#41: Glad You Came

[exolliarmus]

►username: anonymous
►prompt #: 41
►title: Glad You Came
►pairings: baekchen, slight!sekai
►rating: PG-13
►word count: 12,612 words
►warnings: swearing, use of Tragic Backstory, really bad pick up lines
►summary: Jongdae thinks Baekhyun’s just a Gryffindor with too many bad pick up lines. Baekhyun thinks Jongdae is the most exquisite being on the planet. Chanyeol thinks Baekhyun’s in love. Jongin thinks the Slytherin Seeker is everything he’s ever wanted. Kyungsoo thinks they’re all idiots.
►author's notes: I had so much fun writing this fic! As soon as I saw this prompt, I knew that I would love writing this. I went through a really tough time while working on this fic, so I hope it turned out alright OTL Eternal thanks to the mods for being so understanding throughout this whole thing, to R for being my inspiration always, to J for cheering me on, and to the wonderful prompter who came up with this great prompt! I hope this fic is what you wanted :)




˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

“The universe will never be the same, I’m glad you came, I’m glad you came.”

“Turn that shit off, Byunbaek, and come play with me!”

Chanyeol practically leaps across the room, coming to land on Baekhyun’s bed, the smooth crimson comforter wrinkling disapprovingly under his weight.

“It’s not shit,” Baekhyun replies, sitting up as Chanyeol pulls a deck of exploding snap cards out of his robes. He snorts. and rolls his eyes at Baekhyun’s protests.

“Baek, it’s contemporary muggle shit music. It’s shit.”

Baekhyun scoffs, but reaches over to lower the volume on the old SONY CD player he stole out of his older brother’s room the term before last. “It’s called pop, Chanyeol. Who even uses words like contemporary to describe music? That’s so fucking pretentious.”

“Normal cultured people, Baek,” Chanyeol replies thoughtfully, while shuffling the deck, “Like me.”

Baekhyun leans back, making a small window with his pointer fingers and thumbs, observing Chanyeol through his hands as if examining a keystone species. “Uh huh. Park Chanyeol, 186 centimeters tall, fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, almost burned down the fucking Quidditch field last year when he tried to shoot a stunning spell at one of the Slytherin’s beaters, AND, has a complete and utter ferret obsession. Totally. Normal.”

Chanyeol sputters, “I do not have a ferret obsession.”

“Um, when we studied animagus transformations last year in transfiguration, you considered becoming one so that you could transform into a ferret. Of course that was before you realized you didn’t have the brains for such a feat...”

“It would be cool!” Chanyeol pauses, considering Baekhyun’s insult, “and hey!”

Baekhyun leans back, half smiling at Chanyeol as two of Chanyeol’s cards combust and he curses. “I rest my case.”

The dormitory door opens with another slam, and Baekhyun jumps again, cursing whoever was in charge of fucking architecture in the Gryffindor boys’ dormitory. Or their Head Boy, because seriously, someone should fix that motherfucking door. Baekhyun peeks around Chanyeol’s huge frame to see Jongin sluggishly trudging over to his bed before adding his broom and Quidditch robes to a pile of junk (that, honestly, looks like it’s festering) next to his bed.

“Are you okay?” Baekhyun asks after a moment, as Jongin continues to mill around the room like a zombie, barely even registering their presence.

“Huh? Oh yeah,” Jongin says, as if suddenly realizing Baekhyun and Chanyeol are also in the room, despite Chanyeol’s shouts of glee when three of Baekhyun’s cards had exploded moments prior. “Hi hyung,” Jongin says, somewhat dazed, and Baekhyun raises an eyebrow at him.

“Right...”

“Don’t mind him, Baek,” Chanyeol explains, turning around to also face Jongin as Baekhyun returns to staring at his hand of cards, biting his lip in concentration. “He’s probably just bummed because the Slytherin seeker shot him down again.”

Baekhyun’s head snaps up so fast, he swears, he gives himself whiplash. “What?” he demands, “Slytherin? Jongin, you’re chasing a Slytherin?”

Jongin sighs dramatically, and Chanyeol snorts, “Yeah, where have you been, Baekhyun? Everyone’s talking about it. Even Kyungsoo—“

“Wait, wait, wait, back it up. Kyungsoo? The Hufflepuff kid?”

“He’s my year!” Chanyeol exclaims, offended by the usage of the word ‘kid’, but Baekhyun is leaning forward, their game forgotten in the commotion.

“You were talking to the Hufflepuff kid about this blatant betrayal?”

“Why? What’s wrong with Kyungsoo?”

“You know he doesn’t like me!”

Jongin peers over at Baekhyun’s bed where the two are fighting, just as several cards from their game combust into flames and set fire to Baekhyun’s pillows. “Um, guys?”

“He doesn’t like me either!” Chanyeol counters and Baekhyun hits himself in the face, which is such a muggle thing to do, but sometimes with Chanyeol, Baekhyun just has to express these emotions somehow.

“How is that helping your case?”

“Guys....”

“I’m just saying, it’s not a big deal that I was talking to him about this, especially since like everyone knows. Except you.”

“I can’t believe—“

“Guys!”

“What?” both Chanyeol and Baekhyun snap at Jongin, turning to look at him.

Jongin shrugs pointing at Baekhyun’s now flaming pillows, “Is that supposed to be smoking?”

Both turn to slowly look at the mess their disregarded card game has caused just as the curtains also proceed to catch fire, thick black smoke now quickly filling the space. Baekhyun screeches. Chanyeol botches a water conjuring spell. Jongin wonders what life would be like in the Slytherin dungeons, and Gryffindor Tower somehow manages to not burn to the ground once again.

At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, magic may be commonplace, but in most of the students’ minds, the fact that Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol haven’t completely destroyed the place in their six and five years attending, respectively of course, is the real magic.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Following the Exploding Snap Incident of 2012 (as it shall now be referred to, as decreed by Sixth Year and Totally Older Than You, Thus Authoritative Byun Baekhyun), Baekhyun refuses to speak to Chanyeol, something no one had seen at Hogwarts since the Pudding Incident of 2008 (also coined by Baekhyun, in case you were wondering.)

“Baekhyun, why aren’t you talking to me!” Chanyeol whines during dinner as Baekhyun sits, poker faced and silent, next to an internally suffering Jongin.

“It’s your fault my fucking bed caught fire,” Baekhyun snarls back, earning some suggestive winks and nods from their peers, which had quickly ceased with a glare from Baekhyun.

“That happens all the time!” The winks and nods were back.

“Leave me alone, Park Chanyeol.”

“Baek, what’s wrong?” Chanyeol continues to whine, elongating his words and inching closer to Baekhyun. Meanwhile Jongin, spots the Slytherin seeker across the hall, and subtly tries to get his attention (the key was to act interested but not too interested.)

Baekhyun scoots away from Chanyeol, eying him with disgust, “Chanyeol.”

“Baekhyun.”

Jongin stares harder at the Slytherin seeker’s back, ‘Just turn around, just turn around.”

“You know what you did.”

“I don’t!” Chanyeol insists, lunging forward to grab Baekhyun’s robes, “Why are you being so touchy?”

“It’s because you were discussing how Jongin wants to nail the Slytherin seeker without me!” Baekhyun exclaims angrily, pushing Chanyeol off and storming out of the Great Hall.

The entire hall goes silent, save the occasional cough and the distant scraping of silverware as Chanyeol sits at the Gryffindor table, completely stunned. Next to him, Jongin beats his head against the wooden table as the sound of Slytherin snickering fills the empty void left by Baekhyun’s outburst.

“In my defense, I didn’t say I wanted to top,” Jongin mutters into the table, but Chanyeol is already gone, having recovered from his stupor, and is rushing, as always, after Baekhyun.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Baekhyun doesn’t talk to Chanyeol for the entire rest of the night and half the next morning, an impressive feat given the two are usually attached at the hip. But by halfway through transfiguration the next morning, Baekhyun is sorely missing his best friend, and there are miniscule hairline cracks in his resolve forming as Professor McGonagall drones on and on about transformation spells.

Baekhyun is considering accepting one of Chanyeol’s many apologies, doodling in the corner of his parchment, when he feels something light hit his hand. Looking down, he sees a folded up note, and quickly moves it into his lap to read before McGonagall can notice.

‘Sorry I talked to Kyungsoo before you. Are you okay?’

Baekhyun can’t help but grin inwardly, as he scribbles out a response, the last pieces of his resolve crumbling like a slice of treacle tart.

He flicks the folded note at Chanyeol while McGonagall’s back is turned.

‘It’s okay.’

A minute later, he receives a response in Chanyeol’s messy scrawl.

‘Why did it bother you so much?’

Baekhyun pauses, chewing on the end of his quill, before writing his reply.

‘Maybe I’m just upset I’m single and a sixth year like Jongin can get it.’

He sends the note off and waits eagerly for the response.

Sadly, it never comes as McGonagall intercepts the note.

“Boys, perhaps you’d like to share with the class what you’ve been discussing?” her eyes narrowed like a cat stalking its prey, as the note disappears from Chanyeol’s desk and reappears in her hand. Baekhyun can hear Chanyeol gasp audibly from across the room.

McGonagall opens the note and scans it quickly, her face remaining completely blank. It takes her all of two seconds to read the note before she drops it from her hand, the parchment combusting into flames before it reaches the ground.

“Mr. Park, I can assure you not everyone is talking about Mr. Kim’s love life with the Slytherin seeker—“

“Oh, come on!” Jongin exclaims from the back of the room as the Ravenclaws they’re sharing their morning classes with burst into laughter.

“—and Mr. Byun,” McGonagall continues, unperturbed by Jongin’s outburst, “I’m sure you’ll find a romantic partner one day willing to put up with your foolish antics. Ten points from Gryffindor, and I’ll see you both at 9pm to polish the trophies. Now, pay attention.”

This time, Baekhyun joins Jongin in slamming his head against the desk.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Ironically, it had turned out that a round of detention and hard manual labor had been just what Baekhyun and Chanyeol had needed to properly make up (which, of course, went against everything Baekhyun and Chanyeol believed in, on principle. But, given that, following their Night of Unspeakable Horrors (“For goodness sakes Mr. Byun, Mr. Park, you polished the trophies for barely two hours. We didn’t even send you into the Forbidden Forest this time. For the safety of the inhabitants, of course.”), Chanyeol and Baekhyun were now cozily sipping pumpkin juice by the common room fire, they supposed they could make an exception.)

“So... you’re upset you haven’t had a boyfriend yet.... or that I was talking to Kyungsoo....” Chanyeol says slowly and Baekhyun scoffs.

“Is that even a question? Who frames a question like that?”

Chanyeol gives Baekhyun a look, “Baekhyun.”

“Alright, alright, it’s just,” Baekhyun looks away, refusing to meet Chanyeol’s eyes, “A little of both, okay?”

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of!” Chanyeol booms, slapping Baekhyun on the back so hard that Baekhyun chokes on his pumpkin juice. “We can fix the first one for sure.”

Baekhyum grumbles into his goblet something that sounds suspiciously like, “Yeah? And who would want to date me?”

“Plenty of people, Baek!” Chanyeol exclaims, his optimism a shining beacon in Baekhyun’s endless sea of misery and disheartened dating prospects.

Baekhyun widens his eyes as if prompting Chanyeol to list some potential candidates, and Chanyeol, being Baekhyun’s ever loyal friend, gets right to it. “Well, what about...um.”

“See?”

“No, no, hang on. What about.......Joonmyun?” Chanyeol finishes sheepishly and Baekhyun slaps him with a handful of rolled up parchment off the floor.

“Really, Chanyeol? Really? The Head Boy with a stick permanently shoved up his ass? How would my dick even fit when he has that sti—”

“Who says you’re going to top?”

Baekhyun narrows his eyes at Chanyeol, but Chanyeol just grins at him, “It was just a joke, Byunbaek.”

“My lack of dating life is a joke to you. That’s great Park Chanyeol, that’s fucking great.” Baekhyun leans back and sighs, staring blankly at the dusty ceiling.

“Actually, do you want to know the truth?”

Baekhyun looks over at Chanyeol, wary of where Chanyeol is going with this. “What.”

“Actually, no one is good enough for you, Byunbaek.”

Baekhyun looks away from Chanyeol and crosses his arms over his chest. “Nice save, Park.”

“I try.”

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Baekhyun is uncharacteristically hard at work in the library on a lovely spring afternoon in the library when a flustered and very eager Chanyeol comes barging in, nearly tripping over his own robes, trying to get to Baekhyun’s table. “Baekhyun!” he hisses loudly, “I have great news!”

A chorus of “shh!”s resounds around them as Baekhyun hastily shuts his potions book and shoves it into his dragonskin bag (gift from Park Chanyeol, 2011), because Chanyeol cannot whisper to save his life, which means, conversations in the library are epically no-no.

He jumps to his feet and grabs Chanyeols wrist, dragging him out of the library, while Chanyeol bounces along giddily behind him.

Once out of the library, Baekhyun around to face Chanyeol, “What?”

“Okay, so,” Chanyeol starts happily, stars literally shining in his eyes, “There are exchange students coming.”

Baekhyun raises an eyebrow at him. “That is so exciting Chanyeol, I’ll try not to give myself an aneurysm from excitement.”

“Baekhyun you’re not thinking about this properly! You should be much more excited!”

“I am literally jumping with joy as we speak,” Baekhyun deadpans, and Chanyeol grasps him by the shoulders.

“Exchange students, Baek. Exchange students. From Beuxbatons. New. Students,” he punctuates each addition to his explanation with a small shake and Baekhyun wonders if he’s supposed to be grasping the importance of this revelation via bodily contact-based osmosis.

“And...?”

“And maybe we can find someone for you to date!” Chanyeol exclaims as a group of fourth year Ravenclaw girls pass by, giggling at Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

Baekhyun wants to die in his own skin right then and there, and shrivel up on the spot.

But, Chanyeol is far too enthused for that, and using the power of unbridled optimism, he drags Baekhyun’s limp body towards the Great Hall for a well-earned dinner and to craft a plan for getting his best friend in the whole world fucking laid by a hot transfer student. (“Good job, Park.” “Thank you, Park.”)

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

True to Chanyeol’s word, the transfer students are announced later that night at dinner, during which, Chanyeol sits across from Baekhyun at the dinner table, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Students and faculty, I have a very important announcement to make,” Dumbledore says, rising to his feet. “I would like you all to join me in welcoming select students from our wonderful sister school, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.”

“How the fuck did you even know this?” Baekhyun mouths at Chanyeol from across the table. Chanyeol shrugs.

“These are students who wish to pursue a magical career in the English branch of the Ministry, and will be completing the sixth and seventh years here at Hogwarts in order to prepare for their N.E.W.T.s. Please give them a warm round of applause.”

The Great Hall bursts into applause and cheers as a group of twelve students or so file into the Great Hall, each wearing dark blue robes and serious expressions.

One student in particular with cat-like eyes and brown wavy hair catches Baekhyun’s eyes, and his heart drops into his stomach when the boy looks over at him.

“Oh shit,” he whispers, and Chanyeol kicks him under the tables.

“You’re so predictable,” he hisses, kicking Baekhyun again when he doesn’t look away from the new exchange student, “That’s a Veela!” Chanyeol turns desperately to Jongin sitting next to Baekhyun as Baekhyun nearly gets to his feet, “Do something!”

Jongin yanks Baekhyun back down by the back of his robes, trying to stifle a laugh. “Keep it in your pants, hyung. And don’t be stupid,” he adds turning to Chanyeol, “He looks like he’s only part Veela.”

“Wazaveela?” Baekhyun murmurs, his words slurred together, as he continues to stare at the brunet exchange student, who stands at attention while the Head Mistress of Beauxbatons makes her way to greet Dumbledore.

“Your muggle is showing,” Jongin snorts and Chanyeol whines, obviously distressed, though Baekhyun can’t see why, because clearly, the most exquisite, beautiful, amazing creature to ever walk the planet has just appeared in front of him and my God, is that a chorus of fairies heavenly singing in the background? It must be because this is absolutely, without a doubt, True Love.

“They enchant men,” Chanyeol continues to whine, “Baekhyunnie, you can’ttttt.”

“I think I’m in love, guys.”

“I think he just did, hyung.”

It’s Chanyeol’s forehead’s turn to make out profusely with the Great Hall dining table; the most action the three of them have gotten at this point.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Later, after Jongin and Chanyeol had successfully stopped Baekhyun from getting up and running towards the exchange student approximately 7.31 times, they sit in the Gryffindor common room, trying to snap Baekhyun out of his disturbingly lovesick move.

“That did not happen,” Baekhyun promptly denies, when Chanyeol brings up how Baekhyun had wanted to fashion a bouquet to express his “undying love” for the exchange student out of meat pies and a half-eaten treacle tart. “That did not...” he turns to Jongin to back him up, but Jongin just shakes his head slowly.

“Falling for a Veela is dangerous, Baek. You never know what they’ll make you do.”

Baekhyun gapes like a fish out of water while Jongin rolls his eyes.

“Lighten up, hyung. The guy’s only part Veela. His hair wasn’t white or even blond.”

“Maybe he dyes it...” Baekhyun comments wistfully, before slapping himself out of another daydream featuring the Sexy New Exchange Student.

“He seems relatively harmless,” Jongin finishes, ignoring Baekhyun’s outburst, but Chanyeol just continues to eye his best friend warily. “The worst he can do is make Baekhyun-hyung make a fool of himself, which honestly, he does all on his own.”

“Hey!” Baekhyun interjects indignantly, but Chanyeol shushes him with a hand gesture.

“I guess you’re right,” he says, considering Jongin’s input.

“Whatever,” Baekhyun says cooly, getting to his feet and marching towards their shared room.

Once he’s out of the room, Chanyeol asks a very important question, “But, shouldn’t we stop him from making a fool of himself?”

Jongin stares at him, “Do you want him to get laid or not?”

“Oh is that why you keep doing stupid shit in front of the Slytherin Seeker?”

“Goodnight, Chanyeol.”

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Baekhyun spends approximately the next three days working up the courage to talk to the Sexy New Exchange Student, during which, he is exceedingly irritable.

For a Gryffindor, it takes him a disturbingly long amount of time to talk to the kid, something Kyungsoo mutters under his breath during Charms, causing Baekhyun to spill a bottle of ink all over Jongin’s notes. Chanyeol prevents Baekhyun from choking Kyungsoo across the desk, while Jongin mourns the loss of his notes (the ONE TIME he decided to stay awake in class. The ONE TIME.) and Flitwick sighs exasperatedly. No one is happy.

Finally, on day three, the era of Baekhyun’s irritability ends by chance when he meets the Sexy New Exchange Student on the way to the Great Hall for lunch.

And, as they say, it’s all-downhill from there.

“H-hi,” Baekhyun stutters as the exchange student approaches him, pausing to stare unimpressed at the floundering Gryffindor blocking his way on his quest for food. “I’m, uh, I’m Baekhyun, and um, h-hi.”

When the exchange student doesn’t reply, Baekhyun begins to sweat nervously, rubbing his sweaty palms on his robes, “Um, what’s your name?”

The exchange student blinks at him, but finally speaks, and his voice is like melodious bells to Baekhyun’s ears, “Kim Jongdae.”

“Wow that’s such a name. I mean, it’s really, great, and, a name, and, yeah. Hey listen, do you want to go out with me?”

Jongdae looks Baekhyun up and down as if examining a large bug of some sort, before flashing him a dazzling grin. “Please never speak to me again,” he smiles, before literally pushing past a dazed and confused Baekhyun, leaving the poor Gryffindor equal parts humiliated and downtrodden.

A heartbeat later, Chanyeol appears at Baekhyun’s side, placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder. Jongin appears on his other side, trying to act concerned, but actually more preoccupied with the delicious smell of food coming from the Great Hall.

“That was rough,” he comments and Baekhyun seems to snap out of his daze.

“W-what the fuck just happened?”

“You asked the exchange student out, and he completely shot you down.” Baekhyun blinks at Chanyeol.

“I-I what?”

Chanyeol pats Baekhyun’s shoulder again. “Baek, you know that Pokemon video game, or whatever, you brought back last Christmas, that I totally kicked your ass at even though I’d never held a 4BS before?”

Baekhyun is too shell-shocked to correct him, and simply nods.

“Yeah... you look like one of your Pokemon after I kicked your ass. Dazed, confused, and defeated.”

“Chanyeol?”

“Yeah, Baek?”

“Shut the fuck up...”

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

“It says here,” Chanyeol says, throwing a book down on Baekhyun’s bed, “that you can work up a faux-immunity to the Veela charm, depending on how much Veela is mixed in their blood.”

“You almost hit me in the stomach, Chanyeol!”

“Well, I can’t see where your stomach is considering you’re hiding under a fucking blanket!” Chanyeol grabs the crimson blanket off of Baekhyun and throws it aside as Baekhyun whines, his makeshift fort to totally keep out embarrassment now destroyed. “Baek, you’re giving a bad name to Gryffindor. Bravery, remember? It’s our defining feature.” Baekhyun grabs the blanket and crawls back under it. “Come on, Baek, what’s the deal? This isn’t like you.”

“He’s just so.... perfect,” Baekhyun whines and Chanyeol rips the blanket off of him once again. This time, though, he holds it in his hand, and gazes down at Baekhyun seriously.

“Baekhyun remember when you were a fourth year and I was a third year and we got sent into the Forbidden Forest for detention because we kind of accidentally blew up part of the Fat Lady’s portrait, and I was scared shitless so those Hufflepuff seventh years were making fun of me?”

“It was weirdly out of character for Hufflepuffs,” Baekhyun mutters under his breath, but Chanyeol continues without paying notice.

“And then you totally fucking decked their leader in the mouth, even though they were like twice our size and were gonna beat the shit out of us?”

Baekhyun mumbles something that sounds like a ‘yes’ so Chanyeol continues.

“And then, we got chased by a group of centaurs out of the forest, because we were making too much noise, and we legitimately almost fucking died, but you didn’t care. You were laughing and shit and even taunting them, I swear to God Baekhyun, I thought we were going to die, but you were brave through and through.”

Another nondescript grunt.

“Byunbaek, you are the bravest Gryffindor I’ve ever met. And listen, hey listen to me,” Chanyeol yanks Baekhyun up so that they’re eye to eye to finish his Super Inspirational Speech, “You are not going to be defeated by a fucking crush.”

Baekhyun looks up at Chanyeol somewhat sullenly. He seems to be mulling over Chanyeol’s speech for a second before replying, “Yeah? You think?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol says, holding out his hand to help his best friend up, “Let’s see that cocky attitude again.”

Baekhyun smirks and Chanyeol, “Especially the cock.”

“....let’s save that for Kim Jongdae.”

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Well, you know what they say. When you fall off a horse or a bike or some other shit you’re trying to ride, you just have to get back on. Which is exactly the mindset Baekhyun adopts. He may have made a fool of himself the first time, but Chanyeol (and to some very tiny, small, miniscule degree, Jongin, too) cheer him on, and he gets on the proverbial horse-bike, which he intends to ride right into Kim Jongdae’s heart.

“You really think I can work up a resistance?” Baekhyun asks, somewhat suspicious of Chanyeol’s research, but Chanyeol is as sure as ever as he nods enthusiastically from across the Great Hall table.

“Yeah, it’s only full Veela’s and their Dance you have to worry about. But, part-Veela don’t have the same charms or effects.” Baekhyun silently thanks the universe that Jongdae isn’t full Veela.

“So, how long does it take?”

“Uh,” Chanyeol looks away sheepishly, “that um, depends on the genuine attraction component.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s variable...”

Baekhyun leans forward, “By variable you mean like, between three days to a week, right?”

“Yeah... or like.... up to a year....”

“What?!” Baekhyun screeches, “I can’t wait a fucking year!”

“I know, I know!” Chanyeol replies quickly, “That’s why I found this.” He slides a piece of parchment with messy handwriting towards Baekhyun who merely eyes it suspiciously.

“What the fuck is this?”

“Wow Baekhyun, a sixth year and you still don’t know how to fucking read.”

“Give me that!” Baekhyun snarls, snatching up the parchment. He scans it quickly. “A recipe?”

“For an anti-Veela potion.”

Baekhyun flips the parchment over and scans the back of the page, “Where did you find this? Is it safe? I don’t want to die.”

“Relax. This is pretty commercial, actually. Apparently, combatting the dreaded Veela Charm is a big deal for the wizarding world,” Chanyeol shrugs, “Who knew?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun replies bitterly, “Who knew?”

“Look, we already have most of this stuff,” Chanyeol points out and Baekhyun nods, because for once, Chanyeol is right, “It shouldn’t be that hard to—”

“Wait a minute,” Baekhyun interrupts, looking at the last ingredient on the list. “Five ground up Venomous Tentacula leaves?” He looks at Chanyeol incredulously. “How the fuck are we supposed to get those?”

“Simple,” Chanyeol replies, as if the solution really is simple, “We ask for help from someone who has twenty-four hour access to the greenhouses and got an Outstanding on their Herbology finals last year.”

“And that would be.....”

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

“Excuse me?” Kyungsoo says, looking up at the pair of Gryffindors with a look of mild disgust, “You want me to what?”

“Come on, Kyungsoo, just this once?”

“You expect me to sneak into my house professor’s office after hours to steal the leaves of a rather lucrative plant, which could kill me, for close to nothing in return?” Kyungsoo deadpans. “I’m waiting for the punch line, Park.”

“Technically, it’s not that dangerous, I mean anything has the potential to kill you, right Baek?” Chanyeol tries to argue, but neither Baekhyun nor Kyungsoo seem very convinced at all.

“Come on, Do, what do we have to do to get you to do this?” Baekhyun asks, slightly pushing Chanyeol out of the way, to take up the negotiations.

“Let me make this perfectly clear, Byun. There is absolutely nothing you could say or do to persuade me to do this for you.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol both turn to one another, mischievous grins spreading out across their faces like butter on toast. “So you won’t mind,” Baekhyun begins.

“If we sit next to you—”

“Everyday for the rest of the year.”

“And next year,” Chanyeol makes sure to tack on, with a slightly maniacal grin.

Kyungsoo blanches, “But, you two are so loud.”

“Only five leaves, Do.”

“Fine,” Kyungsoo conceded through gritted teeth. He sweeps his supplies into his bag, ignoring the clanking and possible smashing of ink bottles and storms out of the Great Hall.

“I thought tolerance was supposed to be a Hufflepuff’s strong suit,” Baekhyun muses once he’s gone. Chanyeol shrugs.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Kyungsoo delivers the missing Tentacula leaves the next evening (“Is that a bite on your neck?” “Shut up, Park.” “Shit, are you okay? You’re not going to transform or some shit, are you?” “It was a venomous plant, Byun, not a fucking vampire.”) and it takes approximately a day to brew the potion. But come, Wednesday, a week after Baekhyun’s initial disastrous encounter with Kim Jongdae, he’s potioned up and ready to go.

“And you’re sure this will work, right?” Baekhyun says after drinking the potion, which he claims tastes vaguely like pop rocks and Mountain Dew (Chanyeol doesn’t know what those are.)

“If we brewed it correctly, yeah.”

“And we brewed it correctly....?”

“Hey, I did get an Acceptable on my potions midterms.”

“Oh, that is very reassuring.”

“Either way, you already drank it. Time to test it out. What methodology of Baekhyn woo-ology are we going to use on this new unsuspecting victim?”

Baekhyun snorts, “Sadly, I don’t think ‘unsuspecting’ is the right word.”

“Technicality. So, what will it be?”

Baekhyun adjusts his uniform in the mirror, straightening his tie and running his long fingers through his hair. “Everyone’s favorite: pick up lines.”

Chanyeol mock cheers from his bed and they hear Jongin snort from his bed.

Baekhyun leaves the common room after asking Chanyeol to wish him luck, which Chanyeol does with the utmost enthusiasm, leaving Chanyeol and Jongin alone. After a few moments of silence, Chanyeol speaks up. “So, I hear Gryffindor is playing Slytherin this weekend.”

Jongin groans.

“Before the game, you could go up to him and be like, ‘if I were a Seeker and you were a Snitch, would you let me catch you?’”

Jongin puts his face in his hands and groans even louder, “You’re as bad as Baekhyun-hyung.”

“As good as,” Chanyeol corrects, “It’s an art.”

“It’s a disgrace.”

“But, I bet it’ll get you laid.”

“You are not gambling with my sex life, Park Chanyeol,” Jongin replies seriously.

“That would imply you had one to gamble with in the first place.”

Jongin gasps.

“Ten galleons,” Chanyeol retorts, and Jongin narrows his eyes at his gleeful hyung.

“Fine.”

They shake on it.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Baekhyun spends twenty minutes standing outside Gryffindor Tower, before he comes up with the Perfect Plan. Scurrying over to the moving staircase, he stares down at the shifting sets of stairs, waiting vigilantly for Jongdae to make an appearance on his way to dinner. Considering Jongdae was staying with the Ravenclaws, they should be making their way down the moving staircase to dinner any minute.

After about five minutes of waiting, Baekhyun sees Jongdae along with another group of exchange students make their way out of the dormitory entrance, two floors down, and onto the fifth floor landing. Acting quickly, Baekhyun quickly dashes down the two flights of stairs, appearing right in front of Jongdae just as the staircase begins the move, separating him from the rest of his group.

“Kim Jongdae,” Baekhyun says, rather confidently, somewhat internally surprised that the potion is actually working, “Welcome.”

Jongdae looks around, as if he can’t believe his luck, desperately hoping for some route of escape, but the staircase is already in full motion, and he’s stranded on his own personal floating hell with this weird Gryffindor.

“Something brought you here,” Baekhyun says, stepping closer to Jongdae, who instinctively steps backwards, “Fate, destiny...”

“It was a moving staircase,” Jongdae deadpans, as the staircase halts its movement unceremoniously, causing Baekhyun to stumble forward. Jongdae eyes him, unimpressed, as he swiftly moves past him towards the landing.

“Wait!” Baekhyun exclaims, quickly recomposing himself, “Have you heard of Platform 9 and 3/4? Because I can think of something else with the exact same measurements.”

Jongdae pauses, and Baekhyun internally cheers, thinking he’s got him.

“Baekhyun, was it?” Jongdae says slowly, and Baekhyun straightens up excitedly, ready for Jongdae to fall into his arms. “You are literally a disgrace to the human race.”

At that exact moment, the staircase moves again, and Baekhyun can only watch, jaw ajar, as something (fate...destiny....a moving staircase) unceremoniously moves him further and further away from Kim Jongdae.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

“That one may not have worked, but I’m determined the next one will!” Baekhyun exclaims to Chanyeol over a game of wizard’s chess.

Kyungsoo scoffs from behind his copy of Quintessence: A Quest.

“Do you disagree, Soo?” Chanyeol asks, before squinting at the book Kyungsoo is reading, “And why are you even reading this? Isn’t this for sixth years?”

Kyungsoo replies without looking up from the book, “One, I thought you two were supposed to leave me alone after I helped you. Two, I’m trying to get ahead in my studies. Not all of us can be underachieving dunces like you, Park. Three, ‘Soo’? Since when were we on such friendly terms?”

“Since we visited you in the hospital and there was no one else visiting you. We took it upon ourselves to become your new best friends,” Chanyeol replies, as his knight bashes in one of Baekhyun’s rooks.

Baekhyun swears under his breath, before adding, “Plus, then we had to tell Madame Pomfrey how you ended up with that Tentacula bite. Which resulted in ‘fifty points from Gryffindor.’” Baekhyun makes a face.

“So, my friendship is worth fifty points,” Kyungsoo mutters, but he doesn’t budge from his seat next to the pair.

“Checkmate,” Chanyeol announces proudly.

“Fuck,” Baekhyun swears.

“Agreed,” Kyungsoo comments from behind his book.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

The next place Baekhyun manages to catch up with Jongdae is between Transfiguration and Potions, as the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors make their way to their shared class in the dungeons.

“Jongdae!” Baekhyun shouts as he runs to catch up with Jongdae, who tries very hard to ignore him. “Jongdae, just hear me out!” Baekhyun exclaims, finally catching up to the boy. Jongdae gazes at Baekhyun with his catlike eyes, judging and ready to escape at a moment’s notice.

“What.”

Baekhyun dons his classic sleazy persona (the one that gets all the bitches), leaning against the wall near Jongdae, “Is that a wand in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”

Jongdae reaches into his pocket to extract his wand. “My wand,” he answers tonelessly, before turning on Baekhyun and walking away, “I can assure you, Baekhyun, I am never happy to see you.”

Baekhyun stands there, somewhat stunned before a realization washes over him. “But, you do remember my name!” he shouts after Jongdae.

Snape slaps him in the back of the head with a textbook. “Ten points from Gryffindor.”

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

“He remembers your name! That’s good!” Chanyeol exclaims positively over a game of exploding snap, this time in the Great Hall and far away from Baekhyun’s bed. “So, that’s progress, right?”

“Byun, I hate to break it to you, but I also remember your name, and it doesn’t mean I particularly like you.” Kyungsoo plays his turn, having been reluctantly roped into round five of their game (“Will you shut up and let me study if I play a round?” “Maybe...” “For fucks sake.”)

“It’s progress, Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun insists, “Plus, haven’t you noticed, he’s been staring at me in the Great Hall and between classes?”

“Probably because he thinks you’re a crazy stalker, and he fears for his life.”

“I’m honored you think so highly of me, Kyungsoo.”

Chanyeol lays down a winning hand and grins at both of them.

“Crap,” Kyungsoo says, laying down his own hand.

“I think you mean, snap,” Baekhyun corrects.

Kyungsoo slaps him in the back of his head.

The cards burst into flames, but once again, Hogwarts doesn’t burn down. No one even has to use the Aguamenti spell this time. It’s probably Kyungsoo’s good influence. Kyungsoo wishes he didn’t have an influence so Baekhyun and Chanyeol would just leave him alone.

They play another round anyway.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Baekhyun has a whole slew of pick up lines up his sleeves. He likes to thank his clever wit for them (I mean, how clever is “Did you use Relashio? ‘Cause there’s sparks between us.” Pure genius. He should have been in Ravenclaw.) And each makes him doubly prepared for when he inevitably runs into Kim Jongdae.

He’s on his way through the magical fauna and flora section of the library to pick up a book to ‘read’ (i.e. stare at for four hours and then skim desperately for ten min before bullshitting a report) for Charms when he sees Jongdae sitting at a table surrounded by chocolate and candy wrappers. Baekhyun remains there, rooted to the spot, slightly hidden by a bookshelf, as he watches Jongdae smiling and laughing at the other students around him, delicately balancing his quill between his fingers.

When Jongdae smiles, his eyes become crescents and his grin seems to swallow his entire face; he almost glows. And Baekhyun thinks it’s not fair.

The students around Jongdae begin to get up and Baekhyun hears him say “coming” as he rushes to sweep his books into his bag. They all leave in an energetic gaggle, with only Baekhyun noticing the bag of what appears to be Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans fall out of Jongdae’s bag.

Upon further inspection, Baekhyun realizes they’re not Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, but another type of candy with the words ‘Les Bonbons de Fées’ written on the packaging.

Baekhyun pops one in his mouth and slips the bag into his pocket.

The candy tastes like spun sugar and light as air. Baekhyun wonders if this is what Jongdae’s lips taste like.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Baekhyun has every intention to return the candy to Jongdae as soon as possible (especially because later that day during lunch, he notices Jongdae looking distressed, seemingly trying to fill the void with pumpkin pastries) but disaster (at least, according to Baekhyun) strikes.

The first time Baekhyun sees them together, he can’t believe his eyes. It’s safe to say that he flies into such a frenzied panic (why was his arm on his shoulder?? what was with that smile?? those giggles? fucking obscene.) that he rushes all the way to the dungeons, flat out skipping out on his Herbology lecture in favor of seeking solace in his best friend’s presence.

His best friend who happens to be....

“What do you mean Snape is holding him after? How can he have to redo an entire Girding Potion? Weren’t those taught in third year?”

Kyungsoo merely nods, not looking up from his book, as he secretly bemoans having dropped his quills a few moments prior and thus being caught in the hallway by one Byun Baekhyun.

Baekhyun continues to pace around the muggy dungeon corridor, blocking Kyungsoo’s exit, and also, making a great deal of noise. “He won’t be done for some time and Snape will give you detention if you continue to storm around out here like a hippogriff with its head cut off,” Kyungsoo finally says, and Baekhyun abruptly stops his pacing. Kyungsoo considers it a miracle that Baekhyun somehow listened to reason. Perhaps there was hope yet..

“Wait, I thought Chanyeol was good at potions,” Baekhyun says, thinking about the anti-Veela effect potion Chanyeol had brewed for Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo snorts.

“Far from it.”

Baekhyun blanches suddenly, but the thought of the anti-Veela potion reminds him of just why he’d marched down here in the first place, and after considering his options for approximately 2.9 seconds, he decides he has no other choice. Grabbing Kyungsoo by the robes, he yanks him unceremoniously out of his faux peace and quiet and towards the stairs leading to the main floor corridor.

“What are you doing?” Kyungsoo asks, more wary than outraged and Baekhyun considers it progress.

“Since Chanyeol isn’t here, I need your help.”

Kyungsoo tries to pry Baekhyun’s fingers from his robes, but they’re like extended claws, sunken into the fabric, and without any prospect of letting go. “Help with what...?” Kyungsoo finds himself asking, as they both shuffle along awkwardly, “And where are we going?”

“The West Tower.”

“You’re joking, right?”

Baekhyun shoots him a look that seems to be some weird hybrid cross between desperation and fixated madness and Kyungsoo sighs. They begin their ascent up the stairs and Kyungsoo can practically already feel his legs aching as he thinks about all the stairs they have to climb to reach Owlery Tower. Determined to not suffer permanent crippling due to the stupid, manic determination of a hard-headed Gryffidnor, Kyungsoo yanks his robes out of Baekhyun’s hands. Surprisingly, rather than be angry, Baekhyun looks rather hurt, his face falling, and eyes widening.

Kyungsoo finds himself feeling somewhat.... bad.....?

Shit.

“I’m coming,” he says quickly, pushing past Baekhyun so that he doesn’t have to look at that kicked puppy dog face anymore, or, God forbid, face Baekhyun a genuine smile, “Just, stop dragging me. It’s like nine flights of stairs, and I need my legs functioning.”

There’s a beat of silence before he hears Baekhyun scampering after him. It’s uncharacteristic and kind of creepy to hear Baekhyun so quiet, and so after a few steps, Kyungsoo can’t help but ask, “So, what do you need help with again?” When Baekhyun doesn’t answer again, Kyungsoo turns around, exasperated. He never thought he’d see the day where he’d be bothered by Baekhyun’s silence (of all things), but here he is, and really he just wants Baekhyun to return to his noisy self, because there’s no way he, Do Kyungsoo, actually hurt Baekhyun’s feelings.

When he turns to face Baekhyun, however, he sees him grinning from ear to ear, at which point, Kyungsoo simply wants to launch himself off the moving staircase because this is ridiculous. This is precisely why he doesn’t keep friends (or so he tells himself.)

“Why are you giving me that ridiculous look?” he says flatly.

“You actually don’t hate me,” Baekhyun says, still smiling, and Kyungsoo rolls his eyes.

“You’re incredibly simple.”

Baekhyun prickles at this, and Kyungsoo admits he finds it somewhat comforting. These past ten minutes have given him slight emotional whiplash and he wants to be very much done with all of that now.

“Could a simple man woo a part-Veela exchange student from another school?”

“No. Which is precisely why you are so shitty at this.”

Baekhyun narrows his eyes at Kyungsoo as they continue up to the West Tower, Kyungsoo notes, thankfully, in silence.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

“See?” Baekhyun hisses, jabbing a long finger through the floorboards to the pair of students standing by the window of the Owlery Tower, “Do you see this offense against nature with your own eyes?”

Kyungsoo wants to slap Baekhyun. Or put him in a headlock. Or throw him out the Owlery Tower window. Really, there are so many options, but he can’t do any of that because they would probably all make a considerable deal of noise and currently, he and Baekhyun are hiding in the floors of the West Tower, spying on two students...one of which happens to be Head Boy. Kyungsoo can feel the regret of following Baekhyun creeping in. If only he hadn’t of dropped that quill...

“What am I looking at exactly?” Kyungsoo hisses back, and Baekhyun gapes at him.

“Listen!” Baekhyun says and so Kyungsoo does, if only because it means Baekhyun will shut up.

Both lean forward and press their ears to the floorboards above them to listen to the pair of students talking by the window.

“I’m glad to see you’re adjusting to life here,” Joonmyun says, as he places a hand on Jongdae’s shoulder. Baekhyun makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat, and Kyungsoo kicks him.

“Life here really isn’t like life at Beauxbatons at all,” Jongdae answers somewhat wistfully. Baekhyun notes that he doesn’t move away from Joonmyun’s touch in a frenzied whisper and Kyungsoo kicks him again (“Do you want to be seen?” “Why isn’t he moving?” “Shut up!”)

Joonmyun shoots Jongdae an earnest smile and Baekhyun wants to punch him. “You’re doing really well though. It must have been hard to move here so far away from home just to pursue your dream. It’s very admirable at you.”

Jongdae smiles at Joonmyun, but doesn’t reply, something Baekhyun would be glad for if not for the soul-entwining stare-off between the two that ensued in place of conversation.

“I couldn’t have adjusted to life here without you,” Jongdae replies finally, and Baekhyun wants to gag. “It’s just been so hard, after...”

“Would you shut up?” Kyungsoo hisses, trying to stop Baekhyun from making gagging noises, which drown out Jongdae’s statement. Annoyed, Kyungsoo reached forward to put his hand over Baekhyun’s mouth when he trips forward and the two boys crash to the ground noisily.

“What was that?” Jongdae says, alarmed, jumping away from the window. The owls above them flutter their wings in annoyance, twenty pairs of piercing eyes zoning in on Baekhyun’s and Kyungsoo’s hidden location.

Joonmyun looks unperturbed as he makes his way to Baekhyun’s and Kyungsoo’s hiding place under the stairs. Peeking inside, he’s only mildly surprised to see Baekhyun and Kyungsoo sprawled on the dusty wooden floor, if only because if Baekhyun were there, he would have expected to see his lifetime partner in crime at his side, Park Chanyeol.

“Baekhyun,” Joonmyun says, his eyes moving from Baekhyun to Kyungsoo and back, “why are you hiding under the stairs?”

Jongdae appears at Joonmyun’s side a moment later, something close to livid anger on his face. “Are you spying on me now?” he demands. Baekhyun scrambles to his feet, mentally kicking himself because fuck, Jongdae looks fucking amazing when he’s angry.

“Well, you are a sight to see,” Baekhyun says slowly

“Excuse me?”

Kyungsoo hastily gets to his feet, apologizing quickly, “Sorry.”

Jongdae narrows his eyes at Baekhyun who feels like a cornered mouse. “Are you even going to try to explain yourself?”

Baekhyun takes a deep breath, opening his mouth to say something when Kyungsoo promptly grabs him by the wrist and drags him away from the scene. “We’re very sorry again!” he calls, making sure they’re both down the stairs and back out on the seventh floor landing before letting go of Baekhyun.

“Why did you do that?” Baekhyun demands.

“Because you were about to make an even bigger idiot of yourself than you already are.” Kyungsoo begins to stomp off, taking about five steps, before rounding on Baekhyun, “And why did you drag us up there in the first place? What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that—”

“Baekhyun! Kyungsoo!”

Both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo turn to see Chanyeol bounding towards them, with a wide lopsided grin on his face. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” He stops next to Baekhyun, doubled over and heaving, with his hands on his knees. “H-hang on,” he says, breaths coming out in puffs, “I need to catch my breath.”

“Great, this is exactly what I need,” Kyungsoo comments.

The sarcasm is lost on Chanyeol who simply flashes Kyungsoo a happy, but slightly pained, grin. “Okay,” he says after a few seconds. He straightens himself out, “What’s going on?”

Baekhyun turns back to Kyungsoo to finish his thought and simultaneously fill his best friend in. “The big deal is that Jongdae is being too friendly with Joonmyun,” he says with narrowed eyes.

Chanyeol gasps (though whether that’s genuine or more for dramatic effect is unknown.) “Did you see them kissing, Baek?”

Baekhyun’s cheeks turn slightly pink, “uh, no.”

“Cuddling?”

“....no.”

Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at Baekhyun. “Um...” he glances over at Kyungsoo who stares back at him incredulously, “.....talking?”

“Yes! They were talking! And it was disgustingly....friendly.”

Kyungsoo face palms so hard he knows he’s going to feel that in the morning. “Friendly because they’re friends! Just friends, Baekhyun. Everyone knows this.”

Baekhyun rounds on him, ?“What?! How do people keep finding out these things before me? Is there some newsletter going around I’m not subscribed to, or something?”

“Baekhyun, you’re being ridiculous.”

“What do you mean everyone knows?”

Kyungsoo sighs, while Chanyeol watches the whole thing unfold with eyes wide as saucers. “The exchange students were housed in Ravenclaw Tower. Even an absolute dunce like you knows this, right?” Without waiting for comment, Kyungsoo continues, “Kim Joonmyun, as Head Boy and the Ravenclaw Prefect took to showing them around and I guess he and Jongdae just became good friends.” Kyungsoo finishes with a shrug.

“Showing him around? Teaching him the intricate ways of life here at the castle? That’s too romantic, I’m gonna be sick.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Okay, but hang on,” Chanyeol chimes in, “This is a big deal.”

“Yes, it is!”

“Because Baekhyun thinks it’s a big deal.”

“Right, I do!”

“So, we need to fix it.”

“We?” Kyungsoo asks.

“Yeah, we’ll be just like the three mousekapeers!” Chanyeol announces proudly, “Like from that story, Baekhyun. The one you told me about from the muggle book....”

“It’s musketeers, Chanyeol.”

“I can’t believe this...” Kyungsoo mutters.

“Don’t you want to be a mousekapeer?” Chanyeol asks.

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what that is, but he imagines the only way he’d say yes was if somehow being a mousekapeer involved throwing himself out the seventh corridor window.

(It doesn’t. But, he doesn’t find that out until later.)

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Later, when Baekhyun asks Chanyeol to loan him ten galleons to make a Very Important order, Chanyeol replies that he may or may not have lost his excess spending money in a bet of sorts.

Baekhyun stares at Chanyeol with a suspicious look, but decides not to ask for fear of making Chanyeol look even more uncomfortable than he already is.

Instead, Baekhyun gets the money from Kyungsoo.

“Now, we’re not only bound by the most sacred bonds of hospital-visits, but also by the sacred bonds of debt! Now this is true friendship!” Baekhyun exclaims.

“Please leave me alone.”

Baekhyun does, but only because he has to order something right away; special expedited delivery is a must.

Kyungsoo enjoys the peace and quiet, interrupted only by an oddly distressed Jongin who keeps shooting death glares at Chanyeol. But in Kyungsoo’s world, that’s neither here nor there. “If only looks could kill,” he muses, turning the page of his Transfiguration textbook. If only.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Baekhyun slams both hands flat on the desk on either side of Kim Joonmyun’s school books, but to the latter’s dismay, and looks him straight in the eye.

“What exactly is your relationship with Kim Jongdae?”

“Please, Baekhyun, I’m very busy studying for my Ministry of Magic entry exams.”

“What are you hiding?”

When Baekhyun moves his hands to cover a very important diagram on Sneakoscopes, Joonmyun finds himself forced to humor him.

“Kim Jongdae and I are friends. As Head Boy, it’s my duty to help exchange students adjust to life living at Hogwarts. He’s a nice boy.”

Baekhyun narrows his eyes at the seventh year.

“What’s going on here, Baekhyun? You can tell me.”

“Nothing,” Baekhyun grumbles, removing his hands from Joonmyun’s desk, before fishing around in his pocket for something and then throwing a bag of French candies on the table. “Here, just give these to Jongdae. He seemed to be missing them.” Without another word, Baekhyun exits the library, head hung low in defeat, leaving Joonmyun to ponder all great mysteries in silence: the velocity of a stunning spell needed to subdue a rampaging giant, the degree to which a Sneakoscope’s spin shifts based on the intent of the wrongdoer, and the inner workings of a sixteen-year-old boy’s heart.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Halfway through dinner, Joonmyun brings the question up casually. Jongdae is easy-going, friendly, and overall, a perfect gentlemen, but he knows the territory he’s about to encroach on is something short of a no man’s land of the heart.

And let’s be real, Kim Joonmyun didn’t get into Ravenclaw for nothing.

“Jongdae,” he says, halfway through a slice of roast turkey, “What’s going on between you and Byun Baekhyun?”

Jongdae looks up at Joonmyun as if he can’t believe the words coming out his mouth.

“He’s an annoying Gryffindor with far too many lame pick up lines,” Jongdae answers succinctly, but Joonmyun distinctly catches Jongdae’s eyes dart towards the Gryffindor table two tables over.

“I think he may like you...” Joonmyun says, quickly taking a gulp of pumpkin juice to avoid elaborating.

Jongdae snorts, “It’s easy for people to like you when you’re a half-Veela. You just, flip your hair, and they come running. He doesn’t even know anything about me.”

Joonmyun extracts the bag of candy slowly, placing it on the table in front of Jongdae.

“What’s this?” Jongdae takes the bag in his hands and reads the label, “La Chaîne de Fées?” Jongdae looks up at Joonmyun, an incredulous expression on his face. “This candy is incredibly difficult to come by. It’s the more expensive version of my favorite candies, Les Bonbons de Fèes. How did you know?”

Joonmyun can’t help but smile slightly because deep down, he’s such a sap for the sappy and heart-warming, “I didn’t. Baekhyun did.”

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Despite being in the same year, Baekhyun and Jongdae don’t find themselves in class together until some weeks after the Beauxbatons students’ arrival at Hogwarts.

They find themselves thrown together for a partner-based exercise on a warm, sunny afternoon during Defense Against the Dark Arts, a fact that has Baekhyun smirking because Defense Against the Dark Arts is Baekhyun’s best class by far.

“I hope you’re ready to be shocked and amazed,” Baekhyun says to Jongdae as they step up to face each other, “because I know how to really work my wand.” He winks at Jongdae, who rolls his eyes.

“I have in this bag slips of paper with various highly advanced spells on them,” the professor explains, “You and your partner will draw one piece of paper and attempt each spell. This is just for fun, of course, and these spells are extremely advanced, so I don’t expect you all to be able to complete them.”

Baekhyun’s confidence seems to be seeping out of his very pores into the air around him as the professor hands both Jongdae and him his slip. One glance at the paper, and Baekhyun’s grin seems to grow twice its size. He glances up at Jongdae who isn’t especially fazed by their assigned spell, which Baekhyun finds puzzling because it is Very Difficult, but also one of his best spells.

“Mr. Byun? Mr. Kim? Are you two ready?” the professor asks with a smile.

“Yes, professor.”

“Yeah.”

“Very well. Take your places.”

Baekhyun and Jongdae walk ten steps from one another and turn to face one another. Baekhyun notes the look of serious determination on Jongdae’s face, and wonders if he’s worried he won’t be able to do it.

“On the count of three,” the professor announces, “One.... two... three!”

“Expecto Patronum!” both boys yell in sync as two corporeal silvery animals burst from their wands to run the expanse of the room, leaving behind a misty trail that has the entire class oohing and ahhing in sheer amazement.

“Very well, boys! Very well, indeed!” the professor exclaims, hands over her mouth, as she joins the class in applause. “How amazing to have two students in one class able to produce a fully corporeal Patronus Charm!”

Baekhyun watches with wide eyes as his Patronus in the form of a beagle dog runs to greet Jongdae’s cat Patronus. He watches in amazement as the two Patronusses dance around one another before each dissolving into silvery mist. Once the mist clears, he can hear his professor telling them to return to the audience, to come sit back down, but he feels frozen in place, as a pair of dark eyes stare back inquisitively at him as if to ask, “You too?”

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

After class, Jongdae disappears too quickly for Baekhyun to find him. Baekhyun is disappointed that Jongdae didn’t want to stay to talk or even explain why he could conjure such a strong Patronus and seeks solace in the ragtag group of best friends he, Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo have created.

“Wait, so he could create one, too?” Chanyeol says through a mouthful of rack of lamb.

Baekhyun sighs and nods, placing his chin on the table, while Kyungsoo disapprovingly moves his mashed potatoes away from Baekhyun’s moaning face.

“Wow,” Chanyeol says with bated breath, “That’s advanced magic. Are all Beauxbatons students so advanced?”

“I doubt it,” Kyungsoo replies, “They did this same exercise with the seventh years the other day, and one of the other exchange students, Kim Minseok, couldn’t conjure one. No one really seemed bothered by it, so I don’t expect being able to conjure one is the norm at Beauxbatons.”

“Why were you watching the seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts class?” Chanyeol asks, pausing to heap more stuffing onto his plate.

“I talked to Joonmyun-hyung.”

“Traitor,” they both hear Baekhyun mutter into the table, but Kyungsoo ignores it.

“Anyway, it’s not because he’s from Beauxbatons. Maybe, he’s just really, really good at Defense Against the Dark Arts charms.”

Baekhyun moves his head so that he can properly talk. “But, if he didn’t learn it in school, why did he learn it?”

“Isn’t that a bit personal, Byunbaek,” Chanyeol says, lightly knocking Baekhyun on the top of the head.

“For once, I have to agree with Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo supplies.

“Still,” Baekhyun says, staring at the starry ceiling of the Great Hall, “he looked sad, you guys. Like, it wasn’t just for fun. Like it was real. Like there was something else there.”

“This just in, Baekhyun, not everyone views the world as a joke like you and Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo informs Baekhyun with Baekhyun’s response throwing him off guard completely.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right, Kyungsoo. Maybe you’re right.”

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Somber moods do not descend on Baekhyun very frequently, but when they do, instead of holing himself up in his room and brooding with a book per usual, this particular sunny afternoon, he finds himself on the banks of the Great Lake. Beside him, is his CD player playing a wonderfully calming medley of the Top Forty from back home, truly a homeopathic collection of the finest music.

A few meters from him, a tentacle of the Giant Squid stretches out along the shoreline, but aside from that, he’s completely alone, which he can be grateful for. The solitude helps him think.

At least, he thought he was alone.

From the other side of the tentacles, Baekhyun hears faint murmuring, and being a brave Gryffindor with no respect for personal privacy, he decides to investigate, only to find Kim Jongdae talking to a group of snails.

“You’re alright now,” Jongdae says, and Baekhyun finds the whole thing so bizarre that he doesn’t even try to hide himself when Jongdae looks over at him. “What?”

Baekhyun blinks, “Um.”

“That’s a very dignified answer.”

Quickly, Baekhyun shakes off his surprise. “Why are you here?” he finally says instead and Jongdae straightens himself up, brushing the dust off of his robes.

“I found these snails a few feet from the lake, and I decided to return them to the lake. They look like Great Pond Snails, so they’re aquatic. I guess the rain washed them on shore.”

“How do you know that?”

Jongdae stares at Baekhyun. “I don’t think you’ve quite unlocked my Tragic Backstory, yet.” He pauses, “What’s that noise?”

“Oh,” Baekhyun scrambles to turn off his CD player, laying forgotten in the muddy grass, just as ‘Glad You Came’ comes on. “It’s nothing,” he says retrieving the now silent CD player. Jongdae turns to make his way back to the castle when Baekhyun calls out to him. “I know I’m just this annoying guy who keeps bugging you, but, I can’t help but notice you seem sad.”

Jongdae turns to look at Baekhyun, “I seem sad?”

“Or,” Baekhyun backtracks, “you seemed sad. Or, something. When we were in class the other day, and we had to cast the Patronusses, and....”

“Oh...” Jongdae looks away, and Baekhyun immediately regrets saying anything at all because now, Jongdae definitely looks sad.

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun apologizes quickly, and the true heartfelt concern from Baekhyun seems to jarring to Jongdae that he actually feels himself moved by it. He needs to lay off the candy.

“Why can you cast a Patronus?” Jongdae finally asks, stepping towards Baekhyun and taking a seat on the bank. Baekhyun seems caught offguard by the question, but takes a seat next to Jongdae, placing the CD player between them.

“It’s not...” Baekhyun stars, “It’s not, my Tragic Backstory, or something. It’s um, well, it’s—”

“You always seem to be talking so much, but when you’re around me, you can barely say anything,” Jongdae muses and Baekhyun curls and uncurls his fingers.

“You’re just, really....” Baekhyun trails off before clearing his throat, “Anyway, in fourth year, we had Dementors on campus. They say Hogwarts is the finest school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but I bet Beauxbatons didn’t have fucking Voldemort running around on campus every other year.” Jongdae can only nod as Baekhyun continues, “So, they were really scary. It was my first time encountering them because my parents are muggles, so I didn’t even know what they were, but I knew I n ever wanted to be close to them.” Baekhyun picks at the blades of grass around them. “One night, they went a little haywire, and I guess Chanyeol and I shouldn’t have been fucking around on the grounds after dark, but the Dementors went after us. And we were okay, obviously, now we’re okay, but, they almost got Chanyeol, so... I decided... you know... just in case...” Baekhyun trails off and Jongdae finds himself also picking at the grass, too.

“Chanyeol is that kid you’re always with...” he says slowly and Baekhyun nods.

“Yeah, not the kid with the big eyes and lips though. That’s Kyungsoo. Chanyeol’s the offensively tall one who looks like a giraffe bred with a puppy.”

“I’m sorry,” Jongdae says, but Baekhyun shakes his head.

“No harm done, and I got really good at Defense Against the Dark Arts after that. It was like, an inspiration or some shit. Nothing motivates you like almost dying when you’re fourteen, I guess.”

Jongdae nods pensively and they sit in silence for a few moments, save for the sound of the rustling leaves in the trees around them and the sloshing of the current against the fleshy tentacles of the Giant Squid. Finally, Baekhyun begins to rise, dusting off his own robes. “Well, I guess I’ll get going, then,” he begins, but Jongdae cuts him off.

“I was sad,” he says and Baekhyun freezes. “I, too, learned the Patronus Charm under unfortunate circumstances. But, mine doesn’t have a happy ending.” Baekhyun slowly lowers himself back to the ground, intent on listening.

“When I was young, my parents and I went to Papua New Guinea for one of my father’s research trips. My father was a zoologist, which is why I know so much about snails, for instance,” Jongdae explains, “and my mother was a witch. We used to travel all over the world for Dad’s research. And when I couldn’t go with them, they’d bring me candy.”

“While we were in Papua New Guinea, my parents were attacked and killed by a Lethifold. They were eaten in their sleep.” Baekhyun focuses on a leaf floating in the water some feet away from them. “I escaped because I had fallen asleep downstairs after reading.” Jongdae sighs. “That day you were spying on me at the West Tower was the anniversary of my parents’ death.” Jongdae looks at Baekhyun pointedly, who suddenly feels a thousand times worse. “But anyway, after that, I got really good at the Patronus Charm, too, you know,” He looks up at Baekhyun, “just in case.”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun replies as a fresh spring breeze cuts between them, suspending leaves and dandelion seeds and blades of torn grass and even their hearts in the warm air, “Just in case.”

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Baekhyun and Jongdae have another class together a few days later. Since Jongdae had told Baekhyun is Tragic Backstory, as Jongdae had called it, he’d felt a certain heavy cloud that seemed to stagnate over him. Having avoided Jongdae’s gaze throughout class, Baekhyun is surprised to find Jongdae waiting for him after class.

“Were you waiting for me?” Baekhyun asks, his brain-to-mouth filter suspiciously absent yet again (someone file a missing person’s report for that thing for the sake of all involved, please.)

Jongdae pauses, looking as if he has too many things he wants to say.

And he does.

He finds himself wanting to talk more with Baekhyun than he’s comfortable with.

Finally, he collects his thoughts, and swallows the lump in throat, preparing to finally speak to Baekhyun when fourth year Jongin runs towards the pair.

“Hyung!” he shouts happily, stopping just short of running into Baekhyun full on, “Hyung! I have great news!”

Baekhyun wants to punch Jongin right in the face, but the smile on his face is somewhat infectious, and he can almost feel himself smiling, too. “What?” he manages, craning around Jongin to make sure Jongdae hasn’t vanished into thin air. He’s still there, all systems go.

“Gryffindor qualified for the finals!”

Baekhyun raises an eyebrow at him. “Wait, I thought Gryffindor got knocked out in the last match, and Hufflepuff qualified.”

“Yeah, yeah, but apparently their seeker, Yixing, won’t be able to play! Some sort of injury, so Gryffindor got put back in! It’s this weekend!”

Baekhyun blinks at Jongin. “Wait, against Slytherin?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, good, I have more great Quidditch-themed pick up lines for you to use.”

Jongin takes a step backwards. “Oh no you don’t. Never again. Nope, no thank you. Goodbye.” Jongin’s about to run off to alert more Gryffindors of the great news when he finally notices Jongdae. “The pick up lines don’t work, right?” he asks bluntly and Jongdae blushes, “I don’t know why hyung tries to use them. I think he thinks they make him look cool, but the lines really didn’t work for me at all. But, if you can get past them, hyung’s not that bad. Just a little weird, but I think he likes you a lot. You should go to the game with him.”

“Okay, Jongin, goodbye!” Baekhyun says, pushing Jongin away, who eagerly takes off, laughing as he goes. Baekhyun wants to face palm, or melt into a puddle, or maybe both, even though that doesn’t make sense, because how would a puddle even face palm?

“S-sorry about that,” Baekhyun says, lacing the awkward words with fake laughter, “Kids, right?”

Baekhyun peeks up at Jongdae’s face from through his fringe, trying to avoid eye contact out of embarrassment, but interestingly enough, Jongdae has a slight smile on his face as he stares after Jongin’s retreating figure.

“What’s the line?” he asks and Baekhyun blinks, completely confused, like a stag caught in the headlines.

“The line?”

“The Quidditch-themed pick up line.”

“Oh, um, okay. How about...” Baekhyun pauses for a moment, still caught completely off guard, “’Are you a Golden Snitch? Because I’ve been seeking for something like you my whole life?’”

Baekhyun watches in shell-shocked awe as Jongdae cracks a smile. “Yeah, that’s pretty lame.”

“You asked for it!”

“You came up with it.”

There’s a beat of silence before Jongdae finally asks, “So, are you going to ask me to go with you?”

“Where?” Baekhyun gets a mischievous look on his face, “Because my be—”

“To the game.”

“Oh. Um, I don’t really have a pick up line prepared for that off the top of my head...” Jongdae acts mock surprised, which horrifies Baekhyun. “Wait, I can think of one. Um, are you a broomstick? Because I want to ride you to the pitch on Saturday night. Wait, no...”

“You can just ask me. Without a pick up line.”

“Oh.”

Jongdae walks past Baekhyun, making his exit while the Gryffindor is still dazed and confused (Jongdae used Logic! It is super effective!) pausing to place a piece of tightly wound sugar string in Baekhyun’s hand. “Maybe, you’re not as bad as I thought,” he whispers, his breath ghosting over Baekhyun’s ear, and in that moment, Baekhyun feels everything. The sudden warmth of Jongdae’s body and breath, the coolness of the space around them, the pounding of his heart in his ears; everything feels electrified and his head spins. And then, as quick as it had come, it’s gone along with Jongdae, and Baekhyun wants to both cry and jump for joy at the same time.

He does the next best thing.

He finds Chanyeol and Kyungsoo in the Great Hall and talks and talks and talks for an hour straight.

Chanyeol says Baekhyun’s in love. Kyungsoo says he’s an idiot.

Two tables over, Joonmyun happens to hear them while reading up on doxies. He admits, personally, that Baekhyun is probably a little of both.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

The Quidditch finals between Slytherin and Gryffindor are nothing short of intense with a capital ‘I’ as rowdy crowds of supporters gather around field, streaking the pitch in crimson and green. Baekhyun whops and cheers along with the rest of Gryffindor house as Jongin, their star Chaser, zooms across the field, handling the quaffle with expertise and diligence, while Jongdae sits next to him, also cheering boisterously.

“You’re surprisingly enthusiastic about Quidditch!” Baekhyun shouts to Jongdae over the roar of fans’ cheers and Jongdae grins back at him.

“I’m surprisingly enthusiastic about a lot of things.” The reply makes Baekhyun blush faintly, which becomes a full-fledged blush when Jongdae pulls him closer to whisper, “If you pay attention, I may even show you.”

Baekhyun draws back gaping at Jongdae’s out of character display of action while Chanyeol elbows Kyungsoo in the ribs, who seriously just wants one day of peace, God please.

“I thought you were just some cocky kid,” Jongdae explains with a gentle smile, “But, you seem to be more than that.”

“I’m...” Baekhyun wants to reply with some dumb pick up line, but Jongdae’s smile is so genuine, he finds himself struck speechless, trapped by Jongdae’s enchanting gaze. Jongdae slips his hand into Baekhyun’s and again, Baekhyun can feel that electric current spiking between them.

“You’re more than meets the eye, Byun Baekhyun.”

In the background, Jongin scores the winning goal. The crowd erupts in cheers, Chanyeol slaps Kyungsoo on the back so hard he nearly falls forward, and in a show of extreme excitement, Jongin loses control of his broom and crashed right into the Slytherin Seeker, Oh Sehun, earning several gasps from the audience, which quickly morphs into wolf whistles when someone on the pitch shouts out confirming what comes out of Chanyeol’s mouth a second later.

“Holy shit, they’re kissing.”

“That’s nice,” Baekhyun murmurs, and Chanyeol turns to look at Baekhyun.

“Did he take his potion today?” Kyungsoo asks.

Chanyeol sighs, “The Veela-charm in effect again.”

“No,” Joonmyun replies, appearing behind the group of friends with a smile, “I think that’s what they call love.”

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

In the final month before the term ends, Baekhyun and Jongdae find themselves learning a little more about each other each day.

Baekhyun learns that despite Jongdae’s cat-like appearance and his Patronus taking the form of a cat, he really loves dogs (“Hey! Me too!” “I could tell... your Patronus is a beagle, after all.” “Oh yeah...”)

Jongdae learns that Baekhyun is disgusted by cucumbers and sub sequentially enjoys sneaking them into Baekhyun’s dishes at dinner. He pays off a few house elves with pieces of La Chaîne de Fées to keep ‘accidentally’ sprinkling cucumber bits into Baekhyun’s food. It’s a great pastime.

They both learn that they love singing, and though Baekhyun sings all the time (“Seriously, you shouldn’t have told him you like it, Jongdae, he’ll never shut up now.” “Thanks for the warning, Chanyeol”) Jongdae only sings late at night, when everyone else has left them alone in their own secluded study area of the library, and only for Baekhyun.

They also both learn they love pranking, and they even coax both Chanyeol and Kyungsoo into pulling the Best Prank of All Time (2012 edition)—coined by Baekhyun, of course—on the teachers the week before classes end, involving a powerful vanishing spell, an enchanted wardrobe, and three hundred apple snails.

(“Welcome to the three mousekapeers!” “Musketeers, Chanyeol.” “Wait, but there are four of us now.” “Well... there were actually four musketeers.” “Perfect! Thanks, Jongdae!” “Shut up, Baekhyun.” “Kyungsoo!”)

But, that’s another story.

And most importantly, they learn they may just love each other.

˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

It’s only a few days before the end of the term when Baekhyun and Jongdae find themselves sitting by the lake once again. This time, instead of sitting between them, Baekhyun’s CD player sits off to the side, cycling through the Top Forty, as usual, as Baekhyun hums along.

“Chanyeol is right, that really is shit.”

Baekhyun gapes at him, “It’s art.”

Jongdae laughs, leaning backwards, to lie in the warm grass. “The sun goes down, the stars come up,” he sings softly and Baekhyun freaks out, scrambling to turn off the CD player.

“Wait, wait, I need to listen to you. Let me turn this shit off!” Jongdae laughs again, pulling Baekhyun towards him as Baekhyun tries to get to the CD player. “No,” he whines, as Jongdae’s arms circle around his waist, “I want to hear you sing.”

“Wow, talk about gross displays of public affection,” they hear a certain sassy Slytherin underclassman say from behind them. Both Jongdae and Baekhyun look up to see Sehun smirking at them and and Jongin looking fondly at Sehun, causing Baekhyun to fall on top of Jongdae unceremoniously.

“Nice,” comments Jongin.

“Get out of here!” Baekhyun barks and the two underclassmen run off laughing.

Baekhyun rolls off of Jongdae and sits in the grass next to him, wondering if he can shoot a tickling curse from this far away and if it’d hit the two ungrateful, little brats. He imagines the two giggling uncontrollably for the next hour while begging for Baekhyun’s forgiveness, and smiles.

“Baekhyun,” Jongdae says, and his name on the lips of literally the most amazing person on the planet snaps Baekhyun out of his revenge-filled reverie. “Did you really think those pick up lines would work?”

Baekhyun glances back at Jongdae, a grin on his face, “Well, didn’t they?”

Jongdae rolls his eyes. “Hm, okay let me try one.” He sits up in one swift motion so that he can sit eye-to-eye with Baekhyun. He takes Baekhyun’s cheek in the palm of his hand and leans in. “Your smile’s like expelliarmus,” he says softly, “simple but disarming.”

Again, Baekhyun finds himself speechless as he attempts to respond while Jongdae laughs lightly. “That’s how you use a pick up line. How was my delivery?”

“Exceeds expectations...” Baekhyun says, despite the fact that his heart is pounding in his chest and his palms are sweaty.

“Hm,” Jongdae gives him a serious look. “What about this?” And then he leans forward and presses his lips to Baekhyun’s lips.

In the past few weeks they’d been together, Baekhyun had had his fair share of Jongdae’s French candies. He had to admit, Jongdae had good taste—the La Chaîne de Fèes were the sweetest of all.

But, this is a thousand times sweeter.

When Jongdae finally pulls back, he waits, expectantly for Baekhyun’s grade, which naturally, Baekhyun had completely forgotten about.

“So, what’s my grade?”

“Outstanding...” Baekhyun comments breathlessly, his head still spinning and Jongdae laughs, loud and vivaciously.

A few feet away, the CD player replays ‘Glad You Came’ again, but this time, Jongdae doesn’t groan. He leans forward to whisper in Baekhyun’s ear, “The universe will never be the same, I’m glad I came.”

“I’m glad you came.”



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