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Chapter Text

Part I: Wiggenweld

The soft gurgle of a cauldron is one of Sungho’s favorite sounds.

He has always enjoyed Potions class. There’s something about the simplicity of it; add a teaspoon of this and a sprinkle of that. Stir an exact number of times. Wait an exact number of minutes. There’s no need to rely on fickle things like guesswork or intuition — it’s scientific, precise, rational. 

So despite the cold draft in the Potions dungeon that he can never quite get used to, he feels right at home there. He’s the first to arrive on that late summer morning, pleased to see so many empty seats as he makes his way past the heavy wooden doors. It’s the first day of the school year, after all, so nobody really wants to be in class yet.

He heads to the front of the classroom, dodging past simmering cauldrons and avoiding the errant splashes of self-brewing potions. While there isn’t an official assigned seating, after five years at school he’s come to know that there’s an implicit arrangement. Ravenclaws, like himself, are often the first to class anyway so they’re likely to be found towards the front of the classroom, with Hufflepuffs opposite them and Slytherins and Gryffindors somewhere in the back where they’re more likely to get away with pranks, cheating, gossiping — or likely all of the aforementioned. Sungho takes a seat on the far left potions station, and begins taking books out from his bag. 

He places his book gently on the station, also bringing out a pen and a fresh piece of parchment. As he waits for the rest of class to filter in, he starts mapping out his timetable for the year, mumbling softly to himself as he takes notes of everything he must juggle — his regular classes, extra classes, O.W.L. preparations, Quidditch practice, Prefect meetings, duelling club if Taesan has his way, and he promised Leehan they’d spend more time at the Black Lake...

His head starts spinning as he realizes how much is on his plate, though he doesn’t have much time to think on it, as he eventually hears the familiar rumble of footsteps coming from the central hall.

“You couldn’t have waited for me?” Taesan grumbles, barely perceptible amid the soft chatter of students as they begin filing into the dungeon. He slams his book bag down on the station next to Sungho, hard enough that the various jars of ingredients and half-consumed potions clink together. Sungho sighs, but doesn’t look up from his parchment.

“I told you I was leaving at 8:30.” Sungho replies, in the middle of jotting down his schedule on Monday afternoons. 

“I told you I was stopping by the library.” Taesan argues, as he pulls out his copy of Intermediate Potion Making. 

“Does it even matter? We’re here now and we’ll be together all day.” Sungho says, finally looking up.

“I’m just saying, you could have waited another four or five minutes —”

“Good grief, why does it matter?” Sungho slams his pen down, a laugh bubbling out of him because it is just like Taesan to argue for the sake of arguing.

“Good morning, class.” A smooth, rumbling voice echoes from the end of the room, effectively silencing it. Professor Sharp, a rugged man with long, unkempt hair, a noticeably scarred face and well-worn robes came out from what Sungho knew to be his office. His heels click on the cold stone floor as he walks, a bit out of rhythm due to his slight limp. “I see the Ravenclaws are having a lively morning. Would you like to have points taken from your house on your first day back, Mr. Park and Mr. Han?”

“No, sir.” They both supply quickly, averting their eyes from each other as Professor Sharp passes. Sungho hears snickers from all over the room. Clearly their classmates are enjoying the show.

“Good. I wouldn’t want to tarnish Mr. Park’s perfect record, especially since I’ve heard he’s made Prefect this year. Is that right?” Professor Sharp asks, folding his hands over the elegantly carved grip of his cane. 

“Yes, sir.” Sungho nods, meeting Professor Sharp’s eyes with an even gaze. Professor Sharp, despite his reputation, is more lenient than most Professors. He appreciates accountability, firmness, and despises grovelling — incidentally, so does Sungho.

After a split second of eye contact, Professor Sharp nods. He seems to find Sungho’s response sufficient.

“Congratulations. Well deserved. Now, if you and Mr. Han are finished, I’d like to start our first lesson of the term. Everyone, please turn your books to page 106…”

That morning’s class passes without further incident. Professor Sharp introduced that day’s lesson: Wiggenweld, the healing potion, and discussed its difference from other known healing potions. Then, the class followed the procedure specified in their books to brew the potion.

With only ten minutes left to the class, Sungho holds a small vial in his hand. Still warm and swirling green in the vial, he received a nod of approval from Professor Sharp as he looked over his shoulder to check his work a little earlier. Some of his classmates were less successful, achieving an odd yellow color that would heal you halfway and then likely leave you covered with boils until reversed, Professor Sharp cautioned. 

“Now, as Fifth Years you’ll be taking your O.W.L.s at the end of the year, and you’ll need a thorough grasp of both theory and practice to successfully pass. And I will remind you that I will only accept ‘Exceeds Expectations’ and above for N.E.W.T. level Potions class.” Professor Sharp says, eyes lingering on students who hastily avoid his gaze at the reminder.

“Now, I am aware that learning to brew potions in class once may not be enough for some,” Professor Sharp pauses, and some of their classmates who failed to brew the potion wisely keep their heads down. The Professor continues, “So, I will also be requiring you to brew potions in your own time as assignments.”

The class collectively groans in protest — but undeterred, Professor Sharp continues; “And I will also be asking you to document the properties of their ingredients, how they are procured and treated, and how they contribute to the potion’s effect. You will submit at least 20 inches of parchment along with two doses of the completed brew  — and these assignments will make up half of your grade for the term. Your first assignment will be the Wiggenweld potion, which we learned how to brew today. Given its simplicity I’ll expect your submissions during class or by the end of the day on Monday.”

The entire class grumbles further in unison, and while he refrains from joining them, Sungho can’t help but agree. One essay is fine, but 20 inches for multiple potions throughout the term sounds like a downright pain. Nevertheless, Sungho continues to jot down the details of the assignment in his journal, underlining 20 inches three times.

“But I am not without mercy. I recognize that this is a lot of extra work and that procuring ingredients can be both time consuming and expensive, so you will be working with a partner.” Professor Sharp explains, and immediately Sungho locks eyes with Taesan, who nods wordlessly. But before either of them can speak, Professor Sharp continues, “However in the spirit of inter-house unity and as per the Headmaster’s recent memorandum, I will be assigning you with a partner from a different house.” 

The collective groan fills the room once more, but Professor Sharp ignores it all the same. Sungho purses his lip as Professor Sharp begins to call names from a list, crossing them out as he goes.

“Excellent. Watch me get paired with bloody Poppy Sweeting or something.” Taesan mutters, crossing his arms as he leans back and glances towards Sungho.

“What’s wrong with Poppy Sweeting? She’s smart, and nice enough.” Sungho replies.

“She’s fine until she’s arguing about the ethics of collecting ashwinder eggs or dugbog tongues.” Taesan says pointedly.

“What’s wrong with that? You love arguing.” Sungho replies with a wry smile, and Taesan is about to fire off a heated response when Professor Sharp calls his name.

“Mr. Han… You’ll be paired with Leehan Kim.”

Across the room, sitting with the other Slytherins, Leehan is leaning over the heavy wooden station, his chin resting on one hand. He grins at Taesan, who nods and gives him a thumbs up. Only moments after, Taesan turns and sighs heavily at Sungho, shaking his head.

“What now? I thought you’d be ecstatic to be paired with Leehan.” Sungho asks, twirling his pen in his hand. 

“He’s almost as bad as Sweeting. He’ll make me run all over the place chasing the giant squid in the lake before even considering helping me with assignments.”

“Well. At least he’ll know where to find all the aquatic potions ingredients.” Sungho says quietly, amused as Taesan continues to mumble to himself, picking up his quill — out of the corner of his eye, Sungho notices as he writes ’Secure schedule before Leehan gets distracted!’ ‘on the corner of the page.

He smiles but says nothing as he waits for Professor Sharp to call his name.

“And Mr. Park,” Professor Sharp calls, now reaching close to the end of the parchment he was holding. He looked past the Ravenclaw table towards the back, “You’re with Mr. Myung.”

Sungho turns around and spots Jaehyun Myung, two stations over, red with barely held laughter as the boy next to him — Woonhak Kim, if Sungho recalls correctly — struggles to collect his Wiggenweld potion in his vial. As he holds his wand up to stream it into the small bottle, it bubbles and breaks, splashing him in the face. From where he is sitting, Sungho can clearly see Jaehyun moving his wand behind his back.

Sungho raises an eyebrow. His wand-work is good, but perhaps this isn’t the best application. Jaehyun doesn’t even seem to notice his name has been called. 

Woonhak has, though. He nudges Jaehyun to let him know, which disturbs the levitation spell he has casted on his potion — and subsequently, the potion falls and splatters on the floor and all over Woonhak’s clothes. 

“That’s not where the potion is supposed to go, Mr. Kim.” Professor Sharp comments dryly, and Woonhak throws his head back, fuming. He notices Jaehyun’s wand in his hand and seems to have realized the cause of the spill was him. “I’ve also already checked your work, so if you’re having that much trouble with a simple levitation charm, you may stop. Just make sure to clean up — oh, and please make sure your assignments are actually in the vials when you submit them, yes?”

“Of course, sir.” Woonhak replies, eyes wide as he stares pointedly at Jaehyun, who seems to find it funnier and funnier by the second.

“As I was saying, Mr. Park, you will be working with Mr. Myung.” Professor Sharp repeats, and Sungho nods — and finally, Jaehyun looks over, meeting Sungho’s eyes. He smiles, waves, and Sungho returns the gesture. 

Jaehyun Myung. Interesting. 

Professor Sharp continues to drone on, and soon enough the morning bell rings, signalling the end of first period. The sound of heavy wooden stools dragging against the stone floors fills the room, followed by the rustle of books, quills and parchment being thrown into bookbags. Sungho carefully packs away his things, thinking about approaching his new partner once he’s done.

“Hey,” A voice calls just as he’s packing away the last piece of parchment. Sungho looks up, meeting eager eyes and a wide smile. 

“Hi. Jaehyun, right?” Sungho responds, feeling oddly nervous. He takes a half-step back, realizing just how closely they were standing. He clears his throat, closing the flap of his bag. 

“Yes. We’ve met before. We had that group project when we were Third Years… Charms, if I remember correctly. And, well… We’ve played a few matches against each other, haven’t we?”

“Of course, yeah. Great win last season. Excellent save in that last minute.” Sungho said, hoping it didn’t sound as bitter as he felt. Ravenclaw was knocked out of the final by Gryffindor and it was still a bit of a sore topic amongst the team. He shuffles his feet, hoping to change the topic, “Uh, I’m on my way to Transfiguration.”

“I have Divination. We can walk together.” Jaehyun says, hoisting his bag over his shoulder and waving towards the door. “After you.”

Sungho starts walking, waving goodbye at Taesan and Leehan, who were at the end of the room, likely discussing the assignment. They knew Jaehyun too, of course. In their Fifth Year, everyone kind of knew everyone. They greeted Jaehyun as well as Sungho walked with him out of the dungeon and into the central hall.

“So. Um, here’s a copy of my timetable this term.” Sungho says, fishing out his schedule that he had just finished writing down and casting a duplication charm to share it with Jaehyun, who scans it diligently. 

“Cool. I don’t have mine right now, but I can share it with you when we see each other next. It looks like you have the afternoon free on Thursday. I do, too. Maybe we can split the ingredients and meet up to work on it together.” Jaehyun says, stopping to think for a moment. “I can bring the Horklump juice.”

Sungho pauses. The other main ingredient, Dittany leaves, can be easily picked from the Herbology greenhouses. To get Horklump juice he’d have to either make a trip down to Hogsmeade during the week or traverse some dark caverns. He stops, just as they’re about to turn a corner into the Transfiguration Courtyard.

“Are you sure? Do you already have some, or…”

“No, but there’s a spot nearby where I know Horklumps grow.” Jaehyun says slowly, as though he’s trying to gauge Sungho’s response. 

“What do you mean by ‘nearby’?” Sungho asks. “Like, on school premises, or in the Forbidden Forest?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jaehyun waves off, turning on his heel. One corner of his mouth turns upwards in a boyish smirk, and he begins to walk away. “I’ll see you on Thursday at the Astronomy Wing. I’ll bring the potions set, too!”

And so Sungho is left standing in the middle of the bustling hall, staring at the back of Jaehyun’s head as he disappears through the crowd on his way to his next class.

Jaehyun Myung. Interesting.

“What do you know about Jaehyun Myung?” Sungho asks over the cacophony of laughter and silverware clinking together in the Great Hall. It’s lunch time and the dining hall is nearly at full capacity, bustling as empty platters disappear from the table, soon replaced by new plates of sandwiches and meats, goblets refilling themselves continuously and parchment flying over their heads as students launch paper swans and airplanes at each other.

“I know he made Prefect this year, just like you. I know he gets excellent marks at the end of each term and professors just can’t seem to catch him breaking rules — even though everyone knows he does. I know he’ll either make Quidditch Captain or Head Boy by the time we’re in our Seventh Year, depending on whether or not he finally gets caught doing something he isn’t supposed to.” Taesan rambles on, thoughtfully pausing as he chews his pumpkin pasty. “What, already having trouble with your new partner?”

“Not at all. He’s just… Interesting.” Sungho says, taking a sip of water from his goblet. “I don’t get him. He can never sit still in class but he always scores well in exams. He’s constantly pulling pranks on people and yet nobody says a single bad thing about him. I once saw him sneak in through the One-Eyed Witch passage carrying a concerningly large amount of sugar quills… And yet, like you said, he still made Prefect this year.”

“People are complicated.” Taesan says dismissively, looking over his shoulder. A small smile tugs at his lips as he catches sight of a head of treated blond hair making its way towards them, “Speaking of complicated…” 

Leehan dumps his book bag on the floor next to Sungho’s feet and unceremoniously plops himself down next to him, reaching over to grab a half-eaten pumpkin pasty on Taesan’s plate. Leehan is smiling, dazed, wordlessly raising an eyebrow at his two Ravenclaw companions.

“Someone’s got a pep in their step today,” Sungho comments, knowing Leehan likely wanted somebody to ask why he was so cheerful. “Something good happened, I assume?”

“I saw it today.” Leehan said with a grin, crossing his arms over the shiny oak of the Ravenclaw dining table. “I saw it! I snuck into the common room after Divination. It always shows up when the common room is empty. I sat by the windows and waited. And then, it was there!”

“Ah, the squid.” Taesan says, nodding slowly, a fond smile twisting his lips as he watches Leehan speak in between bites of his food.

“I’ve seen it twice already since this term started, it only gets more and more beautiful. I hope I see it again tonight. Oh, maybe I’ll see a mermaid this term!” Leehan mutters excitedly, reaching for the goblet of pumpkin juice right next to Taesan’s plate. He sips delicately, eyes sparkling as he turns to Sungho. “Do you think I’ll see a mermaid?”

“I should hope so. The Sorting Hat was going to put you in Ravenclaw but you specifically asked to be put in Slytherin so you could see the bloody squid and the mermaids, it would be a shame not to.” Sungho replies, brushing pastry dust from his fingertips. 

“Can you believe nobody else is interested in seeing them? You would think they’d be excited to see such fascinating creatures right through the common room window. Oh, I wish I could show you someday…” Leehan says, pausing to look around him, as though he just realized he was there. “Have I ever asked why we always sit with the Ravenclaws? You two never come and sit over at our table.”

“Stop pouting, it’s because you’re always late.” Taesan rolls his eyes, chuckling. “We’ll sit at your table next time. Just don’t be late.” 

“Hey Leehan,” Sungho calls, swiftly changing the subject. “What do you know about Jaehyun Myung?”

“Ah, him. Great Quidditch player. Even better at Gobstones, and excellent at Summoner’s Court. Kind of sucks at hanging out at the library, though. Like I think maybe he just doesn’t understand the concept?” Leehan replies in an all-too serious tone, and Taesan and Sungho laugh. “He’s very nice, though. I see him with his friends down at the lake all the time. They like to skip stones and sit with me while I sketch. Why? Having trouble with the assignment?”

“Why do you guys keep asking that?” Sungho laughs, “No, I’m not having trouble. I’m just curious. I’ve spoken to him a handful of times, but it’s like I know so much and so little about him.”

“You seem almost too curious.” Taesan says, crossing his arms over the table as he leans forward and levels Sungho with his sharp gaze. 

“Well, I am a Ravenclaw.” Sungho responds dismissively, just as the clock tower signals fifteen minutes to the end of lunch period. He checks his wristwatch and asks, “We have Herbology next, don’t we?”

“Yup. We can go after Leehan finishes eating.” Taesan says, as he begins to gather his things. Next to Sungho, Leehan is polishing up another pasty, cheeks full as he reaches for a goblet.

“Almost done,” Leehan says, and Sungho pats his back to remind him not to rush. 

Soon, the three of them are off to their next class along with the rest of the school, and the conversation about Jaehyun Myung is long forgotten.

Sungho doesn’t think of Jaehyun Myung until he has to — three days later, as he walks to the reading room in the Astronomy Wing, which is nice and empty during this time of day.

He brushes past ghosts and paintings dozing off in the hallway and settles on one of the deep blue, velvet sofas. His last class, Charms, was just down the hall and it ended early, so Jaehyun likely won’t arrive for another five or ten minutes. While waiting, he decides to brush up on the procedure for the Wiggenweld potion.

He crosses his legs and leans back, twirling his favorite pen in his hand as he reads about the potion, cross-referencing with a separate book on known properties of potions ingredients as he takes notes for his essay. 

By the time Jaehyun arrives, he has finished sketching Dittany and Horklump and written extensive paragraphs detailing their location, extraction methods and their qualities that contribute to the healing effect of the Wiggenweld potion. 

“Wow. I’m only a little late, right? Looks like you don’t even need a partner.” Jaehyun says with a laugh, a little breathless as Sungho looks up to greet him. He’s peering over Sungho’s shoulder, eyeing the detailed sketches and paragraphs that Sungho has already finished.

“You’re not late. Professor Min ended class early.” Sungho says, moving to make room for Jaehyun on the sofa. “Have a seat.” 

“Thanks,” Jaehyun grins, huffing as he sits down. He looks away, rifling through his bag — which seems to have an extension charm, by the looks of it. Sungho is impressed, as this is a highly advanced spell even he hasn’t learned yet. Jaehyun finally fishes a piece of parchment out, handing it over to Sungho triumphantly. “Here! My timetable. Sorry it’s a little messy. I know my handwriting is… err… Unique. Let me know if there’s anything you can’t read. Hang on, let me just grab the cauldron.” 

Sungho nods as he takes the parchment, scanning diligently while Jaehyun finds the cauldron. It’s not too hard to read, though perhaps he’s just gotten plenty of practice from deciphering Leehan’s borderline hieroglyphic handwriting. In contrast, Jaehyun’s handwriting is made up of quick strokes, some even incomplete — as if his brain is moving quicker than his quill can keep up with. 

“Wait, it says here your last class was Care of Magical Creatures. That’s all the way outside the castle. Why did you ask to meet here? We could have met halfway near the library or something.” 

“Oh. Well, your last class was Charms so I didn’t want to make you walk all the way.” Jaehyun says with a shrug, his arm squeezed all the way into his bag now — before finally he grabs hold of something, “Got it!” 

Sungho watches as Jaehyun pulls out a heavy stone cauldron, the exact size they would need to brew a few doses of the Wiggenweld potion. Then, he pulls his wand from his pocket, “ Accio Horklump!” 

The bottle of Horklump juice whips out of the bag and into his hand. Sungho stares inquisitively, and without even saying a word, Jaehyun huffs and explains, “The cauldron’s a little heavy for the summoning charm. Didn’t want to ‘Accio’ it and then end up with another black eye. Or worse, it could have hit you.”

Another black eye? Sungho almost asks, but decides not to. Maybe another time. 

“That wouldn’t have been so bad. We are making a healing potion, after all.”

Jaehyun pauses, just as he’s about to stand, about to prepare the cauldron, no doubt. He turns to Sungho with an impressed, highly amused quirk of his lip. He concedes, “Very funny. Did you get the Dittany?”

“Yes,” Sungho responds, standing up as well. He quietly summons one of the nearby tables, and with smooth, fluid wand motions he levitates its contents away — a bowl of apples, stacks of books, and loose parchment — to be placed neatly elsewhere. Then, he reaches into the bottom of his bag for the Dittany leaves, neatly wrapped in parchment and tied delicately with twine. 

“Nice.” Jaehyun says, placing the cauldron on the table, along with the Horklump. He digs through his bag and pulls out a bottle of what seems to be salamander blood, a common potions ingredient, some empty vials, and a wooden ladle. Like Sungho, he also prepares a piece of parchment and a quill. Finally, he turns to Sunghoo and asks, “Ready?”

Sungho nods, and so they begin.

The thing about the Wiggenweld potion is that it is a fairly quick potion to brew — but it is also fairly easy to get wrong.

It is one of the simplest healing potions, excellent for cuts, bruises and even minor bone breakage. It works quickly, but only if taken within a half hour of the injury. Most of all, the ingredients must be added in the correct order and at the correct time. 

Sungho and Jaehyun stay mostly silent throughout the process, speaking in hushed whispers to maintain focus. Jaehyun stands over the cauldron, wrist bent as he holds his wand over it, swirling and counting to himself. Next to him, Sungho assists diligently, grinding the Dittany leaves to a fine, perfect powder. He keeps track of the time as well through his wristwatch, watching the seconds pass and reminding Jaehyun of each step.

The cauldron bubbles, a soft orange now after adding the Dittany. Sungho has the Horklump ready, uncorked in one hand as he watches the time. Two minutes until they need to add the Horklump. 

Jaehyun is surprisingly pedantic when it comes to potion-making, counting down to the exact second. He seems to have studied up on the procedure, but he still takes the time to confirm the next step by asking Sungho, who has the book open in front of him.

“Four… three… Horklump now, yes?” Jaehyun asks, holding his hand out.

“Yes, that should be right.” Sungho confirms, handing Jaehyun the bottle.

Gently, he streams the Horklump juice into the swirling cauldron, little by little as indicated in the book. The deep purple blends into the brew, bleeding in like vibrant clouds and then bubbling over. 

“And then we lower the heat. I’ll do it.” Sungho says, and with a soft tap of his wand the fire beneath the cauldron quiets, and the potion slows to a gentle simmer. He glances at the book, then reminds Jaehyun, “Ten minutes, low simmer. You should take a break, in the meantime.” 

“Perfect. My arm was getting tired.” Jaehyun sighs, finally putting his arm down. He flexes his arm lightly, rotating his shoulder to ease the ache.

Meanwhile, Sungho reaches into the pocket of his robe for a familiar device — fingers catching the smooth plastic easily. He pulls it out and sets a ten-minute timer, placing it on the desk.

“What’s that?” Jaehyun asks, bending down to inspect the device, eyebrow raised curiously. It ticks silently, indicating the passing seconds. 

“Oh, it’s called an egg timer.” Sungho explains, a little nervous. He usually hesitates explaining Muggle concepts to his classmates, but he doesn’t  think Jaehyun will think badly of him. “Muggles use it in kitchens, usually. It’ll ring when it’s been ten minutes. It’s really handy for potion-making. I use it when I’m studying, too. Helps me keep track of time.” 

“Cool,” Jaehyun says, tapping a finger on the top of the pristine white plastic. He traces the numbers on the side, “Like an alarm clock.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Sungho nods, watching the curious look in Jaehyun’s eye. “I know I could just put a charm on a clock or a watch or something. Guess this just feels easier.”

“I noticed you don’t use quills, too.” Jaehyun says, eyeing the pen that Sungho left on the table. 

“Ah,” Sungho pauses, biting his lip. “Yes, I just can’t seem to get used to writing with a quill — dipping in for ink and going back and forth. I’m a Half-Blood, but I grew up with my mother, on the Muggle side. My father died when I was young.”

He isn’t sure why he’s saying all this — Jaehyun didn’t ask, but he felt compelled to explain. He’s a Pureblood as far as Sungho knows, so this must be strange to him. 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Jaehyun says, “But thank you for sharing with me.”

Sungho tries to think of something else to talk about, but before he can, Jaehyun comes a little closer, lowering his voice as he asks, “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Sure.” Sungho responds hesitantly. The sofa dips under Jaehyun’s weight as he shifts slightly, their shoulders brushing against each other. Sungho catches a sweet scent — something like apples? 

“Have you heard the rumor about the Hidden Herbology Corridor?” Jaehyun asks, leaning back on the sofa. He tips his head back, eyes shining with mischief as he stares at Sungho. 

“I have. They say a professor from a century ago used it to house dangerous plants, but it’s infested with Devil’s Snare so nobody’s been there for decades.” 

For a moment, Jaehyun doesn’t say anything. He just stares at Sungho, tongue poking the inside of his cheek — eyes alight with the knowledge of a secret.

“No.” Sungho huffs in disbelief.

“Yes.”

“You can’t have…”

“There’s more than just Venomous Tentacula and Devil’s Snare down there — plenty of Horklump is growing there, too. I found it accidentally in Third Year,” Jaehyun says excitedly, “My friend Woonhak hit a Quaffle way out of bounds and the Seventh Years made us look for it. The Quaffle ended up falling near an alcove with overgrown vines. We poked around for a bit and found the rumored Herbology Corridor — absolutely covered in Devil’s Snare.”

“Sounds dangerous.” Sungho comments.

“Not at all.” Jaehyun replies, in a matter-of-fact way that is all the more shocking to Sungho. “Nothing a little ‘Lumos’ can’t fix, anyway.” 

“That’s where you got the Horklump? You know, you could have just gone down to Hogsmeade.”

“It was fun! I’m there often enough, anyway. You wouldn’t believe how often somebody needs Wiggenweld in the Gryffindor common room — we kind of have to have a constant supply.” 

“Just a fun little life-risking side quest.” Sungho rolls his eyes but laughs along with Jaehyun as he stands to check on the potion. It’s still simmering, slowly changing into that vibrant, Granny Smith green as the seconds tick by.

“I technically didn’t break any school rules.” Jaehyun says, crossing his legs as he watches Sungho carefully. “Not that I’m against a little rule-breaking, anyway.”

“Don’t let the other Prefects hear you say that.”

“It’s only bad if you’re caught.” Jaehyun argues, and Sungho can swear he hears the smile in his voice. When Sungho turns, Jaehyun’s eyes are on him — big and brown, shining in the soft glow of the afternoon sun streaming in through the massive frosted glass windows around them. Sungho stares a little too long, he realizes, tearing his eyes away just as Jaehyun asks, “Come on, Ravenclaw. You’ve never broken any rules?”

“Some of us don’t go running around looking for trouble.” Sungho says, crossing his arms as he leans back on the table, careful not to disturb the cauldron. 

“A little trouble might be good for you.” Jaehyun counters, that boyish smile tugging at his lips again — and Sungho feels his cheeks turn red, just a little.

“I’m starting to question why they made you a Prefect.” 

“I’ve been wondering that ever since I received the letter.” Jaehyun laughs, and Sungho finds himself grinning, too.

Soon after the brew is completed and transferred into vials, the two decide to work on their essays together. For the rest of the afternoon they sit huddled together, basking in the scent of fresh parchment and wet ink, talking about anything and nothing as the afternoon sun fades behind them. 

They share notes with each other — Jaehyun’s a messy scrawl poured straight from his mind onto a page, and Sungho’s perfectly neat, organized and digestible. Still, Sungho is surprised to learn quite a bit. Jaehyun tells him about other varieties of Dittany and Horklump, where they’re found and how seasonality can affect a brew. He tells him about dark caverns and great lakes in the region, and Sungho wonders how the hell he has the time to do all this exploring and still get good grades.

Sungho figured he’d finish the essay over the weekend, but with the two of them working together, they’re done in a matter of hours. It’s easy, productive — hell, it’s fun , and by the end of it Sungho suddenly sees the appeal of study dates.

Not that this was a date , Sungho blinks, pushing the thought away. He wasn’t sure where it even came from. He’s glad he didn’t say that out loud. That would have been embarrassing.

“Oh shoot, dinner’s in ten minutes!” Jaehyun remarks, eyes on a clock perched on one of the tables. He gets up and begins gathering his things — which had ended up scattered all over the table, somehow. He laughs, standing as he starts tidying up, “I completely lost track of time — which isn’t uncommon, but this is certainly the first time it’s happened because of potion-making.”

“Me too, I didn’t even notice the sun had set… Hold on, let me.” Sungho says, and with a flourish of his wand, he collects the pieces of parchment into two piles, his and Jaehyun’s. Jaehyun watches as things float in the air and fall into place, even sending his cauldron back into his bag, followed by the emptied and cleaned bottles. When Sungho is done, the two doses of Wiggenweld sit on the table, waiting to be collected.

“You’re really good at that.” Jaehyun says, astonished as he hoists his bag over his shoulder

“What, cleaning?” Sungho chuckles as he takes the Wiggenweld potions, placing them into a slot in his bag. “It’s nothing. I’m more impressed by the extension charm on your bag. Must be really handy.” 

“Oh, that? It’s easier than it looks. I’ll teach you next time.” 

“Right, next time.” Sungho agrees — something he can’t quite name flutters in his chest as he meets Jaehyun’s eager eyes with a small, hesitant smile. He looks away, gesturing to the hallway. “Shall we?”

As they walk together to the Great Hall, stomachs growling in anticipation of their meal, they chat excitedly, hazarding guesses about their next potions assignment.

When they stand by the entryway saying their goodbyes, Sungho admits to himself that he is, perhaps, a little disappointed to part ways.

And maybe he gets Jaehyun Myung now. Just a little.

Part II: Edurus

Their next potions assignment is the Edurus potion: a defensive elixir that gives its drinker tough, rock-like skin that will protect them and prevent injuries. For this assignment, Professor Sharp gives them two weeks to complete the assignment

Like last time, Sungho and Jaehyun speak right after class to discuss when they’ll meet and what they’ll bring. Jaehyun has Quidditch practice on Thursday so they decide to meet over the weekend, on Sunday morning. This gives them both ample time to gather the necessary ingredients — for Jaehyun, ashwinder eggs and for Sungho, mongrel fur. Simple and easy, Sungho thinks, glad to have such a smooth partnership. 

Except this time as the days pass and Sungho finds himself increasingly occupied — from back to back Quidditch practice to extra assignments from Professor Kim on top of Prefect duties. With his hectic week, he doesn’t have time to slip out of the castle to purchase the mongrel fur until Saturday morning.

Sungho stands in J. Pippin’s Potions in Hogsmeade with Leehan in tow, who is somewhere behind him lost in the countless shelves of ingredients, paying particular attention to the jars of various parts of magical creatures. Taesan had declined the invitation to go down to Hogsmeade today, opting instead to spend his Saturday preparing for his Muggle Studies class — which he initially took because of his fascination with Muggle music, but, much to Sungho’s amusement, is looking to be a lot more work than he had anticipated. Besides, he and Leehan had already completed the brewing part of the assignment, so he didn’t feel the need to tag along.

“Apologies, my young friend, it looks like we’re fresh out of mongrel fur.” The store’s proprietor, Parry Pippin, says apologetically as he comes out from the stockroom. “All the other Fifth Years have bought up our inventory. I suspect Professor Sharp has you learning to brew the Edurus potion.” 

“Yes, exactly, sir. I’m sorry, but are you sure?” Sungho asks, hands wringing the edges of his robe. His heart sinks — he already knows the answer, but he thought he’d ask anyway. 

“Quite sure, I’m afraid. It’s a bit of a trek, but you could perhaps try your luck at Keenbridge? Madam Lawang might have some in stock.” Mr. Pippin  says, though shortly after he clicks his tongue and follows up, “On second thought, it may be unlikely. We have the same supplier, and he usually comes around on Mondays. You never know though, she may still have some.” 

“Of course, thank you sir. Have a good rest of your day.” Sungho says with a smile he hopes comes across as optimistic, nudging Leehan as he moves to exit the shop.

The bell jingles above their heads as they leave, and Leehan trails after Sungho, who is distracted, his mind pouring through shops in the area that might stock the cursed mongrel fur.

“I overheard your conversation with Mr. Pippin. Do you want to go back and get our brooms? We can fly to Keenbridge, it should only take half as long.” Leehan suggests, and Sungho feels a pang in his heart. It’s so very like Leehan to go out of his way for a friend in need — and to do so without even being asked.

“No, no, Keenbridge is too far. I wouldn’t want you wasting your weekend like that.” Sungho sighs, feeling a headache coming along. “Especially not since Mr. Pippin says Madam Lawang may not even have any in stock either. Let’s grab a Butterbeer, and I’ll think about what else I can do.”

“You could tell Jaehyun.” Leehan suggests, as they begin to walk through the cobbled and crooked streets of Hogsmeade. 

“No, this is my responsibility. I should have bought it earlier in the week anyway, not the day before we’re supposed to meet.” 

Sungho dodges as a watering can floats across the street, tending to the surrounding flower beds, with Leehan closely following behind him. The streets are busy today, as students and townspeople alike go about from shop to shop, arms full of fresh purchases such as sweet treats from Honeydukes or the latest garments from Gladrags Wizardwear. 

In a few moments, Sungho and Leehan reach the wide cavernous doors of the Three Broomsticks, and are soon engulfed by the sweet, caramelly scent of Butterbeer that always lingers inside the famed tavern.

On a Saturday, the Three Broomsticks is absolutely bustling with life. The warm fire crackles in the background, an earthy canvas to the rest of the sounds bouncing off the tavern’s thick, cobbled walls. Students are huddled together, gossiping and chatting about their professors, assignments, and most excitingly, about who’s snogging who. Hardened townsfolk sit at the bar, and nobody’s drinking Firewhisky this early but they still talk as though they’re drunk anyway, regaling the barkeep with vibrant stories as they chug fresh pumpkin juice and dig into greasy bar snacks. 

Leehan orders for them as they find two empty seats. Sungho sighs, rubbing the crease between his eyebrows as he feels the incoming headache creep ever closer. 

“We could sneak into Sharp’s office. He’ll definitely have some.” Leehan says with a smirk, and Sungho chuckles. Every now and then, he remembers Leehan is a Slytherin, after all.

“That’s called stealing.” Sungho says, just as their drinks arrive, conjured right at their table. 

“We’ll call it Plan B.” 

“Stealing from Professor Sharp is not a viable Plan B — ”

“Did someone say stealing?” A voice asks from behind Sungho, and he turns and sees a familiar boyish smile, accompanied by a charming set of dimples.

“I — Jaehyun. Hello.” Sungho flushes, his heart skipping a little. He wasn’t expecting to see Jaehyun here. 

“Hey, it’s Leehan! I was wondering why you weren’t at the lake today.” A boy with a small frame, dusty orange hair, and a signature canary yellow and black Hufflepuff scarf around his neck says from behind Jaehyun, shooting a friendly smile at Sungho and Leehan. Sungho knows his name is Riwoo, though they’ve only spoken to each other a few times. A taller boy trails after the two, smiling in that same pleasant and boyish way that Jaehyun does — Sungho recognizes him as Woonhak, Jaehyun’s closest friend.

“Hey, come sit with us.” Leehan says, and Sungho almost chokes. 

As if sensing that three new people had joined them, the table magically extends itself and three stools pop up around them. Without skipping a beat, the three new arrivals sit, and Woonhak starts ordering for them.

“Oh, you guys, this is Sungho. We’re working on our Potions assignments together. Sungho, these are my friends — that’s Woonhak, and this is Riwoo.” Jaehyun says, as though he suddenly realizes that his two friends likely aren’t familiar with Sungho. “You two probably know him. He’s the Ravenclaw Seeker.”

“Oh, absolutely. We’re playing against them in a few weeks.” Riwoo says, flashing a toothy grin. “Best of luck. Our team is looking extra sharp this year.”

“So is ours.” Sungho counters, not one to cower at some friendly Quidditch banter. He raises an eyebrow, “Hope nobody in Hufflepuff ends up sending a Bludger at Professor Kim’s head this season.” 

“Hey, that happened one time!” Riwoo laughs, just as their drinks arrive.

“It happened twice .” Woonhak corrects, eyes landing at Leehan. “The upcoming game will hopefully be a little less violent, if the Slytherins play nice.” 

“We always play nice.” Leehan says, though the wicked smile on his face says otherwise. 

The bickering goes on as Woonhak, Riwoo, and Leehan discuss the upcoming game and the season ahead, chatting excitedly about new broom models, upcoming tryouts, and training schedules. 

Meanwhile Sungho falls silent, sifting through what he knows about the Hogwarts area and its nearby hamlets. Admittedly, he doesn’t know much — he grew up in the Muggle world and he hardly leaves the castle during the school year, after all. It’s partially why he said no when Leehan suggested flying to Keenbridge. Neither of them know the region well enough and he didn’t want to endanger them both by stupidly flying into a place they’re both unfamiliar with. Not to mention, Taesan would be livid if anything happened to either of them. 

Of course, Sungho could always try the other hamlets in the region. There must be a potion maker in Irondale or Aranshire…

“Something the matter?” Jaehyun asks, lowering his voice as he addresses Sungho. He sips his Butterbeer gingerly, watching Sungho’s face carefully.

“Hm? Oh. Um, it’s nothing… I don’t want to trouble you.” Sungho says reassuringly, though the crack in his voice betrays him. The matter in question actually directly concerns Jaehyun, but he didn’t want to tell him that.

“So something is the matter.” Jaehyun says, licking the foam from the top of his lip as he pauses to think. He hums, looking away from Sungho. “Is it related to our assignment?”

Sungho doesn’t say a word, but he doesn’t need to. Jaehyun knows from the way he blinks that he got it exactly right.

“I knew it! An excellent solve, if I do say so myself. You’re worried about something and don’t want to tell me why. Coincidentally, we’re supposed to meet tomorrow to brew the Edurus potion.” Jaehyun explains, looking highly satisfied with the confused expression on Sungho’s face. He grins triumphantly, “You know, I always thought I was smart enough to be a Ravenclaw.” 

“You’re too proud, and that’s why you’re in Gryffindor.” Sungho says quickly, and Jaehyun laughs. “But you’re right. I didn’t want to worry you, it’s my fault. J. Pippin’s is out of mongrel fur and the only other option is Madam Lawang in Keenbridge, but Mr. Pippin said she likely won’t have any either.”

“That’s not the only option.” Jaehyun says, tilting his head. “Look, don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.” 

“No, it’s my problem, Jaehyun.” Sungho insists, “ I’ll take care of it. I’ll find some way.”

“As I said, there’s no need to worry your pretty little head. You know what, I’ll go right after I finish this Butterbeer.” Jaehyun replies, taking a swig of his drink. “It’ll be quick and easy.”

“Told you you should just tell him.” Leehan pipes. Unbeknownst to the two, the three other occupants of the table had dwindled in their Quidditch conversation a long while ago and had started listening in on them.

“Yeah, mongrel fur’s easy enough to find.” Woonhak comments, nodding as he turns to Jaehyun, “There’s tons of it in the Forbidden For—”

“He means there’s a spot right outside Hogsmeade that we know,” Jaehyun cuts Woonhak off, likely knowing what Sungho will say. Jaehyun tugs lightly at his collar. “It’s close by, so don’t worry.”

“Really? Then I suppose you won’t mind if I come with you.” Sungho says, crossing his arms. Jaehyun begins to protest, but Sungho continues, “If you’re not doing something dangerous or breaking any rules, then it should be fine if I join you.” 

“It’s a one-person job, truly. You’re better off spending the rest of the day drinking Butterbeer with these guys.” Jaehyun nudges his thumb at their companions, smooth as ever. But Sungho won’t let go that easily. 

There’s a tension that can’t be ignored in the air as Sungho continues to eye Jaehyun, the other three boys staring at the two in barely-concealed awe and amusement. It’s rare to see Jaehyun fumbling like this, and equally rare for Sungho to argue with someone so persistently.

“No, I think I’ll tag along. I’d like to see where you’re procuring this ingredient.” Sungho says firmly, looking Jaehyun straight in the eye as if daring him to challenge. Without another word, he finishes his Butterbeer in one long sip, slamming the mug on the table. He hands Leehan a few Knuts to pay for his drink, then shrugs a shoulder at Jaehyun.

“Well then, shall we?” 

Jaehyun sighs and concedes, with no choice but to go along.

“Ok, I lied. I was going to the Forbidden Forest.” 

Jaehyun admits this finally as they walk up the curb and reach a fork in the road, shoulders slumped as he sends an apologetic look over to Sungho. To their right, the stone path fades into dirt, well-worn with human and animal footprints alike, leading straight into the gigantic, looming trees of the Forbidden Forest. Closer to the treeline, Sungho spots several wooden signs, old and nearly rotting, painted with various warning signs such as  ‘Danger ahead!’ , ‘Off-limits for STUDENTS’ and of course, ‘BEWARE: SPIDERS!’

“Yes, I assumed so.” Sungho says, finding it comical that he waited until they were right at the entrance of the forest to confess. 

“Technically, we are just outside of Hogsmeade.” Jaehyun argues, grinning when Sungho gives him an admonishing look.

“Listen, you don’t have to come with me. You could stay here and I’d be back soon enough.” Jaehyun says, and Sungho senses that he means it. “I can leave you with a nice book and you can sit over there by the lake, enjoying this beautiful clear day while I go and fetch the mongrel fur.”

“While that’s an enticing offer, I’d implore you to not do the thing that we’re not allowed to do and consider our other options first.”

“Who says we’re not allowed in there?”

“There’s a sign right there!”

“That? They just put that there so they don’t have to worry about students wandering in and getting eaten by spiders.” Jaehyun waves a hand in an almost nonchalant way that makes Sungho’s jaw drop. “We won’t have to go too deep into the forest to get what we need, and I promise we’ll take a known path with only one spider nest on the way. Perfectly safe.”

“Are you hearing yourself right now?” Sungho cries, feeling that creeping headache begin to return. He presses two fingers into his temple, breathing in. “We could get detention. We’re both Prefects!”

“Nobody will know unless either one of us tells, and I’m not telling.” Jaehyun says, and Sungho purses his lips, looking around — and Jaehyun’s right. This part of the road, a considerable walk along the path behind Hogsmeade, is deserted. Nobody will know. 

“Like I said, you’re free to stay here. In fact, I encourage it.” Jaehyun responds, already stepping forward. He turns and walks backwards to address Sungho, footsteps steady and certain. “It looks like you’re not confident in your defensive spellwork anyway. We don’t want you getting hurt in there.”

“Excuse me?” Sungho’s eyebrow twitches, his hand reaching into his pocket where he keeps his wand. 

“You heard me. You can stay here if you think you’re not ready to go into the forest.” Jaehyun says, looking over his shoulder — and finding Sungho muttering furiously to himself, wand in hand, stomping after him.

“I have nothing to prove to you.” Sungho says pointedly, jaw clenched as he points to the forest. “Well. Lead the way.” 

Jaehyun has a huge, joyous grin on his face — clearly ecstatic that his goading had worked. He nods and walks ahead, a noticeable bounce in his step as he moves forward and heads straight into the Forbidden Forest. 

Sungho clicks his tongue. He hopes he won’t regret this.

“Does that sign say ‘Warning: ACROMANTULA ahead’ ?” Sungho asks, about fifteen minutes after they enter the forest. 

It’s around noon, and the sunlight streams in through the thick, vibrant green canopy, cutting through the light fog that always seems to linger on the forest floor. Contrary to the countless paintings Sungho has seen of the forest, at this time of day it actually is quite pleasant, bathed in warm sunlight but still cool, as it almost always is in the Scottish highlands. At night though, he can only imagine how different it must be. The fog would likely be heavier and thicker, moonlight barely reaching the moss-covered floor, a deep blue darkness covering everything, with the sounds of creatures hiding in the shadows echoing endlessly — suddenly, he’s glad he didn’t tell Jaehyun about the mongrel fur issue later in the day.

“You read too much.” Jaehyun says, lips pursed as he gestures in the direction of the sign,  which Sungho sees leads to a canyon, a cavernous maze strewn with spider-webs… And cocoons of webs hanging on trees and cliffs, with silhouettes that disturbingly look all too similar to the shape of humans. Sungho quickly decides he’s not interested at all to see where this path goes. Jaehyun continues, “The Acromantula den is way, way in there. You’d have to really go looking for it to find it. That being said — don’t look for it. Even I’m not stupid enough to go running into Acromantula-infested caves.” 

“You’re not stupid.” Sungho says, huffing as they reach a steep incline. Despite the unwieldy terrain Jaehyun doesn’t second guess himself for a second, stepping on rocks and footholds as he climbs the hill. Sungho hesitates — the ground is damp, and he doesn’t want to slip. 

He looks around for a tree to rest his hand on so he can climb safely, but before he even finds one, his eyes find Jaehyun’s outstretched hand, right in front of him. He waits patiently, already safely atop. Sungho grasps his hand — warm and slightly rough, likely from handling a broom — and hoists himself up, stepping on the same rocks he had stepped on until they were on even ground. 

“I’m not?” Jaehyun asks. They were standing closely, both a little breathless. Sungho’s heart beats faster, though he isn’t sure if it’s because of the trek or because he’s noticing the dimple that appears on Jaehyun’s cheek when his mouth moves a certain way.

“No.” Sungho says, swallowing hard. Jaehyun steps back now, and Sungho breathes a little easier. They continue their walk, Jaehyun leading the way further in through a thicket of trees. “You’re skilled at potions. You get great marks in exams and you’re excellent at charms — you promised me you’d teach me that extension charm, by the way.  None of these things scream ‘stupid’ to me. Although I do question your propensity for exploring areas where dangerous magical creatures are known to live.”

“It feels almost like you’re complimenting me.” Jaehyun says, crouching slightly and gesturing for Sungho to do the same. Slowly, they approach a small, uphill clearing where the trees are thinner and the ground is covered in a lush patch of grass with vibrant little wildflowers. Jaehyun talks quietly again, pointing to the line of shrubs at the edge of the clearing, “Look. There’s some mongrel fur.”

Sungho squints and sees that Jaehyun is indeed right, there are patches of white and grey fur caught in between the wiry thin branches. Jaehyun pauses, explaining, “There’s a wolf pack that nests just south of here. They hunt during the night, so they’re not likely to pass through right now — but better safe than sorry, right?” 

Cautiously, they both approach, careful not to make too much noise. Jaehyun reaches into his bag and pulls out an empty bottle, handing it to Sungho. Soon, they reach the shrubs, and begin to pick the fur out of them, working silently. Jaehyun works quickly, nimble hands separating the soft fibers from the woody branches and handing them to Sungho, who deftly rolls them into small tufts.

“I think this is enough.” Sungho says, as the fur they gathered begins to reach the top of the bottle, fingers pushing the fibers further in. He begins to seal the bottle, while Jaehyun brushes the remaining fibers off of his hands and sleeves.

“See? Told you, quick and easy.”

“Yes, you were right. I guess the forest isn’t too bad. I’m never going in here at night, though.” Sungho says, handing the bottle over to Jaehyun to keep in his bag. Sungho starts picking the loose fur that’s stuck on his robes as well, continuing, “But I do sort of see why you like it here now…”

Sungho is about to ramble about how it’d be even nicer without the thread of spiders, but before he can get a word in he catches a strange look in Jaehyun’s eye — mild alarm, and a little nervousness. 

“Sungho. Stay calm, and don’t move.” Jaehyun says quietly but steadily. Sungho stiffens, blinking at Jaehyun, whose eyes are trained somewhere behind him. “There’s a wolf behind you, but it’s alone. And it’s not close, it’s far up the hill, in the trees.”

“Ok.” Sungo says, his hand reaching into his robes for his wand. His heart races wildly in his chest, breathing deeply as he grips his wand and asks, “What’s the plan?”

“Wolves hunt in packs. It’s alone, and there’s two of us, so it’s not likely to attack.  But we still need to get out of here. I’m going to reach into my bag and get my broom, and then we’re going to fly out of here.” Jaehyun says, reaching into his bag again, arm sinking further in. Fortunately, he seems to know exactly where his broom is. He looks Sungho straight in the eye as he says, “While I’m looking for my broom, I need you to turn around, slowly, and take out your wand. Be ready to cast in case it does attack.”

“Jaehyun, I am not hurting this wolf.” Sungho says — though he swallows and does as he’s told, anyway. Carefully, he turns, taking one deep breath as he shuffles from one foot to another. As he does, he spots it: a dark mongrel, just beyond the treeline. Its fur is a beautiful white and grey, just like the fibers they collected, and its glowing eyes shine like rubies, piercing through the golden sunlight that falls through the canopy. Sungho takes his wand out, fingers flexing around the handle 

Its teeth aren’t bared, Sungho notices, and it doesn’t seem to want to come close. It simply stares at them cautiously, and Sungho wonders if, at this moment, it is as scared of them as they are of it.

“You won’t need to. Just cast Protego if it pounces, though it probably won’t.” Jaehyun says, and Sungho feels the hairs on the back of his neck rise at how close they are. He feels the warmth of his chest, soft breaths touching his neck. Sungho swallows nervously, and it’s only partly because of the wolf.

Then, a rustle. The wolf turns around and runs in the opposite direction, disappearing from Sungho’s line of vision. He whispers, “Jaehyun. It’s gone.”

“Don’t celebrate yet. We should still get going. It probably went to call the rest of the pack. Hang on, I’ve almost…” Jaehyun says, and then he gasps. “Got it!l

In a span of seconds Jaehyun has pulled his broom out — a handsome Silver Arrow Broom that must have cost a pretty penny, Sungho notes — and secured his bag over his shoulders. He swiftly mounts the broom, pulling his wand out and mouthing an incantation as he taps the handle to magically extend it. He turns to Sungho, “Let’s go.”

It is at this point that Sungho realizes he’s supposed to ride the broom with Jaehyun, and he’s never done that before. He’s never been on anyone else’s broom ever, really. He hesitates, jaw slack as he looks at the back of Jaehyun’s saddle. He has scooted forward, and with the seat transfigured slightly to be longer and slightly wider, it will almost comfortably fit two people. Jaehyun looks at Sungho, who hasn’t uttered a word or moved at all, and groans, “Let’s go !”

Suddenly Jaehyun’s hand is around his wrist, pulling him back into focus. He gives a firm tug and Sungho has no choice but to shuffle over, swinging his leg over the broom. He only has seconds to let the reality of the situation sink in until they hear the distant sound of barking and leaves rustling, as the wolves move swiftly through the trees.

“Hold on tight!” Jaehyun says, and only a millisecond after Sungho places both hands on his shoulders he kicks hard against the ground, launching them into the air. 

As the broom soars higher, Sungho looks back and finds the wolves arriving at the clearing. They snarl and bark up at them as Jaehyun steers them farther and farther up, until they’re far above the trees, flying in the open sky. 

Sungho will never forget the first time he flew on a broom. He grew up in the Muggle world, so when he mounted a broom for the very first time as a First Year, it was an indescribable new experience. He loved the feeling of the coarse grain of wood in his hands, the smell of the salty lake water in the air, and the feeling of the crisp Scottish wind whipping across his face. He enjoyed discovering the wizarding world through all his classes, but he loved Flying Class the most. He was devastated to learn that First Years weren’t allowed to own brooms and was ecstatic when he finally bought one of his own. He made it into the team in his Third Year, after spending most of First and Second Year playing practice matches with the other students using the dusty and rickety old school brooms,

He remembers the way his heart raced and warmth coursed through his entire body the very first time he rode a broom, leaving him exhilarated, terrified, and breathless.

Right here, on the back of Jaehyun’s broom, hands on his shoulders, chest pressed against his back, leaning forward as Jaehyun speeds away from the forest and flies across swamps and cliff sides — it feels just like that. 

He is exhilarated, terrified, and breathless. 

Jaehyun laughs, and Sungho feels the vibrations it makes through his back. Suddenly, he’s worried Jaehyun can feel how fast his heart is beating.

“I told you, quick and easy!”

“We were almost attacked by wolves !” Sungho says, though if he’s honest, it’s hard to even act angry at Jaehyun right now. He finds himself smiling, finding the whole thing funny despite himself.

“But it was fun, wasn’t it?” Jaehyun asks, and Sungho feels his heart beat faster, feeling as though it was about to burst right out of his chest. Jaehyun must feel it, he might even hear it — he breathes in, hoping it will calm his heart.

“Yes,” Sungho admits, just as the cobbled and crooked stone streets and houses of Hogsmeade enter his line of sight. Jaehyun slows down and starts descending. “It was. A little.”

“I didn’t think you’d admit it.” Jaehyun replies. He lands a short walk away from Dogweed and Deathcap, their feet touching the ground solidly, as they are both experienced Quidditch players, after all. They dismount the broom finally, Jaehyun grasping it in one hand as for a brief moment, they just stare at each other. 

Jaehyun’s hair is tousled from the wind, though it usually is, anyway. His robes are disheveled and in disarray, and Sungho realizes this is what he looks like normally during the weekdays, likely because he’s always off on some dangerous escapade or another. His eyes shine in that charming and mischievous way that makes Sungho nervous as he tilts his head, “So. Shall we walk back?”

Sungho nods, trying to ignore that his heart is still racing — even though they’ve gotten to safety, and their feet are on solid ground. Something else is causing it, he thinks. Perhaps he should go to the Hospital Wing and have his heart checked. Yes, maybe.

He thinks about this the entire walk back to the Three Broomsticks, and even as they rejoin their friends. They knock back another Butterbeer each as they share what happened in the forest, Jaehyun with great enthusiasm and Sungho with mild amusement as he watches. They don’t linger in Hogsmeade much longer, as the group collectively decides to head back to the castle to grab lunch at the Great Hall.

When they arrive, the Gryffindors invite them all to sit over at their table, and Sungho is swept up into agreeing before he can even think about it. It so happens that Taesan is about to finish his own meal over at the Ravenclaw table, and so Leehan swiftly collects him as well.

As they part ways, Jaehyun reminds Sungho that they’re meeting the next day to brew the potion. Sungho simply agrees, watching as Jaehyun turns and makes his way back to Gryffindor tower, with Woonhak in tow.

Sungho walks with Taesan back to their own common room, head swimming with a myriad of confusing thoughts, all related to his trouble-making, reckless — intelligent, thoughtful, dazzling potions partner. 

He gets Jaehyun Myung now. Maybe a little too much.

Part III: Maxima

Their third assignment is the Maxima potion, a combat potion that significantly increases the drinker’s ability to inflict damage with spells. It has two main ingredients: leech juice and spider fangs — with one obviously being much easier to secure than the other.

When Jaehyun volunteers to secure the spider fangs, this time Sungho knows better than to ask how or why. He simply concedes, and happily accompanies Leehan on one of his almost daily excursions down to the lake to collect the leech juice. Compared to his last foraging adventure, this time it seemed it was going to be fairly uneventful, save for Taesan and Leehan jokingly threatening to push each other into the lake every now or so.

As Sungho stood by the shoreline, carefully extracting the leech juice, his mind did wander to his potions partner — had he gone to the forest again? Or maybe he had done the normal thing to do and just gone to J. Pippin’s. Sungho almost scoffed out loud. Unlikely. 

He wondered if Jaehyun had gotten into trouble again. He wondered if he was alone, or if he had his friends with him. He wondered if he knew that the best charm to defend against spiders was Incendio , or that you could bury their heads in the ground with Descendo . He wondered if Jaehyun had gotten back safely.

“... ho! Sungho!” 

Sungho feels a hand clap over his shoulder, calling his attention. When he turns, he finds Taesan looking at him, concern clear in his eyes. “Hey, you’re bleeding. Hold still, I’ll get the leech off of you. Stupefy !”

The leech is stunned, suckers releasing Sungho’s arm, falling to the stone-covered ground paralyzed. Only then does Sungho feel the sting, the underside of his arm bright red and swollen from where the leech had suctioned itself onto his skin. The leech left small, circular bruises on his skin, blood dripping down his arm. Sungho hisses, flexing his hand instinctively.

Well, so much for uneventful, Sungho thinks, as he stares at the blood pooling in the crook of his elbow. 

“That looks bad. Let’s go to the Hospital Wing.” Leehan says, wincing as the Sungho’s blood falls into the lake, staining the clear water red. He starts collecting their things, and Sungho doesn’t protest, holding his own arm still to not agitate the wounds. 

Carefully, the two escort Sungho back into the castle and make their way to the Hospital Wing, with Leehan carrying their things and Taesan holding him gently by the elbow. He presses a handkerchief into the open wounds, trying to control the bleeding. It doesn’t hurt too much, if Sungho is honest — he’s mostly just surprised he let it happen at all.

“It’s not like you to get distracted.” Leehan comments almost casually, as though he was simply thinking out loud. 

“Right? Did you fail a test, or something? You’re not usually the type to let your mind wander.” Taesan says, as they make their way up the spiral staircase that leads to the Hospital Wing. In the late afternoon on a Friday, this part of the castle is empty, as most of the students are out enjoying the weather on the grounds, anticipating the weekend. Their footsteps echo on the marble floor, and it’s almost strange to hear it so clearly, without the babble of students chatting and shouting spells at each other.

“It’s nothing,” Sungho says, attempting to dispel his own worries about why his mind was so occupied. When Taesan and Leehan continue to stare at him wordlessly, as though they were discerning if something was wrong, Sungho huffs a short, slightly nervous laugh. “It’s really nothing! I got a letter from home, that’s all. Eomma wanted to know if I plan on coming home for the holidays this year, so I was thinking about it.”

It was a lie, and his two companions knew it. Both sharper than Sungho would like to admit, they concede, likely knowing Sungho wouldn’t say more at this time. 

Sungho sighs, and adds the question of why he felt the need to lie about why he was so distracted to the pile of things he would think about later. For now, he had a bleeding arm to tend to.

Same as the previous assignment, they had two weeks to complete the brew. They agreed to meet on Sunday morning again, searching for an available classroom near the Potions dungeon. Many of their classmates seem to have had the same idea, so a few had already taken some of the stations in the Potions classroom.

Jaehyun suggests the Alchemy classroom, which is further in the dungeons. It’s a N.E.W.T. level class that is taken only by older students, so Sungho has never been to the classroom before. He agrees and follows Jaehyun down the winding halls, walking past portraits that are chatting with each other excitedly about some rumor about two ghosts having a lover’s spat in the library.

“Won’t the classroom be locked? It’s the weekend.” Sungho says, “And not a lot of students take Alchemy, I doubt they’d keep it open.”

“They do, sometimes. I’ve seen some Seventh Years spending extra time there studying for their N.E.W.T.s” Jaehyun replies, “And if it’s locked, we can always just Alohamora it.”

“You know, I never understood that about the wizarding world. Why even lock anything if it can easily be unlocked with a spell?” Sungho asks, and Jaehyun laughs. They stop at an inconspicuous door at the end of the hall, sealed with a large, heavily rusted and ancient-looking lock just as Sungho predicted.

“Well, the Alohamora spell still requires skill — and the more skilled the wizard casting the locking charm, the more difficult it is to undo. And if it’s something truly important there would likely be more intricate enchantments on it that can’t be undone by Alohamora .” Jaehyun explains, shrugging. “Lucky for us, the caretaker has so much on his plate he barely utters the locking charm before moving onto the next task he needs to take care of.”

True to his word, Jaehyun is able to unlock the door with a single flick of his wrist. When it opens with a soft click, he slowly turns to Sungho, a proud grin on his face as he beckons him forward.

“Good job, Troublemaker.” Sungho scoffs, rolling his eyes as he walks into the classroom. As they enter, the fireplace at the front of the room lights itself, and the sconces on the walls ignite, filling the room with a warm, soft yellow light.

“You’re awfully lax about going into a restricted classroom, so I dare say you’re becoming a bit of a troublemaker yourself.” Jaehyun says, closing the door behind them.

As Jaehyun had mentioned, there are potions stations in this classroom as well. On the far wall, the chalkboard is filled with intricate formulas and symbols that Sungho only barely recognizes, and at the center there are enormous cauldrons that even the tallest wizard he knows would need a footstool to reach.

“We’re not not allowed into empty classrooms.” Sungho reasons as he approaches one of the many empty stations. He methodically begins to take out everything he needs — a parchment, a pen, and the damned bottle of leech juice. “And if we’re caught we can just say the door was unlocked so we let ourselves in.”

“I think it’s more than that. I think I’m rubbing off on you.” Jaehyun says, that cursed dimple appearing again — and making Sungho’s heart jump, just a little. Jaehyun begins pulling things out of his bag again, elbow-deep as his parchment seems to be kept away in the bottom of his bag. Jaehyun gasps, eyebrows raised in an overly-dramatic way as he turns to Sungho and asks, “Am I… a bad influence?”

“You wish.” Sungho scoffs. Feeling a little too warm, he takes off his robe, folding it over an empty stool next to him. He unbuttons his cuffs and starts rolling his sleeves up to his elbows, shaking his head at Jaehyun. 

“Hey, what’s that?” Jaehyun asks, pointing at Sungho’s arm — now covered in gauze, with small specks of blood poking through. Sungho suddenly remembers he should pop by the Hospital Wing again today to have it cleaned and dressed again.

“Oh, nothing. Just a little accident at the lake.” 

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow, and Sungho laughs, explaining, “A leech got me, that’s all.”

“A leech ?” Jaehyun repeats incredulously, and suddenly Sungho is embarrassed.

“Apparently they can do some serious damage if they get their suckers on you.” He explains, touching his arm self-consciously. “Unfortunately, Madam Bailey says leech bites are tricky to heal. Apparently magical leeches do a damn good job breaking your skin and sucking your blood. I drank a potion to avoid infection, but other than that there’s nothing else to do but let the skin heal itself.”

“Does it hurt?” Jaehyun asks cautiously.

“It stings a little, but it’s no big deal.” 

“Well, don’t hurt yourself next time. Let’s just gather the ingredients together, yeah?” Jaehyun sighs, still eyeing Sungho’s injury. Sungho chuckles, shaking his head.

“I am not going into the forest to fight spiders with you.” 

“I purchased the spider fangs this time, mind you.” Jaehyun replies pointedly, pulling a fresh bottle out of his bag. He turns it over and shows Sungho the inscription on the bottom reading J. Pippin’s .

“ This time?” Sungho asks, as he waves his wand to summon one of the cauldrons at the end of the room. 

“Hey, I’m not the one who hurt myself gathering leech juice.” Jaehyun says, poking a finger into Sungho’s side. Sungho folds a little, laughing as they both start preparing to brew the potion. He turns the heat on, while Jaehyun begins grinding the spider fangs into a powder.

“It’s not my fault!” Sungho insists — and he can’t help himself, he finds himself smiling ear to ear as they argue. He sighs, “I just seem to attract trouble, these days.”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun says with a soft chuckle, “You do.”

Sungho knows Jaehyun doesn’t mean anything by it, but he feels his mouth run dry anyway. He doesn’t say anything, but he feels his face grow warm, spreading all the way to the tips of his ears. He only hopes Jaehyun doesn’t notice.

Later that week, the opening game of the Quidditch season has all the students rushing down to the pitch, excitement in the air as they proudly don their house colors, some even painting their faces to support their team.

It’s Gryffindor versus Slytherin, so Sungho and Taesan make their way to the stands, both sporting the dark green scarves — courtesy of Leehan — to show their support. Snacks in hand, they stand at the very top of the stands, chatting absently amidst the bustle of the crowd.

The crisp morning air cuts at Sungho’s cheeks, and his body buzzes with an excitement only Quidditch can make him feel, even when he’s not playing. Ravenclaw’s first match of the season will be against Hufflepuff a few weeks from now. This gives them ample time to prepare and observe their other opponents during this first match, while they’re at it.

The teams begin their warm-ups, and Leehan spots them in the crowd as he zooms by on his broom. He waves at them enthusiastically, flashing a wide grin as he zips by. He narrowly dodges a Bludger that flies right over his head, laughing when he realizes that Sungho and Taesan had gotten up on their feet to warn him about it.  On the other side of the pitch, the Gryffindor team has also started doing their warm-ups. Sungho spots Woonhak, bat in hand, getting in some practice hits alongside the other Beater. Near the rings, he sees Jaehyun, catching the Quaffle as his team’s Chasers aim for the goal posts. 

Sungho’s heart does that thing again as he watches Jaehyun, with his wind-tousled hair and big, goofy grin, laughing with his entire chest as one of his teammates accidentally sends a Quaffle to the back of Woonhak’s head. But even as he laughs, he flies over to Woonhak, a gentle, gloved hand touching the back of his head to ask if he’s all right.

“Good morning, Hogwarts, and welcome to the first match of this year’s Quidditch season! We’re starting off the season with the eternal rivalry: Gryffindor versus Slytherin!” A familiar voice echoes across the stadium, speaking clearly into an enchanted microphone. 

Soobin Choi, a Seventh Year Ravenclaw who has been the Quidditch commentator for as long as Sungho has been part of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, is sitting at the top of the stands, right across the pitch from where Sungho and Taesan are sitting.

Then, a whistle rings across the pitch, as Madam Kogawa calls for the captains to join her at the center. As the sound of the enchanted whistle breaks through the countless conversations, the crowd falls silent. The practice balls are collected and sent away, and Madam Kogawa lugs a heavy metal chest into the middle of the field. The teams line up behind their captains, getting into position —- all except for the two Keepers, who remain guarding the goal posts.

“Our captains line up for a friendly handshake as in a few moments, Madam Kogawa will release the Quaffle and officially begin our very first game of the season. Here’s a quick reminder to hold onto your hats and cloaks and to keep your arms and legs inside the stand at all times, lest anyone lose anything important!” Soobin says, and in perfect timing, Madam Kogawa unlocks the chest — as she does so, the Bludger and the Snitch fly off on their own accord. 

Sungho watches Leehan, whose eyes are already focused on the Snitch. It’s Seeker’s instinct, and he knows it all too well, to ignore everything else going on in the game and to focus on that small, winged ball zipping through the sky. Leehan had already leaned forward just slightly, hands grasping his broom, ready to kick off in search of the Snitch as soon as Madam Kogawa opens the game.

“And there goes the Snitch and the Bludger, flying out of sight almost immediately!” Soobin says, and just as he does so, Madam Kogawa holds the Quaffle up, pressing the whistle to her mouth once more. “And in 3… 2… 1, we’re off! Madam Kogawa throws the Quaffle into the air, officially marking the start of this year’s Quidditch season!”

The crowd cheers as the players soar across the sky, and the game finally begins. 

Leehan is the best Seeker across all four houses, and Sungho is not ashamed to admit it — he is a close second, after all. Playing the same position, Sungho understands better than most why Leehan is an excellent Seeker. He is focused, calm, and perhaps a little obsessive. So it’s not at all a surprise when he completely disappears not even five minutes into the game. 

In Leehan’s absence, Sungho mostly watches his two newfound Gryffindor friends — Jaehyun and Woonhak. Woonhak is razor sharp, excitable, and eager. He races from one end of the pitch to another, making sure, decisive swings to protect his teammates from incoming Bludgers. He’s more defensive than offensive, but he’s good enough at it that Sungho can’t fault it. 

And Jaehyun — well, Jaehyun is unmatched, and that’s likely why Gryffindor pulls ahead in points a mere 15 minutes into the game. Jaehyun moves quickly, decisively, patrolling the rings with the utmost care — only missing twice, when the Slytherin Beater sends the Bludger his way and Woonhak is barely able to save him.

It doesn’t help that the Slytherins seem to be arguing, even in the middle of the game. Sungho guesses there was likely some fighting between the players before the game had even begun, by the looks on their Chasers’ faces. So they are uncoordinated, bumping into each other, even cursing. They’re barely able to sneak any points in. The way Sungho sees it, unless Leehan finds the Snitch, Gryffindor is much more likely to win.

And as the game drags on and Gryffindor pulls further ahead in points — 110 points to a mere 20 — suddenly, Sungho notices that Woonhak has stopped.

“Strange,” Sungho mutters, watching Woonhak fly uncharacteristically slow, turning his head slightly to look over his shoulder.

And then, Sungho sees it — shimmering in the sun, a flash of gold. 

He barely hears through the noise of the crowd but he sees Woonhak’s mouth form the name of their Seeker, (“ Daniela !”), calling for her attention. Daniela Avanzini, a fellow Fifth Year with dark blond hair and striking eyes, whips her head in Woonhak’s direction as sees it almost the same time as everyone else. The Golden Snitch hovers right above one of the Hogwarts flags, stationed atop the stands. 

And then, as it always does in Quidditch matches, it’s as though time stops. For a moment, everything is in slow motion. As the location of the Snitch is revealed, for a split second, everyone pauses. Even the crowd falls silent, waiting as the players look at each other, then at the Snitch.

And then, it’s all lightning fast.

While the Slytherin Keeper is distracted, Gryffindor sneaks in another point with the Quaffle, exchanging high-fives as they secure yet another score. Triumphant, Jaehyun raises a fist and yells, joining the crowd as they cheer. In the meantime, the two Seekers are in pursuit of the Snitch — Leehan is significantly farther away, but Sungho knows it won’t take him long to catch up, now singularly focused on the Snitch.

And still, as the two now leave the pitch and disappear into the mountain line to follow that cursed flash of gold, the game continues: and as Jaehyun makes another glorious save, the Gryffindor Chasers steal the Quaffle from the Slytherins, heading straight for the opposite goal post.

Woonhak follows closely behind them, knocking away stray Bludgers swiftly and sending them straight into the opposing team’s Beaters — playing a little more aggressively now, Sungho notices, as the game grows tighter and tighter.

It is 120 to 20 now, and Sungho holds onto the edge of his seat. Even with this big of a lead, if Leehan manages to get the Snitch, it won’t matter and Gryffindor will still lose.

“... Seekers Kim and Avanzini are now racing to reach the Snitch and oh — they’re heading straight for the Viaduct!” Soobin’s voice echoes the excitement bursting from the spectators in the stands, and even from a distance Sungho sees him get on his feet and turn, bringing the microphone with him as he climbs on top of a table to catch a glimpse of the Seekers. 

“... Folks, I can’t quite see them — Professor give me one moment, I promise I’ll get down shortly, I just need to see — oh! That’s our scoreboard telling us it’s 150 points to Gryffindor, which means Avanzini has gotten the Snitch!” The crowd erupts in cheers as the two Seekers fly back into the pitch, with Gryffindor triumphantly carrying the Snitch in a raised fist. “And with that, Gryffindor secures the first win of the season!”

Sungho’s ears ring as the crowd’s cheering drowns out all other sound, and he politely claps along even as he stands on his toes, searching for Leehan.

“Oh, he’ll be sad about that for a while.” Taesan says, also clapping courteously. He nudges Sungho, pointing to the Slytherin side, “There he is.”

As predicted, Leehan’s shoulders are slumped, significantly more dejected than when the game started. Sungho and Taesan both wave to him, knowing too well that sinking feeling of losing a Quidditch game. Still, Leehan smiles, giving them both a thumbs up as he rejoins his team.

Meanwhile, on the Gryffindor side of the pitch, they celebrate the win by throwing Avanzini on their shoulders, chanting her name proudly. Jaehyun and Woonhak are flying across the field, waving at the crowd and calling for them to join the chant. They say hi to their friends, flying past in a flurry of scarlet and gold — and then, Jaehyun stops. 

Right in front of where Sungho and Taesan are sitting, Jaehyun slows, hovering in front of the section and looking straight at Sungho. With his gloved hand still on the handle of his broom, he waves at Sungho — smile wide as ever, sunlight making his dark hair glow auburn, eyes shining. 

Sungho’s heart does the thing again. It beats fast, echoing in his chest and in his head, something like warm, fiery embers sparking in his chest. Like the moment the Snitch was spotted, the world stops — only now, Sungho knows it hasn’t stopped for everyone. It’s stopped just for him, time slowing to let him stare, jaw slack, heart racing, at the dizzyingly bright boy in front of him.

His mouth runs dry as he searches for words to say, and he thinks Jaehyun might be saying something to him but he’s too stunned to understand or respond. Before he can even think of a response Jaehyun zooms away, turning back around to rejoin his team.

“Hey, are you alright? Are you cold or something? Your ears are so red right now.” Taesan says, squinting as he comes closer to inspect Sungho’s face. “Your cheeks, too. Should we get back inside?”

Oh. Oh.

Sungho gets him now. Jaehyun Myung, his trouble-making, reckless — intelligent, thoughtful, dazzling potions partner. Sungho gets him way too much.

He doesn't just get him. He likes him. 

He swallows, and looks at the sky. Now he's in real trouble.