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Mingyu knows that he’s a clumsy person. He has pretty bad spatial awareness, and he’s accident-prone. His mother tells him that it’s because that he grew too much too fast, so he’s just getting used to how small the world is around him. His muggle-born and half-blood friends tell him that he has some condition known as “butterfingers.” Mingyu had asked them for the cure, but apparently there was none. According to Seungkwan, Mingyu was doomed for life. And so, Mingyu was cursed with both being too large for this world and with having butterfingers.
So it really wasn’t a surprise to anyone when Mingyu collided with someone in the middle the library. Mingyu internally groaned before picking himself off of the ground. The librarian gave him a dirty look, but Mingyu was too distracted to care.
The Ravenclaw he had bumped into was possibly the cutest being that he had ever seen. He was wearing rounded wire-frame glasses, and the sleeves of his robes were just a little too long on him. He also had a large bag of books, and Mingyu might find that charming too. Because Ravenclaws are smart, and Mingyu's always had a thing for smart people.
He continues to stare, forgetting that he should probably help the other boy up.
“Um…” the Ravenclaw says, clearing his throat.
In the middle of Mingyu’s staring, the other boy had gotten up. Mingyu snaps out of his reverie.
“I’m so sorry! Can you help with at all?”
The other boy gives Mingyu a deadpan stare. Just as he’s about to respond, they find a menacing figure approaching them. The librarian had made a roll out of the day’s Daily Prophet, and she was heading their way. Without thinking, Mingyu picks up the other boy and runs. The Ravenclaw only squeaks in surprise as they rush out the door.
It’s only when they’re half-way to the kitchens that Mingyu realizes that he is still holding the Ravenclaw boy, and he’s still running away from the library. Suddenly embarrassed, he sets the boy back onto the ground and smiles sheepishly.
“I’m sorry?” he offers hesitantly.
The other boy just stares at him.
“I’m Kim Mingyu, second year, and I’m sorry I picked you up without asking you,” Mingyu starts to babble. He doesn’t know why, but he’s getting increasingly nervous as the other boy does nothing but stare at him.
“Uh, if you want, I can make it up to you? I’m on pretty good terms with the house elves in the kitchen, so maybe I can ask them to make you anything you want?” Mingyu continues.
The other boy still stares.
“Or, uh, I can maybe carry your books around for a week? Unless you never want to see me again, or…”
“You’re really cute,” the other boy blurts out.
It’s Mingyu’s turn to stare. Before he can say anything else, however, the boy runs off in the direction of Ravenclaw tower.
Wonwoo is never ever going to leave his room again. He’s going to resign from Hogwarts and transfer to Beauxbatons. Or he’s going to go to America. He can never show his face to the world again. He’s a disgrace, and he’s repeating Mushu’s lines from Mulan to himself.
Why had he blurted that out? It probably didn’t help that he had been staring at the boy beforehand. But Wonwoo couldn't really help it. The boy was tall, and very, very handsome. The Hufflepuff probably thinks that he's some kind of pervert or creep.
Wonwoo was done for.
He wonders how difficult it would be to transfer out of Hogwarts by tomorrow.
“Wonwoo, I know you’re being emo but it’s dinnertime,” Soonyoung declares, ripping the blankets off his body. “And I promised Seungcheol that I wouldn’t let you die. So we’re going to dinner right now.”
Wonwoo replies with a groan.
“Seriously, bro. Dinner. I’m starving. And Seungcheol might actually jinx me if you’re missing. Taehyung’s already gone down. Dinner’s going to end in like half an hour.”
Wonwoo whines. Soonyoung sighs.
“If you’re not going to get up, I’m just going to have to drag you down.”
“I can’t!” Wonwoo cries out desperately as Soonyoung starts to pull on his arms. “I did the most embarrassing thing ever.”
Soonyoung plops down next to him. “I’m all ears.”
And so, Wonwoo relays the events of the afternoon to him.
“I told him he was cute, and I ran away,” Wonwoo groans.
Soonyoung pats his head. “It’s okay my little emo grasshopper. He’s a Hufflepuff. He won’t hold that against you. But first, let’s get food. Seriously. Or else dinner’s going to end, and you’re going to have to call him up on that food offer.”
It’s that threat that gets Wonwoo out of his sad blanket cavern and racing to the great hall with Soonyoung trailing behind him.
Mingyu’s a little disappointed when he doesn’t see the adorable Ravenclaw he had bumped into earlier that afternoon at dinner. Seokmin seems to sense his low mood and nudges him.
“You okay?” Seokmin asks between bites of food. “Usually you’d be out-eating me but you’ve barely touched your food.”
Mingyu lets out a dramatic sigh. Seokmin laughs. Mingyu frowns, before explaining the whole story to Seokmin.
“And then he ran off,” Mingyu moans. “Did I scare him or something?”
Seokmin frowns slightly. “Probably not. He said you were cute, right?”
Mingyu nods, still confused.
“I dunno. Maybe he got embarrassed.”
“But why would he get embarrassed? He was so cute!”
“What’s this I hear about a cute Ravenclaw?” Park Jimin butts in.
He had been sitting next to Mingyu the whole time, but Mingyu hadn’t noticed him at all. Mingyu isn’t too acquainted with the older Hufflepuff, but every time he had seen the older boy, he had been nothing but rainbows and sunshine. So he explains the events of his afternoon again to Jimin.
Jimin grins mischievously. Mingyu is just a little intimidated, despite the fact that Jimin is much smaller than he is. But then again, Mingyu has always found tiny people to be terrifying. Like Jihoon, for example. Mingyu had grown up bearing the brunt of Jihoon's sudden piggy-back attacks and swats.
“Did he happen to be just a little shorter than you, wearing round glasses, and carrying a bag full of books?” Jimin asks.
Mingyu nods enthusiastically.
Jimin only grins wider before swinging an arm around Mingyu’s shoulders.
“You, my friend, are in excellent hands. Because he sounds like my best friend’s roommate.”
To Wonwoo’s relief, the Hufflepuff – no, Kim Mingyu – isn’t at dinner when he rushes in with Soonyoung panting behind him. He immediately finds the closest empty spot at the Ravenclaw table before sitting down and eating. Taehyung eyes him strangely when he starts to stuff his mouth, and Soonyoung shrugs back at their roommate. The other Ravenclaws at the table are too used to seeing odd behavior from their group of roommates, so no one else bats an eye.
“Apparently, he embarrassed himself in front of an adorable Hufflepuff today,” Soonyoung replies when Taehyung quirks an eyebrow at Wonwoo continuing on his food mission wordlessly. “I like to think he’s eating his feelings away right now.”
Taehyung nods in sympathy. “I know the feeling, bro. But you know what they say about accidents like that?”
Wonwoo continues to stuff his face, ignoring his roommates.
“What?” Soonyoung asks in interest. "Is it a sign that Wonwoo's emo-ness is coming to an end?"
“No. They say that they’re meant to be,” Taehyung replies sagely. “It probably means that you’ll be married to him one day. I’ve read about it in Divination.”
Wonwoo chokes on his food. Soonyoung slaps his back, and Taehyung just nods seriously.
"I see," Soonyoung replies seriously. "So why do these kind of things happen?"
“It was probably the Nargles,” Taehyung continues. “They have a pesky habit of butting into people’s love lives. I just read Luna Lovegood’s paper on them. Oh, also, you should invite me to your wedding.”
Wonwoo would have choked again, but he was in too much shock and embarrassment to continue eating.
Soonyoung just pats his shoulder consolingly.
“I think I lost my appetite,” Wonwoo declares. “I’m going back to my bed, and I’m never leaving again.”
"Say hi to Seungcheol before you leave so he doesn't ask me if I've done civic duty!" Soonyoung shouts behind him.
Wonwoo rolls his eyes. Let Seungcheol scold Soonyoung. He's going back to his room so that he can read his novel in peace under his covers.
Mingyu’s first impression of Taehyung is that the older Ravenclaw is extremely friendly and seems to know everyone. He had greeted Mingyu with a bear hug.
Mingyu’s second impression is that Taehyung is a little strange.
“I told Wonwoo that it was destiny,” Taehyung declares, after Jimin explains the whole situation to him.
It’s the weekend now, and the three of them are sitting in the great hall. Most of the student population had gone to Hogsmeade for the day, but Jimin had insisted that the Great Hall would be the best place to talk.
“Did I scare him off or something?” Mingyu asks anxiously. “I just wanted to apologize.”
Taehyung laughs. “I think he scared himself. But anyways. If you want to get into the dorms to talk to him, that’s easy. I’ll just sneak you guys in. Namjoon doesn’t really care anyways. I have too much blackmail on him.”
Mingyu has no idea who Namjoon is or why Taehyung has blackmail on him, but he decides not to question it.
“Anyways, I’d be more than happy to help facilitate the Nargles’ plans. Just remember to invite me to your wedding, because I don’t think that Wonwoo will.”
“Uh…”
“Of course he will, Tae-tae. Now, when do we get into the Ravenclaw dorms?”
Wonwoo had finally got over his initial embarrassment, and now he was feeling a little bit regretful. He should have actually talked to Mingyu instead of blurting out the first thing that came to his mind and running off like an idiot. But at the same time, Wonwoo was happy that he hadn’t run into the Hufflepuff for a whole week. He wasn’t sure he could live through the embarrassment. He wasn't sure what he would even say to Mingyu.
Anyhow, he was happy to be relaxing with a good book on this Friday night. He hadn’t had time to read all week, and now he could finally continue with this novel. Both Soonyoung and Taehyung were out, so he had the whole place to himself.
Wonwoo smiles to himself as he flips to another page. Ah yes. Nothing can go wrong.
Except that he’s pulled away from his book by a sudden crash at his door and the sight of a very familiar and very tall Hufflepuff rubbing his head as he stumbles in.
Wonwoo can only stare as the Hufflepuff mumbles something and straightens his robes. He’s about to say something when the Hufflepuff suddenly realizes that he’s in the room and stares at him like a puppy caught chewing someone’s shoes.
They stare at each other for a solid minute. Wonwoo’s about to say something along the lines of “I’m sorry I ran away, but I was really embarrassed, please don't think I'm creepy,” but the Hufflepuff speaks first.
“Are you tired? Because you’ve been running through my dreams all night,” Mingyu bursts out.
Wonwoo stares. The other boy stares back. Suddenly, Mingyu frowns.
“Did that not work? Because Taehyung said it would. Anyways, I’m sorry if scared you! I just wanted to say sorry if I scared you, but I also think you’re really cute and I just wanted to say sorry in case I scared you, but you’re not good with that, I’ll just leave…”
Wonwoo coughs. “No, wait. I just wasn’t expecting that. I was also kind of hoping to run into you again so that I could say sorry for running away that day.”
Mingyu grins, and Wonwoo feels like he’s being blinded by the sun. It's not a bad feeling.
“Oh good! I’m glad I didn’t scare you! I know a lot of people tell me that I need to be more careful with personal space, but I got really scared when the librarian suddenly popped up.”
Wonwoo clears his throat. “Uh, yeah. Me too. I was a little surprised too.”
The two pause and smile sheepishly at each other.
“Do you want to start over?” Wonwoo asks.
Mingyu nods furiously.
Wonwoo walks over to shake the boy’s hand.
“I’m Jeon Wonwoo, third year Ravenclaw, and I think you’re adorable. Do you want to grab a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks sometime?”
“I’d love to.”
Somewhere in the distance, they can hear Taehyung yelling, “You guys owe me five galleons!”
They stare at each other again.
“You want to go somewhere else?”
“Absolutely.”