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Sanghyuk wakes up on the last Monday of October, a little befuddled in his senses. He swears he can smell pumpkin cookies and the delicious brewing of cinnamon tea in the bedroom, and he already has his mouth half open to ask what is going on when his brain catches up with the one thing he’s been completely forgetting for the past couple of weeks.
“Halloween is on Saturday!” Sungjae exclaims from the bed next to his, the green covers of his sheets already pushed back against the foot of his bed, the smile on his face far too wide for the time of the hour. Sanghyuk gives a little groan as he sits up, head still a bit fuzzy with sleep as he tries to feel his hand around his trunk for some pants.
“I forgot,” Sanghyuk mumbles as he tries to coordinate dressing himself as well as giving the room around them a quick look. There are a couple of small, carved pumpkins arranged around the fireplace, but otherwise nothing seems out of the ordinary.
“Clearly,” Sungjae chuckles as he puts on his robes. Sanghyuk still feels a little dazed, but sleep is slowly fading, rendering his senses back into his control. “I hope you didn’t forget about bringing a date for the party, too.”
The words makes Sanghyuk stop in his tracks, eyes wide and mouth slightly open in shock. “We’re supposed to bring a date?!” he exclaims, face turning slightly pale as the realisation sinks in. Sungjae passes him to the stairs leading up to the common room with a, in Sanghyuk’s opinion, bloody giant grin on his face.
“Oops,” he snickers as he runs past him, and Sanghyuk looks at Sungjae’s retreating back with thoughts of what to possibly jinx him first with.
*****
“I can’t believe I completely forgot about Halloween,” Sanghyuk still whines as they sit in the Great Hall, his cereals in the bowl in front of him barely touched. Suddenly life as a fifth year feels even harder than it was when he was only focused on homework. “How am I even supposed to find a date in less than a week?”
“Five days, to be exact,” Sungjae comments while shoving one sausage after the other down his throat. Sanghyuk looks at him with mild disgust, a droplet of the sauce running down the side of Sungjae’s mouth.
“Don’t talk while you’re eating, you pig,” he replies, but Sungjae’s off-putting table manners can’t distract him for long. His eyes wander down the Slytherin table, but nothing seems to be helping the dilemma at hand. Suddenly, a thought comes to Sanghyuk’s mind.
“Who are you going with?” he asks Sungjae, eyebrows raised in curiosity. The question seems to hit its mark, because the moment Sanghyuk finishes it the food seems to get stuck in Sungjae’s throat. Sanghyuk has to pat his back none so gently a couple of times before the tears disappear from the corner of Sungjae’s eyes.
“Why the hell are you asking?” Sungjae retorts, cheeks slightly pink, and Sanghyuk is sure that it isn’t from the previous lack of air.
“You don’t seem to be worried at all,” Sanghyuk replies nonchalantly. Sungjae opens his mouth as if to talk, but then closes it again, eyes wandering up and down the table.
“Well, I…” he starts, lowering his voice as if to make sure nobody would hear. Sanghyuk leans in a little, finding it rather amusing that his best friend seems so affected. “S—she’s a fourth year. In, uh, in— she’s a Gryffindor.”
Sanghyuk raises his eyebrows a little, but otherwise simply grins. He never understood the big rivalry going on between Slytherins and Gryffindors, or why dating someone from another house was somewhat ‘exotic’ — it seemed to him like completely segregated bullshit. He was never shy to state his opinion, either, which earned him a couple of nasty looks from his fellow Slytherins and a couple less friends in his house than he might have hoped for, which could also have found its reason in him being one of the very very few muggle borns ever to be sorted into Slytherin. But whichever the reason, it had just made his point more valid. Sungjae, on the other hand, even though being a half blood, had been raised in a line of straight Slytherins on his mother’s side; something which made Sanghyuk wonder how she ended up marrying a Muggle in the first place. In the end, he wasn’t one to judge, so his curiosity about Sungjae’s family life diminished rather fast.
“Did you ask her out?” Sanghyuk asks, and he notices Sungjae’s cheeks turn even darker. “Man, that must have been tough. I can’t even imagine asking anyone out…”
“Not even that Hufflepuff prefect you’ve been eyeing constantly ever since the year started?” Sungjae proposes, the blush from his cheeks now vanished into a smug smile. Sanghyuk almost chokes on his orange juice.
“What are you—“
“Oh, come on. You’re not really subtle, you know.” Sungjae says with a laugh, and this time around Sanghyuk can feel his cheeks burn aflame.
“I—“ Sanghyuk starts, but he’s interrupted by the sudden disappearance of the food, and the suddenly clean dishes in front of them. He takes a sigh that’s sounds much more relieved than it should be. “Breakfast is over, we’ll be late to transfiguration. Let’s go!”
Sungjae almost protests, but Sanghyuk is already up and three feet ahead, his heavy bag dangling from his long arms, trying hard to push the blush away from his cheeks.
*****
The subject of Sanghyuk finding a date is successfully pushed up to the next day by the sudden increase in the work load the teachers put on them. At lunch, Sanghyuk isn’t eating, head completely buried in his potions’ book, lulling over the instructions to a specifically complex amnesia draught he failed in the morning. Despite the general beliefs, not all Slytherins have a knack for the subject.
“I can’t believe we have to write a five foot essay on why we should add the Flobberworms at the end and not at the beginning of the instructions until Friday,” Sanghyuk exclaims as he goes over the instructions once more, trying to find a reason that, to his eye, is completely superfluous. “I feel like we’re first years again, only with more expectations.”
Sungjae keeps quiet, seemingly distracted by something. It doesn’t bother Sanghyuk enough to catch his attention, not when he wonders how he should deal with potions homework, transfiguration homework, and most likely the rest of the homework that will be loaded unto them in the next days. He hoped that at least the teachers would make the whole Halloween ordeal easier for them, but instead they seemed set on making it even harder than it already was.
“Huh?” Sungjae says, bringing his attention back to Sanghyuk next to him. His cheeks seem slightly pink, and Sanghyuk narrows his eyes.
“No, of course, for you it’s no problem, you already have a date. Excuse me while I go wither in my misery.” Sanghyuk growls, packing his potions book into his bag that feels heavy enough to bend him in half. “I’ll see you in History of Magic.” he grumbles and mopes out of the Great Hall, shoulders hanging from more than the heavy weight of his books.
He doesn’t really know where he’s going, passing the corridors without paying any attention to his surroundings. The castle is especially pretty in preparation of the holiday. The floating arrays of differently sized pumpkins, some carved, some simply glowing, are adorning the corridors, and the candles floating next to them are a coloured match of black and white. At the beginning of the week, Sanghyuk was sure that he could count more spider webs than he usually does, and even the ghosts are fully emerged in their favourite holiday. The smell of all kinds of pumpkin based foods and ginger cookies is filling every corner of the castle, and Sanghyuk is sure you can even smell it in the astrology tower. But now he doesn’t pay attention to anything until he finds himself alone in the corridor leading to History of Magic, quite ahead of time.
Sanghyuk sinks down against the wall, his wand playing between his fingers. A deep sigh escapes his lips.
“I’ll never get this to work,” he mumbles to himself, and the thought is much less about his homework, instead lingering on the thought of finding a date. It’s not so much that he doesn’t know who to ask — he does. But that in itself is the problem that keeps him from trying his luck.
Without realising, Sanghyuk’s lips speak a spell, and he can immediately feel the cool scales of the little snake slipping through his fingers. It’s a habit, really, one that he’s had ever since they’ve learned to transfigure an object into an animal. Snakes seem to have a pull on Sanghyuk, and sometimes he wonders if it’s his fascination with them that made him be sorted into Slytherin in the first place. He doesn’t have any of the other highly regarded qualities, other than maybe being a little cunning at times.
“Oh, that’s pretty.”
The words pull Sanghyuk from his reverie, and a second later the snake disappears into a little veil of black smoke. He looks up immediately, and upon meeting eyes with the boy standing in front of him, he scrambles up to his feet.
“Oh, I, uh—“ Sanghyuk starts, unsure what to say or where to look; he feels like anywhere but at the Hufflepuff in front of him might be a prudent decision. So he fixes his eyes on a spot to his right, trying to seem casual. “It’s… nothing really.”
The prefect tips his head to the side, eyeing Sanghyuk with interest. “No, it was a pretty sweet piece of magic. You’re a fifth year, right?” he asks, and Sanghyuk nods shortly. He doesn’t miss the grin stretching on the Hufflepuff’s lips, and he tries hard not to let it affect him.
“I’m Lee Jaehwan. I’m in my sixth year,” he introduces himself, and Sanghyuk really needs to bite back the tempting ‘I know’ rushing from his lips.
“I’m Han Sanghyuk.” He makes it a point to seem a little aloof, though his cool exterior seems to crack a little with the slight pink blush dusting his cheeks. His insides feel like they’re on fire, and he pushes his hands further into the pockets of his robes to hide the giddy clenching and re-clenching of his fists.
“Nice to meet you, Sanghyuk,” Jaehwan says with another flash of a smile, and Sanghyuk feels like he was just hit with a floating spell.
“Uh— you too,” he tries, and feels his heart sink at how miserably shy he sounds. But Jaehwan doesn’t seem to notice, instead gesticulating to the carved pumpkins at the end of the hallway.
“They’re pretty, aren’t they? The house elves really did a splendid job.” he muses, his eyes lighting up at the subject. Sanghyuk clears his throat slightly, feeling the pace of his heartbeat pick up a few notches at the excitement in Jaehwan’s voice.
“Yeah, they are. Though the pumpkin-ginger-cookies in the common rooms are probably my favourite part of this holiday,” Sanghyuk starts, chuckling a little. When he realises the banality of their conversation, he flushes a little more. “I mean, they’re really good.”
Jaehwan nods, eyes lighting up further at the mention of the cookies. “I know! And they’re never running out, which makes it even better. I wonder how much they keep down in the kitchens…”
“Aren’t the Hufflepuff dorms close by the kitchens? You’ve never been there?” Sanghyuk asks curiously. The kitchens are Sanghyuk’s second favourite spot in the castle, right after his bed. Especially on the weekends, Sanghyuk sneaks down to the house elves, watching them work. Something about seeing them busy and working calms him down, and he often just goes down into the kitchens to think, especially when homework brings up a problem he doesn’t know the answer to. Sometimes he does little magic tricks to humour the elves, and the food the house elves let disappear into his hands is a happy little addition to his visits, though a lot of times he’s much too full to eat all of it.
“Well, no— you’re not supposed to go.” Jaehwan says defiantly, eyeing Sanghyuk with a little more wariness. “It’d keep the house elves from their chores.”
Sanghyuk almost snorts, and rolls his eyes. “It doesn’t, believe me. They’re always bustling around, and unless you draw attention to yourself, you will be ignored, trust me.”
Jaehwan’s eyes almost bulge out of his head at Sanghyuk’s words, and Sanghyuk can feel the atmosphere around them getting a little uneasy. “And you’re telling this to a prefect? You know I could send you to detention for that information.” There’s an edge to Jaehwan’s voice, but Sanghyuk is pleased to notice the lack of firmness in his tone. He can’t help but grin.
“Oh, please do. Maybe then I don’t have to attend the Halloween party without a date.” he chuckles, extending his arms to Jaehwan as if waiting to be cuffed. Sanghyuk notices the slight pink streak on Jaehwan’s cheeks at his words, and suddenly he’s reminded who he’s actually talking to. Hufflepuff prefect Lee Jaehwan, who Sanghyuk has been harbouring the biggest crush for for the past nine months.
“Oh, are you going?” Jaehwan says, voice a little bit softer then, making Sanghyuk’s stomach flip. Sanghyuk shrugs.
“Depends, I guess.” He replies, a little nervous. “Maybe, if I can find a date.”
Jaehwan looks at him for a moment, and Sanghyuk wonders what’s going through his head. He can feel his heart beat faster, and for a moment he half hopes that Jaehwan might just ask him out.
“Ah, yeah me too.” Jaehwan says after a while, and Sanghyuk notices his fingers playing with the hem of his robes. “Maybe, if—“
“Hey, Sanghyuk! The class is starting!” Sanghyuk hears Sungjae call from behind him, and it’s only then that he notices the flock of fifth years behind him pressing through the doors and into the classroom. He completely zoned out everything but Jaehwan.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Sanghyuk says to Jaehwan, looking apologetic. “I have to go.” But he doesn’t turn around just yet, unsure what to do.
“No, of course. I’m sorry I distracted you,” Jaehwan says, a little deflated but his cheeks still slightly pink. Sanghyuk feels a surge of heat in his chest at the sight.
“No, it’s okay. Anytime, really. I’ll, uh— I’ll see you around?” he says before he moves towards the classroom, Sungjae eyeing him suspiciously. Jaehwan nods, giving him a smile as he heads away, and Sanghyuk feels like he’s just been hit by a truck.
He rejoins Sungjae as they file into the classroom; the back row seats are long since taken, so they have to sit in the first row to the right of Professor Binns’ desk.
“You better tell me everything once this is over, Han Sanghyuk,” Sungjae growls under his breath. Sanghyuk nods absentmindedly, instead replaying his conversation with Jaehwan again in his head.
Needless to say, he doesn’t retain one word of what they’re supposed to be learning for the rest of the day.
*****
Sanghyuk tries to keep the thoughts of Jaehwan out of his head for the next days, concentrating on the homework they’ve been assigned. His potions essay is barely three feet long by the time Thursday evening rolls around, and he feels like he needs to get out of the silence of the library for a while.
It’s not long since supper, and Sanghyuk isn’t really hungry, but before he knows it, his feet take him through the floors until he stands in front of the entrance to the kitchens. Sanghyuk can already smell the delicious scents of the food, albeit he can’t hear the busy workings of the house elves just yet.
He lifts his finger to tickle the thick, round pear in the picture — but before he can touch it, a voice makes him jump back.
“Wasn’t dinner, like, an hour and a half ago?” he can hear Jaehwan chuckle behind him, and it makes Sanghyuk’s stomach flip. He turns around to see the prefect leaning against the opposite wall, a smile draped over his lips.
“Were you waiting for me?” Sanghyuk asks, disbelieving. His heart starts to beat fast at the thought, though he tries to keep his hopes down. There’s no way that could happen, Jaehwan must have been just patrolling the corridors around here, and saw him walking by.
“Maybe,” Jaehwan replies a little abashed, but the smile on his lips doesn’t fade. “I wondered if I’d ever catch you in the act. Better for sanction purposes, you know. Better proof.”
Sanghyuk laughs, gesturing towards Jaehwan’s form. “You’re only curious about the mountains of cookies.” he jokes, satisfied with the pink blush his words bring to Jaehwan’s cheeks.
“Busted,” Jaehwan chuckles, albeit a little embarrassed. “I’m a sucker for sweets, who can blame me.”
“I won’t,” Sanghyuk replies with a grin. He turns back around, tickling the big pear thoroughly before it gives a quivering laugh, swinging the painting to the side to reveal a round shaped entrance. “After you, sir,” Sanghyuk bows with a grin, earning himself a little soft knock on his head as Jaehwan passes him by.
“Youngsters these days,” he replies, shaking his head in humour. Sanghyuk fake pouts as he climbs the hole after Jaehwan.
“You’re only one year older than me,” he points out as they emerge in the kitchens and Sanghyuk quiets down.
Everything he would have said would have been overruled by the chatter and noise of utensils being handled all around them. Sanghyuk looks around the busy room, the busy atmosphere immediately calming him down. Next to him, Jaehwan is looking everywhere at once, eyes wide open and lips parted.
“Wow,” he exclaims softly as he takes in the busy business around him. Every stove top is harbouring a steaming pot or pan, in some of which a couple of dozens of house elves are stirring and cooking. Others are standing in front of enormous ovens, checking over whatever is baking inside or mixing dough. On their right, huge cauldrons with pumpkin juice are blubbering, the scents it’s emitting delicious and sweet. House elves are hurrying to and fro, carrying more pans and pots, none of them paying them any attention. Now and then one of the elves gives them a look, but none makes any further attempt to engage. Sanghyuk looks over at Jaehwan, satisfied with the stunned expression still written on his face.
“See? Nobody cares if we’re here or not,” Sanghyuk chuckles. Jaehwan gives him a wide eyed look before his eyes keep wandering around in interest. Sanghyuk takes the opportunity to fetch one of the ginger cookies from the tray of a passing house elf, who gives him a look but snickers as he quickly fills up the space with another cookie appearing in his palm.
“Here,” Sanghyuk offers to Jaehwan, who takes the cookie with a big smile on his face. “They’re still warm and fresh.” Sanghyuk adds before Jaehwan takes a bite, and by the expression on his face when he does, he’s just ascended to heaven.
“Oh my God,” Jaehwan brings out after he’s finished, putting his hand over his heart. “I think I’m in love.”
Sanghyuk’s cheeks tint pink at the words, but he can’t help but comment with a chuckle. “Oh, a confession on the first date? I didn’t know the kitchens had such an effect on you.”
Jaehwan’s cheeks turn bright pink at Sanghyuk’s words, and one of his hands comes up to scratch at the back of his head while his tongue flicks over his lips to wet them, embarrassed. It’s an adorable gesture, and Sanghyuk can’t help but grin at Jaehwan’s antics.
“Love goes through your stomach, they say,” Jaehwan mumbles as he recovers from Sanghyuk’s words, eyes following the work of the house elves in front of them in an attempt to change the subject. “Is this all for tomorrow?” he asks curiously, and Sanghyuk accepts the way the conversation turns gladly, his own cheeks slightly dusted with color.
“Most of it, yeah,” Sanghyuk answers as he takes a seat on one of the cupboards standing against the wall. “Some of it is already for Saturday’s party, though. I heard that the pumpkin punch needs to be cooked for 48 hours at least!”
Jaehwan’s eyes widen a little, and he lets out a small sound of surprise. “That’s long.” he splutters, and Sanghyuk gives him a smile.
“They’re pulling out their best,” he says with a nod towards the house elves, and Jaehwan follows with his eyes.
They both stay silent for a while, watching the busy shuffling all around them as they sit on the cupboard, their thighs touching slightly. Sanghyuk’s heart starts to beat faster in his chest when he realises, and he tries to keep his mind off of the close proximity of their bodies. They were hitting it off much better than Sanghyuk had anticipated, and he really doesn’t want to blow it all.
“So, did you find anyone for the party?” Sanghyuk suddenly breaks their silence, eyes strained on one of the house elves currently stirring in a big pot of soup. He tries not to look at Jaehwan, and his fingers are curling into the material of his robes.
“Hmm?” Jaehwan starts, clearly brought out of his thoughts by Sanghyuk’s words. “Oh. Actually… Prefects have to patrol the castle for most of the night.” He sighs, giving Sanghyuk a disappointed smile.
“Oh,” Sanghyuk mumbles, feeling his stomach sink between his feet. “That… blows.”
Jaehwan laughs at the words, eye crinkling up into crescents that doesn’t help Sanghyuk with his disappointment in the least. “That’s one way to put it,” Jaehwan says still chuckling, “I would’ve liked attending the party, but I mean, being prefect has its perks. It’s definitely worth it.”
Sanghyuk looks at him with a little downward tug at his lips. “I heard you get a nice big bathroom, that’s about all that’s good about it.” he says with a little more spice to his tone than he intended.
Jaehwan eyes him for a second before he replies with a little smile. “It’s a pretty sweet bathroom, though.”
Sanghyuk realises a little too late that his slightly sour words probably weren’t the best thing to say to Jaehwan. “I’m sorry, I just thought maybe if you’d be going too, the party wouldn’t suck so much. I guess I’m a little disappointed.”
But Jaehwan shakes his head, indicating to Sanghyuk that it’s alright. “Don’t worry. And I’m sure it won’t be so bad.” he smiles again, ducking his head. “I think I have to go now. I should already be done with my round.” He jumps of the little cupboard and heads for the passage. Sanghyuk looks after him with regret settling in his chest, feeling a little childish.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” Jaehwan says with a wave as he disappears through the hole in the wall, leaving the bustling goings of the kitchen and Sanghyuk behind him.
Sanghyuk looks at the spot where Jaehwan had disappeared for a good two minutes before he turns his attention back to the house elves. Some of them give him a glance, and one comes shuffling to Sanghyuk with a small plate filled with cookies.
“Thanks,” Sanghyuk accepts them with a quiet tone, every bit of appetite having left his body. He knows that Jaehwan isn’t mad at him, yet he still blames himself for ruining the mood.
‘There goes my date’, Sanghyuk thinks as he plays with one of the cookies in between his fingers, the disappointment of Jaehwan not attending the party strengthening further inside of him.
*****
When Saturday morning rolls around, Sanghyuk’s mood isn’t better. He had earnestly considered getting detention, and only Sungjae ripping his potions homework from his grip during class to hand it in had stopped him from going through with it. Having had no more energy to try getting in any kind of other trouble, he had gone down into the Slytherin common room after class to escape the party preparations — only that in the common room, the only subject was the party on the next day. Sanghyuk had gone to bed early, and not even Sungjae’s attempts to challenge him to a game of chess had worked.
The next morning, Sanghyuk wakes up to the sound of endless rain rushing against the walls, and he knows that his excitement for the day is at its peak. He drags himself to breakfast only because his stomach roars so loud he feels embarrassed to let it cry further. He sits down next to Sungjae, even though he doesn’t remotely feel like talking.
“Good morning,” Sungjae attempts, eyeing Sanghyuk with a bit of wariness. “Slept well?”
Sanghyuk only gives a grunt in response, shoving a spoon full of cereal into his mouth. Sungjae doesn’t take another attempt to strike a conversation, and the rest of the breakfast goes by without much of a word between them.
By the time lunch rolls around, Sanghyuk feels miserable. He’s apologised to Sungjae five times for being so mopey, and the only thing it’s earned him is sitting in the bedroom, going through all three of Sungjae’s dress robes twelve times each.
“I say you should go with navy blue,” Sanghyuk says disinterestedly, playing with yet another transfigured snake in his hands. Sungjae looks at him with a little pout before he turns his attention back to his reflection in the mirror.
“But it’s so— so normal,” he starts for fifth time. Sanghyuk can’t help but roll his eyes. “It’s not horrifying at all.”
Sanghyuk gives him a look. “Are you trying to scare off your date? Just because it’s Halloween doesn’t mean you have to look like a zombie.” He makes it a point to extend his arms like one, brushing the scales of the snake against Sungjae’s hand. The latter jumps back at the touch, a little disconcerted.
“Don’t bring that thing near me,” he warns, and Sanghyuk can’t help but laugh.
“You’re a Slytherin and you’re scared of snakes? Are you kidding?” he says with a chuckle, picking the small snake up from his right hand, letting it glide through his fingers.
“Just because they’re the symbol of our house doesn’t mean I have to like handling them,” Sungjae bites out.
“It’s not poisonous, anyway.” Sanghyuk shrugs, eyes trailing up and down Sungjae’s appearance. “Why don’t you just, I don’t know, hex some stars and moons on those robes to make them look more to the occasion? I’m sure your date will like it.”
Sungjae looks at him as if he’s just saved his life. “You’re a genius!” he exclaims, lifting his wand to say the spell. He stops in mid motion, eyes wide. “Wait, have you even sown anything on your clothes? How do I do that,” he asks, worrying his lip between his teeth. Sanghyuk only shrugs in negative.
“Maybe you can go ask Professor Flitwick. I heard he’s quite helpful when it’s about impressing a date.” he says, and before he knows it, he’s alone in the dorms as Sungjae rushes out and up the stairs in haste, not even saying goodbye.
Sanghyuk shrugs to himself, not minding finally being out of his task to give fashion advice. Even if he would’ve asked out Jaehwan, he thinks bitterly, he wouldn’t have had any dress robes to wear anyway.
Sanghyuk tries to distract himself from the party preparations going on all around him by getting ahead with his homework. Sadly, the teachers seem to have not had the heart to punish them with a heavy workload now that Halloween was actually there. All the amount of homework had been given out during the week, leaving not much for Sanghyuk to do during the afternoon.
He still works on what he has, but his attention span is so short that he needs two hours for it all. He’s thankful for it, though, the time passing by, even if still not fast enough for his liking. He tries not to think about Jaehwan after he’s done, instead sneaking down to the kitchens to keep his mind off of everything.
The house elves are even busier than they were on Thursday, and Sanghyuk enjoys the lack of attention given to him. For the first time that day he feels somewhat calm, his thoughts being kept at bay as he watches the little creatures at work.
It’s only after a little while that the sight of the kitchens bring back the memories of Jaehwan sitting next to him on Thursday. The way he looked around with such interest, the way he laughed at Sanghyuk’s words, everything suddenly tugs at Sanghyuk’s heart. He tries to distract himself with thoughts of the next weekend in Hogsmeade, but even then Jaehwan pops up in his head; how it would be to go out with him, to drink a warm butter beer or go to Zonko’s together, maybe even attempt to sneak into the Shrieking Shack.
“Get a grip,” he tells himself, burying his face in his hands. One or two of the house elves send him a confused look, exchanging glances between themselves with worried expressions. Before he knows it, there’s a cup of hot steaming pumpkin punch pressed into his hands, and Sanghyuk accepts it gratefully.
“There’s no alcohol in this, is there?” He asks more out of curiosity than anything. One of the elves looks at him with big eyes.
“No, sir. We are not allowed to serve alcohol to students, you see, sir.” The elf says, fumbling with his hands. Sanghyuk nods, looking into the mug with a little bitter smile.
“Pity.” he says before he takes a sip. Sanghyuk feels the hot liquid warm his insides immediately, making him feel a lot less miserable. He takes another right after, and relishes in the bitter sweet taste, the warmth seemingly erasing all disappointment from his chest.
Sanghyuk downs the rest of it in the blink of an eye, feeling quite better as he waits for another house elf to come by.
“Could I have some more?” he asks, and it’s not long before he’s served an entire tea kettle full of the hot brew. He thanks the house elves continuously, until they send him dark looks for keeping them from their work, which Sanghyuk takes as a hint to stop talking.
After another two cups, his eyes suddenly land on a four inch bottle on his left. It seems untouched, the label saying something about some brand Sanghyuk doesn’t recognise. It seems to be of high percentage, though, the brown glass of the bottle slightly dusted and barely used.
Sanghyuk takes a look around him, and when he’s sure no one’s attention is on him, he takes the bottle into his hands. It’s heavy, even for such a small size, and without thinking Sanghyuk opens it. The cap uncaps with a little creak, and Sanghyuk brings his nose to the opening to smell its contents. The bite in his nose from the smell is enough to make him withdraw quickly, but after little consideration he pours a good sip into the kettle of punch next to him. He puts the bottle back on its spot quickly, hoping not to have been noticed.
*****
Sanghyuk doesn’t know how long he’s been sitting in the kitchens, but when finally one of the elves comes up to him to tell him it’s time for him to leave, Sanghyuk feels brave enough to join the ongoing party upstairs.
He stumbles through the passage into the hallway, and it’s only once he sees the painting swing closed behind him that he feels the effect of the alcohol hit him fully. He feels dizzy, but good, good enough to try to walk and find Sungjae and tell him how great he feels.
Sanghyuk doesn’t really know where’s he’s walking, though, doesn’t pay it any attention as his feet move just as fast as his mind, and suddenly he finds himself somewhere, but definitely not in the Great Hall. He isn’t sure if he came very far from the kitchens, but Sanghyuk just shrugs and drags his feet further. They’re heavy, as is his tongue, and when he looks at the portraits around him, he feels like they’re spinning.
“Hey! Where are you wandering?”
The voice booms out from behind him, but Sanghyuk doesn’t see a reason to stop and engage. Instead, he keeps walking, but before he can get very far there’s a hand on his shoulder and he’s spun around to face whoever it is that’s stopped him.
Sanghyuk is only half surprised when he sees it’s Jaehwan, the other’s eyes shining with surprise seeing Sanghyuk so far away from the party.
“What are you doing here?” Jaehwan asks, checking Sanghyuk’s clothes — he didn’t change into robes before he went out, wearing only his faded jeans and a jumper. Jaehwan looks at him, waiting for an answer, which Sanghyuk almost forgets to give.
“Nothing,” he giggles, the sound of his own voice both close and yet so far away as if he is draped in a silky veil. His eyes meet Jaehwan’s, who seems confused at Sanghyuk’s tone.
“Are you alright? You seem a little—“ Jaehwan starts before he moves in a little closer, sniffing at Sanghyuk’s clothes. “Hey— have you been drinking?!”
Sanghyuk pushes him away, stumbling over his own feet at the action. “What if,” he challenges, eyes trying to focus enough on Jaehwan to seem threatening; something that doesn’t seem to work very well. Jaehwan’s hands are back on Sanghyuk’s shoulders, and the feeling of having Jaehwan so close is fogging up Sanghyuk’s mind more than the alcohol.
“You need to go back to your common room,” Jaehwan says with definition, pulling Sanghyuk along with him for a few steps. “You should sleep.”
Sanghyuk tries to shrug Jaehwan’s hands away. “I don’t want to.” he says pointedly, ignoring the slur to his words. Jaehwan sighs, looking at Sanghyuk in question.
“Where did you get alcohol, anyway?” he asks, brows furrowing a little in the middle. It’s cute, and Sanghyuk is half contemplating to lift his fingers to touch the creases in the skin. When he doesn’t answer, Jaehwan sighs. “You went to the kitchens again, didn’t you?”
Sanghyuk shrugs. “Nothing better to do.” he answers, trying to steady his stand. Jaehwan’s hand is back, on his hip this time, trying to give him some help.
Jaehwan’s tone is confused. “There’s a party upstairs and you have nothing better to do but get drunk?” he almost chuckles, the sound ringing in Sanghyuk’s ears.
“No one there I want to see,” Sanghyuk replies without thinking, his eyes trailing over Jaehwan’s face. He feels a pull towards him, a magnetic force sucking him in, and he takes a step closer without realising. Jaehwan doesn’t move, eyes looking into Sanghyuk’s in confusion.
“You… I wanted to see you,” Sanghyuk words out, a little slurred, and before Jaehwan fully grasps the meaning of his words, Sanghyuk is leaning in, brushing his lips against Jaehwan’s in a clumsy kiss.
At first none of them moves, the action surprising both of them. Then suddenly, Jaehwan’s lips move very slowly against Sanghyuk’s, who’s taking the response gladly. The world seems to stop around them, like the hands of the clocks everywhere in the castle stopped in unison, and Sanghyuk thinks he really doesn’t mind if this lasts an eternity.
The kiss isn’t long, though, just a short touch of their lips; but it’s enough to make Sanghyuk feel dizzy, and when Jaehwan pulls back, he stumbles into him, only staying standing by Jaehwan’s hands on his hips.
“Whoa there,” Jaehwan says, but his tone softens a little. “We should get you to your common room.” he continues, and this time, Sanghyuk doesn’t object.
They go in silence, once or twice only broken by Sanghyuk pointing out the way. Jaehwan’s grasp on Sanghyuk’s hip is tight, though, and just that thought is enough to keep Sanghyuk from freaking out. Or from stumbling over his own feet continuously.
Sanghyuk doesn’t quite know if Jaehwan leaves him at the entrance to his common room or if he actually helps him through to the bedrooms; the only thing Sanghyuk knows is that when he feels the soft material of his pillow under his head, the only thing he can think about before he falls asleep is Jaehwan.
*****
When he wakes up the next morning, Sanghyuk is met with an arms crossed Sungjae sitting at the foot of his bed. Sanghyuk groans, feeling his head throb and his throat rasping from being too dry, and he reaches for some water on his night stand.
“There’s some interesting rumour going round,” Sungjae starts as Sanghyuk sinks back into the covers, beat. “That you were brought back to the common rooms quite early and pretty drunk by some Hufflepuff prefect.” Sungjae makes a pointed pause. “Now I thought that sounded pretty unlike you, until just now.”
Sanghyuk hides his face in his covers, feeling the embarrassment wash over him. “Everyone knows?” he asks softly, regretting everything.
“Not yet, I’m pretty sure there’s still some first years that haven’t heard of it.” Sungjae replies, voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’ve become pretty famous over night, and you haven’t even attended the party.”
“Oh God,” Sanghyuk groans, feeling miserable. Suddenly the thought of the kiss surges up in his head, and Sanghyuk sinks even deeper into his pillow in shame. “Oh. God.” he mumbles, terrified.
“Let me guess. It was that Hufflepuff prefect? The one you’ve been eyeing since last year?” Sungjae asks, though it’s closer to being a statement. Sanghyuk nods under the covers, and Sungjae gives out a dark chuckle. “Man, you sure are dramatic.”
“Just leave me alone,” Sanghyuk whines into the covers, his face hot and his ears burning. He really should have left that bottle untouched.
“Alright. But if you want to know, there’s a certain sixth year asking for you in front of the entrance to the common rooms.” Sungjae says as he stands up from his seat at the end of Sanghyuk’s bed. “You might wanna put on some clothes, though.”
Sanghyuk groans even louder at the information. He isn’t really afraid of meeting with Jaehwan; in fact, his heart is beating in excitement. What he’s more afraid of is the reaction he’ll get.
It takes Sanghyuk ten minutes to get ready enough to meet up with Jaehwan. His hair is unruly and the bags under his eyes are only proof that last night was not a very good idea, but he looks better than he feels. His head is throbbing with every step, and his heart starting to beat hard the second he walks through the doors to the common room and into the dungeons’ hallways doesn’t help.
He spots Jaehwan leaning against one of the stone walls a little further up, and as he walks up to him, Sanghyuk tries to come up with something to say. When Jaehwan looks up and meets his eyes, though, every coherent thought seems to leave Sanghyuk’s mind.
Jaehwan is wearing regular clothes, no robes with his prefect badge pinned to them, and Sanghyuk’s stomach flips at the sudden feeling of familiarity between them. There’s a small smile on Jaehwan’s lips as Sanghyuk steps closer, and Sanghyuk only really realises how good Jaehwan looks as he pushes himself off the wall to meet Sanghyuk halfway.
“How are you feeling?” Jaehwan asks him, eyes concerned as he gives Sanghyuk a once over. Sanghyuk shrugs a little, grimacing.
“My head feels awful, but I’m living,” he replies with a sigh. He looks at the floor, feeling the blush creep to his cheeks from embarrassment. “I’m so sorry about yesterday,” he starts, mortified.
Jaehwan just laughs softly, one of his hands coming up to card through Sanghyuk’s rowdy hair. The touch makes Sanghyuk’s skin tingle, and his nerves settle a little bit. “You didn’t do anything wrong besides getting drunk, don’t worry.”
Sanghyuk looks up at the words, eyes widening a bit. Jaehwan chuckles, moving just a bit closer to Sanghyuk, one of his hands resting on his hip. “Maybe you should actually ask me out, though, instead of just kissing random people.” Jaehwan smiles widely, making Sanghyuk blush harder.
“I didn’t kiss random people,” Sanghyuk mumbles with a little pout. “I wouldn’t have kissed someone just because I was drunk.”
Jaehwan’s eyes glint at the words. “Why don’t you prove it?” His tone is mischievous, and Sanghyuk feels the adrenaline rush through his veins as he leans in once more.
This time, it feels like his senses are heightened as his lips brush Jaehwan’s, soft and warm and welcoming. Sanghyuk is more prepared, this time, his fingers winding together with Jaehwan’s, the kiss chaste but leaving goosebumps along his skin.
When they part, there’s a wide grin on Jaehwan’s face, and Sanghyuk feels just a bit dizzy. His fingers tighten around Jaehwan’s, and his heart keeps beating rapidly in his chest.
“By the way, I’ve told the Headmaster that it was an accident. Someone must have accidentally poured some potion into your punch.” Jaehwan says happily. Sanghyuk nods, taking in the information.
“Thanks. I probably would’ve gotten detention until the end of the year.” Sanghyuk groans at the thought.
“Probably. But what a good thing that your boyfriend is a prefect. It has its perks.”Jaehwan teases, sending Sanghyuk a small wink. Sanghyuk laughs, giving Jaehwan’s arm a light punch, which results in playful pouting.
“Appreciate me,” Jaehwan whines, and Sanghyuk presses another kiss to the corner of his mouth to shut him up.
“Thank you,” Sanghyuk says, linking his fingers wth Jaehwan’s. “Now, let’s go get breakfast. I’m starving.”
Jaehwan gives him a look, and starts laughing. “You mean lunch. You’ve skipped breakfast by like, four hours.”
Sanghyuk’s mouth falls open in disbelief, and for the rest of the way to the Great Hall Jaehwan keeps teasing him about how he looks like a duck when he’s surprised, earning himself a couple of headlocks and one or two clumsy kisses to his lips.