunch that he’ll be seeing the puppy again, and that’s why he already made up his mind to wait outside the common room.

With his eyes staring intently at Baekhyun’s face, it’s not missed by Chanyeol how Baekhyun’s eyes light up as soon as the Slytherin Quidditch Captain sees him in his beagle puppy form. How he wishes Baekhyun’s eyes to do the same when he sees him in his human form…

And as usual, Baekhyun has reserved a fond smile for the beagle puppy. “You remember what I said to you the last time we met. I thought you wouldn’t come.”

Of course I’ll come, is all Chanyeol has in his mind. I’ll go to you wherever you are. This time—he knows he’s not just entranced in a spell, he’s in love with the caster as well—he crawls into Baekhyun’s outstretched arms, lodging himself in the warmth that seeps through his fur and skin, and straight into his heart.

“Tonight, let’s have a lie in,” Baekhyun says softly, his smile getting wider at the sight of the beagle puppy clinging onto him as soon he hugs it. Having the puppy in his arms can really assure him that everything is going to be alright. “Just you and me.”

In Chanyeol’s mind, he can only think about what a perfect ending this is. He’s going to say his farewell to Baekhyun at the place he first met Baekhyun and saw Baekhyun’s different side that he’s in love with.

“Toujours pur.” Baekhyun utters the password, and immediately the stones of the stretch of wall in front of him shuffles to form a passage. Without waiting for another second, he walks in, with the beagle puppy in his hug.

It’s already past midnight, so the Slytherin common room is empty, save for fire on the mantelpiece crackling and spitting sparks, and the giant squid swooshing by, seen from the windows that look out into the depths of Hogwarts lake. The place still looks the same as the last time Chanyeol visited it unintentionally, so many nights ago.

Just like so many times before, Baekhyun takes the beagle puppy to the sixth year dormitory.

The furnace located at the center of the room keeps the room warm albeit the low temperature coming through the cold the stone wall of the dungeon and from the lake water surrounding outside. The other sixth year Slytherins are already fast asleep, some snoring lightly, but otherwise the room is quiet. The only light source in the room comes from the furnace’s slits and the candle lit on Baekhyun’s nightstand.

In no time Baekhyun finds his way back to his four-posters bed, hanging his bag on one of the bedposts before he sits down on the bed.

Chanyeol easily recognizes Baekhyun’s four-poster bed, the one well kept with fluffy white pillows, green eiderdowns and bedcovers. Baekhyun’s Nimbus 2001 propped up next to his trunk, and the very same Quidditch Through the Ages Chanyeol borrowed from the Library is piled on top of other books on the nightstand.

With the beagle puppy still in his hug, Baekhyun settles himself on his bed. He leans his back on the pillows and his head on the bed head before pulling the blanket and bed covers over himself and the puppy.

Among the sounds of the lake water lapping against the windows of the Slytherin common room, Chanyeol still can hear Baekhyun’s heartbeat as he places his head to rest on Baekhyun’s chest.

“It’s a calm night, isn’t it?” Baekhyun starts, whispering as he gently brushes the beagle puppy’s fur from its head to its tail. It has become his habit to do so in order to recover his composure. “I feel so calm.”

Chanyeol isn’t sure. He does feel calm with him snuggled deep in Baekhyun’s arms, but his heart isn’t. His heart is playing up, beating irregularly in trepidation.

“Okay I lied, I’m so nervous of my last match tomorrow, I can’t bring myself to go somewhere today,” Baekhyun chuckles, looking down on his chest to see the beagle puppy curled up just like a baby. “Is it okay if we just stay here like this for the night?”

I wish we can stay like this for as long as I want, Chanyeol replies in his head, hoping he can survive the night without having the urge to just transform back into his human form and confess to Baekhyun. Though I know that’s not what you want.

“I’m even more nervous because out of two matches Slytherin had, we lost both,” Baekhyun sighs, sounding disheartened. He’s so ashamed he can’t even look at the puppy’s eyes. Then he laughs bitterly. “We’re fourth in the leaderboard and everyone in my House is not happy with me as the Slytherin Captain. Even Trunchbull started questioning my captaincy.”

Right at that moment Chanyeol just wants to punch Trunchbull and anyone else who made Baekhyun sad. He knows—hell, even everyone in Hogwarts knows—that Baekhyun is an excellent Seeker and Captain. He’s seen Baekhyun fly excellently with his broom and execute the detailed game plan Baekhyun himself neatly created.

It’s not your fault! Chanyeol tries as much as he can to scream it for Baekhyun to hear, though as usual it comes out just as barks. But those other Slytherin Quidditch team members are the ones letting you down!

Hearing the barks from the apparently furious beagle puppy, Baekhyun can only laugh. Somehow he can interpret what it’s trying to say, or at least guess it. “You’re saying I’m a good Captain nevertheless?” Another laugh. “Thank you little puppy, I know I can always count on you as my one and only best friend to make me happy.”

The effect is quick, hearing Baekhyun’s hearty laughter douses Chanyeol with reassurance that everything is going to be alright.

“Speaking of happiness, I’ve finally found it,” Baekhyun smiles, poking the beagle puppy’s snout playfully. Then he chuckles as the puppy snuggles into his neck, so in turn, he rubs its ear and fur. “It all started thanks to you, little puppy, who helped me to cast my beagle dog Patronus and finally lead me to finding my happiness.”

It’s there, Chanyeol can see how Baekhyun is telling the truth about his happiness. It’s reflected in the gleam of Baekhyun’s eyes, resonated in the tone of Baekhyun’s voice, and contained in the smile on Baekhyun’s face. I’m happy if you’re happy, he whispers, As much as it betrays a lack of original thought as it sounds, it’s the truth.

“Remember when I told you about my mother and showed you my Patronus? Now I know what is helping me to live on,” Baekhyun recounts, his train of thought coming out smoothly somehow with him cuddling the beagle puppy. “It’s her memories and thoughts of her residing in me, in a way she lives in me. She keeps on living as long as I keep remembering every good day I’ve spent with her.”

Chanyeol can only listen to Baekhyun in admiration at how Baekhyun can derive something so beautiful out of the pain he feels. Not everyone can do that, not with their narrow minds and frail hearts too afraid to face things head on. He wishes he can do the same thing, since right now he just can’t face his fear of losing Baekhyun forever after tonight.

“And it’s not just that. I understand now, I can’t let my grief win over me. I may never be able to forget it, but I know it will never trouble me anymore,” Baekhyun says, “I can keep going on in the light of my happy memories as my anchor to this life, as something to hold on… as something that will ever glow within me.”

It’s beautiful. For Chanyeol there are two. The things Baekhyun said with such sincerity and the genuine smile on Baekhyun’s face. He can stare forever at Baekhyun’s smiling face…

“I’ve finally found out that having it easy isn’t the only way to find happiness. Sadness can still lead me somewhere happy, pain can still show me the way to be happy…” Baekhyun continues. With the puppy present, any kind of anxious thoughts just float away, because he knows he has his friend and his true Patronus with him. “I guess it all comes back to which path you choose on what you will do. It matters not who someone is at the beginning, it’s their choices.”

The way Baekhyun put into words something involving so many interconnecting yet intricate aspects so eloquently simple, it puts a seemingly impossible pause to Chanyeol’s trainwreck of thoughts, making him only focusing on it. My choices… he muses, where does the decisions I’ve made lead me to?

“There are so many ways to be happy,” Baekhyun mutters, his voice soft and pensive, absorbed in a serious thought. “No matter how distant the destination or how much obstacles we’ve to go through along the journey to reach it appears to be, you’ll find your happiness. It’s always right there, waiting for you.”

So many changes in Baekhyun that he’s witnessed over the nights he’s spent with Baekhyun, and he has a deep respect for the Slytherin Quidditch Captain. He’s glad to be there, to be able to see Baekhyun for who he really is.

Then Baekhyun closes his eyes, hugging the beagle puppy tight yet still being gentle. The puppy in turn nuzzles its head and snout into the crook of his neck, making him chuckle for the slight tickling. He has grown to associate warm and comfortable nights with him having the puppy in his embrace.

“So thank you for helping me find my way to heal,” Baekhyun mumbles, having his cheeks squeezed against the beagle puppy’s. He laughs again, he seems to be unable to stop laughing whenever he’s hugging the puppy. “Thank you so much for coming into my life.”

Thank you for helping me find the meaning of true love, Chanyeol says in his head, hoping he can tell Baekhyun instead. So many unsaid things he wants to say to Baekhyun, but he knows this is all he can do. Thank you so much for coming into my life.

“You know what, I don’t mind losing all Quidditch matches in my life as long as I can see him…” Baekhyun muses, easily bringing the face of the person who has been occupying his heart for so long into his mind. “As long as I can see him and know that he’s fine and happy, it’s fine.”

Sehun. Of course it’s Sehun. Chanyeol tries as much as he can to not let his heart to break again, though his heart has been broken so many times it’s already so close to turn into a pile of smithereens. It’s another occurrence when he’s ironically relieved he’s in his Animagus form since it forces him to hold back his tears. He promised himself he won’t cry, but it’s so hard when it feels so agonizing: never for once Baekhyun was his, but still he has to endure the pain of losing the only footing of hope he has.

“Just like what I told you back in Astronomy Tower. I’d gladly be the stars, dying and coming back alive for centuries, just so I can always be around him, my eternal moon,” Baekhyun chuckles, knowing exactly how sentimental yet hackneyed the thing he just said. “It’s so stupid to say it out loud, but I love him just that much, I guess.”

There’s nothing Chanyeol can say to really convey what he feels right now—he’s just sure that he’s so frustrated because he can’t say anything for Baekhyun, do something to help ease Baekhyun’s worries, or even let his tears out. As he closes his eyes he knows he can’t wish for Baekhyun anymore, so instead he wishes he could stop loving Baekhyun. Though he knows it’s a useless wish, still he wishes for it anyway.

“I’m pretty sure love is the strongest type of magic. I know my mother did all she could with love to make sure I’m alive, and the only way to repay it is to make sure I can continue on living and live a good life,” Baekhyun says, stroking the beagle puppy’s ears just so he can look into the puppy’s eyes, as if asking for the puppy’s thought about the matter. “Even I might say love goes farther than boundaries of magic.”

It’s true, Chanyeol knows it all too well by now. Magic can only do as much, but love… it makes people do all kinds of things, just anything. Even the crystal clear line between life and death becomes so smudged. He’s experiencing it, as when he realized he’s in love with Baekhyun, he no longer thinks for himself. His mind no longer searches for a way on how he should stand his ground on the world, but how can he give the world for Baekhyun.

“Love can make people do and sacrifice anything and everything, to the farthest extent, with every ounce of their best abilities, for their loved ones. No matter whether it’s hard or painful, still they’ll do it,” Baekhyun continues, this time his mother’s face comes into his mind. “That’s what I call the truest form of magic, which is love itself.”

Loving you and being here beside you without being able to say anything hurt so much, but still I call it magic when I’m next to you, Chanyeol whispers. Flashes of Baekhyun laughing with Sehun appear in front of his eyes again, making his heart ache, but he wills himself to only look at Baekhyun’s smile. Baekhyun is happy, and it’s all that matters. Still I call it magic when I’m with you.

“Sure, love can’t always be that nice. For me, loving him gets me cut into two and my heart broken into pieces, or even forced to disappear from his life…” Baekhyun adds. But then he smiles. “But here’s the thing: still I don’t regret any second of it, I won’t stop loving him or want anybody else than him.”

It’s true, Chanyeol echoes in his head. Just like Baekhyun, he’s stubborn too. No matter how much it hurts, still his damaged heart adamantly giving every bit of the love he has for Baekhyun. I don’t want anybody else but you.

“So if you were to ask me, after all that I’ve been through will I still believe in love and its magic… yes I do,” Baekhyun says as he pulls the beagle puppy for a tight hug. The faces of his loved ones become clearer once he closes his eyes and takes in the puppy’s warmth. “Of course I do.”

I love you, Chanyeol whispers as he hugs Baekhyun back. He doesn’t have anything else to think about now, that's all he needs to say. I love you.

“Just like the stars and the moon… the stars are willing to do anything for the moon,” Baekhyun mutters, voice soft as a result of his heart filled to the brim with emotions. With his eyes closed he kisses the beagle puppy’s head affectionately. “Sacrificing everything just so they can stay by the moon’s side… I’ll do it.”

The warm touch of Baekhyun’s lips on his forehead procures a thought in Chanyeol’s mind. Though he can never be Baekhyun’s moon, can the heavens above let him be Baekhyun’s stars? It’s fine if he has to disappear from Baekhyun’s life, but please, just let him love Baekhyun from afar…

“Okay, I guess it’s time for me to try getting some sleep. I have an important match tomorrow…” Baekhyun yawns. His eyes are heavy, but his heart feels much lighter now after saying what he needs to say, though only to the beagle puppy wrapped by his arms. “I know you’ll be gone in the morning before I can say anything, so let me tell you now that I hope I can see you again.”

Let me go as if I’m the dreams that go away when you wake up, Chanyeol whispers, pleading. He knows his time to bid his adieu is near. After this night, he will never come back to the Slytherin common room again, he doesn’t even know if he will continue using his Animagus form, knowing it will only remind him of Baekhyun. Just so my heart will be in peace when I let you go too.

Only now does Chanyeol understand the true meaning behind the saying so close yet so far away. Being this close to Baekhyun, but without being able to return the embrace and comfort Baekhyun. Without being able to tell Baekhyun what’s really in his heart.

Now that this is the last time he’ll ever be able to let his heart give out his love for Baekhyun, Chanyeol choose to whisper it all. The feeling he has for Baekhyun doesn’t grow from pity for Baekhyun’s misfortunes. It’s a genuine feeling that grows from the warm touch of Baekhyun’s true personality on his heart. That’s why he loves Baekhyun.

I’ll do anything for you, Chanyeol promises, determined. For you who I’m trying to learn how to forget and to say goodbye. For you whose hands I still want to hold but I have to let go. For you who my heart always yearns for but you’ll never know.

Eyes closed, with a wistful smile drawn on his face, Baekhyun asks the beagle puppy softly, “Little puppy. Do you think my crush will finally notice me if I win tomorrow?”

The question Baekhyun gave freezes Chanyeol all over. His promise he said echoes back in his mind, reminding him. Is he ready to fulfill it, to do whatever it takes to make Baekhyun happy?

Right before sleep snatches him unconscious, to the beagle puppy he has encircled within his arms Baekhyun whispers again, “It’s a simple plot that I’ve been thinking for so long, but puppy… I know good things are coming our way.”

I trust you, Chanyeol whispers in his head. Back then, though he knew the answer to his own question already, he didn’t want to acknowledge it. But now, he’s sure it’s the right path he’s going to take. It’s a good thing, right, to know your loved one is going to get back their happiness because of the things you do? I trust my heart and I trust you.

Mirroring Baekhyun, with his eyes closed Chanyeol wills his every sense to preserve a memory of Baekhyun that he can carry with him—just like what Baekhyun said on the night he conjured his Patronus. He keeps himself awake for Merlin knows how long. How he wishes he could turn back time and use his chances to get to know Baekhyun sooner…

No matter how much Chanyeol asks the heavens to hold back time and give him more moments to spend with Baekhyun, still time won’t stop for him, even for just this once. Hours pass too quickly even though it feels like only a second.

Then from Baekhyun’s wristwatch placed on the table next to the bed, Chanyeol knows it’s nearing four in the morning. The time for him to leave for the Gryffindor Tower has passed almost two hours ago. But for the first time ever, Chanyeol doesn’t want to leave. He just wants to stay there in Baekhyun’s embrace.

What Chanyeol wouldn’t give for just a moment to hold.

So he stays for another minute, taking in again the view of Baekhyun sleeping in front of him. The occasional scrunch of Baekhyun’s nose, the soft whispers coming out of Baekhyun’s slightly parted lips, the comfort of Baekhyun’s protective arms, the mess of Baekhyun’s blond hair, the slow rise and fall of Baekhyun’s chest, the warmth and lemony scent that always lingers on Baekhyun’s body. He’ll miss it all… he’ll miss Baekhyun so much.

It takes every willpower and strength in Chanyeol to force himself to slip out from Baekhyun’s hug. It physically pains him when he can no longer feel the warmth of Baekhyun’s body on him.

Good luck. I wish you well. Chanyeol whispers in his head. He looks back, just for one last time before he obliterates his memories of and feelings for Baekhyun. I hope you’ll find the real love you deserve, the one you will never question… Baekhyun.

As the passage resets itself to blur with the surrounding stone wall, completely sealing him from Baekhyun, Chanyeol doesn’t dare to take another look. He runs as fast as he can to reach the Gryffindor Tower, so afraid he’d come back to Baekhyun and never leave again if he does.

Even though Chanyeol is back at the sixth year Gryffindor boys’ dormitory, he can’t sleep that night. He can’t even lie at his bed, so instead he escapes to the highest part of the Gryffindor Tower. Maybe he hears Jongin or Junmyeon calling for him, but he opts to just run away.

There he sits on the windowsill, the same one he sat on with Junmyeon when he asked how it is to love someone. Only by now does he realize that the view he saw at the Mirror of Erised, of him and Baekhyun sitting side by side and smiling, it’s not because his puppy self wanted to be human. His deepest heart’s desire is actually to be happy with Baekhyun next to him.

Here he is, on his own in a separate sky. Looking at the night sky outside only reminds him of Baekhyun’s story of the moon and the sky, and how to love unconditionally. Can he do that too, become the stars that are willing to die and live again just to stay by the moon’s side?

His mind is torn while questions with no answers keep piling on: letting his heart win or Baekhyun win, letting Baekhyun go and possibly giving him over to Sehun too? Is he more afraid of losing the match or the one who he loves?

But then, as if he knows it all along, he has reached the decision since a long time ago anyway.

—

The morning of the last Quidditch match of the season finally comes.

That night Chanyeol didn’t get a wink of sleep. Yet persistently he feels he’s teetering on the edge, like he’s a second away into falling down the cliff into an unending abyss. He does everything in silence: at half past five he gets up from his bed, takes a shower, wears his Quidditch robes and protective head and chest gears, and gets his Firebolt out without saying a thing. Even when he’s walking downstairs with Jongin and Junmyeon to the Great Hall, never for once he lets a word out of his mouth.

The Great Hall is crowded despite it’s Saturday morning as everyone is thrilled for the final Quidditch match and breakfast time is coming around. And while everyone is chatting excitedly and stuffing themselves with Scotch eggs, Shepherd’s pie, and hot chicken cream soup, Chanyeol can only play with his bread and butter pudding. Any attempt from his best friends for him to eat something before the match doesn’t get past through his ears.

“Chanyeol, aren’t you eating something?” Jongin starts hesitantly as he looks at Chanyeol and his uneaten pudding. He exchanges a confused glance with Junmyeon, asking what else he should do. They’ve been baffled with Chanyeol’s behavior since yesterday.

“You should eat the chicken cream soup, it’s warm for your body and it tastes really good,” Junmyeon adds gently, now trying to get Chanyeol to eat by moving a bowl of steaming hot chicken cream soup he prepared in front of Chanyeol. “Here, I got you some.”

“I’m fine.” Chanyeol replies, keeping his eyes down to look at his pudding instead. He probably already sounds like a broken record for saying the same thing over and over again.

“But the pudding is not enough, you should get more to eat.” Jongin says quickly, dropping his calm demeanor when he sees Chanyeol not eating anything. Then he pushes a plate full of chicken legs towards Chanyeol. “Come on, eat more, okay?”

“Please, Chanyeol, just a few scoops of the soup, alright?” Junmyeon finally resorts to plead, his voice strained. He and Jongin have heard the same answer Chanyeol gave him over and over again for a week straight, making the both of them dead worried. “You’re not even eating your pudding. Please, just eat something—”

“I’m fine.” Chanyeol repeats. Even without him looking up he knows Jongin and Junmyeon are communicating silently with their eyes, looking at him concernedly, and that’s why he can’t bring himself to meet their eyes. He hates how transparent he is to the people he’s close with when he feels something, he feels like a burden to his best friends.

Junmyeon isn’t going to let Chanyeol play the match before eating something. He’s so close to force-spoon Chanyeol the soup himself. “But Chanyeol—”

But Chanyeol is saved for getting fed by Junmyeon when suddenly Levski approaches him, interrupting Junmyeon’s attempts.

“Hey, Captain! Ready to play the game later?” Levski asks with a grin, looking ready with his shin, knee, and arm guards put on, complete with his gloves. Apparently him and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team have finished their breakfast and are coming to where Chanyeol is sitting.

As if a switch is turned on, automatically Chanyeol fakes a smile as he turns to greet his teammates. He can’t let more people worry about him and technically he’s still Gryffindor’s Quidditch Captain, right? “Hello everyone. All of you had a nice breakfast before we play?”

“Oh we did! We’re just done a few minutes ago and now we’re going to the pitch first to do some warm ups,” Lynch replies, holding his Comet 200 in his left hand and his large bat in his right hand menacingly. “You three want to come along with us?”

“Alright, you all can go first, I’ll go later.” Chanyeol says, followed by nods from Jongin and Junmyeon. Seeing his teammates all so ebullient and charged with energy to play, he almost couldn’t bring himself to betray them. Pangs of conscience start to surface in his mind…

“Okay then,” Connolly says, now putting on his Quidditch helmet as per Chanyeol’s instruction. “We’ll make sure we’ll play really good today, just like our training.”

“We’re going to win this and we’ll also get the trophy!” Ivanova continues, strapping his goggles onto his Quidditch helmet following his other teammates. “See you later!”

With that the four Gryffindor Quidditch players again arrange themselves according to their height, salute Chanyeol with their hands raised to their foreheads while shouting Salute for Captain Chanyeol, Long Live Gryffindor! that receives lots of loud cheers and whoops from their spectators, before leaving the Great Hall. Not long after, Yixing, Kyungsoo, and Jongdae find themselves seats next to the three remaining Gryffindor Quidditch players.

“I hope all of you will be able to fly really well today,” Kyungsoo starts first, looking at the three Gryffindor Quidditch players in front of him. Then he sits himself on Jongin’s right. “I wish you all luck.”

“Thank you Kyungsoo,” Jongin replies first, grinning wide as Kyungsoo takes a hold of his hands. In turn he intertwined his fingers with Kyungsoo’s, before squeezing Kyungsoo’s hands gently. “Means a lot for us.”

“I am, and almost everyone in Hogwarts really, a hundred percent sure Gryffindor will win,” Yixing pipes in, now seated in front of Jongin and Kyungsoo. Perched neatly on his head is a hat shaped like a life sized lion, complete with its bushy red mane and long fangs. “Everyone supports Gryffindor, except those Dungbeetle brained Slytherins. Make sure all of you beat them.”

“Yeah! You all will flatten Slytherin for sure, they’re not exactly right in their minds,” Jongdae adds, “They look even more stupid wearing those ugly badges and singing their so called Slytherin chants discordantly. I think my ears might’ve bled when I passed a gang of Slytherin singing.”

“We don’t mind the badges, I think it’s like them promoting us to everyone, to be honest. And anyway Gryffindor has better chant than the Slytherins,” Junmyeon laughs along with four others at Jongdae’s comments. “Thank you for stopping by. Me, Jongin, and Chanyeol will surely do our best.”

“I’m not done. Look what I can do to my hat,” Yixing grins as he taps his wand once on his lion-topped hat. And next the lion comes alive and lets out a very realistic roar that makes everyone near him jump from their seats. “I support Gryffindor!”

It’s probably the only thing that can procure more than a stiff smile from Chanyeol as he chuckles and claps along with everyone still hanging around in the Great Hall at Yixing’s lion hat demonstration. “Thank you for all of your support,” he says to his five best friends around him. “I’ll try to do my best.”

It seems like everyone comes to Chanyeol, Jongin, and Junmyeon’s side to express their support and give their good luck for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Even the Head Prefect who’s so busy managing the Hogwarts Prefects duties and his seventh year tasks lends his time to come by.

“Chanyeol, hello,” Minseok hyung greets, still managing to wave at the six best friends though he has two thick books on his arms. “Here we are, nearing the end of the school year and you’re about to play the last match of the season. Good luck for today, I know you’ll do well.”

“Thank you, hyung,” Chanyeol tries to give a convincing smile. He’s been lying a lot today… “Means a lot.”

“Don’t worry. Just go and play just like usual,” Minseok smiles back, now directing his eyes to scan the three Gryffindor Quidditch players. “I have to go now. Have fun and enjoy the game, everyone.”

All six of them wave merrily at the leaving Head Prefect. With the match starting time nearing soon, the students at the Great Hall start to leave the hall to go to the Quidditch pitch.

“Alright, it’s time for us to go down to the Quidditch pitch.” Junmyeon says, checking the clock that stood at the far end of the Great Hall. Then he stands up from his seat, prompting Jongin, Kyungsoo, Jongdae, and Yixing to start collecting their things and stand up to leave as well.

“Alright, we’ll see you all later!” Yixing and Jongdae shout in chorus, before racing each other out of the Great Hall and into the Hogwarts grounds.

“We’ll be at the tribunes,” Kyungsoo follows, waving at the Gryffindor trio. Next he tiptoes a little bit to place a kiss on Jongin’s cheek, successfully turning the Gryffindor Chaser as red as his Quidditch robes. “Good luck and see you all later.”

Then there’s something Chanyeol notices as he counts his best friends who are now walking out in front of him: Sehun is not here. He scans the Great Hall only to be unable to find Sehun. Questions and doubts start to form in his head as his grip on his spoon grows stronger and he unconsciously jabs his spoon into his pudding again.

Not realizing his pudding is already turning into brown colored jumbled mess, Chanyeol instantly has his eyes directed to Baekhyun’s usual seat, which is suspiciously also vacant. Why does Baekhyun keep missing? Where is Baekhyun? Why does he can’t find Sehun and Baekhyun at the same time? Does that mean Sehun is with Baekhyun right now?

Though he keeps looking around for the whereabouts of the Slytherin and Ravenclaw Quidditch Captains for five minutes straight, Chanyeol still can’t find Baekhyun or Sehun. His burned heart completely takes over him as he shuts any logical reason his mind tries to present. So with him still sitting down when his best friends are already making their way out of the Great Hall, he gets himself dragged to the Quidditch field.

All the way to the Quidditch pitch, Jongin and Junmyeon can only keep glancing at Chanyeol who’s walking between them. Though they’re carrying their brooms and Junmyeon has his Beater bat, still they keep their arms holding either of Chanyeol’s arms.

Heard again in Chanyeol’s ears all the encouraging words his teammates and best friends said to him, and his promise for them. His heart breaks again for the thousandth time knowing he’ll break his promise to play well and win the match. He can’t do that, he promises he’ll do it just once for today… for Baekhyun.

Since they’re playing today, before the game the team is allowed to wait in the changing room. It’s been enchanted to adjust its interior with the current teams playing, so now the room has Gryffindor insignia and signature scarlet and gold colors all around. On the tarp wall, a blackboard is hung for Captains to draw their strategies and game plan. Even there’s a little Captain office inside.

When Jongin, Junmyeon, and Chanyeol enter the changing room, they find the four remaining Gryffindor Quidditch players in the middle of preparation. Connolly and Ivanova are both discussing tactics as they try to do a last minute polishing on their brooms, Levski is inspecting his gloves and making sure it’s not too slippery for the Golden Snitch, and Lynch is adjusting his chest gear and robes’ cape.

“There you are, Captain,” Lynch greets brightly when Chanyeol walks in at last behind Junmyeon and Jongin. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Sensing Chanyeol’s somber mood and determination to keep his mouth shut, Jongin decides to take his place before any of the Gryffindor Quidditch team members notices something off. Swiftly he hides Chanyeol from view, making as though Chanyeol is concentrating on something instead.

“Okay now, we’re going to play our last match. This is it,” Jongin says cheerfully, nodding as he looks around at his teammates’ faces. “Are you all ready?”

“Ready!” All of the players reply in chorus, holding their fist up in the air.

Then just like what Chanyeol habituated for every player before the match begins, they all remind themselves of their discussed game plan. As always it goes by from Chasers, Beaters, Seeker, and Keeper.

“We’re going to mostly attack first, try to tackle the Quaffle, and keep our positions close,” Ivanova starts, glancing at Connolly and Jongin standing next to him. “Main priority is to fly as fast as we can, use more Hawkshead Attacking Formation without getting read by the opponent.”

“Junmyeon and I will keep an eye on the Bludgers, making sure none of you got hit of course,” Lynch chuckles, playing with his bat balefully as if ready to strike someone anytime. “We’ll get as many Bludgers as we can to hit those Slytherins, and also keep our Captain company near the hoops, in case Slytherin Chasers try to score a goal.”

And at last Levski speaks up, looking around at everyone through his goggles. “It’s sunny today, so make sure all of you keep your backs to the sun to see the Quaffle and Bludger better. I’ll be all around and above, leave the Golden Snitch to me.”

Levski’s last remark brings laughter to Gryffindor’s changing room, lifting everyone’s mood. Finished with the strategies, they all look expectantly at Chanyeol, all six pairs of eyes directed at the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain.

Taking back the lead, Chanyeol clears his throat. Usually he too will recite his tactics, but he can’t just outright say he’s going to let Quaffles in for Slytherin to win, right? With a stiff smile he says, “Okay, that’s great everyone.”

“Alright, let’s do this.” Jongin calls everyone to gather around.

All of them stack their right hand above Jongin’s, with Chanyeol’s hand on the very top. Next they loudly shout their wishes to play well, win the match, and get the Inter-House Quidditch cup title in succession.

“Captain, you’re not going to say your usual words?” Connolly pipes in when they’re done, smiling eagerly at Chanyeol.

It’s been a pre-match tradition Chanyeol adapted with his teammates after they huddle in a circle together and place their hands on top of each other in the center, he’ll say the magic word as Jongin put it.

“Oh, yeah… right,” Chanyeol tries to sober himself up, directing his attention at his team again. He looks around, staring at each of his teammates’ eyes and utters his signature words he always said before a match. “Constant vigilance.”

“Constant vigilance!” All six voices shouts back, throwing their hands up in the air.

“Alright, remember everyone, we’re playing to enjoy the game. Whatever the result is, all of you have done well,” Junmyeon says, earning an energetic round of whoops and claps from the others. “Let’s go.”

Though it’s not their first match and the fact they’ve won their other two matches, still they all look nervously at each other. One by one they create a line in front of the tarp sheet cover that separates them from the crowd outside. Once they’re out, the bright sun and the din from the crowd filling the hundred seats raised in stands around the pitch greet them.

“Now we welcome everyone to today’s match, sixth out of the sixth and the last one for the year!” The magically amplified voice says, “Gryffindor versus Slytherin!”

The crowd roars loud and clear despite having to fight against the rushing wind of May’s spring days. Some are shouting their favorite player’s names while others are chanting their favorite team’s song.

“I’m Ludovic Bagman and I’m your Quidditch match commentator of the day!” His voice sounds much more thrilled than usual, which is imitated by the cheering crowd that follows. “And now with the players ready to serve a great game for us all, let’s welcome them all, with one Keeper, three Chasers, two Beaters, and one Seeker formation…”

As soon as Bagman finished his sentence, on the grounds and from two opposite sides of the Quidditch field, come into view the two lines of players in Quidditch robes walking and carrying their broomsticks. They all take flight on their brooms, hovering along the perimeter of the pitch.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Slytherin Quidditch team! We have Flint, Mullet, Troy, Moran, Blaise, Parkinson!” Bagman introduces as the mentioned player fastens up their flying speed one by one. “And finally, I give you… Byun! Slytherin’s renowned Quidditch Captain!”

The Slytherin side of the crowd goes into tumultuous applause and hearty cheering as they stand up from their seats and creating the impression of human wave in the traditional green and silver colors, getting louder especially when the Seeker—with neat Quidditch robes flowing as he zooms around the oval Quidditch pitch.

“And now, please greet the Gryffindor Quidditch team! Starting with the same formation, Park—Gryffindor’s most promising new Quidditch Captain taking the lead!” Bagman continues, in turn now roaring the names of the Gryffindor players. “Followed by Ivanova, Connolly, Kim, Lynch, Kim, and Levski!”

An even louder series of shouts and cheers rise from the remaining tribunes. Not just Gryffindors, but almost the entirety of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs give out their voices to support the Gryffindor Quidditch team. All the three Houses spectators briefly stand, yell, and raise their arms consecutively row by row, making a perfect combination of honey yellow, raven blue, and scarlet wave.

Following Bagman’s instructions, a blur of scarlet and yellow gold figures flies around the Quidditch field once before stepping down in the middle, also forming a circle around Madam Hooch—the referee for today—and the heavy wooden crate that contains the Quidditch kit.

“I want a nice game, fair and square,” Madam Hooch says sternly as her eagle eyes travel around, piercing every player’s ones. “I’ll get anyone, anyone, who tries foolery packing their trunks and will never see Hogwarts again even before you finished saying Quidditch. You all hear me?”

Even under Madam Hooch's intense glare, no one replies. The tension between two sides of the game and the pressure to win are so thick in the air, almost palpable and striking electric currents. Even it feels as if the supporters’ sound from the high tribunes above is completely shut down.

“You all hear me?” Madam Hooch repeats, her voice much louder with added emphasis on each word.

“Yes, Madam Hooch.” Finally all the players reply in chorus with gritted teeth and using the same impatient tone of wanting to get over the talk quickly. Their eyes are focused on sending daggers into each other, Slytherins against Gryffindors.

“Now, Slytherin and Gryffindor Quidditch Captains, shake hands.” Madam Hooch orders, hands resting on both sides of her hips.

Both Chanyeol and Baekhyun take a step forward. They shake hands, eyes gazing intently into each other’s as they have a silent match to crush each other’s fingers.

A few seconds after Baekhyun lets go of the grip first, but before he walks back to his spot he whispers, “Any last words, Park?”

“Let’s just get this over with.” Chanyeol dismisses the conversation quickly. And I’ll let you win just so you can find your love, he continues in his head. Now he’s sure—he’s more afraid of losing the one he loves. So he will let Baekhyun win.

The Slytherin Seeker senses something different in Chanyeol’s indifferent but still slightly bothered mien, but before Baekhyun can do so much as saying another word, Madam Hooch blows on her silver whistle. Both the Captains retreat back to their position among their own team members, who have mounted their respective brooms.

With one precise wave of her wand, Madam Hooch unlocks the crate and soon after, into the air the balls the slatted wooden crate holds shoot up—the rum red Quaffle, two Bludgers, and the tiny, winged Golden Snitch.

Before Chanyeol takes flight, he looks at his teammates. He repeats the mantra in his head: he’ll draw time for Baekhyun to find the Golden Snitch and win just for this once. This is the first and last time, just for this once…

Then he steals a last glance at Baekhyun. On the Slytherin Quidditch Captain’s face he sees a complete change: all playful smirk gone replaced with concentration and eyes gazing sharply, watchful of his surroundings.

“Mount your brooms,” Madam Hooch gives one last warning look at every player, her whistle ready on her lips. “On my whistle. One, two, three…”

The second blow of Madam Hooch’s whistle is heard again. Simultaneously all fourteen of Quidditch players fly up on their brooms, quickly zooming to find the Quaffle and Bludgers, before going to their positions.

Kicking hard on the pitch’s grassy ground, Baekhyun soars starts to fly around the pitch’s perimeter. He keeps his eyes busy to find the Golden Snitch while making sure Levski is still on his sight, as the Gryffindor Seeker is zigzagging far below him.

“And they’re off!” Bagman’s voice can be heard again, bringing back also the crowd’s cheers and applause. “Gryffindor is in possession, with the Quaffle excellently caught by Ivanova!”

Taking a look at his surroundings, Chanyeol takes his place in front of the three hoops of Gryffindor’s side of the pitch. He sees Ivanova, Connolly, and Jongin zooming closely together, positioned to resemble an arrow with Ivanova slightly ahead of the three of them. They’re starting with Hawkshead Attacking Formation, just as he and his team have discussed before.

Following behind, the three Slytherin Chasers, Troy, Moran, and Mullet try to jostle the Gryffindor Chasers. But Ivanova and Connolly link their arms tightly around the Quaffle, making it impossible to be taken away. Maintaining their positions, Ivanova and Connolly with Jongin trailing behind continue to soar so fast soon the Slytherin Chasers are left behind.

When the three Gryffindor Chasers are close to one of the Slytherin’s hoops, suddenly they break up their ranks with Ivanova shooting himself up high into the sky, prompting the Slytherin Chaser Moran to follow up and not noticing how Ivanova has plopped down the Quaffle to Connolly’s awaiting hand.

One of Slytherin’s Beaters, Parkinson, tries to hit the Bludger at Connolly’s direction, but Connolly quickly lowers his elevation while throwing the Quaffle towards Jongin. With no Slytherin players guarding him, all Slytherin Chasers trying to catch Ivanova and Connolly instead, Jongin snatches the Quaffle before quickly zooming up again to reach the Slytherin hoops.

“Are we going to see the first score of the match?” Bagman informs the crowd, with Gryffindors singing loudly their chant to egg on their favorite players. “It looks like Gryffindor Chaser Kim only has got just the Slytherin Keeper Flint to beat!”

But of course the Slytherin Beaters aren’t going to just watch without doing anything. This time Blaise retracts back his arm that’s holding his bat as far as he can before he strikes the Bludger towards Jongin’s head.

Just right in time, Junmyeon swerves and catches the Bludger with his own bat. The Bludger hits the bat with a loud thunk before its trajectory changes to Flint instead.

Flint, who’s already waiting for Jongin’s Quaffle shot, is forced to veer off the course, leaving the hoops open and unguarded. His path clear, Jongin easily sends the Quaffle into the right hoop that Flint doesn’t cover and located farthest from Flint’s reach.

“Kim scores!” Bagman roars along the crowd, the tribune that held the spectators rumbling both cheers and boos. “It’s ten to nil for Gryffindor! Neat formation by Gryffindor Chasers right there, with pinpoint timing as the sum and substance of the whole move!”

“And also what an excellent Bludger shot by Gryffindor Beater Kim!” Bagman laughs into his microphone, getting him jeers and boos from the Slytherin crowd, though the Gryffindor supporters sound more than jubilant. “Even it seems like the Slytherin Keeper Flint isn’t expecting such not so pleasant surprise!”

It’s the Porskoff Ploy, which Chanyeol knows is performed neatly along with the Hawkshead Attacking Formation by his team’s Chasers. The combination of two Chaser moves and Junmyeon’s surprise attack is no match to Slytherin Chasers’ moves, since they only rely on the speed of the flying. Remembering the fact can only remind him of that night with Baekhyun at the Quidditch Pitch…

In the next fifteen minutes, Gryffindor has managed to score twice more thanks to Jongin and Connolly, changing the scores to thirty against zero. The current score count is causing another crowd wave along with tides of thunderous roars and applause from Gryffindor supporters.

Without notice, Baekhyun, who was drifting along the far left side of the tribunes throughout the game, now dashes towards a point near the base of one of the crowd’s podiums at the other end of the Quidditch pitch. He has his right hand reaching out to something.

“Oh! Did Byun just spot the Golden Snitch?” Bagman inquires through the megaphone, causing everyone’s heads to turn and follow Baekhyun across the pitch. “Is Slytherin going to end the match with a quick win just after thirty minutes?”

The crowd instantly fills the field with low murmurs, speculating where exactly the Golden Snitch is. From his station a hundred meter away, Chanyeol sees Baekhyun pelting down towards the ground, chasing something unseen.

“Levski!” Chanyeol hears Junmyeon shouting for the Gryffindor Seeker, even though the notice isn’t needed as Levski dives down immediately, trying to level himself with Baekhyun.

Been a Quidditch player since he’s in his third year, Chanyeol can read Baekhyun’s move: Wronski Feint. It’s the same Seeker move he saw Baekhyun practiced on the night when they went to the Quidditch pitch. He can’t even focus on guarding his hoops again, not knowing who will get ploughed by the feinting trick.

Next the crowd can only hold their breath as they watch both Seekers diving towards the ground, the descent so fast and steep it looks as if they’re free falling. When they’re so close to the ground, abruptly Baekhyun pulls out the dive and spirals off far from Levski. But at the very last second Levski sees through Baekhyun’s trick, and pulled his broom up in time before colliding with the ground.

“Amazing moves by Slytherin Seeker Byun!” Bagman shouts, earning cheers from Slytherin supporters while groans rise from the opposing side of the crowd. “It was such a dangerous Seeker diversion tactic, though he only managed to trick Levski just a little bit…”

It seems like Blaise and Parkinson, the Slytherin Beaters, are taking Baekhyun’s feint as a sign to start whacking the Bludgers as fiercely as possible at the Gryffindor Chasers. Their hits are so violent the Bludgers actually begin to prevent Jongin, Connolly, and Ivanova from using their preplanned tactics. The Bludger attacks forcefully break three of the Gryffindor Chasers’ formations.

At last, after what seems like forever, Mullet pushes through the close knit formation of Gryffindor. Somehow Mullet dodges the Bludger that Lynch sent from his right.

In front of the hoops, Chanyeol is ready. Funnily enough he’s practiced how to fumble with the Quaffle, something he has never done in his life or in any match before. With believable gestures, he aims to catch the Quaffle Mullet throws at the middle hoop, but skids in the last minute, letting the Quaffle only touch his fingers.

“Finally, Mullet scores!” Bagman exclaims, trying to speak over Slytherin’s ten times magnified roar of applause and cheer at their first score. “First goal for Slytherin, making it to ten against thirty with Gryffindor still way above…”

From somewhere down below Chanyeol can hear the roar of Yixing’s real-life sized lion hat among Gryffindor supporters’ chant cheering the Gryffindor players to keep on playing good. In his head he can only repeatedly say his apology for he can’t play well today. Just for this once, for Baekhyun…

Ivanova catches the falling Quaffle right away, starting to circle the pitch with Jongin and Connolly joining behind him. The three Gryffindor Chasers start building their formation again, winding their way through tribunes and podiums while guarding the Quaffle.

“Levski!” Ivanova calls out as the Gryffindor Seeker flies past him, “Remember our plan!”

At that Levski nods before carrying his broom in the opposite direction as far as he can from Baekhyun. Then out of nowhere, he zooms to a certain spot a good way from the tribunes and the pitch, deliberately shaking his hand just so his wristwatch catches the sunlight.

For the first time in his life, Chanyeol regrets just how good their team’s coordination is. Even without him shouting orders, they remember their own and their teammates’ part in their game plan. Now he can only hope Baekhyun realizes the trick. But alas, can he only hope.

It seems like Baekhyun fell into the trap, because soon he follows the Gryffindor Seeker. With Levski so far at the other end of the pitch, he lowers down his body to lean against his Nimbus 2001, enabling him to fly even faster.

Just as Baekhyun approaches close to him, Levski changes his course and races to leave Baekhyun behind. This way Levski can get Baekhyun out of the pitch, confusing the Slytherin Seeker while giving him extra time to find the Golden Snitch.

“That was a nice trick from Levski, Gryffindor’s Seeker!” Bagman laughs along the cheers of Gryffindor supporters. “It gave the Slytherin Seeker quite a fright right there!”

The trick Levski just performed is the Plumpton Pass, another Seeker move Chanyeol made Levski train during their practices. It’s the trick where a Seeker does a seemingly careless swerve that scoops the Golden Snitch up the Seeker’s sleeve. He can only check on Baekhyun: the Slytherin Seeker is now back on track, trying to find the Golden Snitch again.

While everyone is still recovering from another shock caused by the rumored location of the Golden Snitch, someone else is already on the move.

Apparently Ivanova asked Levski for the Seeker trick just so he can find a gap among the Slytherin Chasers. With the Quaffle in his possession, he rushes to the Slytherin hoops, taking advantage of the Slytherin Chasers still floating and unmoving up in the air by zigzagging among them.

But by the time Ivanova is only a few feet away from the center hoop, Parkinson. Though skillfully Ivanova drops the Quaffle down to Connolly in a flash, before pretending he’s going to the other hoop. Unfortunately, Blaise sees the exchange and sends a Bludger towards Connolly, making him drop the Quaffle.

From the distance Chanyeol realizes Ivanova was using the Reverse Pass trick, where a Chaser throws a Quaffle over their shoulder to pass it to another teammate. It’s brilliant and a risky trick that can be disastrous and hit the teammates’ face instead if it’s not performed correctly, though he’s relieved it didn’t work…

Now two of the Slytherin Chasers, Moran and Mullet, are closing in on Jongin, who managed to steal the Quaffle after Connolly’s failed attempt. With Madam Hooch’s back turned around, they jab their elbows on Jongin’s abdomen, causing Jongin to tumble back.

It’s the Parkin’s Pincer, Chanyeol notes. He notices the Slytherin players are using the moves and tactics Baekhyun assigned, on that night at the Quidditch pitch. It’s so stupid of him to have his heart aching for Baekhyun right in the middle of a match…

Once Jongin is out of their way, Moran throws the Quaffle towards Troy. Ivanova and Connolly attempt to do the same trick and close in on Troy, but Moran and Mullet quickly barge in, bumping their shoulders harshly at the Gryffindor Chasers, making them forced to scatter.

“Now we have Slytherin Chaser Troy right in front of the Gryffindor hoops now! We’ll see—” Bagman shouts, building up the suspense and making the crowd crane their necks to look at Troy. “We’ll wait if we’re going to see a save from Gryffindor Keeper Park—”

With his sharp eyes, Chanyeol knows Troy is applying the Wollongong Shimmy to hamper the Gryffindor Chasers’ effort to chase him off.

Though Lynch and Junmyeon try to get a Bludger to stop him, Troy adeptly avoids all of the Bludgers sent at him. He zooms in, heading straight for the Gryffindor hoops, facing Chanyeol. Then he aims to the hoop on Chanyeol’s left, though he tries to insert a trick by halting to the right side.

It’s actually not a strong Quaffle shot coming from Troy, but Chanyeol feigns a convincing gesture as if the Quaffle really slipped from his gloved hands. He only has a split second to look back and see the Quaffle passing into the farthest hoop from him. He can hear groans from the Gryffindor side of the tribunes.

“Ah, Troy scores for Slytherin after a slight miss from Park!” Bagman announces, now with Slytherin crowds chanting loudly the Gryffindors are Giant Trolls song. The Slytherin side of tribunes suddenly turns into a red mass, with their badges flashing luridly vivid red saying the same thing as what they’re singing. “So that’s twenty to thirty with Gryffindor still in the lead!”

It feels weird at first, since Chanyeol is so accustomed to his Keeper’s reflex to the point it’s hard trying to miss the Quaffle instead of catching it. It’s in his instinct to stretch any part of his limbs to prevent the Quaffle from going in, but now with Baekhyun in mind… he can try to miss some.

Ten minutes later Moran scores again, evening up the scores with thirty against thirty. Slytherin spectators are getting louder in singing Gryffindors are Giant Trolls, now added with an extra line about how Chanyeol has caught a made-up disease called Loser’s Lurgy, to the Gryffindor supporters’ dismay.

Floating with no direction in front of the Quidditch hoops, Chanyeol can’t even concentrate on where the Quaffle is going. His team is playing great, scoring another two Quaffles into the Slytherin’s Quidditch hoops to change the score into thirty against fifty. But his own drained Keeper performance has let the three Slytherin Chasers to pass three more Quaffle into the hoops he’s supposed to keep an eye on, again changing the score into sixty against fifty.

This seems to be a peculiar occasion, since almost all of the spectators are talking about what happened to Gryffindor’s Keeper. Not to mention everyone previously watched how Chanyeol played so well in the last two matches.

The two Chasers, Ivanova and Connolly, even try to fly close to check on Chanyeol while on their way to get the Quaffle to the Slytherin hoops, after he threw the Quaffle to Connolly. Jongin can only hover behind them, eyes glancing back and forth between Chanyeol and the game.

“Cap, are you okay? Do you need a time-out?” Ivanova shouts from quite a far, only slowing down his broom for a moment just to talk to Chanyeol.

“No, I’m fine! You can go now, it’s okay!” Chanyeol shouts back, making the three Chasers fly back and focus on the game again. In Quidditch he knows only Captains can call for a time-out, so he’s deliberately not using this feature so as to give Baekhyun more time.

Everyone in Chanyeol’s team is sending him questioning looks as this is the first time he lets six Quaffles in, something he usually never does in any of their matches. Except for Jongin and Junmyeon who are looking at him with concern. But he couldn’t careless, again he’s buying more time for Baekhyun to find the Golden Snitch.

So instead on the Quaffle, Chanyeol’s eyes are trained following Baekhyun zigzagging his way around poles, tribune, and hoops to catch the Golden Snitch. Doesn’t missed by him is also the seemingly determined manner the Slytherin Seeker is showing, as if wanting to win more than anything. It only reminds him that Baekhyun does want to win the match and Sehun’s heart…

“Come on, Baekhyun, go get the Golden Snitch now…” Chanyeol whispers as he observes both Baekhyun and the game. Only now he realizes how trying to lose a match is more complicated than trying to win, since he has to think twice the strategies to make his faults look natural.

Still the game commences, and with a strong swing of his bat, Junmyeon hits the Bludger. It darts far enough to chase the two Slytherin Chasers, Troy and Moran, who are trying to elbow Connolly and force him to break his ranks with Ivanova. The Bludger successfully made Troy and Moran scatter, allowing Connolly to throw the Quaffle into Ivanova’s outstretched hands.

“Ivanova scores for Gryffindor!” Bagman reports for the crowd, updating the new set of scores. He’s followed by a series of loud claps and feet stomping from the Gryffindor crowd. “It’s now sixty to sixty for Gryffindor, leveling up the scores again!”

Three times Gryffindor and Slytherin have gotten a tie, and it seems like both teams are racing to get scores every time one team scores a goal. The game resumes at an even faster pace, and also even more brutal.

It looks like Blaise and Parkinson finally realize they’re no match to Junmyeon and Lynch’s skills. They in particular seem thoroughly doesn’t care about the rules anymore, since they’ve started to swing their bats violently through the air, intentionally being oblivious whether they hit the Bludger or a player on the head.

Sneakily, Blaise tries to swing his bat at Junmyeon who has his back turned on him. But by luck it seems like Junmyeon hears the swish of bat coming at him and ducks just in time, though the sudden movement causes him to lose one of his grips on his broomstick. Lynch quickly comes to Junmyeon’s aid, helping him back up.

“Oh, look at that, isn’t that a foul?” Bagman says over the Gryffindor crowds’ loud boos and demands for a penalty.

Not far from the commentator’s podium, Madam Hooch blows on her whistle. She gestures angrily for Blaise to come down.

“Ah yes, there it is, the whistle!” Bagman says again, the boos from Gryffindor’s side getting louder as the Slytherin crowd shouts how it’s not fair. “A foul by Slytherin Beater Blaise for using the bat to hit Gryffindor Beater Kim!”

Down below on the ground, Blaise gets an earful from Madam Hooch. She blows her whistle twice, signaling for a penalty.

“Where is it…” Baekhyun whispers. He looks around, his dark mahogany eyes darting all over the ground a few hundred feet below. He can use this penalty time to look for the Snitch without interference. He needs to find the Golden Snitch soon, it’s a life or death matter for him…

“Madam Hooch requested a penalty for Slytherin, so it’s Gryffindor’s chance to add a score!” Bagman informs the crowd and the players, prompting the Gryffindor supporters to cheer and whoop for their team.

The three Gryffindor Chasers have a brief discussion to determine who’s going to do the penalty shot. Soon Connolly flies back to reach Madam Hooch to tell him he'll be doing the shot.

“Disperse! Remember your positions!” Junmyeon shouts at the gathering Gryffindor players. As others fly back to their posts, he signs something towards Lynch, and the two shoots upwards, following the Slytherin Chasers.

As per the Quidditch rules, the Slytherin end of the pitch is cleared from all players except for Connolly and Flint. Connolly takes his position in the center circle of the pitch, Quaffle in his arms. With his face contorted in concentration, he soars towards the goal and tries to score.

“Oh, it’s Connolly’s turn now,” Bagman continues, updating the situation near the Slytherin hoops. Everyone in tribune is standing from their seats, some wearing their binoculars to see Connolly more clearly. “Connolly starts! We’ll see what will happen—”

The pitch has gone quiet, all anticipating the result. With deadly accuracy, Connolly shoots the Quaffle. Though Flint flails his arms around to the point he almost lurched forward on his broom, the Quaffle plunges point blank into the center hoop.

“Connolly scores again!” Bagman shouts into his megaphone, without realizing he jumps along with the Gryffindor supporters. “It’s sixty to seventy for Gryffindor taking back the lead!”

Weirdly enough, throughout the game, Chanyeol can never catch Baekhyun’s eyes. The Slytherin Seeker seems to be avoiding his stare, face unreadable and keeping distance far away from him. No snide remarks, no rude insults, not even an attempt to shove him or prevent him from doing his Keeper task. What’s happening to Baekhyun?

But only a second later, the image of a smiling Baekhyun admitting how much he loves Sehun brings a longing ache in his heart. It reminds Chanyeol that Baekhyun is too focused on winning. Baekhyun is no longer bothering him just so he can win and confess to Sehun, not because he suddenly becomes nice towards him or even having feelings for him.

Laughing bitterly to himself, Chanyeol decides to pull his attention back at the game. Just like what Baekhyun said to him, he sees again how the Slytherin Chasers are the best fliers on the team next to the Seeker himself. Because in the next ten minutes, Troy, Mullet, and Moran grow to play even more vicious.

The three Slytherin Chasers try from doing the Transylvanian Tackle by giving fake punches to throw Gryffindor players off balance, to using Beaters’ bat to hit Bludgers towards Gryffindor Chasers. The worst is they steal Quaffles by using dirty tricks while preventing anyone from coming close to them.

Again Mullet and Troy start to jostle Ivanova and Connolly harshly, doing whatever they can to throw the latter two off. Though the two Gryffindor Chasers are fine, Mullet manages to steal the Quaffle from Ivanova, throwing it to Moran.

With a malicious smirk, Parkinson points his bat at Chanyeol, gesturing a threat. In time with a Bludger that Lynch sent for Mullet passing in front of him, he catches the Bludger and strikes it right at the Gryffindor Keeper.

With his eagle sharp Keeper eyes, truthfully Chanyeol sees the Bludger hurled towards him, coming from the powerful swing of Parkinson’s bat, but he pretends as if he didn’t see it. Though he bends himself in time to avoid the Bludger fully crashing against his head, the swish of the Bludger manages to throw him off balance.

Any time any day Chanyeol can easily tackle back the double attack from Moran and Parkinson, but again he feigns obliviousness. His absence leaves the hoops unguarded once again, and from the corner of his eyes he can see Moran zooming with the Quaffle in his arm. A shot and the Slytherin crowds bask in another goal.

“Moran scores for Slytherin!” Bagman announces with a much louder shout, since now the Slytherin supporters are ecstatic at the possibility of their team winning. “How does this happen? It seems like each team is taking turns to score… now it’s a tie yet again with both teams having seventy points!”

“Now is your time, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol whispers as he watches Baekhyun fly around, looking restless. It’s been quite long now, though he knows at any time Baekhyun and Slytherin won’t have a problem to win if they get the Golden Snitch since it’ll award them a hundred and fifty points. “Quickly now…”

“A tight match, now it’s only the matter of who’s going to catch the Golden Snitch first, Byun or Levski?” Bagman shouts to the megaphone the question everyone is also asking. The crowd is buzzing, keeping their eyes on both Seekers and also trying to find themselves where the Golden Snitch is.

In the nick of time, the game turns even more tense. The players are flying more viciously and everyone at the tribunes has abandoned their seats.

Previously hovering idly above the other players, suddenly Baekhyun changes his direction and starts to speed towards the Gryffindor end of the pitch. His face is set, every gesture focused to will his Nimbus 2001 to take sharp twists and turns following something.

“Look at that! Byun is soaring upwards so fast on his Nimbus 2001!” Bagman shouts, again directing the crowd’s eyes to follow Baekhyun’s quick movements. “Is this another well performed trick again or not?”

Having played Quidditch so long and watched so many Seekers attempting to do the Wronski Feint, Chanyeol knows it’s not a trick this time, he can distinguish the special glint the Golden Snitch gives off under the sunlight among the reflections of the crowd’s binoculars and glasses. He sees Levski trying to catch up, but Baekhyun is faster and they’re separated too far.

“Oh he’s seen it, the Slytherin Seeker Byun has seen it alright!” Bagman excitedly announces. It proves how everyone is occupied by the match as the commentator stands up from his seat too just to follow where Baekhyun is flying. “Look at him go!”

The crowd gasps as they watch the event unfolding right before their eyes. It looks as if the game is paused, with only the Seekers still playing as two blurs of green and red zoom to reach the same point.

Levski tries as hard as he can to force his broom to race faster, but Baekhyun arrives first. With his hand stretched out, Baekhyun makes a great swipe for the tiny, fluttering ball and catches the Golden Snitch. He hurtles around on his Nimbus 2001, showing everyone the Golden Snitch held high on his hand.

“Byun catches the Golden Snitch! It makes the score into two hundred points to fifty points!” Bagman screams into the megaphone, his voice booming across the pitch. “Slytherin wins!”

The Slytherin supporters rejoice at the announcement, before starting to chant Slytherin For the Win the loudest. The pitch is now filled with the name of the Slytherin Quidditch Seeker and Captain coming out of their mouths as he has brought to them victory, almost drowning the sound of Madam Hooch’s whistle that signals the end of the game.

“There you go, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol whispers to himself, his voice shaking. He can see the triumphant look on Baekhyun’s full of happiness face as Baekhyun is engulfed in a mass midair hug with his Slytherin teammates. The time has come for him to burn down the bridge of his feelings, swallowing him up in flames too. “It’s time for me to let you go now.”

Coming down from the height and leaving the Quidditch poles, Chanyeol can’t bring himself to look at Baekhyun for too long. But of course, the latter won’t leave him alone.

“Hey, Park—”

Trembling all over, as he sees Baekhyun getting off his Nimbus 2001, Chanyeol knows Baekhyun is here only to flaunt his trophy and give him another rude insults. It’s funny, didn’t he ask to see Baekhyun just for once even though only to hear his rude insults? Now he’s not so sure anymore. He forces himself to whisper, “Congratulations, you won, Byun. Now run with your Quidditch Trophy to Sehun. I know you love him.”

“What the fuck do you mean with Sehun—” Baekhyun shouts, bewildered by the sudden accusation. He throws his Nimbus 2001 to the ground, now stomping to reach where Chanyeol is standing.

“Shut up and just go get the love of your life, I suppose.” Chanyeol shouts back as he turns around to hide his reddening face from the result of holding back his hot tears.

“Park, if you don’t stop talking I will—” Baekhyun can’t even continue his words, only replaying again what Chanyeol just said as he watches the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain walks further away.

So after taking a quick breath Baekhyun does what Chanyeol told him, running to the tall figure.

And Baekhyun kisses Chanyeol.

The rest of the crowd roars, the loud volume deafening and drowning the Slytherins’ shouts, as if they’ve been waiting for this exact moment. The euphoria of the game is forgotten quickly as everyone erupts at the turning event for Hogwarts’ most famous longstanding rivals. Even Bagman as the match commentator can’t help himself to cheer loudly through his megaphone.

Everything feels surreal—Byun Baekhyun, his arch enemy since the first time Chanyeol stepped his feet inside Hogwarts Express on their very first year, the one who he learned he’s in love with, is kissing him right now? But the warm kiss, the gentle rub on his cheek, the smile pressed on his lips—they all tell him that it’s real.

So Chanyeol kisses Baekhyun back.

Both of them stay like that as Chanyeol places his hand on Baekhyun’s waist and in turn Baekhyun circles his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, every sound in their surrounding muted.

“My beagle puppy.” Baekhyun breathes out after a kiss that seems to go on forever.

Opening his eyes wide, with a jolt Chanyeol splutters, “Wait, what—how do you—”

Without exactly detaching his lips to give another kiss onto Chanyeol’s lower lip, Baekhyun just nods to their right side.

With a glance towards the spot Baekhyun pointed, there Chanyeol finds all of his best friends—Junmyeon, Jongin, Kyungsoo, Jongdae, Yixing, Minseok, and even Sehun—waving at them as the group walks closer. It seems like they climbed down the tribunes as soon as the match ended just to meet him and Baekhyun.

“What about them?” Chanyeol asks between kisses, still not getting what Baekhyun is trying to say.

“They helped this—” Baekhyun kisses Chanyeol again, taking a moment longer just because he can. “—happen.”

Unwilling but still so puzzled, Chanyeol cradles Baekhyun’s cheeks with his hands to pause their kisses. “So all along they knew that—”

“That I love you?” Baekhyun replies with yet another kiss planted on Chanyeol’s lips, despite the slight restriction. His answer gets an instant reaction from Chanyeol exclaiming And I love you too, you know out loud while sulking like a five years old kid, making him chuckle. “Yes.”

“How?” Chanyeol demands, he can’t think much as he’s still in a daze from having Baekhyun kissing him again. All he wants to do is to kiss Baekhyun, but it seems like his curiosity gets first priority for the moment.

“It all kind of like a domino effect, really, but it all started thanks to Junmyeon.” Baekhyun chuckles, finally letting go of his arms from Chanyeol’s neck to give way for Junmyeon to explain.

The aforementioned man makes his appearance just right after Baekhyun finishes his sentence. A bemused expression on Chanyeol’s face prompts Junmyeon into a tiny speech. “So, remember when you asked Jongin how is it like for him to realize he likes Kyungsoo?”

It doesn’t take long for Chanyeol to recall the night even from weeks ago, as it was the first time he realized a change in him as he started to feel something different for Baekhyun. But seeing Jongin’s smirk behind Junmyeon’s back gets him a tad bit annoyed at his best friend. “Jongin, you ratted on me—”

“For your own good,” Junmyeon chuckles, intervening before Chanyeol had the time to complain. “And Jongin told me everything you said about Baekhyun, including how close he is to Sehun, so I asked Sehun about it. He’s the one helping the most with our plan.”

“How does Sehun play a role in this?” Chanyeol rambles, still baffled by how much things behind the scene that he doesn’t know.

“About that, um, let me explain that we, uh—” Junmyeon stammers all of a sudden, but before he manages to let out any other words someone has finished the sentence for him.

“We’re together,” Sehun smiles, slotting himself right away next to Junmyeon. “We’ve been a couple since the end of last year, so it’s been a year of us together now.”

“Excuse me, what?” Chanyeol asks incredulously, eyes wide open from the second surprise he gets today. “Does anyone know about this? Anyone else but me?”

“Yep,” Jongdae pops the syllable in an almost bored tone. Though next he starts chuckling. “We all do.”

“It’s been a long time since we found out.” Yixing shrugs nonchalantly for a moment before he chuckles as well, his real life-sized lion hat moving along with his head.

“We all do, don’t you realize?” Kyungsoo chuckles as well, following the others, with Jongin next to him unable to say anything because he’s too busy laughing at Chanyeol. “Sehun and Junmyeon have been inseparable since our third year, how come you didn’t see this coming?”

“Everyone knows but you, Chanyeol,” Junmyeon laughs, pausing for a moment when Sehun tugs on his hand, gesturing for them to hold hands. “I was going to tell you but remember how much you were too focused on getting revenge at Baekhyun since the start of the year?”

Only now Chanyeol remembers that time on the Hogwarts Express, when they were going back to Hogwarts on the first day of the school year. Jongdae did try to tell him, though Junmyeon prevented him from doing so. He can’t believe his ears, how much information exactly that he still needs to know?

“So, Chanyeol, Junmyeon told me you thought Baekhyun is crushing on me, right?” Sehun continues, enjoying the mixture of surprise and bewildered look on Chanyeol’s face.

“He is crushing on you! Baekhyun—he—he told me all about the tall Quidditch Captain he likes, so I thought of y-you!” Chanyeol feebly replies, his voice faltering in each word as he’s reminded again of his fear of not being the one Baekhyun likes. “B-because there’s no way he likes me—”

“He was talking about how fond he is of you, Chanyeol. The other tall Captain he’s mocking is actually me. I teased him about you a lot because he teased me too about Junmyeon, so there’s that.” Sehun explains, now redirecting his eyes towards Junmyeon, making the latter blush.

Now Chanyeol can tell that it seems like Sehun’s permanent smile is mostly caused by Junmyeon’s presence. How can he not realize it?

“But how did you two get close?” Chanyeol inquires again, still can’t believe he doesn’t know one of his best friends is a actually friend of Baekhyun all along. “When I saw you on the Library, or when you two walked together—”

“Well, I caught Baekhyun when he was drunk one night, and he confessed how he loves you. Since then he’s forced to do whatever I say in exchange of me not telling you about his secret,” Sehun laughs, this time he snakes an arm around Junmyeon’s waist to pull the latter closer. “It’s amazing what a bottle of Firewhiskey can do to a person.”

“So Baekhyun, he… he really likes me?” Chanyeol says slowly, looking around to see his friends grinning at him. Now it all starts to make sense, and to think that everything Baekhyun said about his crush is actually about him… it feels as if the clouds covering the sky are finally blown away by the spring wind to let the sunshine streaming in.

“Really, Park? After I kissed you in front of the whole Hogwarts?” Baekhyun laughs, finally having a say as he calls out to the confused tall man in the middle of the crowd. “You’re so oblivious.”

“And they agreed to help you?” Now Chanyeol can only laugh along as he turns his body around to face Baekhyun again. He’s grinning wide, unable to hide the amusement filling his heart.

“They kind of became my friends now after they found out about you and told me everything,” Baekhyun shrugs casually, “Since then they’re all working on a secret mission, though they don’t have to hide it much because you’re such an oblivious little puppy.”

Despite being called by the nickname for so long by Baekhyun, hearing it when he’s in human form and having so many people listening make Chanyeol turns a shade darker than his scarlet Quidditch robes. “I’m not a little puppy—” he stops himself, realizing something. “Wait, how long have you found out?”

“Since two days ago, I guess?” Baekhyun answers, using his fingers to try recalling the exact day he found out. Though a second later he realizes he’s getting sidetracked. “But remember I’m still mad at you for tricking me to show you Slytherin’s game strategy with the whole Animagus business and—”

“But you love me.” Chanyeol summarizes what Baekhyun is really trying to say. As if drawn to Baekhyun, slowly he walks closer to the latter.

“I can’t resist puppies, okay!” Baekhyun blurts out, half mumbling in panic under Chanyeol’s teasing look on him. “Especially—” he catches himself, realizing Chanyeol is halfway into bursting into laughter.

Looking at Baekhyun who’s started turning red, Chanyeol can only smile with a knowing look. He somehow knows what Baekhyun is going to say, and as he stands in front of Baekhyun, he clips Baekhyun’s chin to make the latter to look at him straight in the eye.

“Especially you.” Baekhyun finishes with a shy smile on his face.

Of course after hearing the words said with a quiet yet adorable voice and a sight Baekhyun’s rosy cheeks, Chanyeol can’t resist to give Baekhyun a slow kiss.

In the perimeter, Chanyeol and Baekhyun seem to be oblivious that they have seven pairs of eyes watching them.

“Now we have three couples in our group,” Jongdae sighs happily, unconsciously hugging himself. “This is so sweet and touching, my tears are about to fall.”

“Why do you need to ruin the atmosphere?” Yixing scolds, folding his arms across his chest and bumping Jongdae’s shoulder to shut the Hufflepuff student up.

“When will you get a partner?” Jongdae sulks as he tries to regain his balance, purposely slightly yanking Yixing’s robes sleeve to do so.

“When will you make a move?” Kyungsoo playfully jabs his finger at Jongdae, making the latter start stammering. Then he chuckles, “How about now, since Minseok hyung is here?”

“Why is it always me?” Minseok makes his appearance, making Jongdae even more panicked.

Then Jongin starts to laugh, catching the unintentional pattern created by the questions asked. So he pretends to furrow his eyebrows in confusion and asks his own question. “Why won’t any of you answer the question?”

Realizing Jongin is glancing at him, it takes Sehun a moment to understand. Then he follows the train, trying to hold his own laughter. “Why do all of you keep on asking questions?”

“I’m the only sane one here am I?” Junmyeon continues with a witty question, no longer able to stop himself from laughing. At his question everyone starts laughing, even Jongdae forgets for a moment about the probability of Minseok knowing his feelings.

“Er, can Baekhyun and I have some private time alone?” Chanyeol asks, inserting himself in the conversation though he’s completely baffled as to why his best friends start laughing.

Baekhyun can only laugh out loud seeing Chanyeol being as oblivious as ever, but somehow still getting the idea without him knowing about it by following the train and asking his own question.

“This is the kind of people I’m going to be best friends with?” Baekhyun laughs, holding his stomach for too much laughing at the sight. He knows he will never be able to stop laughing once he’s in too deep with these eight boys. It’s a pleasant view to have everyone welcoming him so warmly. “Cool, I’m in.”

“Be ready to deal with this energetic little puppy and his obliviousness.” Jongin teases cheekily as he pinches Chanyeol’s cheeks—earning him a punch from Chanyeol that he dodges easily—with Kyungsoo in tow and laughing along with him.

“After everything, I’d still choose him.” Baekhyun simply replies, giving Chanyeol a look that can only be understood between the two of them. His nights with the beagle puppy—with Chanyeol—are one of the best moments of his life that he’ll forever cherish and won’t exchange with anything.

The fond expression Baekhyun directs toward him reminds Chanyeol of the many nights he spent cuddled in Baekhyun’s embrace. It’s enough to drown everything else as he focuses only on Baekhyun.

“So if you were to ask me, after all that we’ve been through, will I still believe in love and its magic… yes I do,” Chanyeol says, echoing what Baekhyun said to him on the last night he spent with Baekhyun. He chuckles at the surprised look on Baekhyun’s face. “Of course I do.”

The other seven boys are still bickering and talking over each other. Though they laugh again when Minseok suddenly asks Jongdae about chocolates he got for Valentine and whether Jongdae has a feeling for him, turning Jongdae into his panic mode again and the others teasing him. Meanwhile Chanyeol and Baekhyun can only laugh at them, as they hold each other close.

Turning around with Baekhyun’s arm linked with his, Chanyeol is ready to have some time to relax and spend the rest of weekend with Baekhyun. But apparently his business is not done, yet.

“Oh look, you’re in such deep trouble,” Baekhyun chuckles as he tries to look what stopped Chanyeol from walking. Stealthily he hides behind Chanyeol’s taller body. “Good luck, Park.”

Facing his other four Quidditch teammates with each wearing the same blank yet unreadable expression on their faces turns Chanyeol into a clumsy mess. Not to mention not having Baekhyun’s hand on his hold gives him a terrible sense of loss more than anything. “Er, how do I say that I’m really sorry…?”

They all keep their silence and hawk-like eyes on him for quite a time. Chanyeol can only think how this is it, the moment he’ll be unceremoniously taken off from the team and stripped from his Captain title. He’s midway unfastening his gold Captain badge when someone speaks first.

“Oh so this is why our Captain has been distracted for so long,” Ivanova breaks his façade into a wide grin. “He’s just madly in love.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Connolly chuckles, coming closer to Chanyeol just to nudge the Captain playfully. “We could’ve helped you get the love of your life, we’re a team, remember?”

“Or we could’ve helped you by suggesting an even better idea than losing the match.” Levski teases, playfully jutting his tongue out at Chanyeol.

“If you told us earlier we could’ve set you up with Byun since long.” Lynch laughs, joining the other three at the rare chance of catching their Captain doing something silly for once.

“Hear, hear.” Baekhyun pipes in, uniting with Chanyeol’s teammates. He can’t help but to laugh at how the tall Captain seems to recoil around his shorter teammates, looking exactly like a hurt puppy.

“See? Told you!” Jongin appears out of nowhere, not wanting to miss another opportunity to see Chanyeol getting teased.

The constant teasing from all of his teammates and even Baekhyun makes Chanyeol sulk. Though the pout on his face is gone as soon as Baekhyun tiptoes and plants a kiss on his cheeks, making everyone coo at them.

“Anyway, we did lose the match but we’re still in the first position for the House Cup and the Inter-House Quidditch Cup,” Junmyeon happily informs, appearing out of nowhere. “We won, Chanyeol!”

“Wait, really?” Chanyeol wonders for the hundredth time today. He looks around, and it seems like again all of his teammates know this fact except him.

“Yeah, it’s all fine! The gap with Slytherin is quite wide with Gryffindor leading with almost four hundred points, which means we’ve secured the Quidditch cup even though Slytherin catches the Golden Snitch first.” Junmyeon replies with a satisfied grin, prompting all the Gryffindor Quidditch team members to cheer and applaud in celebration.

“We have two hundred points margin before the match, don’t you remember? So now we still have two hundred and fifty points margin, which means we’re good.” Jongin adds, though next he quickly gestures everyone to quietly leave the scene since Chanyeol and Baekhyun are back on each other’s arms and completely oblivious of their surroundings again.

“I still won anyway.” Baekhyun says, eyes never leaving Chanyeol’s.

An idea comes to Chanyeol’s mind. Returning the Baekhyun’s intense gaze, he teases, “And I won double.”

And this time, before the Slytherin Quidditch Captain had the chance to say anything, Chanyeol kisses Baekhyun again.

—

Days have turned into weeks as time goes by, and June is coming in a fast stead.

During the first week of June, everyone is finally forced to sit down on their desks and do their final exams. The fifth and seventh years are even busier, with them taking their N.E.W.T. and O.W.L. exams respectively.

Despite the burden of essays, tasks, and exams, the nine friends are still enjoying their time. They spend a lot of time together, and also progress with their own plans.

Jongdae finally got the courage to confess his love to Minseok, which the older accepts shyly. Jongin and Kyungsoo continue to reign as the best couple slash partners in crime among the nine of them. Sehun and Junmyeon finally make their relationship known to the public, resulting in more broken hearted students at finding out yet another two handsome Quidditch players are taken. Yixing is in the move with someone whose identity he’s still keeping a secret.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol find in each other a permanent partner for their midnight wandering around Hogwarts: having midnight exclusive sweets shopping at Honeydukes, sneaking into the Hogwarts Kitchens to get more food and meet the house elves, flying free together or chasing each other on their brooms at Quidditch field, having a midnight picnic at the Astronomy Tower, and of course Chanyeol turning into a puppy just so he can visit the Slytherin common room.

The last one more than not ends with the curtains of Baekhyun’s four-posters bed closed shut and several Silencing Charms excellently performed by Chanyeol.

Only by the fourth week of June does everyone can finally have the time to put down their feather quills down, store their books and cauldrons, and pack their trunks as the end of the summer term comes. The school year is finally nearing its end, and the students can rest and take a breath for a while, ready for summer holidays.

Hogwarts is again busy and full of joy, as the students and the staff prepare for the House points awarding ceremony and Leaving Feast tonight.

For the day the nine best friends spend their time having a picnic near the lake, with the aim to enjoy the last bit of spring weather outside before summer comes. They come back to the castle when it’s only two hours before dinner, stopping by the hourglasses when they enter the castle just to admire the precious stone filled glass bulbs.

The giant hourglasses that record House points in the Entrance Hall are now almost full to the brim, with Gryffindor’s hourglass filled the most among others, the red rubies now almost reaching the top of the hourglass. Along with the rubies, the Slytherin green emeralds, Hufflepuff diamonds, and Ravenclaw sapphires are gleaming under the light of torches lining the walls.

Chanyeol has his eight best friends—including one boyfriend—cheering for him for getting Gryffindor into the first place. Jongdae and Yixing as per usual start bickering about the house points with each other, with Sehun and Jongin joining in instead, while Kyungsoo, Junmyeon, and Minseok try to make sense. Chanyeol and Baekhyun stand together, laughing as they watch the loud crowd.

It all ends up with more laughter though, just like always. When they’ve stopped laughing, not because they’re done but more because their stomach hurts from too much laughing, they enter the Great Hall for the Leaving Feast.

For the Leaving Feast, according to the House with highest points, The Great Hall is decorated with Gryffindor’s colors scarlet and gold. There’s a towering, majestic Gryffindor lion on a huge banner that covers the wall behind the teacher’s table.

“Another year finally comes to an end, and I hope along the months spent in Hogwarts all of you have filled your head with lots of magic inside, though I know when summer time comes it’ll all drain out to let some space for fun and have your head nice and empty for next year’s lessons.” Professor Merrythought winks, getting chuckles here and there from the students.

“Before we enjoy our last feast and tomorrow morning comes when all of you will be scurrying out of Hogwarts for two months of summer break,” Professor Merrythought smiles, now having the Great Hall filled with laughter. “Tonight we will finally award the House Cup for the leading House.”

“The points stand as Slytherin in fourth place with three hundred and twenty points, Hufflepuff in third place with three hundred and ninety four points, Ravenclaw with four hundred and fifty points, and taking the first place,” The Headmistress says calmly, despite the Gryffindors’ impatient chant. Then she smiles. “Gryffindor with six hundred and ten points.”

The announcement brings various kinds of reactions. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students do a polite clap for Gryffindor. Only Slytherin students don’t take part in the clapping, instead stubbornly still they have their Gryffindors are Giant Trolls badge pinned on their robes, though Gryffindor students seem to be couldn’t careless. Instead the Gryffindors are unable to hold their excitement, as a series of cheering and stamping breaks out from the Gryffindor table.

“Which means,” Professor Merrythought smiles, pausing for a moment. She has to magically amplify her voice just so she can speak over the storm of applause. “Congratulations to Gryffindor for winning the House Cup, and Captain Park along with his team for winning the Inter-House Quidditch Cup.”

The uproar coming from the Gryffindor table is deafening. The clamorous cheers, thunderous claps, and excited yells seem to almost shake the walls of the Great Hall. Every Gryffindor student is trying to get their hands on Chanyeol, to pat his back and congratulate him.

But Chanyeol only has his eyes directed across the Great Hall, at Baekhyun who’s smiling softly at him. The loud noise seems to be drowned by the loving gaze Baekhyun is giving him, silent yet so loud. Sirius along with other stars in the clear sky reflected on the enchanted ceiling overhead seem to quiver, unable to compete against the sparkle in Baekhyun’s eyes.

It’s definitely the best night in Chanyeol’s life after such a grand win. And he’s sure he’s not talking about winning the House Cup or the Inter-House Quidditch Cup, as he keeps his eyes on Baekhyun for the rest of the night.

—

The last day of the school year finally comes around the corner.

Now all students’ four-posters beds are tidied up; their wardrobes are emptied out; their trunks are packed; and each cat, toad, and owl is back on their own cages. Everyone comes down to the Great Hall for the last breakfast of the school year. For this once no one is sitting according to their Houses, all blending in.

Before the students left Hogwarts to go to the Hogsmeade Station, they are allowed to have a free period and walk around the castle grounds to enjoy their last day of the year at Hogwarts before they leave for London.

And it’s also the perfect time for the two Quidditch Captains to have some time alone together. After they’ve finished eating, they excuse themselves from their best friends and walk out of the Great Hall.

“Let us walk, shall we?” Chanyeol smiles, as he offers his arm for Baekhyun to take once they’re out of the castle.

But the Slytherin Seeker has another thing on his mind, so with an amazing reflex Baekhyun takes Chanyeol’s right hand, intertwining their fingers instead. “We shall.”

Hand in hand, they stride off down the lawn toward the lake. They stop in the shade of the beech tree on the edge of the lake, where they lay down a blanket Baekhyun conjured for them to lie together. Chanyeol has his arms folded behind his head, with Baekhyun resting his head on Chanyeol’s biceps.

“Remember the first time we met?” Baekhyun smiles as they watch the birds fly from the Owlery at North Tower towards the lake, breaking the silence first.

“You mean the first time we met and I found out that I hate you since the very beginning of our school year?” Chanyeol scoffs, albeit ending it with a chuckle.

“I was just pointing out that you had soot on your nose, okay!” Baekhyun defends himself, chuckling along. Chanyeol’s laugh reverberating through his body feels so nice, so comforting for him.

“Excuse me, I traveled using Floo powder to Diagon Alley before coming to King’s Cross so it’s okay for me to have soot on my nose,” Chanyeol clarifies, taking a hold of Baekhyun’s wrist just so he can hold his hand again. “And that’s not it. You said it’s stupid for me to dream of being a Gryffindor.”

“Alright, alright. Sorry, okay? I was a kid born straight on the roots of a Slytherin family,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes, pretending to look sullen though he gives out a smile in the end. He rises to sit while still keeping his hand holding Chanyeol’s and his stare at Chanyeol. “Forgive me, Yeol.”

“Not without a kiss.” Chanyeol fakes a sulky look, purposely avoiding Baekhyun’s stare while he too rises up.

Without hesitation, Baekhyun pulls Chanyeol closer again by the cheeks and plants a kiss on Chanyeol’s pouty lips. “Apology accepted?”

This opportunity is the one Chanyeol has been waiting for. So quickly he snakes his arms around Baekhyun’s midriff, pulling the smaller one close, before he kisses him again. Deeply, this time. “Apology accepted.”

“I think that’s the first time I realize I actually can’t get you out of my head,” Baekhyun says dreamily, now looking back at the lake while hugging his folded legs. The atmosphere brings so many memories he wants to talk about with Chanyeol, and today he has a chance to tell Chanyeol all of it. “I keep thinking about you.”

Chanyeol looks over to Baekhyun’s face, observing his boyfriend’s eyes that are staring into the blue sky, with the dark mahogany orbs reflecting the white clouds up above. He can judge with what he’s currently seeing and hearing that it’s time to listen.

“You got along with new people and get so many friends easily, everyone just instantly liked you, even Minseok hyung,” Baekhyun says slowly, as he turns his head just so his eyes can meet Chanyeol’s dark cinnamon ones. “Because my boyfriend is so charming and kind.”

For the compliment added with the new nickname, Chanyeol can feel his heart elated while his cheeks turn red. So shyly he stutters, “But you’re so popular, everyone knows who you are—”

“That happened thanks to Minseok hyung, actually. He helped and showed me how to make some friends. Though as you see, my idea to stand out and make people notice me isn’t as good as Minseok hyung’s, with the whole soot on your nose thing,” Baekhyun laughs, “But that’s not it, I’m also jealous of you.”

“Jealous of what? My height? My handsome face?” Chanyeol teases with a mock-up inquisitive tone. It’s always heartwarming to see Baekhyun turning sulky and being his adorable self—well, anything Baekhyun does, really. Though next he bops Baekhyun’s nose and kisses Baekhyun’s forehead. “You’re cute and small, it’s fine.”

Using his tickling attack, Baekhyun slips his hands on Chanyeol’s tickly spots for two things. It’s to get his revenge, and to hear Chanyeol's laugh that he loves so much. “I swear on Merlin if you don’t stop, Park Chanyeol—”

“Okay, okay! I’m just kidding, okay, I surrender!” Chanyeol exclaims between his laughter, purposely letting Baekhyun have his way and not doing anything to defend himself since this way he can see Baekhyun’s face contorted by happiness: the bulging cheeks, wide grin, and crescent eyes. “Continue.”

“Your family was there to see you off. Your Mum, Dad, and nuna,” Baekhyun replies, “While I had none. My father is always too busy working at the Ministry of Magic while Baekbeom hyung is always out of the country for some top level Gringotts businesses. Besides Minseok hyung, I have no one.”

“Poor little baby Baekhyunnie,” Chanyeol teases again, this time getting himself a playful smack on his back from Baekhyun. “Ouch! I was just joking, okay,” he chuckles along with the Slytherin Seeker. Then his gaze softens, “My family is now officially yours too. I can get the lot in this too, Junmyeon, Jongin, Kyungsoo, Jongdae, Yixing, and Sehun.”

“Thank you.” Baekhyun says after a while. He remembers the time when he said the same thing to the beagle puppy about being his friends months ago, and now he has concrete proof why the beagle puppy makes him feel the truest and honest form of happiness: because it’s Chanyeol all along.

“I’m not done,” Chanyeol says, pausing a moment to tuck back a silvery strand of Baekhyun’s blond hair back on its place behind the smaller one’s ear. “And…”

“And?” Baekhyun smiles, observing the way Chanyeol’s eyes are flitting between his dark mahogany ones.

Eyes focused on Baekhyun’s, Chanyeol can see the stare Seeker is giving him: the gaze is hard, as if challenging, but somehow the light of the eyes inside is still tender as if he knows the answer even before the words come out. So as certain as the short breath he takes, he completes his sentence. “And you have me now.”

“I do have you.” Baekhyun nods, his heart feels as if being washed by a stream of warm emotions. The feeling is enhanced when again he finds Chanyeol’s eyes on him behind the jet-black fringe.

“And you will always do.” Chanyeol smiles, noting a tinge of pink appears on Baekhyun’s cheeks. Though it’s still spring, he swears the view brings him all the pleasant feelings summer has.

“Do you know what I have in my mind for my happiest memory to form my Patronus on that night at Forbidden Forest?” Baekhyun starts again, now focusing his eyes on Chanyeol.

Revisiting his memories from the nights he spent as a beagle puppy and cuddled next to Baekhyun’s side, Chanyeol has an answer disguised as a thought hidden in his mind. It’s something that he does whenever he’s curled up in Baekhyun’s arms, bundled in warmth and protected from the night’s cold bite. He just knows his guess is correct when he takes a deeper look into Baekhyun’s eyes.

But without waiting for Chanyeol to say a word, Baekhyun answers his own question. “I thought of you… just like any other nights.”

“You know what I saw in the Mirror of Erised?” Chanyeol returns the question, now grinning. It’s something more than magical to hear Baekhyun reciting what’s exactly written in his mind.

For Baekhyun sees the same sparkle of stars the heavens up above in Chanyeol’s eyes directed only and just for him, he thinks he knows the answer already. Though as he mirrors Chanyeol’s grin still he asks, “What is it?”

Looking at Baekhyun’s eyes, Chanyeol just knows that Baekhyun has the same thing in mind. It makes him feel as if his smile would never leave his face. “I saw us, exactly just like us right now. Smiling and sitting next to each other.”

“That’s what I saw too on that night I brought you with me…” Baekhyun smiles, closing the distance between him and Chanyeol to record every part of Chanyeol’s face with his eyes. “It was the first time I saw us together. Maybe my heart knew you were with me that night. I didn’t want to leave the mirror because I wanted to stay with you as long as I can, even if it’s just the mirror’s reflection illusion.”

It’s impossible for him to know what Baekhyun saw before now, but for one or two reasons Chanyeol already guessed it correctly even before Baekhyun told him, and he believes Baekhyun. “I’ll stay with you for as long as you want now.”

“I guess I like doing pranks at you just so you’ll get back at me. Just so you won’t ever leave me, just so you’ll stay close to me,” Baekhyun confesses, laughing lightly at Chanyeol’s surprised expression. “Just so I can stay orbiting around you.”

“Okay, for that well delivered reason, I’ll let the pranks slide now,” Chanyeol laughs along. Though next he pulls Baekhyun into him and with a serious tone he continues, “We can be each other’s stars and moon that orbit around each other then.”

“Alone you and I are a cluster of stars of our own. Together we can make a universe of us.” Baekhyun whispers, pointing every dot on Chanyeol’s face just like he did to the beagle puppy. It makes him happy to hear Chanyeol laugh at his touch, sounding almost the same as the puppy’s adorable barks.

“I have always loved everything you talked about at the nights we spent together until now and more time to come, not to mention your comprehensive ways of seeing things in a better light…” Chanyeol whispers, his left hand playing with Baekhyun’s fingers while his right hand’s fingers maps every line on Baekhyun’s face. “I think among so many other good features you have, I started liking you because of that.”

“I think I knew I liked you when I watched you as a Keeper for the first time in our third year. When you won in your first match, I remember you were so happy. Your smile, your laughter, the joy you bring to everyone… all so contagious,” Baekhyun says slowly, his thumb finding its way to trace Chanyeol’s cheekbones. “I remember I was thinking how I want to be a part of your happiness, I want to be the reason of your happiness.”

The story of Baekhyun’s crush starting since third year isn’t new to Chanyeol, but hearing the reason behind it… it’s an honor like no other to have someone he loves makes him feel like his existence actually means a thing. And the mention of happiness reminds him of Baekhyun’s quest to find happiness, so now this is his turn to tell just how precious Baekhyun is. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Why?” Baekhyun wonders. With their faces only a few inches away, he notices Chanyeol has something in his mind, with that different gleam in Chanyeol’s dark cinnamon eyes.

“I saw you at all stages of your recovery, from starting at the lowest point of the curve until you find yourself the way to heal…” Chanyeol says, planting his lips on the back of Baekhyun’s hand before peppering kisses all over Baekhyun’s face, making the latter chuckle. “That line between those two stages, it’s a raw and painful place, but it’s also where something truly life changing happens. You made choices to go on with life, to get better, no matter what has happened to you.”

Baekhyun wants to interrupt but Chanyeol doesn’t let him. He can only smile gently, seeing how ardent Chanyeol is in trying to make him feel so loved with the words and touches.

“I’ve seen all of your sides and I know you do have depth and constancy, creating a quieter, more understated kind of hero, right there,” Chanyeol gently places his palm on top of Baekhyun’s heart. Everyday he tries to return Baekhyun’s love for him. “Your own constant goodness and fiery passion create your own happiness.”

Chuckling, Baekhyun tries to talk again, his thumb softly caressing Chanyeol’s plump lower lip. “Chanyeol, I—”

But Chanyeol isn’t done. He kisses Baekhyun’s lips gently just to make Baekhyun silent before continuing, “And honestly? It makes me happy to see you finding your own ways to be happy.”

“Chanyeol.” Baekhyun can only sigh happily, smiling from ear to ear. Every kiss Chanyeol gives brings him that particular feeling as if they’re kissing for the first time.

“You want to be a part of my happiness? There you go, I calculated the math for you.” Chanyeol finishes. At this point he’s sure Baekhyun’s soft look and smile reserved for him is what makes his heart beat every single day.

No words can describe the feelings flowing through Baekhyun’s heart. So he slips his arms around Chanyeol’s waist and pulls Chanyeol into a hug instead, snuggling his head into the crook of Chanyeol’s neck.

“It feels so nice to hug you. To have your arms around me…” Baekhyun whispers, his eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of being engulfed by Chanyeol’s arms. It feels like he’ll always find a safe place in Chanyeol’s hug. “You’re really a giant. But you’re also my tiny beagle puppy.”

“I’ll give you lots of hugs then,” Chanyeol chuckles, looking at Baekhyun who’s hiding in his embrace. The weight of Baekhyun’s body against his gives him comfort, because by then he knows Baekhyun is with him. “Both as human me and puppy me.”

“You know, I left hints of how I have feelings for you in my pranks,” Baekhyun mumbles, looking up as he trails his index finger on Chanyeol’s jawline. “Do you realize it?”

“Excuse me, Mr. Byun,” Chanyeol fakes a Ministry of Magic official-like tone complete with its fake indignant look. “But which part of Puking Pastilles inserted into Pumpkin Pasties and Amortentia spiked Chocolate Cauldrons can tell that you have feelings for me?”

“But that means I know you love eating Pumpkin Pasties and Chocolate Cauldrons. I think those are enough of a hint that I do really like you.” Baekhyun retorts, pulling out his tongue and grinning triumphantly at Chanyeol.

“Your idea of showing your affection is a bit cruel.” Chanyeol quips, quickly erasing the grin on Baekhyun’s face and transforming it into a scowl.

“Excuse me, Mr. Park,” Baekhyun parrots with a perfect imitation of Chanyeol’s voice, making the latter laugh out loud. “But how about you and your Animagus trick, you listened to my secrets and even planned on exposing me?”

“Alright, fine! You won,” Chanyeol laughs. After a moment he goes quiet, his head tilting sideways, while a smile forms on his face. “We’re even, I guess.”

There it is, Baekhyun sees it again. Chanyeol’s look at him makes him feel like he’s the only person in the world, making him fall in love with Chanyeol over and over again. Though he feigns innocence and pretends to continue his sulk. “Yeah, we’re even, so don’t dare to trick me again, alright—”

“Because I love you.” Chanyeol cuts Baekhyun short, his voice loud and clear.

In a heartbeat, with a smile and stare so fond, Baekhyun answers, “And I love you.”