#32: Knock the Wall Down

[exolliarmus]

►author: anonymous
►prompt #: 32
►title: knock the walls down
►pairing: Kai/Chanyeol
►rating: PG-13
►word Count: 10,214
►summary: Kim Jongin makes the mistake of picking Park Chanyeol as the Seeker out of a group of students in a disastrous try-outs, because Park Chanyeol just happens to be the worst Seeker Jongin has ever seen.
►a/n: I mean no offense to Hufflepuff supporters!




In the two short years since he's been appointed as the Captain of Slytherin's Quidditch team, Kim Jongin has never faced a crisis quite like this.

His hair and robes are covered in mud, owing to the bad weather they'd just played through, and would very much like it if he could hit the showers and clean himself thoroughly, but his concern for his fallen teammate is stopping him from ultimately doing so. Madam Mirae, for all her skillfulness at healing (Jongin should know, considering his track record of visits to the hospital wing from his Quidditch games over the years, with injuries of various extents), is taking an awfully long time attending to Hyunseung's injuries, and that doesn't exactly bode well as far as Jongin is concerned.

Hyunseung had taken a particularly hard hit from the Bludger sent at him by the Ravenclaw team, which earned him a sickening crack in the ribs that could be heard by those who were close enough, and had fallen off his broom from the pain. It's only by extreme luck that Hyunseung had managed to catch the Snitch right before he'd hit solid ground and passed out, thereby ending the game with a victory for Slytherin. Jongin doesn't even want to think what would happen if their Seeker had been knocked out before the game had even ended. They're likely to have to concede defeat, even if they're doing a good job at keeping the score difference wide. That, in Jongin's opinion, would make the entire team a lot more pissed than they are now, and an angry Slytherin is never a good thing for the offending person, let alone a large group of them.

Hyuna, one of their team's Chasers and the Fourth Year who's nursing an almost hopeless crush for Hyunseung, is the first to get to her feet the moment Madam Mirae emerges from behind the curtains. On the reverse side, Hyunseung is unnervingly silent, but Jongin hopes that it's only because he's been given the Potion of Dreamless Sleep. Jongin kind of needs that for himself, right now, because his life is gradually turning more and more into a nightmare.

"How is he?" She asks, but judging from Madam Mirae's grim look, it doesn't seem as though she has good news for them.

"A couple of broken ribs, a bad concussion," the matron informs, and Jongin's heart sinks. A mild concussion is already terrible enough – Jongin's had it once, and had spent the next couple of days completely confused – so he can't imagine what sort of condition Hyunseung would be in. He gulps when Madam Mirae turns to look at him, her gaze heavy and sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Kim. Jang won't be fit to play for the rest of the season, not at that altitude with his injuries. You're going to have to find yourself a new Seeker."

Well, fuck.



❅



With the Quidditch season in full swing and no reserve players available on his team, Jongin's hard-pressed for time to scout for a new Seeker from his House. It's no easy feat, springing a try-outs on a rainy Friday afternoon after most classes have ended, when most of the Slytherin Quidditch team's hearts are still in the hospital wing with Hyunseung who's recuperating from his injuries. They may say that Slytherins have no sense of loyalty, even to their friends, but that's where the general public are wrong about them. They can be fiercely protective of those they care about, rare as it may be.

Regardless, Jongin had decided to excuse Hyuna from getting involved in the try-outs, since her mind wouldn't be on the pitch, anyway, and it will be too risky a move to put her on the scouting team if she's this distracted. Jongin can't afford to lose another of his team's players, considering how it's been the strongest in the last couple of years. The more newbies they have on the team, the harder it will be for them to reinstate the seamless understanding they've managed to establish in the recent years.

Jongin's thirst to hold Hogwarts' Quidditch Cup in his hands is much too strong to be quenched, when it's already this late into the season, and he's not going to let anything or anyone stand in the way, either.

While Jongin knows that he's rather popular on the school grounds owing to his good looks (Soojung had very sarcastically pointed it out once, telling him that a river of drool would follow Jongin wherever he goes), he finally realises he's probably underestimated his own fame when he arrives on the Quidditch pitch to droves of girls in various states of undress. The headache immediately assaults him, because he's sure he had mentioned on the scroll that the try-outs are for SERIOUS CANDIDATES ONLY, but he should have known better than to trust that they'd respect that simple request.

Beside him, Soojung cackles at the sight, and smirks impishly at him. "Wow, aren't you a hot commodity in Hogwarts?"

"Shut up Soojung. Half the guys are here for you." Jongin rolls his eyes and gestures towards the group of male students who are actually shooting declarations of love from the ends of their wands at Soojung. Knowing Soojung, though, she won't even bat an eyelash at these pathetic attempts at catching her attention.

True to his predictions, Soojung flips the finger at him, and walks off to join her fellow Chaser Taeyeon, who's wearing a skirt much too short for Quidditch, on the other side of the pitch. Jongin can only sigh in exasperation, crossing his fingers and hoping that everything will go well today, and then he's on his broom, kicking away from the ground to hover above everyone else. His team joins him soon after, critical eyes scanning the large turnout in search for hopefuls.

"Good afternoon everyone." Jongin says when he thinks he's mentally prepared for the torturing time that will follow, more on his part than anyone else's. "It's great to see your enthusiasm today even with the rain, but as you know, our Seeker Jang Hyunseung will be out of action until the next academic year rolls around–" A collective shriek and squeals come from the crowd just then, and Jongin mentally sighs again when someone yells I love you Kim Jongin!!!!, stirring up an even greater reaction from the crowd. Behind him, his teammates are snickering uncontrollably, and Jongin kind of wishes everyone would just shut up right now. Instead of blowing up, though, Jongin reigns in his irritation and tries again. "–And since it's already his final year in Hogwarts, we're going to have to find a permanent replacement. I hope that through the try-outs today, we'll be able to find someone worthy enough to take his place."

To make things easier, they divide the crowd into three large groups, and Jongin assigns two of his teammates to each group in order for the try-outs to end as early as possible, while he would oversee the overall progress of their session that afternoon. Unfortunately, Jongin's calculations fall short once again, and the terrible headache surges forth to make his life more miserable than it already is. It only takes two minutes before he starts kicking people out of the try-outs, mostly because some girls from other Houses think it's funny to pretend that they're from Slytherin by borrowing robes from someone else. Luck isn't on their side, though; Jongin can recognise most of the students from his House, and it isn't easy to fool him. And no, he doesn't fall for the massive pout and puppy eyes tricks to steal his sympathy, either.

Five minutes later sees more than half the attendees being sent away from the pitch, considering their absolute lack of ability at mounting a broom. Jongin really doesn't understand what's on their minds, to have dared try out for the Quidditch team when they can't even fulfill the most basic requirement to be on it. If they're banking on an up-close-and-personal interaction with Jongin through their shenanigans, Jongin might really unleash Alarte Ascendare on them en masse until they peed in their pants before he decides to let them stand on solid ground once again.

In the end, the try-outs for the Seeker position doesn't even last more than ten minutes before Jongin blows up from annoyance, and his eyes immediately search for the one student who seems most serious about this whole thing. A gangly, long-limbed boy with too-thick spectacles and curly hair that makes him look like a poodle whom Jongin believes is in his Fourth Year catches his attention, and he points his wand at the boy to pick him out of the crowd.

"Park Chanyeol, you're on the team!"



❅



"Seriously." Jongin winces at the judging intonation Taeyeon is using on him, and he can imagine her rolling her eyes at him without even looking at Taeyeon. "Did you just pick out a random dude from the crowd because that guy is nowhere close to qualifying as a Seeker."

In all honesty, Jongin did happen to pick Park Chanyeol out randomly, considering the disastrous event that is their try-outs, but he's not going to admit it. "He did look like he's good enough on the broom–" Which isn't a lie; Chanyeol had been the steadiest out of all the candidates. "–but who knew he lucked out during the try-outs?"

Jongin hates to admit it, but Park Chanyeol happens to be the worst Seeker he's ever seen in his life. Steadiness on a broom aside, Chanyeol's eyesight is so terrible that he can't see the Snitch even if it was taunting him right before his eyes. Aside from that, he's much too tall and big-sized to be a Seeker, whose fundamental qualification is to be small and light enough to speed up and chase after the Snitch, and it makes him such an easy target for the Bludgers. Throughout the week-long intensive training they've been holding for Chanyeol's sake, Jongin can't even begin counting the number of times the Fourth Year student has been knocked off his broom by the Bludgers sent at him by Jongin and Kyungsoo, which is bad news. He doesn't even have a shred of intelligence to swerve away from said Bludgers, which makes things all the more terrible.

Jongin can almost hear the other three Houses laughing at him for his blunder now, and he thinks he might have just singlehandedly conceded the Quidditch Cup to Gryffindor. Fuck, Byun Baekhyun is going to mock him in the face after the final match.

"It's my final year in Hogwarts. You better make sure I leave with the Cup in my hands," is all that Taeyeon mutters before she leaves Jongin alone at the sight of an incoming Park Chanyeol, and the sarcasm doesn't sit well with Jongin's pride.

"How did I do today? Excellent right?" Chanyeol beams a little too brightly for someone who's supposedly in Slytherin, with too much teeth and eyes too wide. He's doing some small tricks with his broom, and all Jongin can do is to hope that his grip on the broom is firm enough for him to not fall to the ground in a reminiscent of Hyunseung's mishap. Terrible as he may be in playing, Jongin doesn't really want to hold yet another try-outs when it's evidently going to be another nightmarish affair.

Also, if 'excellent' equates to knocking the Keeper, Taeyong, off his broom in the process of chasing after an insect which he had mistaken as the Snitch, then yes, Chanyeol is doing an absolutely fantastic job. Jongin swallows back his sarcasm though, because he knows that some people might be late bloomers, and it's probably far too early to judge Chanyeol through his performance in their practicing sessions. Some people might fare better under pressure, too, so there's that.

(Man, Kyungsoo is so going to give him hell for being such a Hufflepuff if he knows of the things Jongin thinks about.)

Jongin merely flashes a thin-lipped smile at Chanyeol, hoping that Chanyeol can pick up on his exasperation without him having to say it right in Chanyeol's face. "We need to practice a lot more, since you're still unfamiliar with our tactics."

It's a rapidly dying hope, though, when Chanyeol zips away from him with a loud cheer, thinking that Jongin had just praised him when what he really means is you need to buck the fuck up.



❅



In retrospect, Jongin thinks he probably should have crushed Chanyeol's pride before his delusions ran wild. Towards the end of the week of intensive training, Chanyeol seems to have grown comfortable with the idea that he's a fantastically good Seeker, one whose abilities are on par with that of the legendary Harry Potter, when he is anything but.

Even with all the advices the rest of the team have given him – some more harshly than the others – Chanyeol still can't let the concept that Seekers are supposed to actively avoid Bludgers sink into his thick head. Jongin doesn't know if he's born with a lack of self-preservation, or if he's just plain stupid, but what Jongin does know is that Jongin has been slapping himself in the face far too frequent to be considered normal. He can't help it, though, not when Chanyeol charges right at an incoming Bludger before dropping his altitude at the very last minute, letting the Bludger skim past the top of his head. Any slower and he'd have his nose smashed in – and, sometimes, Jongin wishes he would get hit just once, so that Chanyeol will finally learn his Merlin-forsakened lesson already.

As if that isn't enough to annoy the rest of the team, Chanyeol ups things a notch by bringing in other students for their practice sessions, something which isn't even done by Taeyeon, who's the oldest player on the team. It's kind of an unwritten pact that their practice sessions should be as private as possible, so as to reduce the amount of distraction they would face, but seeing how thick-headed Chanyeol can be, Jongin honestly doesn't know why he's so surprised when he sees a bunch of giggling girls seated on the bleachers.

What does piss Jongin off is the conceited way Chanyeol acts before these girls, showing off the petty tricks he's able to pull off on a broom, and throughout most of the practice, Chanyeol's more preoccupied with impressing these girls than paying actual attention to the drills they're supposed to polish up.

In the end, in what Jongin deems is an absolute waste of time, because they're doing the drills for Chanyeol's sake, and not anyone else's, he decides to call off the practice session that afternoon before his teammates calls it quits. He's not oblivious to the rising irritation in the air, and it's all he can do as their Captain to save them from being annoyed any further by the rookie on their team.

Before they leave the pitch, though, Hyuna catches up with Jongin to give him a piece of her mind – the way he had expected her to, for how protective she is over everything that's remotely related to Hyunseung. "That shithead is doing nothing to improve. He's absolutely mocking the importance of a Seeker in the team, and you should know how Hyunseung would feel if he were to see that shithead's performance. I hate to say this, but you better do something, and fast." For extra effect, she even jabs Jongin in the chest with her wand, red sparks of warning shooting out of its end.

"I know," Jongin croaks weakly as Hyuna pulls to leave, because this really is his fault. "I'll do something about it, alright."



❅



For all that he's a Slytherin, there's one major flaw in Jongin's character. He's been brought up in a significantly less-radical family of Slytherins, and thus faces some problems in speaking his mind, especially if he knows his words will sting.

All that is forgotten, though, when Park Chanyeol pushes his buttons one last time by belittling Hyunseung's role on the team, loudly proclaiming that Hyunseung's loss is easily substituted, that Hyunseung probably isn't as important as he seems. For someone who's almost akin to an outsider to the Slytherin Quidditch team, Park Chanyeol has a surprisingly big mouth which absolutely knows not of the existence of a brain-mouth filter, and nothing pisses Jongin more than a person who talks shit about his friends.

It takes all of Jongin's self-control to not punch the living daylights of Chanyeol, or to hex him to death with an Unforgivable Curse, because Merlin knows how close he'd been to yelling Avada Kedavra in Chanyeol's face. Instead, he drags Chanyeol right off the pitch and towards the changing room, shoving Chanyeol right up against a locker. Chanyeol may have the height advantage over Jongin, but nothing is stopping him from breathing down Chanyeol's neck in anger, the back of his arm locked against Chanyeol's throat and the tip of his wand digging into the flesh of Chanyeol's abdomen.

Despite the fact that he's cornered and unarmed, Chanyeol's surprisingly chill about the entire ordeal, and he still has the cheek to grin at Jongin. "Yo, Captain–" he says flippantly, and the grin is seriously grating on Jongin's nerves, his wand hand trembling in fury, "–what's up with the sudden show of aggression?"

The Killing Curse is on his tongue in a flash, and Jongin has to take a very deep breath to stop himself from committing a serious crime that will land him in Azkaban. He has to tell himself repeatedly that Park Chanyeol is not worth the trip, never worth the trip to the place where Dementors roam free.

When he thinks he's wandered far enough away from the Unforgivable Curses does Jongin finally grace Chanyeol with an answer. "For a complete newbie on the team, you sure have a lot of guts to shit on Hyunseung like that."

"What?" Chanyeol blinks innocently. "Am I wrong to assume that I managed to fill the hole left behind by him in a flash?"

This son of a–

"Yes," Jongin hisses, the pressure he's applying against Chanyeol's neck growing heavier, "you are every bit wrong. You're a terrible Seeker. You can't even see the Snitch when you're supposed to, and you're going head-on with Bludgers when you're supposed to avoid them. You're too fucking big to be a Seeker!"

In Jongin's mind, he had expected Chanyeol to appear at least a little shaken by the undertones of anger in Jongin's words. What happens in reality, though, is Chanyeol raising an eyebrow at him, as though he hadn't understood a single word Jongin had said. "Oh, Captain, I didn't realise you were such a voyeur."

Jongin's promptly thrown off-course by Chanyeol's words. "What do you mean?"

"Too big to be a Seeker–" Chanyeol prompts with a suggestive wriggle of his eyebrows. "I didn't know that being well-endowed poses a hindrance to the position. On the contrary, would you like me to blow off some steam for you? You seem like you need it, and I wouldn't mind having a taste of your... assets."

Why in Merlin's name must Azkaban exist. "Don't fuck around with me, or I will make sure you'll drop dead faster than you can say Lumos." Jongin hisses, his patience already running very dangerously thin. He's never met a more self-absorbed person than the one trapped between Jongin's body and the locker right now, and he wonders if there are other such dim-witted wizards around – Merlin forbid they do.

Chanyeol raises his hands in a gesture of surrendering, but the smirk on his face is quite the contrary. "I wouldn't mind dying after fucking you, though. I mean, everyone's kind of dying to get into your pants–"

"Is this all a joke to you, Park?" Jongin growls again, pressing harder against Chanyeol's throat until he starts to choke and splutter from the lack of air. He doesn't like doing this threatening business, but Chanyeol leaves him with no choice. "Hyunseung has no choice but to sit out of the team because of his injuries, and I'm not about to let some imbecile like you ruin his dreams of leaving Hogwarts with the Quidditch Cup tucked under Slytherin's fold. Even I can do better than your shitty job at being a Seeker, and it's a sentiment that everyone echoes."

"If that's the case, then why don't you prove it, Captain?" Chanyeol sneers, and Jongin wonders if Chanyeol will ever understand that he sucks at Quidditch and it was a grave mistake for Jongin to have even recruited him onto the team. It doesn't seem likely, from the way he's gloating at Jongin like Jongin is only all talk.

Jongin releases Chanyeol with relish, feeling his true Slytherin side coming to the surface when he watches Chanyeol cough and hack away while trying to take in large mouthfuls of air. What Chanyeol doesn't know is that Jongin had been in the consideration for the Seeker position when he'd joined the team initially, but the Captain then had thought his aggressiveness on the pitch would make him a better Beater.

"You're on. Wednesday, three days from now. You better come prepared." He announces, eyes dark with the intention of making Chanyeol pay for ever having mocked the sport and humiliating him before the entire student body. Never, ever mess with Kim Jongin.


❅



The showdown between Jongin and Chanyeol takes place as planned on Wednesday, and contrary to the usual rules in place, Jongin allows the entire student body – anyone who's interested, really – to come watch them. If there's one thing Jongin is itching to do, it's to slam Park Chanyeol to the ground and make sure he either cools down on his overinflated ego, or never show his face on the Quidditch pitch ever again.

The match draws protests from his own teammates, though, but only because Jongin makes an appearance on the pitch dressed in Hufflepuff's robes. He'd made a pact with Amber Liu, the Captain of the Hufflepuff team, turning his showdown with Chanyeol into a friendly match with Hufflepuff instead – "for practice purposes", Jongin had said, "but on one condition, I'll take your Seeker's place on the team." Amber had been sceptical, but a determined Jongin is a force to be reckoned with, and he'd won over in the end. It's the only way he can ensure things are fair, since his own teammates would have no choice but to send Bludgers in his direction instead of at Chanyeol if Jongin's playing for Hufflepuff. The last thing Jongin wants is to win when Chanyeol's at a grave disadvantage; there's simply no honour to his pride. Jongin knows Hufflepuff's game like the back of his hand by now, anyway, and it's probably not going to be much of a problem to play with them instead of against them.

"You look... weird in those colours, Jongin." Soojung points out from across him, having been appointed the temporary Captain for this match. It's obvious she looks uncomfortable to have to go against Jongin, and for that Jongin is glad. Soojung isn't as big of an ice bitch as she portrays herself to be, after all.

"I know," Jongin grins back, picking at his new robes awkwardly. "Just this once, though. Then I'll be back in the usual silver and green."

"You better." Taeyeon comments from beside Soojung, and Jongin salutes at her. It's the simple way they snipe at each other without fear of offending their teammates that makes them so cohesive as a team, and it's something that the other Houses can't see, thinking that Slytherin holds the 'every wizard for himself' mentality. They've never been more wrong, but Jongin isn't bothered to correct them.

When all the players are finally gathered – Chanyeol included, and with Taemin temporarily occupying Jongin's position on the team as Beater even though he doesn't like Quidditch all that much – Jongin sucks in another deep breath and braces himself for the upcoming showdown. It's admittedly been a while since he's played the position of a Seeker, and he hopes he's still agile enough for it.

"Thank you for attending today," Jongin finally says after magnifying his voice, when he's sure he's calm enough to speak. "I'm sure you're curious about the sudden friendly match, or why I'm currently on Hufflepuff's team, but rest assured, this is only temporary." A collective 'aww's can be heard, and Jongin ignores that. "I'm having a personal match with Park Chanyeol right here, with everyone as our witness."

"The rules of the match is simple–" Amber joins in as she rolls her shoulders, "the first Seeker who catches the Snitch, wins."

Soon enough they kick off the match without further ado, and Yoseob, the original Seeker of Hufflepuff, takes over the role of refereeing the match that afternoon. It feels different and strange to not have a club in his hands or to aim for the Bludgers, but Jongin forces himself to focus regardless, eyes scanning his surroundings keenly for the Snitch. He cusses colourfully at Kyungsoo and Taemin when they keep hitting the Bludger at him – to the sound of their cackling, much to Jongin's chagrin – but he stops at nothing to avoid these demons at all cost. From the corner of his eyes, Jongin catches sight of Chanyeol in seemingly deep concentration, his eyebrows knitted together as he looks around him through those thick-rimmed glasses of his, almost motionless in mid-air.

He scoffs a little at the sight because he knows it's only for show, and Jongin drops his altitude just as the stray Bludger skims past the top of his head, cursing again at his momentary inattention. Park Chanyeol shouldn't pose as such a great distraction, Jongin reminds himself, and it's really not worth a trip to the hospital wing because of him. When he's sure that the Bludger is out of hitting range, Jongin crouches low on his broomstick and zips through the air, circling the pitch in search of the Golden Snitch. Above him, the Chasers of both teams are doing a fairly equal job in scoring, and Jongin feels a sense of pride bursting within when Soojung manages to score another past the Hufflepuff Keeper. All their intensive training have paid off, as Jongin surveys their formations which are being executed perfectly, barring Chanyeol's occasional screw-ups.

That's when something glints golden beneath the early Autumn sun, and instantly Jongin's pulse races, knowing it's time to make Chanyeol eat his own words. Surprisingly, Chanyeol perks up at the same time, a sign that he's noticed the Snitch as well, and it sparks the competitive edge within Jongin. There's no room for mistakes, now that everything is at stake, and Jongin immediately slips past Kyungsoo and Taemin who are about to corner him, soaring through the air on his broom towards the Snitch. He smirks when the comment he's made about Chanyeol in the past – the one which labels him as far too large in size to be fast enough – rings true this time, and he hopes Chanyeol remembers it, too. While Jongin and Chanyeol are just about equal in terms of height, Jongin's built is slighter than Chanyeol's, and it gives him the precise advantage he needs to reach out for the Snitch before Chanyeol can even squeeze past Hufflepuff's Chasers.

Even though Slytherin are the losers in this match, it still gives Jongin a reason to smirk even wider as he dismounts from his broom and walks towards an evidently stricken Chanyeol, holding the walnut-sized object between his fingers. "Well, Park? What have you got to say about this?" He's not one to gloat over his successes, but for just this one time, Jongin can't seem to hold himself back from making the comment. Chanyeol has been getting on his nerves for far too long, and Jongin relishes in the way he's able to teach Chanyeol a severe lesson, by outdoing Chanyeol in a position he isn't even supposed to play in.

Chanyeol appears genuinely crushed by the loss, shoulders hunched and tucked into himself, and – Jongin notes this with glee – he can't even bring himself to look Jongin in the eye when Jongin approached him. The other Slytherin members aren't even bothered to speak to Chanyeol, merely stalking off the pitch along with the thinning crowd and making their way to the lockers for a shower, but not after praising Jongin for a good game and a good show of how a true Seeker should be.

With all the pent up frustration he's had for Chanyeol's dismal performance and stuck-up attitude, Jongin puts his words in the harshest possible manner, eager to break Chanyeol completely because the dickhead deserves every bit of it. "If you do not have the skills to boast about, you better start keeping your head down." He spits, all while playing with the Snitch in his hand to drive home the fact that Jongin has beaten Chanyeol in their little bet. "Now get the fuck out of my team, Park."



❅



Jongin has never had a headache which can rival the one he's having right now. While he's more than happy that Park Chanyeol is finally out of his team, it doesn't ease his worries at all.

Considering the gaping hole left behind by Chanyeol's departure with too little time left on their hands before their next match to find a new Seeker, Hyunseung had very stubbornly insisted to return to his old position, even though Madam Mirae had time and again ruled Hyunseung as unfit to play Quidditch until after he's graduated from Hogwarts. Jongin is sure that they can all see how true Madam Mirae's words are, when Hyunseung goes through yet another practice session with one hand pressed against his side, eyes narrowed into slits as he tries to fight against the nausea and the pain that grapples him.

It's even more of a torture to watch Hyunseung in this condition than Chanyeol screwing up big time, especially when Jongin remembers the few times he's accidentally walked in on Hyuna crying and begging Hyunseung to stop doing this to himself after their practices. Hyuna has yelled at Jongin multiple times for letting Hyunseung rejoin their team despite his condition, to which Jongin can only smile wryly and remind her how it's virtually impossible to change Hyunseung's mind once he's decided on something.

It's not as though Jongin hasn't tried searching for ways to lessen the pain for Hyunseung, but even consultations with Madam Mirae proved fruitless. His injuries aren't something that can be healed that easily, Madam Mirae has told him, and the only thing they can do at the moment is to keep convincing Hyunseung to sit out of their upcoming match. Sending Hyunseung to St Mungo's isn't an option either; he's very likely to check himself out of the hospital the moment his friends are out of sight.

Jongin feels utterly useless at times like these. So much for being their Captain, when he can't even do anything about it.

He doesn't even realise that he's been brooding until someone flicks him in the forehead, and Jongin scowls and looks up just in time to see Soojung sliding onto the bench opposite his.

"Stop making that face. You look constipated." Soojung comments airily, even though the worry lines are etched on her forehead, too. Jongin knows that the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team are as high strung as him these days, something which they can't help from seeping into the usually calm way they carry themselves. They're all worried about both Hyunseung and the upcoming Quidditch matches after all – more over the former than the latter.

Jongin can only flash a tight-lipped smile at her. He knows she's trying to cheer him up, and he's thankful for it, but he just can't keep his mind off it. "You're one to talk," he shoots back, and it's Soojung's turn to scowl at him this time, but her features soften moments later. It's at times like these that Jongin wonders why he isn't dating Soojung, because she's the one who knows him best, and knows how to lighten the burden he's carrying. His bisexuality shouldn't even matter.

"How are you holding up?" She then asks quietly, shifting in her seat a little. Even though Soojung has an ice queen air about her most of the time, only those who are closest to her will know that she's a warm person deep within – then again, she's forced all her friends to keep that side of her a secret, swearing to hex them all without mercy if anyone else every catches wind that she's actually nice. It's not as though Jongin doesn't see where she's coming from, though. Nice and Slytherin don't exactly go along well, especially not when Soojung's one of the most popular students of the House. People would definitely take advantage of her, and it's one of those things that Soojung hates the most after a rather distasteful experience in her First Year in Hogwarts, courtesy of one Choi Jinri.

"How does it look like I'm holding up?" Jongin quips with a shrug of his shoulder instead, not wanting to give away too much. They share a silent understanding, anyway, so it's not like Soojung needs a proper verbal confirmation of the shitty way Jongin's feeling at the moment.

True to his thoughts, Soojung scrunches her nose at his question. "You're giving the Slytherin Quidditch team's good looks a bad name," she comments, the way Jongin had expected her to. The thought makes him smile a little more genuinely. "I have a suggestion, but please don't get mad at me."

Jongin straightens himself. At this point of time, he's pretty much open to anything at all, as long as it will help them solve their current crisis. "Let's hear it."

Much to Jongin's surprise, Soojung actually chews on her bottom lip and pauses – a sign of hesitation. It worries him greatly, because Soojung never hesitates – she'll give you hell from the get go, ever so confident, ever straightforward with her words. Sure enough, Jongin finds out why when Soojung finally speaks up. "Why don't we just give up on the Quidditch Cup? I mean, that's a lot better than seeing Hyunseung suffer through practices, right?"

As much as he loves Soojung as a friend, this is one comment he cannot stomach, and Jongin immediately sees red, slamming his hands against the tabletop. He doesn't even care if he's attracting far too much attention at the moment. "You take that back!" He practically hisses at Soojung, whom actually draws back in alarm. Jongin has never raised his voice at Soojung before – not until today. "Have you ever considered how Hyunseung and Taeyeon would feel if we told them we're letting the Quidditch Cup go without putting up a fight?"

Soojung flushes a pretty shade of red at his question. "Don't you dare, for even a single second, think that I haven't stopped to consider their feelings. I just–"

"Don't ever make such an outrageous suggestion again." Jongin interrupts her with one final warning, crossing his fingers and hoping that she'd stop provoking him, because Soojung is the last person he wants to remain pissed at. Anyone but her. When he's sure that Soojung got his point – her gaze is averted from him, but the defiance still burns strong in them; Jongin pretends not to notice – he hoists his bookbag onto his shoulder and stalks out of the classroom, deciding that he wasn't in a condition to sit quietly in class and pretend to listen to whatever Professor Kyuhyun is about to teach them for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

His fists remain tightly clenched by his sides as he makes his way back to the Slytherin Common Room, feeling angry at himself more than anyone else. It's not as though he hasn't thought about Soojung's suggestion, but that only makes him all the more unforgivable.


❅



"You look like crap, man."

Jongin's jostled out of his brooding state by a not-so-gentle slap to the back, causing him to cough and splutter in surprise. In his defense, Jongin's not usually this detached from reality, but the events as of late is forcing him to think even more than he usually does. There's only three days to go before their next match, against their bitter rivals Gryffindor no less, and his team is still left with a Seeker who can't stay airborne for more than five minutes at a time, owing to the excruciating pain which will assail Hyunseung's head and render him paralysed without fail.

Jongin's seriously considering giving up the Quidditch Cup. He can't possibly put his friend's life in danger for the sake of a weightless conquest. At least they can still have a shot at the Quidditch Cup in the coming year. He doesn't think he'll be able to forgive himself if something worse happened to Hyunseung, considering how they won't be able to dive several feet downwards in the air to catch him in time, should Hyunseung fall off his broom again during the match.

Through glazed eyes, he looks up at the person who has just joined him at the stands. The voice sounds familiar enough, and Jongin is honestly too emotionally drained from the nights he's spent being sleepless to snap at someone else. But his eyes do widen in complete surprise when he realises it's actually Amber Liu who's there with him.

"'sup?" Recognising the shock in his face, Amber grins and plops down on the bench behind Jongin, not caring if her presence isn't welcomed. Out of all his rivals, Jongin likes the Hufflepuff Captain the most, mainly because of her easygoing personality. Jongin may be popular, but he's nowhere near approachable like Amber is – not even to a fellow Slytherin. Jongin isn't complaining, though. He likes his peace and quiet, instead of having fangirls screeching in his ears everywhere he goes.

"What are you doing here?" Jongin asks monotonously, though he's far from begrudging her companionship. "Isn't your team training tomorrow?"

"I can foresee a cloud of doom and gloom from a mile away." Amber wriggles her fingers at him, eyes narrowed in an uncanny imitation of Professor Jongwoon. Jongin has heard of the rumours that Divination is Amber's favourite subject, but he hadn't expected it to actually be true.

"Very funny, Liu." Jongin deadpans, even though he does want to laugh at her expressions. He just isn't in the mood to entertain her shenanigans at the moment.

Thankfully, Amber has a good head on her shoulders, because the moment she senses his impending hostily, Amber sighs and straightens herself. "This doesn't have anything to do with your Seeker, does it?"

Jongin groans inwardly at her question. Has he been displaying his thoughts on his sleeves again? He's not going to admit to it, however. "What's it to you?"

"Because–" she stresses, appearing rather distraught over something which technically doesn't concern her. If anything, Amber should be throwing a celebration over Slytherin's loss of a Seeker. It would effectively rule Slytherin out of running for the Quidditch Cup, and it's as huge an advantage as it can get. "–my partner for Potions is screwing up majorly in class, and I'm bearing the brunt of it because of you–" And, when Jongin is about to interrupt her to ask why the fuck he's being implicated in this, Amber raises a hand to stop him. "–considering, this doofus is the exact same person you had very recently kicked out of your team."

He rightfully frowns at her. "So? What Park does in class is no business of mine."

Amber doesn't seem to be very amused at Jongin's retort. "Yeah, except he's been training on the pitch every single night for the sake of clawing his way back to the team." She tells Jongin, which takes him by surprise again. Jongin hadn't ever paused to consider that Chanyeol might actually be interested in Quidditch; he seemed more the type to be indulging in the sport for the sake of the fame which comes with being a Quidditch player. Huh. "I take my grades very seriously, Kim. If you don't do something about it soon, and if Park drags me down in class to the point that I have to enrol for remedial classes, I will make your life miserable."

Jongin isn't quite sure what sort of expression he's wearing after Amber's tirade, but it's probably one that pleases her because she's smiling sweetly all of a sudden, patting his cheek fondly. "Now that's a good boy. I'll see you around." She coos, and then she's gone.

He can only blink confusedly at the space which Amber had just vacated, long after the Hufflepuff Captain had taken her leave, still unable to comprehend his very short conversation with Amber. Exactly what the fuck had just happened again?


❅



As reluctant as Jongin is to admit it, Amber's words never really left his mind. It's why he finds himself still tossing and turning in his four-poster bed by the time midnight looms, torn between ignoring what she had told him and crawling out of bed to ascertain the truth behind her words. The sound of Taemin's snores have been filling the room for a while now, which rules Jongin short of an accomplice to sneak out of the dormitories. Amber doesn't seem to be pulling his leg, neither does she have a reason to lie to him, but still.

With one long-suffering sigh, Jongin throws the covers off him and climbs out of bed, being careful not to wake his sleeping friend up. He isn't exactly the friendliest person around when his beauty sleep is disturbed, and Jongin would really rather not face an extremely irate Taemin. He'd be in such a pissy mood for the rest of the day that it's going to be difficult being around him.

Pulling on his robes, Jongin grabs his wand on the way out, whispering a spell to light it up. Hogwarts is horribly eerie in the dead of the night, even with the light of his wand illuminating the corridors, and Jongin tries his best to not be alarmed by every single sound that he hears. The Ghosts of Hogwarts – most notably Peeves – can be rather nasty, too, and Jongin really, really hopes he doesn't run into him.

He can only breathe easy when he finally makes his way onto the Quidditch pitch, but the moment he hears someone soaring above him, Jongin immediately extinguishes the light on his wand and ducks out of sight. In the shadows, Jongin raptly watches the figure who's flying around in the murky night sky, the figure very distinctively belonging to Park Chanyeol. Amber hadn't been lying to him when she told Jongin that Chanyeol has been working hard at training, and it surprises him further when he realises Chanyeol has a blindfold around his eyes. For a moment, Jongin wonders if Chanyeol is out of his mind, because there's no way one can catch the Snitch when the entire pitch is engulfed in darkness, let alone when they were blindfolded.

Jongin soon catches up to Chanyeol's training method, though, when the other boy pauses mid-air and cocks his head to the side. Having been in close distance with the Snitch before, Jongin knows that it would create a distinct, high-pitched sound through the flapping of its wings, and he's impressed that Chanyeol would actually think of such a method to keep him in focus. Jongin tries to breathe as quietly as he can, not wanting Chanyeol to realise that he's there watching Chanyeol train. It's then that the Snitch makes its presence known out the corner of Jongin's eye, several yards away where Chanyeol is holding himself stationary.

He watches in awe when Chanyeol zips towards the Snitch at high speed, chasing after the object around the pitch for a short while before finally managing to wrap his fingers around it. It's a sight which Jongin had never even dreamt of seeing, considering Chanyeol's track record at knocking people off their brooms and getting his head nearly split open by a stray Bludger, and it certainly makes Jongin look at Chanyeol anew.

Jongin's there waiting for Chanyeol in the tunnel leading towards the lockers when the latter finally decides to turn in for the night, arms crossed in front of his chest and back leaning against the wall. The colour instantly drains from Chanyeol's face the moment he sees Jongin, as though he's just seen a ghost, and he's reduced into a stuttering mess.

"J–Jongin, wh–what are you doing here?"

"Liu told me about you." Jongin says, the corner of his lips quirking up into a small smirk. "Said you were screwing up in class and dragging her through the mud, because you were busy polishing up your Quidditch skills at night and dozing off in the morning. I had to come see for myself. Not bad, considering your form just weeks ago."

At least some colour has returned to Chanyeol's face at Jongin's comment, though Jongin suspects it's more from embarrassment than anything else. Up close, he notices that there's something different about Chanyeol. The taller boy isn't wearing his thick-rimmed glasses now, and his hair has been straightened – Jongin wonders if he's been using Muggle electronics to do the latter; he can't think of a spell which serves the same purpose – and Jongin be damned, he actually looks good. Jongin isn't going to admit to that, though.

A pang of guilt also strikes Jongin. Had Chanyeol taken Jongin's comments about his looks that seriously?

"I know what you're thinking." Chanyeol looks away. "Whatever you saw of me before – I wanted to impress you, and didn't want my looks to stand in the way. I really wanted to play Quidditch, and be on the team, but the past Captains have all deemed that I'm too bookish to be good at it. It didn't even matter if I was good on the broom." Jongin's about to argue that he's not that shallow of a person, but Chanyeol's quick to amend himself. "It doesn't matter now, does it? Hyunseung's back, and you have your perfect little team again."

There's a long moment of silence which settles between them, before Chanyeol laughs in self-derision and shakes his head. "You know what? I'm being stupid. Forget everything I said. See you around, Cap."

Something about Chanyeol's laugh, though, tugs at Jongin's heartstrings, and Jongin finds his stance relaxing. At this point of time, it's all or nothing. Even if he hasn't seen enough of Chanyeol in actual training, this is a risk which Jongin is willing to take. After all, what can be worse than having to put Hyunseung through all the pain? You win some, you lose some.

"Wait." He calls out just as Chanyeol's about to disappear through the doors to the changing rooms. His voice is small, hesitant, and nothing like the usual way Jongin speaks – this is a side which only very few people are privy to, but Jongin feels desperate enough to not give a shit. The only indication that Chanyeol had heard him at all from the distance is the way his steps suddenly become uncertain, his head cocking to the side and eyebrows knitted into a small frown, as though doubting his own hearing. Jongin takes in a deep breath, and pulls his courage up from the depths of uncertainty.

"One chance. It's what you want, isn't it? I'm giving it to you."


❅



"Are you insane?"

Jongin plugs his ears with his fingers the moment Soojung and Hyuna both screech at him at the sight of Park Chanyeol dressed in Slytherin's Quidditch robes, while Hyunseung is suspiciously absent for their pre-match prep talk. Taeyeon is probably to pissed at him to say a thing about the strange turn of events, but the evil eye she's currently regarding him with is more than enough to make Jongin cower away from said girl. One simply does not mess with an angered Taeyeon, and Jongin isn't stupid enough to try and talk to her right now, either. Merlin only knows how many hexes Taeyeon has learned up her sleeves. She isn't the Queen of Hexes in Hogwarts for nothing.

"Surprise?" Jongin tries weakly when Soojung and Hyuna have had enough of snapping at him. "You guys need to trust me on this."

"How?" Hyuna hisses at him again, one finger pointing angrily at Chanyeol's direction. Jongin's only glad that Chanyeol has significantly toned down on his boastful demeanour, or Jongin would be finding himself with a terrible case of Mucus ad Nauseam by now. Captain or not, Jongin isn't exactly immune to the wrath of the girls on his team, which spells great trouble for him. "You saw how terrible he was in training! Beyond terrible!"

Jongin raises his hands in defense, trying to placate Hyuna. "I haven't lost my mind. I mean, it's much better than having Hyunseung playing while being half-dead, right? He might end up being the resident ghost of the Quidditch pitch, and I don't think you'd want that. Do you?"

At the very least, his words successfully shut Hyuna up, whom turns away red-faced with pent-up anger. Jongin doesn't blame them for their outrage, though. He would, too, if he were in their shoes. Chanyeol didn't exactly leave a stellar impression in their books, and the team had been more than glad to be rid of him after that showdown between him and Jongin. To have Jongin bring that exact same person back onto the team is tantamount to betrayal, one which they will not be able to swallow for a long time.

And, even though he knows it's going to affect the team's morale during the match, Jongin had insisted for Chanyeol to stay out of the team's training sessions. It's part of his strategy to win – the more hopeless the entire team feels about winning through the Seeker's efforts, the harder they would all play in their positions to ensure they didn't lose too badly to Gryffindor. Their Slytherin pride is at stake, and Jongin is sure they would go all out to protect it.

"I swear on Merlin's name–" Soojung glares at Jongin at this, which forces him to amend his words. "–fine, my dick that this will not end up as a catastrophe, or I will die without getting laid ever again."

The entire Slytherin team knows how Jongin sleeps around with boys and girls alike, so swearing on his sex life is more potent than anything else to get them to believe in his words. It's only then that Soojung and Hyuna finally lay off him, even if Taeyong and Kyungsoo are still eyeing him and Chanyeol warily, but Jongin fervently hopes that Chanyeol doesn't screw up now, of all times after Jongin has sworn on the single most important thing in his life.

(Priorities – Jongin has them. Maybe.)



❅



The anxiety doesn't really set in until Madam Jea signals them off with a shrill blow of her whistle. Jongin's heart pounds painfully against his chest wall the moment he kicks off from solid ground, coupled with the annoying ringing in his ears that never seem to fade away no matter how many times Jongin shakes his head to rid himself of it, and it makes Jongin feel horribly queasy despite his persistent efforts at telling himself that everything will turn out fine.

The rest of the team are mad at him. Jongin can feel it. They're mad at him because he brought Chanyeol back in, because they think Chanyeol's going to ruin even that tiny slither of hope which Hyunseung, no matter how terrible his condition is, could have provided. Jongin has long since given up trying to convince them that he's not making a mistake, considering the frigid atmosphere of the changing room earlier, and how practically none of them apart from Chanyeol was actually looking at him while he was making an effort to get their spirits up. It's a lost cause.

Across the field, where Chanyeol's floating on his broom in his newfound straight-haired, spectacle-less glory, he seems rather tense as well. It's the first time Jongin has seen Chanyeol displaying such an uncertain side, and he's barely even acknowledging the fangirlish screams coming from below. Chanyeol's knuckles around his broom are white, a sure sign of his anxiousness, but it makes Jongin feel glad all the same. At least Chanyeol is taking things seriously for once, and that's all Jongin needs to not regret his decision of letting Chanyeol rejoin the team. Yet.

Above them, the rest of the team are fighting tooth and nail against the Gryffindors, and Taeyeon almost looks deadly as she fights Sooyoung for the Quaffle, slamming her body against the taller Chaser's to make her lose her grip on the ball. Taeyeon definitely isn't joking when she'd warned Jongin to win this or else. Even Kyungsoo, in all the nonchalance he displays during matches, is hitting the Bludgers rather viciously at the Gryffindor players, in particular at their Captain Byun Baekhyun.

Merlin only knows about the amount of unresolved sexual tension between Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, but Jongin is also wise enough to not mention it to Kyungsoo. Despite being vertically-challenged, Do Kyungsoo can certainly pack a mean punch.

Gritting his teeth, Jongin steers himself upwards, bat held at the ready to get into the thick of action. He catches Chanyeol's eyes just then, and he smiles encouragingly at the other boy, hoping that it will do both of them some good. It's only then that the tenseness lifts from Chanyeol's figure, and then Chanyeol dives close to the ground. The smirk on Jongin's face grows just a little wider when he sees Chanyeol closing his eyes. Noisy as the Quidditch pitch may be now, Jongin's sure Chanyeol's able to tune everyone else out, and focus on the only thing that matters – the Golden Snitch.

Jonghyun, the Gryffindor Seeker, is also circling the pitch while being on high alert for the Snitch, but that's the last Jongin sees of him as he returns his focus to the match at hand. Ignoring the obvious tension floating about in the air, Jongin forms a tag-team with Kyungsoo, trying to inflict as much damage as they can on Gryffindor's Chaser trio, all while protecting their own teammates from the stray Bludger. At least Taeyong is doing a good job at keeping the Quaffle out of their goal hoops, and it's all Slytherin needs to widen the gap between them and Gryffindor.

That's when something glints gold to Jongin's right, and the Seeker instinct in him wants to chase after it, but Jongin forces himself to pay attention on his actual role. It doesn't stop him from casting nervous glances in Chanyeol's direction, hoping that he'll realise where the Snitch is. He doesn't know if the intense way he's staring at Chanyeol is doing the trick, but Chanyeol does finally glance up in Jongin's direction, a look of puzzlement colouring his expressions. But that look is gone when he catches sight of the Snitch hovering close to where Kyungsoo and Jongin are, his gaze suddenly turning piercing and determined.

With another smirk, Chanyeol is already speeding in his direction, and Jongin takes another dive to get out of his way, but not without giving Kyungsoo a head's up first. Jonghyun catches on to Chanyeol's line of sight soon enough, and the chase between the Seekers are on. Like this, Chanyeol's disadvantage is clear as daylight for everyone to see, being the bigger-boned and heavier Seeker of the two, and his agility takes a huge hit while being airborne. Jonghyun is in a more favourable position owing to his smaller frame, allowing him to catch up to Chanyeol in no time and to fly in line with him. And it's a tussle between the two of them, with Chanyeol attempting to shove Jonghyun off course with his shoulder without actually committing a foul. Madam Jea is watching them with hawk-like eyes, lips firmly sealed around her whistle and poised to blow it at any given time. Their scores are even at the moment, and the Snitch would ultimately determine the winner.

Knowing he has to do something about it, Jongin shares a look with Kyungsoo, whom thankfully understands his intentions. With one loud yell, Kyungsoo soars upwards, and Jongin hits the Bludger towards Kyungsoo, whom deflects it with his bat, angling it at Jonghyun and Chanyeol.

It's a good thing Chanyeol has had his fair share of close shaves with Bludgers during his training sessions, and all it takes is for Jongin to shout, "Chanyeol, duck!" for him to take a nosedive just before the Bludger hits. Jonghyun, unfortunately, couldn't avoid the Bludger in time, and takes a particularly hard hit to his arm. The telltale sound of a bone breaking can be heard through the commotion.

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt." Kyungsoo comments with a wince, but he doesn't sound particularly sorry about the damage he's done to the Gryffindor Seeker. Their own Beaters have a track record of causing injuries that are much worse to the other players, so.

Chanyeol, on the other hand, grabs the opportunity to make the final dash for the Snitch before Jonghyun can even recover from the pain, and the rest of the team wait with bated breath, watching him inch closer and closer to the golden ball. They all heave a sigh of relief before cheering loudly when the final whistle sounds, and Chanyeol brandishes the Golden Snitch between his thumb and index fingers for everyone to see.

There's a dazed look on Chanyeol's face, as though not quite believing that he's managed to catch the Snitch after failing countless times during their practice sessions as a team, and it doesn't exactly get wiped off even as they all descend to the ground and Chanyeol gets mobbed in the process.

At least, Jongin thinks as he watches his friends from the sidelines, that perhaps the Slytherin Quidditch team will be a little more accommodating to Chanyeol now.



❅



Chanyeol doesn't approach Jongin until they're safely back in the lockers, and he has that silly, rather dazed grin on his face when he sits on the bench across Jongin who's staring into space while awaiting his turn for a bath. It's funny, but Jongin finds the corners of his mouth being tugged into a smile at the sight of Chanyeol's face. Huh.

"You did great out there." Jongin says, and he means it. Anyone who knows Jongin well enough will know that he doesn't dish out compliments often, much less in private, but Chanyeol can live without that knowledge. "Never would have thought you'd make it."

Chanyeol winces a little at the comment, but he's still smiling attractively. Where's that pair of thick-rimmed glasses when you need them. "I didn't think I'd manage to catch the Snitch either, but thanks for putting your faith in me. I needed that."

Yeah, because I'd sworn to a lifetime of celibacy if we lost the game, Jongin thinks wryly but again doesn't mention it to Chanyeol. "We needed a Seeker, and you were the only candidate available, so." He tries to shrug nonchalantly, but the glint in Chanyeol's eyes tells Jongin that he's failing rather miserably.

"So I get to stay on the team now?" Chanyeol asks excitedly.

"I guess..." Jongin says vaguely, then changes the subject when he remembers something which Chanyeol had said to him several nights ago, something about – "Say, you said you wanted to impress me several days ago. What's that about?" – because Jongin might actually consider letting Chanyeol suck him off as he'd so boldly offered before, since he's improved so much in such a short span of time. A reward of sorts, if you will.

Nevertheless, not having his spectacles to hide behind also meant that Chanyeol has magically lost all forms of courage he's ever had to spew such a long string of suggestive comments, because Chanyeol only grows red from the tips of his elfin-like ears down to his chest and stands up abruptly and makes a beeline for the shower when he sees Taeyong coming out of it. "It was nothing!" He swears, and Jongin's rather amused by his sudden shyness.

"Next game," Jongin calls after Chanyeol a little gleefully. "If you manage to catch the Snitch again, I'll consider rewarding you for it."

There's a stutter in Chanyeol's steps, which makes Jongin wonder if Chanyeol's caught on to the suggestive undertone of his words, before he turns to regard Jongin with determination in his eyes, much like the last time he'd challenged Jongin to a showdown as Seekers.

"You're on."



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