Chapter Text
It is the death of the 7th month.
It is summer and Max feels hot despite the AC being on. He stood up from where he was resting as he had a desire to drink to lessen the heat he was feeling. However, even before he left his room, a small knock on the window was heard. Max was aware that it was no ordinary knock as it sounded like a beak tapping the glass window.
When he opened the curtains, he was right. “Haewon,” he muttered,
Outside his window was a brown owl, holding an envelope.
He opened the window, letting the owl in. “How many times have I already told Sebastian not to let you fly across continents?”. Despite not expecting an answer, Haewon answered, sounding as if she’s agreeing with what Max said, “Yeah, sorry. Will remind him again,” Max told the owl,
He grabbed the letter the owl was holding and placed it on his desk. He left the room to get the water he wanted, he also carried a small bowl to also give Haewon her drink.
On the way down, he was greeted by Maeum, his dog. “Hey there buddy,” the dog jumped at him while wagging its tail excitedly. He patted Maeum’s head, then he went straight to the kitchen. “Maximillian?” he heard someone calling his name,
“Yes halmeoni?”
“I heard an owl knocking,”
“Ah yes, it was Haewon. I already told Ian not to let her fly this far. The owls can also get tired,”
His grandma laughed at him and said, “Wizarding owls are fit to fly far distances my child. You don’t have to worry that much to Haewon,”
“But still, I even get tired flying to London even if I am riding a plane! How about the poor owl who keeps on flapping its wings to fly?” Max reasoned which made his grandma laugh even more,
“My sweet child,” she said, “Oh before I forgot! The letter with your required textbooks this year has arrived,” the older woman then grabbed an envelope from the small coffee table and handed it to her grandchild. Max sighed heavily upon seeing the letter. Don’t get him wrong, he loves going to school because his friends are there, its just that he’s not looking forward with the long flight he needed to endure.
“Seriously halmeoni, why can’t I just apparate from here to there?”
“You know you’re not yet that skilled in apparating, you will just learn it this year to be exact!”
“How about you apparate me there, hmmm?” he said, while making cute eyes to his grandmother,
“I’m too old to use magic, and international apparition is really tiring,” his grandmother explained. Max just pouted at what his grandma said, because she made sense. A bark from Maeum waked him from his sulking, “Oh! The water I was about to get,”
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He really doesn’t understand.
Well, he’s been doing this for like 6 years already, so why is he still not used to this?
He is now preparing his luggage for, well, a whole semester at his school. He’s packing his clothes and some of the books that he might need while studying. He also prepared Maeum’s things as he would bring him there. Yes, Maeum is with him at his school for that whole semester. He is not alone though because all of the students there have their own pets. His friend, Sage, also brings his dog with him. Jonathan, another friend of his, also wanted to bring his dog, but the school said that Layla was too big to be present at school. He still remembers how sulky Jonathan was and even protested to the headmaster for reconsideration.
You see, Max is now in Korea. He has been living with his only known grandmother for like his whole life. But things changed when he received a letter. Don;t get him wrong, he is aware that he could be a wizard too, just like how his grandmother is a witch. He expected to receive a letter from the Korean wizarding school because who would not be? His neighbor friends got one, so why would he not?
Instead of receiving a letter from the school where his neighbor friends were accepted, he received one from Europe. It was from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to be exact. What happened that day really baffled his mind. To his shock, his grandma was not that much surprised by it. She just asked him to calm down and prepare his things because they were flying to London to buy the things he needed for school.
Now, it's his 6th year at Hogwarts. It also meant that its been 6 years that he had been flying across the world to attend the school. Why not permanently stay in Britain? Grandma’s choice.
After saying his goodbye to his grandma with the promise of writing her a letter, he is now riding a taxi towards the airport. Maeum is in his carrier beside him, as he watches their house become small as the taxi drives away.
Upon his arrival at the airport, he met an airport security who smiled at him. At that, he knew that the person was not a muggle . “You must be Maximillian Yang,” the security officer said,
“Yes, sir,”
“You can sit there for a while, we’re just waiting for the others so that we can fly immediately,” the security then beckoned him towards a row of seats where other witches and wizards , he presumed, were waiting just like him. Of course, he is not riding a normal plane. It is a plane intended for people like him. Much like a Hogwarts Express or the Knight Bus, but it is an airplane version.
As he walked towards, the seats, he saw a familiar face. Skin as white as snow, sharp eyes, and red hair which increased his similarity with a mountain fox. He fastened his pace towards that person, who seemed to be busy reading a book. When he reached him, he placed his bag on the seat beside him and settled Maeum beside a cat carrier. “Hi Mikhail!,” he greeted the other,
Mikhail raised his head and saw Max standing at his front. Despite seeing a familiar face, Mikhail remained emotionless, “Hello,” he quietly answered and returned to reading his book,
Max was not surprised, he calls Mikhail his friend despite him being cold to him. It's been 6 years since they met and it was also 6 years that they had been meeting at the airport, boarding towards London to attend school. Just like him, Mikhail lives in Korea but receives a letter from Hogwarts. He met him after the sorting since they have the same house, Ravenclaw. They were even roommates and there are times that Haru and Maeum will play with each other. Even though Mikhail is silent, Max knows that he pays attention to him when he tells stories, as the former sometimes responds to what he was saying. All in all, Mikhail might be cold, but he is a friend.
As he sat, he heard a small ‘meow’ coming from the cat carrier, he glanced at it and then at Mikhail who seemed to be busy reading his book. “Meow,” the cat said a bit louder,
“I think Haru is hungry,” Max said,
“No, she’s not, she just ate. She’s just bored,” Mikhail answered, his eyes not leaving the book. Max jusighed, looking apologetic to Haru. The ever cold Mikhail , he said to his mind.
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The flight was very VERY long.
He still cannot fathom how long he has been doing this. After the flight, he is now walking beside Mikhail, pushing a cart with their luggage just like him. He did not bother making a conversation in the flight because he knew Mikhail would not respond. Despite that situation, the silence was not awkward at all. Weird as it may sound, he is comfortable when he is with Mikhail. The silence is not awkward, but rather comforting as if he is with someone he has known for ages. Not because he had known him for 6 years already, but because it seemed like he knew him beyond those years.
As they were nearing the exit, a man came to welcome them.
“Mr. Mikhail Kim and Mr. Maximillian Yang, this way please,”
They followed the man towards where he was heading. How come they trust the man? Well, they recognized him as the trusted driver of the Park family. “The young masters are waiting for you,” he added, as he opened the car door for the two.
As Max sat down holding Maeum at his lap, he felt himself dozing off. He looked at Mikhail who was holding a sleeping Haru in his lap. He was looking out the window while slowly petting his cat. Max rested his head at the window side, as he was slowly being swallowed by tiredness and fell asleep.
“We’re here,”
Max woke up with the sound of the car door opening. He can also hear the trunk being opened. As he opens his eyes, he realizes where he is. He looked at where his head was resting and shock was evident to his face when he saw himself laying down on Mikhail’s shoulders. How did I end up leaning towards him? He said. He sat up straight and tapped Mikhail’s shoulder to wake him up. “Wake up, we had arrived,”
Mikhail slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up too and grabbed Haru, who is now awake, to carry him.
They walked out the car and they were welcomed by a very massive mansion. The car was parked at the front door. You can hear the rustling of water because of the big fountain at the center where cars can drive off. The mansion was neat and made of bricks where the English ivy is crawling up towards the roof. Despite being a mansion, it feels cozy and warm. Exactly like how the Park family is.
The Park family. One of the notable pureblood families in Korea. They are known for their richness even back at the times when the wizarding world was still establishing itself. They are also known in the business industry as they are also helping in the transportation industry for witches and wizards. Take the plane that Max and Mikhail rode; the Park family started that. One generation of the Park decided to migrate, hence, this mansion. But how come a Yang and a Kim are in the Park mansion?
“There is my baby! I miss you so much!” someone shouted from the front door. From the loudness itself, they knew that it was Sage Park. “How is the flight?”
“Don’t start Sage, I still have jetlag,” Mikhail answered while looking at his boyfriend annoyingly,
“I’m actually talking to Haru,” Sage answered, he then grabbed Haru from Mikhail’s arms giving the cat a kiss, “How’s the flight little one? Did your other dad give you a hard time?”
“Seriously?”
“I’m just kidding sweetheart, let’s go. I know you’re tired,” Sage said while holding Mikhail’s shoulders and kissing his temple. As they entered the mansion, a bark from a small fluff of white was heard.
“Hi there buddy,” said Mikhail while kneeling to pick up Sage’s dog, Gaeul.
The thing about Mikhail is that you might rarely see him smiling (unless you’re really close to him), but when it comes to animals, he is as soft as cotton candy or a cloud. The excitement of Gaeul is very evident as he is in Mikhail’s arms,
“I sometimes think that she likes you more than me,” Sage said while looking at the two,
“Can’t blame her, I’m likable,”
As Max watched the two bicker like a cat and a dog, which is very ironic as their cat and dog were actually close and far from fighting, he felt an arm encircling his waist. When he looked at his side, he saw the person that he was keen to look at for the whole summer,
“You’re forgetting about me,” Sebastian said while holding his chest dramatically, acting as if he’s hurt
“No, I’m not?”
“Yes, you are! I’ve been standing here since Sage and you hadn’t noticed,” Sebastian then pouted. Max chuckled as he held his boyfriend’s cheeks and gave him a peck on his lips,
“Stop sulking, hmmm,” Max said, “it’s just I am really curious how Mikhail’s demeanor changes when he’s with Sage,”
“Sage is really a pain in the ass,” Sebastian answered, “I also wonder how they got together,”
Going back to the question, well, it was Sebastian and Sage’s grandfather. Two generations later, the two cousins are living in the mansion and now inviting their boyfriends to stay with them before going back to school.
When they entered the mansion, they were welcomed by Toby, the family’s house elf. “Nice suit Toby,” Max said,
“Thank you, sir Maximillian, Master Park gave this to Toby recently,” the house elf said. House elves are no longer slaves but rather are now employed by each family. So, giving clothes no longer means being free; it is an appreciation just like how people give clothes to each other.
“You can just call me Max, I’ve been telling you that,”
“Been also asking him to call me by my name too, Toby is just stubborn,” Sebastian added,
“Things have changed Toby, you’re free” It was Mikhail, who was now in the lounge and sitting by the sofa,
“I’m afraid Toby cannot do that sir Mikhail. I’m just simply addressing my masters as they should be,”
The group just sighed and dropped it already. Well, despite the elves no longer being a slave, there are still who are not accustomed to it.
Max settled in Sebastian’s room, which was as big as the living room where they were from. He has been here several times to the point that he is aware of what changes have been made to the room. Haewon, who is sleeping peacefully, was inside her cage which was placed beside the window where the study table was located. Sebastian’s room was very far from what the outside looked like. The mansion was somehow full of white, greens, and brick reds much like what you expect it to look like outside. However, inside his room is full of white and coffee brown. There are also posters from his favorite bands which fit the room’s aesthetic. There are also constellation maps as Sebastian is interested in astronomy.
Near the study table was a large cabinet that has trophies. It was from his academic excellence and also from his Quidditch championships from different years.
“A galleon for your thoughts?” Sebastian said as he wrapped his arms around Max. He chuckled as he let Sebastian drag him to bed.
“Oh, before I forgot. I think Ryder sent you a letter. He addressed it here assuming that you and Mikha are already here,”
“Well, he knows that we're always staying here for a week before we board to school,” Max answered. Sebastian stood and grabbed a small envelope from his study table. “Sage has Mikha’s,” he added
“I still don’t understand why you cannot just use social media. It is not as if the whole of Britain is charmed to be protected from electronic signal,”
“Old ways remain, most especially to old wizarding families. You know, tradition and stuff,”
“But I heard Tristan’s family is already dealing with that right? It will be easier to communicate,”
A loud hoot came from Haewon’s cage, she might have heard the conversation and was offended by technology taking their job as messenger owls. “Aaaaw sweety, at least you won’t have the fly within far distance when that happens,” Max explained. Haewon appeared to be thinking as if she reckoned that Max had a point, she went back to sleep.
Before they even dozed off, a loud knock was heard from the door.
“Sebastian?” it was Sage, “Do you wanna build a snowman!” Sage sang loudly outside their door. Sebastian, on the other hand, groaned at his cousin’s antics,
“Go away Sage!” he answered,
“Okay bye!” Sage said while still singing. Max can’t help but laugh with the two cousins. Ever since he stayed at the mansion when they were 4th years, he cannot help but be amazed by the bond between the two. Well, they grew up together at this mansion so what would he expect?
The door suddenly burst open and it reveals Sage standing and still holding the knob. “You really don’t want to build a snowman with me?” he said, clutching his chest as if he was hurt,
“For heaven’s sake Sage! Its summer, there is no snow!” Sebastian answered,
“Touché,” Sage then sat at the foot of the bed,
“What is it this time?” Sebastian asked,
“I’m just hanging out with my favorite cousin with his boyfriend, anything wrong with that?”
“Mikhail kicked you out of your room,”
“No,” Sage said, shaking his head adamantly, “He’s sleeping and I really want to hang out with you,”
“What did you do?”
“I did not do anything!” despite Sage’s protest, his cousin does not believe him. He knows Sage very well to know that his cousin did something stupid again for Mikhail to kick him out of the room the first day of his arrival. Sebastian did not cut his stare to Sage, trying to send a message that he could not lie to him and just admit whatever he had done. “Fine! He said he has jetlag and he cannot bear my loudness,” Sage finally answered,
“I already told you to give him a rest! I know how much you miss him but he’s still tired. We still have several days. You can go back to your mischief after he’s well rested,”
Sage pouted at what his cousin had said. He was right though, he missed Mikhail so much that he was so excited and was so keen for this day when Mikhail would stay at their mansion. However, he was not able to hide his excitement when they finally arrived. Sage has a lot of stories to share with Mikhail and he cannot wait to spill them all. But then, he realized that he had come from a very long flight and must be really tired.
After accepting his defeat, a small knock was heard from their door. The three looked up and saw Mikhail standing there, looking at Sage. “I was looking for you,” he said. Sage did not answer but rather avoided his eyes and was still pouting
“You kicked me out though,” he said, still pouting.
Mikhail entered and stood in front of Sage, “I did not. I asked you to stay still and quiet for a while as I fix my things,”
“You sounded mad,”
“Because!”
“That! That exact tone! You’re mad at me,” Sage said accusingly
Mikhail looked at Sebastian and Max, who were willingly watching the two as if they were watching their favorite drama. The two just shrugged their shoulders, telling Mikhail they didn’t know what to do. Mikhail gave a big sigh and spoke,
“Let me rest for today, then tomorrow we will go to that coffee shop outside town you were talking about,”
Sage suddenly looked up at Mikhail. If he has an ear just like a puppy, it would be very perk up. “You were listening to what I said earlier?” he said,
“Of course! I also heard you tell me that you were about to buy the latest broom for your Quidditch match. I am willing to come with you and also choose your new equipment. Besides, I am the number one fan of Gryffindor’s best Chaser,”
Sage stood up and looked at Mikhail, touched by what Mikhail said as if he just delivered a very heart-touching speech. Mikhail opened his arms wide, beckoning his boyfriend to come at him,
“Now come with me and let me rest with you, hmm?”
Sage, like an excited puppy, ran at Mikhail and hugged him tightly. He even peppered Mikhail’s face with kisses and the latter could not help but giggle at what was the former doing. It was a rare sight, Mikhail laughing to the point that his eyes were forming crescents and his whiskers were coming out. Max cannot fully fathom why, but his heart was very much happy seeing Mikhail in that state. Maybe because it took years for Mikhail to warm up to them and he witnessed how Mikhail has been in full composure, not until Sage came at full speed to his life. With Sage entering Mikhail’s life, Max was thankful.
“Okay, you two are gross! You have your own room?” Sebastian said, finally could no longer bear what he was seeing. Sage parted from Mikhail’s arms and grabbed his hand to hold it,
“Goodbye my favorite cousin!” Sage said while pulling Mikhail out of the room, “Thank you for letting me stay!”
“I am your only cousin!” Sebastian answered back, but Sage no longer answered and closed the door behind them.
“I felt like I just watched a Kdrama,” Max said. Sebastian chuckled and laid back on the bed, encircling his arms at Max’s waist, “It’s Sage, what can we expect?” Sebastian then caressed Max’s hair. Max felt his tiredness taking over him as Sebastian continued to smooth his hair. Minutes later, Max fell asleep snuggling on Sebastian’s chest while his head was leaning on the other’s arm. Sebastian, on the other hand, was also sleeping after feeling the comfort of Max in his arms and also with the relaxing scent coming from Max’s hair.
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The day has come.
Max, Mikhail, Sebastian, and Sage are walking towards King’s Cross station. With all their belongings being pushed in a cart. They receive a few odd glances as they carry a lot and Sebastian has Haewon with him. They did not bother though, they are already accustomed to this.
As they enter through Platform 9 and ¾, they are welcomed by a lot of witches and wizards, probably sending their children off the train to travel within miles towards Hogwarts. They saw a few familiar faces, some others were probably the first years.
“Max! Mikhail!” they heard someone shouting. They all turned their heads and saw a tall guy with jet-black hair and sharp eyes. He ran towards them and immediately hugged the two. Max laughed and hugged back, on the other hand, Mikhail hugged back but is immediately escaping from the other’s clutches,
“That’s too much kid,” said Sage,
Ryder rolled his eyes at him, “Before you’ve been boyfriends, we’ve been friends,”
Ryder Nishimura is a friend of Max and Mikhail since they are in the same year. However, they originally met because of Sebastian who has the same house, Slytherin, as Ryder and also as Ryder being the Slytherin Quidditch Team’s Beater.
“Have you seen Tristan and Jonathan?” Sebastian inquired,
“They were at my back but I ran – Oh! There they are,”
They all looked at where was Ryder looking and they saw two figures walking towards them. One is taller compared to the other and is looking at them with his round eyes, a smile slowly forming on his lips. The other one is already smiling at them from ear to ear and is excitedly jumping and running towards them like a golden retriever.
“We already saved you a seat,” Jonathan said immediately when he reached his friends, “As always, Ryder is going to be with us, and you four in the other compartment,”
“Why can’t all the 7th years and 6th years hang out separately?” Ryder said trying to sound annoyed,
“You don’t want to be with us anymore?” Jonathan asked, looking at Ryder with his puppy eyes,
“Why do I always have to be you and Tristan’s adopted child?”
“If I’m going to have a child like you, I’m afraid I will pass. A really hard pass,” Tristan said as he held Jonathan’s waist towards him,
Tristan Lee and Jonathan Sim. Tristan is friends with Sage as he is currently the captain and a chaser in the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Well, despite being from different teams, Tristan and Sebastian are good friends especially when the Lee and the Park family are well known in the wizarding world; the three already are good friends even before attending Hogwarts. He met Jonathan through Max and Mikhail, as the two shared a compartment with Jonathan in their first year at Hogwarts. Being in his 2nd year during that time, the Hufflepuff student did not hesitate to tell the two young 1st years the ways in Hogwarts, especially when he knew that they flew miles just to attend the said school. Starting that day, Jonathan did not leave the two young Ravenclaws side, which made him the first friend they ever made.
Max woke up seeing that it was already dark outside. He saw Mikha and Sage sitting at the other side of the compartment, still sleeping while their hands were softly clasped with each other. Him, on the other hand, has his arms wrapped around Ian’s arm as he is leaning against his shoulder. “You’re awake?” Sebastian softly whispered as he felt Max moving against his shoulder. He looked up and saw Sebastian’s eyes softly looking at him, a small smile painted on his face. Despite being awake, he still wants to sleep so he squeezes himself into Sebastian’s body which makes the older chuckle.
“You have to wake up, we’re nearing the station. We have to wear our robes,” Sebastian said,
“Five more minutes?” Max asked while making his eyes cute so that Sebastian would fall to his pleads,
Sebastian sighed but he slowly nodded. Well, how can he resist Max’s cuteness? Max then leaned again to his shoulders. Sebastian stirred his cousin awake, Sage then opened his eyes and looked outside the window. He saw the sleeping Mikha by his side and smiled as he saw their hands still holding each other. He lifted it up and kissed the back of Mikha’s hand which made the younger awake. Sage smiled as Mikha opened his eyes and he immediately got that they were already near the station.
When they arrived at the Great Hall, it was already packed with students finding their friends to sit with. For important occasions, students are separated by their houses where each table has all of the students per house. Max and Mikha sat with each other as they listened to the sorting ceremony at their front. While their other friends are in their respective houses. Funny how it seems that it is only yesterday when they are the first years being sorted to each house.
As the sorting continues, each table claps when a student is finally sorted. They heard some familiar surnames which is inevitable as famous families are known here at Hogwarts and their descendants also attend the said school.
After the sorting, the feast began. Different dishes appeared on their front, mostly European. Max suddenly missed his grandma’s cooking, seeing what was on his table, he could not help but accept the fact that this would be his food for the whole semester. As he was scooping pasta onto his plate, he felt someone tugging his robe. He looked where it was coming from and saw Mikha was unfolding a cellophane. His eyes widen as he immediately recognized the shape and the smell of what Mikha was holding,
“I have two of this, you can have this one,” Mikha said while placing carefully the kimbap on Max’s plate, “Oh, and I also have a box of kimchi. I asked the elves to take care of it so you can just go to the kitchen and asked them if you are craving some,”
Max was left in awe by what he heard from Mikhail. Well, he actually also carried some dishes before but this time, he forgot it. His grandma got so busy with some personal stuff that both of them did not have enough time to go to the market. “Thank you!” Max said, Mikhail just nodded to acknowledge the other’s thanks. “You always give me some before, I guess it's on me now,” Mikhail said. Max just smiled and immediately had a piece of the kimbap, his tastebuds immediately exploded as he tasted the different flavors,
“It tasted like my grandma’s!” Max exclaimed. Mikhail stopped for a moment but continued eating as he placed a piece in his mouth. He nodded his head to agree and said, “Yeah, I guess so”
After they all filled their stomach, they all headed to their towers. As usual, Max and Mikha are in the same room. They saw their luggage was neatly placed beside their beds.
“I see that we’re still in the same bedroom,” Max started, “Hi there roommate,” but Mikhail paid no attention but rather continued organizing his stuff for school. “Yeah, yeah. Tired of me already?” he added,
“Hmmm, I've always seen your face since we were first years. Even at the airport every time we travel back to Hogwarts. We even managed to have the Park cousins be our boyfriends, so yeah I’m tired already,” Mikhail said
“That’s harsh! I’m your friend!” Max said, sounding offended,
Mikhail chuckled softly, “As if I had the choice there,” he retorted.
It was not even 24 hours, but the two friends were already bickering. A usual scenario of the two despite having opposite behaviors; one is too outgoing and friendly, while the other is too silent and you need to climb a huge wall first before entering. Despite their differences, they managed to enter each of their worlds, as they proceeded together in a world where they did not expect to be a part of.
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Days have passed.
That is the thing, it's only been days. So why does he have a lot on his plate right now?
Max is walking along the hallways heading to the Great Hall. But despite looking forward to lunch, he is now thinking about how he will start his three parchment-long essay for History of Magic. Aside from that, he needs to study for his potions class because the potions they need to brew literally are in the next level.
When he reached the long table where his friends were sitting, he did not see the face he was longing to see. “Where are the others?” he asked. Ryder looked up to him and answered,
“Tristan and Sage are in Quidditch practice. They have their first match with Slytherin a week after the next,”
“Aren’t you supposed to be in training too? You’re the team’s Beater.”
“We’ll practice tomorrow or the day after. I’ll just ask Sebastian since he is the captain,”
“Where is he by the way? He said we’ll have lunch together,”
“Our class actually ended early. He said he’ll stop by their tower first,” It was Jonathan who answered. “After classes, the Gryffindor jocks left me to babysit,” he added
“We don’t need babysitting!” Ryder answered,
“It is I who does not need babysitting, I don’t know about you though,” Mikhail suddenly said, not lifting his head from the book he was reading. The other two laughed at Mikha and Ryder’s bickering,
“Oh before I forgot,” Ryder started, “I actually saw Sebastian in the Slytherin common room, he’s holding his camera,”
Something clicked in Max’s mind after he heard that. During summer, Sebastian bought an old film camera and ever since then, he has been sending Max photographs of random things, which despite being random, looked so aesthetically pleasing. He then remembered that Sebastian had been wanting to take a photograph of Hogwarts along the Black Lake’s view.
“I think I know where he is,” Max said. He then stood up and was about to leave when he heard Mikhail calling him,
“Where are you going?” Mikhail asked, fully giving his attention to Maximillian,
“I’m going around the Black Lake, Ian’s probably there,” Mikhail then just nodded, still not taking his eyes off until Max reached the huge door.
As Max heads to Black Lake, he passes by the Quidditch field and sees the Gryffindor team flying with their broomsticks as they fly and pass each other the Quaffle. Tristan was monitoring his team and saw Max walking. “Five minutes break everyone!” Tristan yelled at his team. He then flew down and slightly jogged towards the younger. “Hey, Max!” Tristan said,
Max looked towards Tristan, “Oh, hi! I thought you were practicing,”
“I saw you walking alone and we were about to rest too. Where’s Sebastian?”
“I did not see him at the Great Hall, Ryder said he has his camera with him so I reckon he’s taking photographs of the castle near the lake,”
Tristan nodded at what Max said, and then suddenly Sage came towards them. “Hello there my favorite cousin’s love of life,” he said
“He’s your only cousin,” Max said as he laughed at what the other had said,
“He can be my cousin and my enemy, but he’s not so–” Sage cut himself as he showed himself shrugging, as he does not have a choice having Sebastian as his cousin. “He hasn’t come back yet?” Sage then asked,
“No, he said we’ll have lunch together and I did not see him at the table with Nathan,” Max said, trying not to sound disappointed,
“I actually saw him passing by here too, I guess he’s with a professor,” Sage said
“A professor? Which professor?” Max then inquired, sounding a bit too curious
“Professor Austin? I cannot be mistaken. I know how that man dresses up,”
It was now Tristan’s time to laugh, “Yeah, that man is a bit dramatic with his wardrobe. Despite the weather blazing hot, the amount of fabric that he wears is ridiculous,”
That is true. Professor Austin is their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and the way he dresses is, let’s say, marvelous. It is the modern age of the wizarding world, yet the way he dresses is as if he’s still in the early 20th century. Well, their other professors have their own fashion sense too. Some still wear dresses and robes on a daily basis as they teach all the students, it’s just that there is something with Professor Austin that they cannot point out.
“Why hasn’t he come back yet?” Sage said,
“I see, maybe they’re still at the lake. I’ll just check too,” Max said. Tristan and Sage waved their hands as they watched Max walk towards the direction of the Black Lake. Max is sure that he will see his boyfriend there, taking pictures of the scenery and he will talk non-stop about what he captures or how his day went, typical Sebastian who always follows him and never stops his stories unless he’s done.
Except that is not what he saw as he arrived.
Max saw Sebastian lying down a tree. He fastened his pace towards where Sebastian is, feeling his heart suddenly beating faster as if he just run to where he is right now. When he reached the older one, he shook its body to wake him. “Sebastian,” Max called him. Sebastian looks serene while sleeping, but Max still had his heart beating and cold sweat was dripping from his face. “Sebastian, wake up!” his nervousness will not be removed unless Sebastian opens his eyes.
Relief washed down on him as Sebastian’s eyes fluttered open. Sebastian lifted himself up and looked around. “I was asleep?” he asked, still sounding sleepy,
“Yes, you idiot! How can you sleep in a place like this” Max said after he slapped Sebastian’s arm, “I know that you can suddenly sleep wherever you are but seriously? Here?! What if a magical creature snatches you to the water? This place is even near the Forbidden Forest!”
Sebastian chuckled at what his boyfriend was going on about. Well, he admits that it is his fault and Max has the very right to be mad and scold him. He just finds the other cute when he is ranting like this.
“There’s nothing to laugh about Sebastian Park!”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Sebastian said, as he grabbed Max’s arm towards him and he immediately wrapped the younger in his arms, “I did not realize I fell asleep while looking at the scenery,” he added as he kissed Max’s temple,
“I thought you were with Professor Austin?”
“Hmm, yes. We were actually chatting about the global wizarding war that happened before until we reached the lake,”
“Global wizarding war? Isn’t that part for History of Magic? He is not the professor for that course,”
“He’s actually a bit fond of history. He was actually asking where the Park family stood during those times. I was honest to say that we still were probably in Korea at that time. Besides, Mom and Dad never really talked about ancestors and stuff,”
Right, Sebastian is a history nerd. It is given that he is from an ancient pureblood name, so Max was not actually surprised by that.
Sebastian then stood up and offered his hand to Max. Max held it and used it as leverage to stand. He saw the dried leaves that were attached to Sebastian’s hair which he immediately removed. As he was doing it, he did not fail to notice something.
“What happened to your hair?” Max asked as he touched a part of Sebastian’s hair where some strands were shorter.
“Why?”
“You slept too much to the point where you left some strands?” Max said as he looked around and at the place where Sebastian rested his head.
“I did have a haircut before the semester started, maybe the barber cut some of my hair too short,”
Max nodded, still removing some leaves out of Sebastian’s hair. The older looks at him fondly as he watches Max fix his hair. He cannot stop himself but smile and it does not escape the younger’s attention. “What?” he asked,
“Nothing,” Sebastian said and left a kiss on the other’s lips.
“Can you all stop being gross in front of me?”
It is weekend. The majority of the students during this time chose to go to Hogsmeade, some chose to study, while the others stayed at their dormitories. It is mind-baffling indeed why seven students from different houses chose to have a picnic near the school lake.
It was not their choice though. Tristan and Jonathan want to visit a coffee shop in the village. Mikhail wants to study in the library and where Mikhail is, Sage will definitely be there. Ryder wanted to stay at the Slytherin tower but eventually got bored so he looked for Tristan. Finally, the root of why they are all there today is Sebastian.
Sebastian failed to take photos at the time he visited the lake so he decided that this weekend he would finally get it. The first one he managed to persuade was his boyfriend obviously. When Max was getting ready to head out of the dormitory, he saw Mikhail lying down on his bed, reading a book about magical creatures. It was when Maximillian got an idea.
“Do you know that they are speculating that the Kraken is in the Black Lake?” he said. Mikhail looked up, listening to what Max was saying, “They also said that it is full of mermaids, merman, and other aquatic magical creatures,”
That is how he got Mikhail to come with him and of course, Sage came with them. It is as if he cannot breathe without Mikhail by his side. Along the way, they saw Jonathan. He said he was about to go to Hogsmeade with Tristan. When he asked where they were going, Max said
“A picnic!”
“You didn’t say it is a picnic,” Mikhail said but Max immediately shushed him.
“Okay, that is suspicious,” Jonathan said, “But I think we’ll just follow after we buy some snacks,” They then handed Jonathan some money for them to order their snacks.
Now, here they are in front of the lake. Sitting while eating their snack while Ryder is being grumpy as three couples are in front of him. “You can eat while not being chummy with each other,” Ryder said
Sebastian and Max are peacefully eating, Tristan and Jonathan seem to have their own world, while Sage is lying down on Mikhail’s legs while the latter is reading.
“This is definitely a scam,” Mikhail said, eyes not leaving from the book.
“Hey! I did not lie about the creatures living in the Black Lake,” Max defended himself, “And I also said it is a picnic, we have a picnic,” he added, presenting their setup as if he was the one who organized everything
“A spontaneous one, we even have to transfigure the leaves into a blanket,” Jonathan said
“What are we supposed to do here again?” It was Tristan who asked
“Exactly nothing! Well if you are interested in watching Sebastian being a frustrated photographer then be his guest,” Sage said,
“Don’t talk as if you did not just ask if you could borrow my camera,” Sebastian retorted, picking up his camera to start, “You have to torture me first before you can borrow it,”
“Hey! You said I can borrow it! I made a deal to take a photo of you when we’re not against each other at Quidditch,” Sage protested. Sebastian, the mature one that he is, stuck his tongue out to his cousin to mock him. He then walked near the edge where a steep slope is, he carefully walked while holding his camera as he looked for a better angle.
“Sebastian, don’t take photos near the edge, the soil might be slippery,” Max said, worrying that his boyfriend would step onto something soft and fall down the lake
“I would definitely laugh if he fell,” Ryder said. He then zipped his mouth when Max looked at him full of daggers.
Sebastian took a lot of photos while the others were doing their own business. Some stray of sunlight reaches them as they are covered with huge trees that are placed around the lake. The soft breeze of autumn air is embracing them and the sound of leaves rustling playing in their ears. The soft sound coming from the click of Sebastian’s camera blends with the whistle of the wind.
“Everyone, I will take your photos,” Sebastian said, facing his friends while pointing the lens of the camera at them. Everyone smiled at the camera, waiting for Sebastian to click it. When they heard the soft sound of the shutter, they looked at him for a moment then got back to their previous endeavors.
Sebastian was about to go back to his seat when he realized that he was missing something. He checked his pockets for the thing he was looking for but he did not feel it. “What is it?” Max asked, immediately noticing his boyfriend’s distress,
“The cover for my lens,” Sebastian said as he continued searching in his pockets, “I think I dropped it somewhere,”
He looked around, he was so sure that it is only there because he just removed the cover when he stood up to take his photos. When he was about to get his wand to summon it, he spotted a circular plastic near the edge.
“Found it,” he said, as he was about to reach for the cover, he felt something soft at his feet. He was about to react but things had gotten so fast that he didn’t immediately know what was happening.
“Sebastian!” Max shouted. Mikhail immediately dropped his book at his side when he heard Max scream. Sage also stood up as he heard his cousin’s name and what seemed to be a huge rock falling along with a loud splash. Except that it was not a huge rock. It was Sebastian who fell. Tristan ran towards where Sebastian was previously standing, wand at hand and ready to cast a spell to lift his friend up. Mikhail immediately dragged Max away from where Sebastian fell, afraid that the soil was still soft and would also cause Max to fall. Sage followed Tristan but he felt cold when he did not see his cousin.
“No! Sebastian!” Max shouted as he tried to free himself from Mikhail’s arms.
“Maximillian, wait! You might also fall!” Mikhail said while Jonathan was by his side trying to calm Max down.
But Maximillian is strong too, he managed to escape Mikhail’s clutches and he ran towards where Sebastian was standing. But he saw nothing.
Just the Black Lake being calm. The total opposite of what he is feeling.