[ F I C ] Dull Aches 09
Oooookayy... Why did the latest interlude get like, 1000+ views? :)))) I mean, I'm happy but... wow. The other chapters didn't get that much views. So I'm like whoa, what happened XD But I think that means a lot of new people are reading this... so thanks? HAHAHA.
Anyways, here's chapter 9. Hope you enjoy :3
[ 09 ]
The Past Has Passed
February 4, 1982
School Grounds, Hogwarts
Jaejoong panted and grunted in frustration as he jumped up and tried to reach for a nest of eggs that was floating high above him. He ignored the jeers and the laughs from the sidelines and focused on getting the nest.
“Come on, you guys! This isn’t funny!”
The group of Gryffindors laughed, and one of them waved his wand to the right, making the nest of eggs go higher up to the right. Their mocking laughter increased in volume when the Slytherin tripped because of the sudden change of direction.
“You gotta do better than that, Kim!”
“Why don’t you use your wand to get it back?”
“Because he can’t,” A curly-haired Gryffindor snickered, and the nest bent a little in mid-air to reveal that it had a wand inside of it. “Stupid fool! Leaving his wand where people can easily get it!”
Jaejoong turned his head and glared at the bullies before standing up to chase the nest again. He wasn’t really worried about his wand; he was more concerned about the eggs that were in the nest.
His eyes widened in horror when two eggs got shaken out of the nest and rolled out. They fell to the ground and shattered with a horrifying cracking sound.
“NOOO!” He knelt over the shattered eggs, and his eyes turned glassy at the sight of the shattered eggs.
“Aww, lookit, the wimpy Slytherin looks like he’s going to cry.”
“Boohoohoo, all I can do is cry!”
“I almost feel sorry for Slytherin for having such a pansy like him in their house!”
Jaejoong turned his head and snarled, but before he could say anything, something panged in his chest that caused him to fall over slightly. He was about to sit up when a surprised, pained yelp caught his attention.
“OWW!”
His head shot up, and his eyes widened at the sight of the three bullies being reprimanded by...
Professor Snape?
“What are you foolish boys doing out here? And what-“ Severus Snape looked over them and saw Jaejoong, making the dark-haired boy flinch. The Potions Master’s eyes widened slightly at seeing him, and then they narrowed into slits as he turned his glare at the quivering Gryffindors. “You worthless pests. Bullying a Slytherin? You Gryffindors think you can do anything, can’t you?
“Thirty points from Gryffindor for bullying. Each.” He said mercilessly, ignoring the jaw drops of the Gryffindors. “And for hurting a classmate, you three get detention for a week!”
The three boys looked dumbfounded, and honestly so did Jaejoong. The dark-haired boy watched them try to get out of their situation as he stood up, dusting his robes and fixing his messy, neck-length air.
“P-Professor, you’ve got it all wrong-“
“Y-Yeah, we were just helping Kim, you see!”
“And he just tripped when-“
“SILENCE! I don’t have patience for your lies, Park!” The Potions Master interjected hotly, making the curly-haired boy flinch. With gritted teeth he said, “Now get out of my sight and report to your Head of House. Or shall I inform Professor McGonagall myself?”
The boys squeaked before shaking their head and running away, and Professor Snape didn’t stop glaring at them until they were out of his sight. Jaejoong stared in awe at the man, muttering one single word:
Hero.
“Honestly. Thick-headed fools.” He muttered under his breath. The Potions professor turned to face Jaejoong, and the sudden scrutiny made the third year stiffen and squeak. Professor Snape seemed to pause for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. He started making his way to the boy who kept his eyes trained on his shoes.
“Are you all right, Kim?”
Jaejoong looked up, and he regretted it because his professor’s cold expression made him even more nervous than he already was. He just nodded mutely, not wanting to anger the man.
“Are you sure? You look a little roughened up.”
The boy blinked, and for a moment he thought about just staying quiet. But after peeking up at the professor through his bangs, he thought he’d do the unthinkable and speak. “U-Um, it’s okay. I was just... Jumping around, and I fell.”
“...Jumping around?”
“U-Uh, yeah! It’s because-“ Jaejoong’s light eyes widened when he remembered. The egg shells were scattered on the grassy ground, and he bent over to them, unaware of the man’s curious stare. He silently mourned for the poor creatures; they didn’t deserve to die like that.
Next, he went over to the nest that dropped to the ground when Park stopped the spell. He took the egg in his hands and inspected it. When he saw no damage, he sighed and used his cloak to keep it warm. He was about to stand up after getting his wand back when Professor Snape’s robes suddenly appeared beside him.
“What are you doing?” Came the bored, yet curious drawl.
“O-Oh, um-“ Jaejoong paused. After swallowing he looked up at his Potions professor and pointed at the nest. “This was umm, a nest of eggs I started taking care of when their mother died. I visit it every day, and today, well...” He trailed off, hoping that the man would understand.
He wasn’t disappointed. “I see. And that’s when they came?”
“Um...” Jaejoong bit his lip, not knowing what to say. A part of him knew that there was no point in trying to stay quiet when it was quite obvious what happened. However, he didn’t want to admit that he had been bullied. His lips began to quiver, and he was about to rub at his eye when-
“Don’t cry, you little fool!”
Jaejoong stared up at his professor in shock. “Huh-“
“Is that all it takes for you to shed tears? When idiots like them try to bring you down?” Snape looked disappointed and disgusted at him, and this made Jaejoong hang his head low in shame. But he lifted it back up when the man reprimanded him for it. “Don’t you dare hang your head like some pitiful little Hufflepuff! You’re a Slytherin, Mr. Kim. You belong to a house that boasts strong fraternal bonds, cunning and ambition! I will not stand to see a Slytherin looking so pathetic.”
“B-But they-“ He turned away, flinching when Snape interrupted again.
“Fool! What’s done is done. You can’t control what happened to you, Mr. Kim, but you can control how you react to it.”
The third year Slytherin blinked up at his professor, looking at him curiously. “R-React?”
“That’s right, you little fool.” Snape’s lip curled, and he took hold of Jaejoong’s arm and said. “Now get up, Mr. Kim. Get up.”
“Get up.”
Jaejoong felt something nudge him in the side, but he ignored it. He was having a strange, but fascinating dream, and he didn’t want to miss anything. So he buried his head underneath the sheets, muttering darkly and incoherently telling whoever was bothering him to go away.
He shrieked when his sheets were suddenly pulled away from him, and he shot up from bed, panting and looking around. He was in his room. Obviously. But what happened? Last thing he remembered was coming back from Hogsmeade. He turned to his left and almost shouted in surprise.
“S-Severus?”
The scowling man looked unimpressed. “I don’t know which is more pathetic-you not having a secure lock to your own chambers or you trying to drink your sorrows away. I expected much more from you, Jaejoong.”
The dark-haired beau blinked, and for a moment he didn’t know what the potions master was talking about. But when he heard glass clunking together, he took a closer look at his surroundings-his bed was practically littered with bottles.
Then he remembered.
Jaejoong scoffed and turned away from the potions master. “What do you want from me, Severus?”
“What I want from you is for you to get over yourself.” Severus walked towards the other side where Jaejoong was looking at, causing the younger professor to look at him. The uncharacteristic glare from the usually cheery young man didn’t faze him one bit. “You’ve been absent for days, Professor Kim, and while the other members of the staff are being understanding and patient, I am having none of this.”
Jaejoong glared at his hands as he thought. The others meaning the ones who had bothered to visit him during the last few days.
“Jaejoong, please don’t be so hard on yourself. You can take a few days off, but really, do try to cheer up.” Minerva.
“Merlin, Jaejoong, I’m terribly sorry about all this. If I hadn’t forced you to come...” Remus.
“Jaejoong-ah, what happened to you?! And OMO why are you drinking so much?! Please get better!” Junsu.
“You smell. You should take a bath, and maybe cook me some kimchi stew. And also... feel better. Please?” Changmin.
“I don’t know what all the fuss is about, Jaejoong, but I can tell that you’re hurting. I’m gonna let you off the hook for now, but you owe me one!” Yoochun.
And here was Severus Snape, doing his own version of “cheering him up.” And Jaejoong was not in the mood for it.
“You expect me to go out there after that?” Jaejoong gestured towards the general direction of outside, glaring at his former head of house. “After... After the shame? Everybody knows that I’ve been keeping my former house a secret and-and now they’re all probably judging me and saying things behind my back-“
“I expect you to do your job, Kim. Or did all that alcohol make you forget that you even had one?” Came the harsh interjection, causing Jaejoong to purse his lips in indignation. The potions master watched as he clenched and unclenched his fists, and he sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. “Dear Merlin, will you stop being sorry for yourself, you bloody fool?! You brought this upon yourself, and did you honestly think that no one will ever find out?”
Jaejoong looked up defiantly, but he realized he couldn’t say anything against what the older man just said. He turned away, pressed his lips into a thin line and slowly shook his head.
“I was... I was going to reveal it. Eventually. But not like this. Not like that.” He said quietly, and his eyes turned glassy as he looked at Snape again. His lips started quivering as some tears started to fall. “You weren’t there, Professor. You didn’t see it-hear it. It told all of my secrets. And in front of the students, too! Remus and...”
Yunho’s face flashed in his mind, and he shook his head. He breathed in and clenched his fists, hiccupping as he started crying. “It was so shameful, Professor. I wasn’t ready, and it said everything! I intervened before it could reveal that, but... everyone knows. Everyone knows how pathetic and weak I am and... and...”
Jaejoong couldn’t take it. He bent over and buried his face in his lap, shaking as he cried. Some bottles fell to the floor, but he didn’t care. He was just so ashamed and afraid; he didn’t know what to do anymore. Facing the world after all that had happened seemed so impossible to him.
He stiffened when he felt a hand rest on his head. He slowly looked up and saw Snape looking at him-appearing indifferent as ever, but...
“You’re only weak and pathetic if you let your fear control you.” He said quietly. He removed his hand, and as Jaejoong straightened his posture, continued, “What’s done is done, Jaejoong. You can’t change the past. One can use a Time Turner-however, Time Turners, when used, become an actual part of one’s timeline. They have no actual power over time, and neither do you.
“But what you do have power over is how you react to a situation.” Severus continued, and for a moment, his expression turned just a bit softer. “Isn’t that what I told you in your third year?
“Or are you planning to run away again like in your sixth year?”
Jaejoong couldn’t find any words to say in reply, so he just bowed his head and looked away. He heard Snape sigh.
“You can’t keep running away, Jaejoong. These things will keep on chasing you until you’re so tired you can’t run anymore. Then they’ll overwhelm and destroy you till you’re nothing but dust. So stop being a coward and just face it.”
Jaejoong watched as Snape walked around his bed and went towards the door. But before he got out, he said, “I will inform Dumbledore that you will resume your duties today. Try not to disappoint me, Jaejoong.”
And with that, Snape walked out of Jaejoong’s chambers, leaving a groggy, but contemplative young man to his thoughts. The young man let out a frustrated sigh and scratched his head frantically, confused as to what to do.
He murmured the Tempus charm and realized that it was just a little past two in the morning. He thought about going back to bed, but found that Severus’ little sermon had been too thought-provoking to let him get any rest.
As he got out of bed and exited his bedroom, he wondered what he could do to get his mind off of things. He still felt quite overwhelmed by what happened, so even though he couldn’t contest Snape’s argument that he was indeed running away, the dark-haired man just didn’t know what else to do. Jaejoong sighed, and was about to sink in his office chair when his collection of broomsticks lining the walls caught his eye.
He grabbed his Tinderblast and got out the door.
Harry hugged the invisibility cloak closer to his body as he wandered the corridors. He found himself unable to sleep due to several reasons, including his excitement for the upcoming Quidditch match and his frustration at not being allowed to go to Hogsmeade with his friends. He sighed as he thought about the latter; he desperately wanted to go.
It wasn’t fair.
He eventually reached the open hallway, and he took a few moments to appreciate the beautiful scenery offered by the grounds and the lake. Looking around to see if any staff (or Dementors. Suddenly he thought that wandering around wasn’t a good idea...) were around. When he found none, he leaned over the stone railings and watched the half moon in the sky.
Then something flew past him.
He stepped back, and the wind almost blew away the invisibility cloak from his body. He held it tightly as he looked around, wondering what had flown past him. Was it an owl? A Dementor?
Sirius Black?
He heard the tell-tale whooshing sound of flight, and he leaned over the railings once again to look for the source. His eyes caught on someone riding a broom, and he squinted, finding it difficult to identify the flyer since he (or she?) was going too fast. When the flyer’s broom slowed down, the man’s silhouette became clear in the moonlight. Harry blinked when he realized who it was.
“Professor Jaejoong?”
He watched as his Muggle Studies professor sat completely still on his broom, looking at the moon as if it had the answers to all the questions in the world. A slight movement made Harry think that he had just sighed, and he started flying again. He made circles around the lake, and the Boy Who Lived watched in awe as he made several feints and loops. Did his professor play Quidditch back in his Hogwarts days, he wondered?
And then he remembered; Professor Jaejoong had been in Slytherin.
But...
Harry pursed his lips and searched for the nearest staircase.
Jaejoong made another loop before stopping, and he let out a deep exhale. It’s been a while since he last flew on a broom-and much longer since he had flown like that. The last time had been in fifth year when he received that letter on his sixteenth birthday.
His grip on the broom subconsciously tightened. That letter, the one that changed his life-
“Professor?”
Jaejoong’s head shot up. That voice.
He looked towards the ground, but he found no one. He made a slow turn on his broom, and when he still couldn’t see anyone, he went on high alert. His hand slowly cupped the pocket where his wand was, and he raised a brow as he asked.
“Who’s there? Show yourself.”
Much to his surprise, the reply sounded meek. “O-Oh. Sorry. Forgot that I still had this on.”
Jaejoong blinked. Huh?
He looked back at the ground near the lake and saw Harry Potter’s head floating in mid-air. He almost fell off his broom at that; what the bloody hell?! Then the boy removed some sort of cloak and folded it in his arms. It took the man a moment of thought before realizing what had happened.
Ah. The boy had an invisibility cloak. How... convenient.
He shook his head out of his stupor. Wait a minute! Why was he even out here? Did he not realize what’s out here? Didn’t the incident on the train with the Dementor teach him anything? Jaejoong quickly maneuvered his broom to land him near Harry Potter who was shocked by the sudden movement.
“What-“
“What are you doing out so late, Mr. Potter?! Don’t you realize what’s out there? You could have been hurt! There are-There are Dementors, and Sirius Black is-“
“Professor, calm down!” Harry tried to pacify his hysterical professor, not sure why he was even so hyper in the first place. “I had my invisibility cloak on the whole time. It’s not like-“
“The invisibility cloak only shrouds the sense of sight, you fool! Dementors can sense beings through other means than seeing!” Jaejoong chastised him, and the new information seemed to shock Harry. “And Dementors aren’t even the real threats, are they? Sirius Black is out there, and when he finds you...”
Jaejoong trailed off after that, not wanting to realize what would happen if the deranged man known as Sirius Black were to catch Harry Potter. He was about to tell Harry to go back to his dormitory when Dumbledore’s words echoed in his mind.
“Jaejoong,” The old man raised his hand, and immediately the raven-haired professor shut up. “I did tell you that you were the only one capable of doing this job, didn’t I?”
Jaejoong paused as he let the headmaster’s words sink in, and finally he found the meaning behind the old man’s words.
He was the only one capable of doing this job? Was it because he was a Bla-
“Really, professor, I’m fine!” Harry tried to reassure his professor again. When Jaejoong just stared at him doubtfully, he sighed in frustration and said, “I know it’s... it’s irresponsible of me to wander around right now but-“
“If you knew, why are you out here, Mr. Potter?”
“That’s-“ Harry floundered for an answer, and Jaejoong placed his hands on his hips impatiently. The teenager saw this and, without anything better to say, countered, “Well, what about you, professor? You’ve-You’ve been gone for quite a while, and you’re out here riding your broom! Where have you been all this time?”
The subject deflection seemed to work in Harry’s favor, because all of a sudden Jaejoong looked ashamed. He hung his head and dug his heel into the dirt as he said, “I-I don’t really want to talk about it, Mr. Potter. I was just... releasing some stress, is all.”
“Stress? What do you-“
“I said I don’t want to talk about it, Mr. Potter. Now-Now go back to your dormitory. Or I’ll have to deduct points from your house. Wandering around beyond curfew is against the rules.”
“But-“
“Go, Mr. Potter.”
Harry bristled. He looked conflicted and frustrated as he thought about what to say. He looked like he was about to say something scathing, but his expression changed from angry to musing. The boy looked at his professor with uncertainty, making Jaejoong narrow his eyes at him in suspicion.
“What did I tell you, Mr. Potter? Go back to your dorm now.”
Harry opened his mouth, but then he closed it again. After a few moments, he just nodded and turned away, walking back to where he came. Jaejoong nodded at this, satisfied, and bent over to pick up the broom he carelessly dropped to the floor. He was about to reach for it when the Gryffindor spoke.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re from Slytherin or not, professor.”
Jaejoong’s head jerked up, and he raised a brow at the third year. “What did you say?”
Harry looked at the ground and shrugged. He brought his eyes back up to meet the light-eyed gaze of his professor. “I said it doesn’t matter if you’re Slytherin or not. That’s what... you were stressing about, isn’t it?”
The dark-haired man’s mouth hung open. He didn’t know what to say. He stood back up with the broom in his hand and cleared his throat, “That’s not any of your business, Mr. Potter.”
“I know. But from the way you acted with the boggart, it obviously shook you up. I’m just saying that... it’s okay, professor. Really.”
The Muggle Studies professor reddened, and he coughed into his fist. Had he been... that obvious? For a student to have noticed, he must have been so transparent. It made him feel slightly ashamed again, but for a different reason this time.
But despite this, he snorted in amusement. He raised an eyebrow at the confused third year and smiled, nodding to acknowledge the boy’s statement. “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Potter, but... I’m all right. I just had to clear my thoughts for a while.”
“Oh. But um, yeah. You don’t need to be bothered by it, sir. Really.”
“I’ll... take that into consideration, Mr. Potter.” Jaejoong’s smile faltered for a bit before it widened, and he gestured towards the castle with his head. “Now, run along and go back to your dorm. You have classes later.”
“Uh, yes, well. Okay. Does that mean you’re going back to class, professor? I mean... you gave all of us that reading assignment, so...”
Jaejoong slightly turned away as he thought about the boy’s question. He turned the handle of the broomstick in his hand, humming. Then greyish blue met green, and for a while it was just that.
Then Jaejoong snorted.
What’s done is done, Jaejoong. You can’t change the past.
It doesn’t matter if you’re Slytherin or not.
Dear him, look at all these people trying to cheer him up.
“Well, I can’t let all that effort go to waste, can I?” Jaejoong whispered, and he unintentionally made Harry think that he was replying to him. The man looked up at the sky and let out a huge sigh. He nodded and slapped his face a few times, drawing a startled gasp from the teenager.
He pumped his fist into the air and yelled, “Okay! Professor Jaejoong is officially back, people! Did you hear that? Yahhh!!”
When he turned back to Harry, the boy was staring at him like he was a loon. He laughed at this and went over to the boy. Jaejoong placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder and said, “Okay, Mr. Potter. Shall we go and go back to bed? We have a bright, new day ahead of us!”
The sudden change of attitude confused Harry, but he could tell that the man was feeling better. Probably. He smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I think catching a few hours of sleep would be brilliant.”
“Wonderful!” Jaejoong beamed, and he ushered the teenager back to Hogwarts. “I’ll accompany you, Mr. Potter. Wouldn’t want any patrolling professors to catch you, eh? You won’t get in trouble if you’re with me. I think.”
“Uh, thanks, professor? That’s very kind of you. And oh, can I ask you something?”
“Hmm? What is it, Mr. Potter?”
“...Can you teach me some of those moves? Might come in handy for Quidditch.”
Jung Yunho yawned as he made his way to breakfast. He had to stay up late last night to grade his students’ papers (most of which were dismally disappointing), so he didn’t get much sleep. He was just about to turn the corner when he roughly collided into someone-
“OOF!”
“OUCH!”
Yunho managed to regain his balance before falling, and he turned to glare at whoever had the gall to bump into him. What he saw made his eyes widen, and he tried to come up with something to say as he watched the man on the floor rub his sore bottom.
“J-Jaejoong-ssi?”
The dark-haired beau paused his movements and looked up. He blinked, and for a moment Yunho thought he saw hurt in those eyes. But before he could think too much about it, Jaejoong sprung up to his feet and grinned at him, waving enthusiastically.
“Hello, Yunho-ssi! Fine morning we have, don’t we?”
Yunho blinked. He turned to gaze at the ground quizzically; from what he heard from the meddlesome trio (that is, Junsu, Yoochun and Changmin), Jaejoong had been a wreck. The brunet wanted to visit time and time again, but thought that he would only prove to worsen the situation rather than help. His heart hurt every time he heard them say that Jaejoong still felt miserable after the boggart incident.
However, the Jaejoong before him was far from miserable. Yunho was almost tempted to accuse the cheerful man of impersonation.
“Y-Yes. Fine morning, indeed.” Yunho said. He coughed into his fist and looked over his colleague’s form for anything amiss, and he made sure not to linger his gaze on certain areas. “H-How are you? You’ve been absent for a few days.”
“Oh, I feel brilliant! Just needed some time off to think, is all.” Jaejoong replied vaguely, making Yunho slightly narrow his eyes doubtfully. But the dark-haired beau continued undeterred. “Boy, I really miss teaching class! In fact, today is such a special occasion that I’m wearing my best robes!”
Jaejoong spun around, showing off his fetching robes to his colleague. He was unaware of the brunet’s appreciate gaze as he shook his hips. “Lovely, hm? I got it from a friend who runs the new dress shop in Hogsmeade. It’s called The Glass Slipper.”
“...Yes. Very... lovely, indeed.” Yunho said distractedly, eyes raking over Jaejoong’s body appreciatively. He quickly turned his gaze away when the other man turned back to face him. “S-So, does that mean you’re heading off to breakfast?”
“Yes, I was about to! I just thought I could drop by the library first before my morning class with the third years later, but whatever! I’ll go with you.”
Jung Yunho, for all his training in all things stoic, couldn’t help but blush at the thought of going to breakfast together with the apple of his eye. He cleared his throat and nodded, and instead of saying anything in reply, he just started walking. His heart sped up when he saw the beautiful man walking beside him, beaming as brightly as the rising sun.
Yunho groaned. He was so utterly in love with this man.
“What is it, Yunho-ssi? Are you ill?”
The brunet blinked and turned to see Jaejoong’s concerned eyes on him. He blushed and shook his head. “A-Ah, no. I was just... dreading my class with the third years. They’re a tremendously lazy lot.”
“Ah, but not Ms. Granger though, surely?” Jaejoong asked, and then he clasped his hands together and said, “I’ve heard wonderful things about that girl! Brightest witch of her age, they called her. I do believe it’s true. It’s nice to see someone so enthusiastic about learning!”
Yunho had to smile at that. That was true. Ms. Granger made teaching much more bearable for him because, even if the other students weren’t making the effort he was expecting, at least there was one. Even if she was a muggleborn.
Muggleborn.
The word made him frown, and he turned to glance at Jaejoong as a memory hit him.
Yunho felt his chest constricting painfully as he walked down the hall towards where Remus Lupin should be teaching his DADA class. He didn’t know why he felt like he needed to go there, and what connection it had to Kim Jaejoong, but he would do anything to make the dull aches in his chest go away.
He stopped in front of the doors, and he hissed loudly when doing so sent a particularly painful jolt to his chest. He breathed in and placed his hand on the knob and opened the door-
Only to find Kim Jaejoong talking to... himself?
Yunho blinked, and as much as the scene confused him, the Ravenclaw side of him told him to keep quiet and observe. But what happened next only served to confuse him even more.
“You are a liar and a weakling. You hide behind a farce because you’re too afraid to accept the truth. You’re afraid to live up to the standard of what you truly are, and that’s because you know, deep inside, that you are weak.”
“No! No!”
“A pity. Someone like you came from such a noble family? Someone like you got into a noble house?”
Yunho’s eyes narrowed at what he was hearing. Liar? Weakling? Noble family? What-
All of a sudden, one of the Jaejoongs started transforming, swirling into a black mass. Yunho’s brows raised at the realization-it was a boggart. But he became even more confused; Kim Jaejoong’s fear was... himself?
“No.”
The boggart turned into... another Jaejoong. One very familiar to Yunho; the one he studied with long ago, almost became friends with. Yunho ignored the surprised gasps and exclamations all around at the revelation of the man’s former house; they would have found out soon enough. It wasn’t something to make a big deal out of.
“This is who you truly are, Jaejoong Kim. Or rather... should I be calling you Jaejoong B-“
“RIDDIKULUS!!”
The boggart turned into a mockery of dance and fashioned, but despite its silly form Yunho thought that a blond Jaejoong would look rather... fetching. But his train of thought stopped when he thought about what the boggart had said. Or almost said.
Jaejoong B... what was it going to say?
He looked up, intent on observing more, but his eyes widened when he saw Jaejoong looking straight at him.
And he looked afraid.
Yunho narrowed his eyes; what did the boggart mean when it said “noble family”? And Jaejoong B... What was that “B” sound for? He was about to ask Jaejoong about it when the beau suddenly gasped and held onto his arm.
“Dear Morgana, I completely forgot! Did I ever thank you again for that lovely present, Yunho-ssi?”
The man blinked. “Present?”
“You know! That package of sweets you gave me that day.”
“...Oh.” Yunho said, and he blushed again at the reminder. He cleared his throat and shook his head. “I-It was nothing, really. I just thought... you’d be happy to have them. I know how much you love sweets, Jaejoong-ssi.”
“And I’m immensely grateful for them! Thank you so much!!” Much to Yunho surprise, Jaejoong pulled the brunet into a tight embrace. Yunho was a lip-quivering mess by the time Jaejoong released him from the quick, but meaningful hug. “They were all the kinds of sweets that I liked! I do appreciate that there were a lot of chocolate frogs in there! I’m surprised you even know how much I loved them!”
“I... I...” Yunho couldn’t get his mouth to function at all. Something about Jaejoong’s touch made his brain turn into a pile of mush, and he was a Ravenclaw for Merlin’s sake!
“That was incredibly sweet of you to do. And ooh, pun intended!” Jaejoong giggled, and all of a sudden he turned timid. He looked at Yunho with a shy smile, and blood came rushing down to Yunho’s groin at the sight of it. “Does that mean... we’re friends? Yunho-ssi?”
Yunho tried not to smile too widely as he answered, “Ye-Yes. Of course, we can. Be friends, I mean.”
“So does that mean...” Jaejoong’s smile widened, and he did a cute little shimmy that made Yunho’s brain explode at the sight. “I can call you Yunho-yah?”
Dear Merlin, he felt like someone cast a Wingardium Leviosa at his heart.
It took Yunho a while to answer (exploded brain, and all), but when he did, he made sure to smile as sincerely as he could. He nodded and said, “Y-Yes, you may, Jaejoong-ssi. I-“
He let out a loud “oof” when Jaejoong embraced him again, but this time it came with bouncing and giggling. Yunho tried not to blush too obviously when he realized that he might have enjoyed it a little too much.
“Oh, thank you, thank you! You can call me Jaejoong-ah, then! Or Jaejoongie. Jae. Or um, whatever you want. Yunho-yah.”
“A-All right. Jaejoong-ah.”
“Yeyyy!”
The two of them talked for a bit as they resumed their trek to the Great Hall (actually, it was more like Jaejoong talked because Yunho still couldn’t get over what had happened), and it wasn’t long until they reached their destination. The Ancient Runes professor looked down and gasped, stopping by the entrance.
Jaejoong paused and turned to his colleague. “Something the matter?”
“I, err-“ Yunho cut himself off, and looked down to inspect his “problem.” He thanked the heavens for long robes and cleared his throat, smiling painfully. “I just realized that I need to use the bathroom. You may go on ahead.”
Jaejoong looked disappointed at that, but he shrugged and nodded. “All right. I’ll just see you later... Yunho-yah.” Jaejoong laughed and waved, and he entered the Great Hall.
From outside, Yunho could hear a collection of gasps, but he didn’t really care about that. Not with... his problem. He turned to walk towards the nearest loo, praying to Morgana that it was empty. Jaejoong’s last words to him almost made him trip.
“I’ll just see you later... Yunho-yah.”
He whimpered. Oh, he just turned his problem into a big one.
SIGH It's really annoying to be writing a story without an outline. I think I really have to make one for this story :)) Sirius' debut keeps getting pushed back because of stuff I come up with at the last minute. Jaejoong will meet a certain pureblood in the next chapter (I hope XD). And I hope y'all appreciated that YunJae moment. I made Yunho into such a spazz here :)) And lol, even Ravenclaws get hard-ons I guess... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Aaaaand now you all know why Jaejoong called Snape his hero all those chapters ago :P WHAT, YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS A JOKE?? NOTHING IS A JOKE WHEN I'M THE ONE WRITING HAHAHAHAHA. After this you're all probably going to try and find the hidden meanings behind everything (which is... quite a lot, actually. lol I need a life).
Btw, those who have just started reading this: THANK YOU FOR TAKING AN INTEREST! XD I hope you'll stay with me till the end :3 Loyal readers already know how awesome they are so I won't mention that anymore LOL <3
P.S. Jaejoong mentioned about getting his robes from a friend who owned a store called The Glass Slipper... Just think about that for now. HAHAHAHAHAHA =))))
Anyways, here's chapter 9. Hope you enjoy :3
[ 09 ]
The Past Has Passed
February 4, 1982
School Grounds, Hogwarts
Jaejoong panted and grunted in frustration as he jumped up and tried to reach for a nest of eggs that was floating high above him. He ignored the jeers and the laughs from the sidelines and focused on getting the nest.
“Come on, you guys! This isn’t funny!”
The group of Gryffindors laughed, and one of them waved his wand to the right, making the nest of eggs go higher up to the right. Their mocking laughter increased in volume when the Slytherin tripped because of the sudden change of direction.
“You gotta do better than that, Kim!”
“Why don’t you use your wand to get it back?”
“Because he can’t,” A curly-haired Gryffindor snickered, and the nest bent a little in mid-air to reveal that it had a wand inside of it. “Stupid fool! Leaving his wand where people can easily get it!”
Jaejoong turned his head and glared at the bullies before standing up to chase the nest again. He wasn’t really worried about his wand; he was more concerned about the eggs that were in the nest.
His eyes widened in horror when two eggs got shaken out of the nest and rolled out. They fell to the ground and shattered with a horrifying cracking sound.
“NOOO!” He knelt over the shattered eggs, and his eyes turned glassy at the sight of the shattered eggs.
“Aww, lookit, the wimpy Slytherin looks like he’s going to cry.”
“Boohoohoo, all I can do is cry!”
“I almost feel sorry for Slytherin for having such a pansy like him in their house!”
Jaejoong turned his head and snarled, but before he could say anything, something panged in his chest that caused him to fall over slightly. He was about to sit up when a surprised, pained yelp caught his attention.
“OWW!”
His head shot up, and his eyes widened at the sight of the three bullies being reprimanded by...
Professor Snape?
“What are you foolish boys doing out here? And what-“ Severus Snape looked over them and saw Jaejoong, making the dark-haired boy flinch. The Potions Master’s eyes widened slightly at seeing him, and then they narrowed into slits as he turned his glare at the quivering Gryffindors. “You worthless pests. Bullying a Slytherin? You Gryffindors think you can do anything, can’t you?
“Thirty points from Gryffindor for bullying. Each.” He said mercilessly, ignoring the jaw drops of the Gryffindors. “And for hurting a classmate, you three get detention for a week!”
The three boys looked dumbfounded, and honestly so did Jaejoong. The dark-haired boy watched them try to get out of their situation as he stood up, dusting his robes and fixing his messy, neck-length air.
“P-Professor, you’ve got it all wrong-“
“Y-Yeah, we were just helping Kim, you see!”
“And he just tripped when-“
“SILENCE! I don’t have patience for your lies, Park!” The Potions Master interjected hotly, making the curly-haired boy flinch. With gritted teeth he said, “Now get out of my sight and report to your Head of House. Or shall I inform Professor McGonagall myself?”
The boys squeaked before shaking their head and running away, and Professor Snape didn’t stop glaring at them until they were out of his sight. Jaejoong stared in awe at the man, muttering one single word:
Hero.
“Honestly. Thick-headed fools.” He muttered under his breath. The Potions professor turned to face Jaejoong, and the sudden scrutiny made the third year stiffen and squeak. Professor Snape seemed to pause for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. He started making his way to the boy who kept his eyes trained on his shoes.
“Are you all right, Kim?”
Jaejoong looked up, and he regretted it because his professor’s cold expression made him even more nervous than he already was. He just nodded mutely, not wanting to anger the man.
“Are you sure? You look a little roughened up.”
The boy blinked, and for a moment he thought about just staying quiet. But after peeking up at the professor through his bangs, he thought he’d do the unthinkable and speak. “U-Um, it’s okay. I was just... Jumping around, and I fell.”
“...Jumping around?”
“U-Uh, yeah! It’s because-“ Jaejoong’s light eyes widened when he remembered. The egg shells were scattered on the grassy ground, and he bent over to them, unaware of the man’s curious stare. He silently mourned for the poor creatures; they didn’t deserve to die like that.
Next, he went over to the nest that dropped to the ground when Park stopped the spell. He took the egg in his hands and inspected it. When he saw no damage, he sighed and used his cloak to keep it warm. He was about to stand up after getting his wand back when Professor Snape’s robes suddenly appeared beside him.
“What are you doing?” Came the bored, yet curious drawl.
“O-Oh, um-“ Jaejoong paused. After swallowing he looked up at his Potions professor and pointed at the nest. “This was umm, a nest of eggs I started taking care of when their mother died. I visit it every day, and today, well...” He trailed off, hoping that the man would understand.
He wasn’t disappointed. “I see. And that’s when they came?”
“Um...” Jaejoong bit his lip, not knowing what to say. A part of him knew that there was no point in trying to stay quiet when it was quite obvious what happened. However, he didn’t want to admit that he had been bullied. His lips began to quiver, and he was about to rub at his eye when-
“Don’t cry, you little fool!”
Jaejoong stared up at his professor in shock. “Huh-“
“Is that all it takes for you to shed tears? When idiots like them try to bring you down?” Snape looked disappointed and disgusted at him, and this made Jaejoong hang his head low in shame. But he lifted it back up when the man reprimanded him for it. “Don’t you dare hang your head like some pitiful little Hufflepuff! You’re a Slytherin, Mr. Kim. You belong to a house that boasts strong fraternal bonds, cunning and ambition! I will not stand to see a Slytherin looking so pathetic.”
“B-But they-“ He turned away, flinching when Snape interrupted again.
“Fool! What’s done is done. You can’t control what happened to you, Mr. Kim, but you can control how you react to it.”
The third year Slytherin blinked up at his professor, looking at him curiously. “R-React?”
“That’s right, you little fool.” Snape’s lip curled, and he took hold of Jaejoong’s arm and said. “Now get up, Mr. Kim. Get up.”
“Get up.”
Jaejoong felt something nudge him in the side, but he ignored it. He was having a strange, but fascinating dream, and he didn’t want to miss anything. So he buried his head underneath the sheets, muttering darkly and incoherently telling whoever was bothering him to go away.
He shrieked when his sheets were suddenly pulled away from him, and he shot up from bed, panting and looking around. He was in his room. Obviously. But what happened? Last thing he remembered was coming back from Hogsmeade. He turned to his left and almost shouted in surprise.
“S-Severus?”
The scowling man looked unimpressed. “I don’t know which is more pathetic-you not having a secure lock to your own chambers or you trying to drink your sorrows away. I expected much more from you, Jaejoong.”
The dark-haired beau blinked, and for a moment he didn’t know what the potions master was talking about. But when he heard glass clunking together, he took a closer look at his surroundings-his bed was practically littered with bottles.
Then he remembered.
Jaejoong scoffed and turned away from the potions master. “What do you want from me, Severus?”
“What I want from you is for you to get over yourself.” Severus walked towards the other side where Jaejoong was looking at, causing the younger professor to look at him. The uncharacteristic glare from the usually cheery young man didn’t faze him one bit. “You’ve been absent for days, Professor Kim, and while the other members of the staff are being understanding and patient, I am having none of this.”
Jaejoong glared at his hands as he thought. The others meaning the ones who had bothered to visit him during the last few days.
“Jaejoong, please don’t be so hard on yourself. You can take a few days off, but really, do try to cheer up.” Minerva.
“Merlin, Jaejoong, I’m terribly sorry about all this. If I hadn’t forced you to come...” Remus.
“Jaejoong-ah, what happened to you?! And OMO why are you drinking so much?! Please get better!” Junsu.
“You smell. You should take a bath, and maybe cook me some kimchi stew. And also... feel better. Please?” Changmin.
“I don’t know what all the fuss is about, Jaejoong, but I can tell that you’re hurting. I’m gonna let you off the hook for now, but you owe me one!” Yoochun.
And here was Severus Snape, doing his own version of “cheering him up.” And Jaejoong was not in the mood for it.
“You expect me to go out there after that?” Jaejoong gestured towards the general direction of outside, glaring at his former head of house. “After... After the shame? Everybody knows that I’ve been keeping my former house a secret and-and now they’re all probably judging me and saying things behind my back-“
“I expect you to do your job, Kim. Or did all that alcohol make you forget that you even had one?” Came the harsh interjection, causing Jaejoong to purse his lips in indignation. The potions master watched as he clenched and unclenched his fists, and he sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. “Dear Merlin, will you stop being sorry for yourself, you bloody fool?! You brought this upon yourself, and did you honestly think that no one will ever find out?”
Jaejoong looked up defiantly, but he realized he couldn’t say anything against what the older man just said. He turned away, pressed his lips into a thin line and slowly shook his head.
“I was... I was going to reveal it. Eventually. But not like this. Not like that.” He said quietly, and his eyes turned glassy as he looked at Snape again. His lips started quivering as some tears started to fall. “You weren’t there, Professor. You didn’t see it-hear it. It told all of my secrets. And in front of the students, too! Remus and...”
Yunho’s face flashed in his mind, and he shook his head. He breathed in and clenched his fists, hiccupping as he started crying. “It was so shameful, Professor. I wasn’t ready, and it said everything! I intervened before it could reveal that, but... everyone knows. Everyone knows how pathetic and weak I am and... and...”
Jaejoong couldn’t take it. He bent over and buried his face in his lap, shaking as he cried. Some bottles fell to the floor, but he didn’t care. He was just so ashamed and afraid; he didn’t know what to do anymore. Facing the world after all that had happened seemed so impossible to him.
He stiffened when he felt a hand rest on his head. He slowly looked up and saw Snape looking at him-appearing indifferent as ever, but...
“You’re only weak and pathetic if you let your fear control you.” He said quietly. He removed his hand, and as Jaejoong straightened his posture, continued, “What’s done is done, Jaejoong. You can’t change the past. One can use a Time Turner-however, Time Turners, when used, become an actual part of one’s timeline. They have no actual power over time, and neither do you.
“But what you do have power over is how you react to a situation.” Severus continued, and for a moment, his expression turned just a bit softer. “Isn’t that what I told you in your third year?
“Or are you planning to run away again like in your sixth year?”
Jaejoong couldn’t find any words to say in reply, so he just bowed his head and looked away. He heard Snape sigh.
“You can’t keep running away, Jaejoong. These things will keep on chasing you until you’re so tired you can’t run anymore. Then they’ll overwhelm and destroy you till you’re nothing but dust. So stop being a coward and just face it.”
Jaejoong watched as Snape walked around his bed and went towards the door. But before he got out, he said, “I will inform Dumbledore that you will resume your duties today. Try not to disappoint me, Jaejoong.”
And with that, Snape walked out of Jaejoong’s chambers, leaving a groggy, but contemplative young man to his thoughts. The young man let out a frustrated sigh and scratched his head frantically, confused as to what to do.
He murmured the Tempus charm and realized that it was just a little past two in the morning. He thought about going back to bed, but found that Severus’ little sermon had been too thought-provoking to let him get any rest.
As he got out of bed and exited his bedroom, he wondered what he could do to get his mind off of things. He still felt quite overwhelmed by what happened, so even though he couldn’t contest Snape’s argument that he was indeed running away, the dark-haired man just didn’t know what else to do. Jaejoong sighed, and was about to sink in his office chair when his collection of broomsticks lining the walls caught his eye.
He grabbed his Tinderblast and got out the door.
Harry hugged the invisibility cloak closer to his body as he wandered the corridors. He found himself unable to sleep due to several reasons, including his excitement for the upcoming Quidditch match and his frustration at not being allowed to go to Hogsmeade with his friends. He sighed as he thought about the latter; he desperately wanted to go.
It wasn’t fair.
He eventually reached the open hallway, and he took a few moments to appreciate the beautiful scenery offered by the grounds and the lake. Looking around to see if any staff (or Dementors. Suddenly he thought that wandering around wasn’t a good idea...) were around. When he found none, he leaned over the stone railings and watched the half moon in the sky.
Then something flew past him.
He stepped back, and the wind almost blew away the invisibility cloak from his body. He held it tightly as he looked around, wondering what had flown past him. Was it an owl? A Dementor?
Sirius Black?
He heard the tell-tale whooshing sound of flight, and he leaned over the railings once again to look for the source. His eyes caught on someone riding a broom, and he squinted, finding it difficult to identify the flyer since he (or she?) was going too fast. When the flyer’s broom slowed down, the man’s silhouette became clear in the moonlight. Harry blinked when he realized who it was.
“Professor Jaejoong?”
He watched as his Muggle Studies professor sat completely still on his broom, looking at the moon as if it had the answers to all the questions in the world. A slight movement made Harry think that he had just sighed, and he started flying again. He made circles around the lake, and the Boy Who Lived watched in awe as he made several feints and loops. Did his professor play Quidditch back in his Hogwarts days, he wondered?
And then he remembered; Professor Jaejoong had been in Slytherin.
But...
Harry pursed his lips and searched for the nearest staircase.
Jaejoong made another loop before stopping, and he let out a deep exhale. It’s been a while since he last flew on a broom-and much longer since he had flown like that. The last time had been in fifth year when he received that letter on his sixteenth birthday.
His grip on the broom subconsciously tightened. That letter, the one that changed his life-
“Professor?”
Jaejoong’s head shot up. That voice.
He looked towards the ground, but he found no one. He made a slow turn on his broom, and when he still couldn’t see anyone, he went on high alert. His hand slowly cupped the pocket where his wand was, and he raised a brow as he asked.
“Who’s there? Show yourself.”
Much to his surprise, the reply sounded meek. “O-Oh. Sorry. Forgot that I still had this on.”
Jaejoong blinked. Huh?
He looked back at the ground near the lake and saw Harry Potter’s head floating in mid-air. He almost fell off his broom at that; what the bloody hell?! Then the boy removed some sort of cloak and folded it in his arms. It took the man a moment of thought before realizing what had happened.
Ah. The boy had an invisibility cloak. How... convenient.
He shook his head out of his stupor. Wait a minute! Why was he even out here? Did he not realize what’s out here? Didn’t the incident on the train with the Dementor teach him anything? Jaejoong quickly maneuvered his broom to land him near Harry Potter who was shocked by the sudden movement.
“What-“
“What are you doing out so late, Mr. Potter?! Don’t you realize what’s out there? You could have been hurt! There are-There are Dementors, and Sirius Black is-“
“Professor, calm down!” Harry tried to pacify his hysterical professor, not sure why he was even so hyper in the first place. “I had my invisibility cloak on the whole time. It’s not like-“
“The invisibility cloak only shrouds the sense of sight, you fool! Dementors can sense beings through other means than seeing!” Jaejoong chastised him, and the new information seemed to shock Harry. “And Dementors aren’t even the real threats, are they? Sirius Black is out there, and when he finds you...”
Jaejoong trailed off after that, not wanting to realize what would happen if the deranged man known as Sirius Black were to catch Harry Potter. He was about to tell Harry to go back to his dormitory when Dumbledore’s words echoed in his mind.
“Jaejoong,” The old man raised his hand, and immediately the raven-haired professor shut up. “I did tell you that you were the only one capable of doing this job, didn’t I?”
Jaejoong paused as he let the headmaster’s words sink in, and finally he found the meaning behind the old man’s words.
He was the only one capable of doing this job? Was it because he was a Bla-
“Really, professor, I’m fine!” Harry tried to reassure his professor again. When Jaejoong just stared at him doubtfully, he sighed in frustration and said, “I know it’s... it’s irresponsible of me to wander around right now but-“
“If you knew, why are you out here, Mr. Potter?”
“That’s-“ Harry floundered for an answer, and Jaejoong placed his hands on his hips impatiently. The teenager saw this and, without anything better to say, countered, “Well, what about you, professor? You’ve-You’ve been gone for quite a while, and you’re out here riding your broom! Where have you been all this time?”
The subject deflection seemed to work in Harry’s favor, because all of a sudden Jaejoong looked ashamed. He hung his head and dug his heel into the dirt as he said, “I-I don’t really want to talk about it, Mr. Potter. I was just... releasing some stress, is all.”
“Stress? What do you-“
“I said I don’t want to talk about it, Mr. Potter. Now-Now go back to your dormitory. Or I’ll have to deduct points from your house. Wandering around beyond curfew is against the rules.”
“But-“
“Go, Mr. Potter.”
Harry bristled. He looked conflicted and frustrated as he thought about what to say. He looked like he was about to say something scathing, but his expression changed from angry to musing. The boy looked at his professor with uncertainty, making Jaejoong narrow his eyes at him in suspicion.
“What did I tell you, Mr. Potter? Go back to your dorm now.”
Harry opened his mouth, but then he closed it again. After a few moments, he just nodded and turned away, walking back to where he came. Jaejoong nodded at this, satisfied, and bent over to pick up the broom he carelessly dropped to the floor. He was about to reach for it when the Gryffindor spoke.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re from Slytherin or not, professor.”
Jaejoong’s head jerked up, and he raised a brow at the third year. “What did you say?”
Harry looked at the ground and shrugged. He brought his eyes back up to meet the light-eyed gaze of his professor. “I said it doesn’t matter if you’re Slytherin or not. That’s what... you were stressing about, isn’t it?”
The dark-haired man’s mouth hung open. He didn’t know what to say. He stood back up with the broom in his hand and cleared his throat, “That’s not any of your business, Mr. Potter.”
“I know. But from the way you acted with the boggart, it obviously shook you up. I’m just saying that... it’s okay, professor. Really.”
The Muggle Studies professor reddened, and he coughed into his fist. Had he been... that obvious? For a student to have noticed, he must have been so transparent. It made him feel slightly ashamed again, but for a different reason this time.
But despite this, he snorted in amusement. He raised an eyebrow at the confused third year and smiled, nodding to acknowledge the boy’s statement. “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Potter, but... I’m all right. I just had to clear my thoughts for a while.”
“Oh. But um, yeah. You don’t need to be bothered by it, sir. Really.”
“I’ll... take that into consideration, Mr. Potter.” Jaejoong’s smile faltered for a bit before it widened, and he gestured towards the castle with his head. “Now, run along and go back to your dorm. You have classes later.”
“Uh, yes, well. Okay. Does that mean you’re going back to class, professor? I mean... you gave all of us that reading assignment, so...”
Jaejoong slightly turned away as he thought about the boy’s question. He turned the handle of the broomstick in his hand, humming. Then greyish blue met green, and for a while it was just that.
Then Jaejoong snorted.
What’s done is done, Jaejoong. You can’t change the past.
It doesn’t matter if you’re Slytherin or not.
Dear him, look at all these people trying to cheer him up.
“Well, I can’t let all that effort go to waste, can I?” Jaejoong whispered, and he unintentionally made Harry think that he was replying to him. The man looked up at the sky and let out a huge sigh. He nodded and slapped his face a few times, drawing a startled gasp from the teenager.
He pumped his fist into the air and yelled, “Okay! Professor Jaejoong is officially back, people! Did you hear that? Yahhh!!”
When he turned back to Harry, the boy was staring at him like he was a loon. He laughed at this and went over to the boy. Jaejoong placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder and said, “Okay, Mr. Potter. Shall we go and go back to bed? We have a bright, new day ahead of us!”
The sudden change of attitude confused Harry, but he could tell that the man was feeling better. Probably. He smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I think catching a few hours of sleep would be brilliant.”
“Wonderful!” Jaejoong beamed, and he ushered the teenager back to Hogwarts. “I’ll accompany you, Mr. Potter. Wouldn’t want any patrolling professors to catch you, eh? You won’t get in trouble if you’re with me. I think.”
“Uh, thanks, professor? That’s very kind of you. And oh, can I ask you something?”
“Hmm? What is it, Mr. Potter?”
“...Can you teach me some of those moves? Might come in handy for Quidditch.”
Jung Yunho yawned as he made his way to breakfast. He had to stay up late last night to grade his students’ papers (most of which were dismally disappointing), so he didn’t get much sleep. He was just about to turn the corner when he roughly collided into someone-
“OOF!”
“OUCH!”
Yunho managed to regain his balance before falling, and he turned to glare at whoever had the gall to bump into him. What he saw made his eyes widen, and he tried to come up with something to say as he watched the man on the floor rub his sore bottom.
“J-Jaejoong-ssi?”
The dark-haired beau paused his movements and looked up. He blinked, and for a moment Yunho thought he saw hurt in those eyes. But before he could think too much about it, Jaejoong sprung up to his feet and grinned at him, waving enthusiastically.
“Hello, Yunho-ssi! Fine morning we have, don’t we?”
Yunho blinked. He turned to gaze at the ground quizzically; from what he heard from the meddlesome trio (that is, Junsu, Yoochun and Changmin), Jaejoong had been a wreck. The brunet wanted to visit time and time again, but thought that he would only prove to worsen the situation rather than help. His heart hurt every time he heard them say that Jaejoong still felt miserable after the boggart incident.
However, the Jaejoong before him was far from miserable. Yunho was almost tempted to accuse the cheerful man of impersonation.
“Y-Yes. Fine morning, indeed.” Yunho said. He coughed into his fist and looked over his colleague’s form for anything amiss, and he made sure not to linger his gaze on certain areas. “H-How are you? You’ve been absent for a few days.”
“Oh, I feel brilliant! Just needed some time off to think, is all.” Jaejoong replied vaguely, making Yunho slightly narrow his eyes doubtfully. But the dark-haired beau continued undeterred. “Boy, I really miss teaching class! In fact, today is such a special occasion that I’m wearing my best robes!”
Jaejoong spun around, showing off his fetching robes to his colleague. He was unaware of the brunet’s appreciate gaze as he shook his hips. “Lovely, hm? I got it from a friend who runs the new dress shop in Hogsmeade. It’s called The Glass Slipper.”
“...Yes. Very... lovely, indeed.” Yunho said distractedly, eyes raking over Jaejoong’s body appreciatively. He quickly turned his gaze away when the other man turned back to face him. “S-So, does that mean you’re heading off to breakfast?”
“Yes, I was about to! I just thought I could drop by the library first before my morning class with the third years later, but whatever! I’ll go with you.”
Jung Yunho, for all his training in all things stoic, couldn’t help but blush at the thought of going to breakfast together with the apple of his eye. He cleared his throat and nodded, and instead of saying anything in reply, he just started walking. His heart sped up when he saw the beautiful man walking beside him, beaming as brightly as the rising sun.
Yunho groaned. He was so utterly in love with this man.
“What is it, Yunho-ssi? Are you ill?”
The brunet blinked and turned to see Jaejoong’s concerned eyes on him. He blushed and shook his head. “A-Ah, no. I was just... dreading my class with the third years. They’re a tremendously lazy lot.”
“Ah, but not Ms. Granger though, surely?” Jaejoong asked, and then he clasped his hands together and said, “I’ve heard wonderful things about that girl! Brightest witch of her age, they called her. I do believe it’s true. It’s nice to see someone so enthusiastic about learning!”
Yunho had to smile at that. That was true. Ms. Granger made teaching much more bearable for him because, even if the other students weren’t making the effort he was expecting, at least there was one. Even if she was a muggleborn.
Muggleborn.
The word made him frown, and he turned to glance at Jaejoong as a memory hit him.
Yunho felt his chest constricting painfully as he walked down the hall towards where Remus Lupin should be teaching his DADA class. He didn’t know why he felt like he needed to go there, and what connection it had to Kim Jaejoong, but he would do anything to make the dull aches in his chest go away.
He stopped in front of the doors, and he hissed loudly when doing so sent a particularly painful jolt to his chest. He breathed in and placed his hand on the knob and opened the door-
Only to find Kim Jaejoong talking to... himself?
Yunho blinked, and as much as the scene confused him, the Ravenclaw side of him told him to keep quiet and observe. But what happened next only served to confuse him even more.
“You are a liar and a weakling. You hide behind a farce because you’re too afraid to accept the truth. You’re afraid to live up to the standard of what you truly are, and that’s because you know, deep inside, that you are weak.”
“No! No!”
“A pity. Someone like you came from such a noble family? Someone like you got into a noble house?”
Yunho’s eyes narrowed at what he was hearing. Liar? Weakling? Noble family? What-
All of a sudden, one of the Jaejoongs started transforming, swirling into a black mass. Yunho’s brows raised at the realization-it was a boggart. But he became even more confused; Kim Jaejoong’s fear was... himself?
“No.”
The boggart turned into... another Jaejoong. One very familiar to Yunho; the one he studied with long ago, almost became friends with. Yunho ignored the surprised gasps and exclamations all around at the revelation of the man’s former house; they would have found out soon enough. It wasn’t something to make a big deal out of.
“This is who you truly are, Jaejoong Kim. Or rather... should I be calling you Jaejoong B-“
“RIDDIKULUS!!”
The boggart turned into a mockery of dance and fashioned, but despite its silly form Yunho thought that a blond Jaejoong would look rather... fetching. But his train of thought stopped when he thought about what the boggart had said. Or almost said.
Jaejoong B... what was it going to say?
He looked up, intent on observing more, but his eyes widened when he saw Jaejoong looking straight at him.
And he looked afraid.
Yunho narrowed his eyes; what did the boggart mean when it said “noble family”? And Jaejoong B... What was that “B” sound for? He was about to ask Jaejoong about it when the beau suddenly gasped and held onto his arm.
“Dear Morgana, I completely forgot! Did I ever thank you again for that lovely present, Yunho-ssi?”
The man blinked. “Present?”
“You know! That package of sweets you gave me that day.”
“...Oh.” Yunho said, and he blushed again at the reminder. He cleared his throat and shook his head. “I-It was nothing, really. I just thought... you’d be happy to have them. I know how much you love sweets, Jaejoong-ssi.”
“And I’m immensely grateful for them! Thank you so much!!” Much to Yunho surprise, Jaejoong pulled the brunet into a tight embrace. Yunho was a lip-quivering mess by the time Jaejoong released him from the quick, but meaningful hug. “They were all the kinds of sweets that I liked! I do appreciate that there were a lot of chocolate frogs in there! I’m surprised you even know how much I loved them!”
“I... I...” Yunho couldn’t get his mouth to function at all. Something about Jaejoong’s touch made his brain turn into a pile of mush, and he was a Ravenclaw for Merlin’s sake!
“That was incredibly sweet of you to do. And ooh, pun intended!” Jaejoong giggled, and all of a sudden he turned timid. He looked at Yunho with a shy smile, and blood came rushing down to Yunho’s groin at the sight of it. “Does that mean... we’re friends? Yunho-ssi?”
Yunho tried not to smile too widely as he answered, “Ye-Yes. Of course, we can. Be friends, I mean.”
“So does that mean...” Jaejoong’s smile widened, and he did a cute little shimmy that made Yunho’s brain explode at the sight. “I can call you Yunho-yah?”
Dear Merlin, he felt like someone cast a Wingardium Leviosa at his heart.
It took Yunho a while to answer (exploded brain, and all), but when he did, he made sure to smile as sincerely as he could. He nodded and said, “Y-Yes, you may, Jaejoong-ssi. I-“
He let out a loud “oof” when Jaejoong embraced him again, but this time it came with bouncing and giggling. Yunho tried not to blush too obviously when he realized that he might have enjoyed it a little too much.
“Oh, thank you, thank you! You can call me Jaejoong-ah, then! Or Jaejoongie. Jae. Or um, whatever you want. Yunho-yah.”
“A-All right. Jaejoong-ah.”
“Yeyyy!”
The two of them talked for a bit as they resumed their trek to the Great Hall (actually, it was more like Jaejoong talked because Yunho still couldn’t get over what had happened), and it wasn’t long until they reached their destination. The Ancient Runes professor looked down and gasped, stopping by the entrance.
Jaejoong paused and turned to his colleague. “Something the matter?”
“I, err-“ Yunho cut himself off, and looked down to inspect his “problem.” He thanked the heavens for long robes and cleared his throat, smiling painfully. “I just realized that I need to use the bathroom. You may go on ahead.”
Jaejoong looked disappointed at that, but he shrugged and nodded. “All right. I’ll just see you later... Yunho-yah.” Jaejoong laughed and waved, and he entered the Great Hall.
From outside, Yunho could hear a collection of gasps, but he didn’t really care about that. Not with... his problem. He turned to walk towards the nearest loo, praying to Morgana that it was empty. Jaejoong’s last words to him almost made him trip.
“I’ll just see you later... Yunho-yah.”
He whimpered. Oh, he just turned his problem into a big one.
SIGH It's really annoying to be writing a story without an outline. I think I really have to make one for this story :)) Sirius' debut keeps getting pushed back because of stuff I come up with at the last minute. Jaejoong will meet a certain pureblood in the next chapter (I hope XD). And I hope y'all appreciated that YunJae moment. I made Yunho into such a spazz here :)) And lol, even Ravenclaws get hard-ons I guess... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Aaaaand now you all know why Jaejoong called Snape his hero all those chapters ago :P WHAT, YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS A JOKE?? NOTHING IS A JOKE WHEN I'M THE ONE WRITING HAHAHAHAHA. After this you're all probably going to try and find the hidden meanings behind everything (which is... quite a lot, actually. lol I need a life).
Btw, those who have just started reading this: THANK YOU FOR TAKING AN INTEREST! XD I hope you'll stay with me till the end :3 Loyal readers already know how awesome they are so I won't mention that anymore LOL <3
P.S. Jaejoong mentioned about getting his robes from a friend who owned a store called The Glass Slipper... Just think about that for now. HAHAHAHAHAHA =))))