Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Felix could hardly believe it. It was actually happening.

Ahead of them, way off in the distance, was a beautiful castle that took roots in the magic soil and of which the highest tower brushed the clouds. He had heard so many stories about this place, both from history books and from his best friend, but none of them did justice to the pain this sight could bring.

Hogwarts, the best magic school in the country – and where he was about to spend the next two years of his life in order finish his studying of the magical arts and everything else pertaining to them.

“Lix? How do you feel?”

“… tired.”

Jeongin hummed, tightening his hold around Felix’s shoulders, and pulling the slightly older against his side. Felix slumped in his hold, letting out a shaky breath as he closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight of the approaching castle any longer. He exhaled again when Jeongin began gently carding his fingers through his hair, humming a soft melody under his breath.

The gentle attention and the gentler tune helped soothe Felix’s rising anxieties, and he allowed sleep to claim him, knowing he was safe in Jeongin’s arms.

.

Four years.

Four years had passed since they last stepped foot within the hallowed halls of Hogwarts. Absolutely nothing had changed, yet they felt estranged, unable to connect with the magical school like they once did. Still, there was no turning back, so Jeongin tightened his hold on Felix’s hand as they began walking in direction of the Grand Hall. When they finally made it there, they found none other than Professor Sunmi – or rather, Headmistress Sunmi now – waiting for them. She offered them a warm, welcoming smile that did help put their minds at ease, if only a little.

“Welcome back, Felix, Jeongin,” she greeted softly. “Are you boys ready?”

“No,” answered bluntly Felix. “But we don’t have much of a choice, do we?”

Her smile turned a little sad upon hearing his resigned tone. “I’m afraid not. Trust me, I wouldn’t have forced you to return had it been in my power to refuse. As it is, however, none of us had much choice in the matter.”

“Let’s just go,” urged Jeongin. “The quicker we get it done, the faster we can retire.”

“I’ll have an elf escort you to your dorm as soon as the feast begins,” assured the Headmaster.

The two boys – though now more men than boys – nodded in answer, and she turned to face the doors leading to the Grand Hall. Sparing them one last look, she then pushed the doors open and walked inside. The two stayed behind, out of sight, awaiting for her signal to go inside. They barely listened as the Sorting Ceremony unfolded, separating the 2^nd Years like it did every year. They didn’t say a single word, merely holding each other’s hand as they waited for the Headmistress to call for them, and therefore reveal their return to the rest of the student body.

Unfortunately, it happened a lot quicker than either of them expected.

“—and now, before concluding and beginning the feast, I would like for everyone here to welcome home two students who have been studying away for the past few years.”

Jeongin squeezed Felix’s hand one more time, and the freckled boy offered him a tight smile. Then, not wasting any more time, they both made their way inside the Grand Hall. The whispers that had picked up following the Headmistress’s announcement stopped abruptly, the student body stunned by the unexpected appearance of the two. They could practically hear a pin drop as they made their way down to the front of the Grand Hall, where the Headmistress was waiting for them with the Sorting Hat in her hands. Neither of them spared the other students around a single glance, focusing their attention to the front.

They stopped, and the whispers picked up again.

“Are they—”

“Isn’t that—”

“No way!”

“Lee Felix,” suddenly called Headmistress Sunmi.

He gulped as he let go of Jeongin’s hand to go and sit on the stool. It felt incredibly strange, facing so many familiar faces after years of being gone, but he quickly locked eyes with Jeongin, focusing on the slightly younger in order not to break down there and then.

Headmistress Sunmi placed the Sorting Hat on his head, and Felix inhaled sharply as an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed in his head.

“Hmm, how peculiar… It’s been a while since I’ve last had the chance to sort one of your kind, Mr. Lee – an honor, truly. Hmm, a strong character forged through fire… yet the purity of your blood isn’t to be ignored…”

“Not Gryffindor,” pleaded internally Felix. “Any House but Gryffindor.”

“You would be the first to tell me that. How amusing! Very well, not Gryffindor, then… Hmm, in that case, there truly is no other choice but—SLYTHERIN!!!”

Felix startled a bit at the abrupt announcement, and he barely felt the weight of the hat disappearing from his head. He couldn’t help but glance in direction of the Slytherin table, where tentative applause from the younger students was smothered by the stillness of their older peers. Felix looked away the moment he made eye contact with a much more familiar face, and he stiffly got up, going to stand next to the Headmistress rather than sit with the rest of the Slytherins.

Unperturbed, Headmistress Sunmi continued.

“Yang Jeongin.”

He stepped forward, coming to sit on the stool. He kept his back straight and his head held high as the hat was placed on his head, his eyes locked with the wall at the very back.

“A strong will, for certain. Determined, stubborn…”

“Place me in Slytherin,” demanded Jeongin. “I want to be in Slytherin.”

“Why? Ah, no need to tell me, I know. But this desire to protect your precious people above all else, to stand by his side through any and all hardship… truly, there’s only one true fit for you, Mr. Yang, and it is—HUFFLEPUFF!!!”

Jeongin gritted his teeth in discontent as he rose to his feet, glaring at the Sorting Hat as he went to stand beside Felix. The freckled boy linked their hands together the moment he was close enough, and the contact admittedly helped him calm down a bit. In the end, even if he was angry at not being placed in the same House as Felix, it didn’t change much – they already shared a dorm and all of their classes, anyway.

“With that done, I believe we’ve made you wait long enough,” concluded Headmistress Sunmi. “Enjoy the feast, everyone! And, most importantly, welcome home!”

Uncertain cheering exploded all around as food suddenly began appearing on all of the tables, but neither Felix nor Jeongin paid it any mind, already heading out.

They ignored everyone’s stares as they quickly made their way out of the Grand Hall and, the moment the doors closed behind them, an elf appeared before them.

“I is Missy,” greeted the elf, bowing. “Missy will show you to your dorm, young masters.”

6^th Year and 7^th Year students were considered too old to be sharing House dorms and, as such, they all lived in a separate wing of the castle, paired up in rooms big enough to accommodate their bigger need for privacy. Students were free to pick whom they would be paired with regardless of their respective Houses, hence why Jeongin and Felix were going to share a room despite their previous sorting.

Missy guided them to the North Wing, where their dorms were located. They found their way up to the last floor, where four different doors were waiting. Three of them had intricate designs, but the fourth one was completely bare, plain wood. Missy bowed as they reached that particular door before biding them goodnight and disappearing.

Jeongin and Felix exchanged a glance.

“Want to do the honors?” offered dryly Felix.

Jeongin shrugged and grabbed the handle of the door. The moment he did, though, magic rippled through the door and, before their very eyes, carvings began appearing in the wood. In a matter of second, a beautiful scenery of a fox resting underneath the sun was carved out, and Felix felt his heart warm a bit at the sight.

They made their way inside, mindful to close and lock the door behind them, and they then took a look around. There was a single, large bed in the back, next to the window, and there was also a large couch in front of a small fireplace, a table where a hearty meal was already waiting for them, and a bathroom connected in the back. Their luggage was already waiting by the foot of the bed, numerous uniforms stored in the walk-in closet, and even a cute little strawberry bush in the corner, already bearing fruits. All in all, the whole place looked quite cozy, and Felix took comfort in the fact that this would be his and Jeongin’s space, and theirs only.

“Innie, we—hm!”

Warm lips pressed against his without warning, but Felix quickly relaxed and melted into Jeongin’s touch, cradling the younger’s face to deepen the kiss. He could feel a pleasant thrum coursing through his veins, with their soul marks as its source, and a breathless giggle escaped him as Jeongin finally pulled away, both slightly breathless.

“What was that for?” mused Felix, gently stroking Jeongin’s cheek.

“You’re pretty.”

Felix flushed a bit, whacking Jeongin’s shoulder, and Jeongin laughed, pulling him into a tight hug that instantly made Felix melt. Despite being years into their relationship, Felix still wasn’t used to just how direct Jeongin could be, even more with compliments. Still, he knew his boyfriend meant every word, and it made his heart flutter every time.

“I love you,” mumbled Felix, hiding his face in Jeongin’s neck.

“I love you too. More than anything.”

“Innie… We’ll be fine, right?”

Jeongin’s hold tightened a bit at that. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”

They’d survived a year in this hellish school in the past, back when they were younger and weaker and more easily swayed by others’ opinions – but they were back now, older and stronger and wiser, and they weren’t going to make the same mistakes again.

Hogwarts definitely wasn’t ready for the storm they were about to bring.

.

.

.

Felix and Jeongin had spent the last few years studying magic in Australia’s Academy of Magic, Cobbberbush. Their transfer had been approved and greatly facilitated by Professor Sunmi at the time, knowing that Hogwarts was no longer a safe space where Felix would be able to heal. She’d helped them get in contact with a few important people, handled all of the paperwork, and even paid the portkey fee that would take them to Australia – and, next thing they knew, Hogwarts was gone, and they were free to start their lives anew.

Helping Felix readjust hadn’t been easy. Though he’d lost all memories pertaining to seven specific people, the fact that he basically drank the whole thing damaged his short-term memory, too. He had a harder time retaining things that just happened or information he was just given, and Jeongin always needed to repeat himself numerous times if he wanted Felix to understand or remember something.

Though a bit trying on patience, he never blamed Felix for it. If anything, he took the blame upon himself, because Felix wouldn’t have felt compelled to hurt himself in such a way if Jeongin had just… been enough. But what was done was done and now, he simply needed to focus on what he could do to help him through it all.

Then, a little over a year after they arrived in Australia, something in Felix just clicked into place. The block on his magical core abruptly disappeared and, most importantly, the effects of the potion simply vanished – and, at once, Felix’s erased memories returned. The shock had been so great, it plunged him into a mini-coma that lasted for four days. And, when he woke up again, he completely broke into tears in Jeongin’s arms.

It hurt, to have so many painful memories suddenly shoved right back into his head. But what hurt even more was remembering just how he’d decided to deal with all of it, how he'd hurt himself without a second thought, uncaring of his fate or how it might affect Jeongin, and this momentary lapse of infinite selfishness killed him inside. But Jeongin was still there, and he wasn’t going anywhere. And, just like before, he supported Felix through it all, the slightly older eventually coming to terms with the whole incident – both thanks to his wonderful boyfriend and the regular meetings with a trusted school psychologist.

They built a life for themselves, there. They both excelled in their respective studies, made new friends, developed their relationship even further… Truly, they were happier in Australia than they could have ever imagined and, though there were some tougher days when the shadows of their past life came back to haunt them, they were determined to keep moving and cherish this happiness they’d managed to build for themselves.

Unfortunately, not all good things were meant to last.

In the summer preceding their sixth year of study, they received the unexpected visit of the now-Headmistress Sunmi, and were informed that, as per some old rules that had almost been completely forgotten, their magical education wouldn’t be recognized by any board or organization unless they completed at least three years of study in their country of origin.

They could have decided to stop, right there and then. They could have decided to retire to the muggle world, pursue muggle studies and live muggle lives instead. But Felix had a dream of becoming a Magizoologist, and Jeongin was working hard to become an Auror, and the two of them couldn’t possibly dream of giving up the magical world after having fought to fit in for so long.

So, despite the fear and apprehension, Felix and Jeongin agreed to return and finish their studies in Hogwarts – and once they were done, they’d return to Australia and never step foot within Britain ever again.

.

.

.

Felix stirred awake under the feather-like touch ghosting over his cheeks, delicately tracing along his jawbone then up his ear, a subtle shudder running down his spine as his body registered the gentle attention. A small chuckle echoed, and Felix exhaled deeply as he nuzzled his favorite source of warmth closer.

“Good morning, Lix.”

“Good morning…” he mumbled, unwilling to open his eyes just yet.

He could tell Jeongin was smiling even with his eyes closed, and a smile of his own stretched his lips as he felt his boyfriend’s arms close just a little tighter around his waist. Then, Jeongin began pressing small kisses all over his face, following an all-too-familiar pattern – that of his freckles, that is.

“They’re glowing again,” murmured Jeongin and, had it been earlier in their relationship, Felix would have been embarrassed by how obviously enamored he sounded. “Are you sure you have to keep taking the glamour potion? Why not just a charm?”

“We’ve tried those, remember? Glamour charms don’t work on me,” groaned Felix, rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah but drinking that potion every single day can’t possibly be healthy. What if you end up getting sick? Or what if it messes with your core?”

Felix finally opened his eyes, and he was greeted with the sight of a very disheveled Jeongin, his hair cutely fluffed up in all directions. His eyes were wide open, though, no trace of sleepiness to be found – he’d obviously been awake for a while, now. The thought made Felix frown, and he reached out to cradle Jeongin’s cheek.

“Did you have a nightmare again, love?”

Jeongin tilted his head so he could kiss Felix’s palm. “I’m fine. Being back here just made me a little restless, is all. But don’t try to change the subject, Lix. The potion—”

Felix leaned up so he could press his lips against Jeongin’s, effectively shutting him up. They kissed for a few seconds and, when Felix pulled away again, he offered Jeongin a small, reassuring smile.

“I’ll be okay, Innie,” he assured. “The potion is just until I’ve gone through with the Call. As soon as that’s over, I won’t have to keep on hiding myself anymore.”

“You could stop hiding yourself now,” pouted Jeongin. “It’s not like Hogwarts hasn’t welcomed non-human students before, and the magical community as a whole is filled with all sorts of people and creatures from all backgrounds.”

Felix smiled again, this time kissing his nose. “I know. But it’s just a precaution, okay? It’ll all be over in a few months, at most.”

“And you still—”

“Yes, my choice is still the same, and it will still be the same then. Stop worrying, okay? Or you’ll start getting wrinkles and before we know it, you’ll look like Professor Marwa before hitting twenty-two!”

“Yah, take that back! I’m way too handsome to even resemble that old coot!”

Jeongin abruptly flipped him onto his back, straddling Felix’s waist and pinning the older to the bed, launching a merciless tickle attack. Felix screeched in laughter, struggling between pushing him off and making him stop, but then the laughter curled into a deep-throated moan as, without warning, Jeongin playfully bit down on the tip of Felix’s pointed ear. He instantly flushed a deep red, slapping a hand over his mouth as his eyes locked with Jeongin, who stopped tickling him and who looked incredibly smug. Felix whacked his chest, burning red even more.

“Stop! Bad Innie! We don’t have time for this!”

“Don’t we?”

He leaned down but, before he could trap Felix into another kiss and seduce him out of going to class, the freckled boy grabbed the nearest pillow and shoved it in his face. Jeongin pulled away, pouting a bit, but understanding Felix meant it. It’s not like they’d never skipped class before, but he supposed doing so on the first day would only attract even more attention than their unexpected return.

Getting off of Felix, a small smile stretched his lips as he watched his boyfriend sit up, disheveled, flushed, and panting – truly, anyone walking in uninvited at this very moment would think they’d been doing something much less innocent than tickling. Unable to help himself – his boyfriend was gorgeous and absolutely irresistible, okay? – Jeongin promptly leaned in and caught Felix’s lips in a searing kiss.

After a few more seconds, they finally separated, and Felix’s eyes were now a bit glossy, clearly torn between giving in and standing his ground.

“Last one,” promised Jeongin, a tad breathlessly. “Now come on, we should get ready if we want to get breakfast before class.”

“R- right.”

They both got out of bed, Felix dragging his feet a little bit, and they found their way to the bathroom. While Jeongin jumped into the shower, Felix started cleaning himself up a bit, brushing his hair, then his teeth, and finally taking a better look at his reflection.

He looked quite different than how he used to. His traits had become more define – sharper, yet still delicate. He’d grown some muscles from playing Quidditch back in Cobberbush, but his form was still lithe and somewhat on the thin side, almost frail-looking, really. What really stood out, however, were the hundreds of freckles splattered all over his body quite literally glowing with an inner, shimmery shine, as if his entire body had become a canvas of little diamonds that sparkled even brighter under the light. His hair had grown paler too, longer, but not long enough to cover his ears, which had grown elongated and pointy-ended, similar to an Elvenfolk’s.

It had been a shock, back when his appearance first underwent that drastic change, but he’d long since gotten used to it. He didn’t dislike it, really – it was hard to when Jeongin made a mission out of offering heartfelt praises every chance he got. In fact, he knew he looked quite pretty and, contrarily to how he used to be, his appearance was no longer a source of complexes from which he drew his lack of self-esteem.

However, past insecurities weren’t the reason behind his need to hide and, as such, he didn’t waste any more time grabbing the vial of potion on the counter and taking a sip. The familiar, overly sweet taste made him gag a bit, but he swallowed it down and, when he looked into the mirror again, he looked like a normal human boy once more.

“Aw, you couldn’t even let me see you one last time?”

Felix rolled his eyes, shooting an amused smile Jeongin’s way as the younger finished wrapping a towel around his waist. “You’ll see me again once the glamour wears off tonight, you spoiled baby. Now come on, hurry up, or I’ll start thinking you actually want me to starve.”

Jeongin huffed, towel-drying his hair as he left the bathroom. “You say that, but you’d have slept in had I not been there. Where’s my ‘thank you, love of my life, for being so sweet and caring by waking me up in time for breakfast’—”

Felix promptly cut him off by giving him a short kiss, grinning a bit. “There. Now less whining and more dressing, hm? Unless you want to go down half-naked.”

At that, Jeongin flexed his muscles a bit, taking a ridiculous pose. “Please, you say that as if it’d be something to be ashamed of.”

Well, there was no denying Jeongin had physically changed a lot, too. Ever since their move to Australia, he’d been determined to become Felix’s protector, in every sense of the term, and so he began to train his body in addition to his magic. His slightly bulging muscles definitely spoke of his progress, and he never missed a chance to show off his strength, be it by carrying all of their luggage at once or picking Felix up and bending him over—

“Okay!” exclaimed Felix, shoving Jeongin’s yellow-seamed uniform into his arms before dragging him to the door. “Now let’s go!”

He was definitely a lot more energetic than the previous day, but Jeongin certainly wasn’t about to complain. In the end, they were at Hogwarts to finish their studies and, most importantly, the only people in the school who remembered Felix were the ones currently in their seventh year, or the other 6^th years – in other words, the grand majority of the school didn’t know who Felix used to be and, starting today, he was going to prove to everyone else that he’d grown into quite the different wizard.

They headed downstairs, once again feeling this strange wave of nostalgia and apprehension washing over them as they walked the familiar halls. Though they were now located in a different wing, the path to the Grand Hall was basically the same, and it almost felt as if they’d traveled years in the past. When they eventually made it, the doors were already wide open, welcoming all of the students for breakfast. Felix instinctively reached out to grab Jeongin’s hand, and the two exchanged a slightly strained smile before heading inside. There was a very brief lull in the conversations as they entered, but most of the students –  5^th years and under – didn’t pay them any mind.

How strange, to be known by some yet complete strangers to others.

“Come on, Lix. I know exactly where we should sit.”

At that, Felix glanced over to the Hufflepuff table, where three familiar faces offered them wide grins as they eagerly gestured for them to come. He couldn’t help but relax upon seeing Jongho, Eric, and Beomgyu, grown-up, yet still the same. Though they’d kept in touch with the three through letters, there was no denying the warmth that spread in Felix’s chest upon seeing his friends for the first time in years.

Like what, there was some good to being back.

.

Potions Monday morning and Herbology Wednesday afternoon were the only classes Felix and Jeongin shared. Since 6^th and 7^th year were the two years during which students were asked to focus on the classes required for the field they wished to enter, it was only natural their schedules would diverge. Almost all of Felix’s schedule was dedicated to Care of Magical Creatures, which he was already looking forward to, and he also had a class of Charms on Tuesdays, since Charms, Potions, and Herbology were three of the “basics”, so to speak, and were requirements for almost any job a wizard could dream of getting.

(He was also quite glad to find out that he shared Potions with Beomgyu and Jongho, Charms with Eric, and BMA with all three of them – it would make team projects much easier, considering he wasn’t exactly eager to befriend anyone else.)

Something he hadn’t counted on, however, was the fact that Houses didn’t influence a student’s schedule anymore and, as such, he happened to share classes with a few people he’d rather have avoided for the rest of his life – Seungmin and Jisung. He’d seen them from afar when they first arrived but seeing them up-close when they entered the Potions class was a shock Felix wasn’t ready for.

He forced himself to tear his gaze away from the pair, instead heading to the back where Beomgyu and Jongho were already sitting. He and Jeongin claimed the desk just in front of theirs, both pointedly ignoring the looks and whispers from the other students and making a point of not glancing toward Seungmin and Jisung again.

The other students would get over their return soon enough and, with some luck, Jisung, Seungmin, and all the others would simply ignore them, and everyone would be able to just move on with their lives. If they tried to be stupid and confront them – or worse, tried to befriend them – however, then Felix doubted he’d have the self-restraint necessary to stop himself from hexing them to hell and back.

(They’d hurt him a lot, and there was no denying his resentment had been festering for a couple of years, now. He wasn’t planning on acting on it but, if push came to shove, then he certainly wouldn’t hold back his punches.)

“Welcome back everyone for yet another year!” None other than Professor Hyuna suddenly made her entrance, all wide smiles and crinkling eyes, and Felix couldn’t help but feel a little more at ease upon seeing the familiar woman. “You’ve been working hard for the past few years, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to slack off! Now that you’re in your 6^th year, things are about to get even busier, so let’s pull our sleeves back and get to work right away!”

.

One good thing that came with Felix’s… changes, was the fact that he no longer lacked control. With his magical core finally maturing at a proper pace, his magic stopped just leaking out like a faulty faucet and started flowing fluidly. As such, one thing Felix no longer had to worry about was accidentally reactivating the core of an ingredient, like he’d done so many times in the past. Now, if he simply focused on putting up a wall between his magic and the core of the ingredient, then everything worked out.

He could feel the other students’ palpable shock when he began manipulating ingredients, and it only grew tenfold when he and Jeongin finished the first class of the school year with a perfect potion – something that had never happened back in their first year. No doubt that Hogwarts’ rumor mill would begin working full-time again but, this time around, Jeongin and Felix were fully prepared.

If anyone wanted to try and hurt them through falsehoods and exaggerated facts and hurtful words… well, they were certainly welcomed to try.

“Hey, Felix! Err, good job with the potion back there, man – wasn’t an easy one!”

Felix could only stare, a little stunned, as the boy who’d just unexpectedly spoken to him offered him an awkward smile before promptly rushing out of class. For the life of him, Felix couldn’t even remember his name – he only vaguely remembered the guy’s face, really – and he couldn’t understand why an unknown guy had just… complimented him?

Beomgyu patted his shoulder with a small, knowing smile. “I know you and Jeongin were bracing yourselves for the worst by coming back, but… people change, okay? It’s been four years, after all.”

“Right…”

A few more students awkwardly congratulated him and Jeongin on their way out – they were one of the only groups who’d managed to successfully make it, after all – and Felix was stunned to find that… none of them were lying. Or rather, they all meant their praises, and he simply couldn’t fathom how people who’d scorned and hurt him so badly in the past could abruptly become so… friendly.

Four years, huh…? No, people can’t change that much. There must be something else going on – we’ll just have to keep an eye out.

.

“Well, well, well – if it isn’t my favorite student in the flesh!”

Felix flushed a bit, slightly embarrassed. “Professor Changmin… It’s good to see you again, but I haven’t been your student in years. How could I still be your favorite?”

“Even if only for a year, I’ve taught you – as such, you are and always will be my student, even once you’ve left Hogwarts,” replied the teacher with a grin, patting his shoulder. “Welcome back. Now come on, I believe you’ve been greatly missed by a few of my darling tenants!”

At the mention of the numerous creatures residing within Hogwarts’ menagerie, Felix could only perk up excitedly. Though he’d been in contact with a number of strange creatures back in Australia, most of them were too dangerous to be kept on school grounds and, as such, Cobberbush didn’t offer many practical classes when it came to Care of Magical Creatures.

Following Professor Changmin, they found their way to a large, familiar clearing, and a wide grin stretched Felix’s lips as he caught sight of a few familiar griffins peacefully roaming about in the tall grass. He shot an excited look at the teacher, who simply smiled and gestured for him to go ahead.

“Today’s class is mostly for the students who’ve never had Care of Magical Creatures classes before – showing them around, introducing them to the creatures, and all that. You and the other few students who took this class for their Discovery Course in first year are free to do as you please for today, but I figured you’d like to see them again.”

“Thank you, Professor,” breathed out Felix. “Can I…?”

“Of course. I’ll leave you to it. If anything comes up, feel free to call for me – I’ll be in the barn with the others.”

Not needing further permission, Felix promptly took off into the clearing, slowing his pace only once he began to get close enough to the griffins. He made a point of letting his presence known without startling the majestic beasts, stopping at a proper distance before respectfully bowing to the nearest griffin. Next thing he knew, a feathered head bumped against his shoulder, forcing him to straighten up and startling a laugh out of Felix when the griffin began headbutting his chest with affection, the freckled boy immediately giving it a few scritches. After that, the four other griffins around also approached him, all of them demanding his attention.

After a few minutes, a strange noise caught his attention. The griffins slightly parted ways, one of them gently nudging him forward, and Felix curiously followed their guidance. He was quite surprised when he found himself staring down at a much bigger griffin – the female, there was only one per pack and they were always bigger than their male counterpart – lying on the ground. The female didn’t appear injured, simply watching Felix approach with a leveled gaze. Then, once he was close enough, the griffin lifted one of its wings… revealing a small, feathery body and dark, shimmery eyes. A faint gasp escaped Felix when he realized it was a baby.

He hesitantly reached out a hand and, after a moment of hesitation, the baby griffin clumsily headbutted his hand. Felix began gently petting it, its baby feathers the softest thing he’d ever touched, and a sound akin to a purr escaped the creature as it leaned even more into his touch.

Felix could feel tears filling his eyes, his heart suddenly tight with emotions. He didn’t know what this year had in store for him but, as he continued to pet the baby while the rest of the griffins peacefully settling down around them, he knew one thing for certain: whatever happened, whatever the future reserved… things would be alright.

.

Felix was quite pleased to discover that Mister Siwon was still their Charms teacher, but he was even happier when, on the third day of school, he discovered that Professor Lee would once again be his Herbology teacher.

“It’s great to have you back, Felix,” greeted Professor Lee with a wide grin, and Felix’s heart filled with warmth upon noticing just how genuine his feelings were. “I’ve missed having a student of your caliber around. Not just anyone can rival your natural connection with nature, you know?”

“It’s great to see you again, Professor,” smiled Felix. “Would you happen to be looking for  someone to help with the greenhouses? I’d be happy to volunteer.”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t deny a helping hand… Tell you what, if in a few weeks you still haven’t found a club to join, then we’ll talk about it. Deal?”

“Deal!”

Frankly, Felix had no intention of joining a club. He wasn’t interested in any of the few he remembered, and he wasn’t planning on socializing more than strictly necessary. He still agreed to the teachers’ terms, however, figuring there was no harm in at least taking a look at the list of clubs they’d been provided upon their arrival.

.

Despite the familiar faces still present on the school board, fresh blood had also been added to the staff. The dreaded Professor Kang was apparently fired following Felix and Jeongin’s transfer, and she was replaced by Professor Yook. He was one of Jeongin’s new teachers, in Basics of Healing, in addition to Professor Im, in Charms. The two of them also briefly met with the new Vice-Principal who insisted that all students address him as “Mister Eunkwang”, and who also happened to be the new transfiguration teacher, since Professor Sunmi was now Headmistress – though only Jeongin had a class with him.

And finally, there was a new teacher for BMA, since Professor Hwasa had left on urgent business in Amazonia, where her skills as a professional Cursebreaker were apparently required – Professor Peniel was thus appointed as her replacement until her return. From the sole class Felix had had with him so far, he seemed quite nice, and also quite popular with the rest of the student body, since he was one of the youngest teachers around.

And yet, no matter how new and old mingled, how past memories merged with present encounters, one thing definitely stood out.

“… they still haven’t tried anything, have they?”

Jeongin sighed, his hold around Felix’s shoulders tightening a bit. “You shouldn’t let it bother you, Lix. They obviously know they’re not welcomed anywhere near you – we’re better off without them trying anything.”

The couple weren’t entirely used to being apart for such extended periods of time. Ever since their transfer to Australia, they’d been sticking close to each other, sharing all of their classes, and spending all of their free time together. Now, however, they each had diverging schedules, and the only quality time they got to spend together were the mornings and evenings, and the meals in-between.

So, of course, they’d make the most of their first Friday evening together. With a room entirely to themselves, there was very little stopping them from spending a few hours exploring and enjoying each other’s bodies. Now sated and modestly covered, however, the resulting bliss was slowly ebbing away, Felix’s anxiousness slowly budding back to life despite Jeongin’s gentle attention and whispers of love uprooting it just minutes earlier.

“I’m just still so- so angry. Is it dumb, to wish they’d just… do something? That they’d just say something dumb enough that’d warrant me shoving my wand up their a—”

“It’s not dumb, baby,” murmured Jeongin, nuzzling Felix’s sweaty, disheveled hair. “Just because it’s been a few years doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to feel hurt anymore. What they’ve done… Trust me, I’d go out and punch every single one of them in the face if I didn’t know it’d possibly get me expelled.”

“I’m just tired of holding onto that pain,” admitted Felix, wiggling a bit in Jeongin’s hold so he could wrap his arms around his chest. “But I can’t- I can’t just let it go without- without doing something about it. It doesn’t—it just wouldn’t be fair…!”

“Just give it some time, Lix,” insisted Jeongin, gently rocking him a bit. “I know it’s easier said than done, but you should just forget about them. Exhausting yourself over what they might do is just going to hurt you more in the long run, okay?”

“Hmm.”

Jeongin knew simple words wouldn’t be able to chase away Felix’s demons. So, he settled for hugging him a little tighter, hoping the physical reassurance would be enough to at least remind him that he wasn’t alone in this, and never would be.

.

“Hi, Felix.”

He’d truly tempted the Devil. Barely a day had passed since his small talk with Jeongin regarding their old “friends”, and one now stood right in front of him. The all-too-familiar voice made his heart skip a beat, his anxiety flaring up at once. He forced himself to keep an unreadable expression, making it look as though he was finishing his paragraph but actually taking the time to compose himself.

Once certain his façade wouldn’t crack, Felix looked up from his book and met Changbin’s nervous gaze head-on.

“Can I help you…?”

Changbin gulped, obviously searching for his words, and Felix took this moment of reprieve to take a better look at the Ravenclaw. He’d buffed out a fair bit, and he was even sporting a pair of thick, square glasses that suited him fairly well. What stood out the most, however, was how he held himself. His posture was straight, no longer hunched over under the crushing weight of insecurities and self-imposed expectations. He looked confident, more at ease with his own self – or at least, he would be, if it wasn’t for the distinct nervousness painted over his face. After a few seconds, though, his traits slackened, and he heaved out a sigh, seemingly resigning himself.

“Can I… sit with you, for a bit? I’d like to talk to you about something.”

Felix wasn’t exactly keen on hearing him out – he was undoubtedly planning on offering some bland apologies to ease his consciousness. And yet, there was something about Changbin’s tone that made him curious. Not trusting himself to speak, he merely nodded in agreement, unsure of where this would lead.

Changbin sat down. They both stayed silent for a bit, then he finally found the strength to speak.

“I know this might be a little weird. I mean, you don’t remember me or anything, so you’re probably just confused right now,” he remarked, a wry grin gracing his lips for a brief second – and oh, wasn’t that something interesting?

He still thinks I’m under the influence of the Memory Wipe potion, Felix realized, his guts churning with growing anticipation. Alright, let’s see how this all plays out.

He could already imagine it: Changbin downplaying everything that happened in the past, probably passing off their falling out as a mere misunderstanding he didn’t get the chance to clear up before Felix did what he did, offering some tasteless apologies for the form and then going on his merry way again, his guilt eased at last – except Felix wouldn’t let that happen. He’d let Changbin lie and lie and lie, and then he’d reveal he’d known the truth all along and finally make him realize—

“Four years ago, I did something… terrible. Unforgivable, really.” Felix’s internal rant was cut off by the unexpected words. His eyes widened a bit and, much to his surprise, Changbin… didn’t look away, staring right at him with a grim, genuinely remorseful expression. “I know you don’t remember. And maybe- maybe it’s cruel of me, to force you to remember something you tried so hard to forget. But it- it doesn’t feel right, to keep you in the dark, and I want to make things right… somehow.”

“What are you trying to say, exactly?” Felix managed to murmur.

“Four years ago, I was placed into Ravenclaw – mostly because I pressured the  Sorting Hat into it, really. I felt like I had something to prove, and I was ready to do anything to just… show everyone I was worthy, I guess. And you and the others just believed in me, and I didn’t- I didn’t want to let you down…” Changbin halted his rant, shaking his head a bit. “A- anyway, I’m not saying all of this to justify anything, just to put some context. Back then, I put a lot of pressure on myself, which ended with me biting off much more than I could chew. And, eventually, the only solution I found to getting myself out of my own messes was… was by using you.”

Felix still didn’t quite get where he was going. So far, all he could hear was Changbin trying to rationalize all of the pain he’d made him endure. What was the point, seriously?

“I manipulated you into doing my homework for me. Others in my House began seeing me as the kid they never saw do any homework, but still got great grades somehow, and it was a really nice reputation to have around. And it- it got to my head, and I started taking on more extravagant projects, to try and show off even more. And then, in Potions, I ended up in a group with the smartest kids in our grade, and I just… wanted to show them I could stand on the same stage, you know?”

“I really don’t,” replied dryly Felix, his grip tight on his book. “Is there a point to any of this…? I have homework to get back to—”

“I got ahead of myself and assured them I could make a really difficult potion that required almost-impossible to find ingredients – one of which I quickly learned you had in your possession. Braskorn seeds, to be exact. And when you refused to give them to me, I got so irrationally upset… I tried guilt-tripping you, figuring you’d crack eventually, but then my deadline started approaching and I realized you weren’t going to cave in… So, I lied to another of our friends and stole your seeds.”

Well. That was certainly… direct. Felix’s rising annoyance was abruptly halted by the sheer fact that Changbin outright acknowledged his past fault, calling it exactly what it was, without any artifices: thievery.

“I stole your seeds and I used them for my potion. And then I got greedy, and I was still angry at you, so I figured using a few more for other personal projects was only a petty way to get back at you. But I- I didn’t know how valuable they actually were…! I just figured they couldn’t be this pricey, if you’d managed to get your hands on so many of them… And when- when you confronted me about it, I still refused to see reason. I was stupid, and selfish, and I refused to accept I could be in the wrong because my ego was so damn fragile…”

Changbin heaved out a shuddering breath, and Felix was admittedly taken aback by the glossy sheen of tears in his eyes. Still, Changbin just kept on looking at him, obviously determined to face his past head-on, and Felix found himself unable to say anything or look away.

“I hurt you. I hurt you so badly, and I’ve never felt so sick with myself. Even today, I can’t- I can’t understand how I could ever believe that what I’d done to you was okay. I was a terrible friend, and I… I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Felix. I took your kindness for granted, used you, stole from you…” Changbin suddenly bowed, his forehead almost touching the ground. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

“… why are you telling me all of this?”

Changbin straightened up, his expression now serious. “I’m not asking you to forgive me. I’ve never expected you to. But I hope- I hope you can accept my efforts to atone for all the pain I’ve caused you, at the very least. Starting with this.”

He suddenly pulled a small, wooden box with a golden latch from his bag. Flicking the latch open, he then offered it to Felix, and the freckled boy’s heart dropped when he saw two familiar seeds inside the box.

“I’ve stolen seven Braskorn seeds from you – it’s only right that I’d return them to you. I’ve been working hard in the past four years, but I- I’m nowhere near close to repaying what I owe you. I’ve only managed to get the first one by pure luck, and I earned the second one through an odd job… but they’re yours. And I won’t stop working my hardest to give you back the five others I still owe you. I won’t rest until I’ve repaid my debt! So please… please, grant me the chance to make it up to you. You don’t have to forgive me, and we don’t have to talk ever again, just…”

“I’ve heard enough.”

“Felix—”

“You’re wrong about one thing,” cut Felix, gritting his teeth as he averted his eyes. “I do remember – everything. The potion’s effects wore off years ago.”

“T- then that means—”

A sardonic smile graced Felix’s lips, though he could no longer bring himself to look at Changbin now that he’d admitted to remembering.

“Do you know what killed me the most, at that time? It wasn’t the fact that I actually needed those seeds you stole from me, or even how expensive they were – it was how easily you just decided to betray me in the first place. Did you even stop to think about it? Doubted for even a second, even briefly hesitated before going through with your plan?”

“… no,” Changbin whispered, shame hanging heavy in his voice. “No, I- I didn’t.”

“Thanks for your honesty, if nothing else,” mused dryly Felix, feeling the familiar stinging of tears growing in his eyes, though he held them in. “Keep your Braskorn seeds.”

“Felix, please—”

“Give them to me once you have all seven of them.” Silence befell them, and Felix could taste Changbin’s hope tainting the air – and it disgusted him. “It’ll take you what, years? Decades? Maybe by then, I’ll have it in me to at least look you in the eyes without feeling the urge to vomit.”

He didn’t have to look at Changbin to know he flinched, his words acting like an unexpected punch. He obviously didn’t expect such harsh words, the Felix he remembered had always been too kind for his own good – but that kindness had been wasted on the wrong people, and Felix wouldn’t make that mistake again.

His ex-friend inhaled shakily, obviously hesitating between saying something more and keeping silent – but then he shut his mouth, put the seeds away, and got up without another word. Felix closed his eyes, simply listening as he finally left him alone. It’s only once he could no longer hear Changbin’s footsteps receding that he allowed his façade to break, and a few tears slipped past his defenses.

He angrily wiped them away, gritting his teeth.

Damn it…!

.

“Changbin came to see me today.”

Jeongin tensed, stopping in his task of folding his freshly cleaned clothes. “What happened? Did he try anything? Did he—”

“He assumed I didn’t remember him and told me all about how much he’d hurt me four years ago. He was… surprisingly honest, didn’t try to sugarcoat anything and owned up to his mistakes, I guess. And he’s now determined to pay me back the seven Braskorn seeds he stole from me – quite literally.”

“I… see.” Jeongin finally finished folding his shirt, a pensive look on his face. “Can’t say I was expecting that, but four years can change a—”

“Don’t,” cut Felix, a tad harsher than necessary. “Just… don’t.”

“Lix…” Jeongin came over to the desk where Felix was sitting, reaching out to gently massage his shoulders a bit. “It’s okay. Even if he apologized, you don’t have to forgive him. And no matter how much time passes, that will always be true, okay?”

“I’m not forgiving him,” assured Felix, melting a bit into Jeongin’s touch. “But I just—it frustrates me. Fuck, I wanted him to be awful, I wanted him to be exactly as I remembered him to be, because I’ve become stronger now and I can stand my ground now and I just… I just—!”

“You just wished you could have proved it,” easily completed Jeongin, reading him like an open book. “To him, and to yourself, too. And that’s okay. That’s a completely valid way to feel, okay?”

“Is it?” Felix’s voice lost its edge, breaking a bit as he hid his face in his hands. “I feel like such a terrible person… I’m such a mess…!”

Jeongin frowned for a moment, then let go of Felix’s shoulders so he could pull his chair instead, making some room for him to sit on the desk and face Felix instead. He gently pried his hands away from his face, his heart clenching at the sight of the unshed tears shimmering in Felix’s beautiful green eyes.

“You, Lee Felix, are the farthest thing from a terrible person,” he assured softly, but firmly. “You are irremediably kind, and you always think of others before yourself, and you always put someone else’s happiness above your own… This rightful anger inside of you doesn’t make you a lesser person, okay? It just makes you human. And, in the end, if you were to ask me right now to murder all of them?” He offered a small grin. “I mean, I wouldn’t go through with it, but it wouldn’t make me love you any less, okay?”

That managed to earn a small laugh from the freckled boy. Satisfied, Jeongin leaned in and gently kissed his forehead, smiling a bit. He couldn’t say he was pleased that Changbin had reached out, even less so considering how much more miserable it made Felix feel, but he supposed it was the best way to go if he wanted Felix to move on.

He didn’t want to see him cry anymore. And, as angry himself felt toward their ex-friends for what they’d done, he knew that anger was only eating away at his boyfriend, and if he wanted Felix to be truly happy, then maybe… maybe facing his demons was the only solution, even if it might hurt him even more on the short-term.

.

Felix hadn’t been seriously planning on looking into joining a club but, as he skimmed with little interest the list he’d been given, he found an interesting name.

Protego

Group committed to helping and supporting struggling students.

The list only contained the names of the clubs and a very brief summary of their interests, but what little he read about Protego grabbed his attention and, against his better judgement, he soon found himself making his way to the seventh floor, where the Room of Requirement – which the club had claimed as its headquarters – was located.

He’d heard of that room before, one story lost about the thousand others that surrounded Hogwarts. As far as he’d been aware, the room had been lost for decades but, apparently, it had been found again, and was now being put to good use by the club, with it being open to everyone at all times of the day. The doors weren’t even hidden. In fact, they were in plain sight and wide open, with a desk located right at the entrance and a Hufflepuff currently scribbling something down. He was probably a 4^th Year or under since Felix couldn’t remember seeing him before. When he got close enough, though, the boy lifted his head and offered him a welcoming grin.

“Hi! Welcome to Protego! How can we help you today?”

Felix hesitated a bit. “I… I’m looking for a club to join, maybe…? I’m mostly curious. Would it be alright if I just took a look around?”

The Hufflepuff’s grin widened, if possible. “I’ll do you one better – give me a sec!”

Felix didn’t have much of a choice, and so he waited while the Hufflepuff tapped the tip of his wand against a small bell sitting right in front of him while mumbling a spell under his breath. No sound came out of it but, a few seconds later, a startlingly familiar face walked out of the room.

“What is it, Evans—oh my gosh, Felix!!!”

“Sa- Sana!?”

It truly was the older Ravenclaw, though she was no longer dressed in the blue robes – with reason, too, since she shouldn’t be a student anymore. Felix was too stunned by her unexpected appearance and barely even noticed as he engulfed him in an excited hug.

“What- what are you doing here?” he asked, puzzled.

“If you mean Hogwarts, then I’m actually studying to become a teacher here. If you mean Protego, though – I’m actually one of the cofounders!”

“You are?” blinked the freckled boy.

“Come on, I’ll show you around!”

Sana was just as cheerful and energetic as he remembered her to be, and Felix couldn’t help but smile a little as he followed her. He hadn’t even realized how much he’d missed her up until now but seeing her again truly put his heart at ease, somehow.

The Room of Requirement had dutifully accommodated all of their needs, with large, open spaces and big windows that brightened up the whole room just right. Most of said space was occupied with comfortable looking couches, large pillows, and even cute stuffed toys of all sorts.

And much to his surprise, there were also a few cats and dogs lying about.

“This is the common space. Students who’re stressed and just want to unwind are free to come here whenever they want and do whatever they want – read, listen to music, nap, etc. They can also register for animal support time, during which they’ll be given an animal to play with or pet or whatever.”

“Where do you get them?” asked curiously Felix.

“Refuges. All of the cats have been abandoned by their witch or wizard, while the three dogs we have were found in the streets in the muggle side of London,” she explained. “The elves go to town every week to fetch food and other necessities, but the members of the club are the ones who take care of the animals.”

“I see.”

Sana then gestured to a few closed doors further in the back. “Those rooms are private rooms. Students who need to be alone or don’t trust themselves to be alone in an unsupervised environment come here and take one of these rooms for as long as they need, and the Room of Requirement provides them with whatever they might need – anything that isn’t a risk to their health, of course.”

Felix hummed under his breath as he took his time to look around. Everything looked so bright and warm, definitely cozy, and the few students who were around looked so relaxed… He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy in his heart. Would he have done the same thing he did back then, if such a club had existed when he needed it?

“What do the members of the club do, then?” he asked before he could lose himself to this more dangerous train of thought.

“We keep things in order, for one. Make sure everyone who comes here has everything they might need, mostly offer support or a listening hear if they want that. If someone’s struggling with school, we put them in contact with tutors from the Tutoring Club – another thing I founded, actually – or if they have more personal issues with a teacher, then we go investigate it. If there’s conflict between some students, we step in and try our best to solve the issues at hand and, at times, teachers will come to us about a particular student they might be worrying about. All in all, we’re heavily implicated in the school’s system as a whole, and anyone who needs help for anything is free to come here, where we’ll offer resources, support, and connections to get better.”

“That… that’s wonderful, Sana. It’s amazing, really.”

It truly was, but Felix couldn’t bring himself to say more than that. He suddenly felt overwhelmed, the feeling of unfairness rearing its ugly head again, and he had to swallow it down along with an awful taste of bile. But then, Sana placed a comforting hand on his shoulders, and the clouds that had quickly begun gathering in his head cleared out.

“I’m sorry, Felix,” she then said, her eyes filled with sorrow. “I knew you were struggling back then, but I never- I never went out of my way to check up on you, or to make sure you were alright beyond our tutoring lessons—”

“Sana, no,” cut Felix, grabbing her hand, and offering her a small smile. “You couldn’t have known. And even if you did, I never- I never went to you for help or anything like that. And I never, ever, held you accountable for what happened. I acted out of my own volition but rest assured that you were never a part of the problem.”

“But I was, Felix. I was a part of the problem because I decided to ignore it when I knew something was wrong,” she replied firmly. “And that’s why… well, that’s why I founded Protego, and the Tutoring Club. Because I thought ‘who else is struggling?’ ‘who else needs help, but can’t ask for it?’ and I just… I just knew I needed to do something about it. I didn’t know exactly what until my fellow cofounder came up to me with the actual idea, though.”

“Your fellow cofounder?”

“Well, actually—”

“Felix…?”

The freckled boy stiffened, his entire body growing tight and ready to run away at a moment’s notice as the familiar voice echoed behind him. Slowly, he turned around and found none other than Chan openly gawking at him, a few files hanging loose in his hands and threatening to fall over at any second.

“You’re here—”

“I’m leaving.”

“Wait, Felix!”

Chan’s betrayal was one of the most bitter. All of them had been terrible to endure, of course, but Felix had always been the closest to Chan. He looked up to the older a lot, and he was what Felix used to consider his first family. But of course, that all changed when Chan abandoned him, outright called him a lost cause, and even told other people that he wasn’t “anyone important”.

So no, Felix wasn’t very keen on waiting for him to say his piece.

“Felix, please!” Chan suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his way before he could leave the Rom of Requirement. “Please, just listen to me—”

“And why should I bother?” replied harshly the freckled boy. “Just to appease your conscience? Well, no thanks.”

“I never meant what I said that day,” insisted Chan, still blocking his way, looking incredibly desperate. “And I’ve regretted breaking my promises to you and abandoning you when you needed me the most every single day since then, and if I could take everything back I would—”

“Tough luck – you can’t. Are we done here?”

“We did this for you,” continued Chan, tears now brimming his eyes. “I know it won’t mean much to you, I know it might seem too late, but it’s… This club is my way to atone for my mistakes. And I know you don’t need it anymore – don’t need me anymore – but you came here for a reason, didn’t you? You came—"

“I came not knowing you had any part in it – and if I had known, I wouldn’t have bothered showing up,” huffed Felix, crossing his arms over his chest. “You did this for me? Give me a fucking break. I’ve been gone for four years, Chan – the only person you did this for is yourself.”

“… I’ve regretted hurting you for the past four years, and I’ll keep on regretting it for the rest of my life,” repeated Chan, his voice growing a little quieter. “And I- I said it wrong. You’re right, I didn’t do it for you. But when I thought over what I could do to make things better, I realized- I realized I couldn’t, and it killed me inside. And I figured, if I couldn’t help you anymore, then I might as well focus on helping other students struggling just like you did. That’s how Protego came to be. And I know- I know it might not mean much to you, but you came here because you wanted to join, right? Because you wanted to help people?”

“That’s—”

“I won’t talk to you again. If that’s your condition for joining, then I’ll do it.” He suddenly bowed, his voice breaking as he continued. “I’m sorry, Felix. I really, really am. But please, don’t… don’t stop being a good person on account of what we’ve done – what I’ve done.”

A wry grin graced Felix’s lip. “Is that it, then? If I decide not to join, then I’m not a good person? Trying to gaslight me again, are you?”

Chan immediately straightened up, horror filling his eyes. “No, that’s not what I meant—”

“Then what do you mean, Chan!? You created an amazing support group – congrats, hurray, yada yada. You managed to apologize to me – guess that’s one other thing off the checklist, right? You’ve managed to do what you needed to do to convince yourself that you’re a good person, even at my expense, so now what? What more do you want from me!?”

“… I’m sorry. I went- I went about this all wrong. I just- I just got so excited when I saw you in there, I didn’t… I wasn’t thinking straight.” Shaking his head and quickly wiping away a few stray tears, Chan then pulled a sheet from one of his files and handed it to Felix. “You’re right: you don’t owe me anything. But I think… I think that if there’s one club you could possibly fit in, it’s this one. I genuinely believe you’d be able to help a lot of people, that- that you might find a place to call yours, here… And even if it’s hard to believe, I just… I just want what’s best for you, Felix. I always have, even if I forgot it for a while.”

Against his better judgment, Felix took the paper he was handed – an application form he’d need to fill if he wanted to join Protego as a member. He was quite tempted to just rip it to pieces and take his leave, but something in Chan’s tone stopped him from doing so. He sounded almost desperate, but what grated him the most was how genuine he was when saying he only wanted what was best for him.

How dare he say such a thing when he’s the one who left me behind!?

But Felix had always been too soft for his own good and, unable to muster the strength to spit on Chan’s honest feelings, he simply scoffed before shoving the older aside and walking away, angrily shoving the paper in the pocket of his uniform.

So much for joining a club, seriously.

.

“Oh, look! Over there! Look, Innie!”

The painfully familiar voice made Jisung pause abruptly in the middle of the street, causing Hyunjin to ram right into him. Completely ignoring how the slightly older began berating him, he turned around and began frantically scanning their surroundings, his heart practically stopping in his chest when he finally found him.

Felix.

Even though it had been about two weeks since school started and Felix and Jeongin made their grand return, Jisung still wasn’t used to seeing either of them around. It felt like a ghost was punching him in his lungs every time he caught sight of the platinum blond hair or heard his deep, hot chocolate-like voice.

Jeongin was the one who changed the most, though – physically speaking, at least. He’d bulked out and now easily stood a full head taller than most of them, and he certainly didn’t act like the shy, easily flustered teen he used to be. Now, he walked with confidence as he held Felix’s hand, love practically dripping from his smile as he followed the freckled boy around.

It hurts. Why does it hurt so much?

No, Jisung knew the answer to that question. It hurt because he wasn’t the one who got to hold Felix’s hand anymore. He wasn’t the one who could make Felix laugh anymore, he wasn’t the one thanks to whom Felix could smile anymore. He’d hurt Felix, humiliated him, abandoned him for the sake of popularity – and now Felix had managed to move on, and Jisung was the one left hurting.

It hurt, because Jisung wasn’t the one Felix loved anymore.

“Jisung…” murmured Hyunjin, nudging him a bit. “You should go talk to them—”

“No,” cut Jisung, averting his eyes from the couple as they entered Honeydukes. “Let’s not ruin their first date out of the castle.”

“Sung, you’ll have to talk at some point—”

“Not today, Jin.”

They’d already hurt them enough, and Jisung knew deep down that Felix was bound to be on edge, what with having already confronted Changbin and Chan – the last thing he wanted was to completely overwhelm the freckled boy and make him hurt even more than he already did.

Jisung… Jisung didn’t deserve to even look at him, let alone speak to him.

He didn’t deserve to be forgiven, either – and that’s why he wasn’t going to bother with asking. Felix deserved to be left in peace, now, and to enjoy his newfound happiness without his past holding him back. So, with a soft sigh, Jisung tugged Hyunjin’s sleeve before walking away, never once looking back.

.

“So? Did you have fun today?”

“I had an amazing day, Innie. Thank you.”

Jeongin smiled as they exchanged a soft kiss. “Happy birthday, love.”

Felix’s birthday coincidentally happened on their first Hogsmeade trip of the year, so of course Jeongin took him out to celebrate. Plus, it was Felix’s first time visiting Hogsmeade, since he’d always been in detention back when those trips happened in their 1^st year, so Jeongin wanted to make it extra special for his boyfriend, now twenty-one of age. He planned their whole day, from a nice brunch at The Three Broomsticks to the little stops by the various shops and attractions.

He’d kept the best for last, though – Honeydukes, that is. After all, sweets were Felix’s favorite, so Jeongin took great pleasure in spending a good chunk of money on all of the sweets Felix laid his eyes upon. They now had an amazing haul of sweets carefully stashed away in one of their cupboards, and the two were now cuddling in front of the fireplace, satisfied with their date and content in each other’s arms.

Today truly couldn’t have gone any better.

Chapter Text

Felix ended up returning to Protego.

He’d had a long discussion with Jeongin about the matter, the two of them taking their time to figure out what it was that Felix truly wanted. In the end, the younger had summarized the situation as this:

“You wanted to join before knowing Chan was a member. Now that you know, though, it doesn’t change anything about your initial intentions, does it? In the end, you wanted to join in order to help other students because you know you can empathize with them on a different level. Has that changed at all?”

In the end, Jeongin was right: Chan’s presence and involvement in Protego was ultimately inconsequential, for Felix’s interest in the club itself stayed the same. Plus, there was a more bitter part of his heart that didn’t feel like giving up any more than he already did because of Chan and the others – if he wanted to join the damn club, then he would, and that was that.

So now he was back, his application handed in and almost immediately approved by Sana, and he was now adjusting his brand-new badge representing Protego’s name and symbol while being shown to a room adjacent to the main one.

“I’ve been asked to do an intervention between three students today,” she explained as they reached a closed door. “All you have to do is sit and observe, see how this works. If you have something to say that you think might help, though, feel free to jump in, okay?”

“Got it.”

With a small smile and a nod, Sana then entered the room, Felix following closely behind her. Inside were three small couches, two of which were already occupied – a lone Hufflepuff boy on one, and one Hufflepuff girl and a Ravenclaw boy on the other. The two parties were glaring at each other but refrained from saying anything. Sana went to sit on the free couch, and Felix simply went to stand against the wall, further in the back. He had no intention of joining in today, merely observe how things went and hopefully pick up a few things from it.

“Hi, guys!” greeted cheerfully Sana, offering them all a smile. “As you all know already, I’m Sana – and this guy behind me is a new recruit, Felix! What are your names?”

The three younger students exchanged unsure, yet slightly agitated glances, before the girl finally decided to speak.

“I’m Minji,” finally answered the girl, a tad shyly.

“Xinlong,” quickly added the Ravenclaw boy next to her.

“Shuyang,” concluded the other boy, lowering his eyes.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you guys,” replied smoothly Sana, obviously unbothered by their clear lack of enthusiasm. “Now, we’re here today because fellow classmates have reported some unpleasant behaviors and rude exchanges between the three of you, which are now disturbing classes and also worrying your housemates. Now, I understand that this—”

“He started it!” exclaimed abruptly Xinlong, pointing an accusing finger at the Hufflepuff boy. “He’s the one who started bullying Minji for no reason! I was just sticking up for her!”

“Aa? You’re the one who punched me out of nowhere two weeks ago and kept on acting like an asshole—”

“Okay, okay, okay – no need for that kind of language here,” quickly cut in Sana. “I want each of you to explain your side of the story one by one, and if anyone here tries to interrupt or speak when it’s not their turn, I’ll cast a spell to silence you. Got it?” They all nodded in understanding, and she gestured toward Minji. “Go on, Minji. You start.”

She shot an unsure look toward Shuyang, but still started speaking. “W- well, a few weeks ago, I was targeted by one of Shuyang’s pranks. And- and he does them all the time, so I just laughed it off and didn’t think much of it, right? But- but then, I started being targeted all of the time, to a point where it wasn’t funny anymore… I tried- I tried to tell him to stop, but he kept on insisting that it wasn’t him—”

“Because it’s not!” Shuyang quickly shut up when Sana shot him a warning look.

“And the pranks- the pranks kept on going, and getting- getting worse and I just want them to stop… I told- I told Xinlong and he was just- he was just trying to help, I swear. He didn’t do anything wrong—!”

“Punching another student is still wrong,” corrected gently Sana. “Xinlong, is this true, then? That you only jumped in to try and defend Minji?”

Xinlong nodded stiffly. “We’re best friends, and she’s been crying a lot because of this. Of course I’d do anything to help her.”

“Xin! You don’t have to say that,” protested Minji, clearly embarrassed.

“Alright. Shuyang? What’s your side of the story?”

“The first prank she’s referring to was mine,” he admitted, straightening his back, and glaring at the pair. “But the others aren’t. I haven’t had the time to plan any pranks in the last few weeks ‘cause I’ve been busy with the Quidditch tryouts. But they kept on accusing me and refused to listen to me and now they’re the ones constantly being rude and acting like jerks!”

“Shuyang—”

“He’s not lying.” All eyes turned to Felix, startled, and even Sana looked surprised. He shrugged, offering a small smile to Shuyang. “I know when people lie, and he’s not. The pranks are the works of a fourth party.”

“But- but that’s…”

“Minji, Xinlong, do you have any proof that Shuyang was the culprit?” then softly asked Sana.

Xinlong quickly nodded. “We found his prank book in the Hufflepuff’s common room and all of the pranks he targeted Minji with are in there!”

“What? You’re lying,” scoffed Shuyang, pulling a small notebook from the pocket. “I have my prank book right here!”

“Well, so de we!” And Xinlong pulled out a similar notebook.

There was a moment of silence as the two boys glared at each other, until Shuyang’s attention focused a little more on the notebook the Ravenclaw was holding, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Wait, I thought I’d lost that one!”

“Huh?”

“Yeah! I lost it weeks ago, so I had to go and buy a new one!”

“But those are your pranks,” insisted Xinlong. “We were right—”

“Anyone can pull off a prank if they have the instruction manual,” cut in Felix, quirking an unimpressed brow. “Lost or stolen, this notebook somehow ended up in the hands of a fourth party – that person is the one targeting Minji.”

“But then… that means…” Minji shot a mildly horrified look Shuyang’s way. “I didn’t—I thought you were—”

“I told you,” retorted Shuyang, slumping in his seat with hurt clearly painted over his features. “Do you really think I’m that kind of person? We’re friends, Minji – or at least, I thought we were.”

“I’m sorry, man,” apologized Xinlong, appearing rightfully ashamed as he lowered his head in contrition. “I got caught up in everything without even trying to find another explanation.”

A wry grin graced Shuyang’s lips at that. “I mean, I can’t blame you for defending Minji like that – but that punch definitely hurt like hell.”

“I’ll buy you your weight in sugar quills next Hogsmeade visit!” promised Xinlong.

“And all of the chocolate frogs you want!” added Minji, also eager to make it up to him.

Shuyang’s smile became a little more genuine at that. “I’ll hold you guys to that.”

“Well, I’m glad we’ve managed to resolve this – partly, at the very least,” mused Sana. “Though now there’s the matter of finding who’s actually targeting Minji…”

The three younger students exchanged knowing looks at that before Xinlong spoke up.

“Is it okay if we handle this ourselves?” he requested. “We might have an idea of who it might be, already. We’d like to settle this ourselves, if possible.”

“Of course,” easily agreed Sana. “But no more punching, and definitely no hexing, got it? And if you guys need more help, don’t hesitate to come to us again. That’s what we’re here for, alright?”

The three students promptly jumped to their feet and gratefully thanked Sana and Felix for their help before quickly heading out, the atmosphere much lighter and more cheerful than when they first entered the room. Felix let out a shaky sigh as the door closed behind them.

“Sorry for speaking up like that—”

“No, no, don’t apologize – I told you to jump in if you wanted to, and your intervention definitely helped shedding some light on the whole affair a lot quicker,” replied Sana with a smile. “Able to sense lies, huh? That’ll definitely come in handy around here.”

“Do you think they’ll be alright?”

Sana shrugged. “I think so. But Protego’s purpose isn’t so much as to shield the students from any and all obstacles – we’re here to guide, help, and support. If they do need more help, they’ll come back to us, and that’s that.”

Felix nodded in understanding, and Sana reached out to playfully slap his shoulder a few times, grinning widely.

“Ow!”

“Cheers, cheers! You’re a natural!” she beamed. “You’ll definitely fit right in. Come on! We’ll go fetch your EG and then you’ll officially be a member!”

“EG?”

“Enchanted Galleon – that’s what we use to communicate when outside of the Room of Requirement,” she explained as they headed out. “You can just keep it in your pocket and if you get a message, it’ll become hot enough to attract your attention. It’s mostly in case we need an immediate intervention – the closest members can get there a lot quicker, and all of the teachers have one in case they need us. We actually got the inspiration for it from the latest edition of Hogwarts: A History written by H.G – it was something they used during the war against Voldemort…”

As Sana began a whole historical rant, Felix couldn’t help but smile a bit, only listening with one ear as he placed most of his focus on the other people around them. True, he still felt a bit bitter about the whole situation, but there was no denying that seeing so many students finally receive the help they needed was a heartwarming sight.

He’d truly found the right club for himself.

.

As promised, Chan kept his distances. Felix rarely caught a glimpse of him when at the club, and the older didn’t try to talk with him again. If something needed to be discussed, then Sana handled it.

Felix appreciated the effort, if nothing else.

It had only been two weeks since he joined, but there was no denying it already had a positive impact on his life. The free time he usually spent isolated in the library or outside near the lake was now spent in the Room of Requirement, either directly helping out various students or simply keeping an eye on everyone, just in case.

(He hadn’t had to do an intervention like he’d done with Sana again, which was good – they’d built a good enough safe space in Hogwarts, so less people required their help in the first place.)

His favorite, however, was volunteering for animal duty. They had quite a few comfort animals around that required various care, and Felix was all-too-happy to do it. He fed them treats, groomed their fur, and helped them bond with other students. Most importantly, however…

“Waa, you’re so pretty…!”

Felix couldn’t help but smile as the first-year girl, Marwa – she’d been homesick for a while, now, the poor dear – oohed and awed at the beautiful cat now sitting on her lap. His silvery coat glimmered under the light, and the two small, slightly pointy horns adorning his head made the girl giggle when she carefully touched them.

“What’s his name?”

“His name is Silver. He’s my familiar.”

“Really? That’s so cool! Isn’t it, like, super difficult to summon one?”

“You just have to work hard and never give up.”

Felix had managed to summon Silver again a little over a year ago. He’d actually studied for it, practiced under the guidance of a certified mentor, and eventually managed to summon him again through the proper means, so to speak. To say he’d been overjoyed would be an understatement, and he’d cried the whole night while holding Silver.

(Usually, banishing a familiar was a surefire way of never seeing it again, for they were prideful creatures and usually didn’t bother with wizards who’d carelessly throw them away – but Silver had proven to be an exception, coming back to Felix the moment he was given the chance.)

“Oh! That’s exactly what that other Slytherin student said!” beamed Marwa, gently scratching Silver’s ear. “He’s a year older, and he’s got a really cool panther as a familiar! Do you know him?”

Minho. It had to be. He was the only other student Felix knew to possess a familiar, since it was rather uncommon for students to have one. Still, he tried his best not to let any disdain show at the thought of his ex-friend, simply offering the girl an awkward smile.

“Not really, no.”

The girl simply hummed in understanding, quickly dropping the subject as the focused all of her attention on Silver. Felix leaned back against the couch, glad she wouldn’t ask more questions but, as Fate would have it, things couldn’t be so easy.

“Minho!” cheerfully exclaimed one of the younger boys who’d been lounging around.

The freckled boy stiffened, his eyes snapping up to the entrance, where none other than Lee Minho stood. Their eyes met for a brief second, both clearly stunned to see the other – but then Minho’s gaze briefly flickered to Silver, and his eyes widened in shock, and Felix’s blood ran cold. Without really thinking, he gave a short whistle, and Silver immediately vanished, turning back into a hairpin, now adorning his hair. He murmured a quick apology to Marwa, offering an awkward excuse of “forgot I had something to do, I’ll come back later” and promptly headed outside, accidentally bumping shoulders with Minho on his way out.

He was running. He was scared, and he absolutely hated it.

“Wait, Felix!”

He kept on running.

.

“You know he can’t take him away again, right?”

Felix didn’t say anything, mutely stroking Silver’s fur as he tightly held the familiar against his chest. He kept his eyes down, fighting back frustrated tears, yet his soul felt… numb. He loathed how scared he’d been, and he knew Jeongin was right, but he still couldn’t stop being scared.

Minho had seen Silver.

“Silver is yours, Lix,” insisted softly Jeongin, squeezing his thigh. “You summoned him with official permission, and you’ve got the paperwork to prove it. No one can legally take him away from you.”

“He can,” choked out Felix. “He’d find a way. He always does.”

“Okay, then look at it this way,” replied Jeongin, switching tactics since Felix obviously couldn’t be reasoned with. “What point would there be in doing it again? Minho never does things without a reason, it’d be a waste of time. Why bother targeting your familiar again when he now has his own?”

Felix shrugged. Some of the anxiety eating away at him did lessen a bit, understanding the logic behind Jeongin’s words, but the fear was still there. Minho did whatever Minho wanted – who cared for the how and why? If he wanted Felix’s familiar gone for whatever reason suited his fancy, then he’d figure out a way to make it happen.

“Felix, baby—”

‘KNOCK’ ‘KNOCK’

The fear turned into blinding terror, and Felix rushed inside the bathroom without a second thought, slamming the door behind him and locking it at once. He then dropped to the floor, his back against the door to ensure no one would be able to open it, and tightly held his familiar against him.

Not again, he thought, closing his eyes tightly as a few tears escaped him. Please, don’t take him away again…!

He distantly heard Jeongin opening the door of their room, followed by muffled voices. After a few seconds, footsteps made their way to the bathroom’s door, making Felix heart almost stop beating altogether. A few more seconds, and then a sigh echoed.

It wasn’t Jeongin.

“Felix.” It was Minho. Minho was there. He was going to hurt Silver again, I knew it, I fucking knew it—! “You don’t have to open the door, just… You don’t have to be scared, Felix. I’m not here to hurt you, or your familiar. I promise.”

“I don’t care for empty promises,” spat Felix. “Leave!”

“I can’t do that. At least not until you understand that I mean no harm to either of you.”

“And why- why should you care, hm? What does it matter to you?” protested Felix.

“Because I don’t want you to be scared, Felix. I don’t- I don’t want you to be eaten away by anxiety and paranoia and I know- I know your distrust is warranted. I know you have every right to be scared. But if I can just… just help lessen it, even a little bit…” Minho sighed again, and there was a light ‘THUMP’ as he sat down on the other side of the door. “I never meant to hurt you like this, Felix. I really didn’t. But at the time, I didn’t care if I did. All that mattered… all that mattered was my own success. And because of my selfishness, you had to suffer a lot. And I… I really am sorry for it. If I could go back in time and change the decision I made that day, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

Felix’s heart’s violent hammering had calmed down a bit, though his hold on Silver hadn’t loosened in the least. The only thing keeping him from throwing Minho out, beside the fear, was the sheer defeat weighing in his voice. He truly sounded remorseful but, somehow, it only made Felix feel even worse.

“You don’t- you don’t get to just say sorry and call it a day,” he choked out.

“I know. And I’m not. The only thing I’m trying to do right here, right now, is offer you some peace of mind: I will not harm your familiar. I won’t try anything. There’d be no reason to but, most importantly, I don’t want to hurt you like that again. Never again. Please, just… just believe that, if nothing else.”

Felix didn’t reply anything, merely trying to hold back his tears at that point. Why did Minho’s apology have to hurt so much? Changbin’s had angered him, Chan’s had disappointed him… but Minho’s was just painful.

Why? Why do they have to keep hurting me…?

“I think that’s enough,” then cut in Jeongin, as always scarily in tune with Felix’s inner turmoil. “You should leave, now.”

He faintly heard as Minho got up on the other side of the door, quietly biding goodbye to Jeongin before heading out. The door of their room closed behind him and, after about ten seconds, a gentle knock on the bathroom door echoed.

“Lixie? Come on out, baby – he’s gone.”

The freckled boy exhaled shakily, nuzzling the top of Silver’s head before finally releasing the poor cat, who’d probably begun suffocating at some point. He then rose to his feet, unlocked the door, and carefully opened it. The moment his eyes met Jeongin’s, though, his last barriers crumbled, and a few tears slipped past his defenses.

“Oh, love…”

A sob tore its way out of Felix’s throat as he fell into Jeongin’s awaiting arms.

Tonight, neither would rest easy.

.

It took three days for Felix to finally find the courage to return to Protego. Minho wasn’t anywhere to be seen, much to his relief, and he immediately found Sana to ask his questions.

“Minho? He’s a senior member of the club. He’s busier this year, that’s why he’s not around as much, but he usually offers his familiar as a comfort animal,” she explained.

“Busy with what? Studying for internships?” he asked, a tad dryly.

Sana shot him a pointed look. “If you’re referring to the internship he was offered back in his second year, then you’ll be happy to know that he didn’t get it.”

Felix paused, admittedly not expecting that. “He didn’t?”

“Hm, though I wouldn’t be able to say why. I just know he didn’t get it. If you want to know why, you’ll have to ask him yourself, I’m afraid.”

The freckled boy wasn’t exactly fond of the idea, but there was no denying the curiosity now growing inside of him. After all, this internship had been Minho’s ultimate goal at the time, something not even their friendship could get in the way of. So, how could Minho possibly not get it?

Against his better judgement, Felix decided to seek him out and ask him directly. Knowing Minho had been elected as one of the Slytherin Prefects, he made his way to the Slytherin dorms and began awkwardly waiting on one of the couches. He’d never stepped foot in this part of the dungeons before, understandably enough, and he could feel some stares digging into him as he waited.

Thankfully, he only had to wait for a few minutes before Minho finally showed up.

“Felix,” breathed out the older, obviously surprised.

“Can we… talk?”

Minho nodded, gesturing for him to follow, and the two of them headed upstairs, where the Prefect’s office was located. Felix went to take a seat while Minho closed the door behind them, and then an awkward silence fell upon the pair. After about a minute or so, Felix finally dared to speak up.

“I heard you didn’t get the internship,” he blurted out, not daring to look at his old friend. “Why? I thought…”

Minho shrugged, a tad awkwardly. “After what happened… I couldn’t stand myself. I couldn’t believe I’d hurt you so badly, and for what? It just… it didn’t feel worth it – it wasn’t worth it, really. And I knew… I knew I didn’t deserve it, either. So I came clean to the teachers, told them I’d lied in order to get more time, and the internship was immediately given to another student.”

“I don’t get it.” Felix twisted his hands together, his confusion irritating him. “You’re not- you’re not making any sense. You gave up everything for this damned internship – and now you’re telling me it was all a waste? There was literally nothing more important than that to you, so how could you—”

“There was,” cut Minho, his voice breaking a bit. “There was something more important than this stupid internship. But I was frustrated by my own failure, rendered bitter when you succeeded where I couldn’t, and I completely forgot what actually mattered most to me – you.”

“Don’t,” hissed Felix, jumping to his feet. “I’ve heard enough.”

Felix didn’t quite know what kind of answer he’d been expecting when he first decided to confront Minho about it. Maybe he’d been hoping to hear that despite everything he gave up, Minho had been refused the internship because he wasn’t good enough – a cruel wish, maybe, but definitely a vindicating one. But this? This was dissatisfying, and angering, and what the fuck was the point of everything if it was just to give up at the very end?

Minho’s decision rendered Felix’s suffering completely pointless, and it almost hurt more than his previous apology.

“… we’ve changed, Felix,” whispered Minho as the boy angrily stomped past him. “I know- I know you don’t want to hear it. I know it’s hard to believe. And I know you have every right to feel the way you do towards us. But we’re not… we’re not the same people we used to be.”

“But you’re still the people who hurt me,” retorted Felix, roughly pushing the door open. He sent a scathing glare Minho’s way. “And that won’t ever change.”

On which he stormed out of the office, fully intending on never confronting the older Slytherin again, if he could help it.

.

A few days following the incident, Felix was pretty much back to himself, much to Jeongin’s and their friends’ relief. Despite the lingering resentment, the freckled boy had obviously taken Minho’s reassurances to heart and, though he still walked just a little faster whenever they crossed paths with a teacher, he didn’t hide Silver again.

In a rare occurrence, Felix’s Thursday morning class was cancelled, for Professor Peniel was called away for urgent work. So, he was in quite the good mood, seeing as this just so happened to be Jeongin’s only free morning in the week – meaning they’d be able to spend it together. It didn’t take long for Felix to find his boyfriend, who was sitting outside and lazing under the shade of a tree, just near the lake. Biting back a smile, the freckled boy quietly made his way over to him and, when he was just close enough, he leaned down to loom right above Jeongin’s face.

“Hi!”

“Gah!”

Jeongin’s eyes flew right open, and Felix pulled away quickly enough to avoid getting headbutted. He fell on his butt, laughing, while Jeongin sat up with wide eyes, a hand pressed against his chest.

“Don’t do that!!!”

“Sorry, sorry,” chuckled Felix, going to sit next to him so he could pull his boyfriend into a hug. “But you ought to be a little more vigilant, Mister. Future Auror, hm?”

In sole answer to his taunting, Jeongin abruptly flipped them over, pinning Felix to the grass and immediately launching into a tickle attack. Felix squealed, trying to push him off, but he was laughing too hard and couldn’t do much more than squirm and plead until Jeongin finally deemed that he’d learned his lesson. They both collapsed on the ground, a tad breathless, and Felix pushed himself up a bit so he could lay his head on Jeongin’s chest, smiling brightly when their eyes met.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” chuckled Jeongin, pushing a few stray strands of hair behind Felix’s ear. “What are you doing here? Skipping class?”

“No, it was cancelled. So, I figured we could spend our morning together!”

“I’d like that,” smiled his boyfriend, tilting his head up so he could kiss Felix’s nose.

“We could—”

Felix abruptly stopped talking, a mild shiver running down his spine. He immediately snapped his head up, scanning their surroundings with narrowed eyes. His instincts had grown sharper over the years, and he could always tell when someone or something was watching him, even more so with ill-intent.

He tensed up when he noticed none other than Seungmin standing further away, in the entrance leading inside the castle. He was conversing with Vice-Principal Eunkwang, but there was no missing the brief glances he spared for the couple every ten seconds or so. Felix grew a little tenser, his arms instinctively wrapping themselves around Jeongin in a protective manner as a very faint growl escaped him.

He glared when Seungmin glanced at them again, their eyes locking for a moment. The bespectacled boy’s eyes widened a bit, and he immediately averted his gaze, gesturing for the Vice-Principal to follow him inside. It’s only once they were gone that Felix finally realized Jeongin had been trying to catch his attention this whole time.

“—lix!”

“So- sorry.” A tad shaken, the freckled boy burrowed his face in Jeongin’s chest, inhaling deeply.

“What was that about, love?” murmured Jeongin, puzzled.

“Seungmin,” bit out Felix. “Just… don’t get close to him, okay? I don’t trust him.”

“Felix—”

“Please, just…” Felix exhaled shakily. “I know- I know it’s not fair of me. I know they didn’t actually do anything to you, and that you- you basically lost all of your friends because of me and it’s unfair to ask this—”

“Hey, hey, hey, look at me, Lix, look at me,” urged gently Jeongin, straightening up. He carefully pulled Felix onto his lap, tilting his chin up so their eyes could meet. “What happened was not your fault, okay? And though my falling out with the others was influenced by their actions towards you, I’m the one who ultimately decided that I didn’t want to entertain any sort of relationship with this kind of people. I didn’t lose them because of you, okay? They made their beds, they can lie in them – I have no desire of being friend with people who treated you the way they did, alright?”

Felix sniffled a bit, not exactly about to cry, but his eyes a little teary, still. He wrapped his arms around Jeongin’s neck and hugged him tightly.

“I love you, Innie.”

“I love you too, Lix. But please, just tell me what’s wrong? You just acted really weirdly, and it worries me a bit.”

“I- I don’t know, really. I just… I noticed him staring at us, and there was this feeling that he wanted- that he wanted to hurt us,” he admitted. “I’m not imagining it, okay? There’s something weird going on with Seungmin. I just know it.”

“Alright, I believe you,” assured Jeongin, kissing the side of his head. “We’ll both steer clear from him, and nothing’s gonna happen, okay? We’ll be fine.”

What Felix hadn’t told Jeongin was the strange wisps of magic he’d noticed circling their former friend. He’d only caught a glimpse of them, but their potency and unnatural presence was enough to put him on edge. Seungmin was definitely involved in something sinister, and Felix simply prayed to whichever deity he could think of that his plans didn’t involve either him or his boyfriend.

.

When Felix was told a friendly Quidditch game was going to be held during the weekend, he immediately volunteered to join Eric’s team. He wasn’t interested in becoming an official player, and the Quidditch field would soon be completely booked by the House teams in preparation for the incoming competition, so this would be one of the very few opportunities he’d get to play properly.

He and Jeongin arrived at the changing rooms a little later than planned, having slept in, so the rest of their makeshift team was already there getting ready. Eric beamed when he saw them, already changed and ready to go out.

“Finally! I thought you’d chickened out!” he teased. He then turned to the rest of the students he’d brought together. “Guys, Jeongin is going to be a Beater, and Felix is our Seeker!”

Jongho waved, and Jeongin promptly went to borrow some equipment from his fellow Beater. Beomgyu wasn’t there, unfortunately, since he had to prepare for a Divination exam, so the rest of the students… well, Felix wasn’t exactly familiar with them. He recognized a girl from his Care of Magical Creatures class, but other than that…

“Hello, Felix.” One of the boys, a Slytherin, approached, extending his hand with a charming smile. “I’m Seonghwa, 7^th year. I’m a Chaser.”

“Me too!” beamed excitedly the Ravenclaw boy next to him. “I’m Wooyoung! I’m a 6^th year but I’ve only just transferred last year, so that might be why we haven’t seen each other before!”

“I’m Lisa, also 6^th year. I’m the Keeper,” greeted the girl, a Gryffindor.

(In the far back of his mind, Felix could faintly remember her as one of the girls who’d antagonized him in the past by refusing him a seat during his first CMC class. He decided not to say anything about it, however – she hadn’t done nearly enough to earn his resentment when compared to the others.)

“Alright, so that’s the whole team, then!” grinned excitedly Eric, slipping on his Chaser gloves. “Get ready, we’re going out in five!”

“Yeah!”

.

Despite it being a friendly match, many students had filled out the benches to observe it, and Coach Jessi had even agreed to be the referee for it. Felix was a bit intimidated when they all stepped out onto the field but kept in mind that this was a friendly game with all of the Houses mixed up so, really, there was no space for any exaggerated rivalry.

Or at least, that’s what he thought until he briefly met his rival Seeker’s gaze.

What the hell? Felix shivered a bit, the same, eerie feeling as the other day making him stiffen. Why is he looking at me like that?

The freckled boy faintly remembered him as one of the boys who’d been more involved in the bullying, back in their 1^st year. Not enough to label him a main tormentor, but he’d definitely made Felix’s life harder than it had to be. Now, though, with startling hate filling his eyes, the Gryffindor looked about ready to start it all over again.

For a brief instant, familiar swirls of potent magic slithered along the boy’s skin.

Before Felix could ponder over it, however, Coach Jessi blew her whistle, and everyone promptly mounted their brooms. Then, after a somewhat dramatic pause, she released the Snitch, and the game was on. Felix immediately took off, forgetting about the strange encounter to focus on catching the snitch. As he whizzed past the wooden bleachers, he briefly took notice of a few familiar faces, namely Chan, Jisung, Seungmin, and Hyunjin. He promptly averted his eyes and immediately accelerated, thoroughly enjoying their stunned expressions. So what if he was using this opportunity to show off a little?

I’m not the same, useless kid I used to be, he thought, feeling somewhat vindicated at being able to show how much his control had improved. I’m going to win this game and show them what I can do!

With renewed determination, Felix began circling the field at break-neck speed, trying his best to spot the Snitch. He narrowly avoided a couple of Bludgers on the way, and he briefly noticed that his team was currently in the lead – and then he saw it, the golden shimmer just below. Knowing his fellow Seeker was much further away than he was, Felix instantly sprang into action and began the chase, taking off after the Snitch, flying even faster than before. He could hear the other students screaming and cheering, could feel the wind whipping his face, his heart beating loudly in his ears…

The Snitch abruptly went up, and Felix followed at once, flying up symmetrically. He gritted his teeth, reaching out, stretching his arm as far as he could—

Got it!!!

His hand closed around the Snitch, the metal dreadfully cold within the warmth of his palm. He stopped, hovering a good dozen meters above the highest bleacher, and only then noticed all of the eyes fixated on him. With a victorious grin, he lifted his arm to show off his prize, and the crowd instantly exploded in thunderous applauds and cheers. His heart beating wildly, Felix instinctively looked around to try and find Jeongin, his smile widening when his eyes met his boyfriend’s. He began flying lower, unaware of Jeongin’s sudden look of horror.

“Felix—!”

Something collided harshly with Felix’s back, sending him crash through the bleachers. Pain exploded in his entire body as it impacted with the wood, a nasty ‘CRACK’ echoing a tad sinisterly in the background. He could faintly make out people screaming all around him, darkness overtaking him in a matter of seconds.

“—lix… —up—Felix!"

That doesn’t… sound like Jeongin…

… so why do I feel… safe…?

.

Felix regained consciousness in the school’s infirmary. It took him a few seconds of blearily blinking his eyes before realizing this, and panic immediately seized him, his hands flying to cover his ears. He exhaled in relief upon realizing they were still round, meaning he hadn’t been unconscious long enough for the glamour potion to wear off.

Trying to push himself up, pain shot through his side, and he immediately collapsed, a pained groan escaping him. It echoed in the otherwise silent room, which immediately alerted whoever was in the office. There was some shuffling, the distinct sound of papers being shoved aside, and then none other than a familiar, blond-haired Hufflepuff dressed in medical garb stumbled out of the office.

“Felix!” The freckled boy could only gawk as Hyunjin rushed to his side, distinct relief painting his features. “I’m so glad you’re awake! Healer Kim said you’d take a few more hours, but I’m relieved. How do you feel right now?”

“My- my side hurts…”

Felix was so taken aback by Hyunjin’s unexpected appearance, it took him a couple of minutes to remember that he was actually angry at him. By then, though, Hyunjin had already begun a check-up, so Felix simply decided to keep his mouth shut and let him work, since he obviously knew what he was doing.

“You broke a few ribs upon landing,” explained Hyunjin as he carefully prodded at Felix’s bruised side. “Since you crashed in our stand, though, I was able to intervene quickly and managed to reduce the damage. I mended all of them, but they’ll be properly healed by tomorrow morning, at the latest. You’ll still be sore for a little while, though.”

Felix kept completely silent as Hyunjin continued his check-up, rambling about his various injuries – a notable concussion, a number of scratches and bruises, even a couple of wooden splinters they’d had to pull out since he’d quite literally broken through the stands. When Hyunjin eventually pulled away, seemingly satisfied with Felix’s current state, he offered the freckled boy a glass of water. After a moment of hesitation, Felix accepted it, but he didn’t drink from it right away.

“Don’t worry, it’s not expired pumpkin juice, this time around,” huffed the older, picking up Felix’s medical chart.

They both stiffened the moment the teasing words tumbled out of Hyunjin’s mouth, both painfully aware that this simple jest belonged to another time, one when they were still friends. Not… whatever they were, now.

“… what happened?” finally asked Felix, breaking the awkward silence.

Hyunjin sighed, pushing a loose strand of hair behind his ear. Felix mindlessly noticed that he’d actually done it up in a ponytail, which quite suited him.

“The other team’s Seeker, Daehwi, flew right into you. For all intents and purposes, it was seemingly intentional, though we don’t really understand why. Seeing as he was uninjured, he was immediately taken to the Headmaster’s office, while you were brought here to get treated.”

“I see. And where’s Jeongin?”

“He left a few minutes ago to fetch you lunch. He should return soon enough.” A somewhat wry smile graced Hyunjin’s lips. “He wasn’t entirely pleased at the thought of leaving us alone together, but Healer Kim can be… quite convincing.”

“And why isn’t she the one tending to me?”

Hyunjin flinched, but otherwise kept his composure. “She was summoned by the Headmaster to give them a proper report on your injuries. Since I’m still only an apprentice, I’m not qualified to make this type of reports, hence why I’m the one who stayed behind.”

Felix scoffed, but didn’t add anything else, simply sipping his water. After a few more seconds of awkward tension, Hyunjin sighed.

“Felix—”

“I don’t want to hear another mindless apology,” spat out the freckled boy.

“Then I won’t apologize, for now,” replied simply Hyunjin. “Instead, I’d like to thank you.”

“Thank me…?” echoed Felix, some of his anger melting into confusion.

Hyunjin nodded firmly. “For not giving up on me. Back then, I mean. After starting my second year, I kept having all manners of people coming up to me and telling me that I didn’t need to work, that my looks could get me anywhere, that a pretty face like me wouldn’t amount to anything in the medical world… After a while, it became really hard to tune them out, and I even started wondering if they were right, you know?”

“Hyunjin…”

The Hufflepuff shook his head. “I’m not saying this to earn your pity or anything. What I’m trying to say is… when everyone kept on telling me that it wasn’t worth it, that I couldn’t do it no matter how hard I worked… you kept on believing in me. You made me realize that, in the end, I was the one true obstruction to my dreams and ambitions.” Felix did his best to ignore the tears now glossing Hyunjin’s eyes. “I was mean to you. Cruel, even. All for the sake of a popularity I didn’t even want, but thought I needed at the time. But despite that, you still kept on believing in me, the real me… and for that I’m thankful, Felix.” Hyunjin suddenly bowed to him. “Thank you.”

Felix wasn’t quite sure of what to make of Hyunjin’s words. As promised, the Hufflepuff hadn’t offered any sort of apology, apparently willing to respect the fact that Felix wasn’t ready nor willing to hear them. But gratitude, of all things, had been the last thing Felix expected.

Worst of all, he could tell Hyunjin meant every word of it.

“… I’m surprised Healer Kim took you back,” he eventually managed to say.

Felix couldn’t bring himself to completely acknowledge Hyunjin’s gratitude. He was still too hurt, too shaken, too lost. He understood what Hyunjin meant but, at the same time, couldn’t help but wonder why his belief hadn’t been enough back then. It made all sorts of doubts and insecurities sprout in his heart, none of which he was ready to deal with – so, he simply decided to try his best to ignore them.

Hyunjin didn’t say anything about it, simply straightening up with a sheepish expression.

“It wasn’t easy,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. “After what happened, I came back here and apologized to her on my hands and knees, literally begging her to take me on as her apprentice again. She wasn’t really keen about it, but I guess she sensed that I was serious this time around, ‘cause she decided to give me another chance, after all.”

“And you’re still here.”

“And I’m still here,” nodded Hyunjin, a soft smile gracing his lips. “Once I graduate, I’ll go to St. Mungo’s to work and learn for two more years – and then I’ll be a certified Healer!”

It was strange, really. Any sort of anger left Felix’s body as exhaustion caught up to him, and all he could think about now was how people he’d known for the better part of his life had just… changed so much. Hyunjin was now well into planning his future with a career he’d dreamed of since he was a child, and to realize he was now reaching that goal…

It hit Felix, then, that he wasn’t the only one who’d grown up in the past few years.

“Anyway, I’ll be in the office finishing up paperwork, but don’t hesitate to call if you’re in pain or need anything, alright?” concluded Hyunjin.

Felix simply nodded, now deep in thoughts, and Hyunjin walked away without another word, but with a noticeable bounce in his step. The familiar sight almost brought a smile to Felix’s lips, though he immediately pushed it down.

He was supposed to be angry. He was supposed to hate him.

If I’m supposed to hate him so much, though… why am I glad to see him so happy…?

.

Felix didn’t talk with Hyunjin again. Jeongin had returned shortly after their conversation, and then Healer Kim had handled one last check-up before discharging him and sending them back to their room, assuring Felix that he didn’t to show up to class the next day since his teachers had already been warned of the situation.

Once they made it back to their room, Felix flopped down on the bed with a groan, finally releasing what little hold he had left over the glamour. His skin, which had already begun rippling, immediately took on a darker shade as all of his freckles immediately regained their inner glow. He could feel his ears elongating, and even his teeth sharpening the slightest bit – his appearance was now completely back to normal.

A familiar weight dipped the other side of the bed, and Felix cracked an eye open, flushing a bit when he noticed Jeongin openly checking him out.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he huffed.

“You can’t stop me from staring at my gorgeous boyfriend. There’s a rule against it.”

“Oh, is there?” chuckled Felix.

“Mmm. It’s a part of our boyfriend contract.”

Felix rolled his eyes a bit, pushing himself further up the bed so Jeongin could join him properly. Though he enjoyed their usual banter, he was too tired to keep it going at the moment. Plus, there was no denying how shaken he still was from today’s ordeal, and it’s only once Jeongin pulled him closer so they could cuddle properly that he finally relaxed the slightest bit.

“… what happened to Daehwi?” he dared to ask.

“I don’t know yet,” Jeongin admitted. “They’ll surely tell us tomorrow. But don’t worry about it, okay? The teachers are handling it—”

“It was Seungmin.”

“What?”

“It was Seungmin,” repeated Felix, his voice barely a whisper. “I saw… There’s this strange magic surrounding him. And today, it was surrounding Daehwi, too. It can’t be a coincidence, can it?”

“Are you saying Seungmin was controlling him, or something?” replied Jeongin, obviously not convinced. “Felix, the only spell that can do that is the Imperius Curse, and they’d have immediately noticed if he was under it…”

Felix bit his lower lip, knowing Jeongin was right. Daehwi hadn’t shown any of the usual signs of a person under the forbidden curse. He talked with his teammates, reacted to their teasing, even cracked some jokes of his own before the game started. He’d only started acting weird when their eyes met, and even then, his eyes weren’t glazed over, his movements weren’t stiff, he literally played an entire game of Quidditch…

“We’ll figure it out, okay?” promised Jeongin. “And if Seungmin really is involved in this, then I won’t let him hurt you again. I swear it, Lix.”

Felix believed him, though there was no denying he was much more worried about Jeongin than he was about himself. Still, there was no point in spouting theories tonight, not when the two of them were clearly exhausted and they were still missing too many pieces of the puzzle, so Felix did his best to settle his mind and go to sleep.

Hopefully, tomorrow would be a better day.

.

“A curse!?”

“I’m afraid so.”

As Jeongin guessed, Felix was summoned to the Headmistress’s office the next morning to be given an update on Daewhi’s situation. He hadn’t been able to bring Jeongin along, since his boyfriend had an early class, but he deeply regretted his absence, now – what he’d give to hold his hand and seek reassurance and support right now...

“I don’t- I don’t understand,” he protested weakly. “You’re saying someone… casted a curse on Daewhi? One meant to drive him to hurt me?”

“It is what we call a ‘dormant spell’ – an ancient enchantment used back in times of wars and conflicts to plant moles in opposing factions,” explained Headmistress Sunmi, sounding incredibly tired. “It hasn’t been used in decades – frankly, I thought it to be extinct.”

“How does it work, exactly?”

“Well, it’s a rather intricate and volatile spell, because it doesn’t work on just anyone at just anytime. The essence of it is that the cursed person is unaware of the spell’s existence. It takes root into their very essence thanks to negative emotions felt toward the intended target, which builds up over time… until it becomes too much, and the curse takes over, trapping them with the intent to entirely eliminate the target.”

“Me,” stated Felix, feeling a tad sick. “You mean me.”

“I’m afraid so. It isn’t a spell that takes immediate effect – it grows stronger over time, pushing harmful urges in their mind and feeding on the cursed person’s resentment and other negative emotions. As such, we can only assume that a past bully of yours somehow got their hands on this curse and casted it before being expelled.”

“Isn’t there a way to dispel it, then?”

“There aren’t many options, unfortunately. The immediate removal of their target is a solution, but I’d never expel you on accounts of someone else’s cruel actions. Memory Wipe potions were also used in the past, but they proved to only be a temporary solution. The only option left is a magical surgery meant to forcibly remove the spell from a wizard’s very core, but it isn’t without repercussions, I’m afraid.”

Worry immediately twisted Felix’s heart even more. “Will- will Daewhi be okay…?”

“His parents have already approved the surgery, and he will undergo it within the week. It should take him a couple of months to completely recover, meaning he will be held back a year – but ultimately, he will be just fine.”

Felix felt sickened by everything he was hearing. Sure, Daewhi wasn’t exactly amongst his favorite people, but he didn’t deserve such a fate – to be turned into someone else’s tool for revenge, that is. And now, his health and studies would suffer for it, and it surely wouldn’t make him like Felix any more.

But still, he was much more worried about someone else.

Seungmin… Is he the one who casted the spell, or is he a victim as well? One way or the other, he’s somehow linked to the incident. I need to figure this out!

.

The plan was simple: find Jeongin, tell him everything, and then figure out a course of action. However, as he crossed one of the numerous empty hallways, a flare of familiar, dreadful magic caught his attention. He froze in place, immediately extending his sharpened senses in an attempt to pinpoint the source.

It comes… from the floor above!

Without really thinking things through, Felix rushed to the nearest staircase and quickly found his way to what happened to be an abandoned classroom. The door was closed, locked, and the magic beyond it was muffled – anyone without Felix’s particular brand of magic sensitivity wouldn’t have noticed it.

It’s powerful, he gulped. The person behind it is most definitely the source of it all – the one who casted the curse.

This was a very bad idea. But Felix couldn’t stand not knowing.

Ugh, Innie’s gonna kill me!

Muttering alohomora under his beath, he swallowed thickly as the door unlocked. Bracing himself, he cracked the door open and tried to peek through the small gap, but the room was plunged in darkness, and he couldn’t see anything. Tightening his grip on his wand, he steeled his resolve and fully stepped inside.

“Lumos!” he casted.

He was wrong – the room wasn’t plunged in darkness.

“What the hell…?”

The light he’d just casted immediately revealed the thick mass of shadows, tendrils lashing out and trying to absorb everything within their vicinity. Dark magic was pulsating from it, and Felix almost threw up under the suffocating pressure of the vile curse at work. And, at the center of it all…

“Seungmin,” he breathed out, horrified.

It truly was him, prone to the floor with his nails digging into his head, his face scrunched up in blatant pain. His eyes snapped up to Felix, and the freckled boy was taken aback by the sheer horror that flashed through his gaze.

“You- you shouldn’t be here,” choked out Seungmin. “Lea- leave!”

Felix couldn’t leave even if he wanted to – the shadows had spread over the walls like unmovable vines, effectively blocking his only way out in the process. He was quickly becoming surrounded, and he knew there and then that he’d thoroughly fucked up. Before he could even try and make a move to escape, however, Seungmin let out a feral scream, and tendrils of darkness shot out of his body. Pain exploded in Felix’s back as he was slammed into the wall, his wand falling to the floor. He gasped in pain, trying to pull against his restraints, but the magic was too strong, and he was completely trapped in place.

“Seungmin!!!” he cried out, genuinely scared. “Snap- snap out of it! Seungmin!!!”

His old friend was suddenly right there, right in front of him. They were so close, their noses almost touching, and Felix could see the shadows spreading underneath Seungmin’s skin in a pattern of oil-filled veins. His eyes were completely black, reflecting the corruption of his magical core.

He was crying.

Seungmin…

::

“Headmistress… Can someone resist the effects of the curse…?”

“There have been a few such cases, yes. However, they’ve never ended well for any involved. Think of the curse as a festering wound – though you can ignore the pain, only proper treatment can save you. One may resist the effects of the curse but, the longer they fight it… the more corrupted their magical core becomes, until they become completely consumed by it.”

“How? How can they resist it?”

“I’m afraid none has lived to tell the tale.”

::

Felix gritted his teeth. No matter how much Seungmin had hurt him, no matter how much he might have hated him, no matter how upset he still was… Seungmin didn’t deserve this.

He wouldn’t let the curse consume him.

Here’s hoping… this is going to work…!

“Seungmin…!” Mustering all of his strength, Felix managed to free one of his hands and reached out, cradling Seungmin’s face. “Wake up!”

With one last prayer, Felix pushed his consciousness forward and forced his way into Seungmin’s mindscape.

.

.

.

“Do it.”

“No!”

“Do it!”

“I won’t!”

Shadows rippled next to Seungmin, and the boy gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes, painfully aware of what would follow. The chains weighing his body down were heavy, the cold and exhaustion searing his bones – though nothing could compare to the guilt crippling his heart.

And the anger. Always the anger.

“He looked down on you.”

“He didn’t.”

“He mocked you.”

“He didn’t—”

“He took what was rightfully yours! You worked so hard, yet he was handed everything on a silver platter! Using his differences to anchor himself in the teachers’ good graces, while you worked day and night to achieve a rightfully earned greatness – one which was never acknowledged because of him!”

“It- it’s not like that—”

Beside him, the rippling shadows finally blurred into images – memories. Memories of freckled cheeks, tousled hair, full-teethed smiles. Of late nights filled with laughter, of meals spent together.

Of Felix playing the victim and calling him out when he’d done nothing wrong. Of Jeongin taking his side and treating Seungmin like a bully. Of the teachers always giving Felix more chances while Seungmin was left to grind the dust.

“It’s all his fault.”

“It’s not.”

“He took everything from you. Why should you feel bad when you’ve done nothing wrong? Your hard work became meaningless because of him.”

“I- I hurt him—”

“So what? You were much better off when he was gone. Why did he have to come back? Now he’s all the others can talk about, each of them desperately vying for his forgiveness. They’ll leave you behind if that’s what it takes!”

“They won’t do that—”

“They will. He’s back, and he’s not as pathetic as he used to be, is he? He’s stronger, now. A threat. He’ll do it all over again.”

The shadows blurred once more, the painful memories molding themselves into hurtful premonitions – Felix eating with the whole group again, with Seungmin nowhere to be seen. Felix studying with Minho and Chan, Felix hanging out with Jisung and Jeongin, Felix playing quidditch with Hyunjin and Changbin. All of them, so happy once more… while Seungmin ends up alone, abandoned.

The anger burns brighter, stronger. Jealousy is a vicious fuel, one Seungmin had never been able to ignore – not even back in their first year.

“He’ll be the smartest. The strongest. The best grades with the most powerful magic. He’ll render your hard work meaningless, he’ll take all of your friends away. After all, what good are you to them if you’re not the best anymore?”

“They’re- they’re not like that…!”

“And, most importantly…”

Felix’s face disappeared, and Jeongin’s replaced it. Jeongin, with his foxlike features and his soft hair and his warm grin. Jeongin, with his kind heart and his joyous laugh and his teasing nature. Jeongin, who always used to come to him when he needed help with homework, when he wanted to play games, or when he just needed a hug.

Jeongin, who had Felix’s soul mark engraved in his skin.

“Felix took him, too.”

Jeongin’s soul mark burned Seungmin's chest – even after all these years.

“But you have a chance to take him back, now. All of your problems, all of your despair, all of your pain… They all stem from the same source. If you take him out, then everything will be right again.”

“I- I can’t.”

“You’ll have the best grades in school. All of the teachers will respect you. Your friends won’t leave you. And Jeongin will be yours. All you have to do is kill him.”

“I can’t!”

The anger was all-consuming, eating away at his soul and begging to be released in the most monstruous of ways. It’d be easy, really. All he had to do was give in, and all of those years of self-hate, guilt, and pain would finally be over.

The chains would disappear, the darkness would vanish, warmth would replace the coldness seeping into his bones and the loneliness would no longer be. All of the vile feelings he’d been repressing for years would finally dissipate, he’d finally be able to move on with his life, and the vicious voice that had been taunting him ever since his second year would finally disappear.

It would all… finally be over…

“KILL HIM!”

Felix’s smile flashed before him.

Seungmin’s tears kept on falling.

“I WON’T KILL MY FRIEND!!!”

…

…

…

It took a moment for Seungmin to notice the voice wasn’t insisting. In fact, for the first time in years… everything was strangely, peacefully silent, his sobs echoing pitifully. He stayed prone, his forehead pressed to the cold ground as he cried.

A gentle hand fell on his head, petting it gently.

“You’ve been hurting… for a long time, haven’t you?”

Seungmin’s head snapped up, his eyes widening in shock. The darkness wasn’t as thick anymore, and Felix was crouching right in front of him. He looked… sad, in a way, though Seungmin couldn’t understand why.

“Felix…” he choked out. “I’m sorry…!”

“… I know.” With a small smile, Felix extended his hand to him. “Let’s go home, Minnie.”

It wasn’t forgiveness, far from it.

But it was the first step onto a much lighter path.

With another sob and a wobbly smile, Seungmin grabbed Felix’s hand.

.

.

.

Felix’s eyes opened with a start.

He was back in the infirmary.

Slowly tilting his head, the first thing he noticed was Jeongin, deeply asleep right next to him – he’d apparently wormed his way under the covers to sleep with him. Then, in the next bed over, there was Seungmin. He appeared normal, with no trace of the shadows anymore, his breathing even.

Felix couldn’t sense the curse anymore. It was… gone.

Reassured for now, he didn’t fight it as the exhaustion of the day caught up to him and began dragging him back into the realm of dreams.

I figured this year… wouldn’t be easy… he mused as he snuggled closer to Jeongin. But this… this definitely takes the cake…

Chapter Text

Felix let his gaze wander outside, feeling exhausted, yet unable to go back to sleep.

What he’d witnessed in Seungmin’s mindscape still haunted him.

For how long… has he been feeling slighted by my very existence…?

Seungmin had yet to wake up, even though it had already been three days since the incidents. Healer Kim had assured him that it was simply Seungmin’s body’s way of coping with the abrupt dispel of the curse after years of fighting it, meaning he would be alright, but it didn’t help Felix’s mixed feelings at all. Seungmin’s anger, jealousy, resentment. His genuine regret for the way he hurt Felix in the past, his most adamant efforts to protect him, even though it meant risking his own life. And then his hidden feelings for Jeongin, which neither time nor the curse had allowed to dissipate.

Felix didn’t want Seungmin to get hurt, and he certainly didn’t hold him accountable for what he’d done under the curse’s influence. However, his actions and words back in their first year had still been his own, then, and knowing now just how much deeper they ran, Felix felt… lost. At some point in their relationship, Seungmin had begun viewing him as a rival rather than a friend. And when matters of the heart got involved, it only led to this mess. He could understand his pain, to an extent, but did it truly justify just how cruel he’d been to him?

Not in Felix’s book, it didn’t.

But despite all of it, he still tried to protect me… So he doesn’t entirely hate me, after all.

“Ugh!”

Annoyed by his own feelings, Felix abandoned the window to go lay down in bed again – he’d been forced to take another day off to completely recover. Part of him wished Jeongin would have stayed with him, if only to distract him from this annoying train of thoughts, but he also knew that he couldn’t just rely on Jeongin all of the time, either.

I’ll need to figure this out for myself, he decided, eyes narrowed at a spot on the ceiling.

He tried his hardest to ignore the smidge of hope now tainting his bruised heart.

.

“Felix, would you mind talking for a bit…?”

During the whole time Felix had spent in Protego, Chan had kept his word and avoided him to the best of his abilities, never engaging directly in conversation and leaving the room as soon as Felix entered. So, to say he was surprised when the older outright sought him out would be an understatement.

Still, he had a feeling of what this would be about, so he simply nodded and followed Chan to his office. He was only half-surprised when he found none other than Minho and Hyunjin already waiting inside and, though admittedly intimidated, Felix tried his hardest not to let it show.

“I’m sorry, we don’t mean to make you feel cornered or anything—”

“Just get to the point.”

Felix did feel cornered, but he couldn’t outright deny it – though that didn’t mean he had to admit it. So, he stood right by the door, as stiff as a board, ready to leave at a moment’s notice. At that point, he didn’t know what was more suffocating – the stares, or the silence.

“… you know we’re not going to hurt you, right? You don’t have to hold your wand so tightly,” remarked Minho, sadness tinging his voice.

His tone irked Felix, whose grip on his wand only tightened. Though it was hidden in the holding pocket sewed inside his left sleeve, Minho was training to become a professional Curse Breaker. As such, it was only natural that he’d notice Felix’s defensive stance.

“I know, logically, that you wouldn’t harm me,” he replied simply. “Doesn’t mean I one-hundred percent believe it. Now is there a point in me coming here or…?”

“It’s about Seungmin,” finally said Hyunjin, twisting his hands nervously. “He’s briefly regained consciousness last night, and Healer Kim has assured us that he’d wake up completely before the end of the week. She also made more tests and confirmed that the… curse, he was under, was completely gone.”

“Good for him. And I’m here because…?”

“We’re trying to find the culprit,” admitted Chan. “And though Seungmin was a victim, you were the primary target. So, we’re hoping you might have an idea of who would be behind this.”

Felix quirked a brow, unimpressed. “People who bullied me, people who hated me, people who couldn’t care less about me, you… Too many to keep count of, I’m afraid.”

Chan and Hyunjin visibly flinched at the low blow, but neither of them protested his thinly-veiled accusations. Minho, on the other hand, simply shook his head – he was obviously too bothered by the problem at hand to pay Felix’s feelings any mind.

“We’ve done our research, ever since the incident during the Quidditch match,” added Minho, patting a thick notebook laid out on the desk beside him. “This is very old magic, and not just anyone can cast that curse and actually make it stick. Healer Kim also traced the spell’s influence to four years back, meaning it must have been casted shortly after you left Hogwarts.”

This did make Felix pause and consider the situation a little more seriously. He’d already had his mind on catching the culprit, but he hadn’t gotten started on any serious investigation so far.

“… you’re saying it couldn’t have been the work of a student.”

“None of the 1^st Years who bullied you would have had the magical capabilities to cast such a powerful and intricate curse. It should have come from a 5^th Year, at the very least – but I doubt any of them even knew you existed, back then, let alone hated you enough to do something like this.”

“I see.”

“This definitely narrows down our list of suspects,” remarked Chan. “We should—”

“I’ve heard enough.”

“W- what? Felix, someone wants to hurt you! We need to find them before—”

Felix shot a glare at Hyunjin, effectively shutting him up. “We? There is no we in this situation, Hyunjin. If you thought this was some sort of quest that would ultimately earn you my forgiveness, then think again.”

“It’s not like that—”

“Felix, please,” pleaded Chan. “We just- we just want to help you.”

The freckled boy could only scoff at that, bitterness welling in his throat as he turned his back to the trio and pulled the door of the office open.

“The time when I needed your help has long since passed. Where were you when I actually needed you?” He shook his head, gritting his teeth. “I’m stronger now. I’m not the same helpless kid I used to be. I don’t need your help. I don’t need you.”

Saying what was actually on his mind felt pleasantly vindictive and freeing and, though a small part of him did feel bad for the harshness of his words, the more logical part of him knew his judgement to be justified. And so, it was with his head held high that he left Chan’s office and promptly left Protego, with only one goal in mind.

The culprit… What Minho was implying is as clear as day.

The one who casted the curse… is a teacher.

.

“I see. So that’s the situation.”

“Hm.”

“I mean, if it really was the work of a teacher, then only one comes to mind.”

“Professor Khan, you mean?”

Jeongin nodded, brows furrowed. “She already hated your guts with a passion, and it didn’t help when we first stirred up trouble to defend you. And when her bullying was uncovered, she immediately lost or job in addition to her teaching permit, meaning she wouldn’t have been able to be employed as a teacher anywhere anymore.”

“She’s the one with the most obvious motive, for sure,” sighed Felix. “But wouldn’t that also make her a way-too-obvious suspect? She’ll be the first to be looked into during the investigation, for sure.”

“You think someone would try to use her as a scapegoat?”

“I mean…”

This truly was a complicated situation. There was no denying Professor Khan was the only person with the motive to genuinely wish harm upon him, but wouldn’t that make it too easy? And yes, she did everything she could to make his life a living hell, but surely not to the point where she wished him dead, right?

“This isn’t one of those muggle movies, Lix – sometimes, real crimes are committed by the most obvious people for the most obvious reason,” pointed out Jeongin. “In any case, though, you shouldn’t try to confront any potential culprit by yourself – I mean, this curse is the real deal, Felix. Anyone willing to go to such lengths shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

He knew his boyfriend to be right. He knew Jeongin was making sense, that going after the culprit would be absolutely stupid. There was someone actively seeking to harm him, even willing to kill him – a great foe hidden in the shadows, which Felix couldn’t underestimate. Still, the thought of not doing anything irked him. Who knew when the culprit would act out again? What if, this time around, Jeongin got somehow involved and hurt because of him?

I’ll do anything to keep him safe, decided Felix. No matter what, I won’t let any harm befall him!

.

“Felix? Is there anything I can help you with?”

The freckled boy lingered in the entrance to the greenhouse, his grip tight on his wand, though he tried his best to hide it. It was almost curfew, and Jeongin would be expecting him to return soon, but he first needed to confirm something.

“Professor Lee,” he greeted quietly. “I have a question for you.”

During his first year, he’d had amazing teachers, saved for Professor Khan. Professor Hyuna helped him, Professor Choi encouraged him, Professor Changmin favored him… and Professor Lee always had his back. And, though grateful for his constant support, there was no shaking off the suspicions.

He’s always been so nice to me, but would anyone without ulterior motive gift a random student such valuable seeds? I didn’t question it back then, but knowing today their actual worth… There must be something else going on.

Felix knew it was stupid, that he didn’t have much to go off on, but he couldn’t ignore just how strange it was. And he distinctly remembered now, back when he first started suspecting Seungmin of being ill-intentioned, that Professor Lee had been right by his side.

Most importantly, though, his instincts urged him to be wary of the man before him.

“What has you so preoccupied this late at night?” mused Professor Lee, watering one of the numerous plants around.

“Please forgive my forwardness… but are you the one who casted the dormant curse on Seungmin and Daehwi?”

A heavy silence followed his accusation, the teacher slowly straightening up as a more solemn expression took over his handsome features.

“Have I done anything that would indicate a wish to harm you, Felix?”

“Just answer the question, please.”

Professor Lee sighed but maintained eye contact. “No, Felix. I never casted the dormant curse, nor do I wish you any harm.”

He’s no lying.

Felix would have been able to tell. Somewhat reassured, he loosened his grip on his wand. However, just because he now had confirmation that Professor Lee wasn’t the one behind the curse didn’t mean he entirely trusted the man – even if he wasn’t lying, he still had the distinct feeling that something was wrong.

“Why… why did you give me those seeds, back then? You’ve always made a point of praising me in class, of supporting me, of singling me out… It wasn’t just a case of favorite student, was it?” insisted Felix.

“Ah, that’s… I really can’t tell you, Felix.”

“Professor—”

Felix stiffened as the man abruptly crossed the few meters separating them, the only thing stopping him from drawing his wand being that he couldn’t sense any ill-intent from the teacher. Professor Lee stopped right in front of him, and Felix belatedly realized that the man wasn’t much taller than him, yet he felt towered over.

Then, the teacher extended a hand, gently stroking his cheek.

“You’ve always been so pretty, Felix…”

Felix’s heart twisted, his guts churned. He stayed frozen in place, trying to make sense of what had just been said – of what his teacher had just told him. There was something about his tone that definitely didn’t sit right with him, yet he couldn’t bring himself to move, frozen underneath the man’s darkening gaze.

“… I’ve always liked you, Felix. Perhaps a little bit more than what was appropriate, considering our current positions,” he admitted quietly.

Felix suddenly felt very sick.

“You’re my teacher—”

“I never did anything, did I? Never said anything out of place, never acted in an inappropriate fashion – I figured losing my job over this wouldn’t be worth it, but that didn’t stop me from favoring you, indeed.”

Felix finally found the strength to move, pushing the man’s hand away as he stumbled back, wide-eyed.

“You’re- you’re ten years older than me!”

Professor Lee barked out a laugh. “What are ten years in the magical world, Felix? But like I said, I’ve never done anything. In fact, you were quite happy to have me there, weren’t you? When you lost all of your friends—”

“Don’t!” Felix took a few more steps back, feeling like he could throw up at any second. “Just- just don’t come near me.”

“Felix—”

With a shaky of his head, Felix finally found the strength to leave, practically running away from the greenhouse and back to the castle. It’s only once inside, and once certain Professor Lee hadn’t followed him, that he allowed a sob to break out, a few tears spilling down his cheeks.

This entire time… Professor Lee felt this way…!

Felix felt disgusted, and immensely betrayed. He’d hoped, upon starting this confrontation, that Professor Lee would simply deny his accusations and they’d leave it at that, but he never expected such a twisted confession.

::

“You’ve always been so pretty, Felix…”

::

Slapping a hand over his mouth, Felix rushed back to his room.

Jeongin was right – he shouldn’t have tried investigating on his own.

.

Two days passed.

Former Professor Khan was arrested for having casted the curse, though Felix hadn’t been privy to any of the details that would prove her guilty.

He hadn’t told Jeongin about his confrontation with Professor Lee, and he had no intention of ever doing so. Now painfully aware of what kind of… attention, he’d garnered from the man, he had absolutely no intention of ever getting close to him again – outside of his Herbology classes, he was determined not to have any contact with him.

What if he tries to have me stay after class? What if he starts lowering my grades because of this?

As worried as those thoughts made him, however, he tried to rationalize the situation: with Professor having revealed his interest, he was the most at risk. Felix wouldn’t report him, if only because he’d been right in saying he’d done absolutely nothing wrong – so far – and he doubted the school board would fire such an esteemed teacher based on the words of a single student. However, that didn’t mean he’d hold back if Professor Lee did try anything inappropriate.

Despite the curse being dispelled, the culprit having been caught, and Professor Lee not even picking him to answer a question while in class, however, Felix still felt incredibly on edge.

There was an itch under his skin, a restlessness that was growing harder and harder to deny, and there was an uncomfortable ache lingering in his back. He hardly slept, constantly woken up by random bouts of energy, and he could hardly keep any food down. He could hardly focus in class, constantly the prey to increasing headaches, and not even his sweet boyfriend’s attention could make him smile anymore.

“Lixie, baby, please just talk to me,” begged Jeongin. “I know there’s something wrong, I can feel it. What happened?”

“I’m just tired,” sighed Felix, shrugging off Jeongin’s concerns as he turned the page of the book he was currently studying.

“Felix, please—”

“I’m fine!”

His voice echoed loudly in the library, and the two boys stared at each other for a moment, both startled. Felix’s lower lip wobbled a bit as he felt tears suddenly prickle his eyes, and he harshly rubbed his eyes.

“I- I’m sorry Innie, I don’t- I don’t know what’s coming over me…”

“Come here, sweetheart.”

It didn’t take much coaxing from Jeongin to pull Felix from his chair and onto his lap, the freckled boy immediately wrapping his arms around his boyfriend as he hid his face in the crook of Jeongin’s neck. Jeongin began gently rubbing circles over his back, waiting for his boyfriend to find his words.

“… I’m so tired,” he finally choked out. “I can’t- I can’t eat anything without feeling sick, my head hurts all of the time, I can barely sleep and- and I’m stressed out because exams are coming up and I can’t even focus anymore…!”

“I’ve got you, Lix,” murmured Jeongin, kissing his temple. “Everything’s gonna be okay, I promise. Let’s just go back to our room and lay down for a nap, hm? How does that sound? And if you still don’t feel better afterward, then we’ll go see Healer Kim, because it sounds like you might be coming down with a cold.”

Felix sniffled a bit. “I don’t wanna be sick…”

Felix hated being sick. It didn’t happen often – rarely, in fact – but it always hit him incredibly hard whenever it did happen. Jeongin simply chuckled, murmuring a spell to gather all of their books into their respective bags. Then, without warning, he rose to his feet, picking Felix up along the way.

“I- Innie!”

“Come on.”

“I can- I can walk!”

“My sweet boyfriend isn’t feeling well – I’ll be damned if I let him walk. Now close those pretty eyes and rest, okay? I’ve got you.”

Jeongin could be incredibly stubborn whenever he wanted to, and Felix knew there was no point in arguing. Still, his agitated mind settled a bit and warmth spread in his chest as he relaxed in his boyfriend’s arms, tightening his hold the slightest bit as he kissed Jeongin’s neck.

“Thank you. I love you.”

“Love you too, Lix.”

Just as they exited the library, however, Jeongin came to an abrupt stop.

“Oh, Professor! Sorry, didn’t see you there.”

“It’s quite alright, Jeongin. Is Felix alright?”

Felix couldn’t help but stiffen as he easily recognized Professor Lee’s voice, his breath hitching the slightest bit, but he didn’t dare lift his head and kept his eyes closed, doing his best to fake being asleep. As if in answer to his sudden flare of panic, Jeongin’s hold around him tightened.

“Just a cold, sir. We’ll get going, now – Felix needs to rest.”

“Of course. Feel free to come to me if you need anything, though – I know a few good plants that can help ward off the worst of colds.”

“Will do, sir. Thank you.”

It’s only once Jeongin began walking again that Felix exhaled shakily, and he couldn’t stop a few tears from escaping and soaking Jeongin’s cloak. After a few minutes of walking in complete silence, Jeongin finally dared to speak up.

“Lix… Once you’re feeling better, we’re going to talk about this.”

Of course Jeongin would have picked up on his reaction. He was already incredibly in touch with Felix’s thoughts and emotions, but when they were so close? Felix had been a fool to believe he wouldn’t notice. Still, he didn’t have the strength to object, so he simply nodded and kept on hugging him.

No matter what happened, he knew he was safe in Jeongin’s arms.

.

Felix managed to sleep for a grand total of three hours before a noticeable ache in his back and a pounding headache forced him awake. It also felt like he’d swallowed fire, and a soft whine escaped him as he realized that he truly was sick. Thankfully, Jeongin had apparently prepared for this eventuality and had already gone to fetch him some medication from the infirmary. Felix took the pills and promptly swallowed them. The effect was almost immediate, his pain and discomfort growing muted, and then Jeongin urged him to drink a dreamless sleep potion that would hopefully keep him knocked out for the night.

“About- about Professor Lee…”

“We can talk about it tomorrow. Just get lots of rest for now, okay?”

Felix nodded mutely and gulped down the potion before laying down. Jeongin once again laid down next to him and pulled him closer, kissing his forehead. Once more, Felix felt all of his worries melt away, and he allowed himself to slip under the influence of the sleep-inducing potion.

.

The next morning, Felix took another pill to keep the growing sickness at bay and went down with Jeongin to get breakfast. They met up with their friends, whom Jeongin quickly updated on the situation, and they promised to keep an eye on him and ensure he didn’t go overboard with the BMA class.

“Come on, Lix – you should eat a bit more,” Jeongin urged softly.

Felix refused with a soft groan, resting his head on Jeongin’s shoulder. “Can’t. My stomach feels heavy.”

“Is it really such a good idea to go to class in such a state?” asked Eric, obviously worried. “Professor Peniel would understand if you decided to skip.”

“No, I already missed too many classes since school started…”

Understanding they wouldn’t be able to talk Felix out of it, the others simply agreed to let him go – but at the first sign of trouble, they’d drag him to the infirmary themselves.

.

“… and in order to better prepare you for your incoming BMA practical exam, we’ll be holding a little competition – tournament style!”

Felix refrained the urge from groaning, instead letting his forehead hit the desk with a small ‘THUMP’. Normally, he’d be overjoyed at having yet another chance to show off his progress with his magic but, in his current state, he doubted he’d put up much of a challenge. He felt sore all over, and he felt like he could throw up at any second.

Maybe I should have listened to the others, after all…

But leaving now would leave a bitter taste of defeat on his tongue – it’d be like admitting he was still too weak to handle whatever was thrown his way. So, ignoring the worried looks his friends sent him, he rose to his feet and began heading for the ground floor, where Professor Peniel had already begun drawing the first pairs.

I’ll win all of my fights, and then I’ll call it a day and go the infirmary, he decided, biting back a wince as he felt his head throb.

.

The rules of this little tournament were simple: the goal was to either incapacitate or disarm your opponent. The first person to do so won. Another way to win was to push your opponent out the magical bounds that had been set up around each dueling circle. There was also a time limit of three minutes per match, and both wizards would be disqualified if the time limit was reached without a definite winner.

It was a good way to truly put into practice what they’d been taught so far, but also gauge the creativity of each student. After all, there was a distinct difference between casting a spell and actually using it – and, much to Felix’s delight, it quickly became evident that he was quite ahead of his fellow classmates in terms of dueling abilities. Contrarily to all of the students he’d faced so far, he didn’t just stay in one place – he was fast on his feet and didn’t hesitate to jump and run around rather than wait for his opponent’s spells to hit his shield. Most importantly, however, was the fact that he’d been a member of the Dueling Club back in Cobberbush, so his experience definitely granted him a notable advantage.

As good as Felix was, however, there was no denying that his state was now worsening by the minute. Each spell casted tugged at his magic like ripping tape from skin – annoying at first, but increasingly painful with each instance – and his magic was draining a lot faster than it usually would. His head was pounding, and he was starting to grow a little dizzy, too.

Just a little more, he insisted, ignoring the increasing ache in his back. Just a few more matches… and then it’ll be over…

The next three duels went by in a flash, Felix disarming each of his opponents before they even had the time to draw their wands. He barely even noticed, however, trying his best to focus on not collapsing here and there.

“And now, for the grand finale! Han Jisung VS Lee Felix! Come on up, boys! Everyone else, clear out the space! We’ll widen the circle for the last match!”

Han Jisung.

Of fucking course it had to be him.

“Felix, you don’t have to push yourself any further,” insisted gently Eric, grabbing his arm to steady him when Felix slightly swayed in place. “You made it to the final—”

“I have to beat him.”

“Felix—”

The freckled boy shrugged off his friend’s hold and stubbornly made his way to the dueling circle, the magical wards flaring as he passed through. Maybe his pride was misplaced, but it was now the only thing that kept him going, and he’d be damned if he gave up now – not when Fate granted him revenge on a silver plate.

Han Jisung stood right in front of him, barely a few meters away. He hadn’t changed much – he’d grown a bit, gained some muscle mass, and his hair was longer, but that was pretty much all Felix noticed. His face was still the same, with round cheeks and a sharp nose, and his eyes…

Huh. I didn’t know Jisung could make this kind of expression.

Jisung’s eyes had always betrayed his emotions and, years later, that fact hadn’t changed. For the first time since he’d met him, though, Felix saw regret, and worry, and fear. Funny, he’d always thought of Jisung as brave and fearless, and he’d always admired him for it, too.

I suppose four years really do change a person…

Jisung was the only one who hadn’t tried approaching him so far and, for a reason Felix couldn’t fathom, it angered him. Jisung was, without a doubt, the one who’d hurt him the most, and he wasn’t even going to try and face what he’d done? He didn’t even have the balls to look him in the eyes and apologize for toying with his feelings and betraying him in the cruelest of ways?

No, that wasn’t right. Felix didn’t want an apology.

He just wanted Jisung to suffer as much as he did.

And yet, looking into his eyes… why do I already see so much pain…?

“Felix…” Hearing Jisung call his name for the first time in four years shook him just enough to make his tormented mind falter. “You shouldn’t fight me. You’re obviously not feeling well. Let’s stop here—”

“No!” Any hesitation, any doubt, went out the window as the flames of anger reignited in Felix’s heart once more, the freckled boy lifting his wand with a snarl. “So what, am I still too weak for your liking, Han Jisung? Or are you just too much of a fucking coward to actually face me on equal grounds, for once in your life!?”

Jisung’s eyes widened in shock, and he frantically shook his head. “No, Felix, that’s not what I mean! But you look like you’re about to collapse—”

“I’m not weak!!! Confringo!”

“Protego!”

Jisung just narrowly avoided getting hit by the Blasting Curse, but almost immediately lifted his hands in surrender.

“I don’t want to fight you, Felix. I—”

“You have no right, Han Jisung!” snapped Felix. “Stop looking down on me already!!!”

All of the resentment, pain, and anger he’d been holding onto for years were now bubbling up, the shock of the unexpected confrontation and his already poor state of body and mind obviously amplifying the dangerous mix of emotions. Without really thinking, Felix casted three more spells, but Jisung deflected each of them.

“Felix, please—!”

“You owe me this,” gritted out Felix, clenching his fists. “You at least owe me this, Jisung! I’ll show you… I’ll show that I’m not that same weak, helpless kid I used to be! I’m not the same person you used as a steppingstone for your damned popularity! Always dragging me around, using my lack of abilities to bolster your own…”

“I- I didn’t do that,” protested Jisung, seeming genuinely hurt by the accusations. “You were my best friend, Felix—”

“Was I really? Or was I just a mean to an end?” hissed Felix. “Always telling me ‘I believe in you!’ without ever actually helping me achieve anything… You didn’t actually want me to get better, did you? Having a Can’t-Spell around sure made you look good, didn’t it?”

“Silencio!!!”

Felix avoided the spell, casting Confringo once more, but Jisung casted it as well and the two spells hit in the middle, dispelling each other. It took a few seconds for Felix to notice he now had a knee to the ground, his chest heaving and sweat dripping from his face as though he’d just run a marathon. His head was pounding like crazy, the intense ache in his back practically paralyzed him, and he couldn’t do anything as his body collapsed on the floor. He was shaking, barely able to breathe, yet he refused to let go of his wand.

It’s not over… It’s not over… I still have my wand, I’m still within bounds, I’m not incapacitated, I- I can still win…!

“Felix!!!” Jisung was suddenly beside him, worry and fear etched into his features as he cradled the freckled boy. “What’s wrong? Stay with me!”

“It- it’s not… over…”

“Who cares about a stupid duel? Felix, you need help—Professor! Do something already!”

There was the muffled sound of a voice, but Felix couldn’t make out anything they said. Still tightly clenching his wand, he slowly lifted his free hand to brush his fingers against Jisung’s cheek, then trailing a little higher to brush a strand of hair.

“… it’s still blue…”

Jisung let out a watery laugh. “Yeah, it is. You did that, I didn’t want to get rid of it.”

“Why…?”

“Because I missed you like crazy, Lix,” choked out Jisung, catching his hand and squeezing it tightly. “I still do. You can hate me as much as you want but please… please, never doubt that I did consider you my best friend.”

“I loved you,” whispered Felix, his sight growing blurry – though be it because he was crying or because he was about to pass out, he couldn’t tell. “And you- you hurt me. Why did you hurt me, Ji…?”

“I’m sorry, Lix. I’m so, sorry. I—Felix? Felix, open your eyes! Don’t—someone! Professor! Anyone, please, help him! He’s—Felix! Felix, stay with me! Felix!!!”

Pain exploded in Felix’s back, and he started screaming.

.

.

.

Felix woke up feeling incredibly sore all over, with his back aching the most. There was a weight clinging to it that he couldn’t quite shake off nor place the origin of, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him before he could roll over.

“Don’t move too much, Lix. You might injure yourself.”

“Innie…”

“I’m here, love. How do you feel?”

“Thirsty,” groaned Felix, his throat as dry as a desert. “Everything hurts… Why do I always pass out like this…?”

There was a faint chuckle from the side, and he finally cracked his eyes open. He immediately recognized their room, which allowed him to relax a bit, and Jeongin was right there, currently filling a glass with water. He then placed it on the table before facing Felix again, offering him a small smile.

“Here, I’ll help you sit. Try not to move too much, okay?”

“Hmm.”

Jeongin grabbed him under his arms and carefully lifted him up until Felix sat on his legs. The weight on his back was now much more pronounced and, no longer able to ignore it, he tilted his head to glance back…

“What- what is that…?”

“Ah, wait just a second. Here, drink your water in the meantime.”

Curious, though still a little out of it, Felix did as told and began sipping his water while Jeongin casted a spell under his breath. Felix felt the brush of magic against his bare back, making him shiver a bit, and he glanced behind him once more, only to find that Jeongin had transfigured their desk into a mirror.

A mirror in which were now reflected… cocoons?

“Innie… Please tell me I don’t have bugs attached to my back…”

“They’re not bugs, silly, they’re wings – your wings.”

Felix’s eyes widened, and he immediately took a closer look. If he looked hard enough, he could almost see the delimitations of the wings within the four thick-shelled cocoons. When he tried to move them, however, pain shot through his back, and he collapsed onto the bed with a groan.

“It’s going to take at least another week, you shouldn’t push yourself,” warned Jeongin, gently rubbing the space between his shoulder blades. “Remember what Professor Marwa said?”

“Mmm, it hurts to think right now…”

“Your wings coming out is the last stage of your maturation,” reminded gently Jeongin. “They’ll break out of the cocoons by themselves once they’re ready, in about ten more days, and then you’ll finally be a full-fledged—”

“Bu- bucket!”

Jeongin immediately transfigured the nearby glass into a bucket, and Felix promptly threw up, completely emptying his already empty stomach. Once done, he collapsed against the mattress once more, groaning at the disgusting taste in his mouth. Jeongin pressed the back of his head to Felix’s forehead, cringing a bit.

“He warned us about the side-effects, too… Your body’s really going through it right now. Feeling sick is normal, okay? I mean, your entire biology is shifting around, so…”

“What- what about the exams?”

“You’ll be able to take them during winter break.”

“Win- winter break!?”

“Yeah, you’ve been out of it for well over a week already. It’s going to be winter break in four days. But don’t worry about it, okay? Headmistress Sunmi already knew it was going to happen – if anything, we’re lucky it did when we were so close to a long break. It’ll give you ample time to recuperate without any extra stress.”

“I suppose… Did anyone ask any questions?”

“Well, everyone’s worried sick, that’s for sure. Jisung’s pretty much convinced you were dying in his arms, and he’s the main reason why we moved you to our room instead of the infirmary – figured you didn’t want him or the others finding out.”

“Right…”

Jeongin sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Before you start worrying about it, no one heard anything that was said while you were dueling with Jisung. Something went wrong with the wards and made it so nothing and no one could go in or out. That’s why Professor Peniel didn’t step in earlier. But no spell nor noise could make it out, either. The wards only vanished after you passed out, so…”

“So I probably overtook them with my own magic when the duel started,” realized Felix, already feeling another headache coming. “I was so… overwhelmed with anger…”

“Let’s forget about it for now. Just focus on regaining your strength and getting better, okay? We can worry about the rest later.”

Felix simply hummed in agreement, too exhausted to argue, and already feeling sleep dragging him under once more. He knew he’d need his strength, for the next couple of days wouldn’t get any easier – but then again, when was anything easy for him?

At least this time around, I get something cool out of it… he thought wryly.

.

Being stuck in bed for days on end was not Felix’s idea of a good time and, though he had Silver to keep him company when Jeongin couldn’t, he was growing tired of staying still. His body wouldn’t let him push himself, however, and any attempt to get out of bed was met with dizziness, intense sweating, and the urge to throw up. Still, he slept a lot in order to recuperate, and the five next days passed by in a flash. Healer Kim came by to check up on him twice during that time, but there thankfully weren’t any complications, and she simply instructed him to get as much rest as possible and not strain himself.

Then, as the sixth day dawned upon Hogwarts, Felix woke up with a start.

His back was on fire.

“Nng… Je- Jeongin…” he choked out, paralyzed by the sudden pain.

Jeongin groaned, turning over as his eyes fluttered open. A single glance at Felix’s expressions, scrunched up in pain, was enough to fully startle him awake. He bolted upright, his eyes wide as he quickly took in the situation.

“Shit! Are they—”

“Y- yes!”

“They’re early,” hissed Jeongin, quickly jumping out of bed. “Hang on, I’ll go and fetch Healer Kim – she needs to be here to oversee the procedure—”

“Don’t- don’t leave me, please,” choked out Felix.

Jeongin visibly hesitated, then gave in and sat on the edge of the bed again. He grabbed Felix’s hand, squeezing it in comfort, before looking at Silver, who’d been sitting on the windowsill and watching them intently.

“Silver, go fetch Healer Kim at once,” he instructed. “Please.”

Another wizard’s familiar would usually loath being ordered around by someone else but, thankfully, the demon cat was smart and knew his master needed immediate help. As such, he promptly vanished in a burst of silvery sparks, off to fetch the healer. Relieved, Jeongin then reported his attention to Felix, who already looked on the verge of passing out.

“You have to stay awake, love,” he urged gently, brushing some strands out of his sweaty face. “I know it’s hard, but you have to push through until they’re out.”

“It- it hurts,” whimpered Felix.

“I’m sorry, Lix. It won’t hurt for too long, alright? Just hang in there.”

Every minute that slowly trickled by felt like an eternity, Jeongin growing more and more anxious. Why was it taking Healer Kim so long? It was becoming more and more difficult for Felix to stay awake through the growing pain, and Jeongin genuinely had no clue as to how he could help him.

Silver suddenly reappeared on the windowsill.

A second later, the door of their room burst open, and Hyunjin rushed in, with all of the others hot on his heels.

“What the hell—!”

“What’s wrong with Felix?” cut Jisung, eyes wide with worry.

“You shouldn’t be here! Where’s Healer Kim?” snapped Jeongin.

“She was summoned to St. Mungo’s for an emergency procedure,” answered Hyunjin, his trained eyes quickly assessing Felix’s back. “So that’s why…”

“Gone? She can’t be gone – Felix needs her right now!” protested Jeongin, panic now filtering in his voice.

“I can help him,” immediately assured Hyunjin. “Healer Kim made me study many documents regarding this type of procedure – now I understand why.” His determination then faltered a bit. “I can… I can always fetch Professor Lee, he’d probably be able to help as well—”

“N- no,” immediately refused Felix, miraculously still conscious. “Just- just do it…”

Hyunjin exchanged a look with Jeongin but, with Felix’s express permission given, his boyfriend no longer had any reason to refuse his help. So, with a stiff nod, he moved aside to make some space, though he never let go of Felix’s hand. Hyunjin immediately moved forward, tying his hair as he did so.

“Alright, we can’t waste any time. Seungmin, Minho, I need painkillers, muscle relaxants, a Calming Draught, an Invigorating Draught, and a Dreamless Sleep Potion. You can find them all in the infirmary, they’re labelled. Jisung, Changbin, I need towels – lots of them – and two large bowls, one filled with cold water, and the other with warm water. Chan, I need you to cast a Cooling Charm on him and maintain it for as long as possible – we need to avoid a fever at all costs.”

Everyone immediately started moving, obviously understanding now wasn’t the appropriate time for questions. Jeongin shifted a bit in place.

“What about me?”

“You need to do your best to keep him awake,” replied Hyunjin, checking Felix’s forehead to ensure a fever hadn’t already settled. “And keep an eye on his pulse. If you feel it weakening, tell me immediately.”

“He’s going to be okay, right?” asked worriedly Jeongin.

Hyunjin offered him a small smile at that. “I’ll make sure of it.”

.

The procedure wasn’t inherently complicated, but it was delicate, hence why a trained healer’s supervision was required for it.

After administering the painkillers, the muscle relaxants, and the Calming Draught, Hyunjin got to work. With a towel soaked in hot water, he gently pried away the semi-hard layers of a shell, breaking it off piece by piece. Once he was done with the shell, then he would move on to the next one, repeating the process three more times. Chan was doing a good job maintaining the Cooling Charm. Jisung switched the towels regularly, while Minho did the same with the water. As for Changbin and Seungmin, they simply stood on the side, out of the way, but ready to step in the moment any of the others might require their help.

When Hyunjin was finally done removing all of the shells, it was time for Felix to do his part. Heeding Hyunjin’s gentle coaxing and Jeongin’s encouragements, and with the help of the Invigorating Draught, he mustered up all of his strength in order to start unfurling his wings which, though now free of their shells, were still tightly rolled up on themselves. It took him a lot of strength and energy, since he wasn’t exactly used to the four extra limbs now protruding from his back, but Hyunjin was patient and carefully helped him unfurl them completely, until each wing was completely laid out, measuring a little under a meter each.

“There you go, just like that. You did so good, Felix,” praised Hyunjin, quickly checking to ensure none of the wings had folded weirdly while unfurling. “You can close your eyes and get some rest, now.”

Jeongin quickly helped Felix drink the Dreamless Sleep Potion and the freckled boy almost immediately passed out afterward, exhausted. Hyunjin then proceeded with gently cleaning each wing with a soft towel soaked in cold water. Further away, Chan’s knees gave out as he finally lifted the Cooling Charm, and Changbin quickly helped him to the nearest couch so he could sit down for a bit.

“How is he?” Jeongin finally dared to ask.

“Exhausted, but nothing more than that. The draught will help him sleep through the last of the pain and, by the time he wakes up, his new muscle mass will have settled to properly support his wings, so it shouldn’t hurt anymore. Still, he shouldn’t try to get out of bed until Healer Kim’s given him a proper check-up – I’ll send her your way the moment she returns from St. Mungo’s.”

“Alright.” After a few seconds of silence, Jeongin sighed, sparing him a glance. “Thank you… all of you.”

“We’re sorry for barging in like that,” cringed Jisung. “We were all with Hyunjin when Silver suddenly showed up, so we panicked a bit… But is this why he was completely out of it during our duel? Or did- did I trigger something…?”

Jeongin sighed again, running a hand through his hair. “It’s not my place to say anything about this, least of all to any of you.” They all visibly flinched at that, but he couldn’t fully find it in himself to feel bad for it. After all, Felix wasn’t the only with some lingering resentment. “But… once Felix is lucid enough, I’ll let you know. If he wants to tell you anything, then so be it. If not, though…”

“Either way, we won’t tell a soul,” assured Minho, serious.

Jeongin simply nodded before reporting his attention to Felix. Clearly dismissed, the others slowly found their way out of the room, Changbin half-carrying Chan out as the older didn’t have the energy to move on his own anymore. Hyunjin was the last to leave, sparing them both an unsure glance.

“If anything happens—”

“I’ll send Silver to you.”

Hyunjin nodded, then left as well, closing the door behind him. Once they were all finally gone, Jeongin heaved out a tired sigh. The situation was growing more complicated by the day and, now, Felix’s greatest secret was known to the last people he’d have told under different circumstances.

While grateful for their help, Jeongin simply hoped Felix wouldn’t react too badly once he regained enough lucidity to realize what had happened.

.

“How do you feel?”

“A bit tired, still – but mostly eager to get out of bed.”

“Well, it looks like you’ve not only recovered properly, but the procedure was also a complete success – your wings are healthy and strong. Hyunjin, good job – I couldn’t have done it better myself.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Mister Lee, I’d suggest taking it slow for the next day or so. Feel free to walk around but try not to push your limits. I’ll write down some exercises you’ll need to do every evening in order to strengthen your back muscles and your wings, but no trying to fly until at least a month has passed – I mean it!”

“I understand. Thank you, Healer Kim.”

“Good. If you need anything else, you know where to find me. Hyunjin, I expect a full, written report for tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, Healer Kim.”

With a nod and a small smile, the woman then took her leave. There was a moment of awkward silence before Hyunjin headed for the door.

“I should go—”

“Hyunjin.” He paused, glancing back at Felix. The boy’s expressions was unreadable. “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Hyunjin then left as well, and Felix laid his head on Jeongin’s shoulder with a sigh. His boyfriend gently ran a hand through his hair, which had gotten much longer in the last few days, and brushed the tip of his finger against Felix’s pointy ear, making the boy shiver and melt into his side.

“I can talk to them,” he suggested softly.

“No, I… I’ll do it. I’d rather they didn’t make up any sorts of assumptions, and it’s best I tell them myself.”

“Will you tell them about…?”

“No, they don’t need to know that much.”

“Okay. Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow. You’ll stay with me, right?”

“Always.”

.

Being in proximity with every single one of his ex-friends now that he was fully back to himself was awkward, to say the least. No longer blinded by an indescribable pain, Felix was now fully aware of their presence and the tension it brought.

The silence was the worst of it, though.

“There’s no easy way to say it,” he finally sighed, eager to get it over with.

He absolutely loathed that, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he didn’t care what they thought of him, he was still scared of their reactions once he revealed the truth. His heart still clung to a hope of acceptance, and it annoyed him to no end – but there was no helping it now, and so he finally let it go.

“I’m Fae-born – a Changeling.”

…

…

…

“Alright, see ya—”

“W- wait! What the hell do you mean!? You can’t just drop this on us then leave!” immediately protested Minho.

“Well, what more do you want me to say?” snapped back Felix. “I’m not fully Human, okay? Never was, never will be, and that’s that.”

“We read about Changelings in class, once,” recalled Seungmin, his eyes wide as he tried to process the sudden reveal. “Unlike wizards, their magical core takes much longer to mature. That’s why you could barely cast any spell, and why- why your memories were abruptly returned in spite of the potion’s lasting damage…”

“Got it in one. Are we done now?”

“Why tell us anything at all if you’re going to act this way?” huffed Jisung. “We helped, didn’t we? It’s only thanks to us that—”

“It’s thanks to Hyunjin that everything turned out alright. Sure, you were there too – so what? Am I supposed to just forget everything that’s happened because of it? Is one good deed supposed to erase all of your past mistakes? Did you think forcing your way into earning my gratefulness would equal my forgiveness?”

Jisung immediately deflated, lowering his eyes in shame. “I- I didn’t mean it like that. I just… I just assumed we’d at least be able to talk – for real, this time around. When you asked for us—”

“I decided to tell you the truth because I didn’t want you guys poking around and hounding me for answers,” replied Felix, crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive manner. “And because, for some inane reason, there’s a part of me that feels like I owe you the truth, at the very least. I mean, isn’t this the reason everything fell apart in the first place? You at least deserve to know the real reason why you’ve grown to hate me.”

“Felix, I know we’ve all hurt you, in more ways than once, and much more than words can describe – but you have to believe that we never hated you,” insisted Chan, almost desperate for Felix to believe him.

Years ago, Felix’s heart would have broken at seeing such despair in Chan’s eyes. Now, it still broke, but he was strong enough to ignore it.

“Alright, so you never hated me. But Minho was jealous of me. Changbin valued his gains more than our friendship. Hyunjin looked down on me. Seungmin took out his insecurities on me. Jisung picked his popularity over me. And you? You said it yourself: I’m no one important.” Felix could feel his throat clogging up with emotion and he absolutely loathed it. Why couldn’t the pain just go away already? “It might not have been hate, Chan, but at this point I’d take hate over anything else – because then it’d mean you still cared about me, even if in a fucked-up way.”

“Felix—”

The young man shook his head, turning his back to them as he tightly closed his eyes – the last thing he wanted was for them to see his tears. After a few seconds of silence, Jeongin finally spoke up.

“Telling you the truth wasn’t an invitation to rekindle our friendship,” he stated plainly. “Felix just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t accidentally reveal his true nature to anyone else. Now that you know—”

“What, now that we know, we can just go about our day and forget anything that’s happened?” snapped Seungmin, obviously hurt by Jeongin’s dismissal. “What about you, then? Why should you forsake our friendship for the sake of Felix’s feelings, huh? You were our friend too! How is this fair!?”

Felix flinched, painfully aware of the truth ringing in Seungmin’s accusations. He was right, Jeongin wasn’t involved in all of this. But…

“It was my decision to cut ties with all of you,” replied Jeongin, frowning. “What, do you think I’m incapable of thinking beyond my feelings for him? I’m my own person, too! And as my own person, I deemed you all unfit to be my friends – who would want to be friends with people like you? People who used, abused, and hurt almost beyond repair someone they were supposed to care about? Someone who was always true to them, always willing to stand by them, always ready to support them no matter what? Why would I want to be friend with people who were so quick to turn on one of their own? Felix’s difficulties with magic fed your fucking egos for years but the moment your needs for social acceptance outweighed that selfish gain, you cut him loose and let him fend for himself! And what, was I supposed to think I’d be any different? That you wouldn’t turn on me the same way the moment I no longer served any purpose for you? You—!!!”

“Jeongin.”

Jeongin was breathing heavily, and it took him a moment to notice Felix’s hand now on his arm, as if to hold him back – and it’s only then that he noticed just how close he’d gotten to Seungmin, now standing almost in his face.

And Seungmin… Seungmin looked scared. And hurt.

It only abated Jeongin’s rightful anger the slightest bit.

“You hurt Felix. How was I supposed to trust you wouldn’t hurt me, too?” Jeongin’s voice broke on the last word. “You forced me in a position where I had to pick a side – and between the one person I could trust to love and care for me, and the two-faced people you’d all grown to be, wasn’t the choice obvious?”

At that, tears finally began falling down Seungmin’s face, too.

“I loved you, too,” he choked out. “You were just too blind to notice.”

Jeongin’s eyes widened at that confession, and Seungmin abruptly took off, roughly bumping into Felix before running out of the room. The tensed silence that followed was quickly broken at Jisung hurried after him, only sparing a brief glance for the pair before leaving as well.

“… we made mistakes,” finally admitted Minho. “But we’re all going to have to learn to live with them – in spite of them. Even if you can’t forgive us… aren’t you tired of holding onto that hurt?”

“You know nothing of the hurt I’ve endured,” hissed Felix, immediately on the defensive.

“I know enough to tell you that it’s the greatest curse which can befall someone.” With a sigh, Minho walked out, only to stop at the door. “I know I’m the last person you want to hear it from, but… let it go, Felix. Or you’re only going to induce more pain, to yourself and to others.”

On which he left, and Changbin was quick to follow him, obviously unable to stand the tension any longer. After a few more seconds, Felix lifted tired, angry eyes at Chan and Hyunjin, who had yet to move.

“What? Have some words of wisdom to share, too?” he spat.

“… Jisung was right about one thing: we need to talk this out,” finally said Chan, running a hand through his hair. “But it’s not something we can force out of you – either of you. Just… think it over, yeah? We’ll be there when you’re ready.”

He patted Hyunjin’s shoulder, and after a moment of hesitation, the young healer-in-training followed him outside, and quietly closed the door behind them. The moment they were gone, Felix let out a shaky breath, and Jeongin collapsed on the edge of the bed, still stunned by Seungmin’s confession.

“… I didn’t know,” he whispered.

“I know, baby,” sighed Felix, sitting down next to him and tightly holding his hand. “You couldn’t have known – he never told you. What happened between Seungmin and I isn’t your fault, got it? His actions may have been driven by jealousy but, ultimately, they were all his decisions.”

“I must have broken his heart…”

“Again, it’s not on you. He wasn’t entitled to your feelings and if he truly wanted to develop your relationship, he should have told you,” insisted Felix, kissing his temple. “We can’t control our feelings, but we can control our actions – and instead of talking it out with you, he decided to take it out on me, and that’s on him.”

They stayed silent for a little while, letting the high emotions of this little talk slowly die down until, eventually, the two of them found themselves lying in bed and cuddling, simply basking in each other’s presence.

“… Minho and Chan weren’t wrong,” eventually said Jeongin, much calmer. “We’re going to have to sit down and have a real talk with all of them, one day. I know you’re hurt, but letting it fester is only going to lead to more pain. You know that, right?”

“I know,” murmured Felix, feeling incredibly tired. “One day. But not today.”

“Well, it may not feel that way, but today was a pretty good start – a rough one, but a start, nonetheless,” pointed out Jeongin.

Felix let out a slightly watery laugh as he kissed Jeongin’s nose before snuggling a little closer, letting the familiar sense of safety and warmth envelop him.

It was enough talking for today.

.

.

.

“It’s time.”

“Then let’s get this show on the road.”

.

.

.

Two weeks passed, and school started again. As if nothing had happened at all, everyone returned to their routine of classes, clubs, and other activities. Not once did one of the others try to reach out again, and Felix was torn between feeling relieved and feeling upset. He wanted them to leave him alone but, at the same time, weren’t they giving up too easily? If they truly cared about rekindling their friendship, wouldn’t they be trying harder?

For the sake of Merlin, get a grip already, Lee Felix – pick one or the other and stop torturing yourself over it!

Thanks to the potion he drank every morning, he could hide his Fae-born nature, and a magical necklace allowed him to hide his wings in a pocket dimension, so to speak – so long as he wore that necklace, his wings wouldn’t retain physical form and were essentially nonexistent.

Jongho, Eric, and Beomgyu simply inquired as to his health since, the last time they saw him, he’d lost consciousness in class – Felix was quick to reassure them and promised it wouldn’t happen again, and to not confront Jisung about it. His friends quickly dropped the subject after that, and it didn’t take long for the student body’s rumor mill to move onto another target.

Despite his promise, Felix hadn’t told Jeongin about the incident with Professor Lee. A part of him was still deeply rooted in denial, but he was mostly disgusted and didn’t want to even think about it. Now, he picked the furthest seat from the teacher when in class and avoided him as much as possible when outside.

All in all, everything had returned to a semi-normality, and Felix felt… unsettled. Ever since school started, it was one hit after the other, with rarely a chance to rest, and the fact that seemingly all issues had been resolved somehow made him feel uneasy. He was only waiting for the other shoe to drop and, with each day that passed, he only grew more and more restless.

But, most importantly…

“Innie? Is everything… okay?”

His boyfriend startled a bit, then spared him a smile. “Oh, yeah! Everything’s fine!”

“You seem worried about something…”

“Ah, it’s just my Transfiguration homework – I’ve only just learned it’s being graded, and I barely had time to work on it during the holiday break.”

“Oh. I’m sorry—”

Jeongin shook his head, offering him a smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you at dinner tonight, alright? I’m taking my lunch break to work on a group project.”

“Right. I’ll see you tonight, then!”

Jeongin headed out and, as the door closed behind him, the uneasy feeling weighing on Felix’s chest only grew, and for two reasons.

One, Jeongin hadn’t kissed him like he usually did when they split up for the day.

And two, Felix was Fae-born, meaning he could tell when someone was lying – and, right there and then, Jeongin had lied to him.

.

The day passed by incredibly slow. The paranoia almost driving him crazy, Felix had gone to secretly check up on Jeongin during lunch break – but, as told, his boyfriend was working with a few other students from his Transfiguration class, and so he left, not wanting to disturb him.

What did he lie about, then?

Not understanding Jeongin’s uncharacteristic change, Felix barely paid attention in his own classes. As the day slowly trickled by, however, he began to notice… a shift in the air, so to speak.

Glances. Whispers. Stares.

It was subtle, gradual, but increasingly harder to ignore – more and more students were starting to look at Felix with suspicion, disbelief, or blatant curiosity, and a pit grew in Felix’s stomach. The last time he’d felt so cornered by the student body…

No. No, things are different now. Things—!

“Hey, Felix!” An older student he couldn’t remember the name of, a Ravenclaw, was suddenly before him, with a few of his friends trailing behind him. “Is it true? Are you really a Fae bastard?”

Felix’s heart dropped.

No. No, no, no, no, no—!

“So? Is it true? Are you—hey!”

Without a word, Felix immediately rushed past the group.

The only people who know are Jeongin, Healer Kim, the Headmistress and the Vice-Principle, along with Hyunjin and the others – anyone else who knew is in Australia. But the teachers would never have said anything, and neither would have Jeongin—!

“I’m telling you, it’s the truth! I saw it with my own eyes!”

“No way!”

“It kind of makes sense, though…”

“So Felix really isn’t Human, then? That’d explain so much!”

Feeling sick to the stomach, Felix abruptly stopped in front of the classroom he’d just stumbled upon, the door opened just wide enough for him to hear what was being said. Peering inside, he found none other than Hyunjin surrounded by numerous other students, a proud grin stretching his lips.

“In any case, I basically saved his life on my own. It was a very delicate procedure, but I’ve managed. You can’t tell anyone else though, okay? It’s a secret!”

Felix barely had the time to register what he’d just heard that new voices echoed further down the hall. He instinctively hid behind one of the suits of armor as a little group led by Changbin walked past without noticing him.

“—and you’re sure you can do it?”

“Of course I can!”

“But one of the ingredients is 30 milligram of crushed Fairy wing – it’s almost impossible to get!”

“Don’t worry, I know where I can get some!”

Felix slapped a hand over his mouth, feeling as though he could throw up at any second. The moment the group was gone, he started running toward the Great Hall – he needed to find Jeongin, and he needed to find him fast.

The moment he burst into the already-full hall, all activity seemingly came to a stop. Felix’s breathing quickened as he felt the hundreds of stares pinning him down, and he only briefly managed to make eye contact with his friends – who all appeared at a bit of a loss – before someone suddenly grabbed his necklace from behind. He spun around, startled, but the person pulled and broke the necklace – Felix immediately felt the magic ripple around him as his wings were abruptly revealed, and shocked gasps immediately echoed throughout the entire room, with a few teachers jumping to their feet.

Felix shot a wide-eyed, betrayed look at Jisung – he was still holding onto the broken necklace, seemingly frozen in place with glossy, dazed eyes—

“He really is a Fae!”

The sudden exclamation spooked Felix, and he immediately took off, running away as noise exploded in the hall. He didn’t know what to do, where to go – he just needed to find help. Desperate to find Jeongin, he called upon Silver… but his familiar didn’t answer, and Silver never appeared.

Silver, please! Please, don’t leave me too!

The familiar never showed up, and it could only mean one thing: he’d been banished again. And of course, only one person would have done it.

Minho!!!

Switching targets, Felix immediately started running in direction of Protego. If he could find Minho, then he could get to the bottom of this! So he ran, ignoring the stares and startled shouts of the students he crossed paths with. When he eventually reached Protego, it was almost entirely empty, saved for Sana and a few other members busy with cleaning up.

“Fe- Felix!? Is that you!?” she gawked.

“Not the time! Where’s Minho?”

“I- I don’t know, he’s been gone all day—”

“Damn it! What about Chan?”

“In his office, he’s been there for hours—”

Felix rushed past her and straight for Chan’s office, of which the door was closed. When he tried unlocking it with a spell, he was punished with a small, electric shock. Cursing under his breath, he began pounding on the door.

“Chan! Chan! I know you’re in there, answer me!”

There was some rustling on the other side of the door, but nothing more. Growing angrier and more desperate, Felix kept on pounding.

“Chan, please! I need to find Minho, I need- I need…” A few tears slipped past his defenses. “Please, I need help…!”

But Chan never came to answer. With a frustrated shout, Felix took off once more. At this point, he could only count on Jeongin and, determined to find him, he began focusing on their bond. He rushed out of Protego, completely ignoring Sana’s pleading shouts for him to come back and explain.

Jeongin! Please, I need to find Jeongin!

Tracking through their bond was no easy feat but, if he focused enough, he could feel a small tug in the direction of where Jeongin was located. So, following that pull, Felix eventually reached an abandoned classroom.

A familiar, abandoned classroom.

This… is where I fought Seungmin when he was under the curse…

Dread filling his entire being, Felix turned the knob and entered.

He immediately saw Jeongin. He also saw Seungmin.

“… Innie?”

Neither of them even noticed him, too busy kissing – or rather, eating each other’s face at that point. They were disheveled, their clothes partially off, and completely lost to a sickening passion. The moment the horrifying vision sunk in, Felix completely lost control of his emotions and unconsciously sent a blast of powerful magic that made them both fly into the wall.

Seungmin collapsed with a groan, out of breath, while Jeongin lifted his head with a cringe, seemingly dizzy.

“W- what… Felix…?”

The last thing Jeongin saw before completely passing out were the crystal-like tears running down Felix’s face. The moment he lost consciousness, Felix stumbled out of the room and began running again.

To where? He didn’t know. He just needed to get out of there.

The pain was so great, Felix felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest piece by piece.

::

“I’m just tired of holding onto that pain,” admitted Felix, wiggling a bit in Jeongin’s hold so he could wrap his arms around his chest. “But I can’t- I can’t just let it go without- without doing something about it. It doesn’t—it just wouldn’t be fair…!”

“Just give it some time, Lix,” insisted Jeongin, gently rocking him a bit. “I know it’s easier said than done, but you should just forget about them. Exhausting yourself over what they might do is just going to hurt you more in the long run, okay?”

::

He ran all the way back to the first floor – for once, the moving staircases seemed to stay completely still, as if sensing his need to get away.

::

“Do you know what killed me the most, at that time? It wasn’t the fact that I actually needed those seeds you stole from me, or even how expensive they were – it was how easily you just decided to betray me in the first place. Did you even stop to think about it? Doubted for even a second, even briefly hesitated before going through with your plan?”

“… no,” Changbin whispered, shame hanging heavy in his voice. “No, I- I didn’t.”

“Thanks for your honesty, if nothing else,” mused dryly Felix, feeling the familiar stinging of tears growing in his eyes, though he held them in. “Keep your Braskorn seeds.”

“Felix, please—”

“Give them to me once you have all seven of them.” Silence befell them, and Felix could taste Changbin’s hope tainting the air – and it disgusted him. “It’ll take you what, years? Decades? Maybe by then, I’ll have it in me to at least look you in the eyes without feeling the urge to vomit.”

::

He ignored the few students that stared at him or tried to call out to him – if he stopped now, who knew what they’d do to him?

::

“… I’m sorry. I went- I went about this all wrong. I just- I just got so excited when I saw you in there, I didn’t… I wasn’t thinking straight.” Shaking his head and quickly wiping away a few stray tears, Chan then pulled a sheet from one of his files and handed it to Felix. “You’re right: you don’t owe me anything. But I think… I think that if there’s one club you could possibly fit in, it’s this one. I genuinely believe you’d be able to help a lot of people, that- that you might find a place to call yours, here… And even if it’s hard to believe, I just… I just want what’s best for you, Felix. I always have, even if I forgot it for a while.”

::

He found his way outside, the grass cold underneath his bare feet – when had he gotten rid of his shoes? It was dark outside, yet even the fresh air felt suffocating, with the castle looming behind like Damocles’ sword.

::

“And why- why should you care, hm? What does it matter to you?” protested Felix.

“Because I don’t want you to be scared, Felix. I don’t- I don’t want you to be eaten away by anxiety and paranoia and I know- I know your distrust is warranted. I know you have every right to be scared. But if I can just… just help lessen it, even a little bit…” Minho sighed again, and there was a light ‘THUMP’ as he sat down on the other side of the door. “I never meant to hurt you like this, Felix. I really didn’t. But at the time, I didn’t care if I did. All that mattered… all that mattered was my own success. And because of my selfishness, you had to suffer a lot. And I… I really am sorry for it. If I could go back in time and change the decision I made that day, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

Felix’s heart’s violent hammering had calmed down a bit, though his hold on Silver hadn’t loosened in the least. The only thing keeping him from throwing Minho out, beside the fear, was the sheer defeat weighing in his voice. He truly sounded remorseful but, somehow, it only made Felix feel even worse.

“You don’t- you don’t get to just say sorry and call it a day,” he choked out.

“I know. And I’m not. The only thing I’m trying to do right here, right now, is offer you some peace of mind: I will not harm your familiar. I won’t try anything. There’d be no reason to but, most importantly, I don’t want to hurt you like that again. Never again. Please, just… just believe that, if nothing else.”

::

In the distance, a chorus of wails echoed somberly – the Giant Squid and the sirens seemingly sharing in his pain, and the other creatures and beasts kept on the grounds of the school all growing incredibly agitated as the Fae-born lost more and more control over his magic.

Still, Felix didn’t care. All he cared about was the piercing pain his heart, so great it made him wish he could just rip it out and be done with it.

::

“I don’t want to hear another mindless apology,” spat out the freckled boy.

“Then I won’t apologize, for now,” replied simply Hyunjin. “Instead, I’d like to thank you.”

“Thank me…?” echoed Felix, some of his anger melting into confusion.

Hyunjin nodded firmly. “For not giving up on me. Back then, I mean. After starting my second year, I kept having all manners of people coming up to me and telling me that I didn’t need to work, that my looks could get me anywhere, that a pretty face like me wouldn’t amount to anything in the medical world… After a while, it became really hard to tune them out, and I even started wondering if they were right, you know?”

“Hyunjin…”

The Hufflepuff shook his head. “I’m not saying this to earn your pity or anything. What I’m trying to say is… when everyone kept on telling me that it wasn’t worth it, that I couldn’t do it no matter how hard I worked… you kept on believing in me. You made me realize that, in the end, I was the one true obstruction to my dreams and ambitions.” Felix did his best to ignore the tears now glossing Hyunjin’s eyes. “I was mean to you. Cruel, even. All for the sake of a popularity I didn’t even want, but thought I needed at the time. But despite that, you still kept on believing in me, the real me… and for that I’m thankful, Felix.” Hyunjin suddenly bowed to him. “Thank you.”

::

Felix could hardly breathe through his sobs, could hardly see through his tears. The pain was overpowering, making him gasp for air and feel as though his very soul was set aflame with the fire of betrayal.

What have I ever done to deserve this? Why am I always the one being hurt!?

::

“You’ve been hurting… for a long time, haven’t you?”

Seungmin’s head snapped up, his eyes widening in shock. The darkness wasn’t as thick anymore, and Felix was crouching right in front of him. He looked… sad, in a way, though Seungmin couldn’t understand why.

“Felix…” he choked out. “I’m sorry…!”

“… I know.” With a small smile, Felix extended his hand to him. “Let’s go home, Minnie.”

It wasn’t forgiveness, far from it.

But it was the first step onto a much lighter path.

With another sob and a wobbly smile, Seungmin grabbed Felix’s hand.

::

Felix started running again.

It’s not fair! IT’S NOT FAIR!

He could feel his power growing, his wings fluttering, his entire being following the abrupt pull of a mysterious calling, unknown yet familiar.

::

“… it’s still blue…”

Jisung let out a watery laugh. “Yeah, it is. You did that, I didn’t want to get rid of it.”

“Why…?”

“Because I missed you like crazy, Lix,” choked out Jisung, catching his hand and squeezing it tightly. “I still do. You can hate me as much as you want but please… please, never doubt that I did consider you my best friend.”

“I loved you,” whispered Felix, his sight growing blurry – though be it because he was crying or because he was about to pass out, he couldn’t tell. “And you- you hurt me. Why did you hurt me, Ji…?”

“I’m sorry, Lix. I’m so, sorry. I—Felix? Felix, open your eyes! Don’t—someone! Professor! Anyone, please, help him! He’s—Felix! Felix, stay with me! Felix!!!”

::

Hyunjin had spilled his secret in his need to brag to everyone. Changbin had outright admitted to wanting to steal his wings. Jisung was the one who’d revealed the truth to the entire school. Minho had broken his word and taken Silver from him again. Chan had let him down once more and refused to even see him. Seungmin had finally taken what his heart had been yearning for years, in spit of Felix’s feelings.

And Jeongin…

::

“I love you,” mumbled Felix, hiding his face in Jeongin’s neck.

“I love you too. More than anything.”

“Innie… We’ll be fine, right?”

Jeongin’s hold tightened a bit at that. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”

::

Jeongin betrayed him. Jeongin turned his back on him. Jeongin hurt him, just like the others hurt him before.

I can’t… I can’t stay anymore… If being here only leads to me being hurt… then I’d rather be gone for good!!!

The pain abruptly vanished, a numbness spreading throughout his entire body, which began vibrating with immeasurable magical power. An eerie, golden glow overtook Felix’s eyes as his appearance regained that of a Fae-born, his freckles glowing as his wings spread behind his back. For a brief moment, Felix considered fighting it… but the numbness was comforting. And weren’t all of his “friends” right, after all? Holding onto his pain would only make him more miserable.

The true curse… isn’t the grudges…

It’s being Human…

With a soft exhale, Felix completely let go, allowing his instincts to take over. His magic immediately multiplied as his wings began fluttering faster, and he didn’t even notice as his feet left the firm ground.

Without hesitation, Felix answered the Call of the Fae and flew off into the starless night, guided by the reddish hue of the full moon.

Chapter Text

“Felix!!!”

Sana could only watch as the freckled boy – and were those wings on his back!? – ran out of Protego without another look back, obviously distressed. Just as she was about to run after him, however, a loud ‘THUD’ echoed from Chan’s office. Confused, and admittedly angry – why didn’t Chan open to Felix when he was outright pleading for his help!? – Sana immediately went to investigate.

The door was locked. When she tried a spell to unlock it, she was shocked. Cursing under her breath, she started pounding on the door.

“Chan! What the hell is wrong with you? Open the door this instant—!”

‘THUD’ ‘THUD’ ‘THUD’

Sana froze. It wasn’t like Chan to act this way, and she knew for a fact just how desperate he was to earn Felix’s forgiveness – he wouldn’t have turned him away. Not unless… not unless he had no other choice.

“Miss Sana? What’s wrong?” asked one of the younger club members, visibly worried.

“I don’t know. I’m going to find a teacher, try and open this door by any means necessary!”

“O- okay!?”

Sana rushed out of Protego and immediately started making her way to the Great Hall. It didn’t take her too long to reach it but, as she approached, she found Headmistress Sunmi along with Healer Kim, Professor Hyuna and Professor Choi standing outside, near the stairs, where a student was sitting.

“Headmistress!” she called out. “We need your help!”

“I’m afraid it’ll have to wait, Miss Sana,” cut the Headmistress, obviously worried.

It took a moment for Sana to recognize the student as Jisung. He looked… confused. A little pale, but mostly lost.

“What happened to him?”

“He was under the Imperius Curse,” answered somberly Professor Choi.

Sana’s guts twisted. An Unforgivable Curse casted on a student? If this much had already happened, she dreaded to think of what could possibly be keeping Chan in his office.

“Bang Chan is trapped in his office in Protego,” she said, urgency now filling her voice. “We can’t get the door open and he’s unresponsive – I’m scared something might have happened to him!”

The Headmistress immediately straightened up. “This was obviously targeted… Healer Kim, keep an eye on Jisung. Professor Hyuna, instruct all of the students to return to their dorms at once and to remain there until further notice. Professor Choi, come with me – if the door’s charmed, we’ll need your help.” She then shot a frustrated look around. “And where the hell are Vice-Principal Seo and Professor Peniel!? Someone find them!”

Everyone got moving, and Sana was quick to lead the Headmistress and Professor Choi back to Protego, where they quickly found out that the members had yet to manage to open the door. Professor Choi immediately got to work, while Sana recounted the entire incident to the Headmistress.

“Felix is in trouble,” she concluded. “Jisung and Chan have been targeted, and the others are still unaccounted for – we need to figure this out, and fast.”

“I agree. Unfortunately, I’ve felt the magical wards break just minutes ago – as far as I’m aware, Felix has somehow managed to leave the school, and there’s no way of knowing where he’s gone,” sighed the Headmistress.

“What!? But that’s—”

“Watch out!”

With a powerful blast, Professor Choi finally managed to unlock the door. As soon as it opened, he rushed inside, and Sana was quick to follow. Her mouth fell open as she took in the sight of Chan and Minho tied and gagged, Hyunjin and Changbin lying on the floor and trapped by a freezing spell, and Felix’s familiar trapped inside a summoning circle.

“What the hell is going on here!?”

Headmistress Sunmi immediately unfroze Changbin and Hyunjin, while Professor Choi easily cut through the bindings of the other two. The moment they were all freed, chaos overtook the small office.

“I was attacked from behind—”

“Didn’t even see it coming—”

“—don’t know what happened—”

“Who did it!?”

“Enough!” cut the Headmistress. “Everyone, calm down! I want each of you to tell me exactly what happened. Hyunjin!”

“I was in the infirmary taking stock when I felt my entire body freeze. I couldn’t do anything as I was dragged up here through a secret passageway,” he recounted. “Chan was already here when I was dropped off. Neither of us saw the face of the person who did it.”

“I was filling out papers when a weird smoke filled the room, and I passed out. When I woke up again, I was tied to the chair,” added Chan.

“I was coming back from the library when I got frozen,” recalled Changbin. “I was taken here too and didn’t see anyone either.”

“I found all three of them by accident because I was dropping something off for Chan,” added Minho. “I was attacked from behind and briefly knocked out. When I woke up, I was tied as well. Our assailant apparently used that opportunity to also summon and trap Silver, Felix’s familiar.”

They all glanced at the small summoning circle where Silver was still trapped, the runes and glyphs shining ominously. The familiar was visibly meowing, but no sound was coming out – somehow, it reminded all of them of the incident between Felix and Jisung, when the wards wouldn’t go down during their duel.

“So Felix is the target,” easily concluded Sana. “But for what? And by who?”

“Someone who wanted to hurt him through us,” answered somberly Changbin. “Whoever attacked us took some of mine and Hyunjin’s hair – I felt it. And the only potion they could possibly need this for is Polyjuice.”

“And someone used the Imperius Curse on Jisung to make him take off Felix’s necklace in the Great Hall,” added Headmistress Sunmi. “If whoever attacked you was aiming to destroy what little trust Felix had in all of you…”

Hyunjin paled. “They must have gone after Seungmin and Jeongin, too! Where’s Felix? We need to find him at once and explain—”

“He’s gone – Headmistress Sunmi felt him break through the school’s wards earlier,” replied Sana. “But if we want to help him, then we need to find the others first and piece together the entire puzzle. Do you have any clue of where they might be?”

“We don’t – but Silver does,” retorted Minho, kneeling beside the summoning circle. “This is a complex trap – if we don’t break the right rune, it’ll banish Silver again. We should ask for Professor Peniel—”

“He’s nowhere to be found,” frowned Professor Choi. “You don’t think—”

“We have to assume the worst right now,” cut Headmistress Sunmi. “Minho, do you think you can break this summoning circle by yourself?”

“I…” After a brief moment of hesitation, Minho nodded firmly. “I can. Just give me a moment to work this out.”

They all immediately moved to give the future Curse Breaker some space. While he started studying the circle more closely, the others all rallied together to discuss the situation at hand. It really didn’t take a genius to connect the dots: they were all used in order to hurt Felix and, if the missing professors were anything to go by, then the culprits were obvious.

The only remaining questions where: why? And where had Felix gone?

“I think I got it!” exclaimed Minho, narrowing his eyes as he pulled out his wand. “Everyone, step back!”

They all did as instructed while Minho focus. In the circle, Silver now appeared strangely calm, staring at the wizard with strangely piercing eyes. It was obvious the familiar remembered him to be the cause behind his first separation with Felix but, despite it, the cat still trusted Minho to free him.

He wouldn’t let Silver down. He wouldn’t betray Felix again.

With a single spell, he fired at the third rune on the right, then the second one on the left – at once, the circle lit up, crackling with magical electricity… before the magic fizzled out, the circle properly broken, and the familiar free again.

“Silver, I know you want to go to Felix – but first we need your help finding Jeongin and our friend, Seungmin,” immediately requested Chan, kneeling beside the cat. “Please, we need your help.”

After a brief moment, the cat suddenly ran out of the room. It paused at the door, as if gesturing for them to follow him, then ran off.

“Quick! Follow him!”

.

Jeongin woke up with a lingering headache and a mouth filled with cotton. His eyes fluttered open as he groaned, familiar surroundings slowly making themselves known as he regained his senses.

Why am I… in the infirmary…?

“Ah! He’s awake!!!”

“Mr. Yang!” Healer Kim was suddenly beside him. “Here, drink this.”

Knowing better than to question the headstrong woman, Jeongin quickly gulped down the entirety of the little vial she was handing him. He grimaced at the terrible taste, but the effects of the potion quickly made themselves known: the pasty feeling in his mouth dissipated, and the fog obscuring his memories—

::

The last thing Jeongin saw before completely passing out were the crystal-like tears running down Felix’s face.

::

“Felix!” he gasped, eyes wide as he sat up at once. “Where is he?”

“Gone.” He hadn’t even noticed Seungmin, sitting on the bed next to his with his head hanging low, the young man seemingly unable to meet his eyes. “He- he saw us and blasted us apart before running off.”

“Saw… us…?”

Dread filled his stomach as he finally recalled what had transpired between him and Seungmin.

The initial plan had been for him to meet up with Seungmin in secret in order to discuss the situation properly. He hadn’t told Felix, he didn’t want to upset his boyfriend any further, but he felt as though he at least owed Seungmin some sort of closure. When he got to their rendezvous point, they started talking while sharing a snack but, mere minutes later, it felt as though all of his senses suddenly grew overcome by intense, irrefutable desire—

“Love potion – an extremely potent one, at that,” stated gravely Healer Kim. “Did you ingest anything before meeting with Mr. Kim?”

“I… I brought a bunch of cookies. I asked the elves to prepare them in the kitchen,” he confirmed, feeling as though he could throw up at any second. “I- I need to find Felix, I need to explain everything—”

“Like Seungmin said, he’s gone,” cut Changbin. “We were all targeted and we believe the perpetrators used us to… hurt Felix. Emotionally, at least. We don’t really know why someone would do this, but is there anything about Felix’s nature that could come into play in this? Anything you didn’t tell us?”

“I… I don’t know, I don’t understand why someone would try to hurt him—”

The doors of the infirmary were suddenly flung open, and none other than Professor Changmin hurriedly made his way inside, flipping through a worn-out tome. He quickly reached Jeongin’s bed and practically shoved the book in his hands, pointing at the title of the chapter.

“The Call of the Fae. I believe that is what the perpetrators were seeking to trigger.”

Understanding suddenly dawned on Jeongin, and he paled, a cold sweat breaking out in his back. “You- you can’t mean—”

“With Felix’s maturation coming to an end with the growth of his wings, it also means he’s entered his grace period. As I’m sure you’re well aware, the Call, though it usually happens on its own, can also be triggered through great emotional distress, since it requires—”

“—since it requires for Felix to doubt his existence in this realm,” completed Jeongin, feeling as though he could hardly breathe.

“Wait, wait, wait, what are you talking about?” cut Minho. “What’s this ‘Call’ you two are going on about?”

“The Call of the Fae is the peak of a Changeling’s maturation process,” answered Professor Changmin. “Changelings are, by nature, Fae-born creatures abandoned by their Fae-parent in what they call the Outside Realm. But, however frivolous Fae beings can be, they do believe in equity. As such, since Changelings do not chose to be abandoned, they are instead given the choice between the two realms.”

“Changelings can decide to either return to the Fae Realm and remain there for the rest of their eternal lives, or they can instead decide to remain in the Outside Realm and live out their lives as more powerful than average wizards, with only a slightly longer lifespan – basically a choice between a long life amongst their kind, or a shorter life in a world that’ll never accept them fully,” added Jeongin, a tad bitterly.

“Well, when you put it that way, the choice feels kind of obvious,” huffed Jisung.

“It would be, for any Fae creature raised in their domain. However, for Changelings who have been raised in our realm, they have another aspect to consider: their bonds. After all, Fae are solitary beings who cannot love and who do not grow attached – it’s quite the difficult task for a Changeling to completely renounce their humanity and, as such, they will surely suffer just as much in the Fae Realm,” explained Professor Changmin.

“Felix and I have talked about this – a lot. He promised me he’d stay with me when the time would come,” assured Jeongin. “He promised—”

 “Yeah, but that was before he found you cheating on him,” shot back Minho with a click of his tongue.

“I never—!”

“We know you’re not to blame for it – neither of you are,” Chan assured. “But Felix doesn’t know that. He’ll believe what he saw and, considering we were all targeted in one way or the other, I believe it is safe to assume that whoever’s behind this gave Felix more than enough reason to leave for good.”

“But why?” protested Jeongin. “Why would anyone want that? Felix hasn’t done anything wrong! He never has!!!”

“But what if… what if it’s not Felix they’re after…?” All eyes turned to Jisung. He still appeared a little pale and shaky, but better than before, still. “Answering the Call… If he does decide to return to the Fae Realm, how would he get there? Is there a door or- or some sort of portal…?”

“As far as we know, a portal indeed opens in a secret location only the Changeling being called to can find,” confirmed Professor Changmin.

“Then what if whoever did this isn’t after Felix, but after the portal he can open…?”

“Even if that were the case, no mortal would be able to even step through – they’d die within seconds. Many wizards have attempted it, and they ended all the same: withering away, their lifespans sucked dry in the blink of an eye,” answered darkly Healer Kim. “Fools, the lot of them. The Fae Realm is for the Fae only, and no kind of magic in the world could ever change that.”

“Speculating of the sort isn’t going to get us any closer to Felix,” snapped Jeongin, having had enough of waiting. “I’m going after him.”

“You can’t,” refused the Headmistress. “Since it appears teachers might be involved in the whole affair, we are duty-bound to keep you safe and handle the situation—”

“I’m the only one who can bring him back!” snapped Jeongin, pushing himself up. “He’s probably being driven mad by pain right now, and I’m the only person who has a shot at making him listen! If I don’t go after him now, then I- I’ll truly lose him…!”

The Headmistress seemed about to protest when Professor Changmin squeezed her shoulder. “He’s right. The Call usually comes on its own – for it to be triggered in such a traumatizing way means Felix will be even harder to reach. In such a state, only Jeongin can actually help him.”

“Well, we can’t very well allow him to go alone,” huffed Healer Kim.

“Then we’ll go with him,” replied Chan, straightening up. “Many of the teachers are gone, right? You can’t afford to lose any more of the staff when there’s still other students to look after. We’re your best shot, here.”

“We want to help save Felix,” added Hyunjin, determined. “This decision is his to make, but we can’t allow him to be influenced by the evil deeds of others.”

“Silver can guide us to him,” suggested Minho, gently rubbing the familiar’s head. “But we’ll need faster means of travel if we want to catch up to them.”

“I doubt they’ll have left any brooms for us to use,” pointed out Changbin with a scowl.

“Then we can ask the griffins.” Seungmin got up as well, pushing up his glasses a bit. “They care for Felix. I’m sure we can convince them to help us.”

“You guys…” murmured Jeongin, unsure.

Jisung offered him a wobbly smile. “I know we have a lot to apologize for, still… but Felix is still our friend, and so are you. So let’s go save him together, okay?”

Feeling a little choked up, Jeongin nodded firmly in answer before turning to the Headmistress once more, steeling his gaze. Confronted with their unwavering will, she had no choice but to relent with a tired sigh.

“Very well. In that case, I grant you special permission to leave the school premises and go help your friend. However, you must swear that you will not put yourselves in unnecessary danger. As far as we’re aware, six teachers have gone rogue, and their power is not to be taken lightly. If you can’t—”

“We’re not idiots, ma’am,” snorted Minho, cracking his neck. “We’ll be smart about it, and I know how to enchant a Portkey – all we need you to do is keep the school’s wards open until we get back.”

“Understood. In that case, I suggest you all get moving – Felix isn’t moving very fast, but he still has a few hours on the rest of you.”

They didn’t need to be told twice, the entire group immediately rushing out of the infirmary to head for the field where the griffins lived. As they all rushed outside, Headmistress Sunmi watched them leave with a heavy heart.

Please, great Merlin, allow them to make it there in time… and keep them all safe…

.

.

.

Convincing the griffins to give them a ride wasn’t as difficult as they expected – like Seungmin had said, the beasts cared greatly for Felix, and they could sense their genuine desire to help him. As such, it didn’t take long for their group to take off into the night, with Silver guiding the way.

(None of them had expected the familiar to be able to fly, of all things, but he was a demon cat, so it wasn’t all that surprising.)

They flew for well over four hours before, at last, reaching their destination. Amongst the darkness, there shone a light – the portal to the Feywild.

“We’re too late,” cursed Changbin.

“No, we’re not. The portal would have long since closed if Felix had stepped through,” replied Minho, his eyes narrowed. “Either he hasn’t reached it, or something’s stopping him from crossing.”

“Let’s land a little further away – if the rogue teachers really are behind this, then we can’t confront them head-on,” instructed Chan.

At once, the griffins dove down, managing to find a clearing big enough for them to land in without being noticed. Hyunjin casted a silencing spell on their group, which Minho coupled with an illusion, and they all silently made their way through the thick, unfamiliar woods until, at last, they reached the source of the light.

A tree, much bigger and older than the others surrounding it, with colorful flowers blooming amongst its luscious leaves – and, amidst the thick, knotted roots, the gateway to the domain of the Fae crackled with golden light. Felix stood a mere meters away, hovering above a circle of runes glowing with a dark, purple energy. Chains sprouted from the runes and tied his body in place, ensuring he wouldn’t be able to cross over into the Feywild. Surrounding him, six hooded figures stood, chanting under their breath.

“What the hell are they doing?” whispered Jisung.

“The tongue they’re speaking…” murmured Jeongin, wide-eyed. “One of our old teachers from Cobberbush warned us – it’s the tongue of the Hunters. It’s an archaic organization that used to hunt the Fae, back when they still inhabited this realm. However, when they retreated to the Feywild, the organization essentially stopped existing…”

“Or fell back in the shadows, hunting Changelings instead,” huffed Minho. “I heard of them too, in my Specialized History Class, but I never thought I’d actually encounter them.”

“But if their goal is to hunt Felix, why…” Hyunjin trailed off.

“Why is he still alive?” completed Chan, frowning.

“Probably because Jisung’s theory is more sound than we thought,” retorted Jeongin, jabbing his thumb at the portal. “Just look closely – you can see tendrils of magic seeping out, phasing through Felix’s body, then redirecting and entering theirs.”

Seungmin paled. “They’re using his body as a catalyst for the Feywild’s magic. It’s as Healer Kim said – Fae magic is for the Fae only. But if they’re using Felix’s body as a tool to filter it, and then claim it…”

“They could actually gain immortal life,” gasped Hyunjin. “But putting this kind of strain on Felix… There’s no telling what’ll happen to him! We have to stop them, now!”

“We need to be smart about this,” cut in Chan. “They’re all obviously busy and I doubt they’re expecting company – let’s use the element of surprise to our advantage. We need to take away their wands, silence them, and immobilize them – so long as they can cast a spell, they’ll be a threat.”

“We need to attack them all at once,” added Changbin. “They’re professionals – they’ll react the moment one of theirs fall.”

“As soon as we take them all out, the magic circle holding Felix in place will break, and Felix will be freed,” warned Minho, serious. “We’ll need someone to stop him from crossing – at least until we’ve managed to clear up this entire mess. Jeongin—”

“I’ll take care of Felix,” assured their youngest, nodding firmly. “Just make sure to kick some ass for the both of us.”

Everyone else nodded back and, in a matter of minutes, all of them had split up in order to get in position. As soon as everyone was ready, Silver would relay the message to Jeongin, who would give the signal – and then, everything would be up to pure luck. They all needed to move fast, and they could only pray nothing would go wrong.

As everyone got moving, Jeongin looked back at Felix, who’s back was turned to him, and felt himself tear up. This entire time, he’d sworn to protect him, to take care of him, to be by his side no matter what – but, when it mattered the most, he wasn’t there. Felix was hurting so much and now, he was to blame for it, too.

If only I’d been honest… If I had just told him the truth about meeting Seungmin, instead of going behind his back…

He couldn’t linger on his past mistakes, however. Right now, he needed to focus on the present he could still save, and the future he could still preserve. So, steeling his resolve, Jeongin readied himself. He couldn’t afford to mess up.

Felix needs me.

He breathed in deeply and, suddenly, Silver appeared before him. Gulping a bit, Jeongin took one last, quick breath, then sprang into action. He ran out of the bushes behind which he’d been hiding, using his wand to shoot a flare as high as possible, and the sudden distraction was the perfect opportunity for the others to strike.

The traitorous teachers – no, the Hunters – barely had a second to process their presence here before spells started flying. Three were immobilized by Seungmin, Jisung, and Chan, caught by a classic Petrificus Totalus. Another was engulfed as a round vial exploded at his feet and liberated a thick, black smoke – Changbin’s creation – and he collapsed a mere second later, caught in a sleep that would bring about his worst nightmares.

The fifth one was caught by Minho’s familiar – the panther violently tackled the hooded figure to the ground while Minho casted a silencing spell and promptly kicked his wand out of reach, before also immobilizing him. Finally, the sixth one abruptly collapsed, revealing Hyunjin standing behind him holding… a baseball bat?

“What the hell?” blinked Jisung.

The baseball bat turned back into a harmless stick, and Hyunjin shrugged. “What? Being a healer means knowing exactly where to hit to make it hurt.”

Snorting, Minho then kneeled down and harshly pulled the hood off of the Hunter he’d taken down – revealing Professor Peniel. The others quickly did the same, unveiling the faces of the traitors: Im Hyunsik, the Astronomy teacher, Yook Sungjae, the History of Magic teacher, Professor Changsub for Divination, and finally Professor Lee and Vice-Principal Eunkwang.

“All of these teachers… all of them started working in Hogwarts in different years – does this mean they’ve been working together this entire time? That this was all planned from the start?” frowned Jisung.

“We’ll have to ask questions later,” warned Chan, staring towards the portal. “For now, we need to focus on bringing Felix back.”

Upon hearing that, they all turned to look in the same direction. As expected, the magic circle had broken, and the chains holding Felix in place had vanished. Now, the only thing stopping him from crossing over was Jeongin, who was holding onto him with all of the strength he could muster. He’d ran up to Felix the moment chaos broke out and hadn’t let go since, terrified of what might happen if he loosened his grip the slightest bit.

“Lix, please, just look at me,” he pleaded, looking into his eyes. “Please, just listen to me. Felix!”

Felix’s eyes were glowing with the same golden light as the portal, seemingly blind to the rest of the world. He was completely disconnected from his own body, unable to hear anything Jeongin was saying, but not fighting his grip, either.

“I can’t- I can’t reach him,” choked out Jeongin, despair clutching his heart.

Jisung’s hand suddenly fell on his shoulder. “I think… I think he’s in so much pain, he just decided to block it out entirely. In this kind of state, nothing could possibly hurt him again."

"Then how- how am I supposed to bring him back?” he choked out.

“I know a ritual that might help,” suggested Minho. For once, he didn’t seem exactly confident – in fact, he appeared quite hesitant. “It’s not a guarantee it’ll work, and we’d need everyone’s magic for it, but the gist of it is that we’d link all of our magical cores in order to establish a connection – and through that connection, we might be able to get past the psychological walls he’s built around his mind.”

“I don’t know if we have the time for a ritual, Minho,” protested Changbin.

“Well, unless one of you is an undeclared Legilimens, then that’s the best we got,” he snipped back. “But there is a potential backlash to consider.”

“Well, spit it out already!” urged Jisung.

Minho shot him a glare. “Look, this ritual is meant to bolster a group of wizards’ magic in order to complete an extremely demanding spell – but it’s a one time thing. You can’t just merge people’s magical cores and then just expect them to come right back to how they were before. The wizards and witches known to have undergone this ritual had done it as a last-resort… and their magic was the price for it.”

“W- wait, you’re saying that if we do this ritual, we’ll… lose our magic?” repeated Seungmin, a little pale.

“Well, to be quite frank, the ritual was only done twice before – the one time it worked, the four wizards involved lost their magic.”

“And… the one time it didn’t?” Hyunjin dared to ask.

“They all… kind of melted from the inside, I think…”

A heavy silence befell the group as the ultimatum was placed before them. Doing this ritual meant putting their entire lives at risk – one way or the other, they would lose a part of themselves. But if they didn’t, then Felix was as good as gone – they wouldn’t be able to keep him from crossing over much longer, after all.

“What if- what if we just bring him back with us? If we bring him back to the school, maybe the teachers will have a better idea,” suggested Changbin.

Chan shook his head. “We can’t. A portal to the Feywild can’t just… stay open. There’s no saying what kind of consequences it would have on our realm – the longer it stays open, the more unstable and uncontrollable the ambient magic will become. Bringing Felix back… isn’t an option. We need to close the portal as soon as possible, but it’ll be up to Felix whether he’ll be on the other side or not when it happens.”

Jeongin shook his head, hugging Felix tighter. “I’ll do it. I don’t care for the consequences. All- all magic’s ever done is hurt us – I’ll gladly give it all up if it means saving Felix. And what kind of life would I be able to live if I let him go now? If I- if I let him down when it mattered the most?”

“I’ll do it as well.” Everyone looked at Chan, startled, and he offered a wry smile. “What, just because you appointed me as the leader of our little group doesn’t mean I always make the smartest decisions – but it does mean I’ll always put your lives before mine. I always told Felix I’d protect him, so it’s about time I kept that promise.”

“I mean, I’m obviously in, too,” shrugged Minho. “Wouldn’t have suggested something I’m not willing to do myself. Plus, you wouldn’t know how to do the ritual without me, so…”

“I- I’ll do it,” gulped Changbin, stepping forward. “I’ve always taken so much… It’s about time I gave back, now. And I’m not going to lie, I scared as hell, but what are friends for, you know?”

“This is a bad idea,” stated firmly Hyunjin. “And the professional thing for me would be to stand aside and be ready to intervene if any of you gets hurt. But… no matter what happened in the past, Felix is my friend. I’m in, too.”

“… there are a lot of things I wish I’d told him, back then. There are a lot of things I wish I could tell him now,” said Jisung, biting his lower lip. “I can’t just stay out of this and live on with regrets – not anymore. I’m done turning a blind eye to his pain.”

“You guys…” A bit choked up, Jeongin looked at all of them, before eventually landing on Seungmin, who stood further in the back, his eyes lowered. “Seungmin. You don’t- you don’t have to force yourself to do this. I know you resent Felix and that’s—”

“I don’t,” bit out Seungmin, clenching his fist. “I don’t resent him. Or not anymore, at least. Haven’t in a long time, really. If anything, I resent myself. I’ve caused so much pain to someone who considered me a friend, and for what? But these- these issues are my own to deal with. I can’t let Felix fall victim to them any longer. Count me in.”

Jeongin smiled, relieved, and Seungmin offered a small smile back. The moment was quickly broken by Minho, however, who abruptly clapped his hands twice.

“Alright, enough dawdling about! Since we’re doing this, we gotta move fast – a ritual doesn’t just happen, we need to set up a couple things first. So let’s get to it! On a side note, don’t tell Healer Kim I robbed her personal stash of materials.”

“You did what!?”

.

It took them about thirty minutes to get everything ready, during which they moved aside the immobilized teachers while Jeongin kept on holding onto Felix. Minho drew a large circle around the pair, along with complicated-looking runes, while the others placed the various materials exactly where he told them to. Then, at last, they all took their positions, sitting just within the first layer of the circle and surrounding Jeongin and Felix. Placing their wands before them, they then closed their eyes while Minho began chanting the spell.

Soon enough, particles of ambient magic became visible as the circle lit up, and a silvery trail of light sprang out of Minho’s chest and went directly into Jeongin. Quickly, the exact same thing happened with the others. They all shifted uncomfortably as their respective magical cores started being literally stretched out of their bodies, but they didn’t lose their nerve, and Minho completed the incantation.

“The connection has been established,” announced Minho, his eyes closed in concentration. “It should be enough to give you the power to break through Felix’s mind barriers. We’ll hold it for as long as we can, but the rest is up to you.”

Nodding firmly, Jeongin closed his eyes and drew from the absurdly large pool of magic that had started building up inside of him. Then, as soon as he felt ready, he pressed his forehead against Felix’s and urge his consciousness forward.

Darkness immediately overcame him.

.

.

.

It was warm, comfortingly so.

Felix didn’t know for how long he’d been floating away into this vast nothingness of light and darkness, but he didn’t really care to know, either. All that mattered was that, for the first time in years, he felt… numb.

Nothing and no one will ever hurt me again.

No pain. No misery. No betrayal.

But then, the entire mindscape abruptly shifted, and, without warning, Felix’s eyes opened wide, and he found himself laying in a familiar bed, in a familiar room. A tad confused, he took a moment to take in the sight of his childhood foster home. How long had it been since he’d last stepped foot there?

The door suddenly opened, and a little boy with a round face and freckled cheeks ran in, tears running down his cheeks.

That’s… me…

“Felix!”

He should have been startled or surprised to see a grown-up Jeongin suddenly appear beside him, but he couldn’t feel much – or anything, in fact, other than sheer tiredness. He averted his eyes, looking back at his younger self, who’d just huddled up in a corner and was now weeping his little heart out.

“Even back then, I was hurt for no reason at all,” he murmured, feeling neither sadness nor pity at he stared at his younger, crying self. “Bullied for my appearance, for my gentler nature, for being different… Is my existence itself truly such a sin?”

The grown-up Jeongin sighed heavily. Felix still had no clue of why he was there, but he figured he was a part of those strange visions, nothing more than yet another fragment of his broken spirit.

“It’s true that you were hurt a lot,” admitted sadly Jeongin. “But… you were also loved a lot, weren’t you?”

As if on cue, another kid made his entrance. It didn’t take much for Felix to recognize Chan, who silently made his way toward Young Felix’s weeping form. He kneeled before him and reached out, gently patting his head.

“Hey, it’s okay. Why are you crying?”

Young Felix sniffled. “Because- because the other kids are mean… They say- they say that I look ugly and that I’ve got dirt on my face… and they keep making- making fun of me…”

“Is that so?” Young Chan offered him a blinding smile. “Well, I think you’re cute! And I like your freckles, too! Come on, you should stop crying. Here, I’ll bring you to meet my friends! You’ll see, they’re super nice.”

Young Felix wiped his eyes, hesitantly looking up. “Really…?”

“Really! They’re going to love you, you’ll see!”

Felix watched as Young Chan guided Young Felix out of the room. He remembered how hopeful he’d felt back then… but now, it all felt meaningless. But then, the scene changed, and they were suddenly outside, instead. Young Felix was still there, practically hiding behind a tree while he watched another child play with a cat.

“Why are you showing me this?”

“I’m not,” replied Jeongin with a shrug. “These are your memories.”

“Hey, you can come out of there! I see you!” called out Young Minho.

Young Felix flinched at the authoritative voice. “So- sorry…”

Young Minho stared at him for a moment. “… do you wanna play with the kitty too?”

Young Felix visibly brightened at the offer, and without further hesitation, he quickly ran up to them. However, his abrupt movement scared the cat, which ran right off. Young Felix’s eyes immediately filled with tears and regrets.

“I- I’m sorry!”

“Wait, don’t cry! It- it’s okay, you just gotta be a little gentler, it’s all! Ugh, Channie’s going to kill me if he thinks I’ve made you cry… Come on, just calm down, I’ll help you pet him, alright? I’ll show you how.”

“You’re- you’re not mad at me…?”

“Why would I be made? It was just a mistake – everyone makes them. Now come on, he hasn’t gone far.”

Felix watched as Young Minho took Young Felix’s hand before the two ran off a little further in the forest. He remembered how relieved he’d felt back then… but now, it all felt insignificant, and even hypocrite.

The scene changed again. This time, they were in another familiar bedroom – though not Felix’s – and it was the middle of the night. The door cracked open, letting in a sliver of light, obstructed by a small shadow that quickly slipped inside. Young Felix quietly made his way to the nearest bed.

“There’s no point to any of this,” murmured Felix.

“Isn’t there? You’re recalling them for a reason,” argued Jeongin.

“Bi- Binnie…?”

“Felix… What are you doing up…?”

“I- I had a bad dream… There was- there was a monster chasing me and- and I couldn’t run fast enough and—”

“Shh, shh, it’s okay. Come on, climb in.”

Young Felix quickly climbed into the bed and Young Changbin was quick to pull the covers over them before hugging the younger tightly.

“You don’t need to be scared, Lixie. I’ll always be there to protect you.”

“Always?”

“Always. You can trust me!”

Young Felix smiled brightly. “Hm! I trust Binnie the most!”

Felix watched as Young Felix and Young Changbin cuddled together, the older swearing to keep the nightmares and monsters at bay. He remembered how safe he’d felt back then… but now, it all felt irrelevant.

A blink, and the room was gone, replaced by a field of flowers. Numerous children were playing and running around, but Young Felix was tucked in the shade of an old tree, too shy to join the ongoing games. But then, Young Hyunjin ran right up to him, beaming and a little breathless.

“I want to stop,” sighed Felix.

“If you truly wanted that, it would have stopped already. But you know that, deep down, the you that you’ve buried doesn’t feel the same way,” retorted Jeongin.

“Lixie, Lixie! Look at what I found!” Young Hyunjin held out a large sunflower. “Isn’t it pretty?”

“It is!”

“I picked it out for you! Because it reminds me of you!” beamed Young Hyunjin.

“What? Why?”

“Because you’re pretty too! And your smile makes me feel warm and it reminds me of the sun, and this is called a sunflower, so it fits!”

“You… really think I’m pretty?”

“Hm! The prettiest!”

Felix watched as Young Felix’s cheeks reddened, his lips stretching into a wild smile as Young Hyunjin tried his best to place the sunflower in his hair and make it stay in place. He remembered how warm he’d felt inside, back then… but now, it all felt so trivial.

He averted his eyes, only to find another memory. This time in the living room, near a crackling fireplace, where Young Felix was seated right against a Young Seungmin, who was busy reading a book. There were too many words and too little pictures, so Young Felix couldn’t really read it, but he seemed content enough to snuggle up with his friend.

“So? Are these memories meant to remind me of what I’ve lost?” drawled Felix. “To remind me of how much you’ve all hurt me in the end?”

Jeongin’s expression saddened even more. “I think… I’m hoping, really, that it’s meant to do the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“To remind you of what you’d be giving up.”

Young Seungmin sighed, glancing at Young Felix. “Aren’t you bored? Why don’t you go play in the snow with the others instead of staying in here?”

Young Felix pouted a bit. “But I like spending time with Seungminnie! It’s not boring at all!”

“But we don’t do anything.”

“So? I like Seungminnie so I like spending time together, even if you read all of the time. I’m not as smart but one day, I’ll be able to read grown-up books like you and then we’ll read together!”

Young Seungmin was a bit startled, before smiling softly. “That’s a good idea. But how about I read to you this one?”

“Really?”

Felix watched as Young Seungmin closed the book and reopened it right at the beginning, uncaring of the page where he’d left of, and began reading the story outloud. He remembered how peaceful he’d felt, back then… but it all felt stagnant now, leaving a stale taste in his mouth.

Once more, the scene changed. They were back in Young Felix’s room, with Young Felix sitting on his bed as one of their caretaker stood near the door, introducing him to his new roommate, Young Jeongin.

“Giving up? That’s a harsh way to put it. Aren’t you the ones who’ve given up on me?”

“We’ve never given up on you, Felix.”

“Hi, I’m Felix! What’s your name?” asked Young Felix as soon as the caretaker left.

“Jeongin…”

“Well, nice to meet you! Let’s be friends!”

“O- okay!”

Felix watched as Young Felix went and started helping Young Jeongin unpack, striking conversation and helping him break through his shyness – how much he’d grown since coming to the home himself, right? Felix remembered just how joyful he’d felt, back then… but now, it all felt absurd.

A fade to black and, suddenly, they were in the kitchen. The room was dark saved for the light from the candles on top of the two cakes on the table, sat before Young Felix and Young Jisung respectively, with the rest of their friends happily singing for them and wishing them “happy birthdays”.

“I’m tired, Jeongin.”

“I know, Lix.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind sharing your birthday with me, Sungie?”

“Of course not, silly!” beamed Young Jisung. “I love it! It means we were meant to find each other, right? We’re basically soulmates!”

“You really think that?”

“I do! Here, I’ll pinkie swear on it,” replied Young Jisung, extending his pinkie, with which Young Felix promptly linked his. “I swear that I’ll always stay with you and that I’ll always be your friend, no matter what! And that nothing will ever come between us!”

“Then I- I swear it too!”

Jisung simply grinned. “Then we’re stuck together now!”

Felix watched as Young Felix gleefully laughed, while Young Jisung and all the others hugged him tightly. He remembered how happy he’d felt, back then… but it all felt worthless, now.

And then, the memory faded to darkness, and only Felix and Jeongin were left.

“… why are you still here?”

“Felix.” Jeongin reached out, gently grabbing his hand. “I’m not a memory. I really am here, in your mindscape.”

“How?”

“A ritual. It was… the only way to reach you.”

“Reach me?”

“You’re undergoing your Call right now.”

At once, brief visions sparked awake, and Felix grew a little dizzy as the memories of the outside world abruptly returned to him all at once. However, he was quick to get over it – the pain that had triggered the Call was still blocked, and he couldn’t even bring himself to feel bothered by the betrayal of their teachers.

He turned away from Jeongin. “You need to leave.”

“No.”

“Jeongin, this is my choice—”

“It isn’t! Not- not like this, it’s not,” insisted Jeongin. “Felix, I am begging you, just listen to me. Everything that you’ve seen wasn’t real – the Hunters set us all up. They used Polyjuice to turn into Changbin and Hyunjin, they trapped Chan and Minho and Silver, they used the Imperius on Jisung and—”

“And you? What’s your excuse?” cut flatly Felix.

“I…” Jeongin lowered his eyes, ashamed. “I admit it, I lied to you. I went behind your back to meet with Seungmin. But it wasn’t- it wasn’t what you think! I wanted to meet with him so we could talk things out, I wanted to- to give him closure of sorts… but the Hunters somehow tampered with the cookies I brought, they put a really potent love potion and I didn’t notice and I’m so sorry—”

“Jeongin, enough.”

“Felix—”

“I’m tired, Jeongin.” Felix looked down at his hand, which Jeongin was still holding onto tightly. “Even… even if everything you’ve just said is true… I just don’t think I can take it anymore. The betrayals of the past haunt me, my present is plagued with constant anger and hate, and I dread the future and all the uncertainties it comes with. I’m so, so tired of hurting… I just want it all to stop, now.”

Jeongin inhaled deeply, obviously fighting back his tears, but still stubbornly holding onto Felix’s hand. “… I understand, Lix. I really do. But you need to understand that you’re not just giving up your pain, Lix. Going to the Feywild might take away the hurt… but it’ll also take everything else.”

“And what else is there?”

“There’s love, Felix. You’d be giving up all of your love, all of your compassion and kindness and warmth, all of your emotions, all of your bonds. I know you weren’t always dealt the best cards when it came to feelings, but can you honestly say you’ve never been happy at all? Didn’t I make you happy…?”

“Oh, Jeongin. You made me the happiest—"

“Then, do you think me incapable of keeping you happy? Are you really willing to give up a shot at more happiness, more love, all for the sake of a past that’s already long gone?” insisted Jeongin. “Felix, you can’t change what’s happened – none of us can. But you can- you can make the future better. We can.”

Without warning, Jeongin suddenly let go of Felix’s hand, straightening up a bit. Felix stared down at his hand, from which Jeongin’s warmth was now quickly receding.

“I love you, Felix,” then stated Jeongin, offering him a sad smile. “And if- if leaving is what you truly want, then I… I won’t hold you back anymore.”

“You’re letting me go.”

“I’m not letting you go. Even if you leave now, I’ll always bear your soul mark, because I know I’ll never be able to stop loving you. But I want you to be happy, Lix – and if you need to leave me behind in order to achieve that, then so be it. Just know that I only want what’s best for you, okay? We all do.”

At once, vague shapes formed around them. Felix’s eyes widened the slightest bit as he took in the sight of all six of his old friends, sitting around them with their eyes closed and sweat dripping on their foreheads, obviously concentrating deeply. He watched as their magic cores stretched thin to feed into Jeongin’s, thus allowing his presence in his mindscape.

But then, the magical connection abruptly snapped and, with one last smile, Jeongin vanished, along with all the others.

Felix was left alone in the darkness once more.

.

.

.

Jeongin gasped sharply as he opened his eyes, back in the real world. He barely even noticed as, around him, the others collapsed one after the other, exhausted – all he could focus on was Felix, who still hadn’t woken up. He couldn’t hold back his tears as he shakily pressed his lips against Felix’s forehead.

Please, be happy…

He released his hold on Felix’s body.

Felix’s arms wrapped tightly around him, instead.

“… Lix?”

“Sorry, Innie. I made you worry.”

A sob broke through as Jeongin hugged him back, intensely relieved. He lifted his head and pulled Felix into a kiss, which his boyfriend was quick to return. When they finally pulled apart, Jeongin found himself tearing up once more as he stared into Felix’s eyes, which had returned to their natural, non-glowing state.

Felix smiled, a tad weakly. “Thank you, for bringing me back. I love you.”

“I love you more.”

“Right, uh, not to break the moment or anything, but…” The pair looked up, abruptly reminded that they weren’t alone, and saw Jisung pointing toward the tree behind them. “If Felix decided to stay, why isn’t the portal closing?”

Felix’s expression suddenly grew harder than steel. “Because I have one last thing to do."

He rose to his feet and stepped out of the circle, making his way toward where all of the immobilized Hunters had been gathered. He extended his arms, his wings glowing eerily as the ground began to tremble and crack. The immobilizing spell suddenly wore off but, before any of the Hunters could make the most of it, vines and roots suddenly sprouted out, wrapping around their limbs, and quickly trapping them.

“What- what are you doing?” asked hesitantly Changbin.

“Well. They were so eager to get their hands on the Feywild’s magic – it’d be cruel to deprive them of this unique opportunity."

Without hesitation, Felix threw his arm to the side and, following his command, the vines began dragging the struggling bodies toward the portal. Jeongin and the others could only watch, mildly horrified, as all five Hunters were mercilessly throw through the portal and, the moment the last one went through, a flash of light blinded them – when they opened their eyes again, the portal was gone.

“… well, not like we could have brought them back, anyway,” blinked Hyunjin.

“Isn’t that, I don’t know, murder or something?” wondered Changbin.

“Well, it’s not like we have bodies to show for it – we’ll just say they tried to go through and couldn’t make it back,” shrugged Minho, not entirely bothered by this outcome.

Chan noticed Seungmin’s frown. “What is it?”

“It’s just… Wasn’t there six of them?”

Three spells shot forward, effectively knocking down Chan, Changbin, and Minho. Jisung pulled Seungmin out of the way in time to avoid a fourth, but the two were hit by another spell and ropes appeared, tying them together. Felix tried to move forward, only to find himself frozen in place.

“You know, this was not how I expected things to go – but I suppose I shouldn’t have underestimated your stubbornness,” hissed Professor Lee, wand raised towards them as he stood behind Felix. He then shot a glare at Hyunjin. “And you know what? That fucking hurt.”

With a move of his hand, he sent a rock flying straight at Hyunjin’s head, the blow strong enough to knock him out. His friends cried out as he collapsed, blood already trickling down his face. Jeongin cursed under his breath, belatedly remembering they’d all laid down their wands earlier for the ritual.

“We were right, weren’t we?” he called out, hoping to win some time while he tried to figure out a solution. “You and your friends were using Felix as a catalyst to gain immortality through the magic of the Feywild!”

“Yes, yes, how clever of you all to figure it out,” drawled the Hunter, rolling his eyes a bit. “There’s one of us in every single magic school in the world, in wait of potential Fae-borns like Felix. Of course, there’s no way to know for certain of their origins until their maturation, so I gave him a little nudge in the right direction.”

“The Braskorn seeds,” realized Jeongin, a tad breathless. “That’s why you gave them to him, isn’t it? Because they were the main ingredient for the potion he needed to figure out what was wrong with his magic.”

“Of course, I wasn’t counting on one of your friends to outright steal them,” he huffed, visibly displeased. “But I was fairly certain – I’ve always had good instincts, you know – so I figured ‘no matter, we can just wait it out’. But then, all of you thoroughly messed things up and Felix ended up leaving.”

“You’re the one who dug up that old rule about students needing to study in their homelands for three years,” realized Seungmin, still struggling to free himself and Jisung from the ropes. “You forced Felix to come back.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right. Though, that damned Khan almost ruined everything when she casted that dormant curse – you know, you should thank me: I actually tried to free you from it, Seungmin.” With a smirk, he leaned over Felix’s shoulder. “Couldn’t have you killing my precious Lixie.”

“Get away from him!” exclaimed Jeongin, clenching his fists.

I need to get his wand. If I can break it, all of his spells will be nullified, and Felix will be freed. But how can I take it from him?

“You seem to have the wrong idea about me,” mused Professor Lee. “I don’t want to hurt Felix – never have, truly. He’s just such a gem, isn’t he? So unnaturally beautiful, like all of his kind… But here’s what’s going to happen, now: I’m going to kill all of you. And then, Felix and I will leave. I may have failed to gain immortality like I first planned, but I won’t complain about the consolation prize.”

Jeongin felt like he could throw up as the man they once trusted kissed Felix’s cheek – he truly was sick in the head. The moment he pulled away, however, none other than Silver pounced from the shadows, sinking his claws into the Hunter’s face. He cried out, immediately dropping his wand as he tried to pry off the demon cat, and Jeongin immediately seized his opportunity. Rushing forward, he managed to get his hands on the wand, and without hesitation, he snapped it in two. At once, all of the spells previously casted were nullified, and Felix stumbled forward, no longer paralyzed. Rage almost immediately overtook his features, however, and he spun around to face the Hunter.

“I’m done playing your sick games, Professor Lee,” he hissed. “Since you wish so desperately for immortality, I’ll grant it to you!”

He kneeled and slammed his palms on the ground, which immediately cracked open as thick roots began crawling out of it, immediately trapping the man’s legs. Silver jumped away, revealing his scratched and bloodied face contorting in pain as the roots began wrapping tightly around all of his limbs – too tightly. Sickening cracks echoed along with his screams as his bones broke under the pressure, his body twisting as his skin turned into bark. Jeongin couldn’t stand to look any longer and averted his eyes, slapping a hand over his mouth. After a few more seconds, though, the awful noises were abruptly cut off, and an eerie silence now reigned in the forest.

When Jeongin dared to look again, it was only to find a gigantic tree now standing where Professor Lee once did – and, through the knotted roots and the thick bark, he could faintly make out the man’s face, forever casted in an immortal prison of wood.

“… I think I’m gonna throw up,” admitted faintly Jisung.

“Ugh, what just happened?” groaned Hyunjin, slowly sitting up.

While the others slowly gathered their bearings, Jeongin hesitantly walked up to Felix. His boyfriend was staring at the ground, tears running down his cheeks.

“Felix—”

“Don’t look at me. Please.”

Shaking his head, Jeongin pulled him into a hug. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

“I couldn’t control it—I was so angry, I just wanted him to stop—”

“You are not a monster, Felix,” cut Jeongin, already knowing what he was going to say. “You didn’t do out for the sake of amusement or cruelty – you did it because you knew, deep down, that this man would never stop hurting you so long as he was still alive. And also… even after reaching maturation, you wouldn’t naturally possess such powerful magic. I think the Feywild’s influence just hindered your emotions a bit.”

Felix stared down at his hands for a few seconds, belatedly realizing that they were still shining with leftover magic. He hadn’t even realized how unnaturally powerful he’d been feeling this whole time but, now that Jeongin was pointing it out, he could feel it slowly dissipating.

However, there was one last thing that needed to be done before he could allow it to disappear completely.

Walking back over to the rest of the group, Felix didn’t say a word as he slowly went to face Chan. He reached out, touching his forehead, and sharing a bit of the leftover wild magic. He could feel Chan’s magical core struggling to maintain itself after the ritual but, thankfully, this allowed Felix to stabilize it. He quickly made the round, no one saying anything other than a brief but sincere “thank you” when they realized what he was doing. And, when Felix finished with Seungmin, the last of the wild magic finally dissipated. With a heavy sigh, he let himself fall on the ground, trying to find the right words to say after… after everything.

They’d come after him, despite the dangers. They’d saved him, despite how much he’d tried pushing them away. And they’d risked everything to bring him back, even though they knew Felix hated them, still. Or did he?

“… I always felt like it was unfair. You got to grow and change and move on from the pain you’ve caused while I was forced to carry the burden of your past cruelty. I was hurt before and I kept on hurting every single day, weighed down by this irrepressible anger every passing minute, while you got to walk with your heads held high thinking ‘oh, we’re not the same anymore, we’ve learned from our mistakes, we’re good guys now’ – and I only hated you more for it.

         Do you- do you even realize how tiring it is, to be so angry for so long? How sick I feel with myself, wishing ill on people I used to care so deeply about? How disgusting I feel, knowing it’s wrong yet still unable to contain those thoughts because damn it, why am I the only one forced to endure over and over again? Why can’t someone else be hurting, just this once? I hate thinking that way, I hate the fact that I’ve lost a part of myself to this consuming pain, I hate that because of how much you took from me, there’ll always be a void I won’t ever be able to completely fill again!

         Do you even know… how exhausting it is, to carry all of that hate for so long, and then realizing that I can’t keep on hating people who are no longer who they used to be? Who are no longer those I’ve grown to hate in the first place? And I- I hate it so much and I’m so- so fucking tired and now I don’t know what to do with all of this anger anymore!

         Why do I have to be the one to let go? You’re the ones who did me wrong! You’re the ones who hurt me so badly! And yet I’m expected to- to just move on with my life like you did with yours because time followed its course and so should we, is that it? You can spout your apologies left and right, shove your so-called atonement in my face all you want, but it won’t ever change the fact that I’m the one who’s still suffering and it’s not – it’s not fair!

         It’s not fair!!!”

The silence only thickened as Felix practically shouted the last few words, tears trickling down his cheeks once more. Jeongin came to sit beside him, squeezing his shoulder tightly, and Felix let out a shuddering breath.

All of the anger, all of the hate…

They suddenly didn’t feel as heavy anymore. Not as suffocating as they used to be.

“… but there’s no point in any of this anymore,” he breathed out. “I made my decision – I decided to stay. And that means… that means I can’t just keep on running anymore. I’m not- I’m not saying I forgive any of you just yet, but… I want to give it a shot. Give us a shot. If you… if you still want the same, at least.”

Chan offered him a smile at that. “I think that sounds perfect.”

“Let’s do this!” agreed eagerly Jisung.

“I’d like that,” sighed Minho, relieved.

“I’m still paying you back for the seeds,” warned Changbin.

“I think I have a concussion,” admitted Hyunjin. “But if I heard everything right, then that’s awesome.”

“… I’m not saying no,” concluded Seungmin with a sigh. “But I’m definitely going to need a therapist.”

Everyone let out startled laugh upon hearing that, and even Felix cracked a smile.

Maybe… maybe things would be alright, after all.

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Ten years later

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“Honey, we have to go if we don’t want to be late!”

“Just a sec, I’m trying to get Snuffles back in his enclosure!”

The baby northern dragon was the newest addition to their household and, though he was an absolute sweetheart, he could also be quite stubborn – and right now, he did not want to go into his enclosure. Felix sighed as the little beast escaped him once more, using his fragile wings to hop out of reach. They couldn’t afford to be late.

“Snuffles, if you go inside, I’ll bring you your favorite snacks when I come back, okay?” bartered Felix, a tad pleadingly. “Salted sardines dumped in dark chocolate!”

The dragon froze at the mention of his favorite snack and turned to look at him. After a few seconds, he finally relented and, with a disappointed grumble, he made his way into his enclosure. Felix closed the door behind him, relieved. As much as he would love to let Snuffles roam free, he also knew many ill-intentioned people would hurt him or take him if given the opportunity, so the little dragon was safer within his enclosure protected by numerous magical wards.

Finally done, Felix rushed back inside, using a spell to clean himself up on the way. As soon as he entered the cottage, he found Jeongin waiting for him by the fireplace, obviously amused.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” asked worriedly Felix.

“No, it’s just—come here, love.”

Felix approached, and Jeongin started straightening his hair a bit. Now that he thought about it, it probably looked like a wild mess – Snuffles always enjoyed messing with the long, blond strands for some reason. Once satisfied, Jeongin pulled away with a smile and extended his arm.

“Shall we?”

“We shall,” chuckled Felix, linking their arms together.

Jeongin threw some colorful powder in the fire, which instantly turned purple. Then, as one, the pair stepped right in and were immediately whisked away in a whirlwind of heat and colors. When their feet finally regained firm ground, they found themselves standing in a familiar, spacious living room – which was decorated rather heavily in white.

“Ah, you’re finally here!” Jisung suddenly rushed up to them, looking quite handsome in his deep purple suit. “Thank Merlin, I really thought you were going to be late…”

“We almost were, thanks to someone,” teased Jeongin.

Felix rolled his eyes. “Next time, you’re in charge of herding the wild dragon.”

“Nan, I couldn’t possibly rival my wonderful husband’s skills.”

Felix gently swatted his arm before following after Jisung, who was a real bundle of nerves – and for good reason, too. He’d been appointed as the best man for the wedding, so he’d been running himself ragged to make everything perfect – almost as if he was the one getting married, really. They soon found their way outside, in the gardens, where the wedding would take place. Almost all guests were already seated, and even Chan was already at the altar. They all exchanged smiles before Jeongin went to stand a little behind him, with Changbin and Seungmin, while Felix went to stand on the other side, where  Hyunjin was.

“Minho would have killed you if you showed up late to his wedding,” whispered the healer.

“Thankfully we’re not late,” replied Felix.

Just as the words left his mouth, the music started, and he heaved out a little breath – they’d really been just in time. Mere seconds later, Minho made his entrance, dressed neatly in a purple suit a few shades darker than Jisung’s. Felix could only smile as he noticed Chan’s teary-eyed, awed expression.

It had taken three years of dating for Chan to ask for Minho’s hand. Their relationship hadn’t really surprised anyone, since they’d always been close – if anything, most were surprised it’d taken them longer than Changbin and Hyunjin to “figure their shit out” as Seungmin once gently put it.

A lot had happened in the last ten years – yet at the same time, most things stayed the same. For one, Felix started meeting with a professional to work through his various issues – Seungmin, too. All eight of them also started meeting once a week for lunch, to try and slowly rekindle a semblance of relationship. It wasn’t an easy, smooth road the whole time, but they’d been determined to make it happen, and they’d put in the efforts to make it work.

Felix was finally able to call them “friends” again. Their relationship would never be what they were once, but he couldn’t say he was unhappy with what they had now.

As planned, Chan became a full-time fixture in Hogwarts, what with becoming its first specialized psychologist. He oversaw Protego with the help of Sana and did his best to help all of the students. Minho became the youngest professional Cursebreaker in history, passing all of the specialized tests with flying colors and quickly making a name for himself in the field. As for Changbin, well, he also decided to stay in Hogwarts, first as an apprentice to Professor Hyuna, and later on as the new Potions teacher.

Hyunjin pursued his apprenticeship under Healer Kim while taking a part-time job at St. Mongoose, and he became a talented and passionate healer. His talents were now highly sought after, and he was often called to other magical communities to give lectures or participate in more advanced medical procedures. As for Jisung, well, he became a professional Spellmaker – some of his spells had already joined Hogwarts’ curriculum.

Seungmin moved away after finishing his studies in Hogwarts. He was now the Charms teacher in the magical school in Salem, and he was also in a serious relationship with a young woman he’d met there, the Herbology teacher if Felix recalled correctly. Still, he always made a point of dropping by once a week to visit everyone.

Finally, Jeongin became an Auror like he’d always planned, and Felix became a Magizoologist like he’d always dreamt of. They moved in together after graduating from Hogwarts in a lovely cottage with a spacious land, where Felix set up a refuge for wild magical animals, while Jeongin quickly rose through the ranks and was now in charge of his own team.

Things… things were good. More than good, really.

“—and now, you may seal your union!”

Felix snapped out of his daze, a bit startled, as everyone started cheering for the newlyweds, who began kissing in front of the whole crowd. He clapped along, smiling, and Jeongin eventually returned to his side.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly. “You looked lost in thoughts…”

“I was just thinking… that I’m happy,” he finally said, smiling at his husband. “I love you.”

Jeongin smiled back before kissing his forehead. “I love you too, Lix.”

Yes. He really was happy, now.