SH 2014: Like a Bottle of Skele-gro for cairistiona

[suholiday]

For: cairistiona
From: ANONYMOUS until May 22, 2014

Title: Like a Bottle of Skele-gro
Rating: PG
Pairing(s)/Focus: Suho/Kris (minor LaySoo/XiuHan/KaiBaek/TaoHun)
Length: 10774 words
Summary: In which Head Boy Joonmyun has an overly complex love story despite being the best relationship counselor in Hogwarts.

Notes: A huge thanks to the amazing senpai♥: BJ, E, and R for not only beta-ing but also cowriting this fic despite their busy life ;~; They have given me so much inspiration along the way and i don’t think i’d make it if they were not there with me, i love you guys;; Also thanks to R for showering me with some amazing ideas which were really helpful! And another thanks to B and R for helping me finding the perfect title for this fic lols♡ Again, love you guys! And to my dear recipient, I really hope this is okay and that you like it ;w; thanks~! o/


There are times when Joonmyun feels his position as Head Boy would be better suited for someone else. Being Head Boy is already an exceptional honor and an outstanding achievement in itself, undoubtedly desired by the whole of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but there is something that always feels missing, leaving him unsettled.

At the beginning of his seventh year at Hogwarts, Joonmyun left as Prefect of two years for Hufflepuff to become Head Boy - it was then that he finally admitted to the mixed feelings dwelling in his heart towards it. Although he was excited by the challenges that came with being in such a position, he was also saddened knowing he wouldn’t be spending his final year peacefully and focusing on the N.E.W.T.S as he had planned. Yet, how could he deny the responsibility, trust, and honor that came along with being chosen as Head Boy? He convinces himself that he should just keep his chin up and stand proud with it.

Joonmyun has then since prayed that everything will go well and he may still live his life as a normal Hogwarts student in tranquility.

But of course, roses are red, violets are fucking purple not blue, and Joonmyun finds out the hard way that life isn’t a fairy tale but a harsh reality where even the chance of one of his prayers getting answered is already too much to ask.

Joonmyun sets a new resolve for himself instead: to carry out his position as Head Boy perfectly and be someone the student body can look up to by maintaining his good grades and helping his friends out in any matter as much as he can. It’s not as smooth sailing as it is but he gets by.

Right now, Joonmyun would be sitting pleasantly in his favorite class, Herbology, which he’s pretty sure has started five minutes ago, if not for the fact that he is currently being held hostage by Lu Han.

From the moment Joonmyun sets foot in the Great Hall for lunch, Lu Han never once leaves his side, clinging onto him like a koala. Joonmyun has to resort to uttering Accio to reach out for his steak and kidney pie, as both his arms are rendered immobile with the way Lu Han is gripping them.

In other circumstances, Joonmyun’s heart would probably be filled with sympathy at the wrecked state of his friend and the over-flowing tears running down his face. But the cause of Lu Han’s tears makes Joonmyun internalize half of the sympathy towards himself.

As if it is not enough, Joonmyun also has to accept the strange stares being thrown at them from other students at the startling scene, especially from the visiting students of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons who were inhabiting Hogwarts for the year’s Triwizard Tournament.

Lu Han and Joonmyun are supposed to represent their school as seventh year students with a good impression, which is currently the exact opposite of what they’re doing. But there’s nothing Joonmyun can do other than flash a sorry smile at each of the stares as he consoled his tragic-stricken friend.

“I knew it! I shouldn’t have listened to Jongdae’s suggestion! Now Minseok won’t even look at me!” Lu Han yells in between his sobs.

“What exactly did you do?” Joonmyun asks gently, sympathy painted on his face.

“Jongdae gave me what I thought was Amortentia and I may have put some drops of it in Minseok’s drink. I didn’t know it was actually Aging Potion!” Lu Han explains as his wails grow louder.

Joonmyun grimaces, refusing to think about the possibilities of what happened with Minseok after he drank the potion. Jongdae is currently the resident and infamous jokester at Hogwarts; Lu Han should’ve known better.

“What do I do Joonmyun? I really want to ask him out on a date but after all that’s happened…” Lu Han asks desperately, voice quavering like he’s going to start crying again.

“Try to apologize to him? Let him know you’re being sincere and just try explaining everything to him. Prove that your feelings for him are genuine.” Joonmyun gives him the best advice his brain can provide at the moment. “Don’t even try to use a love potion like that, let him like you on his own will.”

Actually, Joonmyun can’t even remember the exact moment people started to see him as the resident love guru. Perhaps it’s because he might be the hufflepuffiest Hufflepuff to ever exist in the house’s history. He indeed has a gentle, understanding, open, and patient nature. The only problem he has with that title is that 99% of the students ask him about love and relationship problems, when in fact Joonmyun is fully inexperienced and unlucky when it comes to romance and all that other shit. The mystery behind all the magnificent love advices he gives out comes from the collection of romance manga he hides under his bed. One of the hidden facts about Kim Joonmyun, which he’ll never let people know, is that romance manga are the second favorite type of book he likes reading after his Herbology textbooks.

So Joonmyun hopes Lu Han takes the best (and only) advice he could give him. It seems so (thankfully Joonmyun says in his mind) because the eyes looking up at him are now sparkling with hope as he clasps his hands.

“Is it really going to work?” Lu Han asks and wipes the rest of the tears off his face using his green and silver striped scarf.

Joonmyun smiles and is about to answer him when someone approaches them from behind. Kris Wu, one of Slytherin’s celebrated beater who is in the same year as them and Joonmyun’s current object of affection, stares at Lu Han in slight disapproval. Slight may be an understatement as to how he normally appears brooding.

“Madam Hooch is waiting for you at the Quidditch pitch,” Kris begins in a completely monotonous voice, crossing his arms.

Lu Han’s eyes widen before his shoulders slump down drastically. He heaves out a breath and looks up at Joonmyun, Lu Han’s eyes suddenly gleaming, smiling widely as though he didn’t cry just a minute ago. He pulls Joonmyun into a bone-crushing hug.

“Thank you, Joonmyunie! You’re the best!” he beams before he practically jumps off the seat and walks away cheerfully. Joonmyun catches Kris raising his eyebrows at Lu Han’s retreating back and chuckles, causing Joonmyun to turn his attention back to him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in Herbology class?” Kris asks, causing Joonmyun to look away and hide the blush creeping up his cheeks. It’s not even because of the way Kris peers down at him but with the fact that the former knows his schedule. He nods as a reply, picking up his books on the table as he prepares to leave.

“You know, you should do something to stop them from pressing you for help with their loveshit problems,” he says quietly, making Joonmyun chuckle softly.

“There’s nothing I can do, about it though, Lu Han’s a dear friend.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t have stopped ranting if I hadn’t intervened and lied.” Kris says, expression still very unamused and brows furrowing so deeply. Joonmyun laughs, imagining the poor guy walking all the way to the Quidditch field only to find it empty.

“Thank you,” Joonmyun beams at him and gets on his feet.

“Let’s walk together? I actually have to go to my D.A.D.A class.” Joonmyun blushes again at this as he looks up to the taller before he smiles genuinely and nods.

Kris responds to Joonmyun’s smile with his own, the corners of his lips quirking upward, making the much smaller boy’s tummy fill with butterflies. Everything about Kris always makes Joonmyun’s heart beat double in speed. He knows he’s not supposed to feel that way because Kris is his best friend. There’s nothing much he can do except remind himself and make sure to keep his feelings in check whenever Kris is around. Besides, it’s not like Kris feels the same way he does so it’s easily a lost cause.

But just this time, Joonmyun allows himself to stop with these regular insecurities circling his mind and heart, and simply enjoy Kris’ company.

✿✿✿

After an exhausting day filled with nothing but assignments from Professor Babbling in Ancient Runes including his Astronomy class that seemed to last for hours, Joonmyun is just about ready to dive head straight into the comforts of his pillows. But of course, his day wouldn’t be complete without students swarming him for advice about their obviously serious problems, which includes one of Gryffindor’s top dueler and Head Girl, Jung Soojung. She asks (but more demands, really) Joonmyun to give her ideas on how to effectively attract the attention of Lee Taemin, Gryffindor’s Seeker. The earnest Head Girl refuses to let him pass through the corridor leading to Hufflepuff’s common room until he has given her at least three pieces of advice.

After finally managing to slip away from Soojung’s grip, all Joonmyun wants to do is rest in the common room and enjoy the moonlight streaming in through the circular windows as he pets and cuddles Byul, his lovely and fluffy white kitten. If he is asked of a list of the best things about being a Hufflepuff, he’d say one of them is how its common room is so easy-to-reach and low-ceilinged, making it cozy for the students to appreciate the beautiful scenery outside.

Yet as he goes through the passageway leading to their common room, Joonmyun’s hope for peace vanishes when he sees the Prefect, Yixing hooking up with Kyungsoo, a Ravenclaw, on the couch; the one that is the closest to the window which so happens to be Joonmyun’s favorite spot.

What’s even more unnerving is how some students are sitting around going about their own business, unaffected by the clearly very disturbing scene for Joonmyun.

He makes his way towards the couple, tapping Yixing lightly on his shoulder. “Uh, Yixing, I’m sorry to interrupt, but you’re supposed to be in the Great Hall, monitoring the first years.” He utters while looking genuinely sorry for interrupting their little makeout session.

Yixing finally stops kissing Kyungsoo’s neck and looks up at Joonmyun, eyes filled with guilt. The Prefect is about to open his mouth when Kyungsoo beats him to it. “C’mon Joonmyun, at least give Yixing a fucking break.”

Joonmyun only manages to swallow down the lump in his throat at the sight of Kyungsoo’s extremely pissed face and Yixing’s guilty gaze which is now replaced by a hopeful one. And so, he ends up walking back out of his beloved common room with heavy footsteps to stand in for Yixing. Joonmyun once again makes the unceasing promise to himself that this will be the last time he tolerates Yixing’s crap. He seriously needs to learn to be a forceful Head Boy.

Joonmyun decides to drop by the kitchen which is right next to Huflepuff’s common room before proceeding to the Great Hall. It is one of the places he likes to visit the most when he doesn’t have a hectic day, just to have a chat with the house elves.

He’s immediately welcomed by the sharp delicious scent of the dinner dish as he steps in, greeting them all with a smile.

“Hi Joonmyun! Are you going to talk about Kris again?” Jonghyun asks cheekily as he precisely pours red sauce into one huge plate filled with pasta.

He doesn’t know how to hold back the blush creeping up his cheeks. Is his feelings toward Kris really that obvious?

“Oh dear, you definitely need to do something soon because the Yule Ball is coming up fast and Kris is a student with reputable fame,” Luna adds, face full of concern while in the middle of washing some cups.

Joonmyun heaves out a long breath because Luna’s right. He has already stopped denying to himself that he badly wants to go to the Yule Ball with Kris so this shouldn’t hinder him from asking. But what is he supposed to do when his heart does backflips each time Kris is around him?

“Yeah, I guess I have to be quick,” he mutters softly, sounding really doubtful.

“Aww, have a little faith in yourself! I’m pretty sure he also likes you,” Ryeowook chimes in, eyes never leaving the cloth wiping a couple of plates by itself.

Joonmyun’s lips break into a small smile, plucking a cherry off a tart before chewing it. He’s thankful to at least be able to share his emotions to these house elves.

Dinner passes quickly, and by the time Joonmyun finishes his ham sandwich, almost half of the students have left the Great Hall, mostly heading towards their own common rooms. Joonmyun too, doesn’t want to waste anymore time, leaving the Great Hall after discussing some things regarding the coming Yule Ball with Professor McGonagall.

Once Joonmyun steps out of the room, he approaches Yixing who’s been waiting for him, already leaning sideways against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest, eyes half shut, looking almost fully ready to reach dreamland.

Joonmyun feels bad for making his best friend wait. It’s not helping at all when he softly brushes his palm over Yixing’s shoulder, causing his friend to startle at the sudden touch. Joonmyun gives him a sorry smile. “Let’s go.”

They start heading towards their common room in silence, walking side by side. Joonmyun is thinking of how to start asking Yixing nonchalantly if he’s going to the Yule Ball with Kyungsoo when he catches sight of Kris at the end of the corridor. He’s leaning against the wall, head slightly tilted up, and is seemingly having a private conversation with a student Joonmyun’s quite familiar with; Chanyeol, one of Gryffindor beaters.

He notices the corner of Kris’ lips tugging upwards, revealing gums and perfectly aligned teeth, at what Chanyeol must’ve said. Joonmyun can then vaguely hear his deep chuckles together with Chanyeol’s bubbly laughter, the both of them unaware that they’re currently being watched.

Chanyeol is the epitome of an ideal boyfriend if Joonmyun must say. He is tall, slender, and undoubtedly handsome. He has a very cheerful and bright personality. He is extremely diligent in everything he does and well-known for his generous spirit.

In contrast to Chanyeol, Joonmyun is definitely sure he wouldn’t be anyone special if he wasn’t made Head Boy. He is in fact way shorter than Chanyeol (and, probably, most boys here) and he’s pretty much awkward in social situations. That might be the reason why-despite him being known as the love guru”- he only has Yixing, Kris, Baekhyun, and probably Lu Han as close friends.

Joonmyun swallows down the lump in his throat thickly.

“Hey, are you okay?” Yixing’s voice snaps him out of his reverie and Joonmyun realizes that he has stopped in his tracks. He offers Yixing a weak smile and the other boy gives him a questioning gaze with the way his eyebrows are raised. But Joonmyun grabs Yixing’s hand before the boy can even utter a question, dragging him into another corridor leading to their common room.

✿✿✿

Joonmyun is in a jolly mood since it’s Saturday, and this means he finally gets some time to have a break. He planned on staying in the common room, wanting to spend some quality time with Byul.

The common room is already empty by the time the sun is almost halfway up in the sky. Most students wouldn’t want to waste even the slightest time of their day off. He’s pretty sure most of them has gone to Hogsmeade, or for a simple walk around Hogwarts, most probably trying to find a companion for the Yule Ball.

Joonmyun hoists Byul up into his arms from the square glass cage that was specifically installed for Hufflepuffs’ pets.

“What are you doing here, boy? The world’s not gonna end if you have some fun!” The Fat Friar emerges from the couch and hovers around it. Joonmyun grins at him before shrugging his shoulders, “I’m having fun.”

“How are you going to find your date to the Yule Ball like this?” The Fat Friar continuously prods, crossing his arms and sending Joonmyun a pointed look.

He huffs out a breath because it’s not that he doesn’t want to go out and socialize. He’s certain that once he steps out of the room, he will be bombarded by a wave of students asking for advice and it’s the last thing Joonmyun wants in his precious weekend.

You sure help other students a lot but what’s the point when, in the end, you’re not going to find yourself a date?” The Fat Friar’s words have effectively knocked him out and another hopeless sigh escapes Joonmyun’s mouth.

He’s going to ask Kris shortly. He will. He convinces himself that he will. “Dont worry! I’ll make sure to have a date by then,” Joonmyun sends The Fat Friar a huge smile as he strokes Byul’s exceedingly soft fur.

The Fat Friar returns the smile before he saunters away and disappears through the door, muttering a ‘Whatever floats your boat, boy. I’m just gonna be in the kitchen.’

Joonmyun heads back towards the circular window, stepping out for fresh air through a particular part that has been charmed.

A fresh breeze of air hits his face and Joonmyun lets out a small yelp as Byul hops out of his arms and jumps around in a small garden which has been set up for pets.

Joonmyun leans against the window, feeling the sunshine settling across his face, letting out a small laughter as he watches Byul try to catch a flying butterfly.

He’s just about to join Byul when an owl comes into sight, hovering around in a circle in front of him, before it perches on the edge of the window. The owl has dark chocolate fur, and its grumpy face definitely stands out the most in its features. Joonmyun thinks it’s funny that it reminds him so much of someone he can’t quite grab in his mind.

He stares at the small white paper wedged on the owl’s mouth and his eyebrows knit together. He grabs the paper gently and unfolds it, finding words written in a very neat and uniform handwriting.

‘Hey, my name’s Microsoft. Can I crash at your place tonight?’

The message literally leaves him gasping and he mentally curses himself for blushing over the awfully cheesy words.

Who’s the person behind this?

Moreover, he is surprised to have read something like this from anyone here. But then again, he isn’t the only Muggle-born in the school and whoever wrote this might have thought it’d be fun to pull a Muggle pickup line for him. He reads through the unsigned note again, the handwriting unfamiliar. He then observes the owl thoroughly and is convinced he has never seen it before either.

He gets distracted by the sounds of Yixing and Baekhyun calling him from the common room. He makes a quick decision to ask them if they recognize the owl but before he could even do so, it flies away swiftly and disappears from sight, leaving Joonmyun to deal with his own questions.

✿✿✿

Joonmyun later finds himself getting dragged all the way to the Quidditch pitch by his best friends to watch the Slytherin team’s training session. But really, it’s more of Baekhyun, a fellow Puff, forcing them to accompany him while he ogles at his new crush, Kim Jongin, the Slytherin seeker.

Joonmyun actually doesn’t mind. He wouldn’t exactly refuse this perfect chance to watch Kris effortlessly dodge and beat bludgers away.

The field is more packed than Joonmyun thought it would be as some students from the other two schools are also enjoying the training session.

As soon as they got to the raised stands surrounding the pitch and occupy the front seats, Jongin swoops down on his broomstick in front of Baekhyun. The latter’s eyes are already gleaming in delight with the fact that all eyes are on them, witnessing how one of the Hogwarts’ heartthrobs has just approached him.

“Glad you came,” Jongin mutters, a corner of his lips quirking upward into a smirk. Joonmyun can clearly see how Baekhyun’s cheeks have flushed deep red from that.

After five minutes of Baekhyun’s incessant cheers and supportive words-as if Jongin is facing a real match in the Quidditch World Cup-the latter finally flies off towards the middle of the pitch. Baekhyun is left flustered and lovestruck, staring longingly at the seeker’s retreating back. The sight makes Yixing and Joonmyun roll their eyes at each other.

Joonmyun focuses back towards the pitch. It’s not that difficult to spot Kris in the field since he stands out the most, Joonmyun’s eyes following his every move. Kris appears to be surveying the area, his gaze flicking to the stand they’re in, recognizing Joonmyun right away even from afar. Joonmyun perks up, flashing him a soft smile which Kris returns almost immediately.

Kris looks immensely dreamy under the sun’s rays if Joonmyun can put it that way. He looks dashing on his broomstick, the sunlight making his blond hair look one shade lighter, and Joonmyun hopes Baekhyun couldn’t hear his suddenly loud heart beats.

When the training session starts, Joonmyun and Yixing are both forced to restrain Baekhyun from screaming too hard every time Jongin flies past their seats.

“Bloody Hell! He’s so fucking hot!” Baekhyun yells as Jongin once again passes by. Joonmyun is pretty sure the guy, more or less, deliberately makes sure to fly by their seats every now and then.

By the time Joonmyun has given up holding back an overly excited Baekhyun, he senses someone come up by his side, sitting right next to him. Joonmyun is lying if he doesn’t admit he’s stunned to see Kim Himchan -the selected participant from Durmstrang for the Triwizard Tournament- be seated there, beaming at him.

It gets Joonmyun deadpanned for a moment, before he finally returns the smile properly. He is unaware of the curious glances his two other friends throw over his shoulders.

“You must be Kim Joonmyun,” Himchan starts, holding out his hand. “I’m Kim Himchan.”

“I know,” Joonmyun replies almost too immediately, slowly reaching out to shake his hand. He is oblivious to the sharp gaze aimed at the two coming from a certain Beater fuming in the middle of the pitch.

“If I had to be honest, Hogwarts is definitely blessed to have such a flawless Head Boy as you,” Himchan whispers without tearing his gaze away from Joonmyun.

Joonmyun is unconscious of how his pale cheeks turn as red as a rose, shifting awkwardly in his seat. He’s not sure of how he’s supposed to react to Himchan’s words, about to thank him when a loud yell from the field can be heard, along with the whole field gasping.

“Kris! Watch out, it’s coming your way!” Zitao, the team’s Keeper, shouts as loud as he can but it’s proven too late as a loud thump is heard when the bludger hits Kris hard. The Beater falls down along with his broomstick with terrifying speed until the last loud crash resonates throughout the field, leaving the audience with bated breath.

✿✿✿

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Kris mumbles in the midst of silence surrounding the Hospital Wing.

“It’s late, you should go back to your common room,” Kris continues, voice quivering ever so slightly. He tries to clear his throat, ignoring the sweat dripping down the side of his face.

Extreme anxiety seized Joonmyun earlier in the pitch when he saw Kris sprawled in pain on the ground. He doesn’t know how exactly he got himself down from the stands. All he knows is getting to Kris as fast as he could to make sure nothing fatal has happened to him. Kris fell off his broomstick on his back and landed on his buttocks, so his right arm was the only part of him severely injured save for some other minor scratches. Since then, Joonmyun has not left Kris’ side. He even remained when Madam Pomfrey has shooed everyone who had accompanied Kris away, including the whole Slytherin Quidditch team when she made the poor guy drink Skele-gro. It’s a painful process to mend Kris’ broken arm, the bones regrowing tediously slow. Kris seems to be tolerating the pain better now that he’s able to talk properly again.

It’s a good thing Kris’ face wasn’t injured at least, since it’s common knowledge that his face is the thing Kris treasures the most.

Kris is still able to pretend as though he isn’t experiencing severe pain. It shows in how his rigid face ultimately screams ‘Naw man this does fucking hurt but I ain’t gonna show it.’, enduring everything in instead.

Slytherin and their pride.

“It’s fine. Besides, I want to be here,” Joonmyun replies, and if he’s not mistaken despite the dimly lit room, Kris’ face turns red. “Kris, I’m your best friend. Everything’s going to be fine, okay, just relax,” he adds with a chuckle.

“Uh, I’m afraid you’re wrong. He’s never gonna be relaxed as long as you’re here,” a deep voice comes from behind Joonmyun, turning around to find Chanyeol ambling towards them with a huge grin plastered on his face.

For some reason, Chanyeol’s words only seem to imply that Joonmyun’s existence is what’s keeping Kris from relaxing, and it makes Joonmyun’s heart sink in disappointment. Instinctively biting his lower lip, Joonmyun has always thought Kris would be the most comfortable and secure when he’s with him, considering that they’re best friends.

“Okay then.. I’ll. I’ll just leave.” Joonmyun exhales, getting a hold of himself and smiling it off. He gets on his feet and gives Kris a closed-mouthed smile, which Kris returns.

“Thank you,” Kris beams and Joonmyun can’t help but give him a more sincere smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him,” Chanyeol grins, showing his dimples as he whacks Kris’ shoulder a little too roughly which causes the injured boy to hiss in pain. Joonmyun frowns at the scene, feeling his heart hollowing as he silently wishes to be in Chanyeol’s position.

He wants to be the one who takes care of Kris, to be the one by his side.

The common room is silent when Joonmyun shows up much later. The only source of light comes from the bonfire and the moonlight filtering through the glass window; and the only distinct sounds being made from the Hufflepuffs’ pets.

Joonmyun arrives in his dormitory and is instantaneously greeted by Jinki and Jongup’s soft snores. His roommates are fast asleep, causing him to walk in silent steps as he makes his way to his cozy bed.

As he changes into his favorite pajamas, tugging the comforter over his body with a sleeping Byul beside him, a loud thud comes from the small window alongside his bed.

Joonmyun tilts his head in fright before he finally catches the sight of the poor owl flying around in circles, almost looking disoriented. He unlocks the window and lets the owl fly inside.

He recognizes it right away- it’s the same owl that came up to him earlier today and brought a mysterious white note. Much like before, there’s another small white paper wrapped around its leg and Joonmyun unties it before unfolding it.

Didn’t I say I’d crash to your plane tonight? I always mean my words. Are you going to sleep? You know, if you were a Dementor, I’d become a Criminal just to get your goodnight kiss.

To say the least, Joonmyun deals with this note much better, he thinks. This one is undoubtedly much cheesier than the last, and his curiosity of who the the owner of the owl and letters grows much more.

Speaking of the owl, it’s gone by the time Joonmyun remembers to look up for it, swearing it was still perched on the edge of the window just a second ago. He sluggishly closes the window and lies his back on his bed.

If he wasn’t so drowsy he’d most likely try to solve this mystery, but his eyelids have grown heavy and are already fluttering closed. He tucks the white paper under his pillow and shuts his eyes tight, carrying the curiosity along to his dreams.

✿✿✿

Joonmyun is late for class yet again (though this time for an entirely different reason), rushing into Astronomy apologetically. Being late really shouldn’t be such a big concern for him considering how his teachers always hold a soft spot for him anyway. Perhaps the consistency of always getting O scores in almost all the subjects is the reason behind it.

He shakes his head, ridding himself of such thoughts as he remembers why he was late. He had been attempting to help Jongin finish his Arithmancy homework, which didn’t work out so well considering Joonmyun ended up solving all the questions for the boy despite tons of homework he himself needed to do.

Actually the worst thing is that Jongin had decided to leave Joonmyun alone with his homework at the library because of a sudden important matter (according to Jongin), which involved finding Baekhyun and asking him to be his date for the Yule Ball.

Joonmyun’s mind suddenly fills with anxiety: almost all the people around him have found their dates for the Yule Ball, while he’s still got no one.

With each passing day, he’s getting much more hesitant which leads to a bigger lack of confidence. He has the bitter belief that Kris doesn’t feel the same way he does, and ruining their friendship is the last thing Joonmyun wants.

Every so often, Joonmyun finds himself questioning why he fell in love with his best friend of all people.

But, perhaps asking Kris to be his date for the Yule Ball wouldn’t ruin anything. Maybe he worries too much because asking his own best friend to go with him doesn’t necessarily have to mean anything. Right? It should be okay for best friends to go together if they didn’t manage to snag dates for themselves.

A sudden wave of optimism surges through him just as he finishes Jongin’s homework. Joonmyun makes a mental note to ask Kris tonight when he stops by the Slytherin common room to hand in Jongin’s homework.

With a new resolve in mind, Joonmyun leaves the library with light steps, grinning like an idiot. When he turns to the left at the end of the corridor close to the Divination room though, he takes sight of two familiar figures ahead, their backs facing him. He immediately stops in his tracks, reflexively stepping back to hide behind the wall.

Joonmyun isn’t really sure why he’s hiding in the first place but he doesn’t move an inch from behind the wall. Kris is talking with Chanyeol and since the hallway is quiet, he can hear the conversation clearly enough.

“Uh, will you come to the Yule Ball with me?” Joonmyun is pretty sure he’s not suffering from hearing loss, but Kris’ words are enough to deafen him from the loud crash inside his heart, leaving him in a bleeding mess.

Joonmyun’s head is bowed down as he slowly turns in the opposite direction, choosing to take another stairway to his Astronomy class. He tries to swallow the lump in his throat and stop the tears that are threatening to fall from the corners of his eyes.

✿✿✿

Joonmyun still remembers clearly how he coped with the pain after free-falling thirty feet from his broomstick when he first learned the proper way to ride it during his second year. He has suffered from acrophobia and since then, made a decision for his own good that he and Quidditch just don’t work.

He also still has vividly recalled in his mind the pain when four heavy books, each weighing almost a kilo, fell down on him as he was trying to reach for the books he needed on one of the library’s high shelves. Unlike Quidditch, However, Joonmyun’s love for books will never fade.

But it’s the first time for him to experience this kind of pain, it feels as though he’s getting hit in the heart with a sledgehammer, chest feeling heavy. It’s the first time for him to deal with the pain of unrequited love and Joonmyun decides that he definitely doesn’t like it because it causes him difficulty with breathing and his eyes sting with hot tears.

He doesn’t register his face fully turning doleful and how his legs moving faster with each step, leading him into the kitchen intuitively.

“What happened, Joonmyun? You don’t look good.” Ryeowook asks, concerned, looking up from where he was working. His question manages to attract the attention of the other house elves and eventually they stop their preparations for dinner to peer at Joonmyun.

“It’s too late,” Joonmyun swallows the saliva in his throat, lips curling up into a pitiful smile as he shakes his head, his eyes drifting to the ground.

Confusion falls on the house elves’ minds before they finally interpret Joonmyun’s words. “I’m sorry to hear that,” Jonghyun mumbles gloomily. He traipses towards Joonmyun and holds his hands reassuringly.

“If you don’t mind me asking, who asked before you?” Luna asks as the other house elves begin to draw closer to him.

“Park Chanyeol. It was actually Kris who asked him formally, though,” Joonmyun explains bitterly. He lifts his head up, meeting their anxious eyes. Truthfully, he feels genuinely grateful that at least at the end of the day, he’ll always have these elves to whom he can pour out all his apprehensions.

“It’s okay, I’m fine. I’ll just have to move on, I guess,” Joonmyun tries to reassure them even though he doesn’t really have any faith in himself.

Park Chanyeol is far more perfect than Joonmyun will ever be, and he doesn’t have any right to direct any faults toward him nor Kris. The only thing he can do now is fix himself and bury his feelings towards Kris despite knowing it’s going to bring him so much pain in the process.

✿✿✿

Joonmyun can hardly shut his eyes that night. He’s tried every method he can think of to drift his mind to sleep. He tries counting ships before deciding it’s best to stop when he reaches his 500th, eyes still wide awake. Now, Joonmyun finds himself staring blankly at the ceiling as he listens to his roommates’ soft snores, and strokes Byul’s cotton-like fur, unaware that his kitten had been sleeping soundly since long ago.

“Can’t sleep?” Yixing’s tired voice breaks the looming silence, making Joonmyun flinch as his friend chuckles softly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine.” Joonmyun flaunts him a tiny smile and assigns his attention to Yixing who looks ready to return to his dream.

“You know, if you have something bothering you, you can always talk to me,” Yixing continues in a subtle voice, lips curving into a genuine smile.

Yixing has always been one of Joonmyun’s closest friends, in fact he’s probably the one who can dig directly into him and perceive his actual feelings. Joonmyun never regrets the moment he decided to first greet the seemingly lonely boy seven years ago, even though at times, Yixing’s forgetful and dense behaviour can be just too much.

Joonmyun chuckles softly, briefly nodding his head. He’s still not really all set to spill his feelings towards Kris to Yixing since he’s just as close as himself with the Slytherin Beater.

“So, are you going to the Yule Ball with Kyungsoo?” Joonmyun asks in his attempt to keep Yixing awake because he doesn’t want to be alone again in the silence of the night.

Yixing gazes at Joonmyun in disbelief. “Of course. If I dared to even ask anyone other than Kyungsoo, he wouldn’t hesitate to turn me into a rat and go naked in front of me without shifting me back.”

Joonmyun’s face twists in amusement before he chuckles mildly. Yixing is right, Kyungsoo can be terrifying sometimes. Nevertheless, he knows the affection Yixing has for Kyungsoo is sincere.

“Did you find anyone yet?” Yixing changes topic as he tugs the comforter properly over him. Joonmyun shakes his head reluctantly, not realizing his entire face has turned completely dejected.

“Good, you can’t be with anyone yet,” Yixing heaves a sigh of relief, grinning playfully right after.

Joonmyun squinted, not getting Yixing’s words. “What?”

Before Yixing can give him a reply, they hear a dull bang on the window near Joonmyun’s bed. Both boys shift their gaze towards the source of the noise, finding a dark chocolate owl circling in agony.

“The poor owl!” Joonmyun hops off his bed instantly once he identifies the owl, cracking the window open and letting it in.

Right after Joonmyun retrieves the white paper from the poor bird, it flies away clumsily leaving Joonmyun to stare at it worriedly before he closes the window after the owl leaves his sight.

Joonmyun plops down on the edge of the bed and Yixing joins him, peeking over his shoulder inquiringly.

“I’ve been getting these notes from the same owl recently,” Joonmyun mumbles quietly as he unfolds the tiny paper, unaware of the knowing smile on Yixing’s face.

‘I dont need the Mirror of Erised to know that you’re everything I desire. Did you use the stupefy charm or are you a natural stunner?’

To you, the one who has the portkey to my heart, I may not be the boy who lived, but I can still be your chosen one, will you come to the Yule Ball with me?’

Give me an answer tomorrow, at the great hall during lunch’

Joonmyun is defenseless as scarlet creeps up his cheeks. His heart begins to pound at the thought of meeting his secret admirer for the first time. He’ll finally find out the person behind all the notes which have been causing his heart to flutter.

“Ehhh he’s such a corny guy,” Yixing blurts out with a frown attached on his face.

Joonmyun snaps his head towards Yixing. “Do you know this person?”

Yixing lets out a small ‘oops’ and shields his mouth before hopping back on the bed. “Nope, I can’t tell you now. I can’t ruin everything he’s planned,” Yixing smiles apologetically.

“You’ll find out about it tomorrow,” Yixing continues as he pulls up his comforter. “Good night, Joonmyunie!” he hurriedly adds before flipping over so his back to face the other direction, not even giving Joonmyun a chance to utter a word.

Joonmyun wonders if he should bother his friend until he tells him everything. How can he sleep when Yixing knows who his secret admirer is. Has he known all along? Maybe waiting until morning for his admirer to confess on their own is better, Joonmyun reasons. There’s a passing thought, or even hope, since Yixing knows, maybe his admirer is Kris.

✿✿✿

It’s no surprise that the next day, Joonmyun’s heart is racing as he wakes up. To his disappointment, Yixing’s bed is already empty. Joonmyun is pretty sure Yixing is attempting to avoid him, seeing as this is the first time in their seven years of friendship that his friend beat him at getting up early.

Joonmyun idly gets out of bed and prepares for another day’s routine. He might be attacked by nerves, but he’s still Head Boy and setting a positive example in every aspect of his life is his priority.

Throughout Apparition class, Joonmyun is deep in his usual reverie, oblivious to Professor Twycross who is currently demonstrating a technique of splinching eyebrows for the upcoming exam. It’s not until he notices the weird gazes from his friends during the class that Joonmyun’s curiosity sparks. They have been staring at him with a particular light dancing in their eyes and smug smiles upon their lips, leaving Joonmyun clueless. Oh Sehun, who sits right next to him, is no exception.

Sehun is one of Joonmyun’s close friends from Slytherin, living up to the house name with his ‘snakelike’ tongue. Sehun always also seems to blurt out things that make Joonmyun wince from all the recklessness and perversion in them. It’s no wonder Zitao is the only boyfriend Sehun has managed to keep who has lasted longer than a week, considering he’s the only one who has proven capable of dealing with Sehun’s uncontrollable hormones (though the real reason is because Zitao is just as horny as Sehun all the time).

Sehun watches Joonmyun intently with a playful smirk as he chews his gum. “You know, you’re like a bottle of Skele-gro for him cause you’ve been growing him a bone.”

Joonmyun is left flabbergasted, floundering for words, his cheeks flushing a crimson red before drifting back his attention to the front. Joonmyun tries to pretend he didn’t just hear what Sehun said. He wants to maintain his pride as a Head Boy, but interest has fully taken over and Joonmyun’s eyes shift back to Sehun.

“Who are you talking about?” he asks in a hushed tone.

Sehun’s lips pull into a smirk, and he leans in immensely close to Joonmyun’s face. “You’ll find out later.” Sehun says into his ear, his hot breath brushing against the shell of his ear. Before Joonmyun’s face could burn from all the heat rushing to it, Sehun hisses out a wince as someone from the back throws a small rock wrapped in a paper right at his head.

“Sehun, don’t even fucking try to corrupt my mom,” Zitao sends Sehun a deadly glare as Lee Minhyuk, the student beside him, tries not to laugh too loud.

For reasons Joonmyun can’t comprehend, Zitao has been going around claiming him as his mom. Joonmyun doesn’t know when it started, but perhaps it’s because he has always helped Zitao. Joonmyun has always had a soft spot for Zitao, so he supposes his behavior wasn’t entirely unfounded.

When it’s finally lunch time, Joonmyun eats anxiously, seated between Yixing and Baekhyun. His best friends have finally decided to show up after avoiding him for half a day.

The three have already eaten their fill of food and nobody has even passed their table yet. Joonmyun starts to panic and wonders if this whole thing is just a cruel joke. When he’s about to ask Yixing, his friend abruptly busies himself by talking to Jinki, while Baekhyun is busy flirting with Jongin despite the rather large distance between them.

When the three of them leave the Great Hall, his friends begin acting weird as if they’re trying to prevent Joonmyun from leaving the hallway to rush for his next class. There are some Slytherins he knows well in the hallway. It seems like they’re waiting for something.

It’s Joonmyun’s second attempt to ask Yixing and Baekhyun what was going on when his eyes catch Kris walking carefully from the end of the hallway. Kris flashes him a smile as they make eye contact. Could it be..?

That’s when Joonmyun is distracted by a group of Durmstrangs walking from the Great Hall. Himchan leads the way as his friends trail leisurely behind him. Himchan throws Joonmyun a smile which Joonmyun promptly returns, before stopping right in front of him. Because of this, Joonmyun is oblivious that Kris has stopped in his tracks a couple of feet away from them as well.

Murmurs begin to break out when Himchan reaches for his hand whilst Joonmyun is pretty much frozen. Meanwhile, Yixing and Baekhyun stare at Himchan with dumbfounded expressions.

“Joonmyun, will you go to the Yule Ball with me?” Himchan asks. The murmurs around them have become so loud now that loud gasps begin filling up the hallway. Meanwhile, Joonmyun’s mouth is left hanging open. It seems that Joonmyun is not the only one shocked; Yixing’s jaw drops almost immediately and Baekhyun covers his lips, muffling his gasp.

Never once has the prospect of Kim Himchan -a Triwizard Champion contestant who has quite a large amount of girls and guys alike after him- asking him to go to the Yule Ball and sending him those awfully cheesy notes every night, came to mind.

Joonmyun is crestfallen, after all, he hoped for it to be Kris.

Joonmyun hurriedly hides his disappointment, conscious of Himchan standing in front of him, waiting for his response. He looks up before giving himchan a small smile and slowly nodding at him.

Himchan’s face changes to being relieved and pleased. Joonmyun is suddenly aware of his friends’ rigid and awkward expressions, but before he can even utter a question, Himchan squeezes his hand.

“Where are you heading to?”

“Astronomy class,” Joonmyun replies as Himchan gives him another smile.

“Do you mind if I walk you there?”

Actually, He wouldn’t mind company but he’s not close with Himchan and he’s not sure if this will turn out to be comfortable or awkward. But he figures it would be rude to turn him down, and so he flashes Himchan another smile. “I don’t mind.”

Joonmyun senses Himchan’s grip on his small hand tightening, and he’s pulled gently towards him. Meanwhile he turns his gaze to his best friends, staring at them oddly because of the visible wariness on their faces.

Joonmyun leaves the hallway without noticing Kris’ pained expression. His remains oblivious to Kris’ left hand which is kept hidden, knuckles turning white as the grip on the bouquet of roses tightens.

✿✿✿

Joonmyun has been feeling perplexed and gloomy ever since the day Himchan asked him to go to the Yule Ball with him. His friends continuously send him wary looks and when he tries to ask the reason, they only shake their heads as response.

Moreover, whenever Joonmyun goes to Kris to express his confusion, he’s always brushed off with vague reasons. He’s tormented with sadness because it seems like they are growing apart and it’s the last thing he wants to happen to their friendship.

Kris doesn’t even come up to him after meal time anymore and leaves the Great Hall casually with Chanyeol. He has also stopped sitting next to Joonmyun when they have classes together.

Joonmyun is absentmindedly doing his night patrol, mind more focused on other things like considering if he should tell Yixing and Baekhyun his actual feelings. When he passes by the entrance of the Slytherin common room, he gets pulled in by someone rather roughly, catching him off guard.

Joonmyun is only aware of Zitao’s tight grip around his arm when he’s fully inside the common room. Zitao is a mess, his hair is disheveled and his eyes are red and puffy. Before Joonmyun can ask, Zitao drags him forward and sits with him on one of the couches arranged around the common room. By this time of night, the room is practically empty. The only other person in the room is Jongin who is sprawled across one of the other couches; absorbed in reading a comic.

Jongin shrugs at Joonmyun when he sends him a puzzled look. Only after sitting down, Joonmyun notices the massive amount of tissues piled up like mountains on the green carpet and the couch.

“What’s wrong, Zitao?” Joonmyun asks. Zitao gazes up at him, eyes glistening with tears as he bites his lower lip which is trembling slightly. He then seizes Joonmyun’s arm in his and leans his head against his shoulder.

“Sehun got angry at me and refused to go to the Yule Ball with me,” Zitao mumbles between sobs.

“How did you guys end up fighting?” Joonmyun asks Zitao as he feels his eyelids drooping.

“It was because Sehun was being a dick and refusing to let me top during our sex session last night, but I insisted and eventually we ended up fighting,” Zitao fumes through his sniffles.

Joonmyun lets out a quick breath of air, of course Zitao pulled him in to ask him for more advice about his love life. After all, this is nothing new. People are always coming to Joonmyun for advice about their love lives, he’s come to expect it.

Joonmyun isn’t sure what kind of advice he should give Zitao on the current subject. He’s entirely inexperienced on the topic (duh, he’s a virgin), and he’s never told anyone about it.

“You don’t have to cry your lungs out. Everyone knows that the only person who manages to keep up with Sehun’s unstable hormones is you. At the end of the day we all will only find you you guys on one another’s dicks in the corner of the room,” Jongin babbles and sends a pointed stare at Zitao.

Jongin’s words seem to pierce to Zitao’s mind since he starts wiping the tears off his face.

“Jongin is right. I’m sure in a little while Sehun won’t be mad at you for much longer,” Joonmyun flashes him a tiny smile as he tries his best to keep his eyes open.

When Joonmyun is getting ready to excuse himself, Zitao refuses to let go of his arm. “I want to ask you something. Why did you accept Himchan’s offer when it’s clear you don’t like him?”

“What?” Joonmyun asks him back, confused whilst Zitao heaves out a deep sigh.

“You and Kris should really fix your relationship. Do you even know why you guys seem distant now?” Jongin joins in as he shakes his head in frustration.

Joonmyun’s heart skips a beat at that. He isn’t exactly aware that people around them have been noticing the drift between him and Kris. He then shakes his head miserably.

Zitao exhales another defeated sigh as he mutters ‘as expected’. “Actually, he doesn’t want us to tell you about this, but I just can’t deal with this any longer when you both are clearly being stupid.”

“The reason is because he’s actually been in lo-”

“Why are you all sitting here instead of sleeping in your rooms?”

The three of them instantaneously gape at the source of the voice, finding Kris standing on the last stair, looking extremely pissed at Jongin and Zitao.

“Do you even know what time it is? Joonmyun also needs to sleep,” Kris mutter as he draws near the couches.

The sight of his crush is enough to make Joonmyun’s heart race in his chest. The realization that he has missed Kris so much only hits him now.

“Joonmyun, you should go back to your own common room,” Kris proclaims coldly.

“It’s late. You should escort him back,” Zitao retorts, his tone demanding.

“I feel particularly exhausted and, as Head Boy, he should be independent so I don’t see why I have to escort him back.” The iciness in Kris’ voice pierces through Joonmyun’s chest.

“I hope you understand, Joonmyun,” Kris peers up at him awkwardly.

Joonmyun has the urge to ask him what exactly is happening between them, but nothing comes out of his lips. He catches Zitao hissing at Kris and faces him.

“Kris is right. I’m the Head Boy after all, and I’m pretty sure nothing bad will happen to me,” Joonmyun smiles reassuringly at Zitao and Jongin despite how his heart sinks even deeper.

Joonmyun desperately shakes his head when he’s finally out of the Slytherin common room as he uselessly tries to comfort himself. Everything is becoming too overwhelming for him to bear.

✿✿✿

Blissful and elated chatter because of the Yule Ball euphoria from the common room can be heard vividly in Joonmyun’s room, but he’s in no condition to take part when his feelings are the opposite. With sluggish steps, he strides towards the mirror and scans his own reflection. Joonmyun looks handsome in the luxurious black dress robes his parents sent a couple of days ago, but he’s not feeling as enthusiastic as when he first received them.

He combs his hair with his fingers for the last time after doing so for the past hour, nervously smoothing his dress robes. Suddenly the room’s door is thrown open, successfully startling him with a loud thud, revealing a stumbling Yixing unsteadily holding Kyungsoo who practically has his legs wrapped around Yixing’s waist as they kiss hungrily. They stagger around the room for a while before flopping on Yixing’s bed without even once unlocking their lips.

Joonmyun remains standing there awkwardly, feeling unsure if the both of them are conscious of his presence. Though it’s not a surprise anymore when the both of them could easily be found sucking each others’ faces in the common room without feeling the least bit guilty.

He clears his throat. “If you guys don’t stop, you’ll look messy even before the Yule Ball starts.”

They finally detach themselves from each other and Joonmyun is greeted by Kyungsoo’s murderous gaze. “Fuck the Yule Ball. We’ll spend the whole night here.”

Yixing is smiling like he’s the happiest man on earth before shoving Kyungsoo’s face back to him so they can continue. The last thing Joonmyun manages to hear before he leaves the room is “How many rounds are we up for tonight?”

✿✿✿

Joonmyun reaches the Great Hall’s entrance seven minutes before the Yule Ball starts. He’s welcomed by Prof. McGonagall telling the champions of the Triwizard Tournament from each school to gather in front of the entrance with their dates.

He walks down the stairs as a voice greets him. “Hi, you look amazing.” Himchan gives Joonmyun a warm smile as he hands out his arm.

“Same goes to you,” Joonmyun beams back at him and gently takes his arm. He can’t deny that Himchan does look amazingly attractive and he’s aware that there are a huge amount of people out there who dream to be in his place right now. Still, he’s not as thrilled as he wishes he could be, especially when he catches sight of a certain person standing right next to the entrance of the Great Hall.

Kris looks exceptionally flawless in Joonmyun’s eyes, and when the former locks gaze with him, Joonmyun’s breath is taken away. He wishes he could leave Himchan and rush to Kris, grab his hand, and make their way into the hall.

It almost feels as if he’s being ripped apart when he smiles at Kris whilst the taller man looks away. Kris instead smiles at Chanyeol who’s walking towards him before they step in the ballroom together.

The only thing Joonmyun feels is numbness when the trumpet starts playing and he enters the entrance holding onto Himchan’s arm with a forced smile along with the other champions. Not even the envious gazes and the roaring cheers directed toward him can hype up his mood.

As Joonmyun dances with Himchan, he seems out of focus and he can only hope the other man doesn’t notice his current state.

The rest of the night is spent with Himchan practically dragging him along and introducing him to all his friends. Even if Joonmyun likes making friends, he’s not comfortable being among the Durmstrangs.

At last Joonmyun can’t fight the tediousness, he excuses himself to go to the bathroom as an alibi. He feels bad for lying, but he’s in need of fresh air.

When Joonmyun makes his way to the entrance, he coincidentally spots Chanyeol kissing a girl he recognizes as Jinri, a sixth year Ravenclaw. He hastily diverts his gaze away and leaves the Great Hall.

He pauses in the hallway, scrunching his eyebrows together. Aren’t Chanyeol and Kris actually a thing?

Joonmyun is trying to decide whether or not he’s going to tell Kris as Himchan’s owl comes into view. The bird flaps its wings noisily before flying in the direction of the small tower. The owl turns around when it realizes Joonmyun is standing still, staring up at the bird with a puzzled look.

“What? You want me to follow you?” Joonmyun immediately feels stupid for talking, but still moves his feet forward to follow the bird.

The owl leads Joonmyun to the open window belonging to the small tower. When Joonmyun reaches the window he sees thousands of stars crowding the sky. In addition to the stars, there’s a tall figure leaning against a stool, examining the beautiful view of the celestial.

Joonmyun isn’t sure if he should approach Kris or turn around and run off. He discovers that he doesn’t actually have many options when the bird hovers forward in Kris’ direction.

“Ace?” Kris asks before he realizes Joonmyun has arrived and fixes his eyes on him.

“Joonmyun?” Kris mutters softly, lifting up his eyebrows.

Joonmyun’s heart skips a beat, eyes widening in disbelief. His mouth drops open as his gaze is set on the owl perching nonchalantly on Kris’ shoulder.

“Is that… your owl?” the nod Joonmyun receives from Kris causes his heart to pound rapidly in his chest.

‘So all this time...’
“Oh my god,” Joonmyun gasps quietly, more to himself. “I’m so sorry.. I had no idea that it was you.. who sent me all those notes.” He starts biting his lower lip hard, suddenly wanting to cry.
The emotion running through him is a jumbled mess; Joonmyun can’t say a word. He’s left astonished by the whole situation. He is trying to fully comprehend how foolish and dense he’s been all this time. He could scream in exasperation towards himself.
In spite of everything, there’s the joy creeping up in Joonmyun’s heart at the realization that the feelings he and Kris share are mutual. At the moment Joonmyun feels like his feelings are on a roller coaster because he’s also smashed into guilt of the fact that he’s been oblivious to his friend’s feelings.
All this time Joonmyun thought the owl was Himchan’s, and his mind is instinctively forwarded to the reason why he had thought so.
His heart drops again as he raises his head and finds Kris standing right in front of him. “Were you going to ask me to go to the Yule Ball?” the disbelief brimming in Joonmyun’s eyes and Kris’ gaze on him fades.
“Why?” Joonmyun murmurs softly, eyes bursting with grief. “Why didn’t you say anything? I was so confused when you started distancing yourself from me, and all the looks I got from my friends were just as ominous...” He feels extremely sad because he could’ve gotten his happy ending sooner.
“You see, I didn’t say anything because I was kind of beaten to it,” Kris replies, inhaling a huge amount of air. “And you accepted Himchan, so I didn’t want to ruin your happiness.”

“Except I wasn’t happy at all,” Joonmyun retorts, much to Kris’ surprise. “Kris, all this time I only ever liked you.”
“But you agreed to him...” The sudden growing longing in Kris’ eyes matches Joonmyun’s increasing heart rate.

“I did, because I always thought you were with Chanyeol!” Joonmyun snaps quietly and he’s so close to clutching his hair in frustration. “I heard you asking him to the Yule Ball!”

Kris shakes his head, left dumbfounded. “Joonmyun, that’s ridiculous. I was practicing because I wanted the best way to ask you to be my date. Chanyeol is my cousin.”

The truth falls on Joonmyun as though he’s being flushed with cold water, and only now does he realize that he’s been extremely silly and dumb all this time.

“Oh.”

A pair of warm palms rest on his cheeks and Kris leans his forehead against his, Joonmyun’s heart beating rapidly against his. “Let’s just stop, just don’t talk anymore. We were both stupid, okay.”

Joonmyun shuts his eyes for a while enjoying Kris’ hot breath against his face before laughs quietly. “Yeah. Jongin and Zitao were right, we are hopeless.”

“I love you.” Kris breathes against his lips, before Joonmyun feels a pair of lips on his. It’s wonderful the way his lips connect perfectly with Kris’. They’re breathing their souls into each other. It’s breathtaking how Kris kisses him hard and tender at the same time, as though trying to make Joonmyun feel secure and assured.

Once they part, the only distinct sounds around them them are their harsh breaths and their syncing heart beats.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to continue this in your room.” Kris says low whilst Joonmyun’s face is flushed red.

“But, Yixing and Kyungsoo are doing their thing in my room. We wouldn’t want to disturb them unless you want to get cursed by Kyungsoo,” Joonmyun informs him and Kris swears before he huffs in dissatisfaction.

“My room is occupied by Zitao and Sehun, I know for a fact we probably shouldn’t enter until sunrise.” Kris explains with a frown on his face as he remembers fairly well Sehun mentioning they’ll possibly do three rounds.

Joonmyun giggles before shaking his head, amused. “You know we can just wait. And plus, I’d like to spend the night with you here as we watch the stars!”

Kris raises his eyebrows at Joonmyun, smiling eventually because Joonmyun looks so cute and amazingly beautiful under the moonlight. Everything about Joonmyun causes Kris’ heart to beat rapidly.

“Okay.” Kris flashes Joonmyun a huge smile and kisses the corner of his lips.

✿✿✿

“You guys are so cute!” Lu Han yells out in high-pitched squeals as he walks past them with Minseok who’s clinging onto Lu Han’s arm nodding his head.

While Kris couldn’t stop pecking Joonmyun’s cheeks, occasionally stealing kisses on his lips, uncontrollable heat rushes to Joonmyun’s face because they’ve got the attention of almost everyone in the Great Hall. Joonmyun swears the teachers are glaring at them but Kris is too busy staring at him to notice anything else.

On Joonmyun’s left side, Yixing grabs a small roast chicken off of one of the big plates in front of him as he shakes his head at both of his friends. “Took you guys long enough,” he mutters quietly before he starts munching on the chicken.

Soojung pops up in front of Kris and Joonmyun with a wide smile on her face. “You look so good together!” she and her friends exclaim cutely. “I see you got yourself a hottie, Kim Joonmyun. But it’s no surprise! I bet you won his heart in just the blink of an eye!”

Joonmyun’s face flushes with embarrassment because it wasn’t like that. It actually took Joonmyun almost two years to admit his feelings towards Kris, without having the slightest clue that Kris has actually liked him back.

As expected from Kim Joonmyun, the relationship expert.

“Yes, don’t you know he’s got natural Confundus charm on him.” Kris saves him -though not exactly properly- and the girls squeal again at his words before they leave them with Yixing who snorts and grimaces. “Stop with the lies, Kris, and you really should fix your cheesiness.”

“Aww, look at you two,” Zitao cackles as he makes his way towards them with Sehun who looks awfully haggard. “You guys even got your own cake! That’s not fair!” Zitao pouts before he licks his lips, eyes stuck on the chocolate cake sitting on the big plate in front of them. The cake has ‘Kris ♡ Joonmyun’ written neatly with a bunch of cherries on top.

Joonmyun hasn’t said anything to the house elves. He supposes that the news has spread like wildfire, and his lips curve up into a smile because he’s genuinely thankful towards them.

“Kris, we’re not trying to interrupt you two or anything, but we have to get ready for Quidditch training,” Jongin says as he shows up with Baekhyun clutching on his arm.

Kris grunts, reluctant to stop cuddling with Joonmyun. A couple of snorts are heard, and a hue of red spreads through Joonmyun’s cheeks.

Kris eventually gives up and loosens his grip on Joonmyun, not entirely letting go of him yet.

“Come on, we’ll have plenty of time for this later,” Joonmyun convinces him, smile dazzling and eyes curving into tiny crescents, one of Kris’ favorite things about Joonmyun.

The grin on Kris’ lips lights up his entire face. He leans down and pecks Joonmyun’s lips for the last time, deaf to the loud grunts coming from their friends.

“Yeah, we have plenty of time.”

1. Amortentia: the most powerful Love Potion in existence (source)
2. D.A.D.A: stands for Defense Against the Dark Arts.
3. Skele-gro: a dreadful-tasting potion which causes vanished or otherwise lost bones to regrow in a notably slow and painful process. (source)