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Chapter Text

Viktor’s first glimpse of the Wizarding World came when he was eleven. At the time, he was living in an orphanage in Bristol, isolated from the world around him. The other children shunned him, taunting him for his cane and dangling his food just out of reach. As a result, he grew up malnourished and weak, waiting for the day he would die in his sleep.
Then, he came.
The man was short, half Viktor’s height, with poofy orange hair and a big mustache. He wore a leather bag slung over his shoulder and waddled into Viktor’s life one late August morning.
“Good morning, my boy!” he shouted as Viktor lay in bed, pulling him out of slumber. “I am Professor Cecil B. Heimerdinger, and it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”
Bleary-eyed, Viktor pushed himself up. “What? Professor… Cecil?”
“Well, if you’re going to use my first name, just Cecil will do.”
“My apologies, Professor.”
“Do not worry, my boy! You may call me whatever suits you,” Cecil told him jovially. “I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”
“Witchcraft? I am afraid you have the wrong boy. I am no wizard. I do not have a coven,” Viktor responded.
Cecil shook his head. “No, my boy! You are a wizard, and will become one of the highest power with the proper training.”
He handed him an envelope. “This is all you need to secure it. Open it!”
Viktor did so, slowly peeling the envelope as to not rip it. Inside was a letter and a supply list. He read them and turned to Cecil, frowning.
“I do not have the money for this. I will not be able to attend Hogwarts.”
Cecil smiled and fished a small satchel out of his bag. “We use different currency in the Wizarding World, and all Muggleborn students are given a small fund to purchase supplies.”
“Muggleborn?”
“Born of Muggles. Non-magical people.”
“Are you sure I am not a Muggle? I have nothing special about me.”
“That is because in our world, you are normal. Get dressed, Viktor. I will take you to purchase your school supplies.”
Cecil waddled out of the room, leaving Viktor to wonder how he knew his name- and why the letter was addressed perfectly.

Jayce woke up on his eleventh birthday- August 30- with vigor. Today was the day he would get his Hogwarts letter.
Both of his parents were semi-prominent politicians, mainly known for their radical stance on combining Muggle science and magic, and he grew up in an inventor’s home. The more conservative members of the Ministry warned that they would bear a squib as punishment for their “crimes”, but Jayce was a perfectly capable magician- at least, as much as he could be without a wand. That would all change today. He’d go to Diagon Alley, to the wandsmith, and he would show everyone in the Ministry that he could do exactly what other wizards could- and could do them better.
“Mum! Dad!” he called, running down the stairs of their manor house, “It’s my birthday!”
His parents met him at the foot of the stairs, pinching his cheeks and ruffling his hair.
“Yes it is! You’re so big now,” his mother cooed. “Dad made you a special breakfast. Want to come see?”
“Yes! What is it?”
“Well, you’ll just have to go to the kitchen,” his father chuckled.
Jayce ran to the kitchen and peered over the table. “It’s just presents.”
“We’ll be eating in Diagon Alley!” his father announced. “Your breakfast here is your family’s love.”
“Can we eat at the Leaky Cauldron? They have the best hash!”
Smiling, his mother nodded. “Of course. Now, come on and open them, some of these are from your gran and we have no idea what she sent.”
“Wait,” he said. “Where’s my letter?”
His father reached behind ear. “What’s that? Accio letter!”
The letter flew out from behind a vase and into his father’s hand, where he proudly presented it to his son.
“Happy birthday, Jayce.”

Cecil and Viktor did not fly to the mysterious Wizarding school shopping location.
They took the tube.
“This is quite fascinating,” Cecil proclaimed as he ran a hand across the metal architecture. “How I love the Muggle world.”
Viktor clutched his cane and nodded. “It is everything I have ever known.”
Every time the robotic voice announced the station they would arrive at next, Cecil listened intently and nodded. Finally, he smiled.
“This is our station, my boy! Out we go!”
They scooted out of the station and into London, walking until they came across a dingy pub.
“Is this condemned?” Viktor asked. Cecil shook his head and pointed to the sign, which had been empty. Now, it was emblazoned with the words ‘The Leaky Cauldron’.
“And now, in we go.” Cecil said with a twinkle in his eye.
They entered, and Viktor was amazed to see the pub full of life. People of all kinds sat in tables, at the bar, or stood chatting. Walking past the bar, the bartender waved at Cecil.
“Professor Heimerdinger! Welcome back. It’s almost school season, eh? Who’s that with you?”
“This is Viktor,” Cecil told him.
He looked Viktor up and down and gave a gap-toothed smile. “Well, maybe some magic’ll fatten him up and put some life back in that leg. Come by anytime, son, food’s on the house ‘till you get some meat on those bones.”
Viktor nodded. “Thank you, sir.”
“Oh, no need for all that. Call me Vander.”
“We’ll come back after we shop, Vander,” Cecil interrupted. “It’s about time for the last-minute rush, and Viktor needs many things.”
“Of course, Professor. I’ll save a whiskey for you.”
They walked out of the pub and into a courtyard, where Cecil took a magic wand out of his bag and tapped bricks in a pattern.
“Will I need to memorize this?” Viktor asked. Cecil laughed and patted his hand.
“It will become second nature. Now look, my boy!”
Viktor glanced at where there had once been a brick wall. Now, there was a bustling alleyway.
“Welcome to Diagon Alley!” Cecil told him.
They entered the alley, and Viktor’s attention was drawn to different locations rapidly. There was a shop with owls and other pets, a gaggle of children around a shop labeled “Quidditch”, and a green fireplace that people kept stumbling out of.
“What is that?” he asked, pointing to the fireplace.
“That is the Floo network,” Cecil responded. “Would you like to look?”
He nodded, and they wound their way to the fireplace. Nobody was coming out of it, and the fire was a normal orange, so Viktor leaned in to inspect it.
“Careful-” Cecil warned, cut off as the fire turned green again. Viktor jumped backward, but landed without his cane and fell to the floor. He looked to the fireplace, wondering who would come out of it.
“Jayce Talis!” a woman said, stepping out, “Come on. I know you don’t like the Floo, but this is the only way until we get you a broom.”
Cecil chuckled. “Mrs. Talis! Wonderful to see you here.”
“Professor Heimerdinger. What are you doing in Diagon Alley?”
“I-”
He was cut off again, this time as a boy around Viktor’s age stepped out and coughed. He looked around, and his eyes landed on Viktor on the floor.
“Merlin! Let me help you up,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m sorry if I knocked you over.”
Viktor shook his head, but accepted the hand. “It is alright. You are Jayce Talis, I presume?”
The boy- Jayce- blushed. “I guess you heard Mum?”
“It is okay. I would be afraid of the Floo, as well.”
“Have you never used it?” he asked, eyes wide. Viktor nodded.
“I am- ah- Muggleborn.”
Jayce nodded. “Mum, can we take him in the Floo?”
Mrs. Talis laughed, gesturing to his cane (still on the floor). “Jayce, I think the poor boy needs that before we can take him anywhere. And he is in the care of Professor Heimerdinger, so it would be up to him.”
“Professor Heimerdinger?” Jayce asked, looking down. “Oh! Hello, sir.”
“Hello, my boy. I have heard wonderful things about you from your parents, so I expect greatness when you come to Hogwarts,” he responded, then turning to Mrs. Talis. “Xiemena, why don’t we shop together? The boys can bond, and it would be lovely to talk to you about your advances with Muggle technology.”
Mrs. Talis smiled. “I would love that.”
Cecil nodded, picked up Viktor’s cane, and handed it to him. “Let’s go, my boys! We have much to purchase.”
Jayce cleared his throat. “And we need to eat.”

Viktor returned to the orphanage that night with a full stomach, a full bag of school supplies (left with Jayce for safekeeping), more money than he had ever touched in his entire life- one Galleon and three Sickles, though he didn’t know what that meant (nor the conversion rates), and two new friends- Cecil and Jayce.

Jayce returned to his home carrying a load of bags and a full heart. As he fell asleep, he found his thoughts drifting to Viktor. If they were friends now- and he was pretty sure they were- he wanted to do something good for him. Something that would make his heart flutter just as Jayce’s did when he first saw him.
Something perfect.

Chapter Text

“Viktor! Wake the actual fuck up!”
It had been four years since Jayce and Viktor had first attended Hogwarts. To their dismay, they were placed in different houses- Viktor in Ravenclaw and Jayce in Hufflepuff. They still had classes together, though, studied together, and took trips to Hogsmeade together.
“Viktorrrr…”
And then there was Jinx.
She was eccentric and- to those who didn’t know her- mildly terrifying. Somehow, she found her way into the boys’ dorms to wake Viktor up and drag him to breakfast one day in second year, and had done that every morning since.
“I am getting up. Move,” he told her. She shot him a rude gesture, but moved out of the way for him to get his cane. As he shuffled to get his clothes, she plopped down on his bed and pulled out a metal construct.
“I’ve been playing with fire spells recently,” Jinx announced. “And if I put this on the end of my wand, it looks like a dragon.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Well, what if we figured out how to harness wandless magic and made an army of tiny fire-spitting dragons?”
Viktor turned away and began to walk toward the bathroom. “We will not use magic for armies, Jinx. Even toy armies.”
He closed the door to the bathroom, but could still hear her voice.
“Fine. You should talk to Talis about this, though. He’s smart enough to know wandless, and I think it would be useful.”
“He wouldn’t teach you.”
“I know he doesn’t like me, dipshit. Get him to teach you, and you can teach me!”
“Why do you think he would teach me?”
“He loves you, Viktor,” Jinx trilled. “He’d do anything for you. Why do you think you have that cool-ass cane?”
In third year, Jayce had purchased a Muggle cane and spelled it until it made walking nearly painless. When Cecil found out that Jayce had done this, he pulled them both aside and advised them to be careful. Many wizards didn’t take kindly to Muggle technology, even things as harmless as canes. Combining them with magic was the sin that had gotten Jayce’s parents shamed in the public eye.
“I will consider it,” Viktor responded, stepping out of the bathroom. “What time is it?”
Jinx rolled her eyes and waved her wand. “Why don’t you just cast Tempus?”
As she said it, the time appeared in front of her.
“Because I do not like wasting magic.”
“Your magic won’t run out, Viktor. It’s not a well. It’s a bottomless sack! It’s also 7:30, so we need to go to breakfast. Come on.”

Jayce did not wake up in his bed.
“Fuck,” he whispered. He was still on the couch in the Gryffindor common room, where his girlfriend of a year- Mel Medarda- lay with her head next to his.
He wasn’t even in his own common room.
Oh, how Viktor would laugh. The other boy always told him that he was too smart for his own good, so much so that it bordered on stupidity. This was another one of those scenarios.
Jayce cast Tempus, reading that it was 7:30. He shook Mel awake.
“It’s time for breakfast,” he told her. She cocked her head, but her eyes widened as soon as she realized where they were.
“Did we sleep here?” she asked.
“Yes. Can we just go to breakfast, please?”
She grimaced. “Merlin, my mother will kill us.”
“I know,” he responded. “Promise you’ll find me when we’re ghosts, though.”
“I won’t be a ghost. But yes, we can go to breakfast.”
They rolled off the couch and smoothed their clothes. It was unbecoming of both Talises and Medardas to wear the same clothes two days in a row, but they were teenagers. It was excusable.
“This is not your common room,” a nearby painting sang as they saw them walk out of the portrait.
Jayce nodded. “I know. I’ll do better.”
The painting scoffed and waved them away. As they made their way to the Great Hall, Jayce heard the familiar sounds of Viktor and Jinx coming their way. A soft-spoken male voice that was barely audible accompanied by a loud girl’s shouting about a topic that had nothing to do with the last thing she had said floated around the corner, and Jayce held out a hand to stop Mel.
“Hey, Vik,” he called. “Let’s walk together.”
He heard Jinx’s groan before Viktor’s answer.
“Of course, Jayce. Tell your girlfriend to go ahead, I do not want to keep her.”
“It’s okay, I can wait,” Mel responded.
Jinx and Viktor rounded the corner, and Viktor’s eyes swept up and down Jayce and Mel.
“You have not changed clothes,” he noticed. “Jayce. Did you not return to your room last night?”
“I fell asleep on the couch in Gryffindor,” he admitted. Viktor shook his head but offered him a smile.
“Well, Viktor, guess you’re the smart one here,” Jinx commented. “Now let’s go. I’m hungry.”
The group walked to the Great Hall, parting as soon as they entered to walk to their tables. Jinx and Viktor went together, as they were in the same house, and Jayce had to hide his jealousy. He had been friends with Viktor first, and was arguably a better friend. But the stupid Sorting Hat had to put him in Hufflepuff. It could have at least put him in Gryffindor with Mel.
He didn’t really have any friends in Hufflepuff. A lot of people knew him and liked him, but he didn’t know anybody. That popularity had only risen when he had joined the Hufflepuff Quidditch team as a beater and had beaten the school record for successful hits of the bludger. Hufflepuff hadn’t been a noticed house, but thanks to him it had risen in the ranks. Some people brought banners to Quidditch games that shouted “JAYCE - MAN OF PROGRESS”. Still, he had Viktor and Mel. Jinx didn’t like him. He didn’t know who to trust, so he chose not to trust anyone. At first, it wasn’t a problem, but he had become lonely.
Sighing, he helped himself to breakfast. Friends… If he had been younger, if his classmates had been younger, maybe he could just talk to them. But now everyone had a clique and didn’t want outsiders, even the Man of Progress.
At least he had Viktor. Even if he was friends with Jinx, too, he still had him.
Jayce was ashamed to say that Mel was an afterthought when he thought about friends. He cared about her, she was his girlfriend, but Viktor was at the forefront of his mind. It had always been that way. Viktor always came first.
He looked around the hall, trying to find Viktor. When he finally located him, he felt like crying. Someone new was talking to him, someone Jayce didn’t know.
Why did Viktor make friends so effortlessly?
Did he even think of Jayce in the same way Jayce thought of him? Maybe Jayce didn’t come first to him.
Then, Viktor looked up and made eye contact with him and all doubts fled his mind.
Those eyes could send anything away.

Viktor had no idea why this girl was talking to him.
“We’re in the same house, and you’re really smart, so maybe… we could walk together and discuss magic sometime?” she was saying. “Or study together?”
“I study with Jayce,” he responded. “My apologies, but I do not plan to change that at any time.”
“Jayce? Oh, the Hufflepuff? That’s cool. We could still walk together, though.”
“What is your name? I cannot walk with anyone who I do not know.”
She smiled and adjusted her glasses. “I’m Sky Young. I normally sit on the other side of the table, but I saw this seat was empty and wanted to talk to you.”
“Why?”
“Because I think we can talk about a lot. Every mistake I make, you make too and then promptly fix. I want to learn why you can do that. Is it just an aptitude for magic? Did your parents teach you that?”
He grimaced. “I do not have parents. I imagine it is being willing to fail. If I think something may work, I will try it, even if it does not have a high success rate.”
Sky nodded. “It always works for you, though. How do you do that?”
“It does not always work. I simply know how to fix my mistakes outside of class.”
“Ah, so you practice?”
“I correct myself. Jayce helps when we study. He is truly the mastermind behind my skills. You should be speaking with him.”
“I think there’s more to your skills than just Jayce. You’re good at magic, Viktor. Maybe, if you’ll practice with me, we can both become better. I have a lifetime of magic experience behind me, and you have genius.”
Sky stuck out her hand and smiled at him.
“We can work together. As partners.”
Viktor pushed her hand aside. “I have a partner already. Jayce. He and I will work together, though I appreciate your offer.”
The smile fell from her face, but she pasted it back on after a second. “Can I still sit here?”
“Go ahead. I never said you may not speak with me.”
Jinx cleared her throat. “Are you done?”
“Yes, Jinx. What do you have to say?”
“I just wanted to say that the role of genius girl best friend is filled already. So, Young, if you’re looking for that, you’ll have to fight me.”
Viktor raised a hand. “Calm down. I am sure that your position is not in danger. Do not fight.”
Sky laughed. “I’m not coming for you, Jinx. I just want to be scholarly friends with Viktor. You’re safe.”
Jinx blinked and shrugged. “Oh. Well, still.”
“I’m curious about you, too, Jinx,” Sky added. “You’re like the Ravenclaw cryptid. How did you learn to get into the boys’ dorm undetected? And you can make metal machines so well, like a Muggle. Did you get trained in that when you were younger?”
Jinx shook her head. “I’m not telling you shit, Young. I don’t know you well enough for that.”
“That’s okay, too. I’m mainly curious about Viktor.”
Viktor grimaced. It was clear Sky and Jinx would be at odds with each other for as long as they were speaking.
“I have noticed neither of you eating much,” he commented. “If you continue that, I will levitate the food into your mouth.”
Jinx rolled her eyes but piled food onto her plate. Sky glanced around the table and poured herself a bowl of cereal. Silence. Glorious, blissful silence.
Finally, Viktor had peace.

Chapter Text

“Who were you talking to at breakfast?” Jayce asked as he and Viktor sat at their adjacent desks in Transfiguration, waiting for the professor to enter.
“Sky Young. She has decided that I will be her new scholarly friend. She even invited me to be partners with her.”
“Partners? Isn’t that a little soon?”
Viktor shrugged. “I told her that my partner role was filled by you. I do not need another.”
“Vik,” Jayce said, stifling a laugh, “I thought you meant romantic partners. I really hope she didn’t think that, too.”
“Why?”
“Well, I’m with Mel. And I don’t want rumors to spread about… us. We’re best friends, and men of the future. We’re not gay.”
“I am sure Sky does not see us in that way. You do not need to worry. After you fell asleep with Mel, I am also sure that the entire school will know about your relationship tomorrow.”
“If you say so. Oh, is that Sky?”
Viktor looked to where Jayce was pointing. It was, in fact, Sky entering the room. She saw him pointing and waved at them.
“Wave back!” Jayce hissed, bumping Viktor. He did so, and a smile broke out on her face.
“I do not understand why people keep talking to me. I forget to wave back at them when they see me,” Viktor stated matter-of-factly. Jayce shrugged, and was about to answer when the teacher, Professor Cassandra Kiramman, entered. The woman was strict, but effective, and by the time students had reached their fourth year (like Jayce and Viktor) they knew to behave in her class.
That day’s lesson was a lecture on the properties of species-switching. Viktor eagerly took notes, not paying attention to anything around him, and before he knew it the period was over. He and Jayce shouldered their bags and exited the classroom, walking to their next period, when they heard a small cough directly behind them. They looked backward and found Sky standing there.
“Hi,” she said. “Can I walk with you?”
Viktor glanced at Jayce, who nodded encouragingly. “You may.”
“Great! Jayce, I have some questions for you.”
Jayce smiled and moved aside so she could walk between them. Viktor glanced at the spot he had just been, now filled by Sky.
“So,” she began, “Viktor says you’re the brain behind your magical skills.”
He chuckled and smiled at Viktor. “You said that?”
Viktor looked away. “It is true. I follow your ideas. You make progress, I follow orders.”
“Well, the ideas are half yours. They’re all based on comments you make.”
Sky nodded. “So you’re both the brains. Can I help you out with that? I’d like to learn as much as I can, whenever I can.”
Jayce shrugged. “Vik?”
“We have not had a lab session since last year. If we wished to do so again, we could use an assistant.”
“Assistant?” Sky asked. “What would that mean?”
“You would keep notes for us as we test out different methods to cast spells,” Viktor explained. “We would do the actual magic, but I suppose you could learn from our failures.”
“And successes,” Jayce reminded him.
“And successes.”
Sky nodded. “I would love to do that for you!”
“Then you’re in,” Jayce told her. “Our assistant, Miss Young.”
“Sky is fine. We’re not adults yet, so there’s no need to act like them.”
“Alright. Our assistant, Sky!”

Before the first revitalized lab session, Jayce had Quidditch practice. The Hufflepuff and Gryffindor teams had arranged a joint practice session, something to get both teams used to playing with a full team instead of split down the middle. The Gryffindor team had the youngest captain in the last few years- a fourth-year named Violet.
When the two teams met on the field and the captains shook hands, Jayce got his first real glance at her. Both had been playing for several years, but she- the other team’s beater- had never truly been in his view. Sure, he had paid attention to her, but she had been on the other end of the field.
“Well, if it isn’t the Man of Progress,” she said, notifying him that she’d seen him staring. “Like what you see?”
Jayce shrugged. “I’m not really into muscles.”
She laughed loudly and clapped him on the back. “I like you. Talis, right?”
“You can just call me Jayce.”
“Alright, Talis. Well, I’m Vi. Talk more after practice, ‘kay?”
He nodded and ran over to where is team stood- clear on the other end of the field.
“Canoodling with the enemy, Talis?” his captain asked.
“Sorry. I guess it was… gathering intel?”
“Well, don’t. We need your head in the game, not on a girl.”
“I have a- fine. Let’s go.”

After the practice session was over- a very sweaty practice session, given that both teams were trying their hardest to show off all their skills, Jayce and Vi walked back to the school together.
“So, you’re friends with that Viktor kid?” Vi asked, stretching as they walked.
“Yeah. He’s my best friend.”
“He keeps some… interesting company.”
Jayce cocked his head. “Jinx?”
“Pah. My sister,” Vi admitted.
“Really? You don’t seem like her at all.”
“She’s different from the rest of our family. I don’t wanna get into it, but yeah. We like to pretend we don’t know each other.”
“So why are you telling me?”
“Because I feel like it,” she said, shrugging. “I’m in a sharing mood, Talis.”
“Jayce.”
“Right, Talis.”
Jayce grimaced, giving up. Vi was clearly not going to call him by his first name. Maybe that was a thing the sisters had in common. Both referred to him as ‘Talis’.
“So, what do you do besides Quidditch?” he asked.
Vi laughed. “Nothing. How do you think I got promoted so young? Life is bleak, Talis.”
As they walked, they passed a Slytherin girl that Jayce didn’t know. Vi gave her a small wave, and then flipped her off with a smile.
“Who’s that?”
Vi sighed. “Professor Kiramman’s daughter. Her name’s Caitlyn.”
“Why’d you flip her off?”
“You sure ask a lot of questions. It’s nothing, really, I just… like her, I guess.”
“So you flip her off?”
“Yeah, what would you do? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.”
“Would you flip me off?” Jayce asked, now curious.
“What?”
“Well, you said you liked me on the field.”
“Oh, my sweet baby,” Vi chuckled. “No. I like her, like her.”
Jayce’s eyes widened. Oh.
“So… you’re a lesbian?” he whispered.
“Don’t need to whisper, I’m sure everyone knows.”
“What’s it like?”
“The fuck you mean, what’s it like? Same as your straight ass, I get crushes and I pursue them.”
“But like… isn’t it different?”
“No. You and I are the same, Talis. We both like women. My interest and yours isn’t any different, except that I know what they like,” she told him with a wink.
“Oh.”
“Lost for words, Talis? That’s okay. Silence is good, too.”
He offered her a smile, and she returned a smirk. They continued their march to the school in silence, parting with a tentative yet firm handshake.
“Good to meet you, Talis. I look forward to our friendship.”
“Nice to meet you too, Vi.”
As he walked back to the Hufflepuff common room, he hoped Viktor would understand if he was a bit late. He needed to shower.

Chapter Text

Viktor and Sky waited for half an hour before Jayce walked into the room they had agreed to meet in.
“Sorry I’m late,” he told them. “I had to shower.”
“It is okay,” Viktor responded. “We must get to work now. What spell should we work on today?”
Sky raised her hand. “Maybe you could try some species-switching?”
“We only know the theory for that,” Viktor cautioned. “That is dangerous.”
“Well, let’s try it!” Jayce decided. “Do you know the bird-conjuring charm?”
“That is a sixth-year spell.”
Jayce shrugged. “Well, it can’t be that hard. I’ve seen my mom do it. Avis!”
A severed head plopped down in front of the group, eliciting a shriek from Sky.
“What is that?” she asked.
Viktor shook his head. “A side effect. Write that down, Sky. And Jayce…”
Jayce’s eyes widened and he put up both his hands in innocence.
“This is what happens when we copy the magic we see our parents do. It is a sixth-year spell for a reason.”
“I’m never casting that again…”
“I will cast it for you in the future.”
Jayce smiled at him and put his hand on his shoulder. “You’re great, Vik.”
“Yes, glorious. Now, we must try again.”
“What?”
“Avis!”
A single bird flew out of Viktor’s wand, though it promptly fell to the floor.
“Vik!” Jayce shouted. “You did it on your first try!”
Viktor looked down at the bird. “I think I conjured it with a broken wing.”
They glanced to Sky, who was frantically writing everything down, and then back to the bird.
“We can still try to transfigure it,” Jayce said. Viktor nodded.
“Yes. You try this time, since I have had my success.”
Jayce blanched. “But you said it yourself! We only know the theory. You’re better at magic, you should try.”
“I am no better at magic than you. We are both the brains, as Sky said. You must believe in yourself.”
“No. We already had our lab session, let’s go back to our dorms and sleep. I don’t want to do any more magic tonight.”
Viktor nodded, though he was a bit confused about the sudden change in Jayce’s demeanor. Why would the boy, who usually loved magic, back away?
“Alright. What do we do with the bird?”
Jayce shrugged. “Can you transfigure it into something inanimate? Something we know?”
“Vera Verto,” Viktor said, waving his wand. The bird morphed into a goblet that Viktor stuffed in his bag.
Jayce gave a half-hearted smile and gently tapped him on the shoulder. “See you tomorrow, Vik.”
“Goodbye, Jayce.”
Viktor and Sky watched as Jayce walked to the door, turning back as he was about to exit.
“Bye, Sky. Thanks for being our assistant.”
She nodded and waved as he left. Then, she turned to Viktor.
“I assume it doesn’t always go like this?” she asked.
“No, it does not,” Viktor affirmed. “This was unusual. I will speak to him tomorrow and find out why he is behaving like this.”
“Good luck. Walk back together?”
“Okay.”
The two exited the room, walking through the familiar maze of halls to their common room.
“See you tomorrow,” Sky said as they parted to enter their dorms. “At breakfast.”
“Yes. Goodnight, Sky.”
“Goodnight, Viktor.”
Viktor climbed the stairs to his room, shared with three boys he didn’t know well. They all seemed to be friends, except him. He imagined if he were Jayce, they’d all love him, but he was Viktor. Jayce and Jinx were his only friends- and Sky a new acquaintance. He didn’t mind. It was a large improvement from his time in Bristol, where he had nobody. Bristol was at the back of his mind, as he spent summers with Jayce (with Cecil’s blessing) and hadn’t returned in several years. He had brought everything he owned with him to Hogwarts, so there was nothing to pick up and bring to Jayce’s home. At first, he had slept in the same room as him, but after the second summer Mr. and Mrs. Talis gave him his own room. He never felt like a member of the family, nor did they ever try to include him as such, but rather a valued guest. He didn’t need anything more from them- thinking of Jayce as family felt wrong.
The boys in his room nodded at him in greeting, and he nodded back- something he had learned from Jayce. It had taken time, but he had learned how to appear friendly to those around him and show that his intentions were not to hurt them. Jayce had taught him all of those skills.
Jayce…
Viktor would need to talk to him tomorrow. Something was not right, and he would get to the bottom of it.
Resolute, he grabbed his nightclothes and walked over to the bathroom.
“May I use this?” he asked the other boys, who nodded.
“Go ahead, Viktor,” one of them told him.
As he was changing clothes, he realized that this may have been the first time they had spoken.

Viktor awoke with a mission. He would ambush Jayce and force him to talk about why he had shut down the lab session. This was not like him, and Viktor would figure out why.
The other boys were still asleep as Viktor padded to the bathroom and pulled on his uniform. Its multiple layers were time-consuming, but at least he left it simple. Jinx had adorned her uniform with patches and pins, even going as far as to paint designs on it. When she was called into a professor’s office to be reprimanded, she had pointed out that she was technically not breaking dress code- nowhere did it say that uniforms could not be modified. Thus, she escaped without punishment and was now easily able to be picked out in a crowd- if her long blue hair didn’t do that already.
Finally finishing, Viktor exited the bathroom and made his way to the Hufflepuff common room. He didn’t know how to get in, so he waited outside.
“Jinx, what time is it?” he asked. Nobody answered.
Right. Jinx was sleeping on the girls’ side of the dorm. He should have gotten her to come with him.
As soon as he thought that, he recanted it. This was private, between him and Jayce. He stared at the barrels, wondering how students could fit into them. His answer came as the barrels slid aside for a student to exit.
This was his chance.
Viktor moved as fast as he could, attempting to enter before the barrels slid closed. No luck. The student turned around and smiled sadly at him.
“Trying to get in?”
“I have a friend,” Viktor explained. “I must speak with him.”
The student shook their head. “I can’t let you in. But I’m not in a hurry. Who is it?”
“Jayce Talis.”
They gave him a thumbs-up. “I’ll get him. Turn around.”
Viktor did so, and did not turn back until they came back, a sleepy Jayce in hand.
“Thank you,” he told them. They nodded.
“Anytime. Good luck with your friend.”
As soon as they were out of earshot, Viktor placed a hand on Jayce’s shoulder.
“What was going on yesterday?” he asked. “I have never seen you like this. You love magic. Tell me.”
Jayce yawned. “Merlin, Vik, did this have to be at- Tempus- 6:45 in the morning?”
“Yes.”
A chuckle escaped from the other boy. “You’re insufferable.”
“I apologize.”
“I meant it in a good way, Vik. Are you sure you want to hear about my problems, though? It’s stupid.”
Viktor nodded and tightened his grip on Jayce. “You are my best friend. Your problems are mine, regardless of how stupid.”
“Fine. I guess… I just got scared. I’ve never had magic go that wrong before. A severed head? And then you did it fine on your first attempt. I know you’re a better magician than I am, but that drastic of a difference? I guess I just got kinda upset.”
“A better magician? No, no,” Viktor told him. “That was a sixth-year spell. I did it wrong, too. We are equals, Jayce.”
“I don’t think we are. You’re Muggleborn, and I was raised with magic- yet you manage to do everything at my level or higher.”
“What does my blood status have to do with this?” Viktor asked defensively. Jayce had never brought it up before.
“Nothing- fuck, Vik, I don’t know. Why can’t you just accept that you’re a better wizard than I am?”
“Because we are equals. We are partners. Neither of us is better than the other- we balance each other out. Partners do not care about who is better, so I do not. I want to be a good partner to you, Jayce.”
Something softened in Jayce’s gaze, and he reached up to cover Viktor’s hand.
“I want to be a good partner, too.”
“Then say it. We are equals.”
“Fine. We’re equals, Vik.”
Viktor nodded. “Good. Would you like to return to sleep for the next thirty minutes?”
“No,” Jayce responded. “I’d like to be with you.”
“Alright,” Viktor said, moving his hand away from Jayce’s shoulder. For a second, they stood with their hands intertwined before Jayce’s face reddened and he dropped the other boy’s hand. Viktor thought that was curious- Jayce was not an easily flustered person. He noticed his friend’s eyes wandering to where their hands had been, and then to his shoulder.
“Have you seen Mel recently?” Viktor asked, attempting to break the silence. “How is she?”
Jayce smiled. “I got some food from the kitchens and we had a picnic yesterday. She’s great, I’m really happy with her.”
Viktor nodded, though he felt a pang he could not describe. “That is good.”
They fell back into silence, neither thinking of anything they could say, until Jayce coughed and turned to Viktor.
“Vik?”
“Yes, Jayce?”
“This might be a bit personal, but… don’t you think you and Jinx would be a good match?”
Viktor’s eyes widened in alarm. Him… and Jinx? Together, romantically?
Him with a girl?
The thought was revolting to him- not Jinx specifically, but being with a girl. Why would he want that?
Then again, Jayce and Mel were happy. Viktor knew boys and girls were meant to be drawn together, but he never felt any of that. Maybe it was because he was young, but he just couldn’t understand why he would ever do such a thing.
“No,” he responded eventually. “I do not. Jinx and I are compatible as friends, but I cannot imagine dating her.”
“Fair. I couldn’t imagine dating her either.”
Jayce offered Viktor a smile, easing the tension. Viktor returned it tentatively, still pondering Jinx- and why Jayce would ask him something like that. Why would he care about who Viktor dated? More importantly, why would he suggest he date Jinx?
He pushed it aside. Jayce was clearly still shaken up from conjuring a severed head. Everything would be fine in the end.
“Well,” he began, “would you like to continue this conversation in front of the Great Hall while we wait for breakfast to begin?”
Jayce nodded. “Maybe they’ll let us in early!”
The two boys began their walk to the Great Hall, making light conversation as they did. Today, Viktor decided, had an auspicious beginning.

Jayce was absolutely fucked.
He had held Viktor’s hand for what? A second? And something inside him had stirred. Something that he didn’t want to touch with a twenty-foot pole.
In that moment, he had felt the same way as he did when he first had a crush on Mel.
Something had to be wrong. Maybe his brain was still scrambled from yesterday’s conjuring accident. Viktor was a boy. He couldn’t possibly have feelings for a boy. That was gay, and he was not gay. He had a girlfriend, for Merlin’s sake! Viktor was his best friend, not someone he should have feelings for.
Yet something deep inside him was crying out for attention. Something that wanted nothing more than to grab Viktor’s face and kiss him until they both couldn’t breathe.
What was happening to him?
Maybe the bird-conjuring charm had other side effects, like homosexuality.
He stared at the food in front of him, not wanting to eat any of it. His appetite was far gone. Still, if he lost any weight he might lose some muscle- and that was the opposite of what he wanted. His Quidditch captain had even been talking about putting him on a bulk, so he had to eat something.
He reached for the sausages and loaded several onto his plate. It was less than what he normally ate, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch anything else.
It was after he finished his meal that he realized- sausage was probably the gayest choice he could have made.
Merlin. He really had to get Viktor together with someone- maybe then this would go away.
A smile came to his face as he thought about it. He knew someone who would be perfect for this.

“Why did you ask to meet me?” Sky asked as they walked outside of the castle.
Jayce turned to her and sighed. “I need a favor.”
“Shouldn't you go to Viktor for that?”
“Well… it's about him.”
Sky's eyes widened. “Is something wrong?”
“No, not with him. I just need to ask… do you have feelings for him?”
“What?” she asked, blush coloring her cheeks. “How did you know?”
Perfect.
“Lucky guess. Look, would you ask him out? I think he needs a partner.”
“You're his partner. He made that clear to me.”
“I mean a romantic partner. Just… try?”
She fell silent for a while, but nodded eventually.
“I’ll do it.”
Jayce smiled. “Thank you, Sky.”
“It’s hardly a favor. I should be thankig you for giving me the go-ahead.”
“Of course. You’d be good together”
Sky returned the smile. “Well, let's go back. I need to find him.”
Jayce nodded. Mission success.

Viktor sat in the library, working on his homework for Potions. Professor Singed was a good teacher, even with his penchant for the morbid, but his homework was notoriously difficult.
He had just finished his essay when a familiar voice greeted him. Sky.
“Hey, Viktor!” she said. “I have a question for you.”
“What is it? If it is about lab sessions, I do not know when we will continue them. That would be a question for Jayce, it is dependent on his comfort.”
“No, that's not it. I… I wanted to ask you if you would go out with me.”
Viktor was taken aback. That was sudden. He had known Sky for less than a month. The gears in his head began to turn faster. Being with a girl… Sky was nice, but he couldn’t imagine being with her.
Why?
The answer came clearly. Because she was a girl. He couldn’t date a girl.
“I am sorry, but I cannot.”
Her face fell, and she turned away. “Alright. Good luck studying, Viktor.”
As she left, he began to feel bad. She had been so brave, and he had shot her down. But he stood steadfast. He would not date a girl.

Before Charms began the next day, Viktor and Jayce sat at their adjacent desks (like in every class) and talked.
“Sky confessed to me yesterday,” Viktor told him.
“That’s great! What did you say?”
“I turned her down.”
Jayce’s expression betrayed alarm. “What? Why?”
“I did not have feelings for her.”
“Well, sometimes you have to get closer to get them. Look, just go out with her for a bit. Maybe you’ll reciprocate after you get to know her better.”
Viktor thought about it. Maybe Jayce was right. And what harm could come from trying? It was just like a lab session- an experiment.
“You are right. Excuse me.”
He took his cane and walked over to where Sky sat. She looked up at him and gave a tentative wave.
“Hi, Viktor.”
“Hello, Sky. I have thought about what you asked and spoke to Jayce about it. At his advice, I have decided that I will go out with you to see if I learn to reciprocate your feelings.”
She smiled. “Is this a joke?”
“It is an experiment.”
“Alright. I accept your offer. Want to go to Hogsmeade together this weekend?”
Viktor nodded, though he truly wanted to see Jayce over the weekend. “Yes.”
“Great! Oh, the professor’s here. Go back to your seat. Bye, Viktor.”
“I will see you later, Sky.”
As he returned to his desk, he sighed. He did not feel anything toward her- but if Jayce said it could work, he would trust him. Jayce was his partner- he knew what was best.

Chapter Text

Jayce saw Vi in the hallway almost every day. She nodded at him, and he returned with a wave. One day, as he was walking back to the Hufflepuff common room for a free period, she stopped him.
“Hey, Man of Progress. Heard you beat the shit out of Slytherin at your last Quidditch game.”
He nodded. “I think I broke someone's arm.”
“Yeah. My girlfriend isn't pleased, she's quite the person for house pride.”
“Girlfriend?”
“Caitlyn, remember? I asked her out a few days ago,” she reminded him.
“Right. Congratulations, Vi.”
“Thanks, Talis. How's your girlfriend?”
“Good. Viktor is going out with someone, too.”
She smiled. “What's his name?”
“Viktor.”
“No, you idiot, his boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” Jayce stuttered. “No, no. He's dating Sky Young.”
Vi raised an eyebrow. “He's not gay?”
Jayce blushed. He hadn't thought about that. But Viktor couldn’t be gay. He would have told him.
“I don't think so. I actually set the two of them up.”
“Okay… So you didn't think to ask your best friend, who calls you his partner, if he was gay?”
“He is my partner. Lab partner. And I'm sure he's not gay. He would have told me.”
Vi pursed her lips. “I’ve seen how he looks at you when you’re together. It looks like you’re his world, Jayce. And from what I’ve seen from you, it looks like you feel the same.”
Jayce shook his head. “I’m not gay. I have a girlfriend.”
“You could be bisexual.”
“Vi, I don’t want to talk about this. Can’t we talk about Quidditch or something?”
“Fine. Did you see the last Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw match? I can’t believe they let that chaser in… he can barely fly.”

Viktor and Jinx sat together in the Great Hall, Sky on his other side. Even though he knew he should be entertaining his girlfriend, Jinx was much more interesting.
“I’m serious about wandless, Viktor,” she pressed. “We should try. Maybe we could ask the DADA professor.”
“Ambessa Medarda? Absolutely not.”
“Why? She likes you, and you’re best friends with the guy her daughter is dating. That’s got to give you some points.”
“She would never teach us that.”
“We won’t know unless we try.”
Viktor sighed. Jinx was difficult to argue with.
“We can do it, but only if you ask.”
“Alright! We’ll talk to her after class today.”
Viktor nodded. Professor Medarda would be better suited for a sports class. She was a former Auror, and treated her students as though they were soldiers. She was widely hated, but Viktor did not think she was bad. She just required a special mindset. If they could convince her to teach them wandless magic… It would be difficult, but worth it.

Viktor and Jinx stayed behind in Professor Medarda's class, approaching her with caution.
“You have that look in your eyes,” she told them as they were close. “What do you want from me?”
Jinx cleared her throat. “We want to learn wandless magic, and we want you to teach us.”
Professor Medarda raised her eyebrow. “Wandless magic in fourth year? That’s quite an ask. And from me?”
“Yes,” Viktor affirmed. “We believe you are the best suited to teach us.”
“Well, you're lucky,” she said. “I have another student I have decided to train privately, and I'm willing to let you join her. We won't be focusing solely on wandless magic, but I will emphasize it at your request. I'm sure Caitlyn would appreciate it, too.”
“Caitlyn Kiramman?” Jinx asked, wrinkling her nose.
“If you want to learn from me, you will work with her.”
Viktor nodded. “We will do it. Thank you, Professor Medarda.”
“Good. I can see the ambition in both of you. Maybe you should have been in my house. Especially you, Jinx.”
Jinx swung an arm around Viktor. “If I wasn't a Ravenclaw, I wouldn’t have been best friends with Viktor. And he doesn't belong anywhere except Ravenclaw. He's the best in our year!”
“Caitlyn will test that, especially with combat spells,” Professor Mesarda chuckled. “But I can see where you are coming from. We will meet every Wednesday at 8 PM, starting tonight. If you are late, we will start without you.”
The pair nodded and left the room. When they were far enough away, Jinx burst into cackles.
“We did it! We got private lessons with Professor Medarda!”
“And Caitlyn Kiramman,” Viktor pointed out. Jinx made a gagging noise.
“Did you hear she's dating my sister?”
Viktor shook his head. “I am not a member of the rumor mill.”
“Well, she is,” Jinx lamented. “So she'll hate me even more.”
“Why do you not get along?”
“Because she thinks I'm crazy. Everybody thinks I'm crazy except you.”
“Are you crazy?” Viktor asked with a joking tone.
“Crazy for you,” Jinx responded. Viktor blanched. “Just fucking with you. I'm not crazy.”
“Good. We should go to lunch now, I do not want to miss it.”
Jinx nodded, and the two made their way to the dining hall, still talking excitedly about their lessons with Professor Medarda.

Jayce lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Vi’s words. Did he really look at Viktor like that? How did he look at Mel?
He tried to imagine what she would say in this situation. Vi was so knowledgeable, even at the same age as him, especially about gay things.
“Chin up, Man of Progress. You just need to figure it out.”
“How?” he whispered. “How can you know? How can you be so sure?”
“You just know. It feels right, even if it also feels wrong.”
He thought about it. Viktor… Everything about him felt right. His hair. His eyes- fuck, his eyes. The way he spoke softly and always knew what to say. The way he touched him ever so lightly, as if he thought Jayce would break. His determination, his knowledge, how he was in pain but powered through.
But he wasn't gay. He couldn't be. And neither was Jayce. Jayce had a girlfriend!
“Have you forgotten about bisexuality, Talis? That's not very Man of Progress of you,” the Vi in his head teased.
“Shut up. I'm going insane.”
“Well, you know I'm not real. This is all you, just with my voice.”
Bisexuality.
Jayce groaned and pushed his hands through his hair. No. He wasn't gay, or bisexual, or whatever else Vi could tell him about. He was straight. He couldn't be anything else.
“Do you not love me?” another voice asked. Soft-spoken, gentle. Viktor.
“You mean everything to me,” Jayce murmured.
“You wanted to kiss me the other day. What if I want the same? Would you squander this chance?”
“Yes!” Jayce shouted. “I'm not gay!”
He looked around. The room was empty except for him. Nobody had heard his outburst.
Viktor shook his head. “You must hate yourself. Hiding who you really are just because you cannot accept it.”
Jayce felt tears begin to prick his eyes. Viktor would never say these things to him. Viktor loved him.
He loved Viktor.
Fuck.
He loved Viktor.

Viktor and Jinx arrived in Professor Medarda's classroom two minutes before eight. Caitlyn was already there, her robe slung over a chair to leave her in the uniform's collared shirt and pants.
“Viktor and Jinx,” Professor Medarda greeted. “Take off your robes. They will get in the way, and I need to see your stances.”
They did so, Jinx's robe clinking as pins hit each other. Caitlyn watched them, eyeing Jinx with contempt.
“Didn't anybody ever punish you for breaking dress code?” she asked.
Jinx smirked. “If you'd read the rules carefully enough, you'd know I did not break it.There's nothing against modifying your robes as long as all the pieces are there.”
Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “You look like a Kindergarten art project.”
“At least I'm art.”
They stared each other down like two cats about to fight. Just as Caitlyn opened her mouth to speak again, the clock struck eight.
“Alright, students,” Professor Medarda said, standing up from her desk. “Wands out.”
All three followed her instruction, readying themselves.
“Get in a dueling stance. I'm going to correct you.”
They did, Viktor leaning on his cane. Professor Medarda noticed, and walked to him first.
“Can you walk without that?” she asked. Viktor shook his head. “Alright. You want to be light on your feet, so use it as minimally as you can. Prepare to dodge spells. You'll be at a disadvantage, but you will learn with practice. Your feet need to be closer together in width, that will give your opponent less area to hit. They will try to blast your cane out. Do not let them.”
Viktor nodded, and she moved to Jinx. As she critiqued her, he shifted around. Light on his feet, using his cane as minimally as possible.
He would need to practice.

Chapter Text

Viktor and Sky met up on Saturday morning outside the gates of the school. She waved to him as she approached, and he had to remind himself to wave back.
“Hey, Viktor!” she greeted. “Ready?”
He nodded. “I am.”
They set off toward Hogsmeade, Sky slowly inching closer to him when she thought he wouldn't notice. It made Viktor slightly uncomfortable. The only person he liked to be in close contact with was Jayce.
“Thanks for going with me,” Sky told him- still moving closer.
“Of course. You are my, erm, girlfriend now.”
She giggled, and their fingers brushed together. Viktor recoiled. This felt wrong.
“I'm sorry, did I shock you?” Sky asked. Viktor shook his head and carefully extended his hand for her to take. She smiled at him and laced their fingers together. He grimaced, but she was looking away.
“Where do you want to go first?” she asked. “The Three Broomsticks?”
He nodded. “That is okay.”
“Oh, but you'd like the bookshop. We should go there!”
“I do not have money for books. Perhaps we could keep this trip short?”
Worry flashed across Sky's face, but she nodded. “Alright. Three Broomsticks it is!”
They walked in and found a table to set down their things, then walked to the bar to order Butterbeer. When they sat down with their drinks, Sky began to talk. Viktor listened and nodded along, but his mind was on Jayce. They had wanted to study together over the weekend… Maybe they would still have time after he and Sky returned.
“You're a really good listener, Viktor,” Sky said, adjusting her glasses. “I probably bored you to death.”
He shook his head. “Not at all.”
She smiled and placed a hand on his cheek. He flinched as they made contact, still uncomfortable.
“Can I… Can I kiss you?” Sky asked tentatively.
Viktor's eyes widened. This was not what he had expected. Then again, this was something that one does with their girlfriend. He nodded, and her lips were on his.
The only thing he could think was that it was a shame to waste his first kiss on a girl.
She pulled back and smiled. “Thank you, Viktor.”
“Of course. You are my girlfriend.”
As he said the words, he felt his stomach curdle. Something deep inside him told him he would never have feelings for Sky. It just wasn't right.
Would he ever have feelings for a girl?
“Sky?”
“Yes, Viktor?”
“I…” his voice trailed off, and he sat silent for a minute before continuing. “I do not think we're right for eachother.”
She nodded softly. “I know. I like you, but we didn't have a spark.”
“May I admit something?”
“Yes, of course!”
“I do not think I will ever have feelings for a woman.”
“Are you gay?” she whispered. “It's okay if you are. I have a lesbian sister.”
He shook his head. “I do not know. All I know is that I find the idea of being with a woman repulsive. The women themselves are fine, but I cannot imagine being with one.”
Sky nodded. “That explains why you didn't kiss me back.”
“I am supposed to kiss you back?”
“Not anymore. Friends? Scholarly friends?”
He smiled. “Yes. Scholarly friends.”
“Then let's go back to the castle. As your scholarly friend, I can't let you fall behind in classes… and I'm pretty sure you want to see Jayce.”
“He and I planned to study together today.”
“Then we definitely have to get back.”

Jayce was in crisis.
He had been unable to focus on anything since the revelation that he loved Viktor, and now they had to study together. Maybe he should pretend to be sick.
No. He had to face his best friend, his partner. Viktor would be on a date with Sky, so it wouldn't be too soon that he got back.
Still, Jayce packed his things and walked to the library. Maybe he could work on his own before the other boy came and distracted him with his eyes.
As he was just settling in, he heard a cane approach him. Viktor was back early.
“Hello, Jayce,” Viktor greeted. “How are you?”
Jayce put on a smile and patted the seat next to him. “I'm good. Come sit. How was your date with Sky?”
Viktor chuckled. “We decided it wasn't right. Neither of us were feeling a spark.”
“What?” Jayce asked, alarmed. “I thought the point of this was to wait and see how you felt after a while.”
“She agreed with me. I was good in theory, but not in practice.”
Jayce leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. He knew Viktor would be good in practice, he just knew it. Sky didn't know what she was missing out on.
But he was single now. Once again, Vi's words came back to him. Viktor looked at him like he was his world. Maybe he had a chance.
But he couldn't do that to Mel. He had to talk to her first.
After studying, he decided. At dinner, he'd find her and talk to her.

Jayce located Mel immediately- her stunning gold accessories called attention wherever she went. He walked over and tapped her shoulder.
“Hey, Jayce,” she said as she turned around. “What is it? You look so serious.”
Jayce took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. “I have something important to tell you.”
Mel nodded encouragingly. “I'll hear it.”
“I need to break up with you, but I want to stay friends. This isn't because I lost feelings for you, I love you a lot, but… I have feelings for Viktor.”
She pressed her forehead to his and smiled. “I knew this day would come. If you want to pursue him, I won’t stop you. And I'll be by your side the whole time.”
“You're not upset with me?” he asked. She shook her head.
“I understand where you're coming from. What you two have is deeper than friendship. I have been preparing myself for this day since we started dating.”
“Thank you, Mel,” he exhaled. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. I just have one thing to ask.”
“Anything.”
“Take care of yourself. And don't let anyone give you shit. I'd know what it's like- I'm bi. I've heard my fair share of homophobic shit without having ever dated a woman. Stay strong, Jayce. You'll always have me in your corner.”
“You say this like we're saying goodbye.”
Mel laughed. “Merlin, I am. Sorry, Jayce. Now go on. I'm sure you're hungry.”
He hugged her, pressing her body against his tightly. Then, he gave her a smile and went back to his table. All that was left to do was talk to Viktor.

Viktor was summoned by Jayce to meet in the hallway in front of the Hufflepuff common room. When he arrived, Jayce flung his arms around him.
“Hi, Vik.”
“Hello, Jayce. What calls for such a warm welcome?” he asked.
Jayce blushed. “I'll tell you inside. Come on.”
He tapped a barrel to a certain rhythm, and they moved aside. Viktor followed him through the common room and into his dorm. It was empty.
They sat on his bed, and Jayce looked him in the eye. He opened his mouth and closed it again, dropping his face into his hands.
“Jayce?” Viktor asked, gently placing a hand on the other boy’s shoulder. “What is going on?”
Jayce shook his head. “I don't know if I can tell you. I called you here, but now I'm regretting it.”
“You are incredibly strong, Jayce. I believe you can tell me,” Viktor encouraged.
“I can’t. You’ll stop being my friend. You’ll hate me.”
“I do not think I am capable of hating you, Jayce. You are my partner, my best friend.”
“I want more!” Jayce shouted, words exploding out of him. “I want to be your partner for real.”
Viktor cocked his head. “We are partners. For real.”
“No, you don’t understand. I want to be with you.”
Viktor’s eyes widened. “You want to be with me?”
“Yes, Vik. I love you.”
“I… what about Mel?”
“I told her already. She agreed to break up amicably, we’re still friends.”
“Why?” Viktor asked softly.
“What do you mean, why?”
“Why me? Mel is perfect for you. She is a pureblood, she is kind and strong, you were a perfect match. Why would you sacrifice all of that for a Mudblood with a cane?”
“Because you’re perfect to me. And don’t call yourself that word. You are more than you could ever imagine.”
“How long have you felt this way?”
“For a while. I just… couldn’t tell what it was,” Jayce admitted.
“Even when you asked me if I would date Jinx? When you tried to set me up with Sky?”
“I wanted you taken,” Jayce told him. “I thought if you were with someone… this would go away. I don’t want to be gay, Viktor. I want to be a man of progress.”
“You could be bisexual,” Viktor responded. “Is that progressive enough for you?”
“Where did you learn about that? I had a friend teach me, but I didn't think it was common knowledge.”
“I read it somewhere.”
“Are you bisexual?”
Viktor fell silent. What was he? He had never felt anything for a woman- Sky was an example of that- but he was pulled to Jayce- and only Jayce. Although…
He remembered a time, before Hogwarts, when a new, older boy had come to the orphanage. The boy was all he could think about, and he had longed to feel his touch. Just the boy’s hands holding his, telling him that he loved him.
Was he gay? Was he bisexual?
But surely the crush of an eleven-year-old didn’t determine his sexuality. Surely, the pull to Jayce didn’t make him gay. It wasn’t like he wanted to kiss him… but all he could think about was the hypothetical feeling of them together, lips brushing gently until it turned possessive. Until fire erupted and they were consumed by it.
“I think I might be gay.”
Jayce nodded, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Did I have anything to do with that?”
“Yes.”
“Then… can I do something?”
Viktor looked him in the eye, and his voice came out barely above a whisper. “Yes.”
The other boy kissed him softly, and he closed his eyes. It felt magical, like he was made for this. Made for magic, in a way that the Wizarding World couldn’t provide. Viktor remembered his conversation with Sky. This time, he kissed him back, leaning in until he felt like they were one.
When they broke apart, Jayce smiled gently. “Was that okay?”
Viktor nodded. “Yes.”
Jayce smiled. “Can you say anything else? Do I need to take you to the Hospital Wing?”
“I am okay, Jayce. I am more than okay. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For loving me.”
“You're perfect, Vik. How could I not?”
Viktor smiled softly. He was loved as something more than a friend. And for the first time, he felt it back.

Chapter Text

Jayce and Vi found eachother in the hallway before his free period again, and he stopped her.
“Vi! I have something to tell you.”
She smirked and looked him over. “You figured out you're bi, didn't you?”

“How did you know?”
“I saw you and Viktor. You had a different look on your face. Also, I talked to Mel.”
“You know Mel?” Jayce asked.
“Yeah. She congratulated me on the recent Gryffindor win, and I asked how you were. She said you'd broken up, but were still close.”
Jayce nodded. “Yeah, we are. She said she'd been preparing for it since we started dating. Was I that obvious?”
“I've only known you for a short bit of time,” Vi responded. “But in that time, yes you were. And if you ask me, you seem like you’ve been in love since the day you met with the way you act around him.”
Jayce thought about it. The day they met… that was in Diagon Alley, when he had come out of the Floo and saw Viktor on the floor. He didn’t remember a lot, but he remembered the feeling when he first saw him. He remembered his heart and brain speeding up, the instant need to be closer to Viktor.
“I think I may have been,” he told her.
Vi clapped him on the back. “Sweet, bi boy. You know, I hated Cait at first. She’s a pureblood, and I fucking hated purebloods at the time. Thought they were all elitist assholes. Then, she got me out of a really bad place in exchange for my help on something. My help? I’m dumb as rocks, Talis. But she wanted me of all people. So I helped her, and found out that she wasn’t that bad after all.”
“You’re not dumb, Vi. You're a great chaser.”
“Maybe we're both stupid, because my chasing has nothing to do with my academic skills. I'm awful at my classes, except when it's fighting magic. I fucking love fighting magic.”
Jayce smirked. “Did Professor Medarda beat that into you?”
“Funny, Talis. But no,” Vi said, shrugging. “I’ve just always been a fighter. My adopted dad taught me- when we were still living in the Muggle world, I did martial arts. Still do them over the summer.”
“You’re adopted? With Jinx?”
“There you go again, asking personal questions. Why are you like this, Talis?”
“I’m a research-minded boy, and you’re my latest subject,” he joked. “Want me to record our conversations?”
“I will fuck you up if you do that.”
“Come on, just humor me. We’re friends,” he pressed.
Vi groaned. “Ugh, fine. Jinx and I are Muggleborn, from London, but our parents died through police violence at a protest. One of their friends, a wizard, was at the protest too. He had a spare key to our flat, so he rushed there and found us. We lived as Muggles, since he didn’t know whether we were magical or not. Now, he works at the Leaky Cauldron and we live above it.”
“Shit, Vi, that’s awful,” Jayce responded. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Jinx has it worse than I do, if I’m honest.”
“I can’t believe someone would name their child Jinx.”
A flicker of sadness passed over Vi’s face. “They didn’t. I don’t know exactly what happened, but… we got in a really bad fight a few years before Hogwarts and I called her a jinx before leaving her alone in the middle of the city. When I came back for her, she was gone. Vander- that’s my adopted dad- got really mad at me and searched the entire city. Just when he accepted that she was gone, I went to Hogwarts and found her there, using a different name. It turns out, someone we knew before our parents died had found her and taken her in. She still lives with him now, but he and Vander aren’t on speaking terms. That’s why she’s different from the rest of our family- she was raised by this man named Silco.”
Jayce placed a hand on her shoulder. “Merlin, Vi. I’m so sorry.”
She shook his hand off. “It’s fine. She’s alive, but neither of us like each other anymore. We’re too different from each other.”
“I don’t have any siblings,” Jayce told her.
“Good. They’re overrated.”
“Where were you going, anyway? There’s barely any classrooms that way, and they’re all electives.”
“I have a free period, too, so I was going to bother Cait.”
“Oh, am I making you late?”
“She doesn’t know I’m coming. But I will go now, yeah? See ya, Talis.”
“Talk to you later, Vi.”
Jayce continued his journey back to the Hufflepuff common room, thinking about Jinx and Vi. Losing their parents- and then their sibling- explained a lot about them, especially Jinx. He wondered if Viktor knew. Maybe Jinx wasn’t as easily convinced to share, or maybe Viktor didn’t have the puppy-dog-eyes that Jayce possessed to get whatever he wanted.
Thinking about it, he didn’t know a lot about Viktor, either- just that he was in Professor Heimerdinger’s care when they met and had since lived in Jayce’s house. It was weird, considering that he had confessed his love to the boy but didn’t know anything about him before their time together. He would have to ask him, maybe the next time they saw each other. He’d also have to start up lab sessions again- hopefully it wouldn’t be awkward with Sky. Apparently, they’d parted on good terms- like himself and Mel.
A thought came to him. If he found Viktor now, he could propose a lab session that night. He could also use the time to ask about his life.
As he raced to remember Viktor’s schedule, he realized that he likely didn’t have a free period at the same time that Viktor did. He’d have to wait outside his classroom and walk to their next class together.
He found Viktor’s classroom after ten minutes of thinking and sat down. It just then occurred to him that he should have brought something to entertain himself, so he cast Tempus to see how much time he had left. When he did the math, he decided that it would be better to just sit in boredom than to run back to the common room, get something, return to the classroom, and then have no time to actually use it. Instead, he decided to rummage through his bag and find things to levitate.

Half an hour later, even the heaviest items in Jayce’s bag had been sent into the air, and he was beginning to be bored again. He was about to start transfiguring the objects when the bell tolled, and Viktor walked out of the classroom.
“Hey, Vik!” Jayce called, standing up. “Want to walk together?”
Viktor smirked. “Come to pick me up now that we are… you know, together?”
Jayce blushed. “We never discussed that, and that’s not why I came.”
“Ah,” Viktor realized, “I forgot we had to officially ask each other out. What would I do without you?”
“Be… wherever you were before I met you. Where was that, anyway?”
“An orphanage in Bristol. I would rather not talk about that, though.”
“Damn. I wanted to talk about it while we walked.”
“How about we walk in silence, together, as boyfriends?”
The blush on Jayce’s cheeks deepened. “Smooth, Vik. And I’d love to do that. Although I would also like to discuss lab sessions.”
“Let’s go, then.”
As they walked, closer together than normal, their hands brushed. Jayce looked at Viktor, who glanced back at him. When Jayce took his hand, he didn’t flinch.

Viktor and Jinx stood in an empty classroom, robes hung over a chair and wands out. Jinx’s long hair had been tied up so as to not be a tripping or grabbing hazard- after Professor Medarda had commented on its length at the last private lesson, she had begun to wear it differently.
“Okay, now try and get me with a spell!” she called. Viktor shifted his weight. Light on the feet. Light on the feet.
“Locomotor Wibbly!”
“Protego!”
A shield erupted out of Jinx’s wand, causing the spell to bounce back. Viktor moved out of the way, nearly falling over as his cane barely landed in time to help steady him.
“Shit, sorry, Viktor.”
Viktor shook his head. “It is okay. In a real fight, my opponent would not be sorry. I will practice.”
“I wish I could make your leg better,” Jinx sighed. “Then you wouldn’t need as much practice.”
“I do not need wishes like that, Jinx. My leg is an inconvenience, but I will need practice anyway. Besides, if anyone were to ‘fix’ it, it would be me. It is my problem.”
“I have an idea!” Jinx exclaimed, ignoring him. “Have you ever tried bracing it?”
Viktor rolled his eyes, though he didn’t intend it in a rude way. There was no stopping Jinx once she got into an idea, and even though he did not need her help he would accept it.
“No, Jinx, I have not,” he responded. “What are you suggesting?”
“I’m going to build you a magical brace!”
He groaned. “You really do not have to do that.”
“Nonsense, Viktor! You’re my best friend. Plus, Talis already got you that cane and I have to top him somehow. You know, in a different way than you do.”
Viktor choked on air. “What does that insinuate, Jinx?”
“Oh, come on. We all know you’re together. And I’m sorry to disappoint your hopes and dreams, but I can recognize a submissive man when I see one. I’m going to beat the shit out of him in terms of helping you out, and you can beat the shit out of him in bed.”
“We have been dating for less than a week.”
“So? I have a friend who got sucked off two days in.”
“We are also too young for… that.”
Jinx huffed. “Party pooper.”
“You can try to make a brace, if you really want. Just don’t reveal that you’re adding magic to it. Cecil will not take kindly to that.”
“I forgot that you call ol’ Heimey by his first name. But sure. I’m not going to sleep tonight!”
“Please sleep.”
“I will get three hours of sleep tonight!” Jinx declared, looping her arm around Viktor’s. “Let’s go, dear best friend. I have lots of work to do.”

Chapter Text

Before Viktor slept, Jinx had measured the circumference of various parts of his leg, as well as its length. Then, she had sent him to bed.
When he awoke to her familiar greeting, he pushed himself up and looked around. “You did not finish the brace.”
“Yeah,” she said sheepishly. “I got tired.”
“I am glad you slept. Do not feel as though you are in a rush, please. I have no need for it right now.”
“Bullshit. That cane can’t do everything for you, like we saw yesterday. I’m going to finish it today.”
“Do you have a free period?”
Jinx shrugged. “History of Magic’s pretty boring.”
“You are not allowed to skip class to work on something for me,” Viktor ordered. “Education is important.”
“Yeah, but not History of Magic. It’s all just memorization and names and dates. Nobody’s ever gotten denied a job because of fucking History.”
“What do you plan to do, then?”
“I’m going to be an inventor! The greatest inventor in history, to be precise. I’ll lead weapon design and find a way to combine magic with Muggle weapons.”
Viktor’s eyes widened. “You cannot do that. You would be shamed everywhere.”
“I’ll do what I want, Viktor dearest. But don’t worry. When I’m famous, I’ll still be your best friend.”
“I was not worried about our friendship, rather your safety. I know you could never let me go.”
“You think so highly of yourself.”
“Do you have any other friends?”
“...No.”
Viktor chuckled. “Therefore, I am not in any danger.”
“Well,” Jinx protested, “I have Sevika!”
“Your father’s right-hand-woman?”
“I have… I’ll get a cat! Then I’ll replace you with her.”
“Mhm. A cat?”
“Yes. And I’ll name her Isha.”
“So I am to be replaced by an Isha-cat?”
“I’ll make her a little cane and style her fur like your hair. Nobody will be able to tell the difference.”
“I do not think cats can walk with canes,” Viktor commented.
“Shut up, and let’s go to breakfast.”

Jayce felt like his heart was going to explode. Nothing felt real anymore- he had a new friend, a new acquaintance, a boyfriend. It wasn’t how he had planned his future to go; he had thought he’d be friendless (except Viktor) and be with Mel forever. But somehow, his eyes had been opened, and now he had a whole circle of people around him, rooting for him.
He and Viktor had decided to start up lab sessions again, with the first one being the next day. Apparently, Viktor and Jinx were taking private lessons with Professor Medarda alongside Caitlyn, and so Wednesdays wouldn’t be a good day. It didn’t bother him too much, though he wondered why he hadn’t been invited to join them. If he were to believe Viktor on the matter that they were equals, he should have been able to come along.
In the end, it worked out for him as the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain moved practices to Wednesdays.

Viktor and Jinx stood, wands at the ready, in Professor Medarda’s classroom. Caitlyn was a few feet away from them.
“Alright, you three,” Professor Medarda began as soon as the clock struck eight. “Today, we’ll be starting on the main reason two of you came. Wandless magic.”
Jinx gasped. “Really?”
“Yes, but today will be rough for everyone. Unlike in my regular class, I do not expect perfection within a week, not even a month. Perhaps it will take years.”
She paced to the blackboard and picked up a piece of chalk.
“There are three steps to casting magic- intention, movement, and phrasing. If you were to attempt non-verbal magic, which you will in your sixth year, you would need to focus more on intention and movement. Wandless magic requires a focus on intention, with a different set of movements. Phrasing can help, but I will hold you to the standard of non-verbal wandless magic.”
As she was writing down bullet points on the board, she suddenly turned and flicked her wrist. A desk flew across the room. With another, it repaired itself.
“That is only the tip of what you can do,” she told them. “At the end of the year, you will be proficient enough to use it in duels against each other. By the time you graduate… you should be half as good as I am.”
Jinx snorted, earning her a glower from Caitlyn. “What if we’re at your level?”
“You will not be. Now, why don’t you come up? I see you’ve tied your hair back, smart choice. Leave your wand, we’re going to assess your current skill.”
“Should I start with words?” she asked. Professor Medarda shook her head.
“No. Find a target in this room, imagine what you want to do to them, even say the spell in your head. For most magic, a point or a flick of the wrist should do for motion, although you may also move your hand over the desired target. The only ones that would require more are not taught at Hogwarts.”
“Like the Unforgivables?”
“Exactly. Now, pick your target and… go.”
Jinx flicked her wrist, and Viktor was scooted a few inches to the right.
“Interesting choice of target, Jinx,” he commented. “I appreciate that you thought to bring my cane with me.”
“Yes, very interesting,” Professor Medarda agreed. “Live targets are much harder to manipulate than their inanimate counterparts, so I commend you. You have set a high standard for yourself, Jinx. I hope you can meet it next time. Viktor, your turn.”
Viktor and Jinx traded places. He turned to face the blackboard, and envisioned the chalk scrawling a name across the board. As he did so, he racked is mind for the incantation but came up blank. He quickly moved his finger, and the chalk scrawled a name halfway.
“A smart choice for your first attempt. Chalk is easy to levitate and manipulate. In the future, I would like to see you try on more challenging objects, but this was a start. Caitlyn.”
Caitlyn strode to the front of the room and eyed the same desk Professor Medarda had moved. She flicked her wrist, and it lifted a few inches.
“You have all set surprising standards. Perhaps you are more competent than I thought. We will try again. Now, I want you all to practice flicking your wrist. That is by far the most common motion, though you may find that your intuition tells you which motion to use for which spell. Follow Jinx’s idea and attempt to move another one of your classmates. Just be careful how hard you flick your wrist… I don’t want to fill out the paperwork that comes with a student casualty under my care.”

***

Viktor and Jayce met after classes the next day to host a lab session. Sky had a free period, so she said she would just meet them in the classroom.
“Alright, what are we doing today?” Sky asked as Viktor and Jayce entered the room. “I have my note-taking things ready.”
“I was thinking Viktor could show off some of his skills from Professor Medarda,” he suggested.
“I am not skilled enough yet. Have you forgotten what happened last time?”
“Come on,” Jayce urged. “You won’t fail this time.
Viktor sighed. “I will do it. But only because you two are the ones asking.”
He stood in the center of the room and rested his gaze on Sky. He could do it. He could just move her a few inches. As he visualized it, he flicked his wrist a bit too harshly.
Everything happened in a blur. One moment, Sky was smiling at him, and the next he found her body on the floor, head spun 180 degrees.
“Oh my fucking- Viktor, what did you do?” Jayce asked.
Viktor stared at the body. “I do not know. Jayce, we must get Cecil.”
“Right. Right. Merlin. Should we… should we leave her alone in here? I don’t really think we should, but I don’t want to stay with her either.”
“We can carry her.”
Jayce blanched, but nodded. “Alright. Or maybe we could levitate her?”
“Wingardium Leviosa!”
As she began her ascent into the air, a trail of blood dripped from her back. When she was high enough for Viktor to look at the source, he saw part of her spine sticking out.
“Shit,” Jayce said as he followed his partner’s gaze. “Can we fix that? Or at least stop the blood?”
“I can try. Ferula.”
Bandages wrapped around Sky’s waist, instantly soaking through but not dripping.
“Can you vanish the blood on the floor? I will meet you at Cecil’s office,” Viktor told him. Jayce nodded.
“Alright. I’ll see you there.”

Chapter Text

Viktor had forgotten about the stone gargoyles that guarded Cecil’s office. As he approached them, their eyes slid open. They registered him, saw the levitating body, and stepped aside.
He entered the office, where Cecil sat with a solemn expression on his face.
“What has happened, my boy?”
“I-”
“It’s all my fault!” Jayce interrupted, bursting into the office. “If I hadn’t tried to get him to show off his new magic, we wouldn’t be here. Expel me, not him! Please, Professor Heimerdinger, he did nothing wrong.”
“Calm down, Mr. Talis, my boy,” Cecil said. “I will need an explanation of what happened.”
“Well- well- I…”
Viktor held up a hand to silence him, which he then placed on his shoulder.
“We have been practicing magic in a group with Sky. Tonight, we were all eager to see new skills I have been learning in private lessons with Professor Medarda. I, too willing to oblige my partner’s wishes, did not use my magic carefully enough and it has ended in a casualty. We are all equally at fault here, Cecil.”
Cecil nodded. “I see. I cannot promise you that you will not go unpunished, as this has cost you the life of another student, but I will not mention your names to Miss Young’s parents.”
“No,” Viktor responded. “I will foot the blame. Please, Cecil, it was my magic. Jayce is too valuable to waste.”
“Like hell I’m staying if you go!” Jayce cut in. “You’re my partner, in science and in life, as well as my best friend. Professor Heimerdinger, if you expel him, I’ll leave too.”
Cecil chuckled. “There will be no expulsions, my boys. This was an accident. I will speak with your heads of house and get their opinions, but you will both be allowed to continue your studies.”
Viktor noticed color seep back into Jayce’s face. “Merlin, thank you, Professor Heimerdinger. I’m so sorry.”
“Yes,” Viktor agreed. “I will not continue my lessons with Professor Medarda if you deem me too dangerous to be allowed in.”
“Nonsense,” Cecil responded. “This is a place of learning, and if she has deemed you fit to learn what I presume is wandless magic, you will learn it. I would just recommend practicing under teacher supervision or on non living beings.”
“Of course, Cecil. Thank you for the second chance.”
“Do not fret, my boy. Great things will come of you yet. Now go on, I have paperwork to fill out regarding Sky. We will meet again with your heads of house tomorrow.”

As soon as he and Viktor left the area, Jayce slumped against a wall and rested his head in his hands.
“What is going on?” Viktor asked softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“We fucking killed someone.”
“I killed someone. You did not do anything.”
“No, we did. I pressured you to do it, it was my idea for you to use wandless magic. It’s just as much my fault as yours. And I just… I don’t know what my parents will do if they find out. They might decide we’re too dangerous together. I… I might lose you, Vik. As soon as I get you, I lose you.”
Viktor’s expression hardened with determination. “We will not lose each other. I will buy an owl, and we can write each other.”
“My parents might monitor my owls,” Jayce responded, voice shaking. “Vik, you’re my best friend and my partner. I can’t have you taken away from me and taken back to where you were before.”
Viktor placed a hand on his cheek and drew their foreheads together. “We will not lose each other. I will make sure of that.”
“How? We’re just kids, Vik.”
“We will see what our heads of house say. If need be, I will get us out of here. You have a broomstick, do you not?”
“Are you saying we-” Jayce’s voice lowered to a whisper- “run away?”
Viktor shrugged. “If it is what is required.”
Jayce groaned. “I don’t want to leave Hogwarts- Professor Heimerdinger said we could continue our studies, but what if we get sent to different schools? What if you get sent to… to Durmstrang? They don’t like Muggleborns…”
“Then I will do the running away. Jayce, we will stay together or in contact. Believe me when I say it.”
“Promise?” Jayce asked weakly. “Promise you’ll send me owls?”
“I promise,” Viktor responded, lacing their fingers together. “Now, we must go to sleep. I will walk you to your dorm.”

The meeting with the heads of house called them out of bed at six in the morning. Viktor and Jayce found each other in the hallway in front of Cecil’s office, Viktor making note of how bleary-eyed and stumbling Jayce was. He was clearly not a morning person.
“Good morning, Jayce,” Viktor greeted. “Are you prepared?”
“G’mornin, Vik. No… let’s just go in.”
They entered Cecil’s office, where their heads of house- Cassandra Kiramman for Ravenclaw and a man named Benzo for Hufflepuff- sat next to Cecil.
“Take a seat,” Professor Kiramman instructed, waving her wand at two chairs that scooted behind Viktor and Jayce.
They did as instructed, Viktor watching Jayce scoot his chair closer and closer to him until they were touching.
“Professor Heimerdinger and I have spoken, as well as heard Benzo’s opinion,” she began. “We have decided, as I am sure you already know, to allow you to stay at Hogwarts. However, we have a few rules.”
“Anything,” Jayce responded. “As long as I can stay in contact with Viktor. He’s my… best friend.”
“Our desire is not to punish you,” Professor Benzo told him. “Rather to reprimand. We understand it was an accident, but it had a severe consequence.”
Viktor nodded. “Yes, Professor. We will stop all lab sessions, if we must.”
“Precisely,” Professor Kiramman agreed. “You may not engage in magic for ‘testing purposes’ outside of the classroom, and never magic learned in private lessons unless given explicit permission. Mr. Talis, your parents have been notified and will be allowed to give you whatever consequences they deem fit. Mr. Viktor… you are a more difficult case. Professor Heimerdinger has decided that you will be his ‘student representative’ when it comes to speaking to Miss Young’s parents.”
“What does that entail?” he asked, turning to Cecil. “Cecil, I cannot fulfill a job without knowing what I must do.”
“Ah, but that’s part of it, my boy. You must learn that not everything can be planned for… just as you learned last night.”
Viktor sighed, but nodded. “I understand. Is there anything else, Cecil? And Professors?”
Professor Benzo gave him a sad smile. “I know you must be feeling this loss. She was your close friend, yes?”
“I would not say close friend.”
“She was his girlfriend!” Cecil cut in. “This is why I believe he would be the best option to speak to her parents. He could speak from the heart on a different level.”
Viktor and Jayce locked eyes. Not only had Cecil found out about his short-lived first relationship, he had failed to find out that it had ended- and that Viktor was gay.
What a mess they had gotten themselves into.

“I can’t fucking believe it!” Jayce exclaimed as soon as they left the office. “You have to pretend like you loved these random peoples’ daughter that you knew for two months?”
Viktor squeezed his shoulder. “I know, Jayce. It is not what she would have wanted, and it is not what I want now.”
“Why did you agree to it, then?”
“My other option was expulsion.”
“Well… well maybe you should have! Then we could have run away and live as Muggles in some town in the countryside. You could teach me how to get along without magic, and I could magic our appearances before we left the school. We’d break our wands and they’d never be able to track us!”
“I think it is more complex than that, Jayce. We-”
“No. You don’t understand. I’ve just realized that I’ve loved you since the day we met, and now you have to pretend to be a straight guy who lost his girlfriend. You have to pretend you loved her. That you and I aren’t even a thing. That you wouldn’t ever date me because you don’t swing that way, when all of us know that to be false. What if they ask you questions about her? Things that a boyfriend should be able to answer. You won’t be able to! Then, they’ll find out that you aren’t actually her boyfriend and they’ll assume you lied to Professor Heimerdinger and you’ll get kicked out anyway. We’d be better off just leaving now.” Jayce reached up to touch Viktor’s hand and looked him in the eye. “I can’t let you be kicked out, Vik. You mean everything to me. You have since I first met you.”
Viktor moved their hands off of Jayce’s shoulder and into the space between them. “Cecil will not let me be expelled. Have faith, Jayce. I promise you that everything will be alright.”

Chapter Text

“And then, get fucking this,” Jayce spat, “He told me to ‘have faith’.”
Vi leaned backward, stretching. “I still don’t get what the problem is. Viktor has to be a student representative for Ol’ Heimey and it’s a matter of expulsion? That sounds extreme.”
Jayce sighed. Of course it was extreme, they had killed someone. But he couldn’t tell Vi that, not without risking the entire student body finding out. He didn’t see Vi as a gossip, but if she let something slip… they would be expelled simply from parents pressuring Professor Heimerdinger to get the murderers out of the school.
“It’s confusing, but I just can’t let him get sent away,” Jayce told her. “And he can’t see that. It’s like he doesn’t know how much I love him.”
“We’re in fourth year,” Vi reminded him. “Nobody’s perfect at relationships- and we don’t know what’s going on in that head of his.”
“But… the situation… might call for him to be someone he’s not. What if that facade slips?”
“Every situation calls for someone to be who they aren’t.”
“You’re just full of wisdom today, Vi.”
“I have to be good at something other than Quidditch. School is fucking me in the ass. I may not even graduate at this rate.”
“You’ll graduate. Everyone graduates from Hogwarts, even if they got a T on all their OWLs and NEWTs. And I’m sure you’re good at things that aren’t Quidditch and gay wisdom. Have you ever tried duelling?”
“Duelling? Does Hogwarts offer that?”
“No… but I heard rumors that there was an underground duelling club. You might ask around and find that? You like fighting magic, so I figured it’d be perfect for you.”
Vi smirked. “Huh. What am I supposed to do, though, just go up to some rando and ask ‘excuse me good sir, where can I find an underground-probably-illegal-non-school-sanctioned duelling club’?”
“Well-”
“Look, Talis, you’re sweet but I don’t think I can. It’s probably full-up with Purebloods who would want to take a bite out of a Muggleborn idiot like me. Going to a duelling club would be like stepping on a rattlesnake.”
“What if…” Jayce began slowly, “I went with you?”

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Vi groaned as Jayce accompanied her to the bowels of the castle.
Jayce shrugged. “You’re just weak-minded, I guess.”
“No, you’re full of flattery. Where the hell is this club?”
As soon as she said it, bricks around them shifted to give way to a room lit by chandeliers. A catwalk-like stage was featured in the center of the room, and there were seats all around it. Students gathered near the walls, talking in circles. In one corner, a betting booth was open.
“New faces!” a student roared. “Bitches and dicks, we have two newcomers! Congratulations on finding the club. How’d you get the password?”
“A guess?” Jayce stammered, still confused by their way of addressing the others in the room. Bitches and dicks? Really?
“I knew we were doing something right when we set the password- ‘Where the hell is this club’- nobody who didn’t want to come would guess it. I’m Sevika X, unbeaten champion of the Hogwarts Duelling Ring, as well as your host. You’re in for a show, because tonight is my turn on the stage.” She turned to the rest of the room. “Anyone wanna take me?”
Vi cleared her throat. “I do.”
Sevika smirked. “Oh really, newcomer? You wanna end up in the Hospital Wing?”
“No. I want to kick your ass and knock some pride outta you.”
“Oh yeah, I like you. Alright. You can fight me, but I’m not gonna go easy on you. What’s your name, challenger?”
“Vi.”
“Short for anything?”
“None of your business, Sevika. I may as well be asking you where your arm went,” Vi responded, gesturing at Sevika’s mechanical arm. “Last names are a private matter amongst us Mudbloods.”
A shadow fell across Sevika’s face. “Never. Call yourself that. You’re giving the Puries too much power when you demean yourself. From one Muggleborn to another.”
Vi nodded. Then, Sevika turned to Jayce. “And who do we have here?”
“Jayce Talis. I’m just here for moral support.”
“Aww, cute,” Sevika said in a sickly-sweet tone. “That your Purie boyfriend, Vi?”
“I have a girlfriend,” Vi responded. “And yes, she is Pureblood. But she sees past that. So do I.”
“Biggest mistake you’ll ever make, Vi. But fine. He can stay, as long as you promise to keep him on a leash.”
She winked and made her way to the stage. As soon as she stood on it, she pointed her want at her throat and muttered a spell to amplify her voice.
“Welcome, duellers and companions. I know you’re all frothing at the mouth to see tonight’s show- where I will be returning after a month of recovery from my last duel- so I won’t bother you for too long. I just have one special announcement. Vi, come on up here. And tell your Purie to sit- and no barking.”
Vi obliged, jumping onto the stage and landing perfectly.
“Our newest member, Vi X, thinks she can take me on her first go. Xs, do you think our newest representative can hold her own?”
Cheers erupted from the crowd. “Vi! Vi! Kick her ass!”
Jayce watched as his friend basked in the glory of having support. As Sevika continued her speech, he wondered why she was so hostile to Purebloods. Sure, they hadn’t been the greatest in the past, but what did she want? Reparations? That was no way to get them.
He glanced at Vi again. She was smiling, and Sevika had lifted her hand into the air. The crowd was still screaming.
“Alright, Vi. Stand on that end of the stage, and I’ll be on this one. We’ve trained a member’s Purie to cast a spell that signals the start of the duel. Fight goes on ‘till someone either taps out or passes out. Rules are simple- no Unforgivables, nothing that can’t be reversed, and no ripping my arm out. Anything personal to you?”
Vi squared her shoulders and hardened her gaze. “Don’t let me tap out.”
Sevika’s eyes widened, but her surprise was quickly replaced with a cold smile. “Oh yeah, I like you. Alright. Get to your end of the stage.”
They shook hands and walked to the opposite corners of the stage. As soon as they turned back around, a loud bang sounded from somewhere in the crowd. The duel had begun.
“Incarcerous!” Vi shouted. Sevika dove out of the way and shot a spell back.
They roved around the stage, casting offensive and defensive spells at a rapid pace. Nobody had been hit by anything, and Sevika’s eyes betrayed that she may have met her match. Jayce watched with bated breath, keeping his eyes on his friend the whole time. He wondered why she had volunteered to fight Sevika so quickly, but figured he’d ask after.
Sevika shot a leg-binding spell, and Vi was hit. She fell to the ground, and Sevika stood over her.
“I’ll tell your sister you said hi,” Sevika told her with a smirk.
“Fuck.. you! Depulso! Diffindo!”
A double attack. Sevika flew backward, and a large slash was visible on her chest. Blood soaked through her clothes, and she was breathing heavily.
“You fucking Purie sympathist,” she cursed with ragged breath. “You’re no X.”
“Finite Incantatem,” Vi responded, doing away with the binding curse. “No, Sevika. I am not a Pureblood sympathist, but I am an X. I proved that tonight.”
“I haven’t tapped out yet.”
Vi raised her wand. “Do you want me to cast Diffindo again?”
“You can’t beat me. I’m the champion. I’m undefeated.”
“Diffindo!”
Another slash appeared, this time on her lower body. Sevika paled, and stared at the blood staining the rest of her clothing. Then, she tapped the ground three times. Another bang from the crowd.
Vi had won.

“That absolute BITCH!” Vi yelled. “I’ve never seen Pow- Jinx with her. How do they know each other?”
Jayce shrugged. “I don’t know, but you beat her. Vi, your first real duel, and you beat the champion! You’re a legend, Vi. We can worry about your sister later.”
“No. We need to worry about her now. Sevika’s dangerous. I already let her go once, we can’t have that happen again.”
“Fine. I’ll get Viktor to let us into Ravenclaw, and you can find her there.”
“What if she doesn’t want anything to do with me?”
“Then I’ll talk to Viktor. She’ll listen to him.”
“Alright. Let’s go.”

Viktor did not have to be convinced to let them into Ravenclaw. He gave Vi a suspicious glance, but answered the door’s riddle anyway. Jayce bade Vi good luck and followed Viktor to his dorm.
“What is going on?” Viktor asked as soon as they were in private. “I did not know you were friends with Jinx’s sister.”
“We met through Quidditch. But that’s not the point. Jinx is involved with someone dangerous, and we need to keep her safe. Leaving her behind really weighs on Vi’s conscience, and the least she can do is try to help her now.”
“Who is this dangerous person?”
“Sevika. The girl with the mechanical arm.”
Viktor shook his head. “Jinx made that arm for her. She’s not dangerous, at least not to Muggleborns. She’s just… radical.”
“Radical is dangerous, Vik.”
“Your parents are radical.”
“Sevika is dangerous. She and Vi duelled, and-”
“Who won?” Viktor interrupted.
“That’s not important-”
“Jayce. Who. Won?”
“Vi.”
“How did Vi win?”
“Diffindo.”
“Collect her and get out of Ravenclaw. If Sevika is dangerous, Vi is a machine of war. Jinx is my best friend, and I will not have her threatened by her own sister.”
Jayce’s face fell. “I thought I was your best friend.”
“You are my boyfriend, and right now you are irrational. Jinx is unstable, Jayce. Having her sister warn her about her own friends is the last thing she needs.”
“Why did you let us in, then?”
“I had hoped you were here to see me. You clearly are not, so please get Vi and leave.”
Viktor pushed Jayce out of his dorm, and he saw Vi and Jinx arguing in the center of the room. Jayce turned around, but Viktor had already closed the door.
Fuck.

Chapter Text

Jayce walked closer to where Vi and Jinx stood, trying to overhear their argument.
“If you’re so desperate,” Vi was saying, “why don’t you just get with Ekko? He’s been chasing you since before you… changed. Besides, isn’t she a bit too old for you?”
“Oh, honestly. She’s in the same year as us. And we both know Ekko wants Powder, not Jinx.”
“Maybe you’re just forgetting your roots. You’d never take a liking to one of Silco’s lackeys if you were like the rest of the family.”
Jinx glared at her. “I’m not part of your family. You made that perfectly clear. And Sev isn’t one of Silco’s lackeys. She’s just a kid, like me. We’re equals, Vi. Silco lets us be that way.”
That godforsaken word again. Equals. Jayce was beginning to hate hearing it almost as much as the feeling of being sucked through the Floo network.
“What the fuck is it, then, Stokholm Syndrome?” Vi demanded. “He basically kidnapped you, she was probably involved.”
“Well, you fucking let him. And he didn’t kidnap me. I went with him by choice. Also, she was our age.”
“Oh yeah? Then why’d you come to Hogwarts all fucked in the head?”
Jayce stepped between them just as wands were being drawn. “Guys, don’t kill each other. Especially not over Sevika. Vi, I thought you were okay with her. You duelled her and won.”
“You won over Sev?” Jinx asked, eyes wide. “What did you do, break her arm? That’s against the Ring’s rules.”
Vi shook her head. “I beat her without playing dirty, something you probably couldn’t manage.”
“What, you think I need to cheat to win? Sev and I used to duel before I made her that arm, and we were evenly matched. I only learned how to really fight from her.”
“Guys, please,” Jayce interjected. “Don’t make me get Viktor.”
“What would Viktor do?” Vi asked. “It’s not like he-”
Her sentence was cut off by a slap across the face from Jinx.
“Hah. Beatcha.”
“Fine. I’m leaving. Jinx, fuck whomever you want but don’t come to the Leaky Cauldron when it all blows up. Talis… I’ll see you.”
Jayce attempted to follow her, but Jinx stopped him.
“You got us into this mess. Why’d you bring her to the Ring? How’d you even hear about it?”
“I heard some people talking about it and asked. They told me roughly where it was. As for Vi… I wanted her to have something to do. She’s my friend, but she undervalues herself. I wanted to change that.”
“Didn’t ask for your life story. I just wanted some explanation on why my sister is barging into my common room and demanding to know what I have going on with Sev.”
“She’s your sister, Jinx. She has a right to be concerned.”
“Not anymore. She lost all those rights when she abandoned me. Now get the fuck out of my common room.”
Jayce backed up, hands in a gesture of innocence, and moved to the exit. As he was about to leave, he glanced back. Viktor was watching him with an unreadable expression.

Viktor had seen the entire argument from afar. As soon as it had begun, he regretted allowing Vi and Jayce to enter. He had hoped they would be civil, but it was clear that they were too hot-headed.
“I apologize for letting them into the common room,” Viktor told Jinx quietly, walking over to her.
Jinx shrugged. “Meh. Hey, where’s that Sky girl? Hasn’t she been attached to you recently?”
Viktor paled. “She… she is dead.”
“Shit, Viktor, I’m sorry. I was expecting you to get hitched or something based on how much time you spent together.”
“Ah… well, we did date. But… I’m gay, Jinx.”
Jinx blinked. “Oh. Hi gay, I’m Jinx. And… I have a brace for you.”
Viktor appreciated the change of topic, even though he never said he wanted one. Sky’s death- at his own hands- was a fresh wound, sliced deep into his skin. She was his friend, and he cared about her. Now, she was gone.
“Extend your leg,” Jinx told him. Viktor did so. “Good. Tell me if it’s too loose or too tight.”
She fastened several straps around his leg, holding together a metal contraption.
“All good?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now try walking. Put more pressure on this leg if you can.”
He stood, reaching for his cane. As he began to slowly move around the room, he realized that he didn’t need the cane as much. He felt… stable. Not enough to go without a cane, but enough to not fall should he land without it.
“What do you think?” Jinx asked.
“It is amazing. Thank you, Jinx.”
“No problem! It was fun. I’ve also put some spells on it- they might be wonky, but it shouldn’t be heavy or chafe at all. I wanted to find out more anti-pain spells, but I think Talis covered those in your cane- plus they were really hard. I don’t know how he managed to do them- or why. I mean, that must have taken more effort than one would put in for a best friend.”
“Did you do that for Sevika?”
“Well… that’s different.”
“I did not expect you to do anything for me, Jinx. I was merely asking, as I have made an assumption that I want to fact-check.”
“A few days ago, I made an assumption, and it turned out to be correct. I’ll leave it at that.”
She offered him a smile of truce, and he accepted it.
“I must thank you for the brace, though. It will be very useful when we train with Professor Medarda.”
“No problem! When do we want to practice again?”
Viktor sighed. “Ah. I am not allowed to practice magic outside of instructions.”
“Viktor…” Jinx leaned close to his ear. “Did you have anything to do with Sky’s death?”
“It was an accident,” Viktor whispered, shaking his head. “An accident.”
Jinx smiled sadly. “Welcome to the accident club. It’s okay. We can just practice without people knowing. I promise I’ll keep your secret.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course, Viktor. You’re my best friend. Just do me a favor too- don’t let your boyfriend and my sister into the common room again.”
“Yes. I apologize.”
“Don’t worry about it. We got them out, and that’s what matters.”

Jayce stood outside of the Ravenclaw common room, listening to Vi curse the names of everyone she had ever met.
“And fuck you, Sevika! I can’t fucking believe I let you treat me like an equal for the ten minutes I knew you. Vi X, fucking hell. Reparations for what Purebloods did to us? Fuck you. I’m never going back-”
“Vi,” Jayce interjected, placing a hand on her shoulder, “I think you should go back.”
Vi turned to him, a murderous glare in her eyes. “Like hell.”
“No, think about it. If you go back, you can try and undermine Sevika. You’re already at the top of the food chain because you beat her. You’re also Muggleborn, so the Xs will listen to you. What more, you’re an X. Sevika’s dangerous, but so are you. You can find out her true intentions and show everyone.”
“Where are you even getting these ideas? I just want my goddamn sister back. Away from the Ring. Away from the people who fucked her up. Away from Sevika.”
“That’s why you need to go back,” Jayce pressed. “You can rule the Ring and kick her out. If you go back, you can keep her away from it forever. You just need to try. Just once?”
Vi rolled her eyes. “Fine. But you’re coming with me, boytoy.”
“I think I preferred you calling me Talis.”
“Well, there’s got to be some excuse for me to bring a Pureblood to what seems like a massive anti-Pureblood revolution. Nevermind that the entire school knows I like women. You’re my plaything while we’re there.”
Jayce grimaced and was met with a smirk from Vi.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she told him. “You want me to go back and play pretend? You gotta have a role, too.”

Chapter Text

Viktor and Jinx sat at the breakfast table, just like they had before Sky. Only, as it had been for the last several days, Viktor felt the absence of the girl who usually sat next to him. He didn’t know why- they weren’t close friends- but hypothesized that it could have been his guilt. Jinx, to her credit, hadn’t mentioned Sky at all since Viktor confessed to his role in her demise. She also didn’t talk about Jayce.
Jayce…
Thinking about him stung. Viktor liked him, loved him so much that he let him into the Ravenclaw common room, but he had brought destruction with him. What did it matter to him and Vi who Jinx hung out with?
Viktor craned his neck to look for Jayce in the Great Hall. When he laid eyes on him, he was surprised to find Jayce looking back at him. They locked eyes and seemed to communicate a single non-verbal message- meet outside.
“I forgot something in my room,” Viktor told Jinx.
She nodded. “Want me to go with you?”
“I’m going with Jayce.”
Her face turned stony, but she nodded again. “Alright. Just make him wait for you outside. I don’t want him in there again.”
“Okay. I will see you in class, Jinx.”
“See ya.”
Viktor took his cane and walked into the hallway, where Jayce stood waiting. When the other boy noticed him there, he flung his arms around him and kissed him with intensity.
“What is the meaning of this gesture, Jayce?” Viktor asked once they broke apart.
Jayce’s face flushed. “An apology. I feel like I kinda ruined things between us when Vi and I jumped on Jinx about Sevika.”
“Well, you were certainly sure of yourselves.”
“That hasn’t changed. She’s a dangerous person, Vik.”
Viktor shrugged. “Is she really more dangerous than I? She simply wants reparations from Purebloods. I am using two illegal contraptions- a brace strengthened with magic and a cane following the same idea. I would argue that I, the bearer of illegal objects, is more dangerous than a fourth-year girl who wants years of mistreatment repaired.”
“I won’t fight you on this,” Jayce conceded. “I just want things to go back to usual. You’ve been so quiet in class.”
“Jayce… I want things to go back, too, but I know you’re still plotting something. I cannot have you hurting Jinx. She is my best friend, aside from you. Tonight, the two of us have lessons with Professor Medarda. We will talk then, and if she decides that you can be trusted enough, you may accompany us to Hogsmeade this weekend.”
“I’m your boyfriend, Vik. I shouldn’t need Jinx’s permission to come to Hogsmeade with you.”
“You hurt her, and our plans have been solid for several days now. If you were to come, it would be a change of plans- and all parties need to be okay with that.”
“One day, your moral compass is going to kill you,” Jayce joked. “But fine. Just… talk to me in class, okay?”
“Alright.”
“Thanks, Vik. I love you.”
Three words, and Viktor had melted into a Viktor-soup. He couldn’t stay angry at Jayce for long.
“I love you too.”

Viktor and Jinx had been instructed to sit upon their arrival in Professor Medarda’s classroom. Caitlyn was, of course, in the middle of the front row, so they took their seats to her right.
The clock struck eight, and Professor Medarda walked to the center of the blackboard.
“The higher-ups have tried to shut down this class,” she told her students. “I have, however, refused to let them.”
“Professor,” Caitlyn began, “why?”
“We had an accident with wandless magic that ended in the loss of a life. It was not the fault of anyone in this class, but my fellow heads of house thought it would be too dangerous to continue these lessons. I argued that by teaching you how to safely perform wandless magic, as well as how to safely duel, we could avoid these accidents. We just have a few more rules- the first and only one I’ll be telling you being that you may not use these skills out of the classroom until I tell you that you are proficient enough.”
Viktor raised his hand. “What are the other rules, Professor?”
“Unimportant. I will tell you that the accident was a result of poor movement control, so that is what we will be focusing on today. For the next several sessions, we will be doing mainly practice without actual spells to avoid bringing death into this classroom. After I feel that you can control yourselves, I will allow you to begin duelling practice again- and then we will be including wandless spells. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Jinx shouted.
“Don’t ma’am me, Jinx. Professor is fine. I am not your ma’am.”
“Yes, Professor!”

Jayce and Vi met in front of the Gryffindor common room on Friday, dressed in previously agreed matching outfits- at least, as matching as they could be when they were working with the things in their trunks.
“Ready, boytoy?” Vi asked as she walked out of the portrait, stretching.
Jayce nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be, champion.”
“I’m sure you have a plan for what we’re doing?”
“Yeah. You want to get between Sevika and your sister, right? She’ll definitely challenge you to a rematch, so make a bet with her. If you win- which you will- she has to tell you everything about her and your sister. Then, we’re going to use that information to defame her.”
“You sound sadistic.”
“Maybe I am.”
“No, you’re too good for that. Besides, no sadist would respond with ‘maybe I am’.”
“Whatever sounds better to you, mistress,” Jayce quipped.
“Never call me that again.”
“If I’m your Purie boytoy, you’re my Muggleborn mistress.”
Vi scowled. “Maybe I’ll curse you instead of Sevika tonight, asshole.”
“Please don’t.”
They arrived at the location of the Ring, and whispered the password. Bricks shifted, and the dimly-lit room was made available to them. Vi squared her shoulders, placed one of Jayce’s arms around her waist, and then shoved her hands in her pockets. Jayce looked around awkwardly as they entered, everyone’s eyes on them.
“It’s the girl who beat the champion!” someone yelled.
“No, fuckface, it is the champion now,” someone else responded. “Vi X!”
“Who’s that with her? Looks like a boyfriend.”
“I thought she was a lesbo.”
Murmurs swept through the crowd as Vi and Jayce walked toward the stage. Sevika towered over them, arms crossed.
“You beat me, Vi. Why’d you come back? Jinx tell you to repair things with me? Oh, wait. The only time you guys talk is to argue.”
Vi’s scowl turned into a look of pure hatred. “I want a rematch. And if I win, you have to tell me every nasty detail about you and my sister.”
“What do I get if I win?”
“Whatever you want.”
“Whatever?” Sevika asked, grinning. “Fine. If I win, you back off Jinx, give me my Ring back, and leave that Purie of yours in the dust. You’re no X with the way you’ve been behaving, but if I win you’ll become one.”
“What do you gain from that?”
“What I deserve.”
“Fine. Shake on it,” Vi told her, extending her hand.
“Oh, I can do you one better,” Sevika responded, pulling out a small knife and slicing the palm of her hand. She extended the knife to Vi, who gritted her teeth and did the same. Jayce watched with wide eyes as they shook hands, blood mixing.
“Is that a magic thing?” he asked.
Sevika cackled. “Vi, your Purie’s so cute. No, idiot, it’s a Muggle thing. You’re kind of stupid.”
“He’s my stupid,” Vi shot back.
“So you’re cheating on that Caitlyn girl of yours?”
“No. He’s my friend, you sack of hormones. I’m gay.”
“Didn’t seem like it, but whatever you want to believe.”
Sevika looked to the crowd and cast the voice-amplification spell. Before speaking, she turned to Vi and winked.
“Sorry for everyone wanting a piece of someone else, but tonight’s a rematch between the new so-called-champion and myself. And I know seeing two buff girls trying to break each others’ necks is hot, but I’d like to remind you that this is a duelling club, and if I hear anyone else report an orgy on the back couch I will shut this down. Everyone welcome Vi X, the current champion, to the stage!”
Roars erupted through the crowd, and Jayce ran a hand through his hair as he watched Vi ascend the stairs to the stage. She pulled her wand and nodded at Sevika. Everyone knew what she was saying- even someone as inexperienced as Jayce.
Bring it on.
The duel begun, and this time the two girls moved with deadly grace. For what felt like hours, no spells were fired. The crowd was beginning to get bored when, finally, Sevika struck.
“Locomotor Wibbly!”
“Protego!” Vi smirked from behind her shield. “Jelly-legs? I’d have thought you to be more deadly than that. Diffindo!”
“Protego! And I’d have thought you to not use the same spell every time.”
“Fuck you. Confringo!”
Fire burst out of the tip of Vi’s wand, blasting straight into Sevika.
“A-Aguamenti!” Sevika shouted, drenching herself in water. Jayce saw a deadly expression of contentment spread on Vi’s face.
“Glacius!”
“Pro-” Sevika was cut off as icy-cold air enveloped her wet body, freezing her so much that she couldn’t speak. Vi slunk toward her and poked her stiff neck with her wand.
“Look at you. I won again.” Mock pity filled her voice. “Oh, you can’t tap out. I can fix that. Stupefy.”
Sevika’s body went limp, and she clattered to the floor. Vi turned to the crowd and raised her fist into the air.
“Vi X!” she screamed.
At first, the crowd was silent. Then, a single voice responded.
“Vi X!”
The chant spread like wildfire. “Vi X! Champion!”
She walked back to Sevika. “Rennervate.”
Sevika twitched, but did not rise. Vi shrugged and returned to her position at Jayce’s side.
“Was a high-level spell,” she told him. “Ridding the world of Sevika for a few hours isn’t the worst thing I could have done.”
Jayce nodded. “Yeah. Ready to go?”
Vi looked back at the crowd and shook her head. “You go ahead. I want to spend some more time here. I am their champion now, after all.”
“Okay. Just don’t come spitting some radical agenda at me when we see each other next.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, boytoy. See ya.”
Jayce waved and exited the room. All the fighting… he needed to see Viktor. When they were together, everything was right. He needed to find him, hold him close, kiss him. Something to take his mind off the violence. It wasn’t that bad, nothing compared to a war, but these people… Sevika had mentioned something about an orgy. People were getting off by watching others fight.
What was Hogwarts becoming?
Or had it always been this way?

Chapter Text

Viktor was awoken by one of his roommates a few minutes after he fell asleep.
“Someone wants to see you,” the other boy told him. “A Jayce Talis.”
Viktor nodded. “Thank you.”
“Do you want me to bring you to him?”
“He is waiting outside, is he not?”
“Yes, but… nevermind. He had a serious look on his face, so you might wanna hurry. Good luck.”
Viktor had to hold back a chuckle. Good luck? Jayce coming to see him was a symbol of it. He exited the common room and looked around. Jayce stood, waiting, a few feet away.
“We have come full-circle now, have we not?” Viktor asked, approaching his boyfriend. “Now I am the one being dragged out of sleep.”
Jayce shrugged. “Now you know how it feels.”
“Why did you come to see me so close to curfew?”
“I…” Jayce trailed off, and Viktor offered him his hand.
“Have you done something stupid?”
Jayce took the hand and looked away. “Maybe? Vi and I went back to the Duelling Ring, and she won against Sevika again. Now, I'm just worried that our new champion will turn to the Pureblood-hating side.”
Viktor shook his head. “The Ring does not hate Purebloods. Those sympathetic with the X cause simply want reparations.”
“That’s not how they seemed,” Jayce responded. “Wait. Vik?”
“Yes?”
Jayce's voice lowered to a whisper. “Are you an X?”
“No. I am too sympathetic to Purebloods to be invited.”
“And yet you defend them?”
“They are only human, Jayce. Teenagers who think they can make a difference with hatred.”
“You said they didn't hate Purebloods.”
“I said the Ring didn't hate Purebloods. The Ring is open to all, it is just run by the Xs and their sympathists. Those simply seeing reparations will be dragged under with the radicals. I will defend all of them if it comes to it, like Sevika, but I will also warn you to stay away. If Vi is becoming sympathetic to the X cause, you do not want to be with her in any way.”
Jayce shook his hand, determination illuminating his eyes. “I can't abandon my friend. And I'm going back to the Ring as long as she is. Maybe having me on her side will remind her that there’s good in us, too.”
“Alright,” Viktor responded, though his heart was not in it, “it is your choice. Just use your discretion and get out if you need to.”
“Why the sudden change in opinion?” Jayce asked.
Viktor sighed and gave a half-smile. “I do not want my partner’s friend lost to a cause with the chance to do harm. Yes, radical ideas are not always bad- like with your parents- but ideas that target entire groups of people do no good.”
Jayce nodded. “I understand. Thank you for seeing my side, Vik.”
“Always. I just ask… please do not allow Vi to villainize Sevika. She is just a girl with an idea, even if the idea does harm.”
“Of course. I'll talk to her as soon as I can.”
“Thank you, Jayce.”
Jayce smiled and squeezed Viktor's hand. “You can go back to bed now. It's almost curfew.”
Viktor nodded. “I will. Goodnight.”
He turned back to enter the common room, leaving Jayce in the hallway. He wondered how Jinx would take to her sister keeping her status as champion- and beating Sevika again. She would likely have plenty to say about it at breakfast, should she know by then. With the way news spread at Hogwarts… she'd know before she left her room.
As he lay down, his thoughts drifted to Jayce. He didn't want to believe that the Xs posen any danger to his partner, but he was too smart to really think that way.
Hopefully, Jayce would leave well enough alone and not return to the Ring. Viktor couldn’t imagine a life without Jayce, but every day that the Xs’ message spread that reality got closer. Rain began to patter on the windows, luring Viktor to the realm of the night and away from his thoughts. He would deal with everything tomorrow.

“Viktor… Viktor… Viktor!”
Viktor opened his eyes. As usual, Jinx stood over him.
“Good morning, Jinx. How did you sleep?”
“Is it true that my sister and your boyfriend went to the Ring again? And that she beat Sevika again?” Jinx asked, disregarding his question.
Viktor sighed. He had known this would happen. “Yes, as far as I know.”
“That's actual dragon ass. Sev's the best fighter I know. How did Vi beat her twice?”
“I was not there. I do not know.”
“Fuuuuuck. I bet there was some bet made between them, too. What if it has something to do with me? Vi's been giving more shits about me than usual. I don’t wanna lose Sev.”
“I am sure you will not lose Sevika. Jayce was there, too. He would have told me if you were involved.”
“Jayce went back, too? Viktor, put a leash on your boyfriend. He has no place at the Ring.”
Viktor shook his head. “I already advised him to be careful. There is nothing more we can do.”
“Gah. How am I supposed to explain this to Sev? Yeah, you know, my sister beat the shit out of you at the demand of the Pureblood boy that my best friend is dating. How shitty does that sound?”
“I am sure Jayce did not order your sister to fight Sevika. They probably made a plan together. Do not blame Jayce alone.”
“Fine. I'll just go along with whatever narrative Sevika wants, then.”
“That narrative will be the same thing I just told you to avoid.”
“Tough. Jayce had something to do with it, and you can't tell the entire Ring that your Pureblood boyfriend meant no harm. They’re Xs, or at least sympathetic enough to be there. They don't wanna hear it.”
“But your sister is an X now, is she not? Jayce was assisting one of their own.”
“Like I said, they don’t wanna hear it. Vi didn't know what she was signing up for when she took the name. They'll probably boot her as soon as Sevika wins again.”
Viktor sighed. There was no point in continuing this conversation-turning-argument. Fighting Jinx was never worth it.
“Alright, Jinx. Now, please move so I can get ready for breakfast. What time is it?”

Jayce’s Quidditch practice had been rescheduled to Monday, and he was not happy. He and Viktor had planned to study for a Charms assessment that day, meaning that one of the two would have to be missed. After much deliberation, he decided to push the studying to Tuesday.
“But, Jayce, our assessment is on Tuesday,” Viktor told him before class on Monday. “I am not upset about your Quidditch practice, that I understand, I am worried. Have you done any preparation?”
Jayce grimaced. “Please don’t be upset…”
Viktor shook his head, though a small smile was visible on his face. “I could never be upset at you for something so small. We will only be assessed on the Banishing Charm, so you could try it on some objects in class?”
“Wish I could try it on some people…”
“Better not. Last time we tried magic on people, we killed someone.”
Jayce shuddered. “Right. Random objects it is.”
Viktor pulled out a small quill and set it on the table. “Depulso, remember?”
Depulso…
Vi had used that in her first duel with Sevika. How had she managed to get the hang of it so quickly? She said she liked fighting magic, but it seemed like she was also surprisingly good at it. Jayce hardened his expression and focused on the quill. He had to at least get it to move. If Vi could make Sevika fly across a stage, he could get a quill to twitch.
“Depulso.”
The quill scooted backward a few inches.
Success.

Viktor, as expected, came out of the assessment at the top of the class. Jayce was in the top five, but told Viktor that if he had the chance to practice he would have beat him. Viktor shook his head, a smile on his face, and thought about where Sky would have scored. She was a bright girl, surely she would have been at least fifth. Maybe she would have even challenged him for top spot.
But she couldn’t do that anymore, and it was Viktor’s fault. If he had just told Jayce ‘no, he wouldn’t try wandless magic’ or at least tried it on an inanimate object, Sky would still be with them. They could still have lab sessions. Cecil was having him speak to her parents after class, something he had forgotten that he would have to do until a letter was dropped onto his plate at breakfast. He had neglected to tell Jayce, hoping the other boy would, too, have forgotten and would find something else to do. Otherwise, he knew Jayce would want to come with him.
The letter instructed Viktor to report to Cecil’s office as soon as classes ended, which he did, dodging all of Jinx’s hideouts to avoid the girl’s insistence on following him as well. Wherever Viktor went, Jayce and Jinx followed.
He arrived in the office and looked around. No Cecil. The only other people inside were a short man and a tall woman that looked like a copy of Sky. They heard him enter and turned around.
“Are you the student representative?” the man asked.
Viktor nodded. “Yes. I presume you are Mr. and Mrs. Young?”
“You would be correct. Professor Heimerdinger said you would be talking with us about Sky until he arrives to discuss the adult-business details.”
“That would be correct,” Viktor told them, though he had no idea what this job entailed. “My name is Viktor.”
The woman smiled. “Would you be the same Viktor we read so many letters about?”
“I did not know she sent letters to you.”
“Don’t you send letters to your parents?”
“I do not have parents. I grew up in an orphanage in Bristol.”
She gasped and a look of pity grew in her eyes. Viktor gritted his teeth and sat across from them at Cecil’s desk. This would be a long conversation.

Chapter Text

Viktor, Jayce, and Jinx were going to Hogsmeade as a trio- and Viktor regretted allowing it as soon as they left campus. Jinx was rapidly talking about her newest invention, ignoring Jayce entirely, and making a point to glare at him every time he got too close to Viktor. Jayce responded by touching him even more, purposefully grabbing his hand or otherwise showing affection.
“Can you two please try to get along?” Viktor asked after a few minutes of their nonverbal fight.
“We are getting along!” Jinx responded. “I just love your boyfriend.”
“Yeah, I love your friend.”
“Best friend, Talis.”
“I’m his best friend. I’ve known him for longer than you have.”
“Well, you lost that position when you started dating him. Besides, I’ve been his genius girl best friend since we met.”
“No genius calls themselves a genius.”
“I’m the exception.”
“This is not getting along,” Viktor interjected. “We are almost in Hogsmeade, and I would like some peace before the bustle of town. Please be civil or shut up.”
“Ugh, that’s bo-oring,” Jinx complained. “Wait. Do you guys see that?”
She pointed to a small lump of fur curled up on a bench. The group walked over to it, and she poked it with a stick. A tiny head popped up from one end of the furball and meowed.
“Holy shit,” she whispered. “A cat. Hi, baby! Do you have an owner?”
The cat rubbed its head on her hand and started to purr. She gently petted it, and it licked her.
“Is there a spell to see if a pet belongs to someone?” she asked.
Jayce scoffed. “You’re the so-called genius here. Figure it out.”
“Whatever,” she responded, scooping it up. “She’s mine now. I’m calling her Isha.”
Isha yawned in Jinx’s arms and curled up against her chest. Jinx’s face shifted to a wide smile.
“Let’s see if there’s somewhere in town where we can get her health checked. If not, I’ll go to the library and learn how to do it myself.”
Viktor nodded and looked over at Jayce. He rolled his eyes but nodded.
“Fine. But you owe me a drink after this, Jinx.”
“Deal. Oh Merlin, my baby girl… she’s so cute…”
“Vik, save me.”

By the time the trio returned from Hogsmeade, it was nearly dusk. They had spent a long time in a small clinic for animals, getting Isha her protective spells as well as checking to see if she belonged to anyone in town. When everything was done, they went to the Three Broomsticks and stayed until the bartender noticed that they had a cat with them and tossed them out.
“I can’t believe you found a cat,” Jayce grumbled as they entered the school. “Nothing cool ever happens to me.”
“Am I not cool?” Viktor teased.
Jayce shook his head. “You’re cool, but you didn’t happen to me. If anything, I happened to you.”
“That makes no sense,” Jinx responded.
“Oh yeah, ‘genius’?”
“Shut the fuck up. I have a cat and you don't.”
“I get bitches and you don't.”
“Ask Sevika if that's true.”
“This is childish,” Viktor interrupted. “There is no need to fight about things as silly as dating people. What are you two, first-years?”
Jinx rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I just want to make sure your boyfriend doesn't think he's better than me-”
“Just. Stop.”
“Fine, fine! Merlin…”
Jayce smiled apologetically and extended a hand to Jinx. “Truce? For Vik's sake?”
“Ugh, whatever.” She shook his hand and wiped her own off on her uniform after. “Now I have Pureblood cooties…”

It had only been a few days since Isha had come into Jinx’s care, but Viktor noticed a change in his friend. She was less erratic and unstable, priding herself on being a good “cat mom”. Everywhere she went, Isha followed- even waiting in front of classrooms where she wasn't allowed. At mealtimes, the little ball off fur would dart around their legs, recieving a few drops of milk from Jinx. Viktor did not give her anything as he did not know what was okay to give animals, so he just petted her.
Jayce grumbled about his lack of a pet without end- every time he and Viktor saw Jinx walk somewhere with Isha running behind her, he would begin a long ramble about wanting an owl.
“I'm just saying, Vik, we could get owls together! Then we wouldn’t have to use the school owls anymore. Or maybe I could get an owl and you could get a cat. You seem like a cat person. And think about it, if one of us gets a pet, it will learn to love us both because we spend so much time together.”
“I am not becoming a parent with you.”
Jayce burst out laughing. “It's not like a kid, Vik. Jinx just treats Isha like a daughter. Cats, especially older ones, are actually pretty independent. And owls are just cats with wings. You could pick the names! Come on, don't you want something that loves you just because you spend time with it?”
“I already have you, and you remind me of a pet.”
“Because I'm so cute?”
“Because you follow me everywhere and meow at me.”
“Hey! I don't meow. I talk!”
Viktor smirked and ruffled Jayce’s hair. “You purr when I touch you.”
“I'm more of a dog than a cat.”
“Oh really? Sit, Jayce. Good boy.”
Jayce turned beet red. “You're in a mood today, Vik.”
“So you didn't like me calling you a good boy?”
“Alright, teens in heat, that's enough,” Jinx cut in. “If I have to hear any more of this I might die. Viktor, pets are great. They’re nothing like Jayce.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jayce asked. Jinx grinned and flipped him off. “Hey! Jinx, that’s rude!”
“I suppose I could be convinced to get a cat after my studies,” Viktor mused. “Or two. Rio and Blitzcrank.”
Jinx took a double take. “What kind of names are those?”
“What kind of name is Isha?” Jayce fired back.
Viktor sighed. There was no such thing as a break when Jinx and Jayce were in the same room.
“Isha is a lovely name,” Jinx retorted. “Better than anything you could come up with.”
“Oh yeah? What about… Bartholo-Mew?”
“Horrible.”
“Paw-trick?”
“Jayce…”
“Claw-dia?”
Viktor held up a hand. “Jayce, Jinx. Enough. You have distracted me so much that we are now lost.”
They looked around. They were, in fact, lost in the castle. Nothing looked familiar, and all the portraits were staring at them.
“Children?” one hissed. “I haven’t seen a child in years.”
Jayce gripped Viktor’s hand and turned to another portrait. “Madam, could you tell us where we are?”
“How did you end up here?”
“We were talking, and… well, we didn’t pay attention.”
“Shameful, the kind of students Hogwarts is churning out now. I can smell the dirt in your veins. Only one of you deserves to be in this school.”
“Take that back!” Jinx shouted, brandishing her wand. Isha’s tail puffed up and she hissed at the portrait. “Viktor and I deserve to be here just as much as he does.”
The portrait laughed. “Debatable, Mudblood.”
“Confringo!”
The spell burst out of Jayce’s wand and hit the portrait square in the chest. It doubled backward and glared at her.
“Disgusting. A Blood Traitor. I can’t look at you without poisoning my eyes. Get out, children,” the portrait screeched. “Get out!”
The three shared a look before turning on their heels and moving away as fast as they could. With the combination of his cane and brace, Viktor was able to reach a higher speed than before, but it was far from running. When they reached a more familiar part of the castle, they slowed and came to a stop.
“Why’d you shoot that spell?” Jinx asked, turning to Jayce.
“Had to…” Jayce panted, “shut her up… said horrible things to you.”
“I never asked you to defend me.”
“I was mainly defending Vik. You don’t need my help- not that he does, but I knew you wouldn’t appreciate it.”
Jinx sighed. “Hmm. Alright. You’re not that bad, Talis.”
“Hah. See, Vik? We can get along.”
Viktor nodded. “And for that I am grateful. We are late for lunch. Would you like to get something from the kitchens and eat outside?”
“Hell yeah,” Jinx responded. “Last time I did that, they gave me a four-layer slice of cake.”
They made their way to the kitchens, friendly conversation flowing between them. For the first time since they had met, Jayce and Jinx were not fighting. Viktor wondered if this was real- his two closest friends, getting along. No jabs or insults, no arms linked in his or hand on his shoulder in an attempt to stake a claim. Just peace.
If he could keep them like this, he would be happy.

Chapter Text

“Talis!”
Jayce turned toward the sound of his name being called and found Vi running up to him.
“Sevika fulfilled our deal. She told me everything about her and Pow- Jinx.”
“Oh?” Jayce asked. “Tell me.”
“She… eh… well, they came into Silco’s care at the same time. He found both of them in the city, wandering around alone. Turns out, he was friends with our parents before they died- and Sevika’s too. They originally hated each other, competing for his attention, but sometime before Hogwarts they realized that they could combine forces. When they learned about magic, they promised each other they’d be in Slytherin together- only the Hat had other plans. That’s all she told me.”
“How’d you get that much out of her?”
“Cornered her and threatened to beat the shit out of her, Muggle-style, if she didn’t fess up.”
Jayce laughed. “Only you, Vi.”
“And you love me for it, boytoy. We’re going back to the Ring this week, and you’re coming with me.”
“Are you sure? I didn’t get the idea that they were so friendly toward us Puries.”
“That’s why. We’re going to change that. If their champion can prove that a Pureblood is a halfway decent person, they’ll give up their whole revolution bullshit.”
“Revolution? I thought they just wanted reparations.”
“Not anymore,” Vi responded gravely. “Everyone I’ve talked to there says that the only way forward is revolt against Purebloods. They’re tired of the status quo, and while I don’t blame them, I don’t think revolution is a good idea.”
“You’re probably the only X who would say that.”
“I’m an X by name only. My friend is a Pureblood- hell, my girlfriend is a Pureblood. I want reparations for the way Muggleborns have been treated, but I don’t want you to take our place. People don’t deserve that shit.”
“A portrait called Viktor and Jinx the M-word yesterday,” Jayce told her.
Vi sneered. “Fucking hell.”
“I shot a spell at it.”
She clapped him on the back. “As you should, boytoy. This is why we need you at the Ring. You’re like… the Pureblood defender of Muggleborns.”
“That makes me sound like some hero.”
“What would you rather have me call you, the not-asshole-Purie?”
“Fair enough. Where should we meet to go to the Ring?”
“Here, tomorrow. Usual time.”
Jayce saluted. “Alright. See you then, Vi.”
“Don’t salute me. Good luck with your classes, Singed has us making a random potion from memory today.”
Jayce shuddered and nodded, waving as he headed to Potions class. Hopefully, Singed would go easy on them. He seemed to like Viktor, so maybe that would win them a less complicated potion.

“How’d you do in Potions?” Vi asked as she approached Jayce the next evening.
He grimaced. “Don’t remind me. Vik and I got the closest in our class, but we almost blew ourselves up.”
“Hah. That’ll be something for the grandkids.”
“Grand-cats, most likely. Rio and Blitzcrank.”
“Who chose those names?”
“Viktor…”
Vi smirked. “Thought so. Let’s go, boytoy, we don’t want to be late for our own show.”
They made their way to the depths of Hogwarts, whispered the password, and entered the Ring. Sevika stood onstage and grimaced at their arrival.
“And our resident Champion, accompanied by her pet Purie, has arrived! Vi X, everybody!”
Vi clambered onto the stage and waved. She pointed her wand at her throat and cast the voice amplification spell.
“As much as I know you want to see me fight tonight, I have something else for you. Tonight, we fight our internal prejudices.”
Sevika rolled her eyes. “Is this Purie propaganda? Did your toy Imperius you?”
“No. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be us or them. We can work together.”
“We don’t give a shit!” someone in the crowd yelled. “We’re here to see blood!”
“Fight!” the crowd screamed, voices pulsing in unison.
“It looks like your Champion isn’t feeling so well,” Sevika crooned. “Do we have any volunteers to fight tonight?”
Vi glanced at Jayce and mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’. Jayce offered her a sad smile and beckoned for her to step off the stage. They exited the Ring, and Vi punched a wall.
“Fucking fuckface hell!” she screamed.
“They don’t want to hear it. The Ring makes violent people, Vi.”
Vi breathed heavily, and a murderous sheen appeared in her eyes. “Fine. If they don’t want to listen, I’ll fucking make them.”
“What do you mean?” Jayce asked. Vi shook her head.
“They want violence? I’ll fight all of them. And I’ll win. Then, they’ll fucking listen.”
“Vi-”
“Jayce, go away. I’m going back in. Where the hell is this club?”
She pushed him out of the way and stalked into the club. Before the wall closed again, he could hear her raised voice.
“Who’s ready to FUCKING LISTEN?”

When Jayce saw Vi in the hallway the next time, she was different. She walked with her hands in her pockets, commanding space, and people parted for her as she passed them. A small entourage of students followed her, and she did not acknowledge them. She noticed Jayce staring and gave him a small nod. He nodded back, and she kept moving. There was a gleam in her eyes, but it wasn't friendly. She quickly remembered who he was, and the look faded as she hurried back to him.
“There's a party in Slytherin tonight,” she whispered. “The Ring is hosting it in my honor. Password’s Serpent. You're coming as my plus one. Meet me there at 7, and if I don't show up go in without me. I may be inside already.”
He nodded. “What happened after I left?”
She smirked. “I beat some sense into them.”

Jayce waited outside of the Slytherin common room for five minutes before Vi showed up. At first, he didn't recognize her- her pink hair had been dyed charcoal black, and she wore a black miniskirt- something he never thought he'd see her in.
“Like what you see, boytoy?” she asked with a grin. “Cait sure did. She gave it to me as soon as I tried it on. She's coming as my plus two, but she's already inside. It's her house, after all.”
Jayce looked at his own clothes. He felt underdressed compared to Vi, as he was wearing a Hufflepuff sweater.
“Come on, Talis. We don't want to be late to my party.”
They entered the common room to find a pack of students in various stages of undress- or at least, what looked like it compared to their conservative uniforms. Everyone recognized Vi and gave her fist bumps or pats on the back, but she didn't acknowledge anyone except Jayce and- once they found her- Caitlyn.
Just like in the Ring, a makeshift stage had been set up in the center of the room. Sevika stood on top of it, shouting something at the crowd, which then parted to allow Vi easy access to the stage. She climbed onto it, and the students roared.
“Welcome to my party!” she yelled. “Are you ready for the main event?”
Sounds of approval echoed throughout the room. Someone handed her a bottle of something, which she took a swig from.
“Sevika! You ready?”
Sevika nodded and put up her hands. “Come at me, X.”
Jayce gasped and turned to Caitlyn. “Are they going to fight?”
“I don't know,” she responded. “I'm here for moral support.”
He faced the stage again and watched in horror and fascination as the two girls fought like Muggles. They were evenly matched, just like with magic. One threw a punch or a kick, the other dodged or blocked. Eventually, Vi managed to land a kick to Sevika's gut, but Sevika grabbed her leg and sent her to the ground. She kneeled in between her legs and threw a punch. Vi moved to the side and locked her legs around the other girl, pulling her in as if they were hugging. Sevika pushed upward, and Vi used the chance to send her flying across the stage. They both stood up and circled each other again, punches and kicks coming faster and hitting more often. Finally, Vi was on the ground again. She raised her hand as if to tap out… and punched Sevika in the nose.
Blood pooled on the other girl’s face, but she nodded and helped Vi up. They shook hands, and Sevika left the stage. Jayce heard a healing spell muttered from somewhere in the crowd- probably one of the older members of the Ring. Vi punched her fist into the air.
“Who next?”

By the time Jayce and Vi left the so-called party, Vi’s face was bloody and bruised. She had also downed several shots and glasses of substances that Jayce had refused, so he was practically carrying her to her common room. They were a few corners away from Gryffindor when Jayce heard Viktor’s familiar footsteps come around a corner.
“Jayce?” Viktor asked, taking in the sight of Jayce and Vi. “What happened to you?”
Vi laughed. “Your… boyfriend’s… worried about you… how sweet.”
“Episkey,” Viktor cast, pointing his wand at Vi. The blood disappeared. “What have you two done?”
“Party,” Jayce said. “A fighting party.”
Viktor’s eyes widened. “I did not know you were a fighter.”
“I am,” Vi responded. “Not… him.”
Jayce shifted his grip on her. “We'll talk in a sec, okay? I need to get her in.”
Viktor nodded. “I will come with you and wait outside. Then you can explain this to me.”

Chapter Text

Jayce and Viktor sat in the Ravenclaw common room, Viktor giving Jayce a questioning-yet-pitiful look. After what felt like several minutes, Jayce broke the silence.
“We fucked up,” he told him.
“You went to a fighting party. Does this have anything to do with the Ring?”
“Vi… she did something after I left. Suddenly, she's the ruler of the pack and she's getting drinks handed to her and she's buddies with Sevika and-”
Viktor held up a hand. “She is no longer against Sevika?”
“Well, they seemed to get along well enough… While they were fighting…”
He massaged his forehead and shook his head. “Why are you still involved with the Ring?”
“We were going to bring it down from the inside. But somehow… This happened instead.”
“Do you suspect that Vi’s ideals are turning to the Xs?” Viktor asked plainly.
Jayce shook his head. “No. She’s too loyal to Caitlyn. A plan that could endanger her girlfriend? She wouldn’t dare.”
“Alright. Find out what her motives are. And for Merlin’s sake… keep yourself safe. I cannot stop you from going back to the Ring, but I can plead for you to do so responsibly. Do not accept any drinks. Do not go onstage. Do not command attention to yourself.”
Jayce took Viktor’s hand and looked him in the eye. “I won’t. I promise.”
“Good. What time is it?”
“Tempus. 9.”
“Do you want me to walk you back to your dorm?”
“Can we stay here a bit longer?” Jayce asked.
“It is close to curfew, Jayce. Do you want me to walk you back?”
“Fine. Sure. Let’s go.”
They exited the common room, but the silence between them was uncomfortable. For the first time, Jayce wished he and Viktor hadn’t seen each other.

“Viktor fucking Nolastname!”
Viktor woke to Jinx standing over him, screaming from the top of her lungs. He looked around- everyone else had exited the room.
“What, Jinx?”
“My sister had a fighting party? And your boyfriend went alongside Caitlyn Kiramman as her plus ones?”
Viktor shook his head. “I had nothing to do with this, Jinx.”
“I know, but… How did you find out?”
“I found them walking- well, Jayce walking and carrying your sister- to the common room last night. Jayce and I parted on frosty terms.”
Jinx sighed. “Great. My sister’s getting between you and your boyfriend now.”
“It is not your fault,” Viktor told her. “In the end, attending the party was Jayce’s choice. Do not feel bad if he has to face the consequences of his own actions.”
“I can’t believe Sev fought her and lost. She’s been in martial arts since before Silco took her in.”
“Perhaps she was at a disadvantage somehow?”
“I’ll talk to her. Why was she even at Vi’s party?”
Viktor grimaced. “Jayce said they seemed to be getting along, despite what has happened between them in the Ring.”
“Shit…” Jinx mumbled. “Something’s going on here.”
“Yes. Can I trust you to handle Sevika maturely?”
“I’m not crazy, Viktor. Of course you can.”

When Jayce took his seat at Viktor’s side in class, he felt the coldness emanating from the other boy like it never had before.
“Vik?” he asked gently.
“Hello, Jayce.”
“Are you mad at me?”
Viktor sighed. “I am not upset with you.”
“You sound upset.”
“Jayce, I am thinking. There has been a large amount of information coming at me between last night and today.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“It is fine. Just give me time.”
Time. Right. Jayce could do that. He could give Viktor all the time he needed.

Days passed, and Viktor remained distant. Vi continued to dominate the ring, and he found himself spending more time with her as Viktor refused to interact with anyone except Jinx.
It was torture. He saw him talking with her, but Viktor shut down every conversation that Jayce tried to initiate. What had he done wrong? Maybe he shouldn’t have gone to the party- or to the Ring. None of this would have happened if he hadn’t introduced Vi to it.
The absence of his partner was beginning to dig into the innermost world of his mind when, finally, Viktor spoke again.
“Hello, Jayce,” he began one morning in class.
Jayce’s eyes sparkled as he turned to face his boyfriend. “Vik? I’m so sorry. I didn’t think you’d ever talk to me again.”
“You need not apologize. I was taking my time and conferring with Jinx, who had been speaking with Sevika.”
“Sevika? Why?”
“We wanted to figure out the motives behind your friend’s fighting party- and her sudden change toward Sevika,” he explained. “Apparently, she hosted the party as your friend’s introduction to the real Ring and the X cause. Sevika is convinced that she will take to the cause if given enough time.”
Jayce frowned. “Vi? Take to the X cause? No way. She’s my friend, she doesn’t hate Purebloods.”
Viktor shook his head gravely. “I suggest you try to reinforce that. The Xs are currently just a group of kids, but once they graduate… this could become a problem.”
“So what are we gonna do about it?”
“...do about it?”
“Yeah! We have to bring them down, right? We can’t let them get into the Ministry.”
“We do nothing,” Viktor responded. “The pendulum is swinging back from the radical anti-muggleborns. This will all work itself out.”
Jayce’s expression hardened. “No. We have to fix this!”
“Just because you have lived in privilege all your life does not mean it will stay that way. We must let the Xs either fall apart or have their reign. Everything will pass, Jayce. At some point, you must suffer.”
“I-”
He was cut off as class began and Viktor turned away from him.
What was happening?

Jayce found Vi in the hallway, as usual. She seemed like she was waiting for him, leaning against a wall and chewing bubblegum.
“Hey, Talis,” she greeted.
“Hey, Vi. Are you an X now?”
“Straight to the point, huh? But no. I don’t like Sevika, regardless of how I act around her, and she basically runs it. I’m not fucking around with them while she’s there.”
“So you’d consider it if she wasn’t the leader?”
She looked him up and down and crossed her arms. “Why are you sniffing me out like some K9?”
“A what?”
“A police dog.”
“Well…”
“Did Viktor put you up to this?”
“Uh…”
“I’m not an X. Believe me. I’m not against Purebloods, though you’re the only one of them I tolerate. I’m not stupid. I know the Xs want their own Wizarding World or something, and I don’t want that. Why would I join up with someone who doesn’t want the same things I do?”
Jayce smiled. “Thank you. That’s reassuring.”
“Good. Now report back to your boyfriend that I’m not a threat. Wouldn’t want him to forbid us talking, would you?”
“He’s not like that,” Jayce argued. “Viktor wouldn’t control who I’m friends with.”
“Then why’d he put you up to this?”
“Because he cares. And he’s worried that I’ll get hurt if I’m friends with an X.”
“What about my sister, then? Is he worried about being friends with her?”
“He’s a Muggleborn. It’s different. And I’m pretty sure she’s not an X.”
“With how close she is to Sevika…”
“You’re the one who took the name, not her.”
Vi scowled. “Now you’re defending her?”
“Vi, I’m just saying that she’s not an X. Viktor knows better.”
“Fine, whatever. Bye, Talis. I’m gonna go to class.”
“But this is our free period-” Jayce was cut off as she stalked away.
What had he done wrong now?

Chapter Text

Viktor and Jayce stood side-by-side in Potions, noses deep in books.
“I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to be stirring it now,” Jayce commented.
Viktor shook his head. “No, we need to add valerian root. We stir after.”
“We already added that.”
“That was yesterday, Jayce. Are you okay?”
Jayce sighed. “I’m fine. Just a bit stressed.”
“What is the cause of this?” Viktor asked, adding the plant into the cauldron.
“I don’t know. Vi’s mad at me.”
“Ah. That is causing you this much distress?”
“I don’t know, Vik. It’s just… a lot.”
Viktor nodded and placed a hand on his partner’s shoulder. “You will persevere. We stir now, correct?”
“I think so.”
He double-checked his notes and began to stir the potion clockwise.
“What did you do to upset her?”
“I don’t even know. I’m sorry, these aren’t good answers.”
Viktor shrugged. “Eh. It is still information.”
“Yeah, but it’s not good information.”
“Knowledge is knowledge, even if it does not tell us much.”
Jayce gave a small smile. “My turn to stir. You’ve done all the work.”

Jinx was a constant fixture at Viktor’s side, annoying Jayce to no end. He was sure that the girl played some role in Viktor’s apathetic view of the Xs, and was determined to put an end to it. They went to their special classes with Professor Medarda, and Jayce could swear that he saw something in Viktor’s eyes change every time he was with Jinx.
“Heading off again?” he asked as Viktor stood up- they had been studying- and slung his bag over his shoulder.
“Yes,” Viktor responded. “Lessons.”
Jace grimaced. “Why do you spend so much time with Jinx?”
“She is my friend.”
“She’s an X! She’s probably converting you to be a Pureblood-hating machine of war! Can’t you see that?”
Viktor sighed and shook his head. “Jinx is not an X, and I think you are overreacting.”
“Whatever. Go be fooled into hating us and wanting some kind of revolution. I’ll be here for when you tell me I’m right.”
Jayce crossed his arms and turned around, trying to signal to Viktor that he disapproved. He heard Viktor scoff and walk away.
It was only after his partner was gone that he let himself slump over the desk. Why was he cursed to drive everyone away?

Viktor loved his boyfriend, but sometimes he could be a right idiot. It was not his fault, it was just the Pureblood in him- always thinking he was in the right. The Xs had one thing right- Purebloods could be stupid assholes. Viktor didn’t blame him for it, though. Besides, it would be a good learning lesson. A few hours of no-contact and he would never make the same mistake again.
Probably.
“Viktor!” Jinx shouted, waving at him from across a corridor. “Were you studying with Jayce?”
“Yes.”
“Why’d you do that? Does he not realize that we have lessons today?”
Viktor sighed. It seemed that both of his friends were not happy with each other.
“I was the one who wanted to study with him today, Jinx. We agreed to end before lessons.”
Jinx pursed her lips. “Whatever. Let’s go.”
They walked to Professor Medarda’s classroom in silence- save for Jinx’s boots clicking on the ground and the occasional clank of her hair accessories against each other. Once they arrived, they found Caitlyn seated and watching the professor, who was scribbling on a piece of parchment.
“Ass-sucker,” Jinx hissed, just loud enough that Caitlyn could hear.
Caitlyn raised her eyebrows. “Rude bitch.”
“I didn’t know you could curse, rich fuck.”
“You-”
“Alright, ladies,” Professor Medarda interrupted. “Let’s stop before this gets violent.”
“Are you going to give me detention?” Jinx asked, raising an eyebrow.
Professor Medarda shook her head. “You’re teenagers. I’d let you fight it out, but I’d have to do paperwork if one of you dies or gets seriously hurt. I don’t care enough otherwise, to be frank.”
Caitlyn looked at her in disbelief. “She incited this and you let her get off scot-free?”
“Settle your private matters outside of my classroom, Caitlyn. Now, shall we begin?”

After lessons, Viktor and Jinx were halfway down the hall when Caitlyn stopped them.
“You think you can just call me names and get away with it?” she spat. “You… nobody loves you, Jinx. Not even your own sister. And you know why? Because you’re intolerable. You make people hate you. You live up to your name!”
Jinx’s eyes narrowed and she assumed a predatory stance. “You think I don’t know that? You think I didn’t bear this name for a reason? Fine, fuckface. You wanna know how else I live up to this name? I can throw a mean fucking spell, asshat.”
“I could beat you. I’ve been trained in this my whole life, unlike you.”
“Been trained in being a fucking Pureblood supremacist? Fine. Take your wand out. Viktor, step away.”
Viktor looked between them and backed up. “Are you sure you want to duel in the hallway? You could get caught and sent to detention- both of you.”
“Oh, no, they’d just send me,” Jinx laughed- though it wasn’t friendly. “Miss Kiramman here is the daughter of a Head of House. She’s not going anywhere except the fucking Hospital Wing.”
He nodded. “If you are sure.”
“Of course I am. Caitlyn, back up ten paces and I’ll do the same. Don’t turn around. If you do, I’ll hit you with a spell.”
Caitlyn raised her eyebrows. “It is duel etiquette-”
“Do you think I give a shit about etiquette? Back. The fuck. Up.”
She sighed, but paced backward and motioned at Jinx. “Your turn.”
Jinx moved back and pointed her wand. “On three.”
Caitlyn nodded. “One.”
“Two. Viktor, say it.”
Viktor grimaced, but squared his shoulders and prepared to carry someone to the Hospital Wing. “Three.”
Spells fired from both girls’ wands as soon as the word left his mouth, words blurring together so Viktor couldn’t tell what spells they shot. Almost as soon as the first spell was fired, they shouted Protego in unison. The spells bounced off of the shields and ricocheted back. Jinx dodged nimbly, diving under and rolling into another fighting stance. Caitlyn, on the other hand, was not as fast and was hit in the arm. Her head was instantly encased in a pumpkin, and she stumbled around with her hands outstretched, attempting to find a wall.
“Melofors, Jinx?” Viktor asked, impressed. “Did you practice that on your own?”
Jinx nodded. “I did. Do you like it?”
“Very. I just have one worry- can she breathe?”
“Well, let’s take her to Madam Pomfrey. She can figure it out.”
Both teens hoisted one of Caitlyn’s arms over their shoulders and led her to the Hospital Wing. As they walked, Viktor’s mind spun with fabricated excuses for how Caitlyn ended up with a pumpkin head. He didn’t even know that much about Melofors… hopefully Madam Pomfrey could just cut it off.
Maybe they could say that she fell on it.

Jayce saw Vi in the hallway before their free period and waved. She stopped, raised her eyebrows, and waved him over.
“Are you still mad at me?” he asked.
“You still an ass?”
Jayce shrugged. “I don’t think so. How are you?”
“Well,” Vi sighed, “my girlfriend’s in the Hospital Wing with a pumpkin head. Any idea who could have done it?”
“A pumpkin head?”
“A pumpkin head. Apparently, your boyfriend and my sister found her and brought her in. When she recovers, she won’t remember who did it. Professor Kiramman has been pushing to question the two of them about it, but the other Heads of House refused.”
“How do you know this?”
Vi winked. “Come on. Can’t a girl listen in on discussions when it’s her girlfriend at stake?”

Chapter Text

“Viktor!” Jayce yelled, flagging down his partner before breakfast. “Hey!”
Viktor walked over to him and crossed his arms. “Have you gotten your accusations against Jinx out of your system?”
Jayce grimaced. “Actually… I was going to ask if you think she cast the pumpkin head spell on Caitlyn.”
“That is an advanced jinx, Jayce.”
“What, Jinx is advanced? Or the spell?”
“Come to me when you can see that not every Muggleborn is an X or a supporter.”
Viktor turned around, but Jayce grabbed his wrist. “Come on, Vik. The fact is that Muggleborns are just tired of Purebloods. And I don’t blame them, but you need to realize that you’re in the wrong. They’re probably just jealous of us being so good because we grew up with magic.”
Viktor’s eyes widened, and he tugged himself away from Jayce’s grasp. “Jayce. Have you forgotten something?”
“No?”
“I am a Muggleborn,” he spat. “Good day, Jayce.”
He stalked away, and Jayce reached after him. “I’m sorry! Vik, come back. Hey- Are we still partners?”
Either the other boy didn’t hear him, or he was ignoring him- there was no answer. Jayce watched as he got further and further out of his sight until he was swallowed by the crowd.
Fuck.

Sometimes, Viktor wondered what he ever saw in Jayce. He wouldn’t dream of breaking up with him, abandoning him, but there were times when he came close. It was always Jayce’s Pureblood naivety that caused it, but there were never any signs of supremacist tendencies- until now.
Maybe the Xs were onto something. If even Jayce could fall victim to the belief that he was higher than the Muggleborns… maybe there was no hope for a just society.
The pendulum needed to swing in Muggleborn favor.
Viktor gritted his teeth and squared his shoulders. He was going to make that happen.

The Duelling Ring was packed as Viktor entered, but the crowd seemed to part to allow him access to the stage. The person onstage- Jinx’s sister, he realized- saw him and smirked.
“Didn’t expect to see you here, Viktor.”
He shrugged. “I did not expect to be here, either. Are you the leader of this place?”
“Temporarily. Sevika’s the real one in charge, but I’m Champion.”
“May I speak to the other Muggleborns? I have a proposition.”
“I forgot you’re smart. What do you wanna propose?”
“I have witnessed firsthand that no Pureblood is able to escape the clutches of prejudice. Allow me to campaign a peaceful attempt at gaining reparations- however that comes. I know you all like violence, but we cannot have a full-scale war. I have beginnings of a plan to appeal to the Ministry. All I need are supporters.”
Vi considered his offer for a long time. Finally, she nodded. “Yeah. Tone that smart-ass language down and we’ll have a deal. Why don’t you stay for the show? Maybe you can learn some of our ways and incorporate them to make it more appealing to the… radical Xs.”
“I did not know you considered yourself one of them,” Viktor commented.
“In name only. I think my sister’s more one of us than me.”
“Jinx is not an X, she is merely associated with Sevika. I will stay for the duel, but I will be working on my proposal. I hope that is allowed?”
“Sure, we can clear off a table- or you can sit with some of the others.”
“I will find myself a seat. Thank you, Vi.”
“Sure,” she responded, turning away to address the rest of the crowd. “Alright! We have a good fight planned for tonight, so everyone welcome our entertainment to the stage!”
Viktor walked to a table at the back of the room- the only one with a seat available- and sat down.
“Hey,” one of the other teens said, waving a hand. “Welcome to the Duelling Ring.”
“Thank you.”
He pulled out a sheet of paper and began scribbling down ideas and synonyms to some of the words in his head. If he worked on the proposal enough, he would have a solid speech for next week. Even though the thought of speaking in front of this many people made him feel slightly ill, he knew he needed to do something. If even his boyfriend was affected by Pureblood supremacy, there was no hope for the world.
No hope, that was, unless he could fix it.

The next week, Viktor returned to the Duelling Ring with a speech in hand. He paused at the entrance, took a deep breath, and stated the password.
When he entered, he immediately went to the stage and flagged Vi down.
“I have improved my proposal. May I share it?”
She shrugged and motioned for him to come onstage. “It’s your show for the next ten minutes.”
He ascended to the stage and stood behind her as she turned to the crowd. “We have a special guest tonight, who will be proposing a plan to help end Purie supremacy. Please welcome Viktor!”
The room was silent.
Viktor cleared his throat and looked out at all the people- people like him. He needed to make this speech. He needed Pureblood supremacy to get its reaches out of his partner.
“Xs. I do not know you, I am not one of you, but I have a similar goal. I have recently come to realize the severity of Pureblood supremacy and their hatred of us Muggleborns, and I have a proposition. Instead of turning to violence, which will only result in more action against us and harsher rules against our children, we focus on taking over the Ministry and changing things from the inside. It will require a longer wait, but it will be more lucrative. You may continue your duels and your small operations, but violence will be cast aside in the large scheme. We must play their game by their rules, regardless of how much we like it. You do not need me for this plan. This is not a grab for status. I will stand aside and watch it unfold, but I implore you to consider trying a nonviolent approach. Thank you.”
He moved to leave the stage, but a voice called out from the crowd. “Stay.”
Another joined in. “I like your plan.”
“I want to help,” yet another added.
“Alright,” Viktor said. “If you support my plan, stay with me here after the duel. We can talk strategy-”
“No,” Vi cut in. “We’re not having a duel. We’re staying to discuss your plan. Anyone who doesn’t want this can leave, but Viktor X will be hosting his first nonviolent meeting today.”
To Viktor’s surprise, almost nobody left.
“We have several phases to this plan,” Viktor began. “The first phase begins now. We need people suited to join the Ministry as well as voters- so your goal is to do well in class and, above all, stay alive. We can begin petitioning for more Muggle Studies classes, too, but this will be boring for a while. The real work begins once we’re out in the world.”
“So this is just a push for more studious people?” someone asked.
“No. Everyone plays an important role, regardless of academic ability. We need people of all kinds.”
More voices rang out, and Viktor sighed.
This would be a long night.