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His legs muscles were pulling hard, and he felt like his lungs were on fire.
He was late, it wasn't uncommon for Byun Baekhyun to be late, but he never was this late usually. Byun Baekhyun was known for his bright personality and for his outstanding intelligence. He was one of the smartest student in school, but also notorious for his innumerable lateness.
He couldn’t sleep well yesterday, he was doubting the fact that he’ll be good enough to be the Head Boy. He was for sure the brightest of his year, he knew it, there wasn’t even one subject where he sucked at, but he couldn’t help but worry.
Sometimes he did had a hard time with a notion, for example in History or a spell that he couldn’t cast as good as he wanted, but with a lot of efforts and energy spent, he would always ended up being the first of the class.
And he was really proud of that.
Fortunately for him, no one really disliked him. He was always joyful, he passed most of his leisure time helping other students and guiding the first years. He even was appointed as the prefect of Ravenclaw house in his fifth year, it undoubtedly demanded more of his personal time and he was totally okay with it, but he wasn’t sure if he was qualified enough to be selected as the Head Boy in his seventh year. The professors did chose him though, they believed in him so Baekhyun thought that maybe everything will be fine.
He tried convincing himself with that thought, he even was very tempted to contact Jongdae to ease his nerves but he couldn’t wake his best friend at 3 in the morning just because he couldn’t stop overthinking. He turned and tossed around a lot in his bed, he felt like throwing up most of the time but he sure did ended up falling asleep eventually.
When his mother yelled his name, he felt like he had just closed his eyes seconds before, and he was more exhausted than he ever was. He looked at his watch and realized that he was running late, like really really late. He thought he might had gotten this habit from his mother, because she only had the urge to wake him up when he just had around 25 minutes left to get ready.
He took the quickest shower he ever did in his entire life, he did run all over his room trying to grab his stuffs together. Once he deemed he had taken everything necessary, they relocated?apparated? to the train station and he run as fast as he could from where his mother had relocated?apparated? them towards Platform 9 3/4, almost hitting people who were bidding goodbyes to their relatives.
Out of breath, he stopped right before the doors of one of the train carriages trying to get his heavy suitcases inside the Hogwarts Express. He was still struggling when he heard a deep voice in front of him.
“Do you need help with those?”
He looked up and saw a tall figure looming in front of him. His dyed purplish-red hair were messy and were hiding his gorgeous almond shaped brown eyes. His face could’ve leave angels voiceless, Baekhyun was sure of it. He wanted to even less think about the muscles which were hidden beneath the muggle clothes he was currently wearing. Greek gods? This beautiful male could put them to shame. Even Apollo didn’t have a body as shapedly as this.
Park Chanyeol was right here, in his all glorious splendor, asking him if he needed assistance.
Maybe the fact that Baekhyun had been crushing on him since his third year was biasing a little on how he saw him but even if he was unable to think straight in front of Chanyeol, he was not blind. That guy, the quidditch captain of Gryffindor, was exquisitely handsome.
Baekhyun broke out of his momentary stupor when he was aware that he still didn’t answered him, so he composed himself the best he was able to and answered “I-I can..“.
He was interrupted by Chanyeol, who smirked before grabbing his stuffs and bringing them inside the train. His eyes were sparkling, amused by the smaller one’s behavior.
“Thank you.” Baekhyun said, relieved but of course he would not say it directly to Chanyeol.
“Do you know where Kim is or do you need my help to find him?” Chanyeol said, trying to suppress a smile.
Baekhyun was half embarrassed and half annoyed. He wanted to rip this smile off Chanyeol’s face and at the same time he also wanted to hide himself in the toilets. Park Chanyeol definitely made him feel things he never did with anyone else.
“No thanks, I think I can find the way on my own from now.” Baekhyun said with his usual perfect smile, polite but standoffish.
“Congratulations by the way, you were chosen as the Head Boy.” Chanyeol gazed at the badge pinned on his chest.
At the mention, Baekhyun’s smile may have widened more than it probably should.
“Thank you.” He answered, taking his suitcases and the cage of his owl.
He saw Chanyeol turning on his heels and beginning to walk toward the opposite direction.
“Park” He called back.
The boy stopped and turned his body halfway with a hum.
“Change your clothes before we’re arriving at Hogwarts please.”
Chanyeol’s eyes lighted up and he let out a little chuckle before nodding. He turned his back and Baekhyun watched him walk away. He took a deep breath before walking through the corridors of the train. He opened all of the compartments and instructed the students to change their clothes into the school uniforms, he told the first years what to do and requested the sophomores and seniors to behave on the journey. He finally found Jongdae, sitting alone in one of them, his legs on the seats and a book in his hands.
“It’s taken, there’s no place left for you.” Jongdae said without sparing a glance.
“Are you seriously kicking me out?” He said faking annoyance.
Jongdae looked up upon hearing his voice and began to smile. He gently put his book down and stood up, immediately hugging his best friend.
“Where were you? I waited so long for you Baek. I even had to scare the shit out of some first years.” He said, separating himself from Baekhyun and sat down, still close to him.
“It’s like this was the last compartment free, and they all wanted to come in here. I know I'm incredibly attractive and everyone want to see my beauty up close, but just like everyone, I also need some privacy.”
“Stop being so full of yourself you brat, and stop scaring my first years, I have to calm them down afterwards.”
“Your what? Since when they’re your first years?” said Jongdae exasperatedly. “Don’t even began trying to take care of everyone, you’re only the head boy, not their mother Baek.”
“Where’s Jongin?” Baekhyun quickly changed the subject.
“Sehun called him over.”
“It’ll always amaze me how they’re still just friend” said Baekhyun, hugging Jongdae’s arm and putting his head on his shoulder.
“It’s only Ravenclaw-Gryffindor, the rivalry is not that deep, and they’re more than friend, I’m like hundred percent sure of it. But, my dear, Chanyeol’s and Kyungsoo’s friendship is something else, never in my life I heard a Gryffindor being this soft toward a Slytherin. And sometimes Soo is indifferent to Chanyeol for no reason but I never saw that idiot complaining.”
Baekhyun didn’t answered and Jongdae sighed.
“You seriously need to do something, it’s your last year and his too. You're crushing on him since you were in your third year.”
“Save it for yourself.“ Baekhyun said, playfully hitting Jongdae’s arms “You’re pinning over Minseok hyung since forever, he’s your friend since you’re four and you’re in love with him since eight and yet you still didn’t made a move.“
“It’s not the same.” Jongdae whined.
“Why not?”
“I can’t lose what I have with him, while you don’t have anything with Park.”
“We’re… talking casually to each other.” Baekhyun replied, almost in a questioning tone.
“Do you remember one of his pranks? It backfired to you, and you had to charm the corridors of the second floor for hours trying to remove all of the burn marks on the walls and the floor.” Jongdae reminded him.
“He apologized and almost did everything on his own, I was mostly watching over what he was doing and just kept him some company.”
“Watching over him my ass.” Jongdae laughed “You were ogling him all along.”
“Still better than what you did, in other words, nothing.” Baekhyun retorted with red cheeks.
Jongdae rolled his eyes and pushed Baekhyun away without putting any strength on it.
“Minseok is my best friend.”
“He's not! I’m your best friend, he’s only one of your friends" he said, outraged with the statement.
“True, but I love the way you're possessive over me.” Jongdae wiggled his eyebrows teasingly.
“You’re seriously the stupidest one of the Ravenclaws.”
“You love me so much.”
“Who are you again?”
They stayed still for a while in a comfortable silence before Baekhyun had to go meet the prefects, to instruct them of their duties and to tell them when they will need to patrol in the train. It was a pleasantly quiet trip, thought Baekhyun, maybe a little too silent for a train where Park Chanyeol and his friends were on board.
Once they arrived, they went to the school carriages,
which were pulled by the Thestrals up to the castle.
He saw Chanyeol putting his hand up in the air, caressing something invisible. A thestral. He might had been staring for too long because suddenly his eyes locked with him, and he looked away quickly, trying not to ponder on how his crush ended up face to face with death.
It had only been a month into school and Baekhyun felt like dying.He couldn’t find any single second spared for himself and he was going crazy because of the routine he had to follow every day. He was waking up early in the morning, took a shower and went straight to the Great Hall, he was eating and reading his notes at the same time. He was never able to eat as much as he wanted, as there was always someone who needed his help about something, a spell or an advice. He had to leave the Great Hall as quickly as possible and perform a patrol in the third floor, making sure no one was up there. He had to take Gryffindor, Slytherin and Hufflepuff’s passwords and distribute them to the prefects before classes begin. Jongdae was generally casting him worried gazes and some coffee to help him stay awake. He had to fight against sleep and concentrate in classes and be the best.
Nobody had pressured Baekhyun the way he forced himself. He knew his abilities very well and what he was capable of, and he wanted to prove himself that he could do it. He always had been surprised by the fact that he ended up in Ravenclaw, with the ambition he had and how much he wanted to be successful in whatever he was doing.
He couldn’t even eat his lunch at noon peacefully because prefects from different houses were talking about him and telling him things that happened, who fought with who, how much points they lost, and all. Dinner was the most stressful moment for him. Just thinking about the prefects who weren’t doing their job of patrolling in their assigned floors and how he was going to say it to the professors was putting him in too much stress which was decreasing his appetite. And once his prefect duties were completed, he still had to do his homework and revise some of his notes for the subjects he had the day after.
He couldn’t fail this, given that it’s his final year at Hogwarts and if he had to lose two or three hours of sleep for that then he will. But he was extremely tired. So goddamn tired and he couldn’t even cut a simple sample of the herbs as he felt too dizzy. He couldn’t hear anything until he felt a hand on his shoulder. All his senses woke up at once and he looked up to face a worried Jongdae.
“You seriously need to rest dude,I almost thought you were going to pass out.”
‘Me too’ thought Baekhyun but nothing passed out from his lips.
He smiled and focused on his task once again, more conscious this time. It’s the Care of Magical Creatures class and they had to cut herbs to lure some unicorns to come to them but Baekhyun was sure if he was the unicorns, he wouldn’t have come to a human who looked sick. He was practically cutting the herbs as if he was pulling weeds.
Two little creatures came to see the students, then he saw a student walking toward them, all confident, petting them as if they were his dogs. Park Chanyeol was an animal lover and he was sure if he had to be face to face with an arachnid he would still ended up adopting it. If he understood something about the captain of Gryffindor, it was that he had a big heart and he cared too much about everything, even those little creatures that no one had spared a thought about.
After some times passed, Baekhyun sighed and gave up. No unicorn or any beautiful little creatures was coming to him. He was frustrated. What did he have done wrong? What was the problem?
“You need to relax.” Chanyeol said behind him, hands full of flowers.
He didn’t noticed him walking close to him. Most of the students were with the professor. They were listening to her advice, as if Baekhyun didn’t. It was just useless.
“They can feel your frame of mind.”
“And what do they feel exactly.” Baekhyun asked almost exasperatedly.
“You’re stressed and tired.”
The smaller one sighed again for the umpteenth time, shoulders less stiff.
“I have a lot to do.”
Chanyeol looked at him with a confused frown.“Doesn’t the head girl helps you at all?”
“She.. does what she have to.”
“In other words she doesn’t, right?”
Baekhyun didn’t says anything and watched the herbs on his hands and let them down. He couldn’t do it.
“Byun, stop thinking.”
He instantly felt the other boy’s body close behind him. His heartbeat fastened and he tried to breathe calmly. The more he listened to Park’s steady breaths behind him the more it was hard for him to keep himself sane. His long time crush was impinging his comfort zone and he was at the edge of passing out.
He wasn’t overreacting.. okay maybe a little but he was mentally begging Merlin that Park would not hear how loud his heart was beating.
Park gently took his left hand, his arms touching Baekhyun’s, and put the flowers he had been holding in them.
“You just have to relax and stay still, they will understand that you will not hurt them and they’ll eventually come to you.” He whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
He felt warm washing all over him. His messy thoughts were clearer and felt a shiver running down his spine.
“What if they don’t trust me enough?”
“Don’t worry, they will, and they like pretty things.”
He was glad Park couldn’t see his face at this moment which was redder than it had ever been. And less than seconds later, he saw a little pony, its horn no longer than a few inches. It was coming towards him awkwardly but Baekhyun found it cute. His smile grown more when the creature began to eat from his hands.
“He is eating.” he whispered “It’s so beautiful.” Baekhyun said, turning his face to Chanyeol.
The taller one locked his eyes with him and nodded “Beautiful indeed.”
Baekhyun looked back at the little unicorn. He petted its head and threaded his fingers delicately through its fur, the softest thing he ever saw.
Beautiful.
Indeed.
He felt eyes on him, and immediately saw Jongdae in the corner watching him with a smirk.
“Alright, that’s enough for today.“
The professor said and when Baekhyun turned,
Chanyeol wasn’t here anymore.
He searched with his eyes and located him near Oh Sehun, his arm around the younger’s shoulder. His heart ached but he began to walk faster to catch up with Jongin and Jongdae.
“Why didn’t you guys wait for me.” Baekhyun asked between two inhales.
“I thought that you will come with Mister Park.”
Jongdae was smirking while Jongin looked at him confusedly.
“What? Why?” Jongin interrupted before Baekhyun could say something.
“Our pretty head boy here doesn’t even have time to sleep but he do has time to flirt with the Captain of enemy team.”
“What the hell Jongdae, the match between Ravenclaw-Gryffindor is in weeks and I never went to one for years, I don’t even support a single team in Quidditch.” Baekhyun said, annoyed.
“Let alone the fact he isn’t interested in me.” Baekhyun’s mood nosedived.
He will never look at him the way Baekhyun wanted him to. He was Park Chanyeol. He always pulled pranks on everyone, they were sometimes borderline exasperating and sometimes really funny, but it was always casted by beautiful magic. Chanyeol’s and his friends’ spells were in another level from Baekhyun’s, who was only applying what he learned from advanced books whereas they were mixing fun and high level magic.
Baekhyun found it cool, and he wasn’t the only one thinking like this. He wasn’t the only one and he will never be Chanyeol’s one and only. Park was just over friendly with everyone.
He closed his eyes before breathing deeply, still walking fast with his friends, he was used to this ugly feeling which was trying to eat him alive. Jealousy? Desperation? He didn’t knew but everytime he reminded himself that Chanyeol will never be his, or that he will never love him the way he does, he felt sad. He wanted to cry and make this empty feeling go away but he couldn’t.
He didn’t had the time to have a breakdown over a silly crush.
A silly but huge crush.
The same night, every prefects were doing their duties perfectly and surprisingly, the head girl showed up before Baekhyun himself and told him that she took care of everything. He reluctantly went back to his dormitory tower, he couldn’t help but worry. Were they really doing their job? Was the head girl really taking care of the others and her own duties? But even with all of these thoughts, he slept really good for the first time since the beginning of the year.
The following days were even better. Nobody was distracting him. He had plenty of times for himself and he was able to study without worrying about all the responsibilities he had to take care of. He didn’t knew why they were more independent now, or why they were trying to cope with things by themselves (only if they couldn’t manage to find a way alone, they would come to him), but he was truly glad.
“You’re more and more radiant these days” Jongdae said a week later “I like it.”
Baekhyun laughed softly and drank his coffee with a smile on his lips.
“Everything is good. It’s even great. I don’t feel as pressured as I used to be at the beginning.”
“I heard things.“ Jongin said without lifting his head from the table, still tired from the training he had the night before.
“What?” Jongdae asked, more curious than Baekhyun was.
“Someone had a talk with your precious prefects and your lovely head girl.”
“Who?”
“Can’t say.”
“Jongin-ah, you know I’ll not let you live without having a name right?”
“I really can’t.”
“Why would someone talk to them?” Baekhyun asked, slightly confused.
Jongin sighed before he eventually lifted his head, he looked tired. He tried to not smile but his voice sounded a little too much joyful.
“Because the person was worried about you and he seemed really really angry when he knew they weren’t putting in efforts as much as you did. Isn’t it cute? Like he doesn’t say anything directly to you but he takes care of you from afar!”
"So, it's a 'he'." Jongdae noted.
Jongin sighed and stroked a hand in his hairs, visibly frustrated.
"He will end me if he knows I even told you that, I'm not risking it."
"If he can end you, a quidditch player, he must be either a player himself or .."
"He's not!" Jongin quickly interrupted.
"Then he is a player too, which house?" Jongdae smirked, happy to be insightful.
"Jongdae stop!"
"Oh damn I know who! He always stares at your ass when you pass by Baek. Is it Jihoon?" Jongdae's voice became several pitches louder and more people began to look toward their direction.
"Guys... it doesn’t matter. Can you just shut it and eat faster? You're embarrassing me." Baekhyun hissed but none of them listened to him.
"Jihoon!" Jongdae called the Hufflepuff who was sitting on the other side of the Great Hall.
Now, Baekhyun was sure that every student in the hall was listening to whatever Jongdae would be saying. Jongdae wasn't simply a nobody, everyone in Hogwarts knew him and Jongdae knew every single gossip in the air. He had a heavily curious nature and not knowing who was nursing a crush on his own best friend was maddening him. Merlin’s Beard! How the hell, could the Kim Jongdae not know this?
"Jongdae stop." Baekhyun said louder.
He could feel his face burning up under the attention they were receiving. He was still not use to it, even after all these years.
"Is it you? Do you have a crush on Baek?" Jongdae asked boomingly, clearly unashamed by his act.
"Oh Merlin, Jongdae shut it!" Baekhyun literally screamed while he tried to put his palm on his traitor-ex-best-friend's mouth.
Jongdae dodged him easily and stayed unbothered. Jongin had buried his head in his hands by now and repeated multiple times 'I'm so dead'.
The said Jihoon shook his head but smiled widely before talking proudly "Not me. I didn’t but if he is interested, then I am too."
There were some laughs erupting, several whistles, and a lot of muffled whispers.
"No offense but no thanks, don't listen to this idiot. He doesn't know what he says." Baekhyun quickly answered, loud enough for him to hear. "And you, behave and eat." he said to Jongdae.
"I didn't even..."
"JONGIN" Sehun yelled from the Gryffindor's table. "Honey come here."
Jongin groaned but stood up nevertheless and sauntered toward him like an obedient puppy.
"50 bucks that they're dating." Jongdae said, amused with Jongin’s actions.
"Kim I love you, I really do, but if you don't shut up, I'll throw you in the Black Lake and maybe the giant squid will eat you alive."
"You're no fun." Jongdae pouted.
Baekhyun breathed in deeply, not wanting to hurt his friend. He watched the Gryffindor table, Jongin seemed to be explaining something animatedly to his friends and Sehun laughed while Minseok was shaking his head. He didn't knew what the tanned boy said but their reactions were cute.
He was about to look away when instantly, he locked his eyes with the person who made his heart beats furiously. Chanyeol was staring intensely at him, he was sure the taller was able to penetrate directly into his soul as if he was transparent. Baekhyun really could lose himself in those dreamy chocolate eyes.
But he will never be his. He’ll never get the boy.
He looked down at his plate sourly, trying to calm himself and to not focus on his aching heart.
He turned his face toward Jongdae, who smiled at him sadly, as if he knew what he was thinking.
"Are you okay?" He whispered concernedly and Baekhyun automatically cracked a small smile.
His best friend was surely an idiot but he was the kindest and most understanding idiot he ever knew. He nodded, not trusting his voice.
“Do you.. want to go outside? Or we can go to the library and began to study for the test we have this Friday?” Jongdae suggested.
“Can’t we just lay on our beds without doing anything? I’m tired.” Baekhyun said resentfully while he played with his food.
“Don’t you have to patrol tonight?”
“I do..”
“Does the Head Boy really going to ditch his duties?”
“You wish. I’ll lay on my bed the longest I can, do a swift round in the second floor and go back to my bed.”
“You’re incredible.”
“Thank you.” Baekhyun said, finally smiling.
They stood up and walked with arms interlocked toward their tower. It was silent but nonetheless comfortable.
Once they were in front of the enchanted knocker, the bronze eagle asked “I exist when you don’t know who I am, but I'm nothing when you discover me. Who am I?” Baekhyun rolled his eyes before answering quickly “An enigma.” He rushed inside and went directly to his bed, casting an alarm and closed his eyes, shutting down all of his messy thoughts.
He only heard his lone footsteps on the floor, there wasn’t any ghost or human being in the corridors. It was useless, he thought, patrolling around this late. He never met anyone, after 11pm. It was cold and eerily silent, no sane person would wander around here for no reason. Sometimes, even he himself got scared because of the shadows. They were dancing creepily on the walls but he would never admit it out loud.
Sure, He wasn’t a Gryffindor but he wasn’t a coward either.
He suddenly saw a silhouette, walking slowly to the direction of the moving staircases. Ash blonde haired and after the student turned his head, he saw those defined eyebrows which was the embody of only a name: Oh Sehun. The chaser of Gryffindor and his crush’s best friend. What was he doing here all alone at this late hour?
“Oh Sehun!” he called loud enough for the other to notice him.
The young man looked at him in surprise. He stopped himself and waited for Baekhyun to join him.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was from the hospital wing, bringing back a potion that Madam Ailee gave me for my wounds.” he calmly said, showing his left hand where some scratches were visible “I fell during my training.”
Baekhyun nodded, he knew Sehun fell quite bad because Jongin had incredibly freaked out when someone came to tell him that. He didn’t remember the last time he did see Jongin looking that distressed.
“I can’t let you walk around the school corridors freely at this hour, let me accompany you to your tower.”
“I’m not a child, I can go there alone.” Sehun replied, rolling his eyes.
“I didn’t said it like that, I just follow the rules.”
“Yeah, I know, sorry.” he mumbled softly.
They walked together in silence until some seconds flew by and the awkwardness was killing Baekhyun. He never really did talk to him directly, without Jongin, and it seemed just not.. right?
“Are you and Jongin..?” Baekhyun began unsurely, looking at Sehun who smirked instantly upon hearing that.
“What?”
“Together?”
“Aren’t you his best friend?” He continued, amused.
“He’s too shy for his own good.” Baekhyun sighed.
“well, He’s not the only one shy, ain’t he?”
“What?”
“Tell me Byun, why did you forced Jongin to tell you who talked to your prefects?” He still had his smirk plastered on and it annoyed Baekhyun to no end.
“I didn’t but Jongdae did.”
“Why?”
“To thank him, I suppose. I can.. tell that person, if he ever needs help, I’ll be there.”
“Will you really?”
“Tell me one time where I didn’t help someone when I was able to. I’m not the Head Boy for nothing.”
Sehun looked at Baekhyun before nodding in agreement.
“True,” he said, stopping in front of the big painting. “What if I tell you I know his name?”
“Do you really?” Baekhyun asked skeptically.
“Why do I feel like you don’t believe me?”
“How am I supposed to know that you’re not lying?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
“I don’t know Sehun, to use it in another prank and make fun of me?”
“You know we will never do that right? Even I wasn’t permitted to do that, let alone the others. If someone even think about this, they’ll be the target of all of our pranks for the rest of the year, believe me.”
“And why would you do that?”
“Because.. you’re the best friend of my Nini and you’re our precious Head Boy.” Sehun saw the unconvinced look on Baekhyun so he continued to talk more smoothly in order to make his words believable. “You had covered many of our..mess? And you’re a cool guy who’s helping lost souls from the very first day until the finals so yeah..”
“Are you saying this because I helped you in fifth grade for Astronomy?”
“Yes.” Sehun said bashfully with a half smile.
“You’re not bad either and Sehun.” Baekhyun said, tone becoming more serious “Jongin is the cutest person alive in this castle so if you ever hurt him, I’ll end you even before you could understand what’s happening to you. Understood?”
Sehun smiled, a real one for the first time, and let out a chuckle.
“I know you and Jongdae will. And Byun, if you make him wait any longer he’ll give up on you.”
“What?” Baekhyun was confused, what was Sehun saying? Where was this coming from out of the blue?
“And if you ever hurt him, I’ll be obligated to make your life miserable too, you understand right? Friendship duties.”
“What the hell are you..”
“I need to go, come to watch the match between our houses and.. wear a red scarf.”
“Why would I ever do that?”
“Because my dear, he loves seeing you in the color of his house.” Sehun said with his signature smirk.
Baekhyun stayed still, he couldn’t link everything and felt lost. Red? Quidditch? Sehun? Were they even together? Merlin what this nonsense?
“Baekhyun? What are you doing here at this time?” A deep voice asked behind him.
He turned around and faced the reason of his smile.
Park Chanyeol was donning an oversized sweater and a black jacket where he had the Gryffindor’s emblem pinned on his chest and he knew there’s a bigger one on the back. He looked ravishingly hot. He blocked the passage for Sehun, and grabbed Sehun by the neck while waiting for Baekhyun’s answer.
“I accompanied him” he successfully said without stuttering. “And.. you?”
“I was worried about him and I wanted to search for him but I guess I had nothing to fret for right?” he said with what seemed like a forced smile and Sehun let out a rather pained moan.
Baekhyun widened his eyes at the sound. Was he in pain?
“Are you okay?”
“Hyung..”
“I’ll have a word with you later Sehunnie, why don’t you get inside the common room while I ask Baekhyun a few questions?” He gritted out between his teeth, smiling threateningly against Sehun’s ears.
Baekhyun saw a shiver going through Sehun’s body. Was it a kink of them? Was Sehun in fact with Chanyeol and not Kai? Or worse.. was he with Chanyeol and Kai was only the side man?
He watched Sehun released himself from the taller’s headlock after whispering something into the captains ears, the latter replied with something like ‘I wish for you’ but Baekhyun wasn’t sure, he couldn’t really read people’s lips that well.
“I’m sorry you had to come all over here because of him.” Chanyeol sighed. “Did he.. told you something weird? He’s a bit off these days.” The taller asked softly, looking straight into his eyes.
“I… He..” Baekhyun began but he couldn’t finish. Something in his guts was telling him to shut it.
“We talked about him and Jongin and I kindly reminded him what will happen if he hurt my best friend.” he quickly answered, attempting to calm his frantic heart.
“They’re really slow.” Chanyeol laughed wholeheartedly “But cute.”
“I liked to think that they’re already together and everyone but them knows it.” said Baekhyun with a fond smile. “I need to go back to my tower, it’s getting late.”
“Do you want me to walk you?”
“I’m the Head Boy.” he said with a smirk and began to walk away.
“And?” His crush asked whilst following him closely.
“Students who were found outside their dormitories at this hour would get punishment.”
“Will you give me a detention then?” slyly asked Chanyeol, his arms lightly brushing Baekhyun’s.
“Do you want it?”
“Passing hours in detention to be in your company? Who will not want it?” He answered with a cheeky smile.
“Oh my god, Park are you flirting with me just now?” He couldn’t believe he said it with a blush blooming on his cheeks.
“I’m trying.” Chanyeol chuckled “Is it working?”
Baekhyun didn’t answer but he walked faster, he could hear Chanyeol laughing boisterously. His heart was thumping so fast that Baekhyun was amazed he didn’t pass out yet. Chanyeol? flirting with him? For real? He shivered at the thought and rubbed his arms softly against his side, it was too good to be true.
“Are you cold?” The taller asked worriedly, walking faster to catch up beside him.
He wasn’t. It was only the effect Park Chanyeol had on him.
“It’s okay, I’m almost here…”
He couldn’t end his sentence because he abruptly felt warmth enveloping him and he looked higher to meet Chanyeol’s alluring eyes. The Gryffindor has put his jacket on the smaller one’s shoulder and he had a satisfied smile gracing his lips. Baekhyun knew his face must be red like a tomato at this moment.
“If you catch a cold because of me, your Gryffindor friends would think that it was a trap made by the Ravenclaws.” Baekhyun mumbled under his invisible beard, voice muffled by the front of the jacket.
“Don’t worry I’m tougher than what you think, I am not sick easily.”
They arrived in front of the eagle knocker, it talked with its same monotone voice “You can take me without touching me, who am I?”
He was thinking when Chanyeol called his name, tearing him off from his thoughts.
“Byun why do you hate Quidditch?” Chanyeol asked, stopping him with an outstretched hand gently gripping his shoulder.
He turned to face him. Chanyeol was frowning, Baekhyun took a deep breath before answering him. Chanyeol didn’t take his hand off of him.
“I played with my uncle when I was younger, I fell 4 meters from the sky and broke my right arm. And since then, I… it’s not hate, it’s just that I don’t want to watch someone else getting hurt.”
He didn’t knew why he was talking with so much honesty, maybe it was the weight of Chanyeol’s hand on his shoulder, or maybe the warmth which was spreading because of the said hand.
“So… you won’t be coming to watch the Ravenclaw-Gryffindor match?” he inquired gently.
“I… don’t know.”
Baekhyun hadn’t really thought about it seriously, even when Jongdae couldn’t stop talking about it every single day. But now hearing Park Chanyeol asking him indirectly if he was going, unexpectedly made him feel things he wasn’t used to.
“You should come.”
That was more straightforward, Baekhyun thought, and he smiled.
“You’re the third person who told me that.” Baekhyun snickered.
Chanyeol didn’t say a thing but he could read it on his face. He knew that Chanyeol wanted to know who asked him to come. He was like an open book and Baekhyun liked it.
“Jongdae is annoying the hell out of me to come with him to support Jongin, and Sehun advised me to come too just now.”
“What do I need to do..” Chanyeol took a serious tone and his hand had slipped from his shoulder to his elbow slowly, painfully slow. He could feel his touches burning him, the skin underneath breaking into goose bumps in its wake. His breath was stuck in his throat. It was too much for his heart.
“Nothing. I’ll be there.” Baekhyun told him without thinking.
He felt Chanyeol’s hand slid past his elbow to his wrist and finally his fingers. A delighted smile was dancing on Chanyeol’s lips. He nodded.
“Picture. Go.”
“How did y-you..?” Baekhyun said in awe.
“I’m not stupid” Chanyeol pouted childishly.
“I really don’t need your jacket..”
“You have to walk through your common room and then go upstairs to your dorm.”
“Thank you.”
“Go.”
“Even if I come to your match, I’ll be sitting on my house’s benches.”
“I know.” Chanyeol smiled softly.
“Good night Park.”
“Good night Byun.”
Baekhyun watched Chanyeol’s retreating back until he disappeared into a corner and he entered his own common room. There was still some people lingering around, strange. He was about to walk toward the stairs when he felt someone grabbing his arm. He let out a weak yelp and looked at the criminal. Who was none other than Jongdae. Damnit.
“Are you stupid? Why don’t you just call my name!?”
“I did! Several times even but you didn’t hear me and you walked straight away while you keep on daydreaming!”
“I didn’t hear you.” Baekhyun said dully.
“Who gave you this?” He asked while he was pointing at the jacket “No I know who gave you this but why did he gave you this and how?”
“I was shivering and he put it on my shoulders even when I complained not to.”
“Do you think he was the one who??” Jongdae had his eyes widened at the sudden epiphany and genuinely looked excited.
“Who?” The Head Boy repeated.
“Nothing. I..I have a theory.”
“Okay.. I’m tired, I’m gonna sleep.”
“Are you feeling better now?” Jongdae asked, still concerned.
Baekhyun nodded. “Are you coming?”
“I need to finish reading this but I’ll be there in less than 15 minutes. You must be dead tired. Go upstairs and sleep.”
Baekhyun nodded and mumbled a weak ‘goodnight’ before ascending upstairs. He walked toward the room he shared with four other boys, including his two best friends. There was only Jongin inside, who was laying on his bed, still not sleeping.
The younger turned his attention to him and he smiled.
“Hard to be the Head Boy huh?” He said without commenting the fact that Baekhyun was currently wearing a jacket ridiculously too big for him.
“I saw Sehun.” Baekhyun said after nodding tiredly to him. “He was coming from the infirmary.”
“Was he okay?”
“Yes your boyfriend was perfectly fine, he just went to return something.”
Jongin zoned out long before the implication of Baekhyun’s words finally hit him, then he began to furiously shaking his head “H-he is not my..”
“Come on Jong, when I told him I’ll hurt him if he makes you sad he simply said ‘I know’ and laughed it off.” Baekhyun said, imitating Sehun at the end.
“You said what!!?”
“I asked him if you two were together” Baekhyun continued, taking off the jacket and gently putting it on his bedside drawer.
“WHAT?”
“He said you were shy.”
“MERLIN HYUNG WHY?”
“Because I care about you and I won’t let someone play with your feelings.” Baekhyun earnestly answered while he was removing his top, moving the jacket near his bed.
“I can’t face him anymore.”
“Be a man and go ask him on a date” Baekhyun simply said.
He wore his pyjamas and went inside the comfort of his blankets. Pulling the jacket closer to him, playing with the hem of it, while still talking with his best friend.
“Easy to say.. what if he..” Jongin began unsurely.
“Jong. I know you since the first day you’re here and I know him since the fucking second because you introduced us to your best friend. You love each other so much, it devastating to see both of you beating around the bush.”
“I really do.. love him I mean.”
“I know. So Go and get your man Jong!”
“You’re the best, you know it?”
“I know.” Baekhyun said with a laugh.
“Why do you have Chanyeol hyung’s jacket by the way?”
“Why do you call him hyung and not me?”
“Because he’ll beat my ass if I don’t.”
“Do you mean I won’t?” Baekhyun was outraged.
“Why do you have it?”
“He accompanied me here.” The Head Boy whispered, his frame’s now half covered under his blanket and half under the jacket.
“YOU LET HIM WHAT?”
“Jongin keep it quiet will you? People are sleeping!”
“You let him broke the rules?” Jongin aggressively whispered back. “You don’t even let me go get something to eat from the kitchen at night but you let him walk all over from the Gryffindor tower to here?”
A silent “yes” passed from his lips, he was still hiding himself.
“You’re so whipped,” he giggled in his bed “I bet you are blushing!”
“I hope you fall right after you confess to Sehun.” The smaller retorted back loud enough for the other to hear.
“Hyung.. you can’t say things like that.” Jongin’s voice was trembling and Baekhyun sighed, regretting what he said. He had to deal with a disprited Jongin now and he definitely deserved it.
“You won’t fall Jongin, you have a great balance, give yourself more credits will you. I didn’t raised you to be this hesitant. You must be confident and proud of who you are.”
“You didn’t raised me at..”
“After all I did, you dare to say that to me? I’m disappointed.” Baekhyun gasped forlornly.
“You’re so dramatic.”
“Thank you, now sleep.” He said before closing his eyes and reminiscing in his head how he felt around Chanyeol.
Warm and safe.
“Can someone tell me what happened in 1103?”
The professor was pacing quietly around the classroom, waiting for an answer. Some of the students were boring holes into their dusty textbooks and notes, while some others were writing slowly, trying their best to not make themselves being noticed in order to avoid from being called to answer the question. Baekhyun didn’t want to answer him.
The professor was new and for a mysterious reason, he hated Baekhyun. At the beginning he didn’t give him the grades he deserved but after Baekhyun complained every two seconds during the discussion session for correction by saying “I wrote exactly this” “That’s word for word what I have in my answer sheets” or “that's weird, it's exactly what I wrote but you didn’t gave my very well-deserved points”.
Baekhyun wasn’t usually like this, but he had worked his ass off, trying to balance everything in his life with this whole new ordeal of being a Head Boy this year and he didn’t plan to let some new professor treating him carelessly like this for no valid reasons. But he had signed for his death when he corrected the History of Magic professor 3 times in less than an hour and the man totally discredited him in the eyes of every other students in the classroom.
Baekhyun was not resentful but he hated this man so much that he was showing off his intelligence in history classes more than he ever did in his life. That man tried to make him feel like he was stupid, so Baekhyun was very intrigued to make him feel like he was the incompetent one, an eye for an eye.
“Is someone going to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the class or do you all want to write me 12 pages worth of an essay about what happened in 1103?” The history professor was beginning to lose his patience slowly. “What is the title of our chapter?”
“Werewolves.” Baekhyun began. “The 4th October 1103 was the day when the wizard community first discovered a magical disease called ‘lycanthropy’. If I’m not wrong, from what I recalled based on my readings, there was this peasant named Lycan, a really young and beautiful boy but sadly he's poor, who fell in love with a kind and sweet girl, without knowing that she was the pure-blood heiress of one of the sacred twenty-eight wizarding family. When the head of the family knew this, he cursed the boy, accusing him of charming his daughter by using a love potion.
He hexed him by mixing a really ancient dark magic with a pure one. He wanted to turn the young man into a being that's horribly ugly, thinking that maybe this way his daughter will stop liking the peasant. At first the boy didn’t find any changes occurring to himself, he wasn’t in pain, he wasn’t hurt anywhere either.
Nothing. The couple still secretly saw each other during night times. Everything was fantastically great. That was what he thought until the full moon arrived.”
There wasn’t a single student who wasn’t listening intently to Byun Baekhyun's words. It was an unspoken rule between them, once he talked, everyone else shut down their conversations and listen to him in extreme focus. He always had interesting facts to share with the class, and that indirectly helped them discover something new.
They would rather listen to him giving explanations about some interesting facts for hours than the man who was supposed to teach them, whom was doing nothing but gave a lengthy peroration about his inexistent adventures.
Everyone was looking at Baekhyun with utmost attention, abandoning everything else ,shifting their focus entirely on him, but he was looking down at his notes with a frown marring his charming face.
“During the day he was growing weaker, he couldn’t stay focus for more than two seconds and felt angry for no apparent reason. But even if he was hurting and not in a good shape, he went outside to see the love of his life. They saw each other… for the last time. He turned into a deadly and fearsome wolf and savagely killed her. He woke up, not remembering a single thing about the day before, feeling pain numbing his entire body. There was some scratches on the middle of his chest and a lot of blood.
The very same day, the father of the witch went to him, screaming and jinxing him, calling him a ‘murderer’. The same day Lycan learned that he was an anomaly and had murdered the one he loved dearly. He had taken his own life that night, not wanting to spread the unknown malady to the others, but it was too late, he had already bitten some people when he unconsciously turned during the full moon, and the ones who survived the attacks transformed into a werewolf like him. That’s why we call it ‘lycanthropy’.” Baekhyun ended with a devastated sigh.
“What is the lesson we can take based on this story?” The professor looked straight into Baekhyun’s eyes, waiting for his opinion on it to probably comment it off with a discouraging remarks like ‘that’s not right’.
“Don’t curse someone who didn’t do anything wrong, it’ll bite your bottom back.”
“I wouldn’t have say so.”
“Why?”
“Lycan killed himself for nothing at the end.”
His professor said, Baekhyun was utterly annoyed. The man had always been like this, his mindset was too narrow.
“Lycan didn’t lose anything. The man didn’t want to mix his so-called sacred blood and social status with a nobody, a peasant, probably a Mudblood, and the old man cursed him, wanting the young boy to lose everything he had his physical assets and his lover. At the end, it’s the old man that had lost his precious daughter, and he saw some pure-blood children being infected by the illness he created, staining by this way the blood line he tried so hard protecting. Lycan may have lost the battle but this man lost the entire war.”
“That’s.. an interesting point of view. Is there any cure..”
“There’s no cure found up until today, but there are those really brilliant Japanese researchers who found a potion which was able to successfully tone down every aspects of the illness and turned the infected cells almost inactives.”
“They didn’t found a cure.”
“I never said they did. Those people are still infected, but it’s no longer visible. There are no physical traits that indicate they’re ill and thanks to this, they can live a normal life. They can have jobs and marry people without being seen as a shame to the community.”
“There are still people who are uncomfortable with this occasion, that’s why they can’t extensively sell this potion yet.”
“Well then those persons need to stop being selfish.” Baekhyun was more and more irritated by this new professor on each passing seconds, he missed Mister Lee very much.
“Before becoming werewolves, they are wizards. They’re already a part of this community, they don’t have to adapt to fit in with us, it's us that need to be more tolerant. None of them wanted to be a lycanthrope.”
“They’re a danger to…”
“To no one. There wasn’t any attack since the last Great War and it’s been almost a century ago. They’re not a danger to us but we are for them.”
“You should not give your opinion in the subject but only facts.”
“Neither should you professor and actually I didn’t really gave my opinion like you had accused me of. More than 84 werewolves have been killed for being what they were in less than a decade, while like I said, there’s not even a single case of infection for years. And that’s what I call a fact.”
The professor looked at him in aggravation before turning his body to the rest of the class. He continued talking, it was about how he saved a helpless little kid from a rampaging werewolf this time and Baekhyun rolled his eyes, without even bothering to conceal it. He really hated this man with his entire being. Once the bell rung, he almost screamed from joy, deliverance.
He was the first one to get out of the classroom that's beginning to make his insides felt constricted the longer he stayed, not even waiting for Jongdae. He didn’t want to be late for the potion class. He greeted Mister Kim with a wide smile and sat in the front row. Looking at the ingredients, trying to guess what fascinating potion will they brew today. Shrivelfig, porcupine quills, peppermint sprigs, sopophorous beans and wormwood. Students all rushed in after a few seconds, while he was lost in the clouds, imagining how he would brew the potion.
“What do you think we will do today?” The chubby professor asked with a tone overly enthusiastic. Baekhyun lifted his hand almost at the exact same time the question left the professor's mouth.
“Draught of Living Death?” Tried a Gryffindor once the professor interrogated her.
“No, my dear, there isn’t any powdered root of asphodel right? So it's not Draught of Living Death.”
“We’re making the elixir to induce euphoria.” Baekhyun finally answered. “How did you find out?”
“Shrivelfig and wormwood mixed together. The first one is used for therapeutic potions, while the other one is a very bitter herb used to eliminate the side-effects of some ingredients. But together, they'll generate some kind of stress relieving potion, the bitter taste counterbalance the overly sweet taste coming from the shrivelfig.”
“Excellent! 10 points to Ravenclaw. What is this used for then Mister Byun?”
“This potion causes the person who drink it forget their pain and create a fake feeling of excessive happiness. It is said that if it’s taken regularly in reasonable doses, it can cure depression. ”
“Brilliant as always my boy, 5 points more to Ravenclaw!”
Baekhyun smiled at Jongdae, who snickered beside him. That’s what he liked, being acknowledged for his brain and efforts.
His potion was one of the best, only Junmyeon and Chanyeol succeeded in making their own too. Yixing let his ingredients brewing for too long, while Minseok forgot to add wormwood.
The rest of the day went by without any incident. Baekhyun, as always, assisted the sixth years to cast the Patronus spell along with Jongin. Jongdae used this opportunity to help the nurse, trying to learn a few things here and there from her to be ready for what will happen after his graduation.
Deep inside, Baekhyun had an inkling that something will eventually happen, it was too serenely quiet and every time he experienced this fake peace, he knew it was only temporary, that something was off. Not even a few minutes after, there was a group of ten fourth years, half crying half screaming, complaining to him that some people jinxed them. They were covered in a slimy green substance and Baekhyun slightly grimaced upon the distasteful sight.
“We were only talking among ourselves, right, we didn’t do anything and they threatened us out of nowhere!” One of them said.
“How many people was there?” The Head Boy asked with patience.
“2.”
“They were Gryffindors.” another one added, like he was saying the most repulsive thing ever.
“What did you do to piss them off?” Baekhyun asked, annoyed, he had to go to the Great Hall and eat before doing his patrols and he didn’t have any time to waste.
“We didn’t do anything can’t you hear? These cowards jinxed us by surprise, catching us off guard.”
Baekhyun looked at their badges and saw they were from his house and he couldn’t believe they talked like this in front of him. They may have been the target of a prank but they didn’t have to talk with so much disrespect.
“First of all, I will take 5 points off Ravenclaw. Be careful when you’re talking with me, nobody will insult a house or any other students. You call them cowards when they were only two against ten? None of the seventh years will attack without a real reason. That’s why I’m asking each one of you, what did you do to piss them off?”
“We were attacked!”
“I will not repeat myself.” Baekhyun calmly said, looking at them without any visible emotions.
They were looking at each other but none of them talked. It was obvious that they didn’t anticipate so much question from the Head Boy. They might have thought that he would side with them as they're from the same house, go and blindly punish people. But it wasn’t Baekhyun’s nature to mindlessly penalize others without knowing the full story.
He needed to know what truly happened, to hear the two versions and then take a well calculated decision. He would never abuse his power, that’s why he was taking his responsibilities seriously. He sighed and casted a spell on them, trying to remove the weird green thing off of them. The substance disappeared but their hairs turned into strikingly vivid colours and Baekhyun couldn’t suppress a smile.
“That’s the most I can do for you, I will report this to our house professor, he will take care of this case. The guilty ones will be punished.”
“We’re the victims and we look like shit! I thought you were the best? Why can’t you do more?” One of them asked indignantly but Baekhyun had simply lost every sign of amusement. His aura changed and those students felt it too, walking a step backwards, trying to put some distance between them and the Head Boy.
“You don’t answer me, then I won't help you. That’s it. I will take 20 points off Ravenclaw. And if you don’t get the fuck out of here I’ll take 10 points more just because I can.”
“But..”
“10 poi..”
“Okay! We’re going!” They said before running in absolute mortification.
He sighed, for what seemed for the hundredth times today. He walked quickly to the Great Hall, greeting the paintings on his way. He reached the Ravenclaw bench and smiled when he saw Jongdae’s face. His friend was fiercely bickering with a first year, probably to not let the poor boy sit in front of him, where Baekhyun was perched on most of the times.
“Let the kid lives Dae.” He said with a soft smile on his lips.
“I will if he stop being stupid. We’re not going to lose against Gryffindor. That’s a no-no. If I have to jinx their team before the match to secure our winning then I surely will!” Jongdae said with a flaming passion.
“That’s not a fair play.”
“I know Baekhyun but they will not expect it and we will win for sure! They won the House Cup for the last three consecutive years! I think it’s enough already! I will not graduate from here before I saw our house win.”
“Do you really want to repeat your seventh year again?” Baekhyun asked playfully.
“Baekhyun you can’t say things like that.” His best friend whined and Baekhyun chuckled. He was so easy to mess with.
“Why did you take so long to come?” He asked once Baekhyun calmed down and seated himself.
Baekhyun almost forgot about the prior event. He looked up at the Gryffindor table. He saw the seventh years huddled together, laughing and talking with big expressive movements. He needed to know what precisely happened.
“I’m already on my way here but something happened. Wait, I just need to talk to someone.”
He stood up and walked toward them. The only one who stopped laughing was Chanyeol, he was curiously watching the approaching Head Boy, a smile almost forming on his lips.
“Who jinxed the fourth years?” The Ravenclaw asked looking straight into Chanyeol’s eyes, the Gryffindor risen an eyebrow at the question.
“Why are you asking me? Do I look like a prefect?”
Baekhyun rolled his eyes, he knew Chanyeol was always on his defence when he did something mischievous. It was one of the small things he learned about him with time.
“Where is Donghyuck then?”
“Again, how will I know?”
“Merlin, Chanyeol don’t act like these guys don’t follow your orders better than they do with the prefects. I just want the reason why some Gryffindors jinxed these fourth years. I know they’re at fault, that’s why I need to know what they did.” Baekhyun finished his monologue, almost running out of breath.
It was difficult for him to act like he was okay. Because he wasn’t, his heart's thumping erratically in his ribcage. He was talking casually with Chanyeol, in front of his friends.
“They may or may not have said something inappropriate about someone in Ravenclaw.”
“Can you be a little more specific please?”
“They talked about you Byun.”
“Oh. How do you know? W-What did they..?”
“I will not repeat their words. And you don’t have to know how I heard them.” Chanyeol seemed calm but Baekhyun could see from the way he grabbed his fork forcefully, he was everything but calm.
“Thank you. I’ll take care of it. I’m sorry I disturbed you. Enjoy your meal. Oh and when you want it, please tell me and I’ll return your jacket back!” The Head Boy said with a sincere smile.
“You can give it to me after the match.”
“Okay.”
“Byun.” Chanyeol called him before the Ravenclaw could walk further away and Baekhyun hummed, waiting for his sentence.
“Just don’t... drink anything.”
“What? Don’t tell me you’re planning..”
“I couldn’t let these brats mindlessly talk like that and it has been way too long since I messed with Ravenclaws.” He said with a proud smirk.
“Killing two birds with one stone? Clever Park.” He replied before walking to his table.
Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile. Chanyeol stood up for him? He jinxed them for him? Not that he needed any help or protection but it was always nice seeing people taking care of him. Jongdae was talking with a really red Jongin.
“Where were you Nini?” Baekhyun sat down in front of his friends.
“He was with Sehun, he finally asked him out! Can you believe it?! Our son is growing up so fast. I remember when he was crying in the dorm because Sehun called him pretty.” Jongdae wiped an invisible tear.
“That was literally last week.” Baekhyun reminded him with a little laugh.
“You guys are horrible. Why am I still friend with you?” Jongin pouted sulkily.
“Because you don’t have any other friends beside us.” Jongdae added while he was grabbing his cup.
“Don’t drink.” Baekhyun whispered loud enough for Jongdae and Jongin to hear.
“They prepared something.”
They knew who he was talking about and Jongdae rolled his eyes in annoyance while Jongin was looking at him with an outraged face.
“Hyung you’re not being fair at all, you’re being completely biased right now. First you let him walk freely during night time after the curfew and now you let him do a prank during dinner? What else after this? You’ll support him and clap for him during the match?” Jongin was speaking sullenly, offended.
“I just found out.”
“You can still stop them!” Jongdae argued back.
“But I won’t. Some.. brats insulted me and he jinxed them. And do you know what’s funnier? Those little shits came to me to complain about it as if they were the actual victims. If I have to see the entire house pranked to see them humiliated, then I will.”
“You’re the worst but I’m here to see this. You need to show me who are these guys, I need to talk with them, maybe teach a lesson or two.”
“I didn’t even have to do anything for revenge, and that’s the most satisfying thing ever.” Baekhyun answered smiling softly at him, before the chaos begun.
“Dongwoon your nose is so big!” A girl screamed her lungs out.
“Yeseul you have rainbow hair!” a boy yelled before laughing hard.
“Minjin stop touching my ears!”
“Youngjin don’t laugh!”
“Silence!” The Headmaster began with a calm voice. “I want the prefects of every houses to accompany these students to their dormitories. I want the professors, the Head Boy and Girl to come to see me in my office.”
‘It’s going to be a long night.. but it's worth it’ Baekhyun thought before trailing closely behind the professors.
“Baekhyun, are you ready? Jongin is stressing out. He needs mental support.”
“Almost. I have to find my wand first.”
“It’s on your desk.”
“Oh, thank Merlin.” He said before grabbing his wand and the Gryffindor captain’s jacket. “What are you doing?”
“What?”
“Why are you taking his jacket with you?”
“Because he asked me to give it back to him after the match.”
“So you’re going to wear it during the match?”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Baekhyun, I never thought I would’ve said this to you, but are you stupid? They’re playing against our house!”
“And I will support my house and Jongin.” Baekhyun replied nonchalantly.
“And how does wearing his jacket validates that argument?”
“It’s not a big deal stop it. Jongin needs us right? Come on Dae, we need to comfort him.”
Jongdae rolled his eyes before walking out of the room.
“You said it wasn’t a big deal right.” Jongdae teasingly repeated word for word from what Baekhyun had said before they left the Ravenclaw tower moments ago.
The Head Boy blushed furiously and hit his friends square on the shoulder. Jongdae laughed and put his arms around Baekhyun.
“He can’t take his eyes off of you.” He whispered into Baekhyun’s ears.
“Stop it!”
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t give it to him before the match and why are you still wearing it?”
“I don’t know.” Baekhyun angrily answered. “I didn’t think about it and.. I feel so comfortable wearing it.”
“You’re so whipped.”
“You’re the one to talk! You discussed with Minseok for almost an hour thanks to me and yet you’re still making fun of me, you ungrateful bastard.”
“You’re right. Thank you for wearing this jacket, you saved my love life. I’m forever grateful for that. But did you know? People are already gossipping about the two of you, apparently you guys are dating.”
“We’re what?! He must be so uncomfortable.. should I apologise to him?” Baekhyun asked Jongdae with shaking eyes.
“Why would you do that?”
“Because we’re not and it’s because I wore his jacket that this nasty fake rumor surfaced and he will never reciprocate my feeling a-and I don’t know.”
“Calm down Baek. Just Sit here and scream loudly for Ravenclaw and everything will be alright.”
“Why am I even here?” He asked himself.
“You want to see your beloved Park on his gears and more than that… you want to support Ravenclaw!”
“Fuck you Jongdae.”
Baekhyun locked his eyes on the field. He was watching the two teams, seven players each, mounted on their respective broomsticks. Even from afar, he could tell which one was Chanyeol. He was sporting the number “61” proudly on his back and he was exuding a powerful aura around him. He watched him flying confidently, passing the quaffle to other players and scoring points. It was like the quaffle was made to be hold by him. He was avoiding the bludger with so much ease, it was painfully enticing to watch.
If it was possible, he even fell harder in love with Park Chanyeol.
He didn’t follow what was happening, he didn’t knew who was leading either. What he's entirely sure of was that He was trying not to scream when Chanyeol was scoring points, to not raise curiosity as for why he’s cheering for the opponent’s house. The more he looked at him the more he remembered things.
Like how competitive Chanyeol was. He hated losing with all his heart but he wasn’t a sore loser either.
Or how his eyes would sparkle radiantly when he’s talking about Quidditch.
The first time he saw him flying was in their first year. He was flying gracefully in the air and even if Baekhyun didn’t like flying, he felt envious. Chanyeol seemed absolutely carefree when he flew high up in the air, without any thoughts or burden.
He might had or had not saw him training more than once, drenched under the rain or profusely sweating beneath the burning sun, talking chirpily with his teammates, and flying like it was as vital as breathing for him.
He remembered that one time when Chanyeol filled a whole classroom with colourful balloons to celebrate Sehun’s birthday.
He also remembered how he send literally 50 howlers to Kyungsoo the day after he had blatantly ignored him for a day.
He had a bet with Minseok, one day, that he would fail and have a T in potions but he lost it and had to dye his hair red for the penalty. But Baekhyun thought it would suit him perfectly, and he was right.
Red looks awfully great on him.
Chanyeol was always full of surprises and he loved him for that.
He didn’t knew for how long he had spaced out but he was instantly snapped out of his thoughts about a certain someone when he heard the booming screamings and he saw the Gryffindor seeker holding the snitch in his hand and their whole team congratulating each other.
Baekhyun didn’t mind losing. Instead, He even smiled widely. He turned his head to Jongdae.
“Don’t talk to me. I need some time to.. You go give his jacket back and come and cuddle with me in our room.” Jongdae pitifully asked.
“I’ll be right back.” The Head Boy pet the head of his best friend in a soothing manner.
He went down from the bleachers and saw the large crowd surrounding the Gryffindor team. He felt slightly out of place upon Seeing so much people, he thought maybe he would come back to see him after the crowd had subdued. He didn’t know how it happened, but Chanyeol instantly saw him in the midst of the sea of students.
“Baekhyun!” He yelled, separating himself from the others.
Chanyeol was walking toward him quickly, his sweaty locks bouncing on his forehead. He was breathtaking even like that. Baekhyun was about to remove the jacket when he suddenly felt two arms wrapping around him.
When he got a grasp of what’s currently happening, he found that Chanyeol was hugging him tightly.
He was basking in Chanyeol’s scent and even with so much sweats, the taller still smells good if not better than he always did. He smelled like grass, woods, rain and so Chanyeol. He wrapped his arms around Chanyeol too, reciprocating the embrace, thinking that he would not have the luck to do it twice.
“Congratulations Chanyeol, you were amazing.” Baekhyun whispered softly.
“You came.” Chanyeol simply said. “I’m so glad you came.”
“I couldn’t just not to come when you had asked me so nicely. Do you want you jacket back?”
“No need to, you looked super cute in it.” He said while separating himself from the smaller one.
Baekhyun smiled up at him and something flashed in Chanyeol’s eyes. He closed his eyes before opening them again, looking more determined than ever. With no further hesitation, The Gryffindor Captain leaned in and slotted his lips on Baekhyun’s.
Chanyeol moved his lips gently and they were soft against his own. He felt like his heart was going to explode from his chest, the soaring happiness was consuming his entire body. He kissed him back with the same feverish desires and needs igniting inside of him. It was sweet, graceful and perfect. Even more perfect than what he ever imagined.
They broke apart to catch a breath, Chanyeol was smiling brilliantly at him and Baekhyun was coyly hiding his blushing face into the taller one’s neck.
“Finally!” Someone said enthusiastically. “I was seriously about to lose hope to see you two get together before the end of the year.”
“You guys are the cutest couple of the castle!”
“Kyungsoo owns you twenty bucks, don’t forget to claim it.”
“Do you want to go somewhere else?” Chanyeol ignored the others.
Baekhyun nodded embarrassedly after separating himself from Chanyeol, who took his hands and intertwined their fingers.
“Do you know since when I wanted to do this?” Chanyeol said on their way back to the castle. “I don’t know.”
“Since we were in our second year.”
“You’re lying!”
“I’m not.” Chanyeol laughed.
“This is so pathetic. I had loved you for years too. Then Why didn’t you ever ask me out?” Baekhyun asked more curiously.
“Because I was scared. And you?”
“I didn’t even know that you knew I exist before our fourth year.”
Chanyeol shook his head, chuckling softly before tenderly cupping Baekhyun’s cheeks and kissed him with more passion than their first kiss.
“Everyone in this castle knew who you were babe.”
“Come on, you know it Yeol” Baekhyun said exasperatedly.
The Head Boy had been repeating the same thing for the last twenty minutes and he was going to cry if he had to recite it one more time.
Chanyeol sighed “I know it.. 1435! Goblins' revolution!”
“Which one?”
“The fourth, I’m sure of it because the fifth is around 1478.”
“1479 actually.”
“I said 'around'.”
“You need to be more meticulous with the key dates, they're really important.”
“I know that Baek but I’m so frustrated, I didn’t kiss you since yesterday and you hadn't even eaten anything this morning and I am beginning to worry about your condition. You need to study, yes but take care of yourself too okay? Let’s take a break.”
“We don’t have time to slack off, you know it.”
“Yes we do, in fact, the others didn’t even began to open any book yet and here we are, revising things we didn’t even learn in classes.” Chanyeol argued back.
“Do you want to pass the exam or not?”
“Right now babe, I only want to kiss you and do nothing else.”
“Chanyeol..” Baekhyun warned slowly.
“We’re in the Room of Requirement.” Chanyeol began kissing him once.
“There’s no one else in here aside from us.” He kissed him again.
“Just you and me.” He whispered against Baekhyun’s lips.
“Studying.” the Ravenclaw weakly added, he knew he would never win against his ever too ambitious Gryffindor boyfriend.
Chanyeol laughed boisterously before he went back to kissing Baekhyun’s lips and going down slowly toward his neck. Baekhyun let go of the book he had on his laps and threw it on the floor, putting his hands on Chanyeol's body. Tracing everywhere he could reach with his delicate fingers.
Because he wanted Chanyeol just as much as Chanyeol wanted him, if not more.
Chanyeol grabbed and squeezed his plush thighs, parting them before placing himself between Baekhyun’s legs. Even after kissing Chanyeol for months, he simply couldn’t get used to how heavenly it felt. The taller unbuttoned the smaller one’s shirt unhurriedly, marking him from his neck and gently trailing downwards to his chest, giving a special treat to his collarbones, nipping and then pecking the patches of delicate skin there, claiming his territory, while he was languidly grinding his lower body against Baekhyun's.
The Head Boy was usually someone patient but he had always craved for Chanyeol kisses, he harshly grabbed Chanyeol by his hair and led him up again to his lips, kissing him messily. The Gryffindor placed his hands on Baekhyun’s plump ass and lifted him slightly, the action creating more frictions and making Baekhyun moaned unabashedly loud.
“Chanyeol, please, please” Baekhyun begged breathlessly.
“Tell me what do you want Baekhyun.” He teased, grinding harder and Baekhyun could swear he was so hard that he could just come from this dry humping.
“Love, please I need you.”
“If that’s what..”
A loud ‘bang’ which came from the outside interrupted them. They stayed still until they heard a voice shouting.
A clear and loud “Chanyeol dude I need you! Come out for a second!” could’ve been heard. Baekhyun grumbled before pushing away his boyfriend disgruntledly, climbing down from his lover’s lap.
“Tell your friend to get lost before I’m not in the mood anymore.”
“I love you.” Chanyeol chuckled while standing up.
“I love you more but you’ll probably have one friend less tomorrow.” Baekhyun said while he was totally discarding his shirt, leaving more unblemished patches of skin on display.
“Be quick.” Baekhyun instructed authoritatively.
Chanyeol looked at him one last time before opening the door to find a stressed Minseok.
“I need to talk to you.” The older said seriously.
“Minseok you know I’ll do everything for you but can’t this wait a few hours dude?”
“Jongdae doesn’t want to talk to me!”
“Then what can I do about it?” Chanyeol was exasperated.
“I don’t know what to do!”
“You should go and confront him to know why but get some things to eat like his favourite chocolate or shit like that and tell him a secret that nobody knows about someone popular, be fucking extra and he will do anything you want.”
“I’m not sure..”
“Well. I am. You’ll do that and you know what I’ll do once you’re out? Fuck my boyfriend because it’s been fucking too long since I touched him. So please. Can you like go away before I kill you with my own bare hands?”
Minseok smirked knowingly before mouthing a “you lucky bastard” and started walking away.
Chanyeol turned around, face to face with Baekhyun’s gorgeous naked body.
Baekhyun would probably complain about his back hurting for days afterwards but Park Chanyeol was definitely going to enjoy himself.
He will mark his lover’s body, reminding to the entire school whom he belonged to. He didn’t wait for years passing by excruciatingly to become Baekhyun’s boyfriend only to let him go easily.
He was here to stay, beside him for as long as he would be alive.
Because loving him was easy and slowly it had become the ultimate purpose of his life, that he would cherish the petite male with all his heart, forever.
He smiled and put his lips on his lovers one.