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Hogwarts was hosting the Triwizard Tournament, and the much-anticipated Yule Ball was only a week away.
“And before I leave, I have an important announcement to make,” Minerva cleared her throat. “The Yule Ball will be held in three weeks. As the pride of Hogwarts, I have selected a few students to participate in the cotillion.”
The professor mentioned a list of students. Minhyung, Hyeonjun, Minseok, and Hyeonjoon were not on the list.
“Please gather at the Dance Club’s room on Tuesday for practice. That's all. Thank you,” she then immediately left the room.
While excitement buzzed through the classroom after Professor McGonagall's announcement, Hyeonjoon immediately left the room as soon as the professor was out. Hyeonjun could only look at him from behind.
The Yule Ball was set to take place in the Great Hall in three weeks, giving everyone plenty of time to find a date and get dressed up.
Minhyung, who was sitting at the back, looked at Minseok, who was looking back at him. They shared a knowing glance.
“Ah! I'm fucked!” Hyeonjun groaned, putting his head on his desk and covering it.
Minhyung raised an eyebrow. “Why? Worried about your date?”
“Yeah…” Hyeonjun admitted sheepishly.
“I thought you liked that Hufflepuff guy?”
Hyeonjun straightened up immediately, hushing his friend. “Sshhh!”
Minhyung mimed zipping his lips and raised his hands in surrender.
Hyeonjun ruffled his hair in frustration. “I’m so screwed…”
“Dude, calm down. You’ve got plenty of time to figure how to ask him out.”
“Easy for you to say, lover boy,” Hyeonjun muttered. “You’re going with your boyfriend.”
Minhyung grinned shyly and scratched the back of his neck. “See you at the dorms.”
He grabbed his bag and walked over to Minseok, who was patiently waiting for him at the doorway.
“Bye, Hyeonjun!” Minseok waved at him before the couple left the room.
He looked at them, feeling happy for his friends that the whole rivalry fiasco between their houses had died down. They no longer had to hide their relationship.
How ironic it was that Hyeonjun, a Gryffindor, was feeling like a coward.
He stood up, grabbed his bag, and headed to the library.
Now, a library was the last place you’d expect to find Hyeonjun, a Quidditch player. Like Minhyung, he was part of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team. Hyeonjun was a Beater, while Minhyung was a Chaser. But Hyeonjun still went, hoping to find his friends from other houses—Wangho and Jihoon, both from Slytherin.
“I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave?” Wangho teased after hearing about Hyeonjun’s dilemma.
“That’s a stereotype,” Hyeonjun replied.
“Pssh, just go ask him already,” Jihoon said dismissively. “Before someone else does.”
“What do you mean?”
Jihoon sighed. “I mean, he's good looking, kind, and funny. Anyone would want to be his partner for the ball.”
Wangho silently rolled his eyes at Jihoon's comment.
“By the way, who are you two going out with?” Hyeonjun asked, genuinely curious.
“We’re both going out with the Slytherin Prefect,” Jihoon answered casually, doodling in his notebook.
“Huh? You’re both going out with Sanghyeok-hyung?!” Hyeonjun said, clearly flustered.
“Sshhh!” the librarian shushed them.
“I don't really like Jihoon, but we both don't see what's wrong with that,” Wangho replied.
“Not like I care about this bitch beside me,” Jihoon retorted. “And by the way, Sanghyeok-hyung's fine with the whole thing, so I guess it's a win-win?”
“You Slytherins are a different breed,” Hyeonjun finally commented.
The two looked at each other before looking and laughing at him.
The librarian shushed them again.
“What works, works, right?” Wangho said.
In the end, Hyeonjun didn't get anything helpful about his dilemma—how to ask his crush out for the Yule Ball.
Hyeonjun nervously paced inside the Gryffindor common room. His heart raced—not from fear of the dance, but from the thought of asking Hyeonjoon, the kind and loyal Hufflepuff, to be his date. He had admired him from afar for months.
Minhyung approached him with a bag of sour candies in hand and sat down on the couch near the fireplace. “Hey Hyeonjun! You’ve been pacing like a nervous wreck who failed Snape's class. What’s up?”
He tossed the bag of sour candies to Hyeonjun, who immediately caught it. He popped a piece into his mouth before running a hand through his hair. “It’s Hyeonjoon-hyung.”
“The Hufflepuff?”
Hyeonjun nodded. “I want to ask him to the ball, but... what if he says no?”
Minhyung laughed softly. “Well, that's the worst thing he could say, but you’ve got to take the chance, my friend. You won’t know unless you try. Maybe he likes you too, you know.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Minseok told me earlier that he saw Hyeonjoon-hyung in the Great Hall,” Minhyung said as he pushed his friend out of the room. “Go and ask him now. He might still be there.”
Hyeonjun took a deep breath and hesitantly left the dorm.
It was now or never, Hyeonjun thought. He walked towards his crush. His heart seemingly about to pound out of his chest as he approached him.
Hyeonjoon sat at a table, paper, quill, and ink scattered in front of him, but to Hyeonjun, he still looked radiant in his yellow and black robes with tiny squirrel prints all over.
“Hey, hyung,” he said quietly before sitting down opposite the older man, who looked at him with surprise.
“Oh, Hyeonjun, it’s you,” he said, clutching his chest.
“Sorry if I surprised you, hyung,” Hyeonjun embarrassingly scratched the back of his neck. “Were you expecting someone?”
“No,” Hyeonjoon quickly answered. “What is it? Do you need something?”
Hyeonjun took a deep breath before looking at his eyes. “Would you... like to go to the Yule Ball with me?”
Hyeonjoon’s face painted a shocked expression. “Oh?”
“I promise you’ll have fun with me, hyung,” Hyeonjun gently touched his hyung’s hand.
Hyeonjoon looked hesitant. “I'm grateful you asked me, but I honestly have no plans of going.”
Hyeonjun pouted. “Why not, hyung?”
Hyeonjoon looked at a different table, making Hyeonjun follow his gaze. There sat Sanghyeok, Slytherin's Prefect, between Wangho and Jihoon—Hyeonjun's other friends. Jihoon was showing off a spell with his wand, waving intricate movements as Sanghyeok and Wangho watched.
Hyeonjun noticed how Hyeonjoon stared intently at Jihoon, and from that moment, he understood.
He recalled Jihoon's words back at the library about how he described Hyeonjoon. He wondered why Jihoon didn't tell him anything, but to be fair, they weren’t that close.
Hyeonjoon looked back at him. “I don't want to be unfair. You seem like–”
“Use me, hyung,” Hyeonjun cut him off.
“Huh?” Hyeonjoon looked at him curiously.
“Use me, hyung,” Hyeonjun began. “I don't care if you still haven't moved on from him–I totally understand. You have a lot of history together and I can't compete with that. If you want to make him jealous, then use me as you will.”
“But Hyeonjun–”
Hyeonjun looked at him with a pleading expression while gently holding his hand.
Hyeonjoon gave him a small smile. “Alright.”
Hyeonjun felt bad that he had kind of forced him into going, but he wanted a memorable night with Hyeonjoon. He wanted him to move on, to show him he's the best, and that he could make him happy.
Even if it cost him himself.
The cold December air wrapped around Hogwarts as winter’s magic cloaked the castle in frost and sparkle. The Great Hall had been transformed into an enchanting ballroom for the much-anticipated Yule Ball. Twinkling chandeliers, shimmering decorative icicles, and floating candles filled the venue, while the enchanted ceiling mirrored the snowy night outside.
It was also a perfect occasion to socialize with visiting students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.
“Heyya!” Minseok greeted them cheerfully at the table where they sat. He was holding a wine glass filled with what seemed like fruit punch. Minhyung followed right after him.
“Hey,” Hyeonjoon quietly said.
“I'm sorry about that,” Minhyung apologized as he moved Minseok towards him. “He said he wanted something punchier in the punch, but it turns out he's a lightweight.”
“I'm not a lightweight!” Minseok protested.
Minhyung shook his head while the two laughed at Minseok's silliness.
“Dance with me,” Minseok said, grabbing Minhyung’s arm.
Minhyung let himself be dragged by the shorter guy. “I guess we'll hide from McGonagall and Dumbledore on the dance floor for now. Laters!”
Minhyung and Minseok left and started slow dancing to a happy song, with not a care in the world.
“Wow, that was something,” Hyeonjun commented as he sipped his drink.
“But they look genuinely happy, don't you think? No care in the world about what other people say or think about them.”
Hyeonjun silently nodded in agreement. He knew Minhyung and Minseok's relationship didn't go without any difficulties, but he was happy with how things eventually went for them.
He knew how hard they tried not to be caught. He only discovered they were dating when they were already three months into the relationship.
Hyeonjun was shocked that his best friend Minhyung could keep something like that a secret from him, but he knew how much the relationship meant to Minhyung.
Just thinking about it now makes him laugh at the memory.
They both continued quietly looking at the couple, who looked like they couldn't keep their hands off each other.
As the Yule Ball unfolded in the shimmering Great Hall, Hyeonjoon saw Jihoon and could barely keep his eyes off him—the Slytherin who had once captured his heart with his looks, charm, confidence, and wit.
They dated for a good three years. Then, one afternoon, Jihoon unexpectedly broke up with him. Even though it had already been five months since their split, Hyeonjoon was still reeling from the heartache.
Jihoon, however, was not alone—he arrived elegantly, escorted by Sanghyeok, an older and well-respected Slytherin known for his charm, ambition, and skill. Wangho was also with them. Hyeonjoon could still remember what Hyeonjun told him about the three Slytherins’ relationship.
“Wangho and Jihoon aren't together but they are together with Sanghyeok. Do I make sense? Even I get confused,” Hyeonjun scratched his hair as he told him about them.
Hyeonjoon felt a pang of jealousy but tried to push it aside. Seeing Jihoon laugh and dance easily with Sanghyeok and Wangho made his chest ache.
Hyeonjun noticed how tightly his hyung was holding his glass, so he leaned closer and whispered, “Jealous?”
Hyeonjoon gave a small, awkward laugh. “Maybe. But I’m happy for him. Sanghyeok-hyung’s a great guy.”
Hyeonjun smiled, squeezing his hand. “Hey, I told you—use me. No matter what, you’ve got me here.”
Hyeonjoon sighed. “I can't just use people, you know.”
Silence enveloped their table for a while. Everyone was dancing while they quietly sat and watched others dance.
“Hyung,” Hyeonjun called out to him. Hyeonjoon was still distracted, so Hyeonjun touched his face and made him turn to him.
Hyeonjoon’s cheeks flushed at how near Hyeonjun was to him.
“Let's dance. I think you’ll have a great time dancing with me.”
“You really think so?”
“Absolutely. No need to sit back and watch,” Hyeonjun said confidently. “We can dance like no one’s looking. Make the night ours.”
As the music shifted to a livelier tune, Hyeonjun offered his hand. “Care to show this ball what Gryffindor and Hufflepuff look like when they team up?”
Hyeonjoon took his hand, their fingers intertwined. “Let’s do it.”
As they moved across the dance floor, Jihoon caught glimpses of Hyeonjun laughing and dancing with Hyeonjoon’s hand in his. A complex wave of emotions washed over him—admiration for how good he looked that night, a pang of jealousy, and guilt about the painful thing he had done to Hyeonjoon a few months ago: breaking his heart to protect him.
Sanghyeok leaned closer to Jihoon, drink in hand. The trio decided to take a break from dancing and observe the party. “Looks like someone’s caught your eye.”
Jihoon chuckled softly. “Maybe. But I’m happy to be here tonight. For now.”
“You know, there are other ways to protect him,” Wangho said, sitting right next to Sanghyeok in really close proximity. “Maybe just lie to your dad about your relationship?”
“The question is, can he outmanipulate the great Lucius Jeong?” Sanghyeok wondered aloud, putting his glass down. “He’s still known in the Slytherin House for his spells and for being vicious.”
“I can't have my dad messing up his life just because I decided to be selfish,” Jihoon laughed bitterly before taking a drink from Sanghyeok's glass.
“Sometimes I forget your dad is a pure-blood supremacist. Something about why purebloods can't be with Muggles,” Wangho said, his head leaning on Sanghyeok's shoulder.
Jihoon gave a bitter smile, regret evident in his eyes as he watched the pair dance happily.