Call It Magic
Call It Magic
Written for everyone
Prompt: HP!AU: Wufan is Slytherin's Quidditch Captain and star chaser. However, as luck might have it, he can't play in the final match against Ravenclaw because of his failing grade in Potions class. Junmyeon is Ravenclaw's Captain and Seeker. He is determined to snatch the glory from Slytherin but he needs to make up for his student assistance duties.
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 7045 words
Summary: Quidditch, Potions, pumpkin juice and an unresolved grudge. How will this turn out?
Message: hi prompter! all 3 of your prompts were lovely! i’m really sorry I didn’t stick exactly to the prompt I chose, my imagination just ran wild and then…..T.T nonetheless, I hope it meets your expectations and you enjoy the fic!
many many thanks to my beta, a, a.k.a the person who had to bear with my headache-inducing draft ehehehe i love you a lot. thank you for the encouragement and motivation and the crazy last-minute beta-ing because i am a terrible terrible person
also thanks to p and h for cheering me on and giving me lovely advice as well as l for (unintentionally) shoving lots of krisho to me
To label Yifan as ‘frustrated’ happens to be an understatement.
Ms Kwon, his Potions teacher, had pulled him aside after class with a look of hesitance mixed with worry.
“Yifan,” she started slowly, “I know you’ve been working hard this term. I can tell from your coursework and overall results. I also know you hope to play in the Quidditch finals against Ravenclaw. But with your current Potions grade... I- Unfortunately, I may have to request your Head of House, Professor Shim, to pull you out from the Quidditch team.”
Needless to say, Yifan was stunned. He knew he was getting less-than-desirable grades for Potions… But to the extent that he has to be pulled out from the Slytherin team? He runs a hand through his dark brown hair, letting out a groan when he remembers Ms Kwon’s ‘proposition’.
“I’ll put you under the peer tutoring scheme and give you test at the end of it. As long as you attend all your tutoring sessions and pass the test with a satisfactory grade, I’ll let you play in the finals. How does that sound?”
As Slytherin’s famed Quidditch Captain and star Seeker, how can Yifan afford to miss this match? It will be his first finals match as Captain and he definitely wants the honour of leading his teammates to glory this year. Which is why he's left with no other option but to agree to Ms Kwon’s terms.
He hopes his peer tutor will be someone nice though. Someone like…. Someone like Kim Junmyeon from Ravenclaw. The small male was an angel: smart, warm-hearted, diligent, and beautiful. But he always seemed to be shooting daggers at Yifan from some strange reason…
Anyway, Yifan will probably need a huge miracle (a miracle like Kim Junmyeon) to pull through Potions for his N.E.W.Ts. He wonders why he even decided to take up the subject in the first place.
Yifan lets out a deep sigh as he thinks of the immense amount of work already piling up for him.
~~
“Junmyeon, can I speak to you for a minute?”
The petite male excuses himself from the company of his friends and moves towards Ms Kwon. He wonders what exactly caused Ms Kwon to look him up. She normally would wait till Prefect meetings or Potions classes to talk to him; for her to go out of her way to personally find him was a rare occurrence.
Junmyeon folds his hands in front of him before facing Ms Kwon, his trademark gentle smile on his face. “Yes Ms Kwon? May I help you with something?”
“You haven’t being assigned any student for your Student Assistance Duties right? Because a student that I have… He really needs some extra attention. You’d be willing to lend me a hand, right?” Junmyeon nods obediently, leaning closer to listen to what Ms Kwon has to say.
“There’s a student from our class that needs some help in Potions, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to ask but you. You’ve been performing excellently in my class, along with all your other classes. I’m sure you’ll be able to handle this, right? Can I entrust this to you, Junmyeon?”
“Sure, Ms Kwon. It’d help me immensely if you could past me a list of his weaker areas in Potions though, then I’d know what to focus on when I tutor him.” Junmyeon notes with interest that the student was a ‘he’ and also happens to be sharing the same class as him. Growing curious as to who he could be, Junmyeon starts, “Ms Kwon, if I may just ask, wh-“
“Of course, Junmyeon. Thanks so much! I really need to run now; I’m going to be late for my next class. He’ll meet you in the library at the tables near the Potions section, aisle P4 if I remember correctly, at 6:30PM after dinner on Friday. Bye Junmyeon, thank you again!” Turning on her heel, Ms Kwon takes off at lightning speed, grabbing her robes and hoisting them over her ankles so she doesn’t accidentally trip over them.
Mildly stunned, he stares at the decreasing back view of his Potions teacher before turning towards his friends and shrugging his shoulders. What could be so hard about tutoring another student?
~~
Ms Kwon had passed him the list via a Year Two Hufflepuff who had profusely apologised for spilling pumpkin juice on the list, thereby smudging the name of the student Junmyeon was to assist. Junmyeon had smiled warmly at the boy at the mention of his favourite drink and shook his head to tell the terrified kid that he wasn’t mad, and thanked him for passing over the list.
Padding across the carpeted floor of the magnificent Hogwarts library, he easily found P4, before freezing over in horror at the stony figure who sat there.
“I’m supposed to tutor YOU?”
Wu Yifan. The name itself was completely abhorred by Junmyeon, and now he was supposed to tutor that uncultured annoying swine?!
One Hogsmeade weekend back in Year Four, Junmyeon had been walking from Honeydukes to meet his two cousins, Kim Jongin and Kim Jongdae. The former was in Year Two at that time and happened to be a fellow Ravenclaw, the latter being a Year Three Slytherin. The three of them have been stuck together since they were in diapers and were practically inseparable when they were together.
Anyway, Junmyeon had been on his way to meet the Kim brothers, happily swinging his shopping bag containing the last bottle of his favourite brand of pumpkin juice (London Pumpkins & Sons, of course) which he bought at Honeydukes. He was over the moon at being able to grab their last bottle (though it was a pity since he would’ve liked a few more), and skipped along the cobbled streets, fully intending to save the drink for when he was safe back at the Ravenclaw dormitories to savour every last drop of it. So caught up in his plans for later that he failed to notice a figure sprinting in his direction.
“Excuse me!” a deep baritone voice called out. There’s pressure against his arm, the tell-tale gust of air of a person rushing past and next thing Junmyeon knew, he’s landed hard on his butt, his precious bottle of pumpkin juice lying spilt on the snowy ground. His eyes opened in shock. His pumpkin juice! His favourite pumpkin juice! The last bottle of his favourite pumpkin juice!
He turned back in time to see the figure escaping, and an angry huff left his lips. Junmyeon noted honey blonde hair, a broad back covered in a grey woollen sweater and black pants. He shook his clenched fist violently and stared daggers into the unknown person’s back, vowing to get his revenge on the perpetrator of this heinous crime.
With his excellent observational and sleuthing skills, he later finds out the male who brushed past him was Wu Yifan of Slytherin.
“You… You were the one who spilled my pumpkin juice in Year Four!”
Needless to say, Yifan did not to expect his first meeting with his peer tutor to occur in such a way.
“Excuse me but, w-what?”
“You were the culprit, HOW DARE YOU! My poor pumpkin juice......”
Yifan couldn’t help but stare at the petite boy who's currently glaring at him from across the table, mouth in a slight pout and arms akimbo. His face is a flushed pink and all Yifan can think is, Salazar Slytherin save me, he’s adorable.
But the Chinese giant is snapped out of those thoughts when he sees unshed tears shimmering in his companion’s eyes and, without a second thought, rummages through his bag before handing over an unopened bottle of pumpkin juice to the male standing opposite him. “I’m not too sure what exactly you’re talking about, but I do assume I did something regarding pumpkin juice that upset you. So, here, take my bottle.”
Junmyeon stands there stunned, unsure of how to react to Yifan’s sudden move. Over the past two years, Junmyeon had pieced together the perfect reprimand for when he finally got the chance to face Wu Yifan. He’d rehearse it in the shower after particularly frustrating days (such as when the first year prefects do a crap job of their duties). Even thinking about Wu Yifan’s notorious stony expression and monotonous one-line answers could get Junmyeon in a bad mood in which he’d come up with more insults for the blond haired Chinese giant.
But the thing that could put the normally gentle and patient Junmyeon in the worst mood possible would be spotting Wu Yifan being followed by his whole hoard of fan girls down the corridors of Hogwarts.
“He’s such a cocky bastard! I don’t even understand what those girls see in him. And the constant squeals and shrieks they emit as long as That Guy even breathes in their direction drives me nuts,” he’d complain to Lu Han, who would pat him on the shoulder with a “there there Junmyeon, it’s okay to admit that you’re jealous of those girls y’know.” Junmyeon would shove Lu Han away with a growl and stalk off towards wherever he was supposed to be headed to next, muttering under his breath fifty different ways to kill him.
Obviously, Lu Han would continue to live another day while Junmyeon would have to bear with another day of Wu Yifan. And Lu Han.
But finally, in the presence of the Slytherin that had annoyingly occupied a countless (large) number of his thoughts, he finds himself speechless after Wu Yifan’s unexpected gesture that ruined his original plan.
“I-You… you owe me pumpkin juice until this whole tutoring… ‘thingy’ is over. Yeah. Every Friday. As repayment for the one you spilt that time. And because I’m tutoring you. So it’s like a form of like payment?” Wow that was very eloquent of me, Junmyeon thinks. Later, he will go back to his warm bed in the Ravenclaw dormitories and kick himself over his sudden inability to form coherent sentences, but for now he’d focus on dealing with the giant male before him.
Yifan lets a small smile slip onto his face, seemingly amused by his smaller companion. He nods and motions to Junmyeon to sit down on the bench on the opposite side of the table. Junmyeon moves to the seat and plops down with his bag beside him, before grabbing a stack of books from his haversack and dumping them on the table. He moves to open the first book but freezes midway, his expression of someone deep in thought, then turns to Yifan with a questioning look. “What are you doing under the peer tutoring scheme anyway?”
At this, Yifan’s face noticeably dims and Junmyeon feels bad for bringing up the question.
“I’m not doing too well for Potions… Ms Kwon said I have to pass a retest of sorts so that I can play in the Quidditch finals,” Yifan pauses before his eyes light up in something that seems like realisation, “aren’t you playing in the Quidditch finals too?”
Junmyeon answers that question with a dip of his head, looking the Chinese male in the eye and replying in a grave voice,
“I should just let you fail the retest.”
Yifan’s eyes widen at this before he starts to panic, causing Junmyeon to burst out into laughter. “I was kidding, I was kidding. Merlin, who knew you were so gullible?”
Yifan thinks he could get used to Junmyeon’s gentle giggle and gleaming smile.
~~
“Yo, what’s being tutored by Kim Junmyeon like?”
Lu Han nudges Yifan out of his daydream in the middle of Professor Ahn’s History of Magic lesson. “What? How’d you-“ Lu Han dismisses Yifan with a flip of his hair. “I’m friends with Junmyeon, or have you forgotten that?” The taller male pauses to hum in recollection, before facing the front of the class to at least appear like he’s paying attention. “It’s been a few sessions and everything’s been okay I guess; he’s okay. Except for when we first met, he got upset over pumpkin juice and it was my fault I don’t know?”
Lu Han sighs, looking around to make sure Mr Ahn hasn’t noticed them yet, before flicking Yifan’s head. “Merlin’s beard! That hurt, you bastard!” Yifan rubs his slight bump, shooting a glare at his desk mate.
“Mr Lu, Mr Wu, please stop your talking at the back. I have ears, you know.”
“Yes Mr Ahn, sorry.” Lu Han rolls his eyes before giving Yifan an unimpressed face and turning his voice to a whisper. “Don’t you remember a Hogsmeade weekend? In fourth year? We went out with Zitao and Yixing, and little Taozi decided that it’d be fun to steal your bottle of Magnificent Moisturiser, which you bought that day, and run away. You ended up chasing the brat all throughout Hogsmeade until you threatened to hex him with an Instant Scalping Hex. Which did the trick. Well, along the way you actually bumped into Junmyeon and caused him to spill his bottle of pumpkin juice.” Lu Han’s recount jolts a memory in Yifan’s head, and he reminisces with a smile on his face.
The doe-eyed boy continues, “The boy loves pumpkin juice and was extremely mad at you, rightfully so, I mean, you practically bulldozed the small guy over with your huge ass frame and you didn’t even bother to apologise? Do you know how heavy you are??” Lu Han’s voice rises towards the end, catching Mr Ahn’s attention.
“Second warning, Mr Lu. I would like it if the both of you pay attention to the lesson.”
Lu Han’s voice drops a notch lower. “Junmyeon's spent the longest time getting agitated over the smallest thing you’d do. He complain and grumble to me over and over again about what you did, about what you didn’t do. It’s gotten pretty annoying actually. All that ‘tension’… Ahem I mean yes. But to be honest, I don’t think there’s any animosity coming from him.”
Yifan furrows his brows, clearing not following Lu Han’s line of thought. The shorter male rolls his eyes and groans. “He’s a really nice guy and you need to hook up with someone.”
Yifan’s jaw drops at Lu Han’s bluntness, “What are you even saying? Are you even hearing yourself? Junmyeon liking me? Please. Plus I don’t like him, stop giving me that look, I-“
“10 points from Slytherin. The two of you, come and see me after class is over.”
~~
“Gotta run guys, see y’all tonight.” Yifan stuffs the last piece of apple pie in his mouth before dusting off the crumbs and grabbing the completely full bottle of pumpkin juice that had sat untouched in front of him since the start of dinner.
“Yo dude, why haven’t you drank a drop your pumpkin juice yet? You love pumpkin juice… Can I have it?” Yifan dismisses Lu Han with a wave, managing a garbled “Payment” as a reply through his stuffed mouth, turning towards the doors of the Great Hall and making his way to the library for his next meeting with Kim Junmyeon the Ravenclaw, leaving behind a very pleased Lu Han and a confused bunch of friends.
“Hey Lu, is Yifan okay? He’s been leaving early from dinner an awful lot lately… Is he dating some chick we don’t know about?” Krystal repeatedly jabs an uncooperative Lu Han in the side. She soon gives up and pokes the expressionless statue seated a person away from her. “Sehun, wouldn’t you know something? You’re his brother for Salazar’s sake.”
“Nah, Yifan? With a chick? Please, we all know what he’s like.” Jessica dismisses her younger sister’s question and turns back to the chicken chop on her plate. Heechul bristles, clearly unconvinced. “Isn’t Yifan gay?” The older of the Jungs pauses mid-chew before nodding her head in agreement with the boy beside her.
Lu Han rubs his hands together in glee, his mouth spreading into a suspicious shit-eating grin. “It’s much better than some random chick, guys. So much better.”
~~
“Today,” Junmyeon begins, “we’ll be going through Amortentia. It’s also our second last tutoring session, aren’t you happy, Yifan? So, can you tell me what Amortentia is?”
The weeks seemed to fly pass during the course of the tutoring sessions, and the two boys were using an empty Potions classroom (with the permission of Ms Kwon, of course), their thick copies of ‘Advanced Potion Making’ opened up, random notes scribbled across the pages in black ink.
“Amortentia is the most powerful love potion that exists and causes a powerful infatuation or obsession from the drinker. The potion has multi-faceted aromas depending on whoever smells it, and reminds them of the things they are most fond of, even if they are unaware or do not acknowledge their affection for said things.”
Junmyeon nodded, an impressed smile on his face. “You’ve really been working hard.”
Yifan scoffs, glaring at the smaller boy. “Excuse you, I’ve always been working hard.”
Junmyeon merely waves his hand at Yifan before pushing his chair back and grabbing all the necessary ingredients. “But the real question here isn’t if you know what the potion does, but rather if you can brew it. Get cracking, Yifan.”
With an annoyed huff, Yifan forces himself to stand, and so he begins brewing the most powerful love potion in existence.
After careful measurements and gentle stirring, Yifan heaves a sigh of relief and wipes imaginary sweat off his forehead. He grins in satisfaction at the mother-of-pearl sheen of the potion and spiralling steam emitted from it, before looking at Junmyeon who had been observing his preparation the entire time.
Junmyeon hums, seemingly satisfied before moving beside Yifan. “Let’s see if your potion has been brewed correctly. Would you like to take the first whiff?" Yifan mocks a curtsey. “Yes, your highness. It would be my pleasure.”
Junmyeon has to reach up to slap Yifan’s shoulder, and the Slytherin chuckles before bending over the cauldron. The Chinese male takes a deep breath, racking his brain to put a label to the aromas assaulting his senses.
“Hmm… broomstick handle, and something that smells like braised beef? Oh, mum’s beef noodles. The last one smells fruity but it doesn’t smell like any particular fruit. It smells like some scented soap? I don’t know use any soap that smells fruity though.” Yifan leans back, mostly satisfied except for the niggling curiosity regarding the last scent.
Junmyeon steps towards the work desk and leans in, closing his eyes and concentrating on identifying the scents. Junmyeon’s back is pressed up against Yifan’s chest in the tight space the lab has to offer, and the contact is causing strange but pleasant bubbles to stir in him, comfortable such that Yifan isn’t moving away. The feelings leave Yifan confused, but he’s pulled out from his musings by Junmyeon’s cheerful voice. “Pumpkin juice!”
Of course, Yifan thinks, of course it’s going to be pumpkin juice.
“There’s also apricot pie. Hmm I should go down to the kitchens and check if there’s apricot pie. And finally… It’s familiar I guess, but I can’t put my finger on it.” Yifan observes the smaller male carefully, noting the crease forming between his eyebrows, and Yifan wants to rub the crease away with his thumb. Junmyeon bites his lower lip and wring his hands around, searching for an answer within his large brain before his eyelids slowly flutter open.
“The last scent,” Junmyeon whispers,
“It smells like… you.”
Yifan’s eyes widen at the sudden confession spilling from small pink lips. Junmyeon, clearly realising what he’d just uttered, turns pink. He takes a step back from the cauldron, bumping into Yifan’s chest. At the contact, Junmyeon jolts.
“Junmyeon- I-” Yifan makes to grab Junmyeon, but he swiftly walks to his belongings and pulls them to his chest before facing Yifan like a deer in the headlights. “I need to go now.” His companion rushes out as fast as his shorter legs can carry him, Yifan doesn’t chase after him.
Junmyeon is gone in a swish of robes, and the dungeons suddenly seem much colder than they previously were.
~~
Junmyeon had been swiftly avoiding Yifan the entire week, turning on his heel and scurrying off in the opposite direction as soon as he catches a glimpse of Yifan’s golden locks. By the time Friday had rolled around, the taller male was tired, confused and at an utter loss at what to do.
The atmosphere this session was tense and suffocating, so unlike the previous weeks filled with playful banter and gentle teasing. Stilted and superficial conversation dominated the session, both males unsure of how to act.
Yifan, deciding that he has to do something to clean up the mess, gathers up his courage. He clears his throat.
“About last week...”
That gets Junmyeon's attention. His head snaps up as he faces his significantly taller companion. Yifan looks down at his textbook, eyes nervously shifting about. “It doesn’t mean much, right? I mean-“
Yifan is snapped out of his sentence by the sound of a book being slammed shut harshly. Junmyeon slides out of his bench and grabs his bag. “I think we’re done with tutoring for today. All the best for your test, Yifan.”
A curt nod and the distance between the two of them steadily increases. Yifan stares at the figure’s retreating view before turning back to the now-vacant seat in front of him. A cashmere sweater is hung, forgotten, on the back of the chair. Yifan gets out of his seat and takes long strides towards the chair opposite, picking up the sweater. The sweater is soft in his grasp and suddenly Yifan smells something fruity, not any particular fruit, but it’s pleasant and sweet-smelling nonetheless. The scent triggers a memory in the blond which has his brain clicking in understanding.
He is so royally screwed.
~~
Junmyeon walks at a hurried pace, determined to get away from the dumb Chinese Slytherin who had been seeping into his every thought, who had thrown his heart on the ground and stomped on it before taking a piss on it for good measure. The aching in his chest intensifies as he replays their conversation earlier in his mind.
“It doesn’t mean much.”
Junmyeon leans on the wall, hands shaking, his breath breaking up into short gasps. He forces himself to calm down, inhaling and exhaling slowly before pushing himself off the wall and wiping the stray tears that trickled down his face with his sleeve. Picking up his pace again, he zooms forward, eager to get to the safety of his bed before more betraying tears can fall. In his haste, he doesn't notice a certain doe-eyed Slytherin, nearly crashing into the boy who catches him by the shoulders and forces him to face him.
“Junmyeon? What happened? You’re supposed to be tutoring Yifan now, is everything okay?”
At the mention of that one name, Junmyeon breaks down.
“I-He-Lu Han I screwed everything up. I was wrong to even think for a second… Good Godric this is so messed up.” Junmyeon’s shoulders slump downwards and he bites his lips to prevent the sobs from spilling out.
The doe-eyed male open his arms as Junmyeon readily accepts the offered embrace. “It’s okay Junmyeon, it’ll be okay.” Lu Han affectionately rubs Junmyeon’s back as the Korean male buries himself into Lu Han’s shoulder, muffling broken sobs and timid sniffles, leaving wet tear stains on his sleeve.
~~
“Class dismissed! Have a good day ahead, everyone. And Wu Yifan, please come and see me after class.”
The sixth year students trickle out from the Potions laboratory (he notices a certain dark haired Ravenclaw exit the class without even a glance at him) and Yifan makes his way towards the front of the classroom where Ms Kwon is clearing up her bench. “Hello there Yifan, I trust that Junmyeon has been tutoring you well?”
His chest thuds painfully and his heart is caught in his throat at the mention of Kim Junmyeon. Yifan nods before a piece of paper on the table catches his eye. Ms Kwon sees where his gaze is directed at and breaks his reverie.
“Eager to know your marks for the retest?”
Yifan can’t trust his voice right now. How well he did on that test determines if he’ll get to play in the Quidditch finals. He’s so close to it, he can’t crash and burn now.
Ms Kwon’s lips spreads into a smile. “I have very good news for you, Yifan. You’ll definitely be able to play in the finals.”
Relief floods Yifan’s body at the news. One problem down, one more to go.
~~
“Oh hey Yifan, you’re just in time to watch me put Sammy the Star Grass seed in his new home!”
Yixing gently places the Star Grass in the hole he dug before patting soil over it. “Grow little one, grow!” Yixing cheerily shouts at the earthen pot, flailing his arms around enthusiastically.
Yifan cringes internally and silently debates if he really wants to go to Yixing, of all people, with this problem but his musings are cut short when said male turns to him with a dazed smile.
“So Yifan, what did you need to see me about?” Deciding that Yixing probably is one of the few people he can trust with this, he sighs. “I need your advice, umm, it’s kind of hard to explain. Are you free now?”
“Yeah I’ll just clean up here and we can go. Bye Sammy, I hope you like your new pot!” Dusting his hands on his mustard-coloured overalls, Yixing waves at the pot before standing up and making his way to Yifan.
The walk back to the main castle is filled with a heavy silence as Yifan deliberates how he wants to put his jumbled up thoughts into words. Yixing waits patiently, like he always does, for his taller companion to start.
Yifan needed someone to listen, and Yixing knows better than to force anything out of him.
He’s known the giant, along with the annoying doe-eyed Lu Han, since they were in diapers, and the last time Lu Han tried to force something out of Yifan (when he wasn’t ready) was disastrous. Yixing smiles at the fond memory of Yifan grabbing Lu Han by the shoulders and shaking him around.
He spots a little alcove hidden in a corner and sits down there, urging Yifan to do the same before making himself comfortable with his right leg folded against his chest and left leg stretched out, back leaning against the wall. He faces the blond-haired male and smiles understandingly. The taller male sighs deeply, running a hand through his hair before looking up at Yixing and beginning his rant.
However, Yifan is stopped halfway through by a fuming Lu Han who has stomped over to them sometime during Yifan’s monologue.
“You! You’re an ass! Completely and utterly- How could you do that to Junmyeon? How dare you, you stupid giant lump of…of…lump of thing!”
Yixing sinks further back into the wall. An angry Lu Han is an unstoppable Lu Han. Also very scary. Yixing most definitely doesn't want to get in his way. He’ll just let Yifan handle this by himself. But after switching his gaze between the hopping-mad Lu Han and the weary Yifan, he realises the argument will never end.
“ALRIGHT YOU TWO.”
The two Slytherins whip their heads, shocked at the fact that Yixing had just shouted. Since when did Yixing ever shout? Yixing beckons Lu Han to take a seat with his hand before releasing a sigh. “Okay. We shall calmly listen to what Yifan has to say BEFORE wanting to kill him. Is that clear, Lu?”
Lu Han nods before looking over to Yifan. “Shoot.”
Fifteen minutes later and the three boys are silent in contemplation over Yifan’s ‘problem’. Various suggestions had been thrown out such as:
1. Serenading the Korean male
2. Reciting poetry for him
3. Composing a rap for him about pumpkin juice
4. Dancing before giving him a bouquet of roses and confessing
“Any other ideas?” Yifan grumbles before dropping his head in his palms.
“Well,” Lu Han cautiously begins, ”chicks dig cheesy pick-up lines?”
“Junmyeon is not a ‘chick’.” Yifan growls out. Salazar save him, he’s about to pounce on and strangle Lu Han before tying him up and slowly plucking out, strand by strand, his newly groomed, pristine-looking eyebrows.
“Yo, you know what dude, you just have to chill. Man, you’re really uptight about this.”
Yifan glares threateningly at Lu Han who makes a zipping motion over his lips.
“The best solution to this ‘problem’ of yours is to be sincere. If Junmyeon really loves you, he’s going to accept you no matter what you do. Just show him that you’re serious, that’s the best thing he can ask for.”
“Hey Yixing, since when did you get so wise?”
“Shut up, Lu Han.”
~~
The Ravenclaw and Slytherin players are spread out in the air, the spectators stands filled to the brim with excited students ready for the Quidditch finals. Kim Junmyeon, as the Captain and Seeker, is positioned in front of all his teammates, mouth set in a determined line.
Wu Yifan’s position mirrors his counterpart’s. He surveys his fellow Slytherin players carefully who are bearing similarly taut expressions. Turning to the Seeker on the opposing team, he notices the Ravenclaw eyeing him with a certain dismalness. Their eyes meet and he can see pain etched in the expression Junmyeon gives before it becomes unreadable. Needles jab at Yifan’s chest as the Korean male turns away without sparing him a second glance.
He has to snap out of this funk. Right now he needs to concentrate on the match before him.
Headmaster Lee clears his throat, thereby reducing the crowds to sparse murmurs and snapping the players’ attention towards him. Drawing out his wand, he begins in a slow and steady voice, “As Headmaster of Hogwarts, I am pleased to welcome all our Hogwarts students to today’s Quidditch finals with Slytherin against Ravenclaw. Let the match begin!”
A string of light emerges from Headmaster Lee’s wand and the Snitch materialises. Both Yifan and Junmyeon begin their chase for the Snitch as they follow its movements, darting here and there, the adrenaline rush and excitement from the match fuelling them with energy.
After a long chase, the two Seekers have lost sight of the Snitch and fly up a bit higher so that they can survey the area.
From up above, Yifan and Junmyeon can comfortably watch the Chasers hard at work trying to pass the quaffle through the hoops to score points. The cheers from the spectators are merely a comfortable buzz from that height, and Junmyeon lets his eyes sweep over the view laid out before him.
“Junmyeon, I need to tell you something.”
The Korean male gives no indication that he’s listening, but the giant nonetheless takes a deep breath to calm himself and get rid of the butterflies swarming in his stomach.
“I like you.” Yifan blurts out, turning to look at the smaller male on the broom beside his.
Junmyeon feels hope flutter in his chest, before he deduces Yifan’s motives behind the sudden declaration. He let out a heavy sigh, facing Yifan with a bitter expression. “I know you really want to win this match, but I didn’t think you’d stoop this low. It “doesn’t mean much” does it?”
Yifan can here the tartness in the Ravenclaw’s words and his eyes widen, shaking his head as he reaches out to Junmyeon. “I’m serious, Junmyeon. I really like you.” Junmyeon flinches away from the Chinese male’s touch, making to fly away from him, directing his broomstick towards the right. In a final desperate attempt, Yifan grabs Junmyeon’s hands and forces him to face him.
“I’m really not kidding. Junmyeon, please believe me. It has nothing to do with beating you or winning this goddamn match. In fact, screw this match! Who cares about it anyway, it can go to hell for all I care. Because this match isn’t important to me, Junmyeon. You are. You are important to me and I’ll be damned if I never tell this to you. I’m sorry for being such a huge ass about this. I-There isn’t any excuse for it and I’m really really sorry. Junmyeon, please, trust me.” Junmyeon stares back incredulously at the taller male, biting his lower lip.
Yifan feels a hard shove to his chest before facing an unimpressed Junmyeon.
“What in Rowena Ravenclaw is wrong with you? We’re on rival houses in the middle of an important Quidditch match and you decide to confess your feelings NOW?”
Yifan bursts out laughing at the Junmyeon in front of him: arms folded across his chest and an incredulous expression painted on his face. “Wait… is this Lu Han’s idea? Did he put you up to this? I swear I’ll get him back-“
“No, no, nothing of that sort. So, Junmyeon, will you be my boyfriend?” Yifan grasps Junmyeon’s tiny hands and runs his thumbs over fair skin. There’s a gentle breeze in the air that slightly ruffles their hair, their Quidditch robes flapping in the wind. There’s a glimmering golden speck in the distance as the two males look into each other’s eyes.
“Yes, I-the Snitch!” With that, Junmyeon takes off on his broomstick, leaving a dazed and confused Yifan behind. Slowly regaining his senses, he zooms towards the smaller male who is becoming tinier by the second as he chases after the golden snitch.
The roaring of the crowd is drowned out in the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the wind rushing past his ears and whipping through his hair. Yifan’s broomstick is thrumming under his hold as he pushes forward in pursuit of the Ravenclaw Seeker.
The snitch is darting from left to right, up and down as the two Seekers are now neck to neck. Heading towards the playing field in their pursuit of the golden ball, Yifan pulls forward slightly, completely fixated on the fluttering object almost within his grasp. He can almost taste Slytherin victory on his tongue as he reaches out and grabs…
“Yifan, look out!”
Yifan turns back in time to watch the tiny Ravenclaw Seeker bracing himself for impact before a bludger flies into his side, thereby saving Yifan from the hit meant for him. Junmyeon tumbles down to the ground and lands there in a heap of limbs and broomstick. Medics are rushing towards the fallen Seeker and Yifan’s eyes widen before he’s flying towards the commotion, only “Junmyeon, Junmyeon, Junmyeon” being on his mind.
He drops his broomstick upon landing, running towards the crowd of people gathered, pushing past before he finally can see the Korean male.
“Someone call the doctor!”
“He doesn’t look to good…”
Panicked words are being exchanged among the gathered crowd, the Ravenclaw team standing around their dear Captain worriedly. The sea of people part to allow the medics space to do their job, and it’s not long before the Head Medic gives a simple diagnosis.
“He’s unconscious. His ribs are cracked, it’s going to be difficult to move him. We can’t risk levitating him all the way, bring a stretcher here and levitate him on before carrying him to the ward. Tell Nurse Tiffany that we have a casualty.” The scene is a flurry of movement as the medical staff move briskly to ensure Junmyeon gets moved to the ward as fast as possible.
Yifan just stares blankly, unable to process everything that happened in that short period of time.
“Eh bro, you okay?” Doojoon, the Slytherin Chaser, walks beside Yifan, lightly nudging him in the side. Yifan snaps his head to face him, still in a daze. Doojoon spots a glimmering golden from within Yifan’s tightly clenched fist. “Dude… Are you holding the Snitch?” The Chinese male looks down at his now opened fist to see the Golden Snitch lying in his palm.
Madamn Hooch spots the scene and blows her whistle. “Slytherin wins the match!”
Yifan is surrounded by loud cheers and whoops from his teammates, swarmed in hugs and slaps on the back. The excitement in the air is tangible. He’s been waiting for this moment, to lead the Slytherin team to victory, for so long, but Yifan can’t bring himself to enjoy it. His mind keeps wandering back to the petite, bruised figure lying on the stretcher with his eyes closed, being carried to the school ward.
Without another thought, he picks up his broomstick and discreetly exits the festivities, heading towards the one person he must be beside.
~~
Warms hands are firmly entwined.
Eyelids flutter open to reveal dark brown irises.
A sigh of relief is exhaled.
Yifan shifts himself closer to the man on the bed. He seems much smaller, much more fragile than he usually does, and it does funny things to Yifan’s insides; a strong, protective instinct emerging from within. “Hey you, how’re you feeling?”
Junmyeon lets out a small smile and a hum of acknowledgement once his eyes focus on the blond giant seated beside his bed. The taller male moves his hand to upwards, slowly stroking Junmyeon’s head. He closes his eyes and makes another sound of agreement with the gentle caresses through his hair before looking back at Yifan. “Hmm, it’s awfully quiet here. Where are my teammates?”
Yifan has the decency to look ashamed. “I sent them away. They were noisy and…”
Junmyeon raises an eyebrow at that. “What did their being noisy have to do with you?”
His face turns a slight pink as he hesitantly opens his mouth. “And- I-I wanted to spend time with you I mean. Not… You know what I mean.” Yifan ends with a whine and Junmyeon has to suppress his giggles.
“Nope, I don’t know what you mean.”
Junmyeon has to literally cover his mouth to prevent laughter from spilling out. Yifan has his kicked-puppy look on as he runs a hand through his locks in frustration and sheepishness. He exhales deeply before speaking, “You took the bludger in my place and I’m so so sorry you’re here because of me, and also because I was hoping I’d get an answer for my question during the match?” The Korean male seems shocked and lost with that statement. His eyes widen.
“What question?”
Now it’s Yifan’s turned to be shocked. His jaw drops and he grabs Junmyeon’s forearms. “You don’t know what I’m talking about? Do you remember what happened during the match?”
Junmyeon’s brow furrows. “I only recall when Headmaster Lee started the match and when the bludger was flying towards me. I don’t remember what happened during the match though. Why? Was there something important that I’ve forgotten?”
Oh dear Merlin, he has a concussion HE FORGOT EVERYTHING I SAID. Yifan was about to have a mental breakdown. He pushes the chair back before standing to his full height, his facial features distressed. “I’m going to call Nurse Tiffany. Maybe you have a concussion.”
Just as he turns to leave, he feels a warm hand clasps his own before effervescent giggles fill the ward. He looks back to find Junmyeon shaking with mirth, a hand covering his mouth and another clutching his belly.
Yifan thinks Junmyeon’s concussion may be a lot more serious than he originally thought.
Junmyeon tugs the blond down, rubbing the pad of his thumb against giant hands. “Merlin, who knew you were so gullible?” Yifan shakes his head, not understand where Junmyeon is going with this.
“I was just kidding. I know what happened during the match, I remember what you said. And, my answer is yes.” Junmyeon looks up at the taller male with sparkling eyes, lips tipped upwards in a mischievous smile. “And you owe me pumpkin juice for the rest of my life, as a token of appreciation for saving your ass back there.”
“Uhh… What?”
Junmyeon bursts out in another round of laughter, his right hand covering his mouth. Yifan grabs the Ravenclaw’s right hand and moves it away, smiling down at the younger male. “Don’t cover your smile, it’s beautiful. I know we're not in Professor Choi's Charms class, but you still are charming.”
Junmyeon’s laughter fades as he rolls his eyes before looking back at the giant. “Well, aren’t you going to kiss me or something?”
Of course Yifan obliges.
~~
The group is spread out along the Quidditch stands, enjoying the warm rays of sunshine along with the cool spring breeze. Jessica, Krystal and Wendy are gossiping about the Quidditch players currently training on the field, emitting girly giggles and muffled screeches. Lu Han and Yixing are playing some game, the occasional yelps or shouts coming from them. Sehun is seated beside them with Jongin, the two intently observing the older boys as they play their game. Junmyeon and Yifan round up the group, enjoying each other’s company with gentle caresses and discreet (well, as discreet as they can be) snuggling.
The taller male turns to his smaller boyfriend, wrapping his long arms around Junmyeon’s tiny waist. “Hey Jun, did you survive the Avada Kedavra curse? Because you're drop dead gorgeous.” Junmyeon’s groans and his face turns a deep crimson as he struggles to bury himself in the broadness of his boyfriend’s chest.
“Yo Salazar, you two are disgusting.” Lu Han swats the couple away, sticking out his tongue and faking a barf.
“It’s just Yifan! I didn’t do anything!” Junmyeon whines, lower lip jutting out in a pout. Yifan stares at his embarrassed boyfriend “Merlin, you’re cute, Junmyeon. If you were a Dementor, I'd become a criminal just to get your kiss.”
Yifan puckers up, Junmyeon smacks his thigh before shoving him away.
Lu Han rests his head on his knuckles observing the scene play out before him. “… You have a point there. But you’re with him so you’re kind of disgusting by default too. The thanks I get for hooking you two up….”
“Technically, I hooked them up. Your advice was pretty useless.”
“Shut up, Yixing.”
Fin.
Written for everyone
Prompt: HP!AU: Wufan is Slytherin's Quidditch Captain and star chaser. However, as luck might have it, he can't play in the final match against Ravenclaw because of his failing grade in Potions class. Junmyeon is Ravenclaw's Captain and Seeker. He is determined to snatch the glory from Slytherin but he needs to make up for his student assistance duties.
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 7045 words
Summary: Quidditch, Potions, pumpkin juice and an unresolved grudge. How will this turn out?
Message: hi prompter! all 3 of your prompts were lovely! i’m really sorry I didn’t stick exactly to the prompt I chose, my imagination just ran wild and then…..T.T nonetheless, I hope it meets your expectations and you enjoy the fic!
many many thanks to my beta, a, a.k.a the person who had to bear with my headache-inducing draft ehehehe i love you a lot. thank you for the encouragement and motivation and the crazy last-minute beta-ing because i am a terrible terrible person
also thanks to p and h for cheering me on and giving me lovely advice as well as l for (unintentionally) shoving lots of krisho to me
To label Yifan as ‘frustrated’ happens to be an understatement.
Ms Kwon, his Potions teacher, had pulled him aside after class with a look of hesitance mixed with worry.
“Yifan,” she started slowly, “I know you’ve been working hard this term. I can tell from your coursework and overall results. I also know you hope to play in the Quidditch finals against Ravenclaw. But with your current Potions grade... I- Unfortunately, I may have to request your Head of House, Professor Shim, to pull you out from the Quidditch team.”
Needless to say, Yifan was stunned. He knew he was getting less-than-desirable grades for Potions… But to the extent that he has to be pulled out from the Slytherin team? He runs a hand through his dark brown hair, letting out a groan when he remembers Ms Kwon’s ‘proposition’.
“I’ll put you under the peer tutoring scheme and give you test at the end of it. As long as you attend all your tutoring sessions and pass the test with a satisfactory grade, I’ll let you play in the finals. How does that sound?”
As Slytherin’s famed Quidditch Captain and star Seeker, how can Yifan afford to miss this match? It will be his first finals match as Captain and he definitely wants the honour of leading his teammates to glory this year. Which is why he's left with no other option but to agree to Ms Kwon’s terms.
He hopes his peer tutor will be someone nice though. Someone like…. Someone like Kim Junmyeon from Ravenclaw. The small male was an angel: smart, warm-hearted, diligent, and beautiful. But he always seemed to be shooting daggers at Yifan from some strange reason…
Anyway, Yifan will probably need a huge miracle (a miracle like Kim Junmyeon) to pull through Potions for his N.E.W.Ts. He wonders why he even decided to take up the subject in the first place.
Yifan lets out a deep sigh as he thinks of the immense amount of work already piling up for him.
~~
“Junmyeon, can I speak to you for a minute?”
The petite male excuses himself from the company of his friends and moves towards Ms Kwon. He wonders what exactly caused Ms Kwon to look him up. She normally would wait till Prefect meetings or Potions classes to talk to him; for her to go out of her way to personally find him was a rare occurrence.
Junmyeon folds his hands in front of him before facing Ms Kwon, his trademark gentle smile on his face. “Yes Ms Kwon? May I help you with something?”
“You haven’t being assigned any student for your Student Assistance Duties right? Because a student that I have… He really needs some extra attention. You’d be willing to lend me a hand, right?” Junmyeon nods obediently, leaning closer to listen to what Ms Kwon has to say.
“There’s a student from our class that needs some help in Potions, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to ask but you. You’ve been performing excellently in my class, along with all your other classes. I’m sure you’ll be able to handle this, right? Can I entrust this to you, Junmyeon?”
“Sure, Ms Kwon. It’d help me immensely if you could past me a list of his weaker areas in Potions though, then I’d know what to focus on when I tutor him.” Junmyeon notes with interest that the student was a ‘he’ and also happens to be sharing the same class as him. Growing curious as to who he could be, Junmyeon starts, “Ms Kwon, if I may just ask, wh-“
“Of course, Junmyeon. Thanks so much! I really need to run now; I’m going to be late for my next class. He’ll meet you in the library at the tables near the Potions section, aisle P4 if I remember correctly, at 6:30PM after dinner on Friday. Bye Junmyeon, thank you again!” Turning on her heel, Ms Kwon takes off at lightning speed, grabbing her robes and hoisting them over her ankles so she doesn’t accidentally trip over them.
Mildly stunned, he stares at the decreasing back view of his Potions teacher before turning towards his friends and shrugging his shoulders. What could be so hard about tutoring another student?
~~
Ms Kwon had passed him the list via a Year Two Hufflepuff who had profusely apologised for spilling pumpkin juice on the list, thereby smudging the name of the student Junmyeon was to assist. Junmyeon had smiled warmly at the boy at the mention of his favourite drink and shook his head to tell the terrified kid that he wasn’t mad, and thanked him for passing over the list.
Padding across the carpeted floor of the magnificent Hogwarts library, he easily found P4, before freezing over in horror at the stony figure who sat there.
“I’m supposed to tutor YOU?”
Wu Yifan. The name itself was completely abhorred by Junmyeon, and now he was supposed to tutor that uncultured annoying swine?!
One Hogsmeade weekend back in Year Four, Junmyeon had been walking from Honeydukes to meet his two cousins, Kim Jongin and Kim Jongdae. The former was in Year Two at that time and happened to be a fellow Ravenclaw, the latter being a Year Three Slytherin. The three of them have been stuck together since they were in diapers and were practically inseparable when they were together.
Anyway, Junmyeon had been on his way to meet the Kim brothers, happily swinging his shopping bag containing the last bottle of his favourite brand of pumpkin juice (London Pumpkins & Sons, of course) which he bought at Honeydukes. He was over the moon at being able to grab their last bottle (though it was a pity since he would’ve liked a few more), and skipped along the cobbled streets, fully intending to save the drink for when he was safe back at the Ravenclaw dormitories to savour every last drop of it. So caught up in his plans for later that he failed to notice a figure sprinting in his direction.
“Excuse me!” a deep baritone voice called out. There’s pressure against his arm, the tell-tale gust of air of a person rushing past and next thing Junmyeon knew, he’s landed hard on his butt, his precious bottle of pumpkin juice lying spilt on the snowy ground. His eyes opened in shock. His pumpkin juice! His favourite pumpkin juice! The last bottle of his favourite pumpkin juice!
He turned back in time to see the figure escaping, and an angry huff left his lips. Junmyeon noted honey blonde hair, a broad back covered in a grey woollen sweater and black pants. He shook his clenched fist violently and stared daggers into the unknown person’s back, vowing to get his revenge on the perpetrator of this heinous crime.
With his excellent observational and sleuthing skills, he later finds out the male who brushed past him was Wu Yifan of Slytherin.
“You… You were the one who spilled my pumpkin juice in Year Four!”
Needless to say, Yifan did not to expect his first meeting with his peer tutor to occur in such a way.
“Excuse me but, w-what?”
“You were the culprit, HOW DARE YOU! My poor pumpkin juice......”
Yifan couldn’t help but stare at the petite boy who's currently glaring at him from across the table, mouth in a slight pout and arms akimbo. His face is a flushed pink and all Yifan can think is, Salazar Slytherin save me, he’s adorable.
But the Chinese giant is snapped out of those thoughts when he sees unshed tears shimmering in his companion’s eyes and, without a second thought, rummages through his bag before handing over an unopened bottle of pumpkin juice to the male standing opposite him. “I’m not too sure what exactly you’re talking about, but I do assume I did something regarding pumpkin juice that upset you. So, here, take my bottle.”
Junmyeon stands there stunned, unsure of how to react to Yifan’s sudden move. Over the past two years, Junmyeon had pieced together the perfect reprimand for when he finally got the chance to face Wu Yifan. He’d rehearse it in the shower after particularly frustrating days (such as when the first year prefects do a crap job of their duties). Even thinking about Wu Yifan’s notorious stony expression and monotonous one-line answers could get Junmyeon in a bad mood in which he’d come up with more insults for the blond haired Chinese giant.
But the thing that could put the normally gentle and patient Junmyeon in the worst mood possible would be spotting Wu Yifan being followed by his whole hoard of fan girls down the corridors of Hogwarts.
“He’s such a cocky bastard! I don’t even understand what those girls see in him. And the constant squeals and shrieks they emit as long as That Guy even breathes in their direction drives me nuts,” he’d complain to Lu Han, who would pat him on the shoulder with a “there there Junmyeon, it’s okay to admit that you’re jealous of those girls y’know.” Junmyeon would shove Lu Han away with a growl and stalk off towards wherever he was supposed to be headed to next, muttering under his breath fifty different ways to kill him.
Obviously, Lu Han would continue to live another day while Junmyeon would have to bear with another day of Wu Yifan. And Lu Han.
But finally, in the presence of the Slytherin that had annoyingly occupied a countless (large) number of his thoughts, he finds himself speechless after Wu Yifan’s unexpected gesture that ruined his original plan.
“I-You… you owe me pumpkin juice until this whole tutoring… ‘thingy’ is over. Yeah. Every Friday. As repayment for the one you spilt that time. And because I’m tutoring you. So it’s like a form of like payment?” Wow that was very eloquent of me, Junmyeon thinks. Later, he will go back to his warm bed in the Ravenclaw dormitories and kick himself over his sudden inability to form coherent sentences, but for now he’d focus on dealing with the giant male before him.
Yifan lets a small smile slip onto his face, seemingly amused by his smaller companion. He nods and motions to Junmyeon to sit down on the bench on the opposite side of the table. Junmyeon moves to the seat and plops down with his bag beside him, before grabbing a stack of books from his haversack and dumping them on the table. He moves to open the first book but freezes midway, his expression of someone deep in thought, then turns to Yifan with a questioning look. “What are you doing under the peer tutoring scheme anyway?”
At this, Yifan’s face noticeably dims and Junmyeon feels bad for bringing up the question.
“I’m not doing too well for Potions… Ms Kwon said I have to pass a retest of sorts so that I can play in the Quidditch finals,” Yifan pauses before his eyes light up in something that seems like realisation, “aren’t you playing in the Quidditch finals too?”
Junmyeon answers that question with a dip of his head, looking the Chinese male in the eye and replying in a grave voice,
“I should just let you fail the retest.”
Yifan’s eyes widen at this before he starts to panic, causing Junmyeon to burst out into laughter. “I was kidding, I was kidding. Merlin, who knew you were so gullible?”
Yifan thinks he could get used to Junmyeon’s gentle giggle and gleaming smile.
~~
“Yo, what’s being tutored by Kim Junmyeon like?”
Lu Han nudges Yifan out of his daydream in the middle of Professor Ahn’s History of Magic lesson. “What? How’d you-“ Lu Han dismisses Yifan with a flip of his hair. “I’m friends with Junmyeon, or have you forgotten that?” The taller male pauses to hum in recollection, before facing the front of the class to at least appear like he’s paying attention. “It’s been a few sessions and everything’s been okay I guess; he’s okay. Except for when we first met, he got upset over pumpkin juice and it was my fault I don’t know?”
Lu Han sighs, looking around to make sure Mr Ahn hasn’t noticed them yet, before flicking Yifan’s head. “Merlin’s beard! That hurt, you bastard!” Yifan rubs his slight bump, shooting a glare at his desk mate.
“Mr Lu, Mr Wu, please stop your talking at the back. I have ears, you know.”
“Yes Mr Ahn, sorry.” Lu Han rolls his eyes before giving Yifan an unimpressed face and turning his voice to a whisper. “Don’t you remember a Hogsmeade weekend? In fourth year? We went out with Zitao and Yixing, and little Taozi decided that it’d be fun to steal your bottle of Magnificent Moisturiser, which you bought that day, and run away. You ended up chasing the brat all throughout Hogsmeade until you threatened to hex him with an Instant Scalping Hex. Which did the trick. Well, along the way you actually bumped into Junmyeon and caused him to spill his bottle of pumpkin juice.” Lu Han’s recount jolts a memory in Yifan’s head, and he reminisces with a smile on his face.
The doe-eyed boy continues, “The boy loves pumpkin juice and was extremely mad at you, rightfully so, I mean, you practically bulldozed the small guy over with your huge ass frame and you didn’t even bother to apologise? Do you know how heavy you are??” Lu Han’s voice rises towards the end, catching Mr Ahn’s attention.
“Second warning, Mr Lu. I would like it if the both of you pay attention to the lesson.”
Lu Han’s voice drops a notch lower. “Junmyeon's spent the longest time getting agitated over the smallest thing you’d do. He complain and grumble to me over and over again about what you did, about what you didn’t do. It’s gotten pretty annoying actually. All that ‘tension’… Ahem I mean yes. But to be honest, I don’t think there’s any animosity coming from him.”
Yifan furrows his brows, clearing not following Lu Han’s line of thought. The shorter male rolls his eyes and groans. “He’s a really nice guy and you need to hook up with someone.”
Yifan’s jaw drops at Lu Han’s bluntness, “What are you even saying? Are you even hearing yourself? Junmyeon liking me? Please. Plus I don’t like him, stop giving me that look, I-“
“10 points from Slytherin. The two of you, come and see me after class is over.”
~~
“Gotta run guys, see y’all tonight.” Yifan stuffs the last piece of apple pie in his mouth before dusting off the crumbs and grabbing the completely full bottle of pumpkin juice that had sat untouched in front of him since the start of dinner.
“Yo dude, why haven’t you drank a drop your pumpkin juice yet? You love pumpkin juice… Can I have it?” Yifan dismisses Lu Han with a wave, managing a garbled “Payment” as a reply through his stuffed mouth, turning towards the doors of the Great Hall and making his way to the library for his next meeting with Kim Junmyeon the Ravenclaw, leaving behind a very pleased Lu Han and a confused bunch of friends.
“Hey Lu, is Yifan okay? He’s been leaving early from dinner an awful lot lately… Is he dating some chick we don’t know about?” Krystal repeatedly jabs an uncooperative Lu Han in the side. She soon gives up and pokes the expressionless statue seated a person away from her. “Sehun, wouldn’t you know something? You’re his brother for Salazar’s sake.”
“Nah, Yifan? With a chick? Please, we all know what he’s like.” Jessica dismisses her younger sister’s question and turns back to the chicken chop on her plate. Heechul bristles, clearly unconvinced. “Isn’t Yifan gay?” The older of the Jungs pauses mid-chew before nodding her head in agreement with the boy beside her.
Lu Han rubs his hands together in glee, his mouth spreading into a suspicious shit-eating grin. “It’s much better than some random chick, guys. So much better.”
~~
“Today,” Junmyeon begins, “we’ll be going through Amortentia. It’s also our second last tutoring session, aren’t you happy, Yifan? So, can you tell me what Amortentia is?”
The weeks seemed to fly pass during the course of the tutoring sessions, and the two boys were using an empty Potions classroom (with the permission of Ms Kwon, of course), their thick copies of ‘Advanced Potion Making’ opened up, random notes scribbled across the pages in black ink.
“Amortentia is the most powerful love potion that exists and causes a powerful infatuation or obsession from the drinker. The potion has multi-faceted aromas depending on whoever smells it, and reminds them of the things they are most fond of, even if they are unaware or do not acknowledge their affection for said things.”
Junmyeon nodded, an impressed smile on his face. “You’ve really been working hard.”
Yifan scoffs, glaring at the smaller boy. “Excuse you, I’ve always been working hard.”
Junmyeon merely waves his hand at Yifan before pushing his chair back and grabbing all the necessary ingredients. “But the real question here isn’t if you know what the potion does, but rather if you can brew it. Get cracking, Yifan.”
With an annoyed huff, Yifan forces himself to stand, and so he begins brewing the most powerful love potion in existence.
After careful measurements and gentle stirring, Yifan heaves a sigh of relief and wipes imaginary sweat off his forehead. He grins in satisfaction at the mother-of-pearl sheen of the potion and spiralling steam emitted from it, before looking at Junmyeon who had been observing his preparation the entire time.
Junmyeon hums, seemingly satisfied before moving beside Yifan. “Let’s see if your potion has been brewed correctly. Would you like to take the first whiff?" Yifan mocks a curtsey. “Yes, your highness. It would be my pleasure.”
Junmyeon has to reach up to slap Yifan’s shoulder, and the Slytherin chuckles before bending over the cauldron. The Chinese male takes a deep breath, racking his brain to put a label to the aromas assaulting his senses.
“Hmm… broomstick handle, and something that smells like braised beef? Oh, mum’s beef noodles. The last one smells fruity but it doesn’t smell like any particular fruit. It smells like some scented soap? I don’t know use any soap that smells fruity though.” Yifan leans back, mostly satisfied except for the niggling curiosity regarding the last scent.
Junmyeon steps towards the work desk and leans in, closing his eyes and concentrating on identifying the scents. Junmyeon’s back is pressed up against Yifan’s chest in the tight space the lab has to offer, and the contact is causing strange but pleasant bubbles to stir in him, comfortable such that Yifan isn’t moving away. The feelings leave Yifan confused, but he’s pulled out from his musings by Junmyeon’s cheerful voice. “Pumpkin juice!”
Of course, Yifan thinks, of course it’s going to be pumpkin juice.
“There’s also apricot pie. Hmm I should go down to the kitchens and check if there’s apricot pie. And finally… It’s familiar I guess, but I can’t put my finger on it.” Yifan observes the smaller male carefully, noting the crease forming between his eyebrows, and Yifan wants to rub the crease away with his thumb. Junmyeon bites his lower lip and wring his hands around, searching for an answer within his large brain before his eyelids slowly flutter open.
“The last scent,” Junmyeon whispers,
“It smells like… you.”
Yifan’s eyes widen at the sudden confession spilling from small pink lips. Junmyeon, clearly realising what he’d just uttered, turns pink. He takes a step back from the cauldron, bumping into Yifan’s chest. At the contact, Junmyeon jolts.
“Junmyeon- I-” Yifan makes to grab Junmyeon, but he swiftly walks to his belongings and pulls them to his chest before facing Yifan like a deer in the headlights. “I need to go now.” His companion rushes out as fast as his shorter legs can carry him, Yifan doesn’t chase after him.
Junmyeon is gone in a swish of robes, and the dungeons suddenly seem much colder than they previously were.
~~
Junmyeon had been swiftly avoiding Yifan the entire week, turning on his heel and scurrying off in the opposite direction as soon as he catches a glimpse of Yifan’s golden locks. By the time Friday had rolled around, the taller male was tired, confused and at an utter loss at what to do.
The atmosphere this session was tense and suffocating, so unlike the previous weeks filled with playful banter and gentle teasing. Stilted and superficial conversation dominated the session, both males unsure of how to act.
Yifan, deciding that he has to do something to clean up the mess, gathers up his courage. He clears his throat.
“About last week...”
That gets Junmyeon's attention. His head snaps up as he faces his significantly taller companion. Yifan looks down at his textbook, eyes nervously shifting about. “It doesn’t mean much, right? I mean-“
Yifan is snapped out of his sentence by the sound of a book being slammed shut harshly. Junmyeon slides out of his bench and grabs his bag. “I think we’re done with tutoring for today. All the best for your test, Yifan.”
A curt nod and the distance between the two of them steadily increases. Yifan stares at the figure’s retreating view before turning back to the now-vacant seat in front of him. A cashmere sweater is hung, forgotten, on the back of the chair. Yifan gets out of his seat and takes long strides towards the chair opposite, picking up the sweater. The sweater is soft in his grasp and suddenly Yifan smells something fruity, not any particular fruit, but it’s pleasant and sweet-smelling nonetheless. The scent triggers a memory in the blond which has his brain clicking in understanding.
He is so royally screwed.
~~
Junmyeon walks at a hurried pace, determined to get away from the dumb Chinese Slytherin who had been seeping into his every thought, who had thrown his heart on the ground and stomped on it before taking a piss on it for good measure. The aching in his chest intensifies as he replays their conversation earlier in his mind.
“It doesn’t mean much.”
Junmyeon leans on the wall, hands shaking, his breath breaking up into short gasps. He forces himself to calm down, inhaling and exhaling slowly before pushing himself off the wall and wiping the stray tears that trickled down his face with his sleeve. Picking up his pace again, he zooms forward, eager to get to the safety of his bed before more betraying tears can fall. In his haste, he doesn't notice a certain doe-eyed Slytherin, nearly crashing into the boy who catches him by the shoulders and forces him to face him.
“Junmyeon? What happened? You’re supposed to be tutoring Yifan now, is everything okay?”
At the mention of that one name, Junmyeon breaks down.
“I-He-Lu Han I screwed everything up. I was wrong to even think for a second… Good Godric this is so messed up.” Junmyeon’s shoulders slump downwards and he bites his lips to prevent the sobs from spilling out.
The doe-eyed male open his arms as Junmyeon readily accepts the offered embrace. “It’s okay Junmyeon, it’ll be okay.” Lu Han affectionately rubs Junmyeon’s back as the Korean male buries himself into Lu Han’s shoulder, muffling broken sobs and timid sniffles, leaving wet tear stains on his sleeve.
~~
“Class dismissed! Have a good day ahead, everyone. And Wu Yifan, please come and see me after class.”
The sixth year students trickle out from the Potions laboratory (he notices a certain dark haired Ravenclaw exit the class without even a glance at him) and Yifan makes his way towards the front of the classroom where Ms Kwon is clearing up her bench. “Hello there Yifan, I trust that Junmyeon has been tutoring you well?”
His chest thuds painfully and his heart is caught in his throat at the mention of Kim Junmyeon. Yifan nods before a piece of paper on the table catches his eye. Ms Kwon sees where his gaze is directed at and breaks his reverie.
“Eager to know your marks for the retest?”
Yifan can’t trust his voice right now. How well he did on that test determines if he’ll get to play in the Quidditch finals. He’s so close to it, he can’t crash and burn now.
Ms Kwon’s lips spreads into a smile. “I have very good news for you, Yifan. You’ll definitely be able to play in the finals.”
Relief floods Yifan’s body at the news. One problem down, one more to go.
~~
“Oh hey Yifan, you’re just in time to watch me put Sammy the Star Grass seed in his new home!”
Yixing gently places the Star Grass in the hole he dug before patting soil over it. “Grow little one, grow!” Yixing cheerily shouts at the earthen pot, flailing his arms around enthusiastically.
Yifan cringes internally and silently debates if he really wants to go to Yixing, of all people, with this problem but his musings are cut short when said male turns to him with a dazed smile.
“So Yifan, what did you need to see me about?” Deciding that Yixing probably is one of the few people he can trust with this, he sighs. “I need your advice, umm, it’s kind of hard to explain. Are you free now?”
“Yeah I’ll just clean up here and we can go. Bye Sammy, I hope you like your new pot!” Dusting his hands on his mustard-coloured overalls, Yixing waves at the pot before standing up and making his way to Yifan.
The walk back to the main castle is filled with a heavy silence as Yifan deliberates how he wants to put his jumbled up thoughts into words. Yixing waits patiently, like he always does, for his taller companion to start.
Yifan needed someone to listen, and Yixing knows better than to force anything out of him.
He’s known the giant, along with the annoying doe-eyed Lu Han, since they were in diapers, and the last time Lu Han tried to force something out of Yifan (when he wasn’t ready) was disastrous. Yixing smiles at the fond memory of Yifan grabbing Lu Han by the shoulders and shaking him around.
He spots a little alcove hidden in a corner and sits down there, urging Yifan to do the same before making himself comfortable with his right leg folded against his chest and left leg stretched out, back leaning against the wall. He faces the blond-haired male and smiles understandingly. The taller male sighs deeply, running a hand through his hair before looking up at Yixing and beginning his rant.
However, Yifan is stopped halfway through by a fuming Lu Han who has stomped over to them sometime during Yifan’s monologue.
“You! You’re an ass! Completely and utterly- How could you do that to Junmyeon? How dare you, you stupid giant lump of…of…lump of thing!”
Yixing sinks further back into the wall. An angry Lu Han is an unstoppable Lu Han. Also very scary. Yixing most definitely doesn't want to get in his way. He’ll just let Yifan handle this by himself. But after switching his gaze between the hopping-mad Lu Han and the weary Yifan, he realises the argument will never end.
“ALRIGHT YOU TWO.”
The two Slytherins whip their heads, shocked at the fact that Yixing had just shouted. Since when did Yixing ever shout? Yixing beckons Lu Han to take a seat with his hand before releasing a sigh. “Okay. We shall calmly listen to what Yifan has to say BEFORE wanting to kill him. Is that clear, Lu?”
Lu Han nods before looking over to Yifan. “Shoot.”
Fifteen minutes later and the three boys are silent in contemplation over Yifan’s ‘problem’. Various suggestions had been thrown out such as:
1. Serenading the Korean male
2. Reciting poetry for him
3. Composing a rap for him about pumpkin juice
4. Dancing before giving him a bouquet of roses and confessing
“Any other ideas?” Yifan grumbles before dropping his head in his palms.
“Well,” Lu Han cautiously begins, ”chicks dig cheesy pick-up lines?”
“Junmyeon is not a ‘chick’.” Yifan growls out. Salazar save him, he’s about to pounce on and strangle Lu Han before tying him up and slowly plucking out, strand by strand, his newly groomed, pristine-looking eyebrows.
“Yo, you know what dude, you just have to chill. Man, you’re really uptight about this.”
Yifan glares threateningly at Lu Han who makes a zipping motion over his lips.
“The best solution to this ‘problem’ of yours is to be sincere. If Junmyeon really loves you, he’s going to accept you no matter what you do. Just show him that you’re serious, that’s the best thing he can ask for.”
“Hey Yixing, since when did you get so wise?”
“Shut up, Lu Han.”
~~
The Ravenclaw and Slytherin players are spread out in the air, the spectators stands filled to the brim with excited students ready for the Quidditch finals. Kim Junmyeon, as the Captain and Seeker, is positioned in front of all his teammates, mouth set in a determined line.
Wu Yifan’s position mirrors his counterpart’s. He surveys his fellow Slytherin players carefully who are bearing similarly taut expressions. Turning to the Seeker on the opposing team, he notices the Ravenclaw eyeing him with a certain dismalness. Their eyes meet and he can see pain etched in the expression Junmyeon gives before it becomes unreadable. Needles jab at Yifan’s chest as the Korean male turns away without sparing him a second glance.
He has to snap out of this funk. Right now he needs to concentrate on the match before him.
Headmaster Lee clears his throat, thereby reducing the crowds to sparse murmurs and snapping the players’ attention towards him. Drawing out his wand, he begins in a slow and steady voice, “As Headmaster of Hogwarts, I am pleased to welcome all our Hogwarts students to today’s Quidditch finals with Slytherin against Ravenclaw. Let the match begin!”
A string of light emerges from Headmaster Lee’s wand and the Snitch materialises. Both Yifan and Junmyeon begin their chase for the Snitch as they follow its movements, darting here and there, the adrenaline rush and excitement from the match fuelling them with energy.
After a long chase, the two Seekers have lost sight of the Snitch and fly up a bit higher so that they can survey the area.
From up above, Yifan and Junmyeon can comfortably watch the Chasers hard at work trying to pass the quaffle through the hoops to score points. The cheers from the spectators are merely a comfortable buzz from that height, and Junmyeon lets his eyes sweep over the view laid out before him.
“Junmyeon, I need to tell you something.”
The Korean male gives no indication that he’s listening, but the giant nonetheless takes a deep breath to calm himself and get rid of the butterflies swarming in his stomach.
“I like you.” Yifan blurts out, turning to look at the smaller male on the broom beside his.
Junmyeon feels hope flutter in his chest, before he deduces Yifan’s motives behind the sudden declaration. He let out a heavy sigh, facing Yifan with a bitter expression. “I know you really want to win this match, but I didn’t think you’d stoop this low. It “doesn’t mean much” does it?”
Yifan can here the tartness in the Ravenclaw’s words and his eyes widen, shaking his head as he reaches out to Junmyeon. “I’m serious, Junmyeon. I really like you.” Junmyeon flinches away from the Chinese male’s touch, making to fly away from him, directing his broomstick towards the right. In a final desperate attempt, Yifan grabs Junmyeon’s hands and forces him to face him.
“I’m really not kidding. Junmyeon, please believe me. It has nothing to do with beating you or winning this goddamn match. In fact, screw this match! Who cares about it anyway, it can go to hell for all I care. Because this match isn’t important to me, Junmyeon. You are. You are important to me and I’ll be damned if I never tell this to you. I’m sorry for being such a huge ass about this. I-There isn’t any excuse for it and I’m really really sorry. Junmyeon, please, trust me.” Junmyeon stares back incredulously at the taller male, biting his lower lip.
Yifan feels a hard shove to his chest before facing an unimpressed Junmyeon.
“What in Rowena Ravenclaw is wrong with you? We’re on rival houses in the middle of an important Quidditch match and you decide to confess your feelings NOW?”
Yifan bursts out laughing at the Junmyeon in front of him: arms folded across his chest and an incredulous expression painted on his face. “Wait… is this Lu Han’s idea? Did he put you up to this? I swear I’ll get him back-“
“No, no, nothing of that sort. So, Junmyeon, will you be my boyfriend?” Yifan grasps Junmyeon’s tiny hands and runs his thumbs over fair skin. There’s a gentle breeze in the air that slightly ruffles their hair, their Quidditch robes flapping in the wind. There’s a glimmering golden speck in the distance as the two males look into each other’s eyes.
“Yes, I-the Snitch!” With that, Junmyeon takes off on his broomstick, leaving a dazed and confused Yifan behind. Slowly regaining his senses, he zooms towards the smaller male who is becoming tinier by the second as he chases after the golden snitch.
The roaring of the crowd is drowned out in the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the wind rushing past his ears and whipping through his hair. Yifan’s broomstick is thrumming under his hold as he pushes forward in pursuit of the Ravenclaw Seeker.
The snitch is darting from left to right, up and down as the two Seekers are now neck to neck. Heading towards the playing field in their pursuit of the golden ball, Yifan pulls forward slightly, completely fixated on the fluttering object almost within his grasp. He can almost taste Slytherin victory on his tongue as he reaches out and grabs…
“Yifan, look out!”
Yifan turns back in time to watch the tiny Ravenclaw Seeker bracing himself for impact before a bludger flies into his side, thereby saving Yifan from the hit meant for him. Junmyeon tumbles down to the ground and lands there in a heap of limbs and broomstick. Medics are rushing towards the fallen Seeker and Yifan’s eyes widen before he’s flying towards the commotion, only “Junmyeon, Junmyeon, Junmyeon” being on his mind.
He drops his broomstick upon landing, running towards the crowd of people gathered, pushing past before he finally can see the Korean male.
“Someone call the doctor!”
“He doesn’t look to good…”
Panicked words are being exchanged among the gathered crowd, the Ravenclaw team standing around their dear Captain worriedly. The sea of people part to allow the medics space to do their job, and it’s not long before the Head Medic gives a simple diagnosis.
“He’s unconscious. His ribs are cracked, it’s going to be difficult to move him. We can’t risk levitating him all the way, bring a stretcher here and levitate him on before carrying him to the ward. Tell Nurse Tiffany that we have a casualty.” The scene is a flurry of movement as the medical staff move briskly to ensure Junmyeon gets moved to the ward as fast as possible.
Yifan just stares blankly, unable to process everything that happened in that short period of time.
“Eh bro, you okay?” Doojoon, the Slytherin Chaser, walks beside Yifan, lightly nudging him in the side. Yifan snaps his head to face him, still in a daze. Doojoon spots a glimmering golden from within Yifan’s tightly clenched fist. “Dude… Are you holding the Snitch?” The Chinese male looks down at his now opened fist to see the Golden Snitch lying in his palm.
Madamn Hooch spots the scene and blows her whistle. “Slytherin wins the match!”
Yifan is surrounded by loud cheers and whoops from his teammates, swarmed in hugs and slaps on the back. The excitement in the air is tangible. He’s been waiting for this moment, to lead the Slytherin team to victory, for so long, but Yifan can’t bring himself to enjoy it. His mind keeps wandering back to the petite, bruised figure lying on the stretcher with his eyes closed, being carried to the school ward.
Without another thought, he picks up his broomstick and discreetly exits the festivities, heading towards the one person he must be beside.
~~
Warms hands are firmly entwined.
Eyelids flutter open to reveal dark brown irises.
A sigh of relief is exhaled.
Yifan shifts himself closer to the man on the bed. He seems much smaller, much more fragile than he usually does, and it does funny things to Yifan’s insides; a strong, protective instinct emerging from within. “Hey you, how’re you feeling?”
Junmyeon lets out a small smile and a hum of acknowledgement once his eyes focus on the blond giant seated beside his bed. The taller male moves his hand to upwards, slowly stroking Junmyeon’s head. He closes his eyes and makes another sound of agreement with the gentle caresses through his hair before looking back at Yifan. “Hmm, it’s awfully quiet here. Where are my teammates?”
Yifan has the decency to look ashamed. “I sent them away. They were noisy and…”
Junmyeon raises an eyebrow at that. “What did their being noisy have to do with you?”
His face turns a slight pink as he hesitantly opens his mouth. “And- I-I wanted to spend time with you I mean. Not… You know what I mean.” Yifan ends with a whine and Junmyeon has to suppress his giggles.
“Nope, I don’t know what you mean.”
Junmyeon has to literally cover his mouth to prevent laughter from spilling out. Yifan has his kicked-puppy look on as he runs a hand through his locks in frustration and sheepishness. He exhales deeply before speaking, “You took the bludger in my place and I’m so so sorry you’re here because of me, and also because I was hoping I’d get an answer for my question during the match?” The Korean male seems shocked and lost with that statement. His eyes widen.
“What question?”
Now it’s Yifan’s turned to be shocked. His jaw drops and he grabs Junmyeon’s forearms. “You don’t know what I’m talking about? Do you remember what happened during the match?”
Junmyeon’s brow furrows. “I only recall when Headmaster Lee started the match and when the bludger was flying towards me. I don’t remember what happened during the match though. Why? Was there something important that I’ve forgotten?”
Oh dear Merlin, he has a concussion HE FORGOT EVERYTHING I SAID. Yifan was about to have a mental breakdown. He pushes the chair back before standing to his full height, his facial features distressed. “I’m going to call Nurse Tiffany. Maybe you have a concussion.”
Just as he turns to leave, he feels a warm hand clasps his own before effervescent giggles fill the ward. He looks back to find Junmyeon shaking with mirth, a hand covering his mouth and another clutching his belly.
Yifan thinks Junmyeon’s concussion may be a lot more serious than he originally thought.
Junmyeon tugs the blond down, rubbing the pad of his thumb against giant hands. “Merlin, who knew you were so gullible?” Yifan shakes his head, not understand where Junmyeon is going with this.
“I was just kidding. I know what happened during the match, I remember what you said. And, my answer is yes.” Junmyeon looks up at the taller male with sparkling eyes, lips tipped upwards in a mischievous smile. “And you owe me pumpkin juice for the rest of my life, as a token of appreciation for saving your ass back there.”
“Uhh… What?”
Junmyeon bursts out in another round of laughter, his right hand covering his mouth. Yifan grabs the Ravenclaw’s right hand and moves it away, smiling down at the younger male. “Don’t cover your smile, it’s beautiful. I know we're not in Professor Choi's Charms class, but you still are charming.”
Junmyeon’s laughter fades as he rolls his eyes before looking back at the giant. “Well, aren’t you going to kiss me or something?”
Of course Yifan obliges.
~~
The group is spread out along the Quidditch stands, enjoying the warm rays of sunshine along with the cool spring breeze. Jessica, Krystal and Wendy are gossiping about the Quidditch players currently training on the field, emitting girly giggles and muffled screeches. Lu Han and Yixing are playing some game, the occasional yelps or shouts coming from them. Sehun is seated beside them with Jongin, the two intently observing the older boys as they play their game. Junmyeon and Yifan round up the group, enjoying each other’s company with gentle caresses and discreet (well, as discreet as they can be) snuggling.
The taller male turns to his smaller boyfriend, wrapping his long arms around Junmyeon’s tiny waist. “Hey Jun, did you survive the Avada Kedavra curse? Because you're drop dead gorgeous.” Junmyeon’s groans and his face turns a deep crimson as he struggles to bury himself in the broadness of his boyfriend’s chest.
“Yo Salazar, you two are disgusting.” Lu Han swats the couple away, sticking out his tongue and faking a barf.
“It’s just Yifan! I didn’t do anything!” Junmyeon whines, lower lip jutting out in a pout. Yifan stares at his embarrassed boyfriend “Merlin, you’re cute, Junmyeon. If you were a Dementor, I'd become a criminal just to get your kiss.”
Yifan puckers up, Junmyeon smacks his thigh before shoving him away.
Lu Han rests his head on his knuckles observing the scene play out before him. “… You have a point there. But you’re with him so you’re kind of disgusting by default too. The thanks I get for hooking you two up….”
“Technically, I hooked them up. Your advice was pretty useless.”
“Shut up, Yixing.”
Fin.