Archive of Our Own

A delighted laugh escapes Suho’s lips following Professor McGonagall’s announcement.

His grandmother always said the Hogwarts Board of Governors was out of touch with reality. Generally, Suho agrees with her… but creating a mandatory O.W.L. exam for Wizarding Transportation in January? And if they fail, they’re ineligible to try for their Apparition license when they turn seventeen? This has incompetent bureaucracy written all over it. Suho could kiss the moron who thought this was a good idea.

“Something funny, Mister Ahn?”

He suddenly notices the murderous glares directed at him from some of his fellow fifth years - most of them Ravenclaws - and shuts his mouth.

“Funny? No, not at all, Professor,” Suho hums, self-preservation instincts kicking in. The only thing scarier than a peeved Professor McGonagall is his disappointed grandmother… but a horde of angry nerds ranks a close third place. He could wipe the floor with all of them in a duel, but ugh, what a waste of energy. “First of all, I find it outrageous that we’re expected to take another O.W.L. exam. The decent thing to do would have been to inform us in first year. At the very least, they could have decided this in September, you know, the beginning of the school year? January is just cruel.”

Blimey, what a brutal start to the new semester! Like, hey, welcome back to Hogwarts, hope you were able to decompress during Winter Break. Ha, just kidding, here's something else for you to stress over... not that Suho is stressing over his O.W.L.s. But he knows a lot of his peers are.

Around the Great Hall, murmurs of agreement ring out. Internally, Suho breathes a sigh of relief. Crisis averted. His gaze drifts towards the only nerd whose opinion actually matters to him - Yeon Sieun looks like he just saw a Dementor.

It’s understandable.

Although the test is primarily written, there are three practical portions - using the Floo Network, taking a Portkey, and flying a broom.

For most fifth-years, the practical section should be a cakewalk. But Sieun is notorious at Hogwarts for his total inability to fly. Literally. When he mounts a broom, it’s as if the magic suddenly seeps out of it. It refuses to move. During their flying lessons in first year, Madam Hooch was baffled. In her decades as the flying instructor at Hogwarts, she'd never seen anything like it. Broom experts from around the globe were called in to observe the phenomenon, including Suho’s parents. There was no doubt in anybody’s mind that Sieun was a wizard - by the end of their first year, the kid had the magical abilities of a fifth year, despite having grown up in the Muggle World. Nobody could figure out why he had such an issue flying a broomstick.

Professor McGonagall's voice effortlessly rises above the commotion in the Great Hall. “Since this is the first time the exam is being administered, the Ministry has prepared a study packet to help students identify key areas to focus on in their studies. For the practical portion, Madam Hooch will be offering refresher flying courses in the coming months. Additionally, specific fireplaces throughout the castle will be reserved exclusively for fifth-year students to ensure you can navigate the Floo Network with ease. When you receive your study packets, you will find a list of locations you may Floo to and from. Please note, you will not be able to Floo to any fireplace you want, so don't bother attempting it. Should you choose to not heed my warning, you will instead find yourself delivered straight to the Headmaster's office." 

Some swot jabs their hand into the air.  "What about using a Portkey?"

"The Headmaster is still ironing out the details with the Minister, so be sure to check the bulletin board in your Common Room for updates. That said, the Ministry insists this exam is not difficult and there’s no need to stress over it. It’s purpose is to reinforce the fundamentals of Wizarding transportation, as many witches and wizards enter the real world with limited knowledge of how to navigate it."

“That’s why Muggleborns should stick to their own world,” Jeon Yeongbin sneers a few seats down from Suho.

Hiding his wand in the sleeve of his robe, Suho shoots a Stinging Hex at the prick… he accidentally hits one of Yeongbin’s goons. Oops. On his second try, the Slytherin’s other henchman is struck. Damn, his aim is really off today, huh? Third time's the charm, heh. No words need to be said. Yeongbin is scum, but he’s not an idiot. He knows who hexed him and why.

“Overtime,” Professor McGonagall continues, handing a pile of study packets to the students closest to her, “the Ministry hopes to expand this into a Wizarding Life Skills exam, so consider yourselves lucky."

Oh, Suho definitely considers himself lucky.

Across the room, he ‘accidentally’ meets Sieun’s gaze. Smiling warmly at the pretty Ravenclaw, Suho waves with three fingers. Expression blank, Sieun inclines his head in acknowledgement, before quickly looking away, his cheeks pink. Cute. 

Ahn Suho is undeniably the best flier in the school. Sieun is the top student in their year. Of course he will ask Suho for help. Especially since they’ve become semi-friends this year. And as an honorable, chivalrous Gryffindor, Suho will do his part to assist a student in need.

On one condition - Sieun agrees to go to Hogsmeade with him next month. If the trip happens to fall on Valentine’s Day, that’s totally a coincidence.

(It's not a coincidence.)

To prepare for the inevitable moment when Sieun asks him for help, Suho owls his parents. For most of his life, he’s lived with his grandmother, as his mom and dad were too busy building custom-made brooms for their wealthy clientele to bother raising a child. That said, he’s not upset by the arrangement. Suho loves both his parents, and they get along well, but his grandmother is awesome. He preferred living with her in Dorset, as opposed to traveling the world with his folks (many wizarding families moved to England during the Korean War. Some returned once the fighting was over, but the majority did not... others, like his grandmother, flit between the two countries because magic is awesome like that).

Two weeks later, his mom writes back - her advice isn’t as helpful as he hoped. She recommends Sieun see a Mind Healer. In her opinion, there’s a ‘mental block’ holding him back, strong enough for his Accidental Magic to override the enchantments on his broomstick. Hmm… Suho will just have to make sure Sieun knows he can count on him to protect him from harm. That should do the trick.

Three weeks go by, and…

Sieun doesn’t ask him for help.

“Why are you sulking, Captain?” Go Hyuntak (Gotak), his fellow fifth-year Gryffindor Chaser asks. He gracefully slides onto the bench beside Suho.

“Not sulking.” Suho drags his fork through his mashed potatoes, definitely sulking. Teaching the introverted, reticent Yeon Sieun how to fly is his best chance at wooing the beautiful Ravenclaw. But how can he do that, if Sieun doesn’t ask him for help?! “Just thinking. You should try it sometime.”

“Does your depressing mood have anything to do with Yeon Sieun?”

Suho turns so quickly, his neck snaps. They both wince. “Why would you ask that?”

Piling food onto his plate, Gotak shrugs. “Figured you’d be jumping at the bit to teach your beloved how to fly.” Suho’s grip tightens on his fork. Perceptive as ever, his friend holds his hands up placatingly. “I won’t tell… but you might wanna ease up on the staring if you don’t want anyone else to notice.”

“I don’t stare -”

“Is there another term for constantly looking at somebody, while hardly blinking?” Okay, so he might have a staring problem when it comes to Sieun… he’s just so pretty, it’s not Suho’s fault he can’t look away! “Maybe instead of waiting for him to come to you, Captain, you should offer to tutor him… politely. I’ve heard Ravenclaws get feisty when someone suggests they aren’t competent.”

"Know that from experience, do you?"

Gotak's only response is a heavy sigh.

“Who’s a good boy?” Suho coos, feeding the plant another carrot. It devours it within seconds. “Yeah, it’s you, isn’t it? Yah, look at you, eating so well."

Sieun glances up from his parchment. They’ve been Herbology partners all year, thanks to the Headmaster’s sudden ‘inter-house unity’ kick. During their first lesson in September, it took every ounce of self-restraint Suho possessed to not launch himself out of his chair when Professor Sprout instructed them to partner up with somebody from the opposite house. He rose leisurely to avoid drawing attention to himself. But when he noticed his roommate, Park Humin (Baku), heading towards his Ravenclaw, Suho cast a nonverbal Tripping Jinx… with everyone distracted by the commotion Baku made, he managed to reach Sieun first.

Unsurprisingly, they work well together (which is just further proof that Sieun is meant for him) - Suho entertains whatever plant they’re handling that day, while Sieun diligently completes the written portion of the assignment. 

“The Chinese Chomping Cabbage is monoecious. It has stamens and pistils.” He sighs at Suho’s blank stare. “It has both male and female parts. Which means it cannot be considered ‘a good boy’.”

In response, the plant irritably snaps its sharp teeth. Clicking his tongue, Suho gently strokes a finger down the stem. “Shh, don’t listen to his nonsense. If he wants us to be politically correct, you can be a good boy and a good girl.” The Chinese Cabbage hums in contentment, pleased by this compromise.

Shaking his head, Sieun lowers his head to begin filling out their worksheet again. Shit. Suho can’t have that.

“So!” he interjects, unintentionally way louder than he meant to. Sieun jumps in his seat. Oops. Embarrassed, Suho clears his throat. “How’s studying for O.W.L.s going?”

“Fine,” Sieun responds, like he isn’t sure why Suho is asking. “You?”

The Gryffindor shrugs. “I’m currently studying for our match against Hufflepuff. That’s mucher sooner than O.W.L.’s.” Oh, he can see the lecture building within Sieun. A ‘good’ Ravenclaw never puts Quidditch above studying… which is why they always get whooped by Gryffindor at the end of the year (the margin of whooping depends on how many fifth and seventh years are on the team at the time). “How do you feel about the newest O.W.L.? It’s bullshit, right?”

“Completely. I'm glad you spoke out against it. No one would give a damn if a Ravenclaw, Slytherin, or Hufflepuff said something. But Gryffindor’s Golden Boy? Maybe they'll actually listen to reason.”

Suho’s heart does a cartwheel in his chest. “You think I’m Gryffindor’s Golden Boy?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” Sieun mutters. “It’s not like I was the one who devised such an insipid nickname for you.”

“But if you didn’t agree, you wouldn’t call me that,” the Gryffindor in question points out smugly. Sieun stares intensely at him. When his eye begins twitching, Suho realizes he’s treading on dangerous territory. Whelp. Time to change the subject. “Baekjin did the math -”

“Baekjin?”

"Yeah, Na Baekjin." He feeds the Chomping Cabbage another carrot. “You know, the guy you’ve been fighting for the top spot in every subject for the last five years -”

“I know who he is, I just didn’t realize you two were friends,” Sieun huffs, nostrils flaring.

Odd reaction, Suho thinks bemusedly to himself. I didn’t know he and Baekjin were on unfriendly terms.

Ravenclaws are generally the most tolerant of Slytherins. Granted, this particular eagle does have some personal beef with a few snakes, most noticeably, one Jeon Yeongbin. However, everyone knows Na Baekjin and Yeongbin are not friends. They tolerate each other, but there’s no warm fuzzy feelings there. 

Maybe the strife is because Sieun and Baekjin are constantly battling for the top ranking in every subject?

Swots, he thinks to himself, with zero fondness whatsoever.

“He and I have been Potion partners since our first year.”

Before his first-ever Potions lesson, Suho had gone to the Owlery to send a letter to his grandmother. He made it to the classroom with one minute to spare - only two seats remained open. Of course, when given the choice between the front row and the back, Suho chose the latter, even though it meant sharing a table with some random Slytherin. Halfway through the lesson, they were instructed to work with the person beside them to complete a 'simple' potion. Suho and Baekjin were the only pair to succeed. Sharing a look, they wordlessly agreed to continue partnering up in future lessons, despite being from ‘rival’ houses.

What Suho hadn’t known at the time was that Baekjin and his Gryffindor roommate, Baku, had grown up together. In the weeks leading up to their first year at Hogwarts, something had driven a wedge between them, resulting in a massive falling out. To this day, he still doesn’t know what happened. Honestly, he’s too afraid to ask. In the lessons they shared, they barely acknowledged each other, but outside the classroom? The term 'mortal enemies' wasn't strong enough to describe their animosity. It put a damper on Suho’s budding friendship with the Slytherin. Baekjin didn’t take offense - he understood it wasn’t a matter of house loyalty or something equally stupid. It was practical. Suho and Baku would be sharing a room for eight-ish months a year, for the next seven years. Now, that's not to say Suho chose Baku's side or anything. He developed a sixth-sense for when the two would be within 5 meters of each other and disappeared from the scene as fast as he could... except during Quidditch. Sigh. Their feud brought a whole new intensity to the highly anticipated Slytherin vs Gryffindor matches in their third and fourth years (Suho and Baekjin made their respective teams in second year, while Baku arbitrarily decided to tryout the following year).

Things are better now, ironically thanks to the violent confrontation the pair got into at the end of last year. What started as a ferocious duel in the Entrance Hall, quickly delved into a full-blown fistfight (that also included kicking... biting... scratching... and hair-pulling). The staff couldn’t break them apart either, as the boys’ ‘Accidental Magic’ created an impenetrable wall around them. It was Sieun’s idea to see if a house elf could Apparate through the barrier - lo and behold, Mister Genius was right. Whatever issue they had with each other was solved in the aftermath of the brawl… probably because they were both stuck in the Hospital Wing together for a week straight. Baku and Baekjin aren’t close, but Suho sees the tides slowly changing. Best part of all? Suho can now be seen with Baekjin outside of the Potions classroom without worrying about his roommate getting in a tizzy over it.

“Being partners in class doesn’t make you friends,” the sassy Ravenclaw quickly counters, twirling his quill around his fingers. Suho suppresses a shudder. He knows what a quill becomes in Yeon Sieun’s hands - a weapon that's capable of unfathomable levels of pain. Or at least, that’s what it looked like, based on Taehoon agonized howls after Sieun stabbed the tip straight through his hand.

“You wound me, Sieun-ah,” Suho croons, clutching his hands to his chest. “Does our great Herbology partnership not make us the bestest of friends?”

“That’s different,” the other boy murmurs, averting his gaze. “We became best friends outside of class.”

Oh.

That’s…

Wow.

Suho could never tell if the reserved Ravenclaw felt as strongly about him, as he did about Sieun. He was fairly certain Sieun cared for him, but maybe he was just seeing what he wanted to see? Generally, Ahn Suho considers himself to be a confident person. He doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, aside from his grandmother. But with Sieun... he makes Suho's brain do strange things. Never in his life has he wanted someone to like him so badly, even just as a friend.

Although they aren’t in the same house, Suho was aware of Yeon Sieun throughout their first four years at Hogwarts. How could he not be? It’s not like there were a ton of kids in their year. Plus, the Ravenclaw's sorting took ages. It made him a bit of an outsider in his own house. Sieun never seemed bothered by the ostracizing though. In fact, he seemed to prefer to be alone. They occasionally exchanged words in class - once in Charms, a groggy Sieun asked Suho what the date was (it was October 3rd). But none of their interactions ever held any real weight.

Then at the start of this school year, Suho bumped into Sieun on Platform 9 ¾. Literally. In a rush, he accidentally crashed into someone, knocking them both to the ground. Suho’s entire body froze when he glanced down and saw a pair of beautiful doe eyes glaring up at him. The person said something, but Suho’s brain was too busy malfunctioning to process the words. He did, however, eventually register who the speaker was - Yeon Sieun. And he was… fuck, he was gorgeous! How had Suho missed this? Sieun wasn’t just the prettiest boy he’d ever seen. No, he was the prettiest person Suho had ever laid eyes on.

From that moment on, Suho found himself crossing paths with Sieun more and more - as if fate itself was determined to pull them together.

Their first time interacting after the train station incident was… interesting. Since September 1st fell on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were set aside for fifth-years to take mock O.W.L. exams. There was no time to study, as the goal was to see what areas they needed to improve on (it didn’t count for a grade either, and they only had to do the written tests). On Friday, the fifth-years were huddled in the library checking their answers. As Professor Binns droned on, reading out the correct responses to the history portion, Sieun suddenly slammed his fist onto the table. He rose slowly from his desk. A hush fell over the chattering room. Before Suho could blink the sleep from his eyes, Sieun snatched a book off the nearest shelf and struck Yeongbin across the face with it. In a blur, he then turned and drove his quill straight through Taehoon’s hand. While the taller boy wailed in pain, Sieun redirected his attention back to Yeongbin, slamming the book into his face, again and again.

When he raised his foot to stomp on the fallen Slytherin, Suho intervened. He swears he did not mean to throw Sieun to the ground… why was he so light?! With an embarrassed grin, Suho scrambled to explain why he had just handled Sieun like a particularly fragile ragdoll. “That’s enough,” he said calmly, hands in the pockets of his robes. “Don’t cross the line.”

Okay, it wasn’t his best explanation by any means. In his defense, he was taken aback by the sudden violence from the calmest, most passive student at Hogwarts… not to mention impressed. Suho doesn’t condone violence for the sake of violence (though he was certain Sieun had a good reason). But even if he didn't... good Godric, that was awesome!

For the rest of his life, Suho will never forget the dark, malevolent expression on Sieun's pretty face. It sent chills down his spine. “Is this funny to you?”

Lesson learned - do not answer honestly! 

When Suho responded, “A little bit,” Sieun grabbed the nearest chair and chucked it at him. In spite of his shock, the Gryffindor smoothly dodged the projectile. Thankfully, the spat ended right after; once their ghost professor (finally) noticed the commotion, he floated off to fetch the Deputy Headmistress. Suho worried he was done for, but they all escaped punishment. As it turned out, Yeongbin had coated Sieun’s quill with a potent pain potion, strong enough to seep into his bloodstream through mere contact with his skin. It wasn’t considered a performance enhancer, so the Anti-Cheating measures the professors enacted didn’t kick in. The potion was meant to disorient him and shake his confidence going into their O.W.L. year. It was a disgusting, cheap trick, but since it occurred during a mock exam, rather than the real thing, Headmaster Dumbledore let Yeongbin off with a stern warning. He wasn’t even given detention! The Headmaster decreed that Sieun’s retaliation cancelled out the original crime. Still, the scumbag wasn’t appeased.

Suho’s next interaction with Sieun occurred two days later, again under duress. He was getting ready for Quidditch practice when someone frantically knocked on his dormitory door.

“There’s a Ravenclaw at the portrait hole -” Suho didn’t need to hear another word from the firstie. Skipping down the stairs, he wondered if Sieun was here to apologize or something else… ask him on a date maybe? Needless to say, he was disappointed to discover his visitor was Oh Beomseok, the new transfer student. The bespectacled dork insisted Suho needed to help Sieun, spinning some bizarre tale about how Yeongbin roped his seventh-year Halfblood cousin into beating him up in revenge.

“The Jeon’s are proud, stuck-up Purebloods,” Suho (im)patiently explained. “Seokdae is an outlier with a Muggle mom, but still. He grew up in a wizarding family. They don't beat up people. If anything, they’d duel, and I dunno if you’ve seen Sieun with a wand, but he’s frightening. He’ll be fine.”

Beomseok shook his head. “They’re using the Room of Requirement to suppress his magic. Seokdae’s too, of course, but he has a physical advantage over Sieun.” Understatement. Size wise, Sieun was slightly taller than the average second-year. Seokdae was already an adult by Wizarding Law, and he looked it too. “People say your family trains all its members in physical self-defense, in addition to magical.”

The Ahn’s had lived alongside Muggles for centuries. Perhaps that was why his grandmother so strongly believed in the importance of physical self-defense, ‘Magic cannot be your only line of defense, grandson. Especially while you are underage.’ Granted, when she asked his Squib uncle, Junho, to teach him ‘the basics’, she probably did not expect her youngest son to take her only grandson to a gym specializing in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Five-year-old Suho was utterly enchanted, no magic needed. He visited as often as he could, working with different trainers to perfect his technique. To his surprise, when his grandmother eventually found out, she allowed him to continue, under one condition, 'In a world where strength often dictates survival, fighting, like dueling, is a necessary tool. It should not be used carelessly, and if I find out you're getting involved in pointless brawls, you're done'.

The prideful Gryffindor that he was, Suho was still a little peeved that Sieun attacked him for trying to help, so he pettily told Beomseok to find a teacher or a Prefect. The Ravenclaw then blurted out an offer he couldn't refuse - he would do his History of Magic homework for two weeks. Sold, Suho followed him down the seventh floor corridor. To their relief, they were able to open the door leading into the Room of Requirement. As Suho rushed inside, a strange pressure settled over his body - the magic suppressing mechanism had taken effect. The first thing Suho saw was Taehoon pinning Sieun down, while Yeongbin mercilessly crushed his hand beneath his foot. He didn’t hesitate. Using Taehoon’s back as a launchpad, he kneed the shithead Slytherin in the face, before roundhouse kicking his asshole friend.

When Sieun reached for Suho’s offered hand, a jolt shot through him as their fingers touched. There was no time to dwell on it though. Chaos erupted around them. For someone who was raised by pretentious, snooty wizards, Seokdae proved to be a formidable fighter. As they exchanged blows, Suho made sure to let the older boy know exactly what he thought of him - he was a coward and a prick for attacking a kid half his size, especially since Yeongbin drugged Sieun against his will. And just like that, the skirmish ended. Yeongbin hadn't been upfront with his cousin about the real reason behind his feud with the petite Ravenclaw. After ripping into Yeongbin in front of everyone gathered in the Room of Requirement, Seokdae offered the two of them a heartfelt apology. Suho accepted it on their joint behalf, then escorted a grumbling Sieun to an abandoned classroom so he could treat the boy's injuries. Without prompting, he apologized to Suho for that day in the library. Of course, Suho forgave him instantly. Beomseok also apologized, as he'd been the one who dipped Sieun's quill into the pain potion after Yeongbin threatened him (which Sieun had already figured out).

For the next two-ish months, Suho, Sieun, and Beomseok became an inseparable trio. They studied together whenever possible (much to Suho’s displeasure, because ugh, so boring... but he would never turn down a chance to spend time with Sieun), sat beside each other in the classes they shared, alternated between each other’s house tables for meals, went to Hogsmeade together, and hung out around the castle whenever Suho managed to lure them away from their books. Sieun and Beomseok were the only non-Gryffindors allowed in the stands during their team's Quidditch practice… initially, his teammates weren't keen on the idea, but after they realized the two swots didn’t know a damn thing about the sport, they stopped pestering their Captain about ‘spies’. 

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. For reasons Suho still does not understand, Beomseok began acting antagonistic towards him. The Hogsmeade trip at the end of November marked the turning point. For weeks, Beomseok had been bombarded with owls, though he burned each letter without opening it. Eventually, he grew tired of their questions and confessed that he had been bullied at his old school, Mahoutokoro School of Magic. The harassment became so bad, his father demanded he transfer.

Unwilling to tolerate someone bullying his friends, Suho devised an ambitious plan to force the bastards to cease their harassment campaign and apologize. After Sieun systematically dismantled his more reckless ideas, they settled on a simple but effective approach: Beomseok would send a letter to the ringleader, proposing a meet up during Mahoutokoro's monthly trip to the beach (which happened to correspond with their first Hogsmeade weekend of the year). They then enlisted Winny, Suho’s parents’ house elf, to Apparate them from a secluded alley in the village, straight to the shore of the Japanese island (since Sieun and Beomseok were staring expectantly at him, Suho 'ordered' her to keep quiet on the unsanctioned trip... the sassy elf rolled her eyes at him! They both knew his parents wouldn't care, so long as he wasn't frolicking around, committing murders or setting broomsticks ablaze).

In another example of how Suho and Sieun work well together, they made quick work of the quartet of bullies in a duel. With victory secured, Suho threatened them a bit, before demanding they apologize to Beomseok. The leader complied, but his words rang hollow. Sensing the insincerity, Beomseok insisted he had the right to hex him, given all that the bloke had done to him. A petty squabble broke out, which quickly escalated. Consumed by rage, Beomseok unleashed a barrage of spells, many of which teetered dangerously between Light and Dark magic. Before he could cross a line he'd never be able to return from, Suho summoned his house elf to Apparate them away.

It was an emotional moment for his friend, Suho understood that. But trying to kick a house elf for simply following orders?! Hell to the fucking no. Suho said some harsh words, Beomseok shouted even more back, before storming off. Afterwards, he started hanging around Yeongbin and his crew. Sieun, the lovely angel that he was, tried to mend their rift, but to no avail. As it stands now, Suho and Beomseok are not friends. The bastard seizes every opportunity he can to throw shade at Suho - though only when his squad of bullies is around to loom 'threateningly' behind him. Knowing the tension upsets Sieun, Suho tries his damndest to ignore Beomseok's bollocks, but with each passing day, it's getting harder to do so. He's genuinely offended by the switch up - Suho didn’t do a diddly darn thing to justify being treated so poorly!

Whatever.

He doesn't have to share Sieun's attention anymore… at least whenever the pretty Ravenclaw is around, which seems like, uhhh... never this semester.

Realizing this is the perfect moment to offer his assistance, Suho instead learns another valuable lesson - if you’re working with a semi-sentient plant, pay attention to it. They don’t take kindly to being ignored (which is valid, because neither does Suho). Sieun harshly scolds the Chinese Chomping Cabbage after it betrays Suho by sinking its teeth into his palm. The plant hisses, like some sort of feral, cat-plant-hybrid. And how does the Ravenclaw respond? By hissing back. Thoroughly chastised, the Cabbage wilts. 

Sieun presses his handkerchief to Suho’s hand in an effort to stem the blood gushing out of the wound. “It’s okay, buddy, I know you didn’t mean it." The Gryffindor strokes a finger down the plant’s stem. "I should have been paying more attention to you.”

“Ahn Suho, you are utterly insufferable,” Sieun scoffs, sounding almost fond.

"You love me though."

Ooh, sweet Merlin, he really wants to coo at Sieun's flushed cheeks.

Before he can lose another limb, Professor Sprout approaches their table. Taking one look at his hand, she swiftly ushers them out of the greenhouse. Pride at stake, Suho tries to put on a brave face during their trek to the Hospital Wing. But when a visibly concerned Sieun asks if he’s okay, he can't help but answer honestly. “No, I’m not. Damn. It really hurts, Sieun-ah.”

Frowning in sympathy, Sieun assures him Madam Pomfrey will set him right in a jiffy. He then begins muttering disparaging remarks about the Cabbage under his breath. Suho soon devises a bonkers theory about the mischievous plant - sensing how perfect the two wizards would be together, it tried to do Suho a favor by taking a chunk out of his hand. Because while Madam Pomfrey fusses over him, Sieun remains firmly at his side, his smaller hand clasped tightly in Suho’s uninjured one. He doesn’t let go either, not until they reach the seventh floor and have to go their separate ways - Suho to Divination, Sieun back to his dorm for his free period.

Suho leaps a meter in the air when he suddenly spots the hunched figure in the corner of the room. However, spending months staring at Yeon Sieun has advantages. "This is a strange place to study, even for a bookworm like you."

There's a major upside to this whole Wizarding Transportation O.W.L. - under the guise of practicing, fifth-years can Floo to various spots around the castle whenever they want. Granted, depending on how long the line is, sometimes it's just quicker to walk. But at this ungodly hour - seriously, being wide awake at 6:30am on a Saturday is a crime against nature - Suho doesn't feel like making the trek to the ground floor. And why would he, when there's a fireplace in an abandoned classroom only a stone's throw away from the Gryffindor Common Room?

Startled, Sieun whirls around. “Even stranger is you being up this early,” he counters, tucking a book under his arm.

He notices me, Suho's deranged brain whispers.

“Food."

There’s an upward twitching of the Ravenclaw's lips, almost like a smile. “You’re eloquent this morning.”

Suho walks forward slowly, almost languidly, to prevent Sieun from sensing his intentions. When he's within arm’s reach, he pounces. Despite successfully snatching the book from Sieun’s hands, Suho is only able to read the cover before the Ravenclaw steals it back. It doesn’t matter though. He saw enough to conclude why his friend is lingering here.

“Have you never traveled by Floo before, Sieun?”

"Does it matter?" Suho blinks at the venom coating his voice. Abashed, the smaller boy drops his gaze to the ground. "Sorry."

Chuckling, Suho playfully tickles the underside of Sieun's chin. “Aish, what am I gonna do with you, huh? I’m beginning to see why Muggles say pride is a sin.”

“I thought religion was N.E.W.T. level material?”

“It is, but I read ahead.”

“Huh.”

Sieun silently observes him with a focused, unwavering intensity. It's unnerving, though not in a bad way. More like… a gay way. A very gay way. But it's only natural to feel flustered when a beautiful bloke looks at you, right?

"What?"

“Oh, it’s nothing,” the Ravenclaw says dismissively. “I just didn’t know you could read.” There’s a beat of silence, and then another. Suho blinks. What? Sieun’s face flushes. “I didn’t mean that literally, it was -”

“A joke,” he finishes dazedly. “You made a joke… yahhh, Yeon Sieun, you’re just full of surprises today, huh? Is this the benefit of waking up early? Hearing you be funny?... funnier than usual?”

“You think I’m funny?”

Sliding his hands into the pocket of his robe, Suho sways in place. “Are you going to throw another chair at me if I say yes?”

Sieun hides his face behind his book. "I'm so sorry about that."

"It really did hurt my feelings, but fortunately, I know a great way for you to make it up to me!"

Proud of his cleverness, the Gryffindor pitches his idea. They will Floo to the Entrance Hall together, and Sieun will eat breakfast with him. By the time they're done, Suho will have mustered up the courage to ask about flying lessons. See? Forgoing mentioning it now isn't cowardice, it's strategy to up his chances for success. He needs food in his system to avoid passing out (and they say Gryffindors are always reckless, pfft).

Sensing Sieun's reluctance, Suho racks his brain for an argument so flawless, he’ll have no choice but to agree. "Using the Floo is efficient. It’s an eight minute walk to the Great Hall from here.” His gaze sweeps over the smaller boy’s frame. "It's likely twice that for someone like you -”

“Someone like me?” Sieun repeats, a note of warning in his voice.

The Gryffindor ignores it. “Yeah, a slowpoke.”

Sieun’s shoulders relax. Suho internally cheers.

It takes a bit more prodding, but as the sun begins to shine through the window, the stubborn Ravenclaw relents… or so Suho believes. It’s possible he was outmaneuvered. Arriving in the Entrance Hall, Suho picks himself up off the ground, once again appreciating the house elves for adding a thick, plush carpet to cushion their landings. He turns around, right in time to have a pair of feet slam into his shins, cutting him down.

“We’ve gotta stop meeting like this, bestie,” Suho purrs, hands bracketing Sieun's head as he hovers over the beautiful Ravenclaw. Said beautiful boy’s eyes narrow. With no warning whatsoever, he digs his fingers into the crease of Suho’s armpit. An embarrassingly high-pitched giggle emits from someone… not Suho, surely.

A gleam ignites in Sieun’s dark eyes. Suho is not a Slytherin for a reason. He should flee, but his self-preservation instincts are finicky - they only pop up when they feel like it. What transpires next is Suho attempting to retain whatever dignity he can, while Sieun tickles him relentlessly, finding all his weak spots with merciless precision. Unfortunately, there are many.

“Ah-ha!” Suho exclaims, triumphant at last as he manages to pin Sieun’s arms to his sides.

Chests rising and falling in sync as they try to recover, they end up locking eyes. Only briefly though, because Sieun’s gaze slides down his face, coming to a stop on his lips. Suho swallows roughly. Slowly, cautiously, he leans down, just in case he’s reading this wrong... Sieun lifts his head up to meet him halfway. 

Their mouths are centimeters apart when a sharp, “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” jolts them out of their little bubble. Instead of their lips connecting, their heads slam into each other.

Rubbing his aching forehead with a groan, fucking hell, Sieun has a thick skull, Suho rolls off the smaller boy. “It’s not what it looks like,” the Gryffindor informs his Head of House. Ignoring Suho's offered hand, the Ravenclaw rises to his feet under his own power, steadfastly avoiding his gaze. Rude.

Hands on her hips, Professor McGonagall peers sternly at them over the top of her spectacles. “Oh, I very much doubt that. Fighting in the Entrance Hall? And at this hour, no less?!”

Well, at least she doesn’t think they were about to kiss. That would be a mortifying letter sent to his grandmother for sure.

“It’s my fault, Professor," Sieun interjects, his voice firm. "Suho was offering studying tips, but I took umbrage with his advice... I now understand why Muggles say pride is a sin.”

Suho blinks. Lying is probably a sin too. Why isn’t he telling her the truth? Sure, it’s a bit embarrassing to tell your teacher you were having a tickle fight with your friend, but it’s better than ending up in detention for something this stupid!

Whatever. If this is the path Sieun wants to go down, fine. He won’t be doing it alone though.

“I was very tactless, Professor,” Suho says, ducking his head in a mimicry of remorse. “I meant well, but I approached it all wrong. Nobody likes unsolicited advice. If I were him, I would have shoved me too… scratch that, I would have done worse. My grandmother says I’m a hothead who doesn't think before he speaks... or acts... and between us, I think she might be right.” He turns to the boy beside him. “I’m sorry, Sieun-ah.”

This time, it’s Sieun who stares at him in confusion. Ha.

Many claim Professor McGonagall is a skilled Legilimens - that’s how she always figures out the truth. Suho doesn’t believe it one bit (and if anything, it’s Professor Dumbledore who’s the one poking around in their brains). His grandmother is eerily similar to his Head of House. Perhaps it comes with age, or maybe it’s something they’re just born with, but both witches have strong, built-in bollocks detectors.

Their ‘detention’ begins right after breakfast - reorganizing bookshelves in the library. When Suho asked why Madam Pince didn’t just use magic to do it, Sieun cut in with a lofty, “Some things are better done by hand.” He appreciates the chance to spend a few hours with his crush, but ugh, teaching Sieun to fly would be a much better use of his time! Unfortunately, Suho has to take this seriously - if the librarian reports back they behaved well, Professor McGonagall won’t owl their parents or add this detention to their permanent records. Suho doesn't give a fuck if she does either of those things, but Sieun definitely does. Worse, his Head of House ‘offhandedly’ remarked she would be having tea with his grandmother in the near future - Ahn Suho knows a threat when he hears one.

All of his attempts at conversation fall flat. Sieun isn't the chatty type by any means, but he usually responds to Suho with more than one word answers. It leaves him feeling incredibly self-conscious.

An hour into their detention, Suho can’t take the silence anymore. “Are you mad at me?” he asks out of the blue.

Sieun’s head jerks up. “No?”

“Wow, real convincing,” the Gryffindor scoffs, angrier than intended. He makes a concerted effort to soften his tone. “I would like to point out that absolutely none of this is my fault. I was prepared to tell the truth about our ‘fight’, when you went and lied straight to her face.” Sieun averts his gaze, almost guiltily, and Suho suddenly understands why he didn’t admit the truth. “Yah, Yeon Sieun, pride really is a sin! Have you forgotten Minnie is a teacher?!"

"No, but you clearly have... Minnie?"

Suho swallows back a laugh at how horrified the little swot looks. He waves a hand dismissively. "I'm the best Quidditch player Hogwarts has seen in a century. Minnie loves me, hence why she made a fourth-year Captain."

“Whatever you say,” Sieun murmurs so quietly, Suho has to scoot closer to hear him… or at least that’s what he tells himself. “You grew up in the Wizarding World. I didn’t. No matter how much I study, I’ll always be one step behind everybody. It's... uncomfortable to admit that, especially to a professor I respect.”

“Careful, Sieun-ah. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that lowlife Yeongbin is starting to get to you. And anyone with a shred of intelligence knows he’s wrong.” Suho sighs when Sieun’s dejected demeanor doesn’t change. “Let’s look at this logically, kay? I know you Ravenclaws are all about that. One, you’re not alone. There’s gotta be literally a hundred kids here, if not more, who grew up similarly to you. Maybe if you, the top student, said something about the inequality those who grew up in the Muggle World endure when they arrive at Hogwarts, maybe something would change. Two, it takes an incredible amount of courage for prideful swots to admit they don't know something. Trust me, Professor McGonagall would never judge you for that."

"You make good points." Suho's chest reflexively puffs out... which doesn't go unnoticed. "Don't let it go to your head, Suho-yah. Even in a game of chance, a gambler is bound to win eventually. Also for the record, I wasn’t trying to ignore you or be rude. I was concentrating.”

Aish, shit. Suho should probably be less sensitive, huh?

Behind them, someone loudly clears their throat.

Visibly brightening, Sieun cries, “Hyung!” and shuffles over to the older boy, stopping right in front of him. With a soft smile, Seokdae holds his arms wide, and Sieun practically hops into his embrace.

Godric be good, what the fuck is this?! Watching the two hug, Suho’s chest tightens. Seokdae is his hyung. His. Suho doesn’t mind sharing, that’s not the issue. But since when was Jeon Seokdae on such good terms with Yeon Sieun? More importantly, why did he not say a peep to Suho about it? Like, fine, it’s not as if he goes around telling everyone about his crush on the prettiest person at Hogwarts. But given the way Sieun gazes at Seokdae with literal stars in his eyes, it makes a bloke wonder… is there something more going on here? 

“Hey, kid. You mind if I borrow Suho for a minute?”

“We’re busy,” Sieun mumbles into the Slytherin's chest.

Ha, take that! Suho thinks spitefully to himself.

As if reading his thoughts, Seokdae shoots Suho a fierce glare over the top of Sieun’s head. The fuck? “It’ll take just a moment, I promise. Quidditch business.”

“Ugh, jocks,” Sieun sniffs haughtily.

Burning with envy curiosity, he follows the Slytherin Quidditch Captain into a secluded alcove… though not before sticking his tongue out at Sieun. When the Ravenclaw twirls his wand around his fingers with a contemplative expression, Suho picks up his pace.

“What are you doing with Sieun?” Seokdae demands, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jutting his chin out, Suho defiantly retorts, “What’s it to you?” 

The seventh-year says some bullshit about how he heard a rumor they were fighting in the Entrance Hall, and he wants to know if it was true. “Aren’t you two friends?”

“We are. But it's curious, innit? The last time I saw you with Sieun, you were trying to pummel the stuffing out of him.” Seokdae stares intently at him. Paranoid, Suho raises his Occlumency shields. He doubts the Slytherin actually knows Legilimency, but is that a chance he really wants to take? Nah. “Is he your boyfriend or something?”

Something shifts in Seokdae’s demeanor. Throwing his head back, he lets out a booming laugh. “Oh, I see what this is.” He lifts the privacy spells he cast. “Good luck, kid, you’re gonna need it. For someone so smart, that bookworm can be dumb as hell.”

“Hey!” the Gryffindor cries, offended by the way Seokdae is just sauntering away, without a care in the world for his confusion. 

For half a second, Suho debates on pulling his wand. But then snippets of memory flash through his mind. Similar to Sieun, Seokdae is not someone he wants to face in a duel. So, he does what any fifteen-year-old boy would do - sprinting after his hyung, Suho waits until he’s close enough, before jumping onto his back.

He never makes it.

When he lands, Suho is on the ground, eye-level with a pair of polished leather boots. His tongue lolls out of his mouth. Never in his life has he wanted to sink his teeth into something so badly. Before he can satisfy the instinctive desire, he is lifted in the air by the scruff of his neck. Panicking, Suho kicks his feet… paws… at the aghast face of one Jeon Seokdae.

Put me down, you brute! he orders… or at least, tries to order. His voice comes out funny, almost like a bark.

“What the hell, Sieun?!”

Seokdae cradles Suho in his arms. Weird. But there’s no denying how comfortable it is to snuggle into his hyung's chest. He also smells really good. Kinda like home. And bacon. Suho loves bacon. He had some pieces earlier at breakfast, but not enough.

“He was about to attack you, hyung!”

Suho whines. He wasn’t gonna attack anyone! Why is this heavenly voice telling lies?

Thick fingers scritch Suho behind the ears. His entire body melts. “That fucker pulled his wand on me?!”

“Erm… well, not exactly.”

“Not exactly, or not at all?”

“He was about to tackle you!”

The fingers stop moving. Suho growls low in his throat. He quiets when they start back up again. “He’s a little shit, Sieun-ah. Suho jumps on my back all the time. It’s his thing.”

As Seokdae's dongsaeng, piggyback rides are Suho's Merlin-given right, okay?

“Oh.” The loveliest, most ethereal being Suho has ever seen appears in front of him. The word 'angel' comes to mind. As soon he's within reach, Suho licks a wet stripe up the pretty face. Nose scrunching, the angel lets out a soft giggle. Cutecutecute. “That was my bad. I’m just so tired of everyone fighting. And I didn't want Suho to get hurt. It was reflexive.”

"Sooo," the good-smelling man drawls, "you're finally ready to admit that I'm the better fighter, huh?"

The hair... fur... on Suho's back rises. Instinct tells him this is an important discussion.

"How the hell did you get that from what I said?"

"Well, it's either that, or you don't care if I get hurt."

The angel stamps his foot. Suho squeals incoherently in his head. "We don't have time for toxic masculinity right now, hyung!"

"It was a joke -"

"This is not a laughing matter either!"

“Alright, sheesh, no need to get testy. Shit happens, Sieun-ah. Just reverse it.”

Suho can literally smell how anxious the pretty angel is. Rubbing his golden paw against his nose, he whimpers. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

“Why? If you’re scared Suho is going to be angry about your impressive, wandless Transfiguration -”

“Hyung, I am NOT scared of my best friend!"

Oh dear, oh dear, the pretty angel isn't anxious anymore. He's mad. Suho whines again. When that doesn’t stop the angel from glaring at the good-smelling man, he ferociously wiggles his tiny body. Must… make…angel…happy…again! All his struggling is futile though. He remains in the arms of the good-smelling man, his grip too strong to break. Annoyed, Suho sinks his teeth into the body part closest to his mouth - the man yelps obnoxiously loud, ouchie, and instinctively drops him. The ground rises up, closer and closer. Flailing wildly, Suho is saved from certain doom at the last possible second by a pair of soft, gentle hands. If he could purr, he would.

Suho is so content in his angel's arms, he nearly forgets his mission. Determined to help in any way he can, he licks the underside of the angel’s chin as many times as it takes for his scent to even out. 

“Sieun,” a fitting name for a pretty angel, “Suho can’t stay a dog!”

Wait, he’s a what?

… also says who? Suho doesn’t like it when people tell him what he can and cannot do!

“Technically, Seokdae-hyung,” Sieun's voice radiates smugness, “Suho is a puppy.”

Yeah, Seokdae-hyung, Suho… that’s me… is a puppy, so there!

“Sieun-ah -”

“A very cute puppy.” 

Oh my god, the angel thinks I’m cute?!

“Whatever he is, you need to change him back!”

Suho finds it difficult to concentrate on the argument that follows. The angel’s behind-the-ear scritches are even better than the good-smelling man’s. But when they start moving, he huddles closer to Sieun, as if the jostling makes him nauseous. It doesn’t. He just finds it addicting how tenderly the angel strokes the top of his head in an attempt to comfort him. Eventually, they arrive in a familiar-looking room. Suho lets out a sneeze at the smell. 

'Cat' floats across his brain. He feels a rumble building in the back of his throat, but it dissipates when a scary witch comes to stand in front of them. Against his will, Suho's tiny frame trembles. His angel murmurs words of reassurance, while tightening his grip. The three humans begin conversing in low tones. Suho could listen if he wanted to, but the angel’s words wash over him like a cool gust of wind on a summer’s eve. He zones out, content to simply… exist. Suddenly, Sieun places him on the ground. He then walks away. To Suho’s horror, his attempt to follow is thwarted by some dark sorcery holding his body in place. Distraught, he whines helplessly, come back, please, come back. I’ll be a good boy, I swear! The angel freezes, but after a word from the scary witch, he continues to the door.

And then... and then he leaves, he leaves Suho behind, like he’s nothing more than rubbish to discard at will.

Regaining control of his body, Suho bolts after him. But no matter how hard he scratches at the door, no matter how loud he barks, it won’t budge. He is trapped in this room. Alone. Forsaken by the one he loves most. Exhausted, Suho flops down onto the cold stone floor. Every positive emotion he’s ever felt drains away, as if it never existed in the first place. The world around him becomes desolate, devoid of meaning, he’s adrift in an infinite ocean of despair. How could Sieun abandon him? He’s sure it’s not the angel’s fault. There's undoubtedly Dark Magic at play here.

A plate of bacon is placed in front of Suho. He shoves it away with his paw. What good is bacon without his pretty angel to share it with? Conversation swirls around him. Suho flattens his ears, shutting out the grating noise of the inferior creatures. The ache in his chest deepens - what cruelty, to be surrounded by voices, yet starved of the only one that matters.

Someone lifts Suho in the air. He doesn't struggle. Maybe they’ll put him out of his misery.

The door opens again. A familiar scent tickles his nose. Lifting his chin, Suho inhales deeply. His tail wags frantically behind him. Sieun is back, Sieun, Sieun, Sieun!

Once he’s placed on the ground again, Suho bounds over to his angel, who crouches down to meet him. With a running jump, he dives into Sieun’s arms. Suho is too happy to contain his excited barks, you’re back, you’re back, you’re back! But he keeps them as quiet as he can, because he knows his angel has sensitive ears.

Rising to his feet, Sieun carries Suho deeper into the room. He's set down on a fluffy rug that feels good under his paws. Even better, his angel sits cross-legged next to him, hand feeding him strips of bacon. Suho is so euphoric, it’s almost impossible for him to sit still. But once the plate is empty, he can't hold back a wide yawn. The scary witch suggests a nap - Suho doesn’t want a nap, he wants to spend more time with his pretty angel. But his tummy is full. And the fire is warm. Stretching out across the carpet with a book, Sieun runs his fingers through Suho’s fur. The gentle motion, steady and unhurried, lulls him into a comfortable haze. Yawning again, Suho compromises by licking the angel’s cheek, then curling up against his side.

The next time Suho opens his eyes, his body is on high alert. Something woke him up, and it is Not Good. Taking a deep breath, his nerves settle at the comforting scent of parchment and lavender.

“Did you have a good nap, Suho-yah?” his angel coos.

Stretching out his limbs, Suho yawns. Blimey, he never sleeps this well. Maybe he should snooze for a bit longer? Out of the corner of his eye, Suho spots the door opening. A short witch strides into the room. He freezes. That witch… he knows that witch.

“Good day, Minerva,” his grandmother greets, shutting the door behind her. Her eyes widen at the sight of a living, breathing angel sitting in front of the fireplace. “Is that… is that dog my grandson?”

The scary witch stands up. “How on earth did you guess?!”

“I’d know that contrite expression anywhere.”

Suho’s angel smells anxious again, and he’s pointedly not looking at the puppy beside him. That’s unacceptable, his eyes should be on Suho, always. He fakes a sneeze. Sieun doesn’t glance up, but at least his hand goes back to petting Suho again.

“Interestingly, Mister Yeon brought him to me because he worried the transfiguration was a little too good, and Suho’s personality had disappeared.”

The glance the two witches exchange makes Suho's instincts scream, danger, danger, danger! Frightened, he climbs into his angel's lap.

Sieun offers more soothing pets, focusing on the sensitive spot along Suho’s muzzle and under his chin. When his grandmother whistles for him to come, he pretends like he doesn't hear it. Because he's a very Good Boy, Suho doesn’t protest when Sieun gets up, especially since he tucks the puppy under his arm, like the precious cargo he is. Suho isn’t dumb enough to attempt an escape when Sieun passes him to his grandmother. He does, however, whine pitifully, just so everyone knows how he feels about this situation.

As his doting grandmother gushes over how adorable he is, Suho's bad mood melts away... at least until she asks, “My sweet grandson, why haven’t you changed yourself back yet? Are you enjoying being spoiled by your friend too much?” Fortunately, a debate follows her question, allowing Suho to stew in his embarrassment in peace. Is she trying to out him to his crush?! And fine, to be fair, it’s not like he told her about his feelings, but come on! “Here's an important lesson for you, young man,” the older witch cuts in, interrupting Sieun's soft-spoken argument. "Magic’s greatest limitation is imagination. My grandson is powerful, yes, but more importantly, he's creative. And he believes in his abilities."

"With all due respect, why has Suho remained a dog for this long then? It's been hours."

Because he's having a great time, duh. Isn't his angel supposed to be a genius?

"Why, he was lacking proper motivation, of course!” 

"Also, some part of his brain knew he desperately needed a nap," the scary witch adds. "Which he had, thank Merlin." (All parts of Suho's brain agree that's a mildly offensive statement.)

A gleam forms in his grandmother's eye. Suho gives her his best puppy glare. "And I know just the trick to get him to turn back."

‘Proper motivation’ entails placing Suho in a quiet location - the lavatory connected to Professor McGonagall’s office - so he can concentrate. Above the door, a floating timer counts down from ten minutes. Before his grandmother leaves him alone, she whispers that when the time runs out, she will instruct their house elf, Pipsy, to bring all of their family photo albums from home. She will then proceed to share all of Suho’s baby pictures with Sieun, including the embarrassing ones.

Good Godric, what has he done to deserve such inhumane torture?! Properly motivated alright, Suho achieves his goal in seven minutes (technically four, as the first three minutes were dedicated to frantically pacing across the lavatory). He uses the next two to relieve his bladder, wash his hands, and straighten his hair and clothes until he's presentable.

When Suho reenters Professor McGonagall’s office on two feet, Sieun’s jaw drops. A sense of pride rushes through him. Behind the Ravenclaw's back, his grandmother winks at him.

“Suho, how... how is that possible?!” 

The Gryffindor shrugs. “For my entire life, halmeoni has touted things like, ‘If you believe in yourself, you can do whatever you put your mind to’. You know, all that self-help crap witches love.” He chuckles when she flings a mild Stinging Hex at his arm. "It works though."  

Sieun tilts his head to the side. “So... you were aware of what was going on the whole time?”

Shitshitshit.

“I imagine Mr. Ahn was heavily influenced by his canine impulses,” Professor McGonagall cuts in, bless her. “Ignoring the animal's innate instincts is difficult for Animagi when they first succeed in transforming.”

His grandmother makes up for taking ten years off Suho’s life by changing the subject. She asks how he became a puppy in the first place. Sieun tries to take the blame, but Suho is quick to interject that it was a misunderstanding.

"Your hyung is a Jeon? You know how I feel about that family, Suho-yah.”

"Seokdae-hyung is cool," Suho shrugs.

"He's still a Jeon!"

Sieun glances between them in confusion. “But aren’t they… I thought they had ‘proper’ blood?”

His grandmother bristles. “Lord Jeon wouldn’t know what proper meant, even if it bit him right on his fat, lumpy, misshapen arse!”

The Ravenclaw blinks, taken aback, while Suho cackles delightedly at the remark. No one gets halmeoni fired up like the Head of the Jeon family.

“They don’t teach their children Korean,” Suho explains to his friend. “Not the language, not the culture, nothing. Halmeoni takes serious offense to that.” (Definitely not the only reason she has beef with Lord Jeon, but Sieun doesn't need to know the petty details.)

Wait, shit.

He's seen Sieun eat Korean dishes during mealtimes in the Great Hall... but so do plenty of non-Korean students. Looking back, they've never really discussed their heritage. Obviously, Sieun is familiar with aspects of Korean culture - he calls Seokdae 'hyung', after all. But is he a fluent speaker? Grandmother gets extremely bent out of shape whenever she learns that Korean parents have neglected to teach their children their native language.

Before Suho can attempt damage control, Grandmother voices the all important question. “Did your parents teach you how to speak Korean, dear?”

"My parents didn't teach me how to speak Korean," Suho says with a nervous laugh. "You did."

But he need not worry. In fact, Suho learns more about his crush in the next ten minutes, than he has in the previous years they were together at school together.

Yeon Sieun is not Muggleborn, as everyone at Hogwarts believes (Sieun points out that he never said he was - people simply assumed because he grew up in the Muggle world. And since he never cared enough to correct them, the misconception stuck). His father is also not some random wizard… he’s Yeon Gyu-jin, the coach of the Korean National Quidditch team. It takes everything within Suho not to freak out, because that man is a beast of a coach. He is singlehandedly the reason South Korea has risen so quickly in the International rankings!

Sieun didn't always live in the Muggle World with his non-magical mother. For about six years, he lived in Jaksiman Hollow, a small mostly-wizarding community in Seoul, with both of his parents. At the time, his father was training for an upcoming Quidditch match when a flying accident, severe enough to end his career, upended their lives. Once the older wizard recovered enough to fly again, he decided to become a coach, but his relentless devotion to the sport that nearly killed him pushed his wife to her limits. After the divorce, mother and son moved around South Korea for the next two years, until she secured a job at Oxford University in England. Since leaving Korea, he's had no contact with his father, though the man faithfully sends his mother money every month.

Hours later, Suho returns to his dorm in a daze. He can’t believe his grandmother invited Sieun to their house in Korea for Easter Break… and he can’t believe the Ravenclaw agreed! There’s just one thing he's struggling to move past... what exactly happened during Mr. Yeon's 'flying accident'?

Suho wakes with a jolt.

Fuck.

His head is heavy, his limbs leaden. He manages to pry open his eyes, but his vision is blurred. It feels like he was hit repeatedly by a barrage of rogue Bludgers.

“Suho-yah?!” The panic in his chest eases. If Sieun is here, everything is okay. “Is that… are you really awake?”

“Yes?” Ugh, his mouth feels like something died in it. “Why are you… my dorm?”

A glowing orb appears above his head. Suho winces at the blinding light. “Sorry.” With a tap of Sieun’s wand, the brightness dims to something more tolerable. So he's in the Hospital Wing, cool cool. At least it explains why Sieun is here… okay, not really. The Ravenclaw’s red-rimmed eyes are impossible to miss. A spike of alarm races through Suho. Was Sieun crying at his bedside? Merlin, what the fuck happened? The last thing he remembers is… receiving an owl from Sieun, asking to meet him in the Room of Requirement. And then… nothing. “I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come sit with you. How do you feel?”

“Confused."

“Are you in pain?”

Yes.

“No. What happened?”

Sieun bites his bottom lip. Suho cannot look away from the tempting spectacle. Godric, what he would give to be the one to nibble on it instead…

“You got… you were… erm, you were asleep, for about… two months.”

Months?! No, that can't... that can't be right. Because if it was, Suho missed the match against Hufflepuff, and probably Easter break too!

“Why didn’t anyone wake me up then, huh?!” Tears begin pouring down the Ravenclaw’s cheeks. Sieun doesn’t make a peep as he sobs, but it doesn’t matter. It’s a gut-wrenching sight. “Sieun-ah, I’m just teasing! Please, please don’t cry.”

“I’m… f-fine,” Sieun blubbers, breaking Suho’s heart into tiny little pieces. “I’ll go -”

“Don’t leave! Please, not yet.” Suho heaves himself into a sitting position. It takes significant effort - honestly, he only succeeds because Sieun helps him. His legs won’t cooperate, but Suho can’t be fussed about that right now, not when his beautiful Sieun is breaking down right in front of him. “Will you tell me what happened, please?”

Sieun starts from the beginning - how Suho’s absence at lunch sent his Gryffindor friends into a panic. One of life’s few certainties is that if Ahn Suho skips a meal, something is terribly wrong. Word spread quickly, reaching the other three houses. They scoured the castle, but he was nowhere to be found. In a voice devoid of emotion, Sieun recounts how he randomly recalled the Room of Requirement being used as a weapon against him. He and Seokdae took every shortcut they knew to reach the seventh floor as fast as possible. When they arrived, the door stood open, as if Hogwarts herself recognized the urgency of the situation. But at the sight of Suho's broken form sprawled across the cold stone floor, beaten almost beyond recognition, they froze in the doorway. Seokdae regained his senses first. When he said Suho wasn't breathing, Sieun shook himself out of his stupor and dropped to his knees beside his fallen friend. To his surprise, when he touched Suho's shoulder, a surge of raw magic exploded from his fingertips. It lashed through Suho's body like a lightning strike.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Suho’s chest lurched, his heart finding its rhythm again. But he remained unconscious, unmoving.

Oh, his sweet, sweet Sieun... he will always fall back to his swotty ways, won't he? The Ravenclaw admits, almost begrudgingly, he doesn’t understand how it was even possible - did the Room's magic suppressing aspect not work since the door was open? Did the castle, who some (including Suho) legitimately believe was partially sentient, lift it herself?

"Well," the Gryffindor hums, breaking the awkward silence. "I've had some long naps, but two months is pretty extreme, even for me."

Sieun doesn't laugh at his quip, sigh. “It’s my fault,” he whispers, wiping the back of his hand across his damp cheeks.

“Oh, my precious pumpkin pasty, I highly doubt that.”

Suho cheers at the half amused/half exasperated sigh Sieun lets out. “I sensed something was up with Beomseok, even before our ‘adventure' to Japan. But whenever I asked if he was alright, he said he was. So I let it go. But if I... if I had pushed more, I could have gotten to the bottom of his issue with you, before he lashed out.”

Naturally, that enrages Suho.

"Or here's a wild idea... maybe Beomseok should have just told me outright what his problem was!" When Sieun meets his gaze, tears well in his doe eyes again. Shit. Cautiously, Suho lifts a hand to touch his face. It feels normal, but maybe he's missing something? “What’s the verdict, hmm?” he asks teasingly, heart in his throat. “Did those fuckers leave me hideous and disfigured?”

Sieun sniffles. “Don’t be ridiculous. You could never be ugly.” Oh. “I should let Madam Pomfrey know -"

Good Godric is this boy stubborn!

“Please just spit it out, Sieunie. You’re making me nervous.”

“They… the Healers… it’s a miracle you woke up, they all agreed on that, but they said if you did, you’d likely never… never walk again.”

Suho’s heart drops through the floor. “What sort of Dark Magic did those assholes use?!”

“None,” Sieun says, to his immense confusion. “At first, Yeongbin said Beomseok wanted you beaten up the Muggle way, because it would be more humiliating… with some persuasion, he eventually admitted they were worried you’d be able to hold them back in a duel, long enough to escape.”

They have good reason to think that way. Not that he plans to tell Sieun the truth, but the incident in the Room of Requirement wasn’t the first time Beomseok's merry band of scumbags tried to hurt him. Suho was able to dodge or block their attacks without issue (and if he could do it without getting caught, he fired back his own retaliating hexes)... except for when one of those fuckers somehow jinxed his broom while he was flying laps around the Pitch, waiting for Sieun’s Herbology lesson to end. When the Ravenclaw arrived, Suho was picking himself up off the grass. Not wanting his friend to worry, he said he failed to complete a tricky maneuver, which earned him a harsh lecture on the way to the Hospital Wing.

"It's nice to know they recognize I'm better than them."

Sieun hums in agreement. “According to the Healers, the swelling in your brain was, and I quote, ‘appalling’. No one understands how you’re alive. And reports vary, but the general consensus is it took about,” he winces, “an hour to find you.”

“So… I was dead for an hour?”

Spooky.

“Personally, I don’t see how that’s possible. I think Seokdae was just too panicked to search for your pulse properly. Either that, or it had just stopped when we found you.”

Suho fights back a smile at Sieun's innate need to rationalize everything. It’s bloody adorable. He appreciates the information though. Since Suho's wounds aren’t caused by magical means, they’ll be easier to reverse. He shuts his eyes.

“Are you tired?” Sighing internally, he opens them again. “Here, let me help you -"

“Nope.” Gently grabbing the Ravenclaw’s hands, Suho places a gentle kiss on each one. “But thank you for saving my life -“

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” Suho blinks. Sieun’s pretty lips part in shock. “Not that I wouldn’t have done anything I could to help you, of course! I just meant, you don’t need to thank me for an accident -"

Suho wags a finger in his face. “Nonsense. Accident or not, I appreciate your efforts… however, right now, I'd appreciate it if you shut your pretty mouth.” Whelp. He did not mean to say that last part aloud. “I need to concentrate, please and thank you."

Apparently, today is one of the rare days where Sieun is talkative, go figure.

“What are you doing?”

“Healing.”

“So, you are sleepy?”

“No.” He huffs a laugh when Sieun growls in frustration. “I’m trying to assess the damage to my super sexy body.”

“Suho-yah…”

“Aww, you don’t think my ripped bod is attractive?”

“… I didn’t say that.” Even in the low light cast from Sieun’s fancy orb, Suho can see the fierce blush staining his cheeks, cutecutecute. “It’s just… something like this, it's a lot different than turning yourself from an animal, back to a human.”

“Correct, hence why I need to concentrate.”

If Sieun says anything else, Suho doesn't hear him. 

Closing his eyes, he inhales deeply to center himself. His body is there, solid, but wrong. Panic flickers in his chest, as doubt begins to creep in. But Suho consciously relaxes his muscles. He can do this. 

This isn't the kind of healing described in textbooks, neat and methodical; this is instinctive, impossible to teach. Reaching deep into his core, Suho calls forth his magic. As he pours it into the damaged nerves and fractured connections, heat sears through his veins like wildfire, racing down his spine. It hurts. Godric, it hurts. But Sieun's skeptical, yet undeniably hopeful gaze gives him the strength needed. Suho pushes harder. His magic ripples through him, thrumming beneath his skin, rebuilding and repairing. Sweat drips down his temples, his pulse hammering as sensation crawls back into his lower body. Another deep breath. Then comes the testing phase. Under the blanket, Suho wiggles his toes, then moves his legs as subtly as he can without drawing attention to himself. He would hate to attempt a big reveal, only to realize too late that he failed.

He didn't, thank Merlin.

“Tada!” Ripping the blankets off with a flourish, Suho rotates his ankles, slides his legs to the left, then the right, lifts his knees to his chest. Sieun watches with wide, disbelieving eyes. It does wonders for Suho’s self-esteem.

"Suho-yah," Sieun breathes, staring at the Gryffindor in awe. "That's... you actually... you're incredible, I can't believe... you were glowing."

Suho preens at the praise. "As I keep telling you, hydration is a major requirement for healthy skin -"

"There was literally a glowing light around you."

"Oh neat." In a daring move, Suho swings his legs over the side of the bed. “And now for the big finale -”

“Don’t!”

Too late. 

Pushing himself into a standing position, Suho extends his arms wide… and then windmills them in an effort to maintain his balance. His luck has run out… or has it? Legs collapsing beneath him, Suho pitches forward, right into the open arms of the most breathtaking bloke to ever walk these halls.

“You’re a lunatic,” Sieun murmurs, his face centimeters from Suho’s own.

Suho’s cheeks warm. “Do you suddenly have more respect for me now or something?”

Whatever the Ravenclaw says is drowned out by Madam Pomfrey’s startled shriek. The Hospital Wing becomes a flurry of activity. Suho is poked and prodded so frequently by the matron’s wand, he swears he’s going to have a dozen bruises by the next morning. Despite the late hour, his grandmother arrives with no warning whatsoever. She materializes at the foot of Suho’s bed, thanks to her house elf, Pipsy, giving zero fucks about Hogwarts etiquette. 

When his grandmother sees him move his legs (with no heads up, because fair is fair), she has the most confusing reaction ever. Gasping in awe, the elderly witch turns and hauls Sieun into a crushing embrace. “Oh, you brave, clever, absolutely creative little wizard!” Sieun wheezes when she tightens her grip. “How did you do it, sweetheart? Do you even know?”

“Hang on a minute!” Suho cries, crossing his arms over his chest. “What makes you think he is the reason I can walk… ish? Just because he shocked me back to life?”

The explanation that follows… oh, Suho definitely fell for the right boy.

No one came forward with information on Suho’s attackers - except Sieun. But every student he mentioned who might have played a part had an airtight alibi (of course the shitheads would cover for each other). The professors said that without proof, their hands were tied. Sieun decided that if they wouldn’t act, he would. What followed was an hour-long rampage throughout the school. He started with Yeongbin. A giant baby when it came to pain, the Slytherin always had his nose in everyone's business. Even if he wasn’t involved, he’d know who was. And Sieun was right. Under pressure, Yeongbin spilled all eight names: his henchmen, Taehoon and Jeongchan, Wooyoung, Suho’s Quidditch rival, Beomseok, and four boys Suho only vaguely knows.

Moving methodically through the halls, Sieun changed locations at such speed, none of the scumbags had a chance to warn each other he was coming. He insists he doesn’t know how he managed it, but Suho catches the lightning-fast glance he shares with Pipsy. If the house elf didn’t want to be seen, no witch or wizard would notice her. And that explains how someone could Apparate within the walls of Hogwarts. Sieun chose to enact his revenge the Muggle way, since that's how Suho was attacked... but before he left to find the next scumbag on his list, his magic lashed out. Yeongbin, who contributed by sending the note to Suho that lured him to the Room of Requirement, and the others (sans Beomseok, boo) were still suffering the consequences two months later. Their various ailments range from braying like a donkey whenever he tries to speak (Yeongbin), to having the bones in his hands magically shatter and slowly reknit back together, only to shatter again the next day (Wooyoung, a Halfblood Slytherin who was Suho's only real competition in the brawl).

Diabolical revenge aside, at his core, Yeon Sieun is warm-hearted and empathetic. He left his fellow Ravenclaw mostly unscathed. Ironically, Beomseok’s batshit crazy father, a high-ranking Ministry official, tried to have Sieun's wand snapped in retaliation for publicly roughing up his (adopted) shitbag son. Dumbledore scoffed and essentially told him to fuck off (in the politically correct way, of course). The Headmaster did toy with the idea of suspending him, but with nearly every member of his staff adamantly against this idea (Sieun blushes when Suho coos about how he's the darling of Hogwarts), he ruled Sieun's retribution cancelled out what the eight boys had done to Suho.

It didn't hurt that a week after Sieun's rampage, 'someone' spiked Beomseok's pumpkin juice with Veritaserum. Coincidentally, Yeongi confronted him during dinner about her suspicions regarding his involvement in Suho's 'accident', leading him to spill everything... including how the Room of Requirement incident wasn't the first time he orchestrated an attack on Suho, ugh. Hand over heart, Sieun swears he had no part in the scheme. Although he doesn't know for sure, he believes Juntae (their sweet, nerdy Hufflepuff friend) swiped the potion from Slughorn's personal storage room, while Gotak and Baku caused a distraction. Then Sungchan, a younger Ravenclaw who worships the ground Seokdae walks on (partially due to how the Slytherin defended him from a group of bullies in his first year... but also because Seokdae is cool as fuck), dumped it into Beomseok's drink.

After that, Beomseok's father had no choice but to pull his son from Hogwarts.

"You..." Suho swallows hard. “You did all of that for... for me?” He holds a hand up. "Aside from the Veritaserum part."

Sieun blinks, like he's genuinely bamboozled by Suho’s response. “They hurt you, Suho-yah, so I hurt them worse.”

Oh.

"Do you ever get the feeling we were married in a past life?" he blurts. It's something he's thought about off and on all school year.

"... what?"

His grandmother clears her throat. Behind Sieun, she shoots Suho a look. Her expression screams, 'This is NOT the time for any of your nonsense, Ahn Suho. No matter how cute you think you're being, it won't go over well.'

Godric's gumdrops, it's eerie how well she can read him! Suho was totally debating on asking for his hand in marriage in this lifetime...

Distracted by the endearing frown Sieun sports whenever he's concentrating intently on something that's frustrating him, it takes Suho several moments to process what he's doing - poking the note that lured him to the Room of Requirement with his wand. “Bit late to reverse any possible curses, innit?”

“I’m checking the parchment for magical residue, you jerk,” Sieun huffs. Folding it back up, he drops it onto the nightstand beside Suho’s bed. “But there doesn’t seem to be any.”

“Did you expect there to be?”

“Yeah, kind of. I don’t understand why you’d think it was from me."

Overdramatic as ever, Suho clutches his hands to his chest. “Wahhh, Yeon Sieun, are you victim blaming?!” Pretending like he's feeling faint, he tips sideways, until he's leaning against the smaller boy.

To his pleasant surprise, the Ravenclaw doesn't push him away. “No, of course not. But Suho… do I seem like the type of person who dots their ‘I’s’ with little hearts?”

Heat rushes to Suho’s cheeks. Yes, he had noticed that, okay? But his delusional, wishful-thinking brain spun reckless 'what if' scenarios that drowned out the glaring red flags. “In my defense, it was right before Valentine’s Day.” Before Sieun can respond, he straightens up and hurriedly changes the topic. “How did hyung take the news of you beating his cousin into oblivion?”

“For one, ‘oblivion’ is an extreme exaggeration. He told Yeongbin that he was lucky I showed restraint, because he wouldn’t have.”

“... did you show restraint?”

Sieun's lips shift into an exaggerated, kissable pout. “No, not at all.”

Fondness swells within Suho’s heart. How can one person be so incredibly cute, yet so cutthroat at the same time? Yeon Sieun's duality is as fascinating as it is intoxicating. 

The Hospital Wing doors suddenly burst open with a BANG! They both jump a meter in the air.

Standing in the doorway, Baku raises his arms in the air. “THE RUMORS ARE TRUE… ALL RISE FOR THE GREATEST -” He grunts when Gotak elbows him in the stomach. The Chaser heatedly whispers something in the loud-mouth Beater's ear. Baku’s skin pales. “Oh… shit, my man, I’m so sorry, I was just happy you were… I didn’t mean -”

Exchanging a look with Sieun, Suho carefully rises to his feet. To ensure he remains upright, the Ravenclaw wraps an arm around his waist. Ironically, the thoughtful action almost has the opposite effect, as Suho barely manages to avoid melting into a pile of mushy goo. Because Yeon Sieun has his arm around Suho’s waist, like they’re a couple… a real couple, not just a couple of besties.

Roughly shaking each other in excitement, Baku and Gotak scream incoherently, though they immediately quiet when Madam Pomfrey storms out of her office. In a rare display of leniency, she lets them off the hook - likely because as Gotak is recounting how Professor McGonagall informed them that Suho was awake, but neglected to mention he could walk, Baku abruptly bursts into tears. Merlin’s marbles, what an ugly crier! Rushing over to them, Baku clings tightly to Suho as he sobs. In spite of his desperate, pleading looks, Sieun watches the interaction amusedly, making no effort to rescue him. Suho then turns to Gotak for assistance, but his Chaser betrays him by shrugging and telling him to wait it out.

When Baku's wailing finally abates, Suho's ridiculous friends settle onto the bed across from his, while Sieun sits shoulder-to-shoulder with him (ahhh). In true Slytherin fashion, their two favorite snakes conveniently arrive at the conclusion of the emotional display.

Eyes landing on Suho, Seokdae stops so suddenly, Baekjin nearly slams into him. Suho lifts a hand to wave at the pair, when the seventh-year's face scrunches up. Sieun and Suho reach for each other's hand at the same time; seeing your hyung cry is strange. Looking amused, Baekjin claps his Captain on the back, before leaving him to sort himself out.

"So," Baekjin drawls, "you've decided to stop being a lazy sack of lard, huh?"

"Careful, Baekjinnie, or people might think you missed me."

"In your dreams."

To Suho's surprise, the aloof Slytherin then pulls him into an embrace. Beside him, he feels Sieun tense. So much happened in such a short span of time, he forgot to investigate that little conundrum. Thankfully, the Ravenclaw relaxes when his academic rival goes to sit next to a sniffling Baku.

Having regained his composure, Seokdae approaches his bed... though his bottom lip quivers when Suho stands to greet him. "In case no one told you, you're an absolute fucking moron, Ahn Suho."

"Love you too, hyung."

"Yah, you shithead, don't get smart with me." The older boy hugs him so tightly, Suho's bones crack deliciously.

Recalling the last time he saw Seokdae, Suho says, “Oh hey, my bad for biting you the other day.”

Gotak cocks his head to the side. "Uhh, didn't you wake up last night, mate?"

In Suho's mind, the puppy incident happened a few days ago, but for Seokdae, months have passed. It's a disorienting gap in time that he's struggling to wrap his head around.

“Luckily for you, Suho-yah, you made a cute puppy. I’m sorry my cunt of a cousin played a part in…” He waves a hand up and down Suho’s frame. “This.”

“Not your fault,” the Gryffindor says in total sincerity. He doesn't blame Seokdae for Yeongbin's actions at all. “Besides, Sieun assured me I’m still hot.”

“Did he now?” Seokdae hums, looking pointedly at the Ravenclaw. 

Every visible inch of Sieun's skin flushes bright red, making Suho almost feel bad for his unthinking remark. “That’s not… I mean… my words were… context is important here!” he sputters, hands flailing wildly. Thankfully, Suho's reflexes are sharp enough to avoid a would-be hit to the face.

“Oh, I would love to know the context of that comment,” Baekjin purrs, leaning back on his elbows to observe them.

“Yeah, I bet you would!”

Suho blinks several times, taken aback by the hostility in Sieun’s tone. Baekjin, however, looks chuffed beyond belief… until Baku loudly blows his nose right next to his ear.

Yeongi and Juntae soon join them. Madam Pomfrey allows them all to eat lunch in the Hospital Wing, so they can all catch up. No one believes Suho when he says he used his magic to heal his internal wounds. They do, however, trust Sieun’s word. Pfft, okay, he sees how it is. That said, they listen intently as Suho explains how regaining his strength and replenishing his magic stores will take 'time'. How much time is a mystery. It means for the foreseeable future, he’ll have to consume a strict regimen of potions to restore what he lost.

It’s oddly touching to realize how many people care about his well-being. For the most part, Suho's easygoing personality has always made him well-liked amongst his peers. But until Yeon Sieun and his pretty doe eyes wandered into his life, he never had a best friend, not truly. Funnily enough, while Suho is the outgoing one between the two of them, it's his friendship with Sieun that led him to becoming closer with his other friends.

After lunch, everyone bustles off to attend their classes... except for Sieun. Sir Slowpoke is still gathering up his belongings when Suho’s parents stroll into the Hospital Wing. When he spots them, the hair on the back of his neck stands up. Instinct tells him this isn’t good, though for the life of him, he can’t figure out why.

“Oh, my sweet boy!” his mother exclaims, while her husband squeezes their only son half-to-death.

Finally noticing the other person in the room, his dad's eyes widen behind his glasses (he doesn't need them to see, he wears them because his wife thinks they look cool. Suho could only shake his head in despair when he learned the truth, how embarrassing). “Yeon Sieun, right?”

Oh.

Oh shit.

Polite as ever, Sieun dips into a bow. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Ahn.”

"And you as well, kiddo. How are the flying lessons going?” Sieun's eyes dart to Suho, who is too busy panicking to find the words to salvage this impending disaster. “Or I guess I should say… how were they going, ya know, before…?” The older wizard trails off awkwardly. Suho wants to face palm. Smooth, dad, real smooth.

“Flying lessons?”

Misreading his son's mortified expression, he pats Suho consolingly on the shoulder. “Ah… let me guess. Someone else offered their assistance before you could, huh? What rotten luck.”

“You’re just like your father, Suho, you should have moved faster!” Several centimeters shorter than him, his mother places her arm around his waist. “Someone this cute, I’m sure people were lining up to offer their help!”

“I think I’m missing something here," Sieun murmurs, shuffling his feet.

Suho desperately attempts to change the subject, but his mom cuts him off. “After the new semester started, Suho wrote to us about the new O.W.L. exam the Ministry is requiring you all to take. He asked if we remembered our consultation with you a few years back, as he wanted advice on how to help you improve your flying skills.” Hidden from Sieun’s view, he tugs on the back of her robe, hoping to silently convey a single message - STOP!

“I see.” The Ravenclaw smiles thinly. “And what was the advice you gave him again?”

His dad opens his mouth, but his mom successfully interprets her son's wordless pleas. “Sometimes, all that’s needed to resolve an issue is the passage of time. And with a good mindset, anything is possible.”

Blinking several times, obviously having expected something else, Sieun turns slowly towards Suho. “Positive thinking is a real big concept in your family, isn't it?”

Eyes crinkling in the corners, the older witch laughs warmly at his bemused remark. “Believe me, honey, I didn’t get it either, even after I married into the family. Though as the years went on, I began to realize they were onto something. Someone as smart as you, I’m sure you’ll see it in no time.”

Even though he's supposed to be in History of Magic, Sieun sticks around while Suho's parents visit. Most students at Hogwarts happily skive off that lesson in particular, but Yeon Sieun is not most students. He’s fanatical about his schoolwork, and in normal circumstances, he'd have to be on his death bed to miss class.

“So, flying lessons, huh?” Sieun asks the moment they’re alone. “Any reason you changed your mind about offering?”

To avoid his searching gaze, Suho pours himself some water... or tries to. His shaking hands make it annoyingly difficult. “Nothing like that. I just didn’t get a chance to -”

Snatching the jug out of his hands, the Ravenclaw completes the task for him. Then as soon as Suho's done drinking, Sieun slams it onto the nightstand, whelp... thank goodness someone had the foresight to cast a Spill-Repellent Charm on the jug!

“From how your parents explained it, you wrote to them in early January. That was weeks before you were... hurt."

“In my defense, they took forever to write back.” He sighs at Sieun’s unimpressed stare. Based on how offended he seems, it's probably best if Suho comes clean, huh? “I know Ravenclaws don’t like accepting help, so I figured I’d strike a deal with you. I’d help you learn how to fly, and in exchange,” you’re a Gryffindor for a reason, Ahn Suho, don’t be a coward, “you would accompany me to Hogsmeade.”

“That doesn't make sense. We’ve gone to Hogsmeade together all year so far."

Oh Godric, he’s really going to make Suho spell it out, huh?

“We would go together, but in like... a dating way.” 

Sieun blinks slowly, like he’s struggling to comprehend what Suho said. It doesn’t even look like he’s breathing. “You… and me… on a date… romantically?”

“Yes?”

“And you… but you changed your mind, right? That's why you didn't ask?”

Suho shakes his head. “Nope. I, a cocky bastard, thought you’d approach me for help. But you didn’t. Then when I gathered the courage to bring it up, Haenguni took a chunk out of my hand.”

“You named the Chomping Cabbage, ‘Lucky’?” Having no desire to explain the reasoning behind that name choice, he just shrugs. “Ahn Suho, you really are something else.” Sieun takes a deep breath. “Is your offer still on the table?”

He wants to…

Merlin’s beard, ugh.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Suho sighs. “Not sure how much help I’ll be now.”

Sieun’s nose scrunches up. “To be fair, I might not even be able to get the broom in the air. But…” Glancing down, he fiddles with a loose thread on his sleeve. “If the best flier at Hogwarts offered to help me, I would be stupid to decline.”

Hardly daring to breathe, Suho murmurs, “And we all know Yeon Sieun is the smartest bloke in our year… perhaps all of Hogwarts.”

"Mmm, your friend might have something to say about that."

"I care what he has to say, why?"

The pleased expression on Sieun's face makes his chest ache.

It's all the motivation Suho needs to get better.

… okay, his recovery is nowhere near as fast as he wants it to be. He gets out of breath easily. His legs tremble with each agonizing step up yet another damn staircase (seriously, who decided a giant castle was a good place for a school?!). He loses his balance more often than he’d care to admit. Yet no matter how much his body protests, Suho continues to push himself. He never complains either... mostly because he will have a meltdown if the response he receives is it that he's lucky to be alive (while he doesn't always feel grateful in the moment, yes, he's glad he isn't dead). Sieun, the swot that he is, apparently can now read Suho like a book. His sweet little Ravenclaw has taken to offering him kind words of encouragement, as well as sincere praise. It doesn't feel fake or forced. And honestly... it's probably kind of pathetic, but a soft word from Sieun can instantly turn Suho's day around.

After the Headmaster talks to the Ministry, he is offered an extension on his O.W.L.s - he can take them over Summer Break if he prefers. Unconsciously, Suho's nose wrinkles at the thought of tainting his summer with exams. Gross. With an understanding smile, Dumbledore suggests waiting until June to decide.

His grandmother convinces Professor McGonagall to bench him for the last match against Ravenclaw. Suho is allowed to coach his team at practice, but a heinous charm is cast on his broom that only permits him to fly for one hour a day. Obviously, Suho can work around it by using a school broom. But he’s so accustomed to his specialized broom, which his parents tailored precisely to him, flying anything else is vexing. Baekjin can call him a pretentious wanker for it all he wants, Suho knows he’s just jealous of how awesome his custom broom is, hmmph.

A week after Suho wakes up, he is released from the Hospital Wing. In 'celebration', Sieun drags him to the library.

Of course, catching up on the work he missed is a major pain in the arse. Sieun is a wonderful tutor, but Suho finds it hard to concentrate when he’s in close proximity to such a breathtaking individual. He tries his best though, loath to avoid offending the prickly Ravenclaw… he really needs to get to the bottom of Sieun’s grievance against Baekjin, though. Earlier this afternoon, Suho was in the library with his Potions partner, working on one of several essays he needs to complete for his make-up work. Out of nowhere, Sieun slammed his bag down on the table, slid into the seat next to Suho, and began speaking as if Baekjin wasn’t there. Not one to tolerate being ignored… and a notorious instigator… the Slytherin kept trying to engage Sieun in conversation, but the smaller boy expertly swerved his attempts; the brusquer Sieun was to him, the wider Baekjin’s grin became. Suho is pretty sure they spent the next two hours sporadically kicking each other under the table.

On Saturday, Suho meets Sieun in the Entrance Hall. Together, they make their way down to the Quidditch Pitch.

“Do you want to go for a ride with me, maybe as a warm-up?” Ugh, that sounded way better in his head... Suho prays Sieun writes off his flushed cheeks as a result of the chilly April wind. “It’s okay if you don’t want to though.” Thinking about the advice his mother gave him, he voices a simpler question. “Do you… no judgement, or anything, just curious... but are you afraid of heights?”

Sieun crosses his arms over his chest. “No, that's not my issue with flying. I grew up in the Muggle World. We use brooms to clean floors -”

Lying on the grass at their feet, Suho's broom twitters. “Yah!” he cries indignantly. “Who taught you that phrase?! I know you didn't learn it from me.”

“You… you talk to your broom?” Sieun asks with a punch-drunk, incredulous laugh. "And it talks back?"

The broom writhes again. The Gryffindor sharply nudges it with his foot. “Knock it off, or I’m gonna grab a school broom for us to practice on instead.” It shudders. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

With a few quick charms to clear the snow underneath his shoes, Sieun plops down onto the ground and immediately drops his forehead to his knees. Suho nearly weeps when the thoughtful Ravenclaw wandlessly does the same thing to a patch of grass beside him, so he doesn’t have to use his own magic. 

"You know," Suho muses, lightly bumping their shoulders together, “worse comes to worst, you don’t need to pass the flying practical to score an Acceptable. As a swot, I’m sure that pains you, but Baekjin did the math -”

“Yeah, well I did the math too,” Sieun hisses, lifting his head to scowl at him. “I would have to get every answer right on the written portion. It’s possible, but the odds are not in my favor. At the very least, I need to get my broom in the air. If I don't, I’m fucked.”

The Gryffindor bites his lip. He’s taking a huge risk here, but he hopes the pay-off is worth it…

“Sieun-ah... my mom told a little white lie the other day," Suho softly admits. "That wasn’t the advice she gave me. In her opinion, the issue you have with flying is a mental block. She suggested seeing a Mind Healer.” Sieun stiffens. “My first thought was an issue with heights, but you sleep in a tower, you climb the Quidditch stands without issue. But then you mentioned you lived in the Wizarding World until you were six.” Deep breath. “So, I researched your dad.”

Before Sieun can hex him into the next century, Suho hurriedly explains what he found; yes, his father was injured in a horrific accident while flying. But the thing was… it wasn’t an accident. The broom didn’t malfunction due to a manufacturing error, like the Aurors originally believed. It took nearly two years for them to piece together all the clues, but his dad’s broom was sabotaged by someone associated with a rival Quidditch team. The perpetrator is still serving time in Azkaban for the crime.

Removing the newspaper clippings from the inside pocket of his robe, Suho hands Sieun a folded up article from the Daily Prophet, and several more from the Korean Magical Press. The Ravenclaw tucks the papers into the pocket of his robes without looking at them. 

“I… I’m sorry if that was invasive -”

“I’m not upset at you." Okay, phew. "I just don’t understand. Why wouldn't he say anything to my mom? To me?”

Choosing his words with the utmost care, Suho says, “When my aunt and uncle divorced, it was like they became different people. My cousins complained about it all the time. My aunt didn't want them to have anything to do with their dad... it was so bad, my uncle had to get the Ministry involved to secure visitation rights. I'm not trying to speak ill of your parents, but it’s possible your mom was so upset that your dad still wanted to fly, even before he knew he’d been sabotaged, she felt like he was choosing his broom over you two. So she cut him out completely."

Sieun is quiet for a stressfully long time. Suho can’t tell what he’s thinking, and he’s starting to fear he severely fucked up. 

“Since other people,” Sieun says ‘other people’ the same way one would spit a slur, “are tutoring you too, I don’t think that counts as payback for your flying lessons... which I'd like to postpone for the time being, if that's alright." Heart in his throat, Suho nods. "So, in return for your invaluable help, I think I should take you on a date.” The smaller boy stands up. “Next weekend?”

Suho gracelessly scrambles to his feet. He thinks he might be dreaming. “But it’s not a Hogsmeade weekend?”

“We can have a picnic on the Pitch. And then go flying together, maybe?”

“... only if you let me pack the picnic basket.”

Sieun extends his pinky. Suho completes the sacred vow, then doesn’t let go all the way back to the castle.

“Mate,” Baku groans, chucking a pillow at him. Suho deftly dodges it, then continues his frenetic pacing. “You’re giving me anxiety, and it’s not even my date!”

“You don’t understand -”

“You’re right, I don’t. I thought you liked Baekjin.”

Suho comes to an immediate halt. “What?!” Given the way Gotak gapes at the Beater, like he’s grown two additional heads and began speaking Mermish, he’s mildly reassured that this isn’t a widespread misconception.

“You two flirt constantly in Potions. Not to mention, you’re always staring at the Slytherin table.”

Gotak lets out a disbelieving bark of laughter. “You moron! In Potions, they bicker because they're arses, who both know they're arses, so they don't take offense to the other's arsey-ness." Upon reflection, Suho might have been nicer to Baekjin whenever Sieun was around, because he didn't want the Ravenclaw to think he was a prick… hmm, maybe that was a mistake? "And during meals, he’s staring at Sieun! Whenever our pretty Ravenclaw pal happens to glance up, Suho here panics and looks towards the Slytherin table.”

Suho cocks an eyebrow at his fellow Chaser. "Sounds like you've been paying an awful lot of attention to what I'm doing. Do you have a crush on me or something?"

"Merlin, you've been hanging out with Yeongi too much," Gotak scoffs. "The Potions thing, you literally told me that verbatim when I asked why you wanted to partner with someone who was such a twat to you." Ah, so that's why it sounded familiar. Oops. "As for your Great Hall antics, you've spent three meals a day for the entire school year ogling Sieun while he eats. I'm genuinely surprised Mister Smarty Pants hasn't caught on that you're bloody obsessed with him yet."

"It's possible to like more than one person at a time, you know," Baku interjects, sounding unusually sullen.

Suho lets out a dreamy, wistful sigh. "Not for me, mate. Sieun is the one."

"You're disgusting," Gotak groans. "Yet I'm rooting for you... funny how that works."

Before he can respond, his Alarm Charm goes off. Shit. Time to go. Gotak smacks Suho's arse and wishes him well, while Baku drags him into a bear hug. His fellow Chaser does him a solid by preventing Baku from messing up his meticulously styled hair.

On Suho’s insistence, they meet in front of Ravenclaw Tower. His heart soars when Sieun immediately reaches for his hand. “It’s a nice day for a picnic,” he muses as they're making their way through the castle. As if in silent agreement, they don’t use any shortcuts, content to enjoy each other’s company.

“Yeah.”

The Ravenclaw gives him a strange look. "You good?”

"Yes."

"Wanna try that again, without lying?"

Suho laughs softly. "I'm okay, I swear. Just... nervous.”

“Why?” Sieun’s lips twitch upwards. “Aren’t you supposed to be the cool, suave one, Mr. Gryffindor Golden Boy?”

“I am the coolest, definitely. Not so sure about the suavest, though." He swings their linked hands back and forth. "At least around you."

“It’s not like this is your first date.” At the last second, Suho remembers to jump over the trick step. Fuck, that would have been humiliating… even more so than this conversation. “Oh my god… is it really?”

“Why do you have to make it sound like that?” the Gryffindor grumbles self-consciously, glaring at a gaggle of second-years gawking at them. He only feels a smidgeon bad when they scamper off in fear (Suho doesn't feel bad at all. He just pretends he does, so Sieun doesn't think he's some sort of child-hating monster. That would really put a damper on his ten year plan, which includes having three kids, two dogs, and six cats with his pretty angel). “How many dates have you been on?”

“I’m not judging or anything, just surprised. Everyone at Hogwarts wants to date you, ya know.”

Why did he avoid the question? the paranoid part of Suho's brain screams. Is he scared to admit he's been going on dates left and right?... oh Merlin, were my parents right?!

“Sieun-ah, are we telling tall tales instead of answering important questions?"

“This is my first date... and possibly the last." That can go one of two ways... based on the challenging look Sieun sends his way, it won't be in Suho's favor. "Are you doubting my deduction abilities, Mister Ahn?”

“I think you’re exaggerating for dramatic flair,” he settles on. Sieun nods approvingly, wordlessly conveying how impressed he is that Suho effortlessly evaded such dangerous territory. “And even if you are right -”

“I am, as always.”

“Okay, simmer down, you cocky brat," Suho playfully scoffs. "It doesn’t matter if the whole school fancies me, because I only have a crush on one person -”

“Na Baekjin?”

Sweet, Merlin’s marbles, why?!

“Godric, no. I fancy this beautiful bloke named Yeon Sieun, perhaps you've met him?”

"Unfortunately."

"Oi, don't talk shit about the wizard of my dreams!"

Sieun’s smile is so dazzling, Suho almost collides with… fuck, does the universe hate him or something?

“Quick question, lovebirds,” Baekjin hums, blocking their path towards the doors leading out to the grounds. “Who asked who out?”

“I did,” they say at the same time. Sieun knocks his shoulder into Suho's… then winces at the contact. 

Cuteeeee, Suho wails in his head.

The Slytherin rolls his eyes, but they’re saved from further conflict by Seokdae, who drags Baekjin away by the ear.

“Be safe, gentleman!” the older boy calls over his shoulder. “Don’t forget to use protection!”

They both flush at the implication.

“Hyung, what the ever-lasting fuck?!” Suho cries, flicking off a sixth-year Ravenclaw bloke, who lets out a scandalized gasp like some sort of sheltered maiden.

Seokdae shoves a cackling Baekjin into the Great Hall, before turning around. “Protection against the cold.” His shit-eating grin says he’s a lying little liar, but whatever. “It’s chilly out there.”

Shaking his head, Sieun uses their linked hands to pull him away. As the Quidditch Pitch looms near, Suho’s nerves spike. He is taking a major, major gamble here, a million times bigger than showing Sieun the newspaper clippings about his dad.

“Oh no, there’s someone here,” Sieun whispers, the first to spot the lone figure standing in the center of the Pitch. “Let’s go this way -” He freezes when the person turns around. “Suho, what -”

Suho isn't able to say anything except, “Please don’t hate me," before Yeon Gyu-jin moves into hearing range.

“Hey, son,” the older wizard says, looking even more nervous than Suho feels, which says a lot.

Sieun stares at his father for at least a minute without blinking. Abruptly turning around, he tucks his face into the crook of Suho's neck. “Thank you,” Sieun murmurs, hugging the Gryffindor tightly. When he pulls away, his eyes have a wet sheen to them (though to be fair, Seokdae wasn't wrong... the wind is rather nippy today).

“I’ll meet you back at the castle -”

“Please don’t go.”

Suho's heart skips several beats. “Alright. I’ll be right over there, getting my swot on.” Removing a book from the pocket of his robe, he wiggles it as a wordless explanation. Sieun snaps his fingers, returning it to full size. “Aish, my little show off. Thank you, Sieun-ah.”

Standing on his tiptoes, Sieun presses a kiss to his lips. "Thank you." He saunters away, leaving a slack-jawed Suho in his wake.

Watching father and son awkwardly embrace, he lets out a shuddering breath. Perhaps he didn't fuck up his chances with a literal angel.

“Bye, Suho-yah!” Mr. Yeon jovially calls. "Thanks again!"

Glancing up from his textbook, Suho squints towards the center of the Pitch. Spotting the older wizard, he enthusiastically waves back. Before he can decide what he should do next, Sieun bounds up the bleachers, moving faster than Suho has ever seen him before.

“Hey, cutie. Did you have a good -”

“Why would you do that?” Sieun demands. Suho’s heart seizes in his chest. Okay. Maybe he is mad about it. “Do you not want to go on a date with me anymore?”

And he has the gall to say Suho is a lunatic? Pfft.

“No, not at all -”

Sieun’s face falls. “Oh…”

“No, that’s not what I meant!” He can’t even be embarrassed about how shrill his voice sounds - reassuring Sieun that it’s Suho’s life dream to be his boyfriend is much more important. “I do want to go on a date with you, even more than I want to win the Quidditch Cup -”

“Wow,” Sieun whistles. “Don’t let your teammates hear that.”

“They already know,” the Gryffindor Captain admits sheepishly. “Since I know how important your grades are to you... I say this with the utmost respect, but I thought it would help you ease into flying faster if you talked to your dad. Also when I owl’d him, he seemed really anxious to reconnect, so I figured, heh, why wait until summer?”

“I still don’t understand.”

Frustration overrides Suho’s fear. And common sense. “This is a very simple concept, Sieun-ah, I’m not sure what part you’re having problems comprehending.” The Ravenclaw cocks an eyebrow in silent warning. Gryffindor bravery… and stupidity… has him ignoring it. “I did it because I care about you. A lot. You’re my… you’re my best friend -”

“Just your best friend?”

“Yes, but also...” Suho throws his hands in the air. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love nothing more than for you to be my husb-... boyfriend, but I won’t be greedy -”

Sieun lunges forward. Although a part of Suho expects to be hit, he doesn’t move out of the way. In this instance, if Sieun is mad enough to strike him, he deserves it... he will, however, relocate himself should the creative Ravenclaw decide to whip out a quill. There is always a line.

Needless to say, it's a pleasant surprise when Sieun presses his lips to Suho's in a heart-stopping kiss. Sadly, by the time his brain registers what is happening, Sieun is pulling away. That's unacceptable. Wrapping an arm around Sieun's waist, Suho uses his free hand to tilt the shorter boy's chin up and bring their lips together again. Fuck. He wants to call bollocks on this being Sieun's first date(ish). Unless he goes around snogging people at random? Ooh, Suho does not like the thought of that. Maybe angels possess an innate ability to kiss? Yeah, that's a much better theory, he'll stick with that.

“Be greedy,” Sieun murmurs when they're forced to break apart for that pesky thing called oxygen. “I want you to.”

“Okay,” Suho squeaks... Merlin's beard, he really is his father's son, huh?

At least Sieun is polite enough to not tease him over it. “My dad already thinks you’re my boyfriend. He gave you his blessing, regardless... I think he likes you more than me.”

"Oh Merlin, does he actually like me, or are you just pulling my leg?" Wait shit, that was way too eager. Suho clears his throat. "Only fair. My grandmother likes you more than me." Sieun stares expectantly at him. Slowly, Suho pieces together what this conversation reveals. "Sooo, do I get to be your boyfriend now?"

"I dunno, Suho-yah, do you?"

To avoid jumping up and down in excitement, Suho firmly shakes the Ravenclaw's hand. "Congrats, Yeon Sieun, you little overachiever. You beat out the whole school for the honor of being my boyfriend."

"Yay me."

"Don't worry, Sieun-ah, Baekjin will be the first person I tell that we're officially together." Before Sieun can respond with another sassy quip, Suho crashes their lips together again.